During the week, I persuaded my parents and boyfriend to help me find an independent bookstore in Sarasota, FL. Because, really, what would a vacation be without a bookish expedition (or four)? After a few queries to Google, we stumbled upon A. Parker's Books & Book Bazaar on Main Street.

The place was small but had loads of charm, including an outdoor patio at the front of the store (because Florida). While it had a decent selection of more contemporary work, the shop seems to deal more in older and rare collections.

I gleefully browsed through their collection of first-edition classics in all their leather-bound, gilt-edged glory before abandoning the $75 Alice in Wonderland for a $3.50 copy of Passage by Connie Willis. I'm not sure how Passage compares to the other work I've read (and adored) by her, but at a rate of a buck per 200-250 pages, I figured it was worth the risk.

Their staff members were very present and eager to chat—one of them directed me to a short story (literally printed and taped to a side of a shelf in the sci-fi section), bubbling over about how it managed to fit every theme and emotion you could want in under 1,000 words. People this excited about stories never fail to make me feel at home, and, I have to admit, it was pretty good.

If you ever find yourself in downtown Sarasota, give this place a shot!

Did you visit (or do you plan to visit) any bookstores over your holiday?