by Jane Leisteiner

There never seems to be enough time to just sit and enjoy a good book. For some of us, there could hardly be a better way to spend a vacation than immersing oneself in literature. If ever you have longed to spend a few comfortable days, relaxing and catching up on your reading, a stay at these bookish bed and breakfasts will be sure to fit the bill.


The Alexander House Booklovers’ Bed and Breakfast in Princess Anne on Maryland’s Eastern Shore

Nestled between the Chesapeake Bay and Maryland’s Eastern Shore, The Alexander House Booklovers’ Bed and Breakfast offers both a charming seaside location, as well as plenty of literary ambiance. Guest rooms are named for famed authors, such as Jane Austen or Langston Hughes. Relax and enjoy a book in front of the fire in the Mark Twain Reading Room. The innkeepers have a myriad of volumes for guests to enjoy, ranging from every conceivable subject, including history, architecture, art, music and classic and contemporary fiction. The whimsically named village of Princess Anne appeals to the senses with its historic buildings and scenic beauty of the Manokin River, there’s even a walking tour that leads past dozens of historic gems.

The Book and Blanket Inn Caters to Readers

This Adirondack Mountains inn served as the town’s post office for many years and also as a barracks for state troopers. Thankfully, it is now a restful bed & breakfast catering to the literary set. It offers three spacious guest rooms: the Regency inspired Jane Austen room, the sophisticated F. Scott Fitzgerald Room and the rustic Jack London Room. There’s also a library and James Thurber nook (Thurber wrote one of his short stories on a stay in town), a large porch–complete with swing, and a friendly basset hound on the premises. But most of all there are books - in every room. Many of the books may be borrowed by guests “indefinitely” and guests are encouraged to leave a book for the next booklover.

Enjoy Books, History in Washington, D.C.

Akwaaba, is a word of welcome in the West African nation of Ghana, and guests are sure to feel welcome at the Akwaaba Bed and Breakfast in Washington, D.C. Booklovers will be especially fond of the literary theme. Many of the guest rooms are named in honor of famous African-American authors. From the delicate beauty of the Zora Neale Hurston room to the 1930s charm of the Langston Hughes room, there’s a room to please everyone. The beautiful Inspiration Room includes a clawfoot soaking tub. Two other rooms offer a two-person Jacuzzi. The bed and breakfast is located in a stunning, four-story restored Victorian row house, and is close to the myriad attractions, shopping and restaurants of this Capitol city.

Sylvia Beach Hotel - Newport, Oregon

What could be more restful than reading a book in an library overlooking the sea? That’s just what you’ll find at Sylvia Beach Hotel. Curiously, the hotel is not named for a beach, but Sylvia Beach, a famous patron of literature. There is definitely a touch of whimsy here. Guest quarters are organized into three categories, Classics, Best Sellers and Novels. The Classics rooms include a fireplace and a deck overlooking the ocean. Each of the rooms is named for a different author, playwright or poet, from Dr. Seuss to Jane Austen to Oscar Wilde. The Table of Content Restaurant will leave you chuckling over the name while enjoying award-winning cuisine in an oceanfront dining room.

The Hawthorne Inn - Concord, Massachusetts

The Hawthorne Inn, nestled in the heart of the literary town of Concord, pays homage to homegrown authors Ralph Waldo Emerson, Louisa May Alcott, Margaret Sydney, Henry David Thoreau and Hawthorne, all buried in the town’s Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. The inn is an historic home on land once owned by Nathaniel Hawthorne; rooms are named Alcott, Emerson, Walden and Sleepy Hollow, and books can be found all over the inn. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s actual home, “Wayside” is across the street, and next door is the “Orchard House,” long-time home of Alcott, who penned Little Women, and later home to Margaret Sydney, who wrote The Five Little Peppers children’s books. The nearby Emerson House is open for tours.