Bibliophiles will be delighted by the literary scene in Asheville not only because of the amazing independent bookstores but also because it’s touted as a literary destination. Thomas Wolfe, a renowned author known for his Asheville hometown-inspired story Look Homeward, Angel, grew up in his mother’s boarding house (now the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Site) alongside the colorful real-life characters that appeared in his novels.
Wolfe is buried in Asheville’s Historic Riverside Cemetery along with O. Henry (William Sydney Porter) who spent the last few months of his life in Asheville. Other literary greats associated with Asheville are the celebrated poet, Carl Sandburg who lived and died in nearby Flat Rock on a farm he purchased in 1945 as well as Wilma Dykeman, a prolific writer who penned memorable works that included The French Broad and The Tall Woman, who was born in North Asheville.
The Asheville area was also home to the Black Mountain College, an avante-garde collegiate program that reared innovative and creative thinkers, makers, and writers. Not to mention the many people who make Asheville their home insisting that the mountains called them here–talk about poetic. If you’re wondering where to find transfixing stories, we have a comprehensive list of the best bookstores in and around Asheville:
Independent Bookstores in Asheville:
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Battery Park Book Exchange
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Firestorm
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Malaprop’s
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Downtown Books & News
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Bagatelle Books
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Orbit DVD- Don’t let the name fool you. While you can find movies here, you’ll also find books, music, and video games among other things like posters, props, and “Paperbacks From Hell!”
Comic Book Stores in Asheville:
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Asheville Comics
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Comic Envy
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Morgan’s Comics
Bookstores in Neighboring Towns:
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F.O.W.L. Used Book Store- Weaverville
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Next Door Used Books- Forest City
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Sassafrass on Sutton- Black Mountain
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Wall Street Books- Waynesville
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Blue Moon Books- Sister shop to Wall Street Books in Canton
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Joy of Books- Hendersonville
Chain Bookstores in Asheville:
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Mr. K’s Used Books, Music & More
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Barnes & Noble
For Your Home Library
These recommended works were either inspired by our region or written by authors with some connection to our region:
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Even As We Breathe | Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle
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Garden Spells | Sarah Addison Allen
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The Last Ballad | Wiley Cash
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Over the Plain Houses | Julia Franks
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Lion on the Hearth | John Ehle
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Cold Mountain | Charles Frazier
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Evensong | Gail Godwin
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Where All Light Tends to Go | David Joy
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Just Over the Hill: Black Appalachians in Jackson County, Western North Carolina | Victoria A. Casey McDonald
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Under the Mercy Trees | Heather Newton
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Serena | Ron Rash
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Every Tree Is The Forest | Emöke B’Rácz
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One Second After | William R. Forstchen
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The Historian | Elizabeth Kostova
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Me Talk Pretty One Day | David Sedaris
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Water for Elephants | Sara Gruen
Children/YA Books:
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Goodnight Asheville | Holly Myers
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Serafina and the Black Cloak | Robert Beatty
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A Magical Day in Grandpa's Garden | Miss Felicity Meadowsweet
Get Involved
Are you a storyteller yourself hoping to join a community of fellow writers? Check out the Flatiron Writers Room and the Great Smokies Writing Program. There are also volunteer opportunities to help close the literacy gap in the community at organizations like Literacy Together and Read2Succeed. If you’re tantalized by Asheville’s literary history, we recommend taking the AVL LIT TOUR (aka “Asheville’s only Multimedia Tour Exclusively Designed for Literary Travelers”).