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Fewer Americans are reading books, but here's the plot twist: The bookstore is still staging a comeback.

Why it matters: Once left for dead in the wake of Amazon's rise and the death of Borders, Barnes & Noble and independent booksellers have pulled off a stunning turnaround, opening new stores and reporting higher sales.

The big picture: AI threatens to disrupt information consumption, and certain genres are slumping — but bookstores have remade themselves as a hideaway from modern distractions and a place of authentic discovery.

• "The revival is there," Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt tells Axios.

Zoom in: Daunt — an experienced U.K. bookseller — is widely credited with turning around B&N since taking over in 2019.

• He empowered local managers to stock books based on what their communities like to read, renovated stores, overhauled book displays and refreshed the retailer's assortment of non-book items, betting big on toys and games.

This summer, four years after Barnes & Noble closed its longtime location in the Edgewood Retail District, the company reopened a store in the shopping center.

Independent booksellers are also enjoying a renaissance.

• The number of U.S. bookstore companies rose 70% from 2,010 in 2021 to 3,416 in 2025, according to the American Booksellers Association.
• 73% of booksellers recorded a sales increase in 2025, with more than 47% saying sales rose at least 6%.

Yes, but: 36% of Americans say they're reading fewer books than they did a decade ago, according to a CBS News poll conducted in June.

• Only 23% are reading more, while 40% are reading about the same.

Peggy Stover, a University of Iowa business marketing professor, said bookstores are benefiting from the trend of Gen Z seeking out analog experiences, such as vinyl records.

The bottom line: Bookstores are hanging tough.

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Georgia has one of the lowest rates of library checkouts per person in the country.

The big picture: Public libraries nationwide reported 6.5 checkouts per person in FY 2024, according to the Institute of Museum and Library Services survey.

• That figure includes physical items and electronic materials like e-books.

Zoom in: West Virginia (3.5), Georgia (3.1) and Mississippi (1.9) saw the fewest library checkouts per person.

Zoom out: Ohio, Utah and Washington lead the nation with more than 11 public library checkouts per person, federal data shows.

Between the lines: U.S. library circulation per person is rebounding from its pandemic-era drop, helped by a boom in digital borrowing.

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Book club events on Eventbrite jumped 33% during the first half of this year compared with last — driven largely by "hyper niche" meetups, the platform tells Axios.

Why it matters: These clubs are as much about finding community as finishing the book.

Readers are lacing up corsets, attaching prosthetic fairy ears, and gathering with fellow fans of the red-hot "romantasy" genre.

• They're reading together silently, sometimes not even the same book.
• And indie bookstores are hosting clubs for "weird girl" literary fiction and for readers who want to craft while they discuss.

Zoom in: At Offbeat Books in southeast Atlanta's Peoplestown, four clubs — including its "weird girl" reading group — have very different vibes, owner Lindsi Bollinger tells Axios.

• The horror club spills into movie talk, while the nonfiction club is run "pretty much like a classroom," with PowerPoints, a projector and discussion questions.

Zoom in: Bollinger says the "weird girl" book community is big online, but the club brings that niche into real life. Reading picks often feature "unhinged" or unlikable female protagonists.

• The club draws 12 to 15 people each month, though the crowd recently reached around 25 to discuss "Yesteryear," a buzzy tradwife thriller.

The bottom line: Looking for your people? There's probably a book club for that.

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Need a reading recommendation with a local tie? "The Calamity Club" was last month's most-borrowed e-book on Libby, the library app tells Axios.

State of play: Atlanta author Kathryn Stockett's bestseller, her first since 2009's breakout "The Help," explores poverty and friendship through the eyes of two outcast women in 1930s Mississippi.

The intrigue: Libby's top 20 features several BookTok favorites like "Yesteryear" by Caro Claire Burke and "The Deal" by Elle Kennedy, which have either already been adapted for the screen or are slated to be.

What's next: Some of the most anticipated new releases this fall include Robert Harris' "Agrippa," R.F. Kuang's "Taipei Story," Jodi Picoult's "Hollow Bones," and Sarah J. Maas' "A Court of Splintered Harmony."

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Axios Social Club is bringing readers together for dinner in Atlanta's Old Fourth Ward on Tuesday, Oct. 6.

Why it matters: Your city is full of interesting people you haven't met yet. We're making it easier to change that.

How it works: Take a quick quiz, reserve your seat and we'll match you with five fellow locals for dinner at a restaurant we hand-picked.

• Come solo or bring a friend.
• Your restaurant and dinner crew stay a surprise until event day.
• After dinner, all the tables meet up at a surprise after-party.

By the numbers: More than 1,200 Axios readers across the country are already signed up to join us Oct. 6.

If you go: Dinner starts at 6:30pm. Tickets are $15.99 per person, with food and drinks purchased separately.

The bottom line: Bring a friend — or come make a few new ones.

Save your seat at Axios Social Club.

⚽️ Atlanta's new National Women's Soccer League team will be called Atlanta City FC. The team plays its first season in 2028. (AJC)

👷 Construction has begun on new townhomes and single-family houses near Cumming's new City Center development. (Urbanize)

🐕 Kristal is so happy that Hannah got to meet some of her Axios Local friends.

• Hannah is such a social butterfly and loves attention.

🎧 Thomas is listening to DJ Python as he heads to Cox HQ for the retreat.