BookTowne — Local services in Manasquan

I've always felt so fortunate to have such a great local bookstore. Nothing makes me happier than wandering around a store looking for a good read and my boys love checking out their beautiful window displays every seasons. Yes, they're on the smaller side but I've never had an issue finding what I was looking for and if they don't have it in stock they are quick to order it. Their kids section is phenomenal and they carry some of the best toys around. Seriously, my go to for gifting. What really sets Booktowne apart is the people who own it and work there. I really dropped the ball on my sons 2nd birthday this year and when I called the day before in a panic Kira was an absolute lifesaver. She asked me a few questions about him and a few minutes later sent me an email with a ton of suggestions. She placed my order over the phone so I didn't have to run out during naptime, wrapped everything and had it waiting for my husband to pick up on his way home. Last night they hosted a Christmas PJ story time and truly went above and beyond. Gifts for the kids, giveaways, and cookies and cider for all of us. Of all of the holiday events we've been to (and with a 2 and 4 year old we've had a very busy month) this was one of our favorites. You can tell everyone in there loves what they do and we are so grateful for that and for them. My family and I will be booktowne...

Wow. A nightmare. I'd had a book signing there a number of years ago, under the previous owner. It went well and was a win win, so naturally when I finished the sequel, I called them. They referred me to Maribeth Pelly. I started calling her in February for a July release. After a few times, she never bothered to get back in touch with me...even though she was a "Facebook friend". So finallly, I went into the store in person. The new owner "Peter" treated my book AND me like garbage. Belittled my very existence. Didn't even crack the book open! Made disparaging remarks about the publisher. Honestly did anyone reading this ever go into a bookstore and request books by a particular publisher? SO ridiculous. So unnecessary. I was heart broken. What gets MY goat is all their talk about "supporting local authors." If this is how they support local authors.....I'll never go in there again. HORRIBLY RUDE...

I have never been to this book store itself, my review is based off of a book signing event I attended at the Algonquin Theatre hosted by BookTowne.

I was VERY impressed with the organization and professionalism of this event (Nicholas Sparks “The Wish” book tour). From start to finish the whole event was a great time! I went with my friend, and we both kept talking about how smoothly the whole night went. It made for a very enjoyable night out with my book bestie and meeting one of our favorite authors! Very thankful for BookTowne for hosting an event like this!! I hope they have more in the future!

I am not from the area to frequent the book store, but next time I head down to the beach, I plan on making a stop to the...