The "Indie Bookshops of New Jersey" Project
Read Furiously is devoted to New Jersey and indie bookshops--so what better way to honor both than to publish an Indie Bookshops of New Jersey 2026 calendar?
My fellow Read Furiously author, Margaret Montet (Nerd Traveler and Brooklyn Family Album) and I, Bill Hemmig (Brethren Hollow and Americana: Stories), are traveling the state this summer, dropping in on indie bookshops from Mendham to Stone Harbor, Flemington to Manesquan, taking photos and chatting with the staff about their shops, their customers, and their towns; twelve shops will each get a month to themselves. We're having the best time and are super excited about this project--as are the 2026 shops!
Bill’s First Stop: BookTowne, Manasquan, July 16
Backstory: Margaret and I started this project by combing through the directory of the American Booksellers Association, noting bookshops that looked like they have particularly interesting stories to tell (which is turning out to be all of them), and then sending email inquiries to the shops; Margaret took on the lower half of the state while I covered the northern half. It took me thirteen tries until I had my six, but those six were very excited to be part of this!
I just spent a few weeks in Monmouth County, hanging out on Sandy Hook, which is the northernmost stretch of beaches on New Jersey’s Atlantic coast. Three of my shops were within reasonable driving distance, so I started with those.
First stop was BookTowne in Manasquan. Manasquan is a beach town and BookTowne is right on Main Street, on a charming block of locally owned shops and cafes. Peter Arbertelli, the owner, told me the space has always been a bookshop in some form, at one point a combination book and antiques shop. BookTowne itself, which sells new books as well as gift items, was founded by Rita Maggio on Memorial Day 2007, and Peter took ownership five years ago, also on Memorial Day. The shop supports a strong year-round community as well as summer visitors, and holds frequent events, including the summer series, “Meet the Author on Main Street,” regularly featuring local authors.
Peter and his staff were excited to tell me about the BookTowne “Readathon,” which has been held in November for the past three years to benefit a local charity. On one evening, all the staff have dinner together in the shop, and then spend the entire night taking two-hour turns sitting in the shop window, reading their favorites while sleeping in the shop on reading breaks.
As one of the staff remarked, “Everyone dreams of sleeping in a bookstore.” I worked in an indie bookshop—not in New Jersey—for six years and never once slept there (although the midnight release of the second Harry Potter was nearly an all-nighter), and now I think I missed out on something incredibly fun. I may have to visit again in November!
Margaret's First Stop: Barrier Island Books, Stone Harbor, July 26
I was reminded of the joy and wonder of browsing a bookstore as I waited to meet Pete Lengle of Barrier Island Books. This shop is one of three locations. There’s another a block or so away in a tiny mall in Stone Harbor (next to Hoy’s 5 & 10₵ store), and another in West Cape May next to the popular Cape West Tacos. It was a glorious, hot, beach day in Stone Harbor, and the book store was bustling with activity as beach-goers (and probably some shade seekers) chose their beach reads.
Pete and I had a nice chat about the store. He told me he actually bought it twice: bought it, sold it, bought it back with his wife Marnie. They both have other full-time jobs in Stone Harbor, so they rely on their Cracker-Jack staff to take care of customers and stock the shelves with new and used books. There’s always a good selection including many local interest and beach themed fiction and nonfiction titles.
My browsing yielded Gold Dust Woman: The Biography of Stevie Nicks by Stephan Davis.
Although I’ve been having a Fleetwood Mac renaissance lately, it never would have occurred to me to seek out a biography of Stevie Nicks, but there it was, under my nose. I bought it. I’m
reading it. Browsing did that.
After our bookstore visit, we cruised the town, stopping in the fantastic hardware store, Barrier Island Books’ other location, dining at Fred’s Tavern, and then nodding in the general direction of renowned Springer’s Ice Cream. After Fred’s there was no room for a frozen treat.
Margaret's Second Stop: Booktrader of Hamilton, Hamilton - August 2
This store has existed in Hamilton for decades, the last two in this location on Nottingham Way. Owner for 23 years Joan Silvestro told me about its history: jewelry store, lawyer’s office, other stuff, and (way back) a pharmacy with a soda fountain. Old ductwork and wires prevent the Silvestros from showing off the original tin ceiling behind the current acoustical tiles, but imagine that! Having been past this building thousands of times as both a kid and a grownup, I was fascinated by the history. Just a few doors down is Carella’s (cards, gifts, chocolates), and on the next corner used to be an Arthur Miller dance studio.
Customers wandered in steadily looking for summer reads while I was there. I noticed that
many hung out in the science fiction area while I took in history, music (saw the Stevie Nicks
biography again), art, and biography. (I’m a nonfiction girl.) The store is consistently loaded
with books, and Joan likes to stock local authors. (Hmmm…Read Furiously publishes a few of
those…) She was delighted with the two New Jersey themed anthologies I presented her from
Read Furiously. By the way, used paperbacks are half-off the original price and hardcovers are five dollars. Customers who trade-in used books earn store credit towards their purchases.
Luckily for me, as part of my stomping ground since 1973, this is the closest-to-home bookstore on my list. I had forgotten my camera which I needed to shoot some photos for the Read Furiously calendar! (Last time, at Barrier Island Books, I had forgotten to drop off a business card and went back after lunch.) I retrieved it, shot photos, and then browsed my way to four paperback acquisitions before dining at Popeye’s.