The Book Wench

Hello friends. I hope everyone is having a wonderfully bookish day. I have a fun little post for everyone, especially if you live in the west central area of Georgia (or thereabouts).

On Tuesday, the 7th, I had to drive an hour away for a doctor’s appointment in Newnan, GA. What better way, I thought, than to spend the rest of the day having an adventure before heading home? I decided to check out two of the bookstores that Newnan has to offer and I took pics so that I could share the stores with you guys in case you need a little inspiration for a trip to Newnan (or through Newnan if you’re travelling in that part of Georgia).

For an idea of where I’m talking about, Newnan is about thirty to forty-five minutes (according to my husband) southwest of the Atlanta perimeter. It definitely would make for a great day trip if you’re in the Atlanta area and want to see some smaller town bookstores (Newnan is by no means small anymore but compared to Atlanta it is basically a village).

The first place I decided to visit was Newnan Book Co, a brightly lit, cute little store right off the square downtown. I was privileged to meet one of the booksellers, Amber, as well as owner Liz.

Amber and I spoke at length about a bunch of different books and she gave me a bunch of recommendations, which are always welcomed and appreciated.

One of the books she recommended was James by Percival Everett, a Pulitzer Prize-winning retelling of Twain’s Huckleberry Finn through the eyes of Jim/James which I had heard about but hadn’t to that point gotten to discuss with anyone in detail. I was intrigued by the book but I know it’s going to be a heavy read so I filed it away in my mind for when I can better handle something that will no doubt be very heavy and thought-provoking.

Another book she recommended was Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino, a book I had not heard of but sounded excellent. It’s about a woman who will stop at nothing to land the winning offer on a house that she is determined to own. Apparently, according to Amber, it gets absolutely unhinged. It definitely sounded like a fun book and I will absolutely be adding it to my TBR. both books can be bought through the Newnan Book Co website here.

I loved getting to talk books with Amber but she ended her shift while I was there. Sales were taken over by none other than the owner herself, Liz. She told me a bit about their events that were coming up, including book signings (they have so many), book clubs, and much more. Check here to see if anything piques your interest.

I really had a great time at the store and even found a book to come home with me. Apparently, author Kate Dramis had just been at the store for an event a week or so before and had left a few signed copies of The Curse of Saints. I’ll be honest, I own the kidnle version, bought several years ago, but the book had not been on my radar (it’s so hard keeping up with sooooo many books – there are 8k + on my Goodreads tbr alone). The blurb sounded amazing and Liz really talked it up so I had to buy it.

Shortly after paying I gave Liz my fancy schmansy business card and told her I was going to post soon about my visit. If even one person goes to visit because of my post, then I will be a happy camper indeed.

After visiting Newnan Book Co, Mr. Wench and I decided we needed to grab some lunch so we drove across the square at Liz’s suggestion and visited the Whimzical (sic) Cafe. It was just a short jaunt to our next stop so it was the perfect place to eat.

As I have mentioned before, I have some health issues so I have to be very careful of what I eat. Thankfully I was able to get a yummy sandwich at the cafe, a Turkey and Gouda sandwich with a dash of mango vinaigrette and rosemary aioli. It was delicious, especially when paired with some fresh fruit.

After lunch, we walked down Perry Street to the second bookstore on my list, the wonderfully named Morally Gray Bookstore.

I loved the sign outside telling me that my book boyfriend said to buy whatever I wanted. Unfortunately for me I was with my real husband and not my book boyfriend, so I didn’t get any books but I did get some fun stuff. More on that later.

Morally Gray is a much darker aesthetic of shop than Newnan Book Co but I loved it just the same. The stores theme is just romance books. If the book has a major romance theme, then odds are you’ll find it here.

Once again, we were fortunate to get to meet the owner of the store on our visit. Allie, a still-practicing therapist, was so kind to us and offered to help us find anything we needed. Mr. Wench, of course, was sitting down in the husband waiting area, as I called it, on his phone and, unfortunately, I knew that I would not be able to convince him to let me get a second book. but I still looked around at all the books and goodies they had.

I got into a great conversation with another patron whose name I did not get about bookish tattoos. Then I looked around at the plethora of stickers and book and kindle accessories, of which I ended up getting a few.

I would have loved to get my own copy of Shield of Sparrows and Rites of the Starling instead of having to use the library but I am still holding out for a fancy sprayed edges version of Shield. Both books can be found on the Morally Gray website here.

It looks like Morally Gray also hosts their own slew of events, which you can find on their website here.

I got two Kindle charms and a sticker because I almost never can leave a bookstore without getting SOMETHING and I always want to help an Indie bookstore owner if I can, even if it’s just a small purchase.

Shortly after, we had to leave so we could go check out the Atlanta Brick Co for Mr. Wench so that he could have fun on our day trip as well.

I sincerely hope that someone gets the chance to visit one, but hopefully both, of these stores after reading this post. They were both fantastic and both owners were so kidn and helpful.

I really enjoyed my visit and wish I could have bought soooo much more at both stores.

Have you ever been to either store?