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6 Places To Celebrate Independent Bookstore Day In Chicago

 Inside Volumes Bookcafe.
Inside Volumes Bookcafe.
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DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser

CHICAGO —  Book merchants around Chicago are celebrating Independent Bookstore Day this Saturday and putting out all the stops to attract bibliophiles.

Here are some of Chicago's indie book stores planning special events for the day. 

1. Lakeview's Unabridged Books, 3252 N. Broadway Ave., will kick off the festivities at 9 a.m. with a "Breakfast Club"-themed shindig featuring a display of classic '80s literature and free sweets and coffee courtesy of Vanille Patisserie and The Coffee and Tea Exchange.

At 4:30 p.m., restaurateur Ina Pinkney will sign copies of her book, "Ina's Kitchen." Tea and pound cake will be served.  From 7 to 9 p.m., Curbside Splendor Publishing will curate readings by six local authors and beer from Dryhop Brewers will be provided. See the rest of their plans here

2. The Book Cellar, 4736 N. Lincoln Ave., will host Marc and Maureen Schulman of Eli's Cheesecake, who will discuss "The Eli's Cheesecake Cookbook" from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. 

Popular Chicago-based authors Rebecca Makkai ("The Hundred Year House") and Renee Rosen ("White Collar Girl, What the Lady Wants") will be slinging cocktails from the shop's Bloody Mary bar, 12:30-2 p.m.

Stick around for all-natural cotton candy from Spin-Spun, 2-4 p.m.

Throughout the day, special merchandise and discounts will be available. The first 10 shoppers to spend more than $30 will receive a complimentary gift bag.

3. RoscoeBooks in Roscoe Village is also among the shops joining in the fun, with activities planned all day long, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., 2142 W. Roscoe St.

4. Wicker Park's Volumes Bookcafe1474 N. Milwaukee Ave., will offer readings for children (10 a.m.), an artist who will sketch book lovers into super heroes (10:30 a.m. to noon), literary improv rap (3:30--4:30 p.m.) plus appearances by local authors Gint Aras ("The Fugue") and Etan Michaeli, who wrote a history of "The Chicago Defender," hailed by New York Times as "...a towering achievement that will not be soon forgotten."

As an added bonus, shoppers who buy a book at Volumes Bookcafe can show their receipt to Volumes Bookcafe's neighbors and get discounts like at Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, which will offer three flavors for the price of two. Check Volumes Bookcafe's Facebook page for the schedule of events and discounts. 

5. Logan Square's City Lit Books, 2523 N. Kedzie Blvd., will be giving out books throughout the day as well as homemade baked goods made by booksellers with recipes from their favorite cookbooks. There will be a story time event at 10:30 a.m. with professor Dave Becker. 

City Lit Book's finale will be a book release event for City Lit bookseller and author T. Sean Steele's "Tacky Goblin." The book release is set for 5 p.m. and will include readings from a number of authors.

6. Andersonville's Women and Children First, 5233 N. Clark St., will offer live music by author Freda Love Smith, the former drummer of Blake Babies, and her husband, Jake Smith. Refreshments from The Coffee Studio and Indie Bookstore Day gear along with offering discount merchandise are also on tap.

At 4 p.m., Ana Castillo will discuss her new collection of essay's "Black Dove: Mama, Mi'jo and Me" with Cyn Vargas. The book "weaves intergenerational stories traveling from Mexico City to Chicago" while explaining life as "a single, brown, feminist parent in a world of mass incarceration, racial profiling, and police brutality," according to a Women and Children First news release.

For more celebrations, visit the Indie Book Store Day website and enter in your zipcode.  Be advised that several other local book stores not listed there also appear to be celebrating too.

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