Down the Shore

Vol. 32 - Week of April 19th

April 20, 2026

This coming Saturday, April 25th is National Independent Bookstore Day, and we feel lucky to live in an area full of fantastic spots to dive into a new read.

To celebrate, we’re featuring Kate Czyzewski, Manager and Event Coordinator at our beloved Thunder Road Books in Spring Lake. Whether you’re packing your beach bag, or waiting out the April showers at home, now’s the perfect time to find your next page-turner.

Read on, readers…

Local Business Spotlight: Thunder Road Books (Spring Lake)

We chatted with Kate Czyzewski, Manager and Event Coordinator, who describes Thunder Road Books as a community bookstore just two blocks from the beach.

Open year-round, they serve locals and visitors alike through events, book clubs, and school outreach. Owned by film producer Basil Iwanyk, Thunder Road Books celebrates storytelling in all forms.

How does the rhythm of the store change between summer and the off-season?
We’re lucky to have a strong community of locals and visitors who support us year-round. While summer is busier, we continue offering events and book clubs throughout the year.

What do people pick up when they’re “down the shore”?
We carry everything from fiction and nonfiction to kids’ books and coffee table books. If they’re headed to the beach, then a beach read! And when people ask what that means, we say: “anything you read at the beach goes!”

We love that! But if someone did press you for the perfect beach read, what’s your rec?

If we're looking for a story universally loved by our beachgoers, I would recommend A Marriage At Sea by Sophie Elmhirst. It tells the true story of a young couple lost at sea. It is a page-turner; it reads like a thriller!

What’s a book you find yourself recommending again and again, no matter the season?

Such a hard question!  One of my most recent books that I constantly recommend is More Than Enough by Anna Quindlen. Anna is such a beautiful writer and this story covers marriage, motherhood, friendship, family, loss, and moving on.

Quick Hits…

Favorite coffee place? Driftwood Coffee Shop - we are next door!

Go-to quiet reading spot in Spring Lake? I actually prefer noise. #booksinbars offers the perfect white noise for me to get reading done. I rarely read in the quiet.

Other favorite places at the Shore? I frequent Xina, Fins, and Last Wave Brewery. I also enjoy visiting other indie bookstore pals. You can sometimes catch me at Little Point Bookshop, next door to Slingin’ Ink who tattooed all my literature and book character tattoos.

Lastly, what are you reading right now? Currently reading Liar's Dice by Juliet Faithfull, releasing 4/28.

More Monmouth County indie bookstores we love (or are on our list):

If you have a business you’d like us to feature, let us know by responding to this email!

Shore Points

Here are a few headlines that caught our eye this week:

The Princeton University Art Museum was named one of TIME’s list of the World’s Greatest Places of 2026 - Princeton is one of our favorite in-state getaways so we were excited to see the Princeton Art Museum receive this recognition. The museum recently reopened in 2025 after a multi-year renovation/expansion and hosts more than 117,000 works of art!

And speaking of in-state getaways… Cape May was recently profiled in Travel + Leisure. In case you didn’t know, Cape May is typically recognized as one of the oldest (if not THE oldest) seaside resorts in the United States.

NJ Monthly offers an exclusive interview with Bruce Springsteen about his Center for American Music that’s opening at Monmouth University this year.

Weekly Forecast

Unfortunately, we’re not getting a repeat of last week’s summer weather preview. That said, we’re just about a month out from Memorial Day Weekend, so the chill can’t last forever…right?!

Monday 4/20 - 49°/34° Partly Sunny

Tuesday 4/21- 47°/35° Sunny

Wednesday 4/22 - 57°/48° Partly Sunny

Thursday 4/23 - 62°/48° Mostly Cloudy

Friday 4/24 - 56°/50° Mostly Cloudy

Saturday 4/25 - 54°/49° Partly Sunny

Sunday 4/26 - 51°/49° Light Rain

And for the surfers out there, here are the weekly surf conditions in Belmar courtesy of Surf Captain:

Surf Conditions

Mon 4/20

AM: Clean, 1+ ft

PM: Fair, 1+ ft

Tues 4/21

AM: Fair, 1 ft

PM: Fair, 1-2 ft

Weds 4/22

AM: Choppy, 2+ ft

PM: Clean, 1-2 ft

Thurs 4/23

AM: Fair, 2-3 ft

PM: Fair, 2-3 ft

Farmer’s Market Roundup

Things are definitely looking greener around here! We’re nearly in May when many more farmers markets will kick off, but until then you can enjoy the Bell Works Farmers and Makers Market each Wednesday in Holmdel:

And if there are any markets we should definitely feature this season, let us know!

Happenings Down the Shore

With April being National Jazz Appreciation Month, we’re highlighting the lineup of jazz music that Triumph Brewing has put together! And what better place to celebrate than Red Bank, birthplace of legendary jazz pianist Count Basie.

With the exception of Tuesdays, you can see some fantastic jazz musicians throughout the month (plus great food and beer).

We also have an Earth Day demo at The Residency in Anderson Market on Wednesday 4/22, where you can pick up practical and sustainable swaps for everyday life.

Lastly, if there’s an upcoming event you’d like us to cover, feel free to pass it along!

Monday 4/20

Oceanport - Weekly Trivia at Skinny Flowers Brewing (6:30 pm )

Red Bank - Jazz Arts Jam Sessions at Triumph Brewing (6 pm - live music)

Tuesday 4/21

Red Bank - Trivia with Jenn at Jamians (7:30 pm)

Wednesday 4/22

Asbury Park - Broncho at The Asbury Lanes (7 pm - live music - buy tix)

Red Bank - Gouda Games Night with Molly Boards at Anderson Market (6 pm - buy tix)*

Red Bank - Earth Day Demo led by Un-Waste at The Residency, Anderson Market (12:30 pm - learn more)

Red Bank - Jazz Café – Lezlie Harrison at Triumph Brewing (6 pm - live music)

Tinton Falls - Bingo & Brews at Twin Lights Brewing (6 pm)

Thursday 4/23

Brielle - Pasta Making Class at Minnows Cafe (6 pm - learn more)

Long Branch - Charm Bar Workshop by LinkedByMint at Beach Bee Meadery (6:30 pm - learn more)

Holmdel - Sundown Sessions with Meg Cannon at Bar Bella in Bell Works (5 pm - live music)

Red Bank - Floral Watercolor Workshop at Anderson Market (6 pm - buy tix)

Red Bank - Gab Cinque Trio at Jamian’s (8 pm - live music)

Red Bank - Jeff Levine at The Molly Pitcher Inn (6 pm - live music)

Red Bank - Ocean Ave Stompers at Triumph Brewing (8 pm - live music)

Tinton Falls - Trivia on Tap at Twin Lights Brewing (6 pm)

 

Friday 4/24

Asbury Park - The Bounce Collective at Low Dive (9 pm - live music)

Belmar - Louis Montesano at Beach Haus (7 pm - live music)

Belmar - Friend Zone at Marina Grille (8 pm - live music)

Holmdel - Doug Kaetz at Fox Hollow Vineyard (6 pm - live music)

Oceanport - Chris Berry Live at Skinny Flowers Brewing (7 pm - live music)

Red Bank - I S*ck at Social Media Workshop at The Residency, Anderson Market (12 pm - learn more)

Red Bank - Shayne & the People at Jamian’s (9 pm - live music)

Red Bank - Marty Hoski at The Molly Pitcher Inn (6 pm - live music)

Red Bank - Moses Patrou at Triumph Brewery (9 pm - live music)

Tinton Falls - Comedy Night: Hosted by Next Stop Comedy at Twin Lights Brewing (6:30 pm)

Saturday 4/25

Allaire Village - Allaire 5k Beer Run (12 pm - register now)

Asbury Park - Floater at Low Dive (1 pm - live music)

Belmar - Emo in Bloom on the Rooftop at Beach Haus (5 pm - live music)

Belmar - After the Reign at Marina Grille (8 pm - live music)

Holmdel - Nicole and Friends Trio at Fox Hollow Vineyard (2 pm - live music)

Holmdel - Sundown Sessions feat. DJ Atom Worth at Bar Bella in Bell Works (4 pm - live music)

Oceanport - Cranston Dean at Skinny Flowers Brewing (6 pm - live music and a Locale Pizza popup starting running from 2 - 8 pm)

Red Bank - Frank Rainey at The Molly Pitcher Inn (6 pm - live music)

Red Bank - Xol Azul at Jamians (9 pm - live music)

Red Bank - Junco Partners at Triumph Brewery (9 pm - live music)

Sunday 4/26

Belmar - NerdOnGuitar at Beach Haus (2 pm - live music)

Holmdel - Cadenz Duo at Fox Hollow Vineyard (2 pm - live music)

Red Bank - Jonathan Kirschner Trio at Triumph Brewing (1 pm - live music)

Did we miss an event? Let us know.

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