Pages of Pride, Chapters of Joy

Pride Shines On

America's Finest City is preparing for their largest single-day civic event in the region - San Diego Pride. Pride season in San Diego proves that LGBTQ+ visibility cannot be contained to a single day or month, and brings a positive wave of queer joy to the sunny streets of Hillcrest, our uptown gayborhood. From the book release party at Gossip Grill for "The Lesbian Bar Chronicles" on July 2nd to the San Diego Pride Dyke March on July 11th, our community continues to create spaces where lesbian, queer, and trans women can safely love and celebrate as their authentic selves.

Book Signing

Mirroring this year's official Pride theme, "Pride Shines On", Rachel Karp's new book, "The Lesbian Bar Chronicles: The Living History and Hopeful Future of America's Dyke Dives and Sapphic Spaces", has just hit the streets. Join Rachel Karp for a book signing and community story event at Gossip Grill on July 2nd starting at 6:30PM. Bluestocking Books will be selling physical copies of the book at the event. If you can't attend the event, you can purchase the book at Bluestocking Books and we will get it signed for you and ready for pick up or shipping at our store.

Rachel Karp's Journey

Lesbian bars are so much more than a place to get a drink. For over a century, they’ve acted as community posts, political organizing grounds, and sanctuaries. Yet whereas in the 1980s there were an estimated 200 lesbian bars across the US, the current count sits at a few dozen.


In The Lesbian Bar Chronicles, author and co-creator of the hit podcast Cruising Rachel Karp embarks across the country with her wife and best friend to chronicle the stories of the remaining US lesbian bars. Recent narratives have claimed lesbian bars are dying, but Karp’s group finds many of the places they visit to be thriving, their communities sustaining themselves over decades of change and challenges.


Weaving together over 100 hours of immersive interviews with bar owners, staff, and regulars, Karp highlights places like:

• Chicago spot Nobody’s Darling, where readers meet “the mayor” Shirley J, who in the 1970s was instrumental in the birth of house music.

• Frankie’s in Oklahoma City, where readers attend a “family night” to learn how a lesbian bar can birth a chosen family.

• Redz, a Chicana lesbian bar in East LA involved in the precedent setting court case that followed years of arrests for patrons wearing men’s clothing.

• Gossip Grill, a Hillcrest staple and a living legend, this beloved space takes center stage in chapter 17 of The Lesbian Chronicles. The bar is also the official home base for the San Diego King's Club, the longest-running drag king troupe in North America.

A heartfelt reclamation of queer history and queer lives, Karp’s narrative examines how these beacons for community and inclusion can teach us to live openly, cultivate connection, and continue to take up space.

Pages and Progress: Bluestocking Books is More Than a Bookstore

Beyond the bar spaces in our community, Bluestocking Books as also a safe haven where patrons and community members can relax and be themselves. More than a bookstore, Bluestocking Books is a third space, offering sanctuary and human connection.

The staff focuses on maintaining a space of radical inclusivity, where everyone is welcome to browse the literature, discover new perspectives at their own pace, and escape the pressures of the outside world for just a little while. We center diverse voices and progressive ideas by promoting community events and stocking the shelves with an array of subjects. These efforts, of course, include displaying an extensive selection of LGBTQ+ titles spanning history to gender studies and gay and lesbian fiction. In fact, we are told we house the largest selection of lesbian fiction, mysteries, westerns, and romance folks have seen, as well as some premier long out-of-print books. Come visit us during Pride season and all year 'round!

Lesbian fiction section at
Bluestocking Books.

"I am a Woman in Love with a Woman"
Collectible pulp paperback at
Bluestocking Books.

"Stone Butch Blues" is available at Bluestocking Books!

New gender studies books are stocked at Bluestocking Books.

You Are Here: Public Transportation Routes for San Diego Book Crawl 2026

 

 Participate in the 2026 San Diego Book Crawl by MTS bus and trolley!

Tips for taking public transit during the San Diego Book Crawl:

• Paying for the bus is easy. For a single ride, you can use exact change, a debit or credit card and NFC.

• While planning to visiting multiple bookstores, download the Pronto app or purchase a Pronto pass card.

• Children 5 and under ride free on San Diego MTS (bus/trolley) without a card.

• Youth 18 and under ride free with a Youth PRONTO card or app.

• On weekends, up to two kids 12 and under ride free per paid adult. A physical Youth PRONTO card must be registered for free fare.

• Weekdays offer more rides per route than Saturdays.

• On Sundays there may be a longer wait between rides – a benefit when you want to spend more time at a book shop.

Routes:

The routes outlined below are suggestions; alternative options are available. Refer to the MTS Trip Planner or apps like Moovit and One Bus Away for real time arrival details and to plan your personal best routes.

Starting from Coronado heading north and from downtown:

Bay Books to Libelula Books and Co.: Take Bus Routes 901 and 12

Bay Books to The Library Shop (downtown San Diego location): Bus Route 901

The Library Shop (downtown) to Libelula Books and Co: Bus Routes 12 or 929. Alternatively, you can ride the San Diego Trolley: take the UC San Diego Blue Line or the Orange Line.

The Library Shop (downtown) to Hey Books!: Bus Routes 5 or 901.

Hey Books! to The Library Shop (Mission Hills location): Bus Routes 3 and 10.

Starting from the San Diego uptown area:

The Library Shop (Mission Hills) to Bluestocking Books: Bus Route 10 (this route is walkable for those who are able).

Bluestocking Books to Verbatim Books: Bus Route 10.

Verbatim Books to The Book Catapult and Hey Books!: Bus Route 2.

Verbatim Bookstore to Meet Cute: Bus Route 1 or Bus Route 2 to the Orange Line Trolley.

Meet Cute to Mysterious Galaxy: Bus Routes 1 and 10 with walking. Keep in mind, this trip will run you an hour and a half.

Alternative Route:

The Library Shop (Mission Hills) to La Playa Books: Bus Route 10 to Bus Route 28.

La Playa Books to Mysterious Galaxy: Bus Route 28.

Starting from North County:

Check the North County Transit schedule for the best routes based on your location.

The Bookstore at UC San Diego to Bird Rock Bookshop: Bus Route 30 (this route includes walking).

The Bookstore at UC San Diego to Warwick’s: Bus Route 30 (this route includes walking).

Bird Rock Bookshop to Warwick’s: Bus Route 30 (this route includes walking).

The San Diego Book Crawl takes place April 25-27, 2026. Visit all 15 bookstores to earn the most swag and the biggest bragging rights!

It's Time to Crawl for Books!

 

Save the Date!

Bluestocking Books is ready for the 13th annual San Diego Book Crawl on April 25-27, 2026! Are you? Join in the fast and furious fun as book lovers of all ages fill their passports with visits to 15 participating bookstores and qualify for prizes that will be available as long as supplies last, so plan your route and get an early start! Follow SD Book Crawl for up-to-the-minute information.

Independent Bookstore Day

Independent Bookstore Day and Canadian Independent Bookstore Day are on April 25, 2026. Independent Bookstore Day isa nationwide celebration of bookstores. Each bookstore celebrates in its own way with author meet and greets, live music, foodie treats, scavenger hunts, creative projects, readings, contests, and other fun activities. There will also be exclusive swag available for the day. Wherever you are in North America, celebrate in your own way with your local bookstores.

LeVar Burton is the 2026 Indie Bookstore Ambassador, which includes championing independent bookstores on Indie Bookstore Day!

“It is an extraordinary honor to be chosen as ABA’s Indie Bookstore Ambassador. From my earliest memories, books carried me beyond the world I knew. They let me explore distant planets, ancient kingdoms, and lives very different from my own. Independent bookstores are where those explorations began. They are sanctuaries of possibility where a single story can change a life.” - LeVar Burton

Libro.fm Indie Bookstore Day Audiobook Sale

Libro.fm will be having an Independent Bookshop Appreciation sale April 20 - 26, 2026. Thousands of bestsellers and bookseller favorites will be on sale. Customers do not need to be a member to shop the sale, but members do take an additional 30% off.

In April, folks can start a new one-credit per month membership on Libro.fm with code BOOKSTOREDAY and get three audiobooks for the price of one (offer not valid on membership restarts).

There will be other promotions for Indie Bookstore Day from Libro, so follow Bluestocking Books on Instagram for updates before the Crawl!

Visit Bluestocking Books in person at 3817 Fifth Avenue in Hillcrest, San Diego, and online at bluestockingbooks.com.

It was one of those March days...

 

“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.”

― Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

Indeed, Dickens sums up the exact weather in San Diego right now. However, the rains in Southern California have resulted in an early spring superbloom.

The Flower Fields in Carlsbad are a shimmering living rainbow every spring. Guests can wander among brilliant, giant Tecolote Ranunculus flowers, stroll the scenic walking paths, and enjoy fun activities for the whole family. March 1 - March 10. Get your tickets and go outside to play!

March 1215, 2026, The Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park will celebrate the tradition of hanami, or "flower viewing" during the annual Cherry Blossom Festival. Nothing can upstage the beauty of the blooms, but additional activities will be offered during the event, such as an art exhibit, a wall of lanterns, food, beer, sake, vendors, and performers. Grab your tickets now!

February is for Book Lovers

 

You don’t need a holiday to bask in the glow of literary love, but for those who like to make it official, February is National Library Lovers’ Month. Started by the Friends and Foundations of California Libraries in 2003, National Library Lovers’ Month is an annual observance held throughout the entire month of February to celebrate the value of libraries, librarians, and the people who love them.

The month of February is dedicated to recognizing libraries as community hubs where people can find connections beyond books, such as e-books, databases, research tools, movies, music, story times, STEAM programs, literacy programs, and more.

Celebrate National Library Lovers’ Month by taking part in special events and challenges hosted by your public library. 

For seasoned patrons, write love notes to show appreciation for your library staff on February 14, partake in events listed on your library’s calendar, and consider volunteering with your Friends of the Library group. Speak with a branch manager to find your local chapter.

Is this the beginning of your library journey? Start by obtaining a library card and meeting the librarians by letting them know your special interests. Take a “shelfie” in front of your favorite book section and post it to your social media. Borrow books, DVDs, and audiobooks. Explore programs and events. Utilize digital resources. Ask about special collections and archive tours. Ask about free or reduced-price tickets to local museums, zoos, and cultural attractions. Check for availability of tools and maker labs for 3D printers, sewing machines, and audio recording booths.

“I always knew from that moment, from the time I found myself at home in that little segregated library in the South, all the way up until I walked up the steps of the New York City library, I always felt, in any town, if I can get to a library, I’ll be OK. It really helped me as a child, and that never left me.” —Maya Angelou

Penguin Random House compiled a list of fiction books featuring libraries and librarians across all genres and for all ages.

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year

 

"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year" wrote the American Transcendentalist philosopher and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson in his book "Society and Solitude", first published in 1870.

The quote is found in chapter seven, "Works and Days" - Emerson's essay on how humans perceive and value their time in which he explores mindfulness and the importance of living in the moment.

Emerson's philosophy aligns with core mindfulness principles such as Radical Presence ("own the day"); Letting Go of the Past ("finish every day and be done with it"); Intentionality and Perception ("today is the best day"); and Connection to Nature and Spirit (nature exists in a constant "today").

These are perfect principles to bring into the Gregorian New Year of 2026!

Interested in reading more Emerson? Order new copies of "Society and Solitude" via Bluestocking Books on Bookshop.org.

Mary at Bluestocking Books thinks Emerson's mindfulness manifests perfectly in the ten "inalienable rights" listed in Daniel Pennac's "The Rights of the Reader" :

1. The right not to read.
2. The right to skip pages.
3. The right not to finish a book.
4. The right to re-read.
5. The right to read anything. (Including "bad novels" or genre fiction)
6. The right to "Bovary-ism," a textually transmitted disease (the right to want a life like in the books, or the right to escapism).
7. The right to read anywhere.
8. The right to peck here and there. (The right to browse or dip in).
9. The right to read out loud.
10. The right to be silent. (The right not to defend your tastes or explain your relationship with a book).

James Patterson Holiday Bonus Program

Bluestocking Books is thrilled to be one of the bookstore recipients of James Patterson's Holiday Bonus Program! Mr. Patterson pledged a total of $300,000 in $500 increments to 600 booksellers from the American Booksellers Association bookstores. 

Bluestocking Books is delighted to be in the company of all the recipients, especially our fellow booksellers in San Diego - Hey Books! and Mysterious Galaxy. Congrats to all the bookshops!

From all of us at Bluestocking Books to all of you - have a happy and healthy...

Hello Gift Giving Season

 

December is here. In sunny San Diego that means periwinkle and orange sunsets and scarf weather. 

Hillcrest has options to celebrate the arrival of the winter holidays! Enjoy a San Diego Fog Latte at Hazel and Jade to warm your heart. Shop for the creatives in your life at the Artist & Craftsman Supply. Connect with your spiritual side at Wonders of the Earth. And, of course, dip into literature here at Bluestocking Books! The bookstore is chock full of delights for the season, including gently used books in all genres; LIFE Magazines from the 1940s-1970s; and new reprints of classics and customer favorites. Our staff is prepared to assist you in finding just the right tomes for however you celebrate the season - Jolabokaflod, Solstice, Yule, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas. Place your orders before December 15 for best arrival times. We love fulfilling your requests, so bring ‘em on! Please inquire NOW so that we may procure the best copies in time for Santa’s Christmas Eve visit. Bluestocking Books also has gift wrapping available for a fee, greeting cards, antique Christmas and New Year postcards.

Shop Hillcrest For The Holidays

Would you like a chance at winning a shopping spree in Hillcrest? Along with our neighboring restaurants and other retail businesses, we are participating in Shop Hillcrest for the Holidays from Friday November 28 through Wednesday December 24. When you spend $15 or more (one ticket for one purchase per day) at Bluestocking Books you will be offered an opportunity-drawing ticket to fill out and submit for a prospect of winning a $2000 shopping spree in Hillcrest! Every participating business has treats for you to win. Find out more at Fabulous Hillcrest. Each participating business may have different entry qualifications, so do inquire when you visit those shops and restaurants. 

Taste ‘n’ Tinis

If you enjoy a tipple in the winter wonderland of brisk Hillcrest, Taste ‘n’ Tinis may be the event for you! Taste ‘n’ Tinis returns in 2025 on Thursday, December 11 from 5:30PM until 9:00PM. Local shops and restaurants will be designing and serving signature cocktails to sip while you shop. Participating Hillcrest restaurants will offer an array of signature dishes, specialty appetizers, and decadent desserts. Get tickets at Fabulous Hillcrest for this 21+ event.

 Holiday Hours

Bluestocking Books will be open on Wednesday, December 24th (Christmas Eve) between 11AM and 2PM for last minute shoppers. But here’s the thing - books produce an instant holiday and can be given because it’s Tuesday, because it’s sunny, because it’s overcast, and because your loved one needs a hug. Books can express “I See You”, “Thank You”, and “You’re Superl!” 

Bluestocking Books will be closed December 25 and December 31. As for Jan 1, 2025 - call when you wake up to see if we showed up!

Gumball Poetry

Bluestocking Books recently installed a Gumball Poetry dispenser featuring seven San Diego poets. Twenty-five cents - one lone quarter - will give you something to chew on (metaphorically-speaking). Enjoy some poet-treats when you visit the book shoppe!