The first thing you need to know about us is that we like to read...a lot. We're talking about thousands of books a year here. Besides a love for the written word, we do it to bring you the freshest talent and titles available today. We're always hearing, after recommending a title, "I never would have chosen that book on my own, but I/they loved it."
The second thing you need to know about Just the Right Book! is that we're obsessed with matching the right book with the right person, whether it's a baby, child or adult. So, how do we do it? Experience. We've honed our skills over the last 20 years while running R.J. Julia Booksellers, an award-winning, independent bookstore in Madison, CT.
For the first time, this independent bookstore experience is now available to you online. In fact, we're so confident that we can pick out "just the right book" it's guaranteed. Learn more about how it works and discover how we've delighted customers just like you.
R.J. Julia Booksellers has won many of the leading industry awards that can be granted to an independent bookseller. This Madison, Connecticut institution is considered both the town “watering hole” (literally taking over an old pub) and “the stop” between New York and Boston for every major book tour. With its interactive, personal approach to satisfying literary tastes, it is a place of discovery where writer can meet reader. Among the countless number of authors who have appeared at the store are: Julie Andrews, Amy Bloom, Tom Brokaw, Jimmy Carter, Robert Caro, Nora Ephron, Bobby Flay, Jane Fonda, Pete Hamill, Garrison Keillor, Caroline Kennedy, Jhumpa Lahiri, Wally Lamb, Toni Morrison, Anne Rice, Frank Rich, Richard Russo, Alice Seybold, Martha Stewart, Barbara Walters, Toby Wolff.
It is the staff of RJ Julia that customers often rave about, from their handwritten suggestions to their enthusiasm in meeting the needs of readers. They are the source of the store's success. Many of our booksellers have worked at RJ Julia for more than 10 years and some for all twenty, each contributing to an environment that is welcoming, enthusiastic and connected to our community.
RJ Julia celebrated its 20th anniversary in April 2010.
Visit us at RJJulia.com. You can also scroll through some photographs of the store by clicking the arrows in the photo player at the top of this page. Our wonderful photographer is Tricia Bohan.
Nearly twenty years ago, Roxanne J. Coady left her role as the first female National Tax Director at international accounting firm BDO Seidman, to pursue a passion for books in a small coastal town in Connecticut. Restoring an in-town structure, she established RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, and along with an incredible group of booksellers transformed her charming local store into a nationally recognized authority on books.
Roxanne is an industry speaker and trend expert, well-known for her ongoing contributions as a book authority on NPR and wowOwow.com. She frequently forecasts reading trends and reports on new releases, including guest appearances on “Good Morning America” and the “Today” show. She has served as a panel discussion moderator for Pen World Voices Festival, and American Booksellers Association conferences.
With a small group of women Roxanne Coady founded “Read To Grow,” a non-profit organization in Connecticut whose mission is to improve early literacy. In addition, among several boards, she is a member of the Governor’s Early Childhood Research and Policy Council Board and the Kenyon Review. She has also served for many years on the boards of the American Booksellers Association and the New England Booksellers Association. The recipient of numerous business honors, she is also the co-editor of The Book That Changed My Life: 71 Remarkable Writers Celebrate The Books That Matter Most to Them, edited with Joy Johannessen.
Read an article about Roxanne in Fast Company or an interview in the Hartford Examiner.
RJ Julia Booksellers is located just north of New Haven, Connecticut on Boston Post Road in the shoreline town of Madison. You can scroll through some photos of the store by clicking on the arrows in the photo player at the top of this page. Our address is 768 Boston Post Road, Madison, CT, 06443. We'd be delighted to see you! Click here for driving directions.
