Paper Nautilus
PROVIDENCE With more than 25,000 volumes , Paper Nautilus has become a bookworm ’ s paradise since opening in 1996 . Transporting visitors through time with its vintage charm , the store houses a diverse collection of new and used books . The inventory includes hardcovers and paperbacks as well as antiquarian volumes and modern first editions . Explore literary , historical and foreign language works alongside antique trinkets , potted plants , prints and artwork . STAFF FAVORITES : Middlemarch , Voyage of the Sable Venus and When We Cease to Understand the World . DON ’ T MISS : The art displays , showcasing pieces from local emerging artists as well as the owner . 19 South Angell St ., Providence , 521-5533 , papernautilusbooks . com
Books on the Square
PROVIDENCE Every neighborhood needs a dependable local bookstore where you can stock up on new releases , browse staff picks and more . On the East Side of Providence , this is it . Open since 1992 , Books on the Square is a one-stop shop for bookworms of all palates , from that spine-chilling thriller you ’ ve been dying to pick up to a birthday gift for your romanceloving best friend . Discover your new favorite Rhody writer tucked among the bestsellers and line up for one of the many author events planned throughout the year . SHOP FOR : Fresh fiction , political tell-alls , moving memoirs and anything else topping the charts . DON ’ T MISS : The extensive children ’ s section , home to story time for the little ones every Wednesday and Friday morning . 471 Angell St ., Providence , 331-9097 , booksq . com
Heartleaf Books
PROVIDENCE Federal Hill ’ s only bookstore , Heartleaf Books debuted in September 2022 with an eclectic selection of inclusive lit . Sisters and librarians Caroline and Mads Vericker stock their shelves with genres from mental health and LGBTQA + to feminism , race and politics and more , hosting author events and book clubs along the way . Formerly a pop-up , the brick-and-mortar operates on a co-op model with a board of directors and members who support the business while scoring discounts and bookshop swag . Dreamers and rebels will find no shortage of fresh reads in the cozy space ( check out the astrology section !), where treasures lie tucked into every corner . SHOP FOR : New and used volumes in fiction , politics , LGBTQA + and more , along with tarot cards and fun stationery and gifts . DON ’ T MISS : Penny the bookshop kitty , who can usually be found catching a snooze from her perch overlooking Atwells Avenue . 374 Atwells Ave ., Providence , 477-2294 , heartleafbooks . com
Symposium Books
PROVIDENCE After relocating from New York to Rhode Island in January 2003 , Scott McCullough and his wife , Anne Marie Keohane , initially started Symposium as a wholesale business before it found a home on Westminster Street the following year . Today , the cozy shop lives up to the name , offering a relaxed space well-stocked with bestsellers and highbrow titles alike . “ Our collection is very curated ; that ’ s what we ’ re known for . Everybody knows we ’ re going to have the essentials in all the sections , plus all the new stuff that ’ s coming out ,” says McCullough , who studied philosophy in college . “ One of the great things about studying philosophy is it puts you in the mindset to look at everything . Art , poetry , academic presses , fiction , independent publishers — it all grabs my attention . It ’ s killer that I can ’ t read them all myself — I have to work !” FUN FACT : You can catch glimpses of early aughts-era Symposium in the Showtime series “ Brotherhood ,” which was set and filmed in Providence . STAY TUNED : For a special event in celebration of the store ’ s twentieth anniversary this year . 240 Westminster St ., Providence , 273-7900 , symposiumbooks . com
Stages of Freedom
T hough not a bookstore in the traditional sense , Stages of Freedom ’ s downtown Providence ’ s headquarters is not to be missed by book lovers near and far . The nonprofit organization stocks books from all genres and eras , including by seminal Black authors , with the proceeds supporting its mission of providing free swim lessons to youth of color . While you ’ re there , catch the historical exhibits on prominent African American Rhode Islanders , like opera singer Sissieretta Jones ( who performed for four presidents and the British royal family ) and Harlem Renaissance author Rudolph Fisher . Co-founders Ray Rickman and Robb Dimmick previously owned Providence ’ s Cornerstone Books , which specialized in rare African American texts and brought authors , including Maya Angelou and James Baldwin , to speak in Rhode Island . 10 Westminster St ., Providence , 421-0606 , stagesoffreedom . org
PHOTOGRAPH : LAUREN CLEM .
RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l JANUARY 2024 39