A well-chosen book is the perfect gift. It says you know someone, that you see them and their interests and preferences. With a book, you’re giving them an opportunity to expand their mind, to learn, to empathize with others, and to grow while experiencing more of the world.
If you’re looking for the perfect gift for yourself or someone else, a book is always a sure thing. But don’t just click over to Amazon and let an algorithm choose for you. Where’s the soul in that? The most satisfying way to pick out a book is to visit an independently owned bookstore. Touch the books, read the dust jackets, talk to the staff, pile up more books in your arms than you can carry, and chat with the people in line. This soulful experience makes holiday shopping far more enjoyable.
The Outer Banks is blessed with seven independently owned bookstores. SEVEN! All of them women owned. In a world dominated by online shopping, this is an unusually high concentration of small, independent bookstores. In each of these shops, you’ll find an amazing collection of hand-picked books, from fiction and nonfiction to self-help, poetry, and history, plus extras like journals, art supplies, cards, whimsical items, and/or art. You’ll also meet local staff who are eager to help you find just the right book.
Photo above: Buxton Village Books' curated Outer Banks section
Where to Shop
Photo: Island Bookstore's Corolla Village location is one of seven independent bookstores on the Outer Banks
From north to south, here’s where to shop small for books on the Outer Banks:
Corolla
Island Bookstore
Historic Corolla Village, 1130 Corolla Village Road, Corolla | (252) 453-2292
Duck
Duck's Cottage Coffee & Books
The Waterfront Shops, 1240 Duck Road, Duck | (252) 261-5510
Island Bookstore
Scarborough Faire: 1177 Duck Road, Duck | (252) 261-8981
Kitty Hawk
Island Bookstore
3712 N. Croatan Highway, Kitty Hawk | (252) 255-5590
Manteo
Downtown Books
105 Sir Walter Raleigh Street, Manteo | (252) 473-1056
Buxton
Buxton Village Books
47918 Highway 12, Buxton | (252) 995-4240
Ocracoke
Books to be Red
34 School Road, Ocracoke | (252) 928-3936
Outer Banks Books Recommendations
Need some suggestions? Books about the Outer Banks and by Outer Banks authors are extremely popular around here, especially at Christmas. Anyone who loves the Outers will appreciate a book about this place.
Nonfiction & History
Finding the OBX: Uncovered Stories from the Outer Banks and Northeast North Carolina by Kip Tabb: A longtime local journalist exxplores hidden local history, including stories of war heroes, rescuers and entrepreneurs.
My Daily Bounded Realm: A Journal of Daily Life in the Outer Banks in 1900 by Robin Daniels Holt: A diary-style account of daily life and hardships for women in the early 20th century.
Language and Life on Ocracoke: The Living History of the Brogue by Jeffrey Reaser, Walt Wolfram and Candy Gaskill: In a follow up to the popular Hoi Toide on the Outer Banks, the authors focus on the unique local dialect of Ocracoke Island.
Shipwreck Rescues of the Outer Banks and Shipwrecks of the Outer Banks by James Charlet: Historian James Charlet chronicles the daring missions and thrilling stories of shipwrecks along the coast of North Carolina in his captivating style.
Outer Banks Visionaries: Building North Carolina’s Oceanfront by Clark Twiddy: Outer Banks native Clark Twiddy shares the history of building North Carolina’s oceanfront from remote sand dunes into one of the most popular vacation destinations on the Outer Banks. Another of Twiddy's books, Memories of the Currituck Outer Banks – As Told by Ernie Bowden, tells of life on the isolated Currituck Outer Banks in the early 20th century.
Anything by Kevin Duffus. Duffus is the author of nine books on Outer Banks history. While we wait for his new book, Outer Banks History: The Inventor Reginald Fessenden and the Origins of American Radio on North Carolina’s Outer Banks (2026), a deeply researched story of Reginald Fessenden, who in 1901 and 1902, pioneered experiments in wireless technology on the Outer Banks, leading to radio broadcasting, television, radar, sonar, and WiFi. All of Duffus's titles are must-reads, including Shipwrecks of the Outer Banks, War Zone, The Last Days of Black Beard the Pirate, The Lost Light, A Civil War Mystery, Into the Burning Sea: The 1918 Mirlo Rescue, and more.
The Lost Colony and Hatteras Island by Scott Dawson: An amateur archaeologist with plentiful finds on Hatteras, Dawson lays out discoveries that link the lost colony of Roanoke to Hatteras Island.
Fiction
Tangled Lines by Jan Dawson. A Hatteras Island resident, Dawson has written a trilogy of romance/drama novels set on Hatteras Island: Storm Season, Hooked on You, and Tangled Lines. Start with the newest, which can be read as a standalone, or buy all three.
The Saddest Girl on the Beach (2024) by Heather Frese. A novel set on Hatteras Island, this work of fiction is from the author of the critically acclaimed The Baddest Girl on the Planet. Frese is the winner of the Lee Smith Novel Prize.
Between Tides by Angel Khoury. Set on the Outer Banks and Cape Cod, the bestselling Between Tides is a lyrical novel that alternates timelines between the 1890s and 1940s.
Tide of Darkness: The Lost Colony Theater Murders by Joseph L.S. Terrell. A Southern Shores–based mystery writer, Terrell is the author of 14 novels, nine of them in the popular Harrison Weaver mystery series. Tide of Darkness is one of the most popular, and after that you can take a deep dive into eight more novels that masterfully capture the Outer Banks.
The Cora Tree Murder – An Outer Banks Mystery by Joe C. Ellis. This is one of 10 Outer Banks mystery novels Ellis has written over the last 20 years. His books are bestsellers in Outer Banks bookstores, so if you like this one, you have many more to go.
True Crime
The Carolinian Murder at Nags Head: The Janet Siclari Story by John Railey. A beautiful visitor is found raped and murdered in 1993 in Nags Head, and this book reveals the twists and turns that led to the killer’s conviction. Railey is also the author of Murder in Manteo: Seeking Justice for Stacey Stanton and The Lost Colony Murder on the Outer Banks: Seeking Justice for Brenda Joyce Holland, as well as a more light-hearted, non-murder book, Andy Griffith’s Manteo: His Real Mayberry.
Photo: While Suzanne Tate's nature series will always remain popular on the Outer Banks, another illustrated nature series for kids by Adrienne Palma is gaining in popularity.
Kids
Piper the Brown Pelican by Adrienne Palma. This is the tenth book about sea animals for young readers from local author Adrienne Palma. The books are beautifully illustrated and include interactive elements that make learning fun.
About the Author Molly Harrison
Molly Harrison is managing editor at OneBoat, publisher of OuterBanksThisWeek.com. She moved to Nags Head in 1994 and since then has made her living writing articles and creating publications about the people, places and culture of the Outer Banks.
