13 bookstores, one weekend and a $325 grand prize: L.A.s first book crawl is here

See more from the L.A.Times in Google Search.

Set us as preferred Los Angeles bookworms, clear your weekend plans: L.A.’s inaugurial Indie Book Crawl is kicking off this weekend.On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 13 indie bookstores across the city and beyond are joining forces for an inaugural celebration of local literary culture.While the lineup looked to be reduced after West Hollywood’s iconic Book Soup closed indefinitely due to a water main break, event organizers say they plan to reopen for the crawl.Richard Turner, who owns Diesel in Brentwood, was among a small group of store owners who decided to organize the event.

“We’d been talking about this for about a year,” Turner said.“The goal is ...

to get real books in the hands of people who still want to read them.” Turner and his peers originally drew inspiration from San Diego’s book crawl, which just had its ninth anniversary.Now, the event has 15 participating stores and a shuttle service to take participants to each location.Similarly to that crawl, L.A.’s will feature a passport system, which involves delegating stamps for every purchase of $10 or more at each stop.

Shoppers will also win prizes along the way, such as tote bags, pins, stickers and a free audiobook.For those who hit all bookstores — with stamps to show for it — the grand prize awaits: a raffle entry for a $325 gift card.Some legacy institutions show up on the list of L.A.-area stores, such as Vroman’s in Pasadena and Chevalier’s in Larchmont, but there are also a few niche inclusions, like children’s bookstores Once Upon A Time in Montrose and Children’s Book World in Cheviot Hills and Culver City’s classic romance read haunt, the Ripped Bodice.

Books The 65 essential bookstores of L.A.County: Their vibes, customers, books and testimonies from customers, writers and owners.

Though the L.A.area is home to scores of bookstores, a crawl isn’t exactly walker-friendly.

For instance, if some bookwor...