Memorial Day weekend is upon us! Whether you’re spending the long weekend by the pool, at the beach, or checking out local businesses like me, we’ve got he books to keep you company. At The Reading Chamber, we’re honoring the holiday with a sale on our curated collection of young adult novels, book boxes, blind dates, and bookish merch. From magical adventures and contemporary fiction to your new favorite bookmark, you’re sure to find something that fits your reading personality.

With Memorial Day right around the corner, beach season is officially on the horizon! It’s time to break out the sunscreen and pack your beach bag with the ultimate summer essential: a great book. There’s nothing like getting lost in a page-turner while your toes are in the sand and the sound of the surf is in your ears (or a Spotify playlist in your earbuds while you lounge by the pool). We’ve rounded up ten of our favorite YA beach reads to help you kick off summer the right way. So get comfy, put your sunglasses on, and dive into your next favorite book from The Reading Chamber:

If you don’t know about this yet, let this be your official warning that Independent Bookstore Day is upon us! Saturday, April 26 is a day to celebrate shopping at independent bookstores. Whether these are favorite local spots, new finds, or an online store, you’ll find #indiebookstoreday promotions throughout.

Here at The Reading Chamber, we’re celebrating Independent Bookstore Day by doing a special promotion: buy ANY book or bookmark from our website and you’ll be entered to win a $20 gift card to our store! Shop all genres here and shop all bookmarks here. This ends on Monday, April 28 so make sure you get your entry now!

Every reader knows that there are young adult books (YA) and adult books, but not everyone is aware that there are also new adult (NA) books! Officially declared an age group in 2009, it’s only in recent years with the rise of #booktok that NA has become popular. So, what’s the difference? What makes a book young adult or new adult and what makes a book new adult instead of adult? Truthfully, it all comes down to age range, but I’ll break it down further below:

WOW! I cannot believe we’ve already been in business SIX months! (Screaming, crying, laughing.) This post is a few days early as our official six month anniversary is on Monday, April 14. In celebration, we will be doing a buy one get one 50% off sale of ALL books for that day only!

You may have seen my social media posts about this, but I am THRILLED to announce that Buzzfeed featured The Reading Chamber as part of their 24 Best Book Subscription Boxes Any Bookworm Will Love article! We’re listed as number 23.

If you’re a mood reader, then you know you can’t just pick a book off your TBR and decide that it’s your next read. You have to peruse your shelves to find something that strikes your fancy for whatever mood you’re currently in. Sometimes you want something warm and cozy that you can curl up in bed with. Maybe you’re feeling adventurous and want to go on an epic quest with characters. Or you’re feeling lonely and want something with found family. Whatever mood you’re in, there’s a book for it! Here are some suggestions that you can find at The Reading Chamber:

The month of March is not enough time to celebrate all of the amazing and incredible women who have shaped Earth’s history. When you think of this month you certainly remember historical figures like Cleopatra or Marie Curie, but what about every day women? Your mom, your grandmother, the next door neighbor juggling twins with a full-time job, the women you see in the grocery store, writing articles, owning their own companies. Women are so resilient, but we have to be when faced with sexism on a daily basis. Did you know that it’s only been 36 years since women were allowed to own a business without a man’s permission? Essentially, in 1988 congress passed a law allowing women to obtain business loans without a male-cosigner. As someone who is almost 30, it’s seems wild to me that that law took place only seven years before I was born.

Whether you’re Irish (like me) or not, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated in many countries as a day to embrace Irish culture and heritage. Growing up, I remember my mom making corned beef and cabbage for dinner with a side of green-dyed mashed potatoes. I loved reading Irish-themed kids books like Jamie O’Rourke and the Big Potato and Jamie O’Rourke and the Pooka (there weren’t a lot of St. Patrick’s Day themed titles in the early 2000s). In college, St. Patrick’s Day was celebrated by wearing shamrock temporary tattoos that said “kiss me I’m Irish” and drinking green beer with friends at one of the bars in downtown Wilmington. Now, I’m back to cooking corned beef and cabbage in the slow cooker and green beer has turned into a Guinness—poured correctly, of course—at the restaurant/bar down the road. But one thing remains the same: you always, always wear green on St. Patrick’s Day.

These titles all have the green vibe going on and are available now and are on sale for St. Patrick’s Day!

Spring may not have sprung yet, but it’s getting there! We’re experiencing our first taste of warmer weather here and that always makes me want to read books with new beginnings, second chances, or just the last semester of school vibes. There’s just something about the anticipation of summer that makes reading feel like whole new experience. For young adult titles, this can be extra special as titles surrounding this time of year are usually about gearing up for college and all that comes with it like discovering who you want to be in this world. Check out some of the titles below that give off great spring feels and order today!

Getting a new book in the mail is an exciting thrill, especially when it comes to book boxes. It’s like Christmas morning when you cut into the Reading Chamber themed packing tape and open up your box to discover a whole trove of bookish goodies and a new book! Whether it’s October and your box is spooky or January and your box is a cozy winter retreat, each book box is themed to the specific month and customized to your preferences.

Yesterday completely got away from me as I worked on setting up the Instagram shop so I never ended up posting the blog post!

I am absolutely thrilled to say that we passed 50 orders the other night! For a small business that just opened in mid-October, this is a great accomplishment and it’s all because of YOU! With repeat customers, monthly subscribers, and individuals purchasing merchandise, the bookstore keeps gaining traction and I’m so grateful to everyone! With 50 orders under our belt, I wanted to highlight the most popular products below:

The Reading Chamber is a small bookstore, but we always have a few books that feature diverse characters and authors. Over the years, the young adult category has grown to include more characters with different backgrounds and ethnicities, but it can always use more. Every reader is different and they want to see themselves in these characters. Historically, Black authors only make up about 5% of the book industry. Black History Month is an excellent time to read these authors and encourage more books by them.

If you haven’t purchased a Valentine’s Day gift for your loved one yet, it’s not too late! All of our romance books as well as the romance category of Blind Date with a Book are currently on sale. If you’re not sure what your person will like, buy a gift card! Us book people always appreciate book themed gift cards and of course bookish merch like this bookmark. Check out some of the romance books below and purchase between now and Monday to get them before the holiday!

When TikTok first came out, I got sucked into #booktok and I’ve loved every minute of it. I’ve found so many amazing recommendations and I’ve read more independently published books than ever! While book journals kept popping up on my feed, I never took the time to create a journal myself because I just wasn’t into reviewing books. I spent my days reviewing manuscripts for authors so the thought of sitting down to write out a book review for myself seemed extremely tiring. But then I saw people doing trackers for their books and I thought hey, that’s something I like to do! I love gathering data so I decided to try and find a journal where I could take down all my notes.

If you’re a mood reader like me, then you understand the need to have a cozy read January to March. You need something light and refreshing April and May, then a great summertime/beach read June to August before settling back into a cozy read September to November and a holiday read in December. Well for January, I have some great suggestions that are all found at the bookstore!