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Erica Robyn Reads

a horror book review blog

Recent Posts

Indie Bookstore Day 2025 | Book Event

A tablet lies on dry grass and surrounded by dandelions in a natural outdoor setting. The screen displays the cover of the book Everybody Is in the Place by Emma J. Gibbon. The cover features a colorful, fantastical illustration of a female figure with glowing eyes and curved horns, holding something mysterious in her hands. Stars and swirling cosmic elements fill the background, giving the cover a magical and otherworldly feel. The title text is in bold, colorful letters across the top and middle, with the author's name at the bottom.

Everybody Is in the Place by Emma J. Gibbon | Book Review

Spider to the Fly by J.H. Markert | Book Review

Visiting Book & Bar in Portsmouth, New Hampshire

December 19, 2017      Erica Robyn      11 Comments

I’m so happy to have had the opportunity to visit another bookshop in Portsmouth, New Hampshire! If you missed my previous posts, feel free to check them out first and then come back here.
  • Visiting RiverRun Bookstore
  • Visiting Sheafe Street Books
Book & Bar is a shop that had been on my radar for a while. But each time I had the chance to stop by, it was closed. Recently, while walking around Portsmouth with my friend Amber, I finally had the chance to go in!

Visiting Book & Bar in Portsmouth, NH

When we walked in, the first thing I noticed was the holiday decor. I thought the decorations made great use of the space, not only with the string lights, but also with the ribbons on the lights above each shelf and the pine bundles on each window. And my goodness those bundles smelled lovely! 
The overall layout of the space was interesting. I loved the detail of the ceiling. All of the windows provided some great natural lighting. There was also quite a few small tables and chairs scattered around for customers to sit back and relax. 

The bar area was really neat! Next time I’m in the area, I’m hoping to have time to sit and really check it out. But this time, I just snapped a photo. As we walked by the employee that was working the bar greeted us very pleasantly. 

As I’m attempting not to purchase any more books until I make a dent in my TBR pile, I didn’t focus in too much on the bookshelves. However, I may have to go back at a later date to browse a little more. We’ll see!

One slight bummer for me personally was that I didn’t really enjoy the organization of the shop. It was a pretty small space, so I understand that organizing the shelves and then finding places for the various books can be tricky. But for some reason, looking at certain spaces made my OCD kick in… I found myself tempted to reach out and straighten things up. So that affected my overall thoughts about the visit. And before anyone comments to say I’m being ridiculous, please remember that this is just my personal opinion. I’m talking about areas like this for example:

When I was finalizing this post, I decided to read up a little bit more about this shop. On their website I discovered this passage:
Book & Bar offers much more than select used books, great food, and beers; we offer a sense of place, a unique experience created through design, community events, and cultural events.

How awesome is that?! I’m definitely going to have to stop in again when I can take the time to snag some food and a drink! πŸ™‚

Thanks for reading!
Click here to visit the Book & Bar website.
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Here are a few more recent posts you might like:

  • Indie Bookstore Day 2025 | Book Event
  • Everybody Is in the Place by Emma J. Gibbon | Book Review
  • Spider to the Fly by J.H. Markert | Book Review

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Barb says

    December 19, 2017 at 1:47 pm

    This one looks neat and I like the idea of the bar, but I would have to agree with wanting to straighten it up some. I've always wanted to open a bookstore/coffee shop which was dog friendly – I'd call it "Paws to Read." Maybe in my next life – social worker to business woman seems like a stretch right now!

    Reply
    • Erica Hatch says

      December 19, 2017 at 1:47 pm

      Oh my gosh! That would be lovely!! πŸ™‚

      Reply
  2. Angela Lawrence says

    December 19, 2017 at 3:01 pm

    This place is gorgeous! I love all the charming architectural details. And a bar within a bookstore is just genius! I wish there were places like this where I live!

    Reply
    • Erica Robyn says

      December 19, 2017 at 3:33 pm

      πŸ˜€

      Reply
  3. Heather Cilley says

    December 19, 2017 at 6:35 pm

    Oooh this place looks super pretty!

    Reply
    • Erica Robyn says

      December 19, 2017 at 6:46 pm

      πŸ˜€

      Reply
  4. Greg says

    December 19, 2017 at 6:53 pm

    Looks like a nice place. I like the ceiling too, and the pine bundles are a nice touch. Very festive! I can see hanging in that place for a few hours! Although yeah that example you showed- I don't think it's just you, that definitely needs tidying ha ha.

    Live music too? Nice. Looks like am awesome place to hang out.

    Reply
    • Erica Robyn says

      December 19, 2017 at 6:55 pm

      Haha! I'm glad it's not just me!

      Reply
  5. Lauren Stoolfire says

    December 19, 2017 at 11:53 pm

    That sounds really cool! πŸ™‚ I like that detail on the ceiling myself.

    Reply
    • Erica Hatch says

      December 20, 2017 at 12:15 am

      πŸ™‚

      Reply

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Erica Robyn of Erica Robyn Reads
Hello! I’m Erica, a Mainer living in New Hampshire who runs on hot tea, good books, and loud music. Join me as I seek out amazing horror tales and help support the indie horror community!
 

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