Steal My Crawl: Patrick Lombardi
Need ideas for your crawl? We asked some folks to share how they participated last year, or what they’d like to do this year. Take inspiration or copy them outright–we won’t tell!
Patrick Lombardi, author
Patrick Lombardi is an author of humor collections Clear As Clay and Junk Sale as well as The New Jersey Food Truck Cookbook. He is a writer of both humor and horror, and his work has appeared in Disco Fries & Scenic Drives, Stay Salty: Life in the Garden State, The Ranger's Almanac, and a number of media outlets, including BestofNJ.com, NJ.com, and BuzzFeed. He also is the founder of Fright Lines, a horror open-mic series taking place around NJ. He is a lifelong New Jerseyan, where he lives with his wife and their son and turtle.
Patrick’s 2025 Crawl
In 2025, I cleared my entire Saturday to ensure I could hit as many bookshops as possible. Despite being one of the smallest states, New Jersey actually takes longer to traverse than I realized (or maybe I drive like a grandpa), so I only made it to eight shops over the weekend. My main objective was to buy at least one children's book from each shop and donate them all at the end of the weekend. Each place, fortunately, had outstanding selections of classics and new children's books.
I'm going to refrain from describing each store, because you'll get sick of me saying "gorgeous bookshop" real quick. I started down in Pitman at Words Matter Bookstore, which is a solid hour from home. It's one of those shops you enter and never want to leave, so I hung out wayyy too long (no regrets). Even though I hadn't eaten breakfast or lunch, I made an impromptu stop at Alaura's for ice cream (also no regrets) before making my way north to Ren's Coffeehouse & Books in Blackwood. This location is spilt in two: bookshop on one side, cafe on the other. In the back of their bookshop, there was a table where kids and families were playing and doing crafts.
I continued my crawl up to Inkwood Books in Haddonfield. (I think there was some sort of parade that day, so parking was a bit dicey. Also, I somehow got lost in a parking lot, so I'm not exactly Magellan.) From there, I visited Mount Laurel's Second Time Books.
Possibly as much as reading books (if not more), I enjoy eating. My second "main" objective that Saturday was to make a pit stop at Grateful Gourmet in Mount Holly, who serves southern-style comfort food. I absolutely killed a fried-chicken sandwich on biscuit rolls, sausage gravy, and potato wedges, and I brought home some mac and cheese (that I may or may not have sampled heavily before giving to my wife).
My fifth book stop was at The Novel Realm in Columbus, directly next to the flea market. It's a big spot that's great for those who also love card and board games. After a quick pitstop at home, I stopped at Labyrinth Books in Princeton before ending my day at Hopewell's The Bear and the Books, the latter being a children's/YA-only bookshop that my son adores. Finally, because I had an obligation on Sunday, I only made one quick detour to The Nature of Reading Bookshop in Madison with my brothers.
Patrick’s 2026 Crawl
Last year, I started southwest, so I think it's only logical that this year I start northwest: Belvidere Books & Cafe to Read Mill Books (Clinton), then Act 2 Books and Charmed & Bound (Flemington), Frenchtown Bookshop, Panoply Books and Howling Basset Books (Lambertville), The Bear and the Books, Labyrinth and Cloak & Dagger, Booktrader of Hamilton, Friends to Bookends (Allentown), and Old Bookshop of Bordentown. Thirteen bookshops in one day sounds like a proper road trip (and probably good luck too, right?). Of course, I can't leave out the food. My plan is to grab breakfast on the way up to Belvidere, then lunch in Frenchtown, dessert in Lambertville, and second dessert in Bordentown.
Like last year, I will be with family in Somerset County on Sunday, so I plan to drag my wife and son to Chester's New Wineskin Emporium, Chapter One in Mendham, Bookworm in Bernardsville, and Monty and Milo in Somerville before the party. (Don't tell them though; I haven't broken the news to them yet.)
Patrick’s Shopping List:
I have the same goal as last year: to purchase at least one children's book from each stop to donate. I would like to pick up some of the books my son loves, like Where the Wild Things Are, The Littlest Yak, Mo Willems's pigeon books, and anything Spider-Man. I think other kids will get the same enjoyment out of them.
Favorite bookstore outside of NJ: Commonplace Reader in Yardley, PA. Gorgeous two-story shop on Main Street, second floor almost entirely dedicated to kids.
Favorite book accessory: Probably my Dark Ink T-shirt that I got from Doylestown Bookshop last summer. It's designed like a band's tour shirt with a sick horror-inspired neon illustration on the front.
A bookstore I’d like to visit: I still need to make my way to Twisted Spine in Brooklyn and Thrillerdelphia in Philly.
I read best… on a broken Adirondack chair in my backyard, partially blinded by the sun.
Photo of Patrick by David Nemec.