Nicole R's blog

Hello. Am I a person writing this? Are you a person reading this? How can we tell what lies on the other side of this screen between us? Maybe I am Mark Zuckerberg inside the metaverse wearing the virtual costume of a bookseller. Or I’m a TikTok creator sharing book titles in the format of the latest viral booktok trend. Perhaps I’m an artificial intelligence program designed to identify what books fit a certain theme so that I can share them with the world. Just kidding—I’m Joe, a real life flesh-and-blood bookseller at Third Place Books Lake Forest Park. We’ve recently revamped our Internet and Technology section, but there are books about the Internet in every corner of the store!

Welcome to this post, which as you know lives on the internet. More and more our lives, the way we express ourselves, the nature of our connections to others, and how we engage with the world around us is tied up in the world wide web. We listen to podcasts online, write and read fan fiction.  Since the beginning of the pandemic our shift towards living with one foot on solid ground and the other in digital reality has only accelerated with virtual events and remote work leaving us all in a digital limbo. Literature has got to keep up! Here’s a round up of some of my favorite books that are either explicitly about the internet or engage our shifting relationships with each other and the technology that connects us. If something catches your eye, order it online or even venture to one of our stores in person.

Ever wonder what the characters of Bob’s Burgers would buy from an indie bookstore? Look no further! We have compiled a list of books that your favorite characters would (probably) read!

I recently had the pleasure of watching the tv show Only Murders in the Building (shout out to Rosa, Claire, and Allie for recommending it!) and I was delightfully charmed from start to finish. I quickly fell into this cozy mystery set in New York City following the unexpected trio of Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez as they try to solve a murder that took place in their fancy apartment building while starting a true crime podcast along the way. I was pulled in by the eclectic cast of characters, funny moments, and the twists and turns as the plot thickened.

As someone who tends to veer away from things with murder in the title, this show reminded me how fun a mystery can be and that there is in fact an entire genre of cozy mysteries out there to explore. So, if you too have just finished binging this show and are searching for some fun and not-too-scary cozy mysteries to read, check out the list below! And if you haven't watched the show yet, please go and remedy that right away. Happy sleuthing!

The holidays are in full swing folks! To help with your gift shopping needs, we've got some great recommendations for books related to beloved fandoms - such as The Office, Bridgerton, Star Wars, Dungeons & Dragons, and lots more. So if you need a gift for someone and all you know about them is that they are a dedicated fan of a certain TV Show/Movie/Game, we've got all sorts of media tie-in books that will make the perfect present. Check out the books below and we hope this makes your holiday shopping a little easier.

We asked the booksellers at all three of our locations for their favorite books of 2021. These are the top 10 books that made it onto the majority of those lists.

Check out the list below. All books are also available as digital audiobooks here.

In our second installment of this series, we bring you a delightful queer romance to brighten up your day. And to make your book club meeting for this title even more fun, we also have some great ideas for what to drink, eat, read, watch, and listen to inspired by the book!

My mom has always been an important part of my media consumption. She is a true tastemaker, not caring if what she enjoys is trendy or cool, but is always ahead of the curve. She told me about the wonderful world of k-dramas back when Netflix had JUST switched to their early streaming platform from their mail-in system. Yeah, I know. She's cutting-edge! But my enjoyment of all sorts of Korean media began in earnest when I started seeing my partner. He showed me one Taemin video, and I was immediately and fully smitten and soon realized there was no turning back. K-pop, k-dramas, and even some Korean variety shows, I was hooked. 

Now, I'm not as enthralled as I was a few years ago, but Korean media is still very much a part of my balanced diet. And with the full global takeover of BTS, Parasite winning Best Picture at the 2019 Oscars, plenty of Korean stars in Hollywood films (Ma Dong Seok in the Eternals, anyone? Very exciting!), and now Squid Game becoming Netflix's most watched show ever it's safe to say that Korean media is here to enrich all of our lives for good.

For your reading (and viewing and listening) pleasure, my colleague Nicole and I paired some of our favorite young adult books with either a k-drama or a k-pop act. So if this is your first foray into the wonderful world of Korea—and its rich diaspora here in America—then look no further than the following titles. - Bookseller Niki

Is your book club at a loss for what to read next? Can't decide because there are just too many great books to choose from? Well look no further because we've created a new blog post series where each month, one of our booksellers will recommend a title that they think would make a great book club pick as well as some fun ideas for what to drink, eat, read, watch, and listen to inspired by the book to take your literary get-together to the next level!

It’s that time of year again, the one where those of us who delight in the macabre can finally indulge in pumpkin-y beverages and pay to frighten ourselves at horror movies, corn mazes, and haunted houses as the leaves turn color outside. If you’re anything like me, there’s no better way to spend an evening than plugging in those flickering orange Halloween decorations, cuddling up with a mug of hot apple cider, and cracking open a good, eerie read. To help you get into the seasonal mood, here’s a carefully curated list of spooky Sapphic young adult book recommendations.

In honor of Latinx Heritage Month, here is a list of some incredible books by Latinx and Hispanic authors! From fiction to romance to young adult and middle grade, I hope you're able to find a new story to fall into.

Let us know what you're reading during Latinx Heritage Month by tagging us @thirdplacebooks on social media! We always love seeing what you're reading and finding new recommendations. This month long celebration takes place from September 15th - October 15th, as many independence anniversiaries for Latin American countries are between that time range.