Wheatgrass Books proves again why it's the Best Independent Bookstore

Owner Lisa Snow continues to bring in acclaimed writers, such as Cassidy Randall, author of Thirty Below: The Harrowing and Heroic Story of the First All-Women’s Ascent of Denali.

Wheatgrass Books owner Lisa Snow and author Cassidy Randall celebrate Randall’s new book Thirty Below: The Harrowing and Heroic Story of the First All-Women’s Ascent of Denali at Wheatgrass Books in Livingston on Friday.

By: Jeff Schlapp

One of the rules I’ve tried to live by is that there’s no such thing as a guilty pleasure. It’s fine to love what you love. As even the occasional reader knows, I happen to love the Chicago Cubs, just like those of you reading this might love knitting or collecting garden gnomes or, just pulling an example out of the blue, dog shows (ok, those are pretty cool as well).

No matter how busy you might be, or how quirky your quirks might be, make room for them in your life. Without them, you could be anybody. With them, you can only be you.

Like the dude from Alabama who has become a TikTok star by talking about native plants: “I was a deer hunter, forester, Southern man posting about flowers. You have to really not give a crap about what people think of you to do that.” (NYT)

What most folks are not aware of is that I love books, and with it comes my love of bookstores. The occasional foray to Barnes & Noble aside, what I truly enjoy are independent bookstores.

I can spend two hours, some days three, just perusing through a bookstore, the quainter and dustier the better. The Country Bookshelf in Bozeman is an example, sans the dust, of a great bookstore, with outstanding customer service and a fantastic selection of books on Montana and Yellowstone.

But I feel that the true heavyweight in indie bookstores can be found in Livingston, on Main Street, at Wheatgrass Books. The bookstore carries many authors from Montana as part of its selection, but what garners it the title of Best Independent Bookstore west of Chicago from the Dugout (besides its go-the-extra-mile customer service philosophy) is owner Lisa Snow’s constant parade of book discussions with authors—heavy Hitters in the book world.

Friday night was no different as Snow and Wheatgrass Books hosted Cassidy Randall, author of Thirty Below: The Harrowing and Heroic Story of the First All-Women’s Ascent of Denali, which was named one of the most noteworthy books of the month by the Washington Post.