Snowbound Books — Local services in Marquette

Snowbound Books In mid-2022, way too long into the pandemic, I hoped to channel the spirits evoked by Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey in Swift’s “Snow on the Beach”. Stuck and sequestered in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia I started searching for locations known for cold winters and snow-covered shorelines. I had already tried Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Duluth, Stratford, Connecticut, and Westport Mass, and was now looking for locations in the middle of the United States.

Friends from law school had established themselves in Michigan. One had been a law clerk to a federal judge whose circuit included the federal courthouse in Marquette. Close enough for beach, wintry weather, and snow, I suggested we meet in Marquette at a time when there might be snow somewhere near there. The snow never happened, unfortunately, but what happened instead was a rewarding visit to Snowbound Books, on Third Street in Marquette. What a game changer for me.

The store is perched on a steep grade in the heart of Marquette. I understand it has been around for more than 40 years and having shopped there I concur with the representation that they are “literary therapists and matchmakers, pairing just the right book with its reader.”

I spent half a day at the shop in late 2022. It served as my designated shop for all my Christmas gifts that year. While browsing the tightly packed aisles, I read bookseller recommendations that are posted throughout the shop and went back to Old Town Alexandria with close to a dozen books with titles I never would have considered had I been shopping online. For me, that’s the distinguishing feature of Snowbound Books. I drew and continue to draw recommendations from real people, and over the past three years as Snowbound’s staff learned more about what I like to read, I’ve benefited from a constant flow of recommendations, and one hundred percent of them were spot on.

From this experience, I ended my habit of shopping for books at you-know-who and you-know-where. Supporting this local, independent, and crazy fun bookstore is so much more rewarding the anything “prime” or “wal” or the like. I also applaud the partnership between Snowbound and the audiobook alternative to “Audible”, where profits from audiobook purchases at Libro.fm are shared with your local bookstore (and yep, I live in a D.C. suburb but my local bookstore is in Marquette, and Libro is my source for audiobooks).

So proper thanks and admiration are expressed to those who work through Snowbound – Abbie, Bekah, Bonny, Dana, Jen, Jenny, Lee, Nate, and Phoebe; their recommendations generally are awe-inspiring and offer solace to readers living in a world that is growing increasingly inconsolable, divisive, and mean-spirited.

When I visited the store this September (2025), stocking up on my next collection of novels, I bought Chris Bohjalian’s The Red Lotus, Ariel Courage’s Bad Nature, Big Chief, by Jon Hickey, Counting Backwards, by Binnie Kirshenbaum, Exit Zero, by Marie-Helene Bertino, Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar, by Katie Yee, the Place of Tides, by James Rebanks, The Usual Desire to Kill, by Camilla Barnes, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the Tove Jansson edition, The Grey Wolf, by Louise Penny, Season of the Swamp, by Yuri Herrera, and two novels by the internationally known local author John Smolens: Out, and A Cold Hard Prayer. So glad Snowbound Books is still serving the readers of...

I missed my chance to hit this shop last year when I was in town, so I didn't make the same mistake. This is a delightful bookstore to stop at. I've lamented the loss of many locally owned bookstores and this one brings to mind all those I've missed.

There is a wide selection of books that include both mainstream shelf titles as well as some hidden gems. Used and new are mixed together, which was a bit confusing at first, but it's a testament to the quality of used books that it was difficult to pick them out. Used has the price penciled in the initial pages; new books have a sticker on the back.

While I didn't get them, the stand out for me was the selection of Neil Gaiman books I don't normally see on the shelf in stores like Barnes & Noble. In addition, I was able to get a copy of Margaret Atwood's "MaddAddam" in an edition matching my set. Short of going to Amazon, getting that edition has proved tough.

Most used books run $6-10 depending on quality, rarity, and style (trade paperback vs. hardcover). There is a rack of $3 used books outside the shop as well. Any fan of bookstores of yesteryear or reading in general should make a stop to this store. Maybe not in the winter as it's on a very steep hill and that must be tricky to navigate when icy.

2022 update: still a great place to spend your...

There is no flaw in this bookstore. Recently, I had a conversation with someone. He told me that all over America, you will not find a bookstore that even compares to this one.

While I can't say that I'm well travelled because every choice I make is wrong, I can say it is almost supernatural how great this place is.

This store is immaculate. Wall to wall books everywhere. It is extremely cozy. Almost to the point of tricking you into thinking you live there. The organization is stupid perfect. I hate it because I love it.

It took me far too long to step in and give it a whirl. They have been taking care of all my orders for JJBA for over two years. Each book has come in with incredible speed with the bonus of being in fabulous condition.

The staff is SSS+ Tier. Ask for a recommendation, you'll get it. And it will be great. Seeing them is half the fun, I swear to God.

You know when you open a book and smell the inside of the pages? Like, you really huff it in? That small moment of ecstasy is this...