this isn't the kind of thing that shows up in polling or news stories or social media trends. and I don't know if it meaningfully correlates to broader social changes, but based on what *does* make it to the news, I really think that people are trying, learning, fighting, giving a shit

finally, I've noticed an uptick in the number of people trying to be more intentional about shopping local across the board, and are specifically trying to break their addictions to Amazon and Target. they are willing to drive a little further or wait a little longer for their special orders

about a month ago, we did a social media post explaining why we will continue to be an inclusive space, and for two weeks afterward, we saw a surge in traffic from people who came in specifically because they saw that post and wanted to support us. people of ALL ages, genders, backgrounds

little old Southern ladies come in looking for books to help them better understand their kids or grandkids who are transitioning and/or gender nonconforming. people want to connect with their autistic kids, their chronically ill siblings, their immigrant neighbors. I see it every day. every day.

yeah, we occasionally sell a copy of Hillbilly Elegy or Melania or Confronting the Presidents or some weird pseudoscientific nonsense, but that happens so infrequently, I probably sell more road maps in a given week.

and yes, I live in a Southern state

our Banned Books section is one of the biggest draws in our store. we are constantly replenishing its contents. people's fucking eyes pop out when they see Hitchhiker's Guide there! the other day, a guy got so mad at seeing The Diary of Anne Frank there, he just started yelling (and we let him)

books that hit the NYT Bestseller list that we also sold out of like immediately:

-The Message
-One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This
-Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza

(James, Serviceberry, etc. have stayed on the NYTBS list for weeks and weeks and weeks)

timely books we are constantly out of:

-Parable of the Sower
-On Tyranny
-Poverty, By America
-James
-Babel
-The Serviceberry

books I sell often/have sold recently:

-I Who Have Never Known Men
-The Hundred Years' War on Palestine
-How to Be an Antiracist
-Caste
-Freedom is a Constant Struggle

BUT also holy shit do people want books about sociology and social justice, current events, history, science. they want books about Palestine, Ukraine, queerness, feminism, Black liberation, empathy, resilience, context, context, context

as for adults: yes, romantasy is hot right now, we can all spot the Maas girlies from space, and who cares! that's fine

historical fiction is also so popular, I've started keeping a post-it note with hashmarks for every time someone asks if we have a section for it (we do not)

a common question we get from older folks is, "are people still buying books?" yes, lol, people are buying shit-tons of books!!! that includes young people, who are devouring series and standalones across genres and demographics. kids still love reading physical books by the wagonload

being an indie bookseller in the helltimes has felt both very stable and very stabilizing, and part of me wishes everyone could be on my side of the counter for a little while, because I think it would help some of you be a little less cynical and doomy right now. so here is my VERY anecdotal data: