Hooked on Books
Read Furiously
Hooked on Books
3405 Pacific Avenue
Wildwood, NJ
What We Love:
Hooked on Books has been on Pacific Ave in Wildwood since 1991, open in the warmer months only, and I have no idea why I’ve never been there before! It’s a lovely shop full of used books with a few new on-demand titles. I could have spent hours there shopping for unexpected treasures and chatting with Kieran Linnane, the proprietor who just happens to be from Galway, Ireland. We talked about Ireland for a bit and then I asked him what kinds of books sell in this store. Of course beach reads and science fiction (Project Hail Mary!!!), but I was surprised to find out that his customers enjoy reading classics on the beach. I thought I was unique in that preference! That conversation launched us into a critique of the new Wuthering Heights movie and the importance of being aware of contrasting interpretations of literature. Since I’m next to choose a book for my new book club, I asked Kieran if he had suggestions: Project Hail Mary!!! and The Measure by Nikki Erlick because “it gets people thinking.”
I tried to be conservative with my used books haul, and selected Elizabeth & Margaret: the Intimate World of the Windsor Sisters by Andrew Morton (Grand Central, 2021), and Essays in Context edited by Sandra Fehl Tropp and Ann Pierson D’Angelo (Oxford, 2001). The latter has the feel of a college textbook anthology, but the essays inside are not the usual selections in such collections.
Wildwood, being a summer fun town, has tons of restaurants of all kinds, plenty within walking distance of Hooked on Books. I didn’t partake because I wanted to get home with my new used books.
One more thing: I confessed to Kieran that I am intimidated by Wildwood traffic in summer. He said, no, don’t worry. On a weekday you can drive right up and practically park in front of the store. It’s right across from Byrne Plaza, a newer landmark.
~ Margaret Montet, author of Nerd Traveler and Brooklyn Family Album
Bookstore Specialty:
Popular fiction, new books, children’s books, nonfiction - with a primary focus on secondhand books
A seasonal gem in a NJ shore town, Hooked on Books has won its share of accolades. They were voted Best Bookstore on the Jersey Shore for 2012, 2009 & 2008 and were featured on TV station WTXF Fox 29 Philadelphia's "Best of the Shore" Hotlist. Hooked on Books was also voted Best Bookstore in Cape May county for 13 years by Freetime readers and was given the 2017 Readers Choice Award, voted on by the readers of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News and Philly.com.
Learn More:
You can find more information about Hooked on Books, their specials and bestsellers, and up-to-date news on their website [http://www.hookedonbooks.info/]. As a seasonal bookstore, you’ll also find the season’s opening dates and read recent views from happy readers. Sun, surf, and books make for a necessary NJ summer reading experience!
We are so excited to feature Hooked on Books in our upcoming Indie Bookshops of New Jersey 2027 wall calendar. Preorders are open now. Calendars are printed with a limited print run, so preordering ensures you get a copy before they sell out. Calendars will ship out on August 25th. Or you can contact the store directly to get your copy!