Celebrating the Bliss of
Asheville's Bookstores

Asheville has a wonderfully blissful assortment of book stores and used book stores where you can always 'expect the unexpected'.

Barnes and Noble
Located in Dreamland Mall just below the Asheville Mall. Open most nights til 10 and weekends to 11. Comfy chairs for browsing. Nice assortment of magazines and a cafe with wi-fi capability.
Plans to open new store twice as
large in Asheville Mall in 2009.

B. Dalton
Upstairs in the middle of the Asheville mall on Tunnel Road

Books a Million
Map located on Tunnel Road across the street from the Asheville Mall. Large store with cafe with snacks, coffee, tea and drinks. Open every day but Sunday to 11 p.m.

Spellbound Children's Bookshop
"... an independent bookstore just for kids, featuring books for babies through teens. We carry primarily new books but also have a small section of used books... our mission is to raise lifelong readers who are curious, imaginative, and independent thinkers by sharing the magic found when you open a book.... We have a carefully selected inventory reflecting the best books of yesterday and today, books that kids will want to read again and again…books with staying power… books that hold you spellbound!..." Located on Haywood Road in West Asheville.

UNC Asheville Bookstore
"... serves the academic and personal needs to the University. Its primary emphasis is academic, providing support for reading and study assignments. The Bookstore also supports the academic mission by providing necessary school supplies and required classroom materials. The personal, non-academic needs are filled by offering goods and services required by a variety of people comprising the UNC Asheville community...."

Walden Books (Borders)
inside Biltmore Mall 800 Brevard Road.

Antiquarian

Black Mountain Books
"... We buy and sell used and rare books daily. We specialize in books of North Carolina, Black Mountain College, the Southern Appalachians, Nature, Religion, 18th and 19th Century England and Scotland...." On Cherry Street in Black Mountain.

Ptak Books, Maps, & Prints

The Captain's Bookshelf
".. The Captain’s Bookshelf was established in 1976. We have been buying and selling secondhand and rare books in downtown Asheville North Carolina ever since. Our stock includes numerous signed books, first editions and fine leather bindings as well as a generous collection of quality secondhand material. Occasionally we hold exhibitions of original art and contemporary photography. We are interested in purchasing fine books in all fields as collections or as individual volumes...."

From Rolf Potts' Vagabonding blog:

I've never been one of those uptight literary types who thinks that you have to have actually read a book in order to recommend it to others. So I feel no trepidation in suggesting Eric Weiner's new travelogue-slash-memoir The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World The premise of the book is simple but intriguing-- here is Amazon's description:

Part foreign affairs discourse, part humor, and part twisted self-help guide, The Geography of Bliss takes the reader from America to Iceland to India in search of happiness, or, in the crabby author's case, moments of "un-unhappiness." The book uses a beguiling mixture of travel, psychology, science and humor to investigate not what happiness is, but where it is. Are people in Switzerland happier because it is the most democratic country in the world? Do citizens of Singapore benefit psychologically by having their options limited by the government? Is the King of Bhutan a visionary for his initiative to calculate Gross National Happiness? Why is Asheville, North Carolina so damn happy? With engaging wit and surprising insights, Eric Weiner answers those questions and many others, offering travelers of all moods some interesting new ideas for sunnier destinations and dispositions.

In the imaginary Netflix queue of books-that-I'm-planning-to-read, this one has just jumped to the top. By the way, why has no one started a Netflix for books? This question, and many more, I'll leave for another day.

Arts and Crafts Books

Earthguild
Located just down Haywood Street from Malaprops is Earthguild, Asheville's oldest and largest craft supply store. Carries a huge selection of books and magazines related to a wide variety of crafts: Basketry, Dyes, Spinning & Felting, Yarns, Knitting & Crochet, Weaving, Rugmaking, Folkwear Patterns, Beading, Cords, Polymer Clays, Candlemaking, Soapmaking, Papermaking, Pottery, Leatherwork, Woodworking,

Metaphysical and
New Age Bookstores

Crystal Visions
"... is a metaphysical center dedicated to conscious living and spiritual growth.  In this sacred, uplifting setting you may experience spiritual and metaphysical teachings, guidance, meditation, sharing, laughter, music and camaraderie. This is a safe haven for you to reflect upon and voice your thoughts about your Earth journey. Our capable and loving staff reflects a broad spiritual background that serves to enhance your experience here. We honor and welcome all paths..."

Mystic Journey
A nice selection of spiritually-oriented books including metaphysical, psychic, New Age, astrology, etc. Located on Merrimon Avenue. Has a whole calendar of 'mystical' events. Also, check out Mystic Journey's MySpace page.

Christian Bookstores

Family Christian Stores

Asheville LifeWay Christian Store

Book Fairs and Literary Festivals

Carolina Mountains Literary Festival
Held annually in September in Burnsville, NC (about 45 minutes north of Asheville) "... One of our goals is to raise awareness of works of literary significance from smaller presses. We do focus on regional writers, though not exclusively.... overall, our aspiration is to create a little literary community which is in dialog with readers, aspiring writers, and established authors about craft and ideas of sustaining merit. Another goal is to make sure our authors are having good time. In the best scenario, authors leave the festival feeling renewed and rededicated to their work. So frequently when an author writes in isolation, it is hard to believe that his/her work is making an impact on people and society. But situating authors and readers together in close quarters, as our festival does, it is possible for authors to hear stories of how their work has influenced people. It’s not just signing a book, it’s making a human connection..."