Providence RIIndependentSince 2016

Real books for real readers.

A curated bookshop and café on Wickenden Street. Literary fiction, poetry, cookbooks, design titles, and the occasional risk. Eighty events a year. Strong coffee. A dog under the chair if you're lucky.

Three rooms, one shop.

i. ii. iii.
~ The Shop

The shop.

Eight thousand titles, hand-selected. Strongest in literary fiction, poetry, cookbooks, design, and translated work. We don't shelve by bestseller list. We shelve by what we'd hand a friend.

11am — 8pm · daily
~ The Café

The café.

Single-origin espresso from a Providence roaster. Drip, slow drip, cortados, hot chocolate from a Vermont chocolatier, a single scone of the day baked at sunrise. Two tables, four chairs, no laptops after 4pm.

8am — 6pm · daily
~ The Events

The events.

Eighty events a year — readings, book clubs, poetry nights, kids' storytimes, and the occasional release party with the lights low. Wine after 6pm. RSVPs encouraged but never required.

~ 80 events / year

Staff picks, this season.

iv. — Six titles
A Day in the Life of Abed Salama

A Day in the Life of Abed Salama

Nathan Thrall · 2024
"A single afternoon in the West Bank, told sideways. The most quietly devastating book I read all year." — Maren, owner
$28 · in stock
The Bee Sting

The Bee Sting

Paul Murray · 2023
"Six hundred pages and not one wasted. Funny in a way that earns the sad parts." — Theo, fiction buyer
$32 · in stock
Bluets

Bluets

Maggie Nelson · 2009
"My most-recommended book of the past decade. I've handed out 40 copies." — Ines, poetry
$18 · staff favorite
Six Seasons

Six Seasons

Joshua McFadden · 2017
"The cookbook I cook from most. Simple, honest, organized by what's actually at the market." — Wren, café
$40 · in stock
Trust

Trust

Hernán Díaz · 2022
"A novel told in four versions of itself. Smart in a way that doesn't feel show-offy." — Casper, fiction
$26 · in stock
All My Friends Live in Books

All My Friends Live in Books

Various editors · 2025
"An anthology of essays from independent booksellers about the books that shaped them. Yes, I wrote one." — Maren
$24 · signed copies
Apr 30 · Tues · 7pm

Lila Mertz reads from "The Slow Garden"

Debut novelist visiting from Western Mass. A book about quiet rebellion in a college town.

~ Reading · RSVP free
May 4 · Sat · 10am

Kids' storytime with Mira

For ages 3 to 7. Free, walk-in, snacks provided. Caregivers welcome to browse while kids gather.

~ Kids · drop in
May 9 · Thurs · 7pm

Poetry night ~ open mic + feature

Five-minute slots, sign-up at the door at 6:30. Featured reader: Jonas O'Hare.

~ Poetry · pay what you can
May 16 · Thurs · 6:30pm

Cookbook club ~ "Six Seasons"

Bring a dish from any chapter. We taste, we talk, we send everyone home with a discount on the next month's pick.

~ Book club · $5 suggested

Get a letter from us, every other week.

Two new staff picks · one event we'd love to see you at · one short essay about something we're reading. No pop-ups, no tracking, no algorithm. Just a real letter.