Larry Portzline, creator of the "Bookstore Tourism" concept and author of the highly-praised book by the same name, will release a follow-up on June 1 called "The Bookstore Tourism Travel Journal for Book Addicts on the Go" ($10, ISBN 0-9758934-1-6).
Harrisburg, PA (PRWEB) May 16, 2005 -- Larry Portzline, creator of the "Bookstore Tourism" concept and author of the highly-praised book by the same name, will release a follow-up on June 1 called "The Bookstore Tourism Travel Journal for Book Addicts on the Go" ($10, ISBN 0-9758934-1-6).
"How many times have you gone to another town, walked into an independent bookstore that you've never visited before, and were just about overwhelmed by how tremendously cool and unique it was?" Portzline asks. "Booklovers who travel with any frequency are very familiar with that feeling -- the rush of adrenaline as they scan the new-release table, the thrill of finding a first edition they've been looking for, the luxury of reading a chapter or two in a cozy, out-of-the-way corner.
"'The Bookstore Tourism Travel Journal' taps into that excitement. It's a handy way to record your literary adventures in detail so you can remember them easily, share them with friends, and perhaps even use them as the basis of a 'bookstore road trip' you'd like to plan someday with your reading group or organization."
Aside from its usefulness as a literary travel guide, Portzline says, this "directed journal" will serve as a personal reminiscence for years to come, saving warm memories and long-ago details -- who you visited a particular bookstore with, what the occasion was, which books you bought, and so on. "It's a reference, a history and a how-to all in one," he says.
The journal has room for 50 bookstore entries with 20 questions each, ranging from such basic items as the shop's name, address and specialties, to "Unusual Finds," "Who Was With Me," and ratings for customer service and book selection. Each entry also includes space for a general description, notes on the bookshop's exact location, and the journalist's overall impressions. There's also a spot for writing down the names of friends to whom you'd recommend the store, plus much more.
The travel journal is a companion to Portzline's first book, "Bookstore Tourism: The Book Addict's Guide to Planning & Promoting Bookstore Road Trips for Bibliophiles & Other Bookshop Junkies," which helped to popularize the Bookstore Tourism movement. It's a growing travel niche that encourages booklovers to plan group-trips to cities and towns with interesting, fun and unique independent bookshops. It's also a grassroots effort to help schools, libraries and other local organizations promote reading and literacy.
Both the book and the concept have won high praise from Publishers Weekly, USA Today, the Boston Globe, the Chicago Tribune, the Dallas Morning News, Pages, Utne, the London Guardian, and the Midwest Book Review.
Portzline's books are published by Bookshop Junkie Press, distributed by Ingram and listed in Books In Print.
Portzline is a writer and college instructor in Harrisburg, PA. He is a featured contributor on Abebooks.com and was a jury member for the 2005 Publisher's Weekly Bookseller of the Year Award. He serves on the Advisory Board of Penn State University's Center for the Book, and on the selection committee for South-Central Pennsylvania's One Book, One Community Program. He maintains the BookstoreTourism.com website and a daily blog, bookstoretourism.blogspot.com.
Contact: Larry Portzline, 717-541-0710
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