Book censorship is on the rise. A March study by the American Library Association found that attempts to ban books and reading resources in libraries doubled in 2022 from the previous year — from 729 in 2021 to 1,269 attempts in 2022. A “vast majority” of those books, the study found, were written by or about members of the LGBTQIA-plus community and people of color.

But at the Bookstore Plus and other independent bookstores, Galvin said people will always be free to make their own decisions about what they want to read. And if that book isn’t already on the shelf, Galvin said she’ll order it.

On Saturday, April 29, booksellers in Saranac Lake and Lake Placid celebrated the 10th annual Independent Bookstore Day, or IBD. The Bookstore Plus and The Book Nook in Saranac Lake were crammed with shoppers who enjoyed special activities, raffles and exclusive IBD merchandise from the American Booksellers Association. Some of the merchandise, like a Banned Books puzzle by Chronicle Books, boasted independent bookstores’ proud efforts to promote and stock the books that are currently under fire in libraries across the country.

The busy day was also a community-building event for the booksellers. At the Bookstore Plus, Wilmington artist Alison Haas taught community members how to create art from pressed flowers and leaves. At The Book Nook in Saranac Lake, local bakery Early Dawn Confections provided some bookmark sugar cookies for customers, with book cover artwork printed on the cookies’ icing with edible ink.

Jessie Fischer, the owner of The Book Nook, said March and April are typically her slow months of the year. Independent Bookstore Day gave her a chance to see all of her regulars — and some new faces — during an otherwise uneventful time. Now, Fischer is pumped up for the bookstore’s summer season.

“It’s just fun to see everyone come in,” she said.

IBD highlighted what Fischer and Galvin see as the best part of their job: Talking to customers and getting to know their taste in books.

“They’re the coolest people around,” Galvin said of her customers.

Owning an independent bookstore isn’t easy, Galvin said, but talking to customers keeps her going. Some people are just looking for a good book, but some people are looking to read something that might help them through a particular time in their life. Galvin said she’s hoping to make the world a little brighter with good books.