Katie the Book Reporter

Michigan book lovers, rejoice! This weekend kicks off the monthlong Michigan Book Hop, a bookstore crawl self-organized by independent bookstore owners across the state of Michigan. In its fourth year, the 2026 Book Hop will feature 101 participating bookstores across the state. 

Players can collect a bingo card and a bookstore passport from each of the participating bookstores beginning April 25 – Independent Bookstore Day! – until the Book Hop concludes on May 25. 

For past players, this year’s bingo card setup looks a bit different than last year’s; instead of having bingo cards tailored by region, there’s one generalized bingo card for the game. As a result the cards don’t feature individual spots for certain bookstores, just generalized prompts. There’s also a passport you can get checked off at each bookstore you visit. The Book Hop website has a Google map showing the locations of all the participating stores. 

Both the bingo card and the passport offer opportunities to be entered into prize drawings, according to the MI Book Hop website. There will be two tiers of prizes: the tour prize and the grand prize. The tour prize is a $25 gift card to a bookstore of the winner’s choosing, while the grand prize is a $500 Bookshop.org gift card. 

If you get a bingo, that’s an entry into the grand prize giveaway. If you fill your whole bingo card, you’ll get 12 entries into the grand prize giveaway, as well as a commemorative enamel pin and a free Libro.fm audiobook credit. You’ll get an entry to the tour prize once you visit three bookstores; visit 10 and you’ll be entered to win the grand prize, per the MI Book Hop website. 

Last year was my first time participating in the Book Hop, and it was so fun! I’d wanted to explore my community more and the Book Hop was the perfect excuse. I thrive with a deadline, and the Book Hop lit a fire under me to get out and about. 

I walked away from the 2025 Book Hop with eight new books, a super cute t-shirt, several stickers, bookmarks and pins, and a fully filled out bingo card. 

If you love books and are wanting to explore the state more, the Book Hop is a great catalyst and a structured way to direct your exploration. Pick a bookstore to visit and give yourself some time to poke around nearby. If you’re planning to visit multiple bookstores in a day, I suggest plotting out your course ahead of time so you can avoid doubling back or losing time on the road. 

The bookstores I visited during the 2025 Michigan Book Hop:

Schuler Ann Arbor at 2513 Jackson Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48103

Schuler Ann Arbor has a wonderful selection – including a great used books section at the back of the store with discounted popular reads and even recent releases. They have great accessories and gifts at the front of the store, and plenty of specialty genre sections, including a Michigan books section. 

Literati Bookstore at 124 E. Washington St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104

Literati has that hip, indie bookstore vibe, with cool themed bookseller displays, a great selection laid out across three floors and a great downtown Ann Arbor location. 

Crazy Wisdom Bookshop at 114 S. Main St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104

Crazy Wisdom is the bookish spot to hit if you’re looking for a new read but also want to browse spiritual items, like crystals, tarot decks, sage bundles and incense. 

The Dawn Treader Book Shop at 514 E. Liberty St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104

If you could picture the quintessential used bookstore in your mind, it’d be The Dawn Treader Book Shop. Rows of shelves lead to surprises and curiosities in side rooms and tucked away corners. One of my favorite finds was the wall of business cards, signs and bookmarks from other independent bookstores from all over at the front of the shop. 

2 Dandelions Bookshop at 428 W. Main St, Brighton, MI 48116

2 Dandelions has the bright happy aura of its namesake. The shop has a children’s side and an adult side, and the children’s store features the cutest nature murals. Bonus: the shop has a pet turtle! 

Fine Print Bookshop at 109 E. Michigan Ave, Saline, MI 48176

Fine Print Bookshop is nestled among a row of businesses in Saline. It’s a cute and bright shop with rows of orderly bookshelves and a cute seating/event area with nice big windows at the front of the store. 

Adventure, Ink at 108 E. Main St, Milan, MI 48160

Adventure, Ink is the place to go if you’re interested in book browsing and also have an interest in graphic novels, comic books and games – all of which the store has strong selections of. 

Serendipity Books at 119 S. Main St, Chelsea, MI 48118

You may have seen Serendipity Books on social media – the charming bookstore went viral last year when they moved locations, and videos of local volunteers making a human chain to hand the books down from the old store to the new gained popularity. I loved the window book display and the copper book sculpture with “Read” across the pages over the window. 

Tropetastic Books and Gifts at 112 W. Maumee St, Adrian, MI 49221

Tropetastic is a charming primarily used bookstore in Adrian. The shop has a great selection of cute and unique bookish accessories and apparel – I got the cutest “Book Girl Summer” shirt there during last year’s Book Hop! 

Bookstores on my wishlist to visit during this year’s hop:

– Booksweet at 1729 Plymouth Rd, Ann Arbor, MI 48105

– Book Love Bar at 110 W. Michigan Ave, Ypsilanti, MI 48197

– Read My Lips Bookshop at 768 N. Old Woodward Ave, Birmingham, MI 48009