The idea of a reading crawl did not come to us naturally. We saw a Reel on Instagram almost a year ago at this point, and we all squealed with excitement at the idea of doing our own reading crawl. It took us a long time to get our act together to make this happen, choose the spots, and pick a date, but we finally made it happen. In the end, there were three of us on the reading crawl, and it might have been one of my favorite days in a long, long time!
We started our day with breakfast at Central Diner St. Pete, apparently touted as “best breakfast in St. Pete.” Unfortunately, I’m going to call bullshit on that one. I ordered an egg sandwich on a bagel and my food was so bland. The bagel was just a plain bagel, and it tasted a little stale. I was pretty disappointed, but hey, you can’t win ’em all! At least I had great company and we chit-chatted for about an hour, catching up on life and discussing the books we brought and our plans for the reading crawl.
Then, it was time for our first stop!
Stop #1: The Book Lounge
We got to The Book Lounge a few minutes before they opened, which meant we got a prime reading spot on a set of couches. We ordered coffee (I ordered an iced vanilla latte and got a blueberry muffin since my breakfast did not tide me over), and once our drinks arrived, I set a timer for an hour, and we settled in to read!
Our books were The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas (Lynn), How to Read a Book by Monica Wood (Kim), and The Love Haters by Katherine Center (me). My final tally at the end of this reading stop was 70 pages!
Once our timer was up, we strolled around the bookstore for a bit but… and I know this is going to come as a shock… I didn’t really find any books I wanted to buy. BLASPHEMY! My friends didn’t find anything, either, so we left empty-handed.
Stop #2: Book + Bottle
Originally, we weren’t going to go to Book + Bottle because they were having a wine event. However, at closer inspection, we discovered the event was outside, which meant the inside was free rein for us! We walked the short distance to Book + Bottle, found a spot inside, and ordered waters. Lynn ordered wine and also some crackers and hummus for our table. (The hummus was incredible!) I tried to order some macarons for us, but they were sold out. Wah!
We settled at a table and set another hour-long timer. Lynn and I continued reading our books while Kim opted to continue with another book she had been reading. (Actually, Kim brought two books and we played a fun game where Lynn or I would reach into her tote and pluck out the first thing our hands touched! For me, it was How to Read a Book and for Lynn, it was Kim’s Kindle. Ha!) So Kim settled in with Carl’s Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman. (We’re reading the first book in the series, Dungeon Crawler Carl, for book club this month! Kim zoomed through the first book and is already on the second one.)
It was another solid reading hour for me! I got through another 70 pages, and was fully immersed in this fun romance. Katherine Center is more miss than hit for me these days, but I’m glad I’m giving this one a try because it’s so good. (I’m picturing the LOML, David Corenswet, as hunky Hutch, and that’s making this romance even better for me.)
Also, there was the cutest service dog hanging out next to us. Look at that grin!
After our reading time, we strolled through the bookstore. Book + Bottle has a very curated selection (maybe 8-10 bookshelves total?), but I almost always find a gem in the stacks. This time around, I picked up a book that I’ve never heard of but with a title and a cover like this, how could I resist?!
Stop #3: Black Crow Coffee
(I need you guys to know that I had “live” turned on for these photos and they do NOT disappoint.)
Our final stop of the day was Tombolo Books and Black Crow Coffee (Jenny – is this sounding familiar to you? Ha!). Getting there was a nightmare because downtown parking on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon was atrocious. I did two loops, paralleled parked LIKE A BOSS in one space, then decided that space might not be a place I could park, and as I was trying to get out, I almost got T-boned by a bus that came zooming by. Good times! I eventually had some parking spot serendipity, as I turned on one road just as someone was pulling out of a space. Hooray!
We strolled around Tombolo for a bit, and I got the DELIGHT OF MY LIFE when I found out that Caro Claire Burke of Yesteryear and Diabolical Lies fame is coming to my city in May! AHHHHH! I couldn’t sign up for the event fast enough, and my book event pal, Lynn, was also free that night! I’m trying to figure out how much I should fangirl all over her when I see her. I literally did a happy dance in the bookstore when I found out!
Anyway, after my moment of delight, I calmed down enough to check out their stacks and found two books that had to come home with me: one from a fave romance author that has a cover to die for and the other from a cult classic in our blogging community that is finally in paperback. Afterwards, we headed next door to Black Crow Coffee for the third and final stop on our reading crawl.
We ordered coffee (decaf for the normal people, but I drank a full caffeinated peppermint mocha at 3pm and slept like a baby that night) and then found a secluded spot to do more reading. Kim had to leave about 15 minutes after we sat down, but Lynn and I managed to sneak in another 20 minutes of reading time before the coffee shop closed. My final tally for the day was 180 pages—I think I could have finished The Love Haters if I had a full hour-long session! It’s under 300 pages (bless you, Katherine Center) and I was zipping through the pages!
Final Thoughts
This was my ideal day, I think, and it made me so excited for my upcoming solo reading retreat! I get to do this for two-and-a-half days straight in just a few days. AHHH! We have plans to do this reading crawl quarterly, and switch up our locations every time. There are so many great bookstores and coffee shops and other places to visit in our area, and it’s a great way to support our local businesses, too. We’re considering jumping over to Tampa for our next reading crawl.
I had the best time, and it was a great mix of being social and being quiet and sucked into my book. We started around 10 a.m. with breakfast and I didn’t leave downtown until 4 p.m.! That’s a long day, especially moving around so much, but I truly didn’t feel exhausted at the end of it. I think that’s because a) I didn’t have to be “on” the whole time and b) I got to interact with so many bookish places and people, which is always my happy place.
I can’t wait for our next reading crawl!
Does a reading crawl like this sound exciting or exhausting to you?!
I see that copy of Sky Daddy!
This sounds like so much fun. It’s basically a traveling silent bookclub!
Yes, exactly! It was a really fun day.
Stephany, I am an extreme introvert, and your book crawl sounds AMAZING to me! This is my idea of fun socializing. I think you’re onto something! Being with like-minded people with an imposed amount of quiet reading time sounds like heaven. Plus treats and beverages!
I’m itching to know if Cat’s People is good because that cover is the best thing ever!
Yes, I think I cracked the code on the perfect introvert outing. Some social time but PLENTY of quiet time, reading a book.
I love this idea! Because I agree, having the down time built into the event would absolutely let me go longer and be less exhausted by being social for that long.
The built-in reading time was so nice! Whenever I felt like I was getting worn out, we dipped into our books and it rejuvenated me!
This sounds amazing to me! I like that you had downtime for reading built into your day so while you were out and about for a long chunk of time, you weren’t constantly on the go! I am impressed with your ability to drink caffeine that late in the day. YIKES!!
I didn’t know that the Yesteryear author was known for any other books – I had assumed she was a debut. I am on the fence on reading her book since influencer culture annoys the sh*t out of me. But I have heard so much buzz about the book so will likely succumb and read it.
Yesteryear is Caro Claire Burke’s debut! Diabolical Lies is her podcast that I’m essentially obsessed with. That’s why I’m so excited she’s coming to my local bookstore – I have developed a very parasocial relationship with her, HA.
What an amazing time you had! A perfect Sunday. My Sunday was spent mostly inside, it was a beautiful rainy day, and I tore through about half of Yesteryear. I’m really enjoying it so far! I don’t buy hard backs, but my daughter has no such compunction, and she bought it and read it on Friday/Saturday.
Forgot to mention that that dog looks nothing like my Mulder, but that dog’s smile looks JUST like Mulder’s smile! <3
A rainy day spent reading a great book? I love that so much!
Why, yes- EVERYTHING here looks familiar because I’ve been to all these places!!! This sounds so, so, so fun. Kind of like what we did, but longer and with reading. You’re really making me want to schedule a reading day of my own. Oh, and ooh, Sky Daddy in paperback!!! I’ll be interested to hear what you think.
You should absolutely schedule a reading day of your own! It was a really great time. Next time, we might try other, non-bookish places so we have the full experience!
What a fun way to spend an afternoon. I’m afraid I’d be too chatty – happy to be with friends, and I’d not really focus on reading. 😉
We definitely did a lot of chit-chatting! That was the benefit of this type of outing – it’s great for both extroverts and introverts!
What a FABULOUS day, Stephany! I loved reading your recount of the reading crawl. I also love that you ended up with some new friends to take home. 🙂
I enjoyed The Love Haters (am a big Katherine Center fan), but I ABHOR the title! It is so dumb, isn’t it? I feel like it has nothing to do with the story at all!
The title is so bad! Who let that one get through?! It makes no sense with the story.
I love The Love Haters, Sky Daddy, hummus, AND wine, and so this sounds delightful!!
You would have had a lovely day with us, Nicole!
I’m nervous about Sky Daddy but since I really loved Shark Heart, I’m willing to give another unhinged premise a try.
OMG but those beautiful drinks at the first stop!!! Yes, please! That is the vibe I am going for!
Funny story. I started listening to The Love Haters then realized it was Center and returned it because I generally dislike all her books. I am glad you are liking this one more! I am curious if it’s as body focused as some of the comments on GR say it is.
STEPHANY! Cat’s People was one of my top 5 books last year! It’s so good! (Not saying you should have remembered that, just that I liked it so much it was a top 5)
Ooo, I wonder how Sky Daddy will be in print! I LOVED it on audio (also one of my top 5).
I love this whole day so much. It sounds perfect. I would love to do it with my sister and Val!
Oh my gosh, how did I miss that Cat’s People was one of your favorite books? Now I’m even MORE excited to read it!
You should definitely plan one of these reading crawls during a girls’ weekend. We had a great time!
This sounds like a dream day! Exploring new places, friends, and lots of reading time. San Diego has a book crawl weekend where people try to visit as many indie bookstores as possible and get stamps on their passports and prizes, but I like your more low-key version better.
Our city is doing the same thing with the stamps/passports! We started our passport, but I don’t think we’ll get very far lol. Doing our own thing was much more our speed!
I love the idea of a Book Crawl sooooo much! I want to have a book crawl of my own….
I JUST googled and there’s a DC independent bookstore book crawl this month! I have to work that day, but I’m going to download the map for future reference. Oh wait…. I looked again, and three of these bookstores are in walking distance from my work. Hmmm…. Maybe that’s what I’ll be doing on my lunch break….
As always – thanks for the book-ish inspiration!
I hope you can make it to the book crawl, even for just a few stops! Or do it on your own/with some friends (or maybe the kids?!) some other day. It was a delight!
This is so great!!! I now want to do a book crawl so much! I am thinking NYC, downtown, Greenwich village… early summer, late spring… wouldn’t that be amazing?! See my small town in NJ has only one bookstore, but I think NYC would be amazing in this sense.
Oh, and that book cover with the kitteh!
That sounds AMAZING, Daria, and you should absolutely do it!