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Every Time I Climb a Tree
In this enthusiastic, heartfelt, and sometimes humorous ode to bookshops and booksellers, 84 known authors pay tribute to the brick-and-mortar stores they love and often call their second homes. In My Bookstore our greatest authors write about the pleasure, guidance, and support that their favorite bookstores and booksellers have given them over the years. The relationship between a writer and his or her local store and staff can last for years or even decades. Often it's the author's local store that supported him during the early days of his career, that continues to introduce and hand-sell her work to new readers, and that serves as the anchor for the community in which he lives and works.My Bookstore collects the essays, stories, odes and words of gratitude and praise for stores across the country in 81 pieces written by our most beloved authors. It's a joyful, industry-wide celebration of our bricks-and-mortar stores and a clarion call to readers everywhere at a time when the value and importance of these stores should be shouted from the rooftops.Perfectly charming line drawings by Leif Parsons illustrate each storefront and other distinguishing features of the shops.Contributing Authors and Bookstores Flagg?Page & Palette, Fairhope, ALRick Bragg?Alabama Booksmith, Homewood, ALJohn Grisham?That Bookstore in Blytheville, Blytheville, ARRon Carlson?Changing Hands Bookstore, Tempe, AZAnn Packer?Capitola Book Café, Capitola, CAIsabel Allende?Book Passage, Corte Madera, CAMahbod Seraji?Kepler?s Books, Menlo Park, CALisa See?Vroman?s Bookstore, Pasadena, CAMeg Waite Clayton?Books Inc., San Francisco, CADaniel Handler and Lisa Brown?The Booksmith, San Francisco, CADave Eggers?Green Apple Books, San Francisco, CAPico Iyer?Chaucer?s Books, Santa Barbara, CALaurie R. King?Bookshop, Santa Cruz, CAScott Lasser?Explore Booksellers, Aspen, COStephen White?Tattered Cover Book Store, Devner, COKate Niles?Maria?s Bookshop, Durango, COAnn Haywood Leal?Bank Square Books, Mystic, CTFlorence and Wendell Minor?The Hickory Stick Bookshop, Washington Depot, CTRick Atkinson?Politics and Prose Bookstore, Washington, DCLes Standiford?Books & Books, Coral Gables, FLRobert Macomber?The Muse Book Shop, Deland, FLDavid Fulmer?Eagle Eye Book Shop, Decatur, GAAbraham Verghese?Prairie Lights, Iowa City, IACharlie Brandt?Chapter One Bookstore, Ketchum, IDLuis Alberto Urrea?Anderson?s Bookshops, Naperville, ILMike Leonard?The Book Stall Chestnut Court, Winnetka, ILAlbert Goldbarth?Watermark Books, Wichita, KSWendell Berry?Carmichael?s Bookstore, Louisville, KYEdith Pearlman?Brookline Booksmith, Brookline, MAMameve Medwed?Porter Square Books, Cambridge, MAHenry Louis Gates, Jr.?Harvard Book Store, Cambridge, MASimon Winchester?The Bookloft, Great Barrington, MANancy Thayer?Mitchell?s Book Corner, Nantucket, MAElin Hilderbrand?Nantucket Bookworks, Nantucket, MAJeanne Birdsall?Broadside Bookshop, Northampton, MAMartha Ackmann?Odyssey Bookshop, South Hadley, MAWard Just?Bunch of Grapes Bookstore, Vineyard Haven, MARon Currie, Jr.?Longfellow Books, Portland, MENancy Shaw?Nicola?s Books, Ann Arbor, MIKatrina Kittle?Saturn Booksellers, Gaylord, MIAnn Patchett?Mclean & Eakin Booksellers, Petotskey, MIKathleen Finneran?Left Bank Books, St.Louis, MOBarry Moser?Lemuria Books, Jackson, MSJill McCorkle?Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill, NCCarrie Ryan?Park Road Books, Charlotte NCLaurent Dubois?The Regulator Bookshop, Durham, NCLee Smith?Purple Crow Books, Hillsborough, NCAngela Davis-Gardner?Quail Ridge Books & Music, Raleigh, NCRon Rash?City Lights Bookstore, Sylva, NC
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First published November 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 303 reviews
August 20, 2022
What a beautiful book. My Bookstore: Writers Celebrate Their Favorite Places to Browse, Read, and Shop is a delight to read. If you love books and bookstores, this is a book that you want to have with you for a long time as you begin to explore not only bookstores that you love but those that you have always heard about and want to visit. And not only the bookstores but many of your favorite authors tell of the special connection that they have with their favorite bookstores.
One of my favorite parts of the book was the chapter about Shakespeare and Company on the Left Bank of Paris that opened just in time for the flood of English-speaking expatriates such as Ernest Hemingway, T.S. Eliot, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, and James Joyce. In fact, this is the bookstore that nurtured and edited the first copy of Ulysses.
Another wonderful chapter was that about Lemuria Books in Jackson, Mississippi that specializes in books "by Southern writers and all things Southern."
And one of my favorite authors, Lisa See, as she talks about her family's history of opening a large antiques store in 1901 where Vroman's Bookstore opened in 1895. This was the bookstore where she has held all of her book launch parties.
And I must end with my favorite bookstore, The Tattered Cover Bookstore in Denver. It is revered by all of us that gather there for the ample nooks to hide in with plenty of overstuffed chairs and old sofas with a stack of books - perfect!
One of my favorite parts of the book was the chapter about Shakespeare and Company on the Left Bank of Paris that opened just in time for the flood of English-speaking expatriates such as Ernest Hemingway, T.S. Eliot, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, and James Joyce. In fact, this is the bookstore that nurtured and edited the first copy of Ulysses.
Another wonderful chapter was that about Lemuria Books in Jackson, Mississippi that specializes in books "by Southern writers and all things Southern."
And one of my favorite authors, Lisa See, as she talks about her family's history of opening a large antiques store in 1901 where Vroman's Bookstore opened in 1895. This was the bookstore where she has held all of her book launch parties.
And I must end with my favorite bookstore, The Tattered Cover Bookstore in Denver. It is revered by all of us that gather there for the ample nooks to hide in with plenty of overstuffed chairs and old sofas with a stack of books - perfect!
September 12, 2025
To be honest, this was a browser book. A beautiful one. But one that you don’t necessarily need to read cover to cover. It is one that gives you an opportunity to hear from 83 different authors about their favorite bookstores. Where they are located and why they are important to them.
Sometimes we forget the importance of bookstores. The whole brick and mortar building becomes lost to us when we can just sit in front of our computer screen and order books to be delivered to our doorstep – or go to our local library and borrow a book, read it and return it.
And then…
Of course, those of us who are Stewards of Little Free Libraries have another avenue of receiving and providing book donations to our neighborhoods.
So, having this opportunity, to listen to a writer talk about why a bookstore is important to them – not just to sell their books – but, how these places impact them, is meaningful reading.
I can remember when my husband and I were travelling in our RV through the many small towns across the United States. One of the things I would appreciate most would be stopping in the little private owned independent bookshops. I loved how the booksellers would display the books, and tell me who was recommending what book and why I would want to read it. I had many impulse buys on those trips based on those visits. And I don’t regret any of them. Those were some of my best reading experiences.
What I enjoyed about browsing through this book most…the writer’s stories. Their love of their bookstores. Their memories. The importance those bookstore walls were to them.
Let’s not forget the importance of bookstores. They not only have books. They have people that bring heart and soul to the pleasure and experience of reading.
Unfortunately, today, too many bookstores are becoming extinct.
But at least this book…is here today.
Sometimes we forget the importance of bookstores. The whole brick and mortar building becomes lost to us when we can just sit in front of our computer screen and order books to be delivered to our doorstep – or go to our local library and borrow a book, read it and return it.
And then…
Of course, those of us who are Stewards of Little Free Libraries have another avenue of receiving and providing book donations to our neighborhoods.
So, having this opportunity, to listen to a writer talk about why a bookstore is important to them – not just to sell their books – but, how these places impact them, is meaningful reading.
I can remember when my husband and I were travelling in our RV through the many small towns across the United States. One of the things I would appreciate most would be stopping in the little private owned independent bookshops. I loved how the booksellers would display the books, and tell me who was recommending what book and why I would want to read it. I had many impulse buys on those trips based on those visits. And I don’t regret any of them. Those were some of my best reading experiences.
What I enjoyed about browsing through this book most…the writer’s stories. Their love of their bookstores. Their memories. The importance those bookstore walls were to them.
Let’s not forget the importance of bookstores. They not only have books. They have people that bring heart and soul to the pleasure and experience of reading.
Unfortunately, today, too many bookstores are becoming extinct.
But at least this book…is here today.
January 27, 2016
Book lovers like to flock to bookstores. Bookstores that stand out as that ‘something special’ and something extra can win permanent places in a reader’s heart. I have fond memories of bookstores I’ve visited that I never got to see again, or who have now gone on to the bookstore-beyond, but they will always stay special to me. Thankfully the ones in my town still exist, waiting to be visited and cooed over all over again.
When reading Pat Conroy’s half memoir last year, My Reading Life, he praised a bookstore that meant a great deal to him, covering the bookstore owned in several chapters, discussing the people he met in the store, how he helped work in the store and would spend hours hanging out there, how it helps advance careers, and how that bookstore branched out through parties, word of mouth, and how it exists today. That got me thinking of other writer’s experiences, which led to me ordering this book.
Each chapter has a drawing of a rendition of a bookstore mentioned by the author.
It opens on a promising note - Be still my heart...the first essay from Martha Ackmann, on The Odyssey Bookshop, brought not only the bookstore to life but its creators. Romeo, who took his tea at 4 and was obsessed with Middlemarch. The bookstore that started on fire, was rebuilt, and started on fire again, to be taken over by a daughter who kept it flourishing. The Phoenix effect. It comes alive in this essay - wish I could visit.
Some of these don’t dwell on the charm of a specific bookstore, but instead take their chances to whip out a soapbox. Wendell Berry mentions not one bookstore but emphasizes the full magic of a book cannot be duplicated by reading a story on an impersonal screen. His quote matches my own view here: ”I still own books that have remained alive and dear in my thoughts since I was a boy, and a part of the life of each one is my memory of the bookstore where I bought it and of the bookseller who sold it to me.”
On a funny muse, Rick Bragg starts his essay by saying cats and bookstores go together like Peanut butter and Jelly but that he likes his bookstore withOUT cats, thank you very much! But it all ties in anyway, funny humor describing a favorite no-nonsense bookseller.
I had other notes that I jotted down while I slowly read this, but I can’t find them. If I do one day, I’ll add to this review, but overall it’s a great book that contains interesting essays in it, mixed with some that are generic and impersonal. One or two essays is fine, but reading this many takes time as you can only take in so much at once. It’s a good coffee table book to randomly open and browse.
December 9, 2012
My Bookstore: Writers Celebrate Their Favorite Place to Browse, Read and Shop--The Literary Stalker's Ultimate Reference
Perhaps you are among the "gently mad," a term coined by Nicholas A. Basbanes, the author of the magnificent book, A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books. Basbanes eloquently offers solace to those among us who suffer from that gentle illness. I take it as a comfort, because at times I am quite sure I have passed beyond the ranks of the merely gently mad. My thanks to my goodreads friend Jeff Keeten for introducing me to the works of Basbanes. An overview of this work is available at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/79... .
A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion of Books, First Ed., First Prtg
As I have frankly admitted elsewhere, I am a literary stalker. Harmless, of course. I'm a pacifist for the most part.
There are those whose works I must have. The copies of their works must be pristine, neither slanted or cocked. Nothing other than a first printing will do. I must meet the authors of these marvelous works. An impersonally signed edition simply will not do. I am somewhat snobbish in addition to having descended to the covert art of stalking. You may read of my exploits concerning my tracking of Clyde Edgerton here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/....
The Unsuspecting Clyde Edgerton
Of course, there are far more subtler methods of obtaining the coveted signed edition--The Book Festival, The Book Tour, The uncertain order from an unfamiliar Bookseller on line, a rather less than comforting gambit. This leads to the oft mis-graded edition, the inscribed, rather than signed edition. I frankly do not care for a volume inscribed "For your birthday Betty, Best Wishes Renowned Author who has no idea in Hell who Betty is and is unlikely to share a slice of cake with said Betty. There is the tried and true method of relying on your goodreads friends to have your editions signed if you get there's signed. This has been the Sullivan/Keeten approach on occasion. But at the end of reasoning through all the methods considered more rational, one must resort to less conventional methods.
The inevitable conclusion is that we and our own beloved authors have only so much time on this earth. Time's winged chariot, and all that unpleasant business.
Then I found the ideal literary stalker's weapon, excuse me--reference source placed in my hands. Bless Ronald Rice, the editor of this especially useful and beautiful little book. It bears such an innocent and gentle appearance, too. Just look at it. Little would one realize that contained within the pages of this literary stalker's manifesto are eighty-four, yes, count them, essays by the poor unsuspecting authors revealing their favorite places to browse, read, and shop. Yes, the actual locations of these businesses are contained in this book. And these bookstores and their owners have a special place in the hearts of these writers. They show up there a lot. Yes, this is the ultimate stake out manual for those in search of the signed edition.
For you, oh fortunate reader, the bookstore of your favorite author could be in your own city. Or in a location within the distance of a brief drive. Or, you could hook up the GPS and set out on the ultimate quest. Eighty-four authors, eighty-four bookstores, eighty-four cities. Confess. You've always believed in the quest for the Holy Grail. Here's your ticket to ride.
Me, I have my eye on Purple Crow Books, Hillsborough, North Carolina. That happens to be the favorite books shop of Lee Smith, on whom I've had a crush since high school when she was a reporter at the Tuscaloosa News. I still consider her a most beautiful woman. And, by the way, Hillsborough happens to be the home of twenty-seven North Carolina authors. Well, I'm headed in that direction on December 21st, 2012. I'm on a quest.
First you read the essay, then you google the store. Voila!
Why, Ms. Smith. Imagine meeting you here! Would you like a cup of tea? We met at Jake's in Homewood. Yes, you signed my copy of Fancy Strut
Oh, I have my first signature. It is Rick Bragg, signature only, on the title page, purchased at his and my favorite bookstore, "The Alabama Booksmith," in Homewood, Alabama. And, it is my bookstore, too. I had my favorite bookseller, Jake Reiss, sign it, too. Consider having your favorite booksellers signing the sections on their marvelous shops. After all, what would we do without them, too?
This is a solid Five Star Reference for great bookstores. Keep this one in your suitcase as you travel. You just never know who you might meet.
Perhaps you are among the "gently mad," a term coined by Nicholas A. Basbanes, the author of the magnificent book, A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books. Basbanes eloquently offers solace to those among us who suffer from that gentle illness. I take it as a comfort, because at times I am quite sure I have passed beyond the ranks of the merely gently mad. My thanks to my goodreads friend Jeff Keeten for introducing me to the works of Basbanes. An overview of this work is available at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/79... .
A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion of Books, First Ed., First Prtg
As I have frankly admitted elsewhere, I am a literary stalker. Harmless, of course. I'm a pacifist for the most part.
There are those whose works I must have. The copies of their works must be pristine, neither slanted or cocked. Nothing other than a first printing will do. I must meet the authors of these marvelous works. An impersonally signed edition simply will not do. I am somewhat snobbish in addition to having descended to the covert art of stalking. You may read of my exploits concerning my tracking of Clyde Edgerton here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/....
The Unsuspecting Clyde Edgerton
Of course, there are far more subtler methods of obtaining the coveted signed edition--The Book Festival, The Book Tour, The uncertain order from an unfamiliar Bookseller on line, a rather less than comforting gambit. This leads to the oft mis-graded edition, the inscribed, rather than signed edition. I frankly do not care for a volume inscribed "For your birthday Betty, Best Wishes Renowned Author who has no idea in Hell who Betty is and is unlikely to share a slice of cake with said Betty. There is the tried and true method of relying on your goodreads friends to have your editions signed if you get there's signed. This has been the Sullivan/Keeten approach on occasion. But at the end of reasoning through all the methods considered more rational, one must resort to less conventional methods.
The inevitable conclusion is that we and our own beloved authors have only so much time on this earth. Time's winged chariot, and all that unpleasant business.
Then I found the ideal literary stalker's weapon, excuse me--reference source placed in my hands. Bless Ronald Rice, the editor of this especially useful and beautiful little book. It bears such an innocent and gentle appearance, too. Just look at it. Little would one realize that contained within the pages of this literary stalker's manifesto are eighty-four, yes, count them, essays by the poor unsuspecting authors revealing their favorite places to browse, read, and shop. Yes, the actual locations of these businesses are contained in this book. And these bookstores and their owners have a special place in the hearts of these writers. They show up there a lot. Yes, this is the ultimate stake out manual for those in search of the signed edition.
For you, oh fortunate reader, the bookstore of your favorite author could be in your own city. Or in a location within the distance of a brief drive. Or, you could hook up the GPS and set out on the ultimate quest. Eighty-four authors, eighty-four bookstores, eighty-four cities. Confess. You've always believed in the quest for the Holy Grail. Here's your ticket to ride.
Me, I have my eye on Purple Crow Books, Hillsborough, North Carolina. That happens to be the favorite books shop of Lee Smith, on whom I've had a crush since high school when she was a reporter at the Tuscaloosa News. I still consider her a most beautiful woman. And, by the way, Hillsborough happens to be the home of twenty-seven North Carolina authors. Well, I'm headed in that direction on December 21st, 2012. I'm on a quest.
First you read the essay, then you google the store. Voila!
Why, Ms. Smith. Imagine meeting you here! Would you like a cup of tea? We met at Jake's in Homewood. Yes, you signed my copy of Fancy Strut
Oh, I have my first signature. It is Rick Bragg, signature only, on the title page, purchased at his and my favorite bookstore, "The Alabama Booksmith," in Homewood, Alabama. And, it is my bookstore, too. I had my favorite bookseller, Jake Reiss, sign it, too. Consider having your favorite booksellers signing the sections on their marvelous shops. After all, what would we do without them, too?
This is a solid Five Star Reference for great bookstores. Keep this one in your suitcase as you travel. You just never know who you might meet.
February 5, 2018
[4.5 stars] I loved this collection of essays by writers about their favorite bookstores. I would rate the essays from 3 to 5 stars, but each of the 84 bookstores and booksellers described gets an enthusiastic 5 stars from me! I read this collection before bedtime for the last couple weeks and it launched me into many happy nights of bookstore dreaming. I wish I could have made it last longer.
January 7, 2015
I have very mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I love reading about other people loving books and building communities around them. It's nice to realize you're not the only person obsessed with reading. On the other hand, this book displayed some of my biggest pet peeves, namely:
1) Authors using their essay to 'casually' mention their own books and what a huge amount of people showed up to their readings. They're supposed to discuss independent bookstores, but by going on and on about how the bookstore pushed their book down people's throats and organized great events for them, they're really just patting themselves on the back. Obnoxious. To be clear, for the most part the authors contributing to this book didn't do this, but a significant number of them did.
2) The second pet peeve is a major one. I'm going to apologize in advance for what's probably going to turn into a tirade, but I need to get this off my chest. I am so, so sick of people who have this incredibly narrow view of what the 'right' kind of reader is. Independent bookstores are always AMAZING, and their staff is always incredibly knowledgeable and personable, while chain stores are always PURE LIQUID EVIL. Don't even mention Amazon to these people, or they're likely to burst into flame. I don't get it. I understand that people have their own preferences, but WHY do they have to be so insufferably morally superior about it and shame anyone who doesn't confirm to their idea of a 'good' reader. For example, I personally don't enjoy reading e-books, but I don't go around berating other people for reading them. Independent bookstores can be great, but if people want to shop at big chains or -horror of horrors- online, leave them the eff alone. I totally understand that this book is about celebrating independent bookstores, and I totally get that they offer great services, but what I don't get is why praise for this kind of store always seems to involve dissing every other place that sells books. To me it reeks of snobbery that is not acceptable in anyone over the age of, say, 16.
On a more personal note, there's an independent bookstore I used to frequent, but now I absolutely refuse to set foot in there, for 2 reasons: 1) They gloated about the closing down of Border's and B&N stores. I'm sorry, but people who claim to love books should not be GLOATING over the closing down of ANY bookstore. (By the way, this store is in Belgium, where neither chain has ever had a single store, which makes me get this even less.) 2) When asked if they had a popular cookbook in stock, the owner very disdainfully referred to the chain store further down the street. "If you want that kind of book, go there." This was said in a tone of voice just dripping with derision. And just the other day, I overheard the owner of a different independent say he had read 14 books in 2014. FOURTEEN. That immediately disproves this fantasy that people who work at independents are some sort of book gurus, while people who work at chain stores think Eat, Pray, Love is a cookbook (that's just on the many snarky anecdotes you can find in this book). And on the other hand, I've encountered some really helpful, friendly and knowledgeable staff at big chains. It's not black and white. Why does it have to be this either/or story? Why can't lovers of independent bookstores just sing their praises without acting like teenagers by dragging other stores through the mud? It annoys me so, so much.
Again, not all the essays in this book were like that. If that had been the case, I probably wouldn't have been able to even finish it. But I always read a good chunk of essays in one go, and then you can definitely see this pattern emerge.
1) Authors using their essay to 'casually' mention their own books and what a huge amount of people showed up to their readings. They're supposed to discuss independent bookstores, but by going on and on about how the bookstore pushed their book down people's throats and organized great events for them, they're really just patting themselves on the back. Obnoxious. To be clear, for the most part the authors contributing to this book didn't do this, but a significant number of them did.
2) The second pet peeve is a major one. I'm going to apologize in advance for what's probably going to turn into a tirade, but I need to get this off my chest. I am so, so sick of people who have this incredibly narrow view of what the 'right' kind of reader is. Independent bookstores are always AMAZING, and their staff is always incredibly knowledgeable and personable, while chain stores are always PURE LIQUID EVIL. Don't even mention Amazon to these people, or they're likely to burst into flame. I don't get it. I understand that people have their own preferences, but WHY do they have to be so insufferably morally superior about it and shame anyone who doesn't confirm to their idea of a 'good' reader. For example, I personally don't enjoy reading e-books, but I don't go around berating other people for reading them. Independent bookstores can be great, but if people want to shop at big chains or -horror of horrors- online, leave them the eff alone. I totally understand that this book is about celebrating independent bookstores, and I totally get that they offer great services, but what I don't get is why praise for this kind of store always seems to involve dissing every other place that sells books. To me it reeks of snobbery that is not acceptable in anyone over the age of, say, 16.
On a more personal note, there's an independent bookstore I used to frequent, but now I absolutely refuse to set foot in there, for 2 reasons: 1) They gloated about the closing down of Border's and B&N stores. I'm sorry, but people who claim to love books should not be GLOATING over the closing down of ANY bookstore. (By the way, this store is in Belgium, where neither chain has ever had a single store, which makes me get this even less.) 2) When asked if they had a popular cookbook in stock, the owner very disdainfully referred to the chain store further down the street. "If you want that kind of book, go there." This was said in a tone of voice just dripping with derision. And just the other day, I overheard the owner of a different independent say he had read 14 books in 2014. FOURTEEN. That immediately disproves this fantasy that people who work at independents are some sort of book gurus, while people who work at chain stores think Eat, Pray, Love is a cookbook (that's just on the many snarky anecdotes you can find in this book). And on the other hand, I've encountered some really helpful, friendly and knowledgeable staff at big chains. It's not black and white. Why does it have to be this either/or story? Why can't lovers of independent bookstores just sing their praises without acting like teenagers by dragging other stores through the mud? It annoys me so, so much.
Again, not all the essays in this book were like that. If that had been the case, I probably wouldn't have been able to even finish it. But I always read a good chunk of essays in one go, and then you can definitely see this pattern emerge.
June 8, 2013
this is a really wonderful book...84 authors telling the story of their favorite independant bookstore. it was really uplifting to find out that there are so many independant bookstores, many in relatively small towns, flourishing...when there seems to be so much doom and gloom around the book industry.
what was even better were the stories of how their local bookstore made so much difference to the success of many of these authors, by holding author events and handselling their books to everybody they could. even john grisham had a hard time peddling his first novel, and now that he's world famous, the only bookstores he signs books at are the five that helped him in the beginning.
at first i was kind of miffed that all the stores are in the usa, with none from canada, and then i thought, wait, we hardly have any up here. i live about an hour away from vancouver, supposedly a world class city, with a metropolitan population of close to 3 million, and there is not one really good independant bookstore selling new books. not one!! it's damn pathetic. all we have are chapters, the canadian version of barnes & noble. in this book there is one town of 34,000 people that has 2 flourishing bookstores. so i am pretty well forced to buy most of my books online, whareas if there was a good independant bookstore i would definitely drive there and pay more for my books to support a local business, just like all the customers of all the stores in this book, because they are all having to compete with the dreaded amazon, and their cut-rate prices and free delivery.
there is quite a lot of talk about e-books in this book, and while they are not going to go away, i was just reading the other day that e-book sales are down from the year before, and are only 16% of all book sales, so 84% of book sales are still "real" paper based books, which again is very heartening.
so anyway, if you love books and you're on goodreads, so duh...you should definitely read this book. it will make your day...it sure made mine.
i forgot to mention, most of the articles are 3 or 4 pages long, so you won't even get bored.
what was even better were the stories of how their local bookstore made so much difference to the success of many of these authors, by holding author events and handselling their books to everybody they could. even john grisham had a hard time peddling his first novel, and now that he's world famous, the only bookstores he signs books at are the five that helped him in the beginning.
at first i was kind of miffed that all the stores are in the usa, with none from canada, and then i thought, wait, we hardly have any up here. i live about an hour away from vancouver, supposedly a world class city, with a metropolitan population of close to 3 million, and there is not one really good independant bookstore selling new books. not one!! it's damn pathetic. all we have are chapters, the canadian version of barnes & noble. in this book there is one town of 34,000 people that has 2 flourishing bookstores. so i am pretty well forced to buy most of my books online, whareas if there was a good independant bookstore i would definitely drive there and pay more for my books to support a local business, just like all the customers of all the stores in this book, because they are all having to compete with the dreaded amazon, and their cut-rate prices and free delivery.
there is quite a lot of talk about e-books in this book, and while they are not going to go away, i was just reading the other day that e-book sales are down from the year before, and are only 16% of all book sales, so 84% of book sales are still "real" paper based books, which again is very heartening.
so anyway, if you love books and you're on goodreads, so duh...you should definitely read this book. it will make your day...it sure made mine.
i forgot to mention, most of the articles are 3 or 4 pages long, so you won't even get bored.
February 9, 2020
My wife picked this up earlier this week at our local library. She set it aside after reading a few of the essays and I decided to give it a go, taking a respite from reading Emma and The Book of Ebenezer Le Page. As it turned out, that was a mistake on my part, though not entirely.
The positives: I thought even more than I usually do about my own local bookstore - I can't imagine my life if it weren't there. I could say much more, but 'nuff said.
There is one essay in the book that I know I'll remember - considering that there are 80 or so essays included in the book, that's a pretty sad percentage.
The essay is by Liam Callanan. It's a bit of a shaggy dog story which begins and ends with a tale of a college friend, but that part doesn't have much to do with a bookstore. The gist of the essay is a recounting of the author going to a local Starbucks with his three year old daughter on an early Saturday morning.
This is a bit of a shaggy dog review, so the back story is that the author's wife's college roommate was a daughter of Calvin Trillin. Liam Callanan writes that among the many gifts that Mr Trillin "gave his children was this rule: if they ever found themselves together in a bookstore, he would buy them whatever they wanted. The rule, importantly, did not extend to toy stores or ice cream shops or pony stables." Mr. Callanan adopted this rule for his children.
To get back to the main story, Mr. Callanan and his three year old daughter are in a Starbucks which happens to be located next to their neighborhood bookstore. Because she's three and has no concept of when bookstores open - it's 7:30 a.m. - she asks, " Can we go into Daniel's (the name of the bookstore's owner), Dad?" Before dad can explain the concept of bookstore hours, who should enter Starbucks but Daniel.
The three year old says, "Daniel, I want a book." Daniel answers, "Of course", they walk next door, Daniel unlocks the shop, and the little girl sits down to read and choose a book.
Liam Callanan apologizes profusely to Daniel, and Daniel laughs it off with, "Is there a better way to start a Saturday?"
I can't imagine a better way.
After all of that, there are negatives - at least 75 or so. Most of the essays in this book about authors' favorite bookstores fall into the categories of: This is my favorite bookstore because they organized my first author reading; or: This is my favorite bookstore because they put my books on prominent display; or: This is my favorite bookstore because the employees pimp my books to the customers. Well and good for the authors. Meaningless to me as a reader.
This was a one star book for me. I tacked on an extra star because it made me think about and appreciate my own local store even more than I had before, and for the story of the three year old and Daniel, which I'm sure I'll remember for a long time. (Incidentally, the name of Daniel's bookstore is Boswell Book Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He deserves a plug for going the extra mile to make a three year old happy.)
And now back to Emma and Ebenezer.
The positives: I thought even more than I usually do about my own local bookstore - I can't imagine my life if it weren't there. I could say much more, but 'nuff said.
There is one essay in the book that I know I'll remember - considering that there are 80 or so essays included in the book, that's a pretty sad percentage.
The essay is by Liam Callanan. It's a bit of a shaggy dog story which begins and ends with a tale of a college friend, but that part doesn't have much to do with a bookstore. The gist of the essay is a recounting of the author going to a local Starbucks with his three year old daughter on an early Saturday morning.
This is a bit of a shaggy dog review, so the back story is that the author's wife's college roommate was a daughter of Calvin Trillin. Liam Callanan writes that among the many gifts that Mr Trillin "gave his children was this rule: if they ever found themselves together in a bookstore, he would buy them whatever they wanted. The rule, importantly, did not extend to toy stores or ice cream shops or pony stables." Mr. Callanan adopted this rule for his children.
To get back to the main story, Mr. Callanan and his three year old daughter are in a Starbucks which happens to be located next to their neighborhood bookstore. Because she's three and has no concept of when bookstores open - it's 7:30 a.m. - she asks, " Can we go into Daniel's (the name of the bookstore's owner), Dad?" Before dad can explain the concept of bookstore hours, who should enter Starbucks but Daniel.
The three year old says, "Daniel, I want a book." Daniel answers, "Of course", they walk next door, Daniel unlocks the shop, and the little girl sits down to read and choose a book.
Liam Callanan apologizes profusely to Daniel, and Daniel laughs it off with, "Is there a better way to start a Saturday?"
I can't imagine a better way.
After all of that, there are negatives - at least 75 or so. Most of the essays in this book about authors' favorite bookstores fall into the categories of: This is my favorite bookstore because they organized my first author reading; or: This is my favorite bookstore because they put my books on prominent display; or: This is my favorite bookstore because the employees pimp my books to the customers. Well and good for the authors. Meaningless to me as a reader.
This was a one star book for me. I tacked on an extra star because it made me think about and appreciate my own local store even more than I had before, and for the story of the three year old and Daniel, which I'm sure I'll remember for a long time. (Incidentally, the name of Daniel's bookstore is Boswell Book Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He deserves a plug for going the extra mile to make a three year old happy.)
And now back to Emma and Ebenezer.
Currently reading
February 26, 2013It's got my local bookshop. w00t!
August 7, 2019
I have the updated edition which includes more essays - the number is 96 essays in my updated edition.
It should be noted that the book only concerns North American bookstores (though only two are from Canada, and there are none from Mexico). Additionally, it is bookstores that sell new books (or new and used books), so a straightforward used bookstore wouldn't make the cut, so no bookstores like the excellent Word in Montreal.
This is a collection of essays from various writers about their favorite bookstore. As such the essays run from wonderful to meh. Some of the writers do focus a bit too much on their own book signings. Which is strange because while that might want to make an another author use the book stores as a publicity stop, readers will be looking for far more than that.
The majority of the stores are from California because of reasons, I guess. (Look, you should know that I am peeved that Joseph Fox did not make it into this book. Damnit Rice, you're from Philly, you should know). There also is a bit too much bashing of Amazon, ereaders, Borders, and Barnes and Noble. Look, I get it, but not everyone who uses those places neglects Indies. I use my kindle because on a hour commute it is hecka a lot easier to carry then a book and spare.
One of the best essays is Laurent DuBois' whose selection includes a drawing from his son. Isabel Allende's essay is also wonderful. Another stand out is Peter Geye. In fact, several essays will make you not only want to go to the bookstore in question but read works by the author.
I was surprised Paragraphe didn't make it, though Type Books in Toronto did. (I've been to that one).
Anne Haywood Leal's essay is most likely the best.
There is a Laurie R King essay and a Henry Louis Gates Jr essay. (Did you know that he has a hamburger named after him? Neither did I).
I think though, my favorite is the combined entry of Daniel Handler (a certain LS) and Lisa Brown, which is done in graphic novel format and features drinking.
The best essays are the ones highlight the love of reader finding a perfect store.
It should be noted that the book only concerns North American bookstores (though only two are from Canada, and there are none from Mexico). Additionally, it is bookstores that sell new books (or new and used books), so a straightforward used bookstore wouldn't make the cut, so no bookstores like the excellent Word in Montreal.
This is a collection of essays from various writers about their favorite bookstore. As such the essays run from wonderful to meh. Some of the writers do focus a bit too much on their own book signings. Which is strange because while that might want to make an another author use the book stores as a publicity stop, readers will be looking for far more than that.
The majority of the stores are from California because of reasons, I guess. (Look, you should know that I am peeved that Joseph Fox did not make it into this book. Damnit Rice, you're from Philly, you should know). There also is a bit too much bashing of Amazon, ereaders, Borders, and Barnes and Noble. Look, I get it, but not everyone who uses those places neglects Indies. I use my kindle because on a hour commute it is hecka a lot easier to carry then a book and spare.
One of the best essays is Laurent DuBois' whose selection includes a drawing from his son. Isabel Allende's essay is also wonderful. Another stand out is Peter Geye. In fact, several essays will make you not only want to go to the bookstore in question but read works by the author.
I was surprised Paragraphe didn't make it, though Type Books in Toronto did. (I've been to that one).
Anne Haywood Leal's essay is most likely the best.
There is a Laurie R King essay and a Henry Louis Gates Jr essay. (Did you know that he has a hamburger named after him? Neither did I).
I think though, my favorite is the combined entry of Daniel Handler (a certain LS) and Lisa Brown, which is done in graphic novel format and features drinking.
The best essays are the ones highlight the love of reader finding a perfect store.
November 5, 2012
I don't know that I've ever left a bookstore because I wanted to. I leave because I should, or need to get somewhere else, or can't carry any more books, or because the police have been summoned, but not because I want to. For me browsing in a bookstore is like standing before the departures board in a major international airport and being able to say, "I can go there, there, there, and there! Oh and there too..."
So My Bookstore was written just for me. To read along as writers, both known and unknown to me, wax nostalgic about their favorite bookstores: what they mean to them, why they are important, and how the devoted, knowledgeable booksellers make them destinations, community anchors, home, was bliss.
My Bookstore will always have a place on my shelf; to be pulled down before every vacation or if the planets align to serve as a reference as I build my own Bookloft, Quail Ridge Books, or dare I say it - Powell's?
So My Bookstore was written just for me. To read along as writers, both known and unknown to me, wax nostalgic about their favorite bookstores: what they mean to them, why they are important, and how the devoted, knowledgeable booksellers make them destinations, community anchors, home, was bliss.
My Bookstore will always have a place on my shelf; to be pulled down before every vacation or if the planets align to serve as a reference as I build my own Bookloft, Quail Ridge Books, or dare I say it - Powell's?
February 23, 2013
This... This is a love letter to quality bookstore and bookstore owners/employees everywhere. Eighty-one (usually short) essays and one comic detailing authors' love for independent bookstores, bookstore owners, bookstore employees, and books and reading, in general. This book will make you want to go out and buy your own bookstore, or at least find one and apply to work (or live) there. It makes me wish we had a good independent bookstore near me. A good, neighborhood bookstore is at the top of my list of attributes of my dream town: bookstore, coffee shop-type gathering place, restaurant, and everything accessible by walking along small, tree-lined streets. Basically, I want to live in Everwood... or Capeside. You know, nice, comforting towns you see on TV. So when I find that place in real life--that has a friendly bookstore, neighborhood hangout place, and yummy restaurants that I can eat in three or four times a week (with a nice neighborhood grocery to get fresh, tempting food in for the other three or four nights a week)--I'm moving there.
Oh, right. The book. The essays describe--sometimes clumsily, but usually beautifully--bookstores in 35 states, plus D.C. Which means it not only acts as a love letter to bookstores, but it would make a great travel guide. If I were a traveler, I'd buy this book and take it with me on every trip so I could experience first-hand all of the bookstores these writers drool over. And speaking of beautifully describing the bookstores: Leif Parsons' illustrations beautifully depict the bookstores. They're so stunning, they make you feel like you're right there, in the store or on the sidewalk, about to enter.
And, of course, you can play the game of "Did anyone write about my favorite bookstore?"
Plus, Rick Bragg seems to feel the same way that I've felt for years: What's with cats in so many bookstores?!? As he says, "there are no cats in the Alabama Booksmith in Homewood, Alabama, and that is almost enough, in a literary world lousy with people who think having a damn cat in the stacks or on the counter or lolling in the window is somehow quaint and almost by God required, to proclaim it a great bookstore..." Right on!
************************************************************
So, you know, if anyone's ever looking for a gift to get me, the hardback edition of this book would be wonderful. (It's one of those books that should always be read just the way this version is. The hardback edition is so beautiful, with deckle-edged paper, vibrant colors on the cover... So wonderful! I think owning it in paperback would almost be a sin.)
Oh, right. The book. The essays describe--sometimes clumsily, but usually beautifully--bookstores in 35 states, plus D.C. Which means it not only acts as a love letter to bookstores, but it would make a great travel guide. If I were a traveler, I'd buy this book and take it with me on every trip so I could experience first-hand all of the bookstores these writers drool over. And speaking of beautifully describing the bookstores: Leif Parsons' illustrations beautifully depict the bookstores. They're so stunning, they make you feel like you're right there, in the store or on the sidewalk, about to enter.
And, of course, you can play the game of "Did anyone write about my favorite bookstore?"
Plus, Rick Bragg seems to feel the same way that I've felt for years: What's with cats in so many bookstores?!? As he says, "there are no cats in the Alabama Booksmith in Homewood, Alabama, and that is almost enough, in a literary world lousy with people who think having a damn cat in the stacks or on the counter or lolling in the window is somehow quaint and almost by God required, to proclaim it a great bookstore..." Right on!
************************************************************
So, you know, if anyone's ever looking for a gift to get me, the hardback edition of this book would be wonderful. (It's one of those books that should always be read just the way this version is. The hardback edition is so beautiful, with deckle-edged paper, vibrant colors on the cover... So wonderful! I think owning it in paperback would almost be a sin.)
November 9, 2012
If you bought this book online, you're doing it wrong.
If you're reading this book on a Kindle, you're doing it really, really wrong. I won it from a firstreads giveaway, so I guess I'm doing it half wrong?
My Bookstore is a celebration of the bookstores that have survived the crush of Amazon.com by the authors that have sold their books at these stores. Each store has great, knowledgeable staff who love books, inspirational owners, and a great selection. Author Ann Patchett doesn't write about her own bookstore, Parnassus, but another author does for her. I love bookstores, and each of these bookstores sounds amazing, but I'm not entirely sure who the audience for this book is, unless it's going to make a good souvenir when you visit Politics & Prose in DC or The Strand in NY (which got two write-ups). My favorite selection was the author who used an emoticon :-) and went off on a tangent about computer geeks and the internet for most of his section. I was also amused by the number of authors who called out Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and even the late Borders with distaste for the harm they had done to their local bookstore community, especially the ones who felt the need to comment on how ebooks "feel" wrong (for the record, I love physical media, but that doesn't make it less funny to hear 20 writers bitch about it). Also, a lot of bookstores have cats.
If you're reading this book on a Kindle, you're doing it really, really wrong. I won it from a firstreads giveaway, so I guess I'm doing it half wrong?
My Bookstore is a celebration of the bookstores that have survived the crush of Amazon.com by the authors that have sold their books at these stores. Each store has great, knowledgeable staff who love books, inspirational owners, and a great selection. Author Ann Patchett doesn't write about her own bookstore, Parnassus, but another author does for her. I love bookstores, and each of these bookstores sounds amazing, but I'm not entirely sure who the audience for this book is, unless it's going to make a good souvenir when you visit Politics & Prose in DC or The Strand in NY (which got two write-ups). My favorite selection was the author who used an emoticon :-) and went off on a tangent about computer geeks and the internet for most of his section. I was also amused by the number of authors who called out Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and even the late Borders with distaste for the harm they had done to their local bookstore community, especially the ones who felt the need to comment on how ebooks "feel" wrong (for the record, I love physical media, but that doesn't make it less funny to hear 20 writers bitch about it). Also, a lot of bookstores have cats.
March 22, 2013
Upcoming review in Library Journal (recommended for a starred review)
"A love letter to bookstores." Peter Geye (read his essay on Micawber's) confirms that is exactly what he was doing. Beautiful and varied as leaves on a tree (hey, it's autumn here in Minnesota).
It's not only a great depiction of what role bookstores play in the lives of writers, but a great travel guide as well. Just like Read This! it will bring you in touch with gems that you had not known about before. It's less practical than Read This! (no book lists) but more personal.
Lovely.
“Bookstores, like libraries, are the physical manifestations of the wide world’s longest, best, most thrilling conversation.” (from the Introduction)
Library Journal
This is more than just a celebration, more than just a compendium of bookstore kudos. This is like each of your favorite writers (84 of them!) penning a love letter to their favorite bookstore. Names you may recognize include Dave Eggers, Louise Erdrich, Francine Prose, Lisa See, and Simon Winchester. Editor Rice, a publishing professional, has recruited new pieces that illuminate the quirks and many intangibles that make a great bookstore. From the owner who will trek across town to help out at a library signing, to the fierceness with which some owners protect their customers' privacy, to the overall comfort of stepping into a world that you just know is full of compatriots, the beautiful stories in these pages tell of those things that make any neighborhood bookstore great. VERDICT There are other collections that focus on bookstores, such as the recent Read This!: Handpicked Favorites from America's Indie Bookstores, edited by Hans Weyandt, and the short story collection, Shelf Life: Fantastic Stories Celebrating Bookstores, edited by Greg Ketter, but this one is a personal peek into the hearts of the contributing writers as well as into the bookstores they love. Sure to please any bibliophile, even if borrowed from the library!-Linda White, Maplewood, MN (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
"A love letter to bookstores." Peter Geye (read his essay on Micawber's) confirms that is exactly what he was doing. Beautiful and varied as leaves on a tree (hey, it's autumn here in Minnesota).
It's not only a great depiction of what role bookstores play in the lives of writers, but a great travel guide as well. Just like Read This! it will bring you in touch with gems that you had not known about before. It's less practical than Read This! (no book lists) but more personal.
Lovely.
“Bookstores, like libraries, are the physical manifestations of the wide world’s longest, best, most thrilling conversation.” (from the Introduction)
Library Journal
This is more than just a celebration, more than just a compendium of bookstore kudos. This is like each of your favorite writers (84 of them!) penning a love letter to their favorite bookstore. Names you may recognize include Dave Eggers, Louise Erdrich, Francine Prose, Lisa See, and Simon Winchester. Editor Rice, a publishing professional, has recruited new pieces that illuminate the quirks and many intangibles that make a great bookstore. From the owner who will trek across town to help out at a library signing, to the fierceness with which some owners protect their customers' privacy, to the overall comfort of stepping into a world that you just know is full of compatriots, the beautiful stories in these pages tell of those things that make any neighborhood bookstore great. VERDICT There are other collections that focus on bookstores, such as the recent Read This!: Handpicked Favorites from America's Indie Bookstores, edited by Hans Weyandt, and the short story collection, Shelf Life: Fantastic Stories Celebrating Bookstores, edited by Greg Ketter, but this one is a personal peek into the hearts of the contributing writers as well as into the bookstores they love. Sure to please any bibliophile, even if borrowed from the library!-Linda White, Maplewood, MN (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
October 25, 2015
I loved this book on several levels. Many of my favorite authors have written essays included in the book, which gave me insight into their reading and shopping habits. The essays almost inevitably introduced me to the owners and staff of the stores, and confirmed what I had already known: those who own and work in bookstores are extraordinary people, who see and understand the world as I do. Each author’s biographical information include titles from their work, so I have also gained many books for my “to read” list. What more could I ask for?
To answer my own question, let me state that I am not a person who would enjoy cruises, especially those that would put me on open water for several days. What I would enjoy would be a bookstore cruise. Put me on a train or a luxury bus in the company of other booklovers, give me a liberal shopping allowance, and send me from bookstore to bookstore, using those in this book as the itinerary. I would expect that the bookstore owner would be so excited to have shoppers by the busload, that they would make arrangements for a wonderful place for us to eat and spend the night. Oh, and a requirement would be the author who wrote about the store in such glowing terms would return once more to meet all of their new friends (thanks to the book) and sign a few titles while they were there.
Until that happens, I will use this book for my own itinerary and bookish bucket list.
To answer my own question, let me state that I am not a person who would enjoy cruises, especially those that would put me on open water for several days. What I would enjoy would be a bookstore cruise. Put me on a train or a luxury bus in the company of other booklovers, give me a liberal shopping allowance, and send me from bookstore to bookstore, using those in this book as the itinerary. I would expect that the bookstore owner would be so excited to have shoppers by the busload, that they would make arrangements for a wonderful place for us to eat and spend the night. Oh, and a requirement would be the author who wrote about the store in such glowing terms would return once more to meet all of their new friends (thanks to the book) and sign a few titles while they were there.
Until that happens, I will use this book for my own itinerary and bookish bucket list.
August 13, 2013
It's not really this book's fault (at least not TOO much) that I didn't like it. It's definitely a mixed bag of different authors (many of whom I've never heard of) writing essays about their favorite independent bookstore (fabulous premise!) and why they love it.
Unfortunately, this is another of those books that shouldn't be read from beginning to end. Instead, this book should be owned (or kept from the library for a long time) and read randomly, opening to a page and leafing until you find the next essay, not unlike how you read a coffee table book. Reading one essay after another (some of them decidedly better and/or more interesting than the others) becomes really tedious.
In fact, since I'm thinking of coffee table books, this really could be a good one - it would need to be larger, have pictures of the bookstores (instead of line drawings of the front of each store at the beginning of each chapter, and the drawings look like they were traced using a photo of the bookstore), and have the essays edited or at least cut into shorter pieces on each page, rather than large blocks of text. (My favorite essays were the ones on the bookstores that I've visited, because I could picture my trips there.)
Unfortunately, this is another of those books that shouldn't be read from beginning to end. Instead, this book should be owned (or kept from the library for a long time) and read randomly, opening to a page and leafing until you find the next essay, not unlike how you read a coffee table book. Reading one essay after another (some of them decidedly better and/or more interesting than the others) becomes really tedious.
In fact, since I'm thinking of coffee table books, this really could be a good one - it would need to be larger, have pictures of the bookstores (instead of line drawings of the front of each store at the beginning of each chapter, and the drawings look like they were traced using a photo of the bookstore), and have the essays edited or at least cut into shorter pieces on each page, rather than large blocks of text. (My favorite essays were the ones on the bookstores that I've visited, because I could picture my trips there.)
June 20, 2021
I'd like to highlight Nancy Shaw's poem "Sheep Phone It In"--can we have more essays in this clever and familiar style? Also, the Afterword was an excellent summing up of the need for paying attention to our definitions and desires, building on the previous essays and ushering one from the book with just the right sense of regret and satisfaction. The brief essays on independent bookstores around the US is otherwise an interesting mix of authors celebrating writing, the bookstores who support the authors, and the communities who support them both. Would recommend as an inspiration to travel (so very, very much want to visit New Hampshire) and for those who enjoy reading about books. Very much enjoyed this.
February 7, 2024
Found it as good as when I read it for the first time some years ago .. feeling a bit sad that some favourites like Harvard bookstore have closed down in the interim
April 6, 2013
I love books ABOUT books.... and bookstores! This book is a collection of essays written by writers and authors about THEIR favorite bookstores. From Strand Book Store in New York City to Left Bank Books in St. Louis, Missouri; from Tattered Cover Book Store in Denver, Colorado to Village Books in Bellingham,Washington and all of the independent book stores... large and small in all of the little towns and big cities across America... this book and these essays are a celebration of the brick and mortar bookstores.
These essays by writers such as Richard Russo, Louise Erdrich and Peter Hamill (to name just a few) are nothing short of love letters to their favorite bookstores. These authors talk about the things that make their favorite bookstores special to them... store owners and staff who actually know your name and remember the kind of books you like to read... who are always ready with a suggestion or a recommendation of a book they just know you will enjoy. Some of these authors also write about wonderful memories of taking their children to their favorite bookstores and helping to develop a lifelong love of reading.... something I could relate to with my own children. These essays made me think about the many hours I have spent with my own children over the years, choosing their favorite books in our favorite bookstores. My kids are almost grown now and their taste in books has evolved with them but those times spent finding the perfect books and then reading those books together... over and over... well, those are memories I will always cherish.
I very much enjoyed slowly savoring each of these essays. They reminded me of all of the things I have always loved about bookstores.
These essays by writers such as Richard Russo, Louise Erdrich and Peter Hamill (to name just a few) are nothing short of love letters to their favorite bookstores. These authors talk about the things that make their favorite bookstores special to them... store owners and staff who actually know your name and remember the kind of books you like to read... who are always ready with a suggestion or a recommendation of a book they just know you will enjoy. Some of these authors also write about wonderful memories of taking their children to their favorite bookstores and helping to develop a lifelong love of reading.... something I could relate to with my own children. These essays made me think about the many hours I have spent with my own children over the years, choosing their favorite books in our favorite bookstores. My kids are almost grown now and their taste in books has evolved with them but those times spent finding the perfect books and then reading those books together... over and over... well, those are memories I will always cherish.
I very much enjoyed slowly savoring each of these essays. They reminded me of all of the things I have always loved about bookstores.
January 29, 2013
I have a love-hate relationship with this book. I love the idea of touting independent bookstores. I love hearing about the interesting booksellers, but got bored with some self-promoting authors who wrote the essays. The book suffered from poor indexing (I want to find what page Powell's City of Books is listed, but unless I know that Chuck Pahluniak wrote the essay, I'm searching through the book willy-nilly.) The book would be much more interesting with photos instead of OR in addition to the pencil drawings of each bookstore. OH PLEASE give me a map, not just the geographical listing of bookstores by states, so I can actually plot out my road trip to visit these stores. And blank pages following each entry would have been a nice addition - a place where you could record your own impressions of the bookstore if you had visited it. That said, my husband and I have been intrigued enough to visit four of the bookstores mentioned, and hope to see many more. We bought a journal to record our visits, and impressions of the stock, clerks, etc. We bought at least one book in each shop and have the bookmark to remember it by. I guess I am receiving more pleasure from the post-reading of the book, than the actual reading. Off to explore another bookstore now,
January 10, 2013
I heard Stephanie Kallos read from her essay and had to have the book. In keeping with her own book-buying habit she signed and dated the place of purchase. As an avid supporter of independent bookstores I was fascinated by the 84 essays. It was like an anthropological study into what makes for the success of one niche business. What emerged was the theme of booksellers engaged in their community who 1) usually hosted the first book launch for the author, and, 2) applied "hand selling" such that a book got noticed. Almost all the essays were a love letter of sorts to their store, but I wish the editor had asked them to have it read less like an argument for independents versus Amazon. I suppose the elephant in the room needed to be named, but not in almost every essay. I did experience bookstore envy...I like my neighborhood bookstore but they've never done that type thinking. They could use an attitude adjustments (perhaps by reading this book) so as to look at what's working for them versus the frustrating trend (FREE TODAY!).
One essay in particular stands out by an author whose works I know I will never have the guts to read. Chuck Palahniuk's piece on Powell's World of Books is great and even when quoting it poorly I got laughs.
One essay in particular stands out by an author whose works I know I will never have the guts to read. Chuck Palahniuk's piece on Powell's World of Books is great and even when quoting it poorly I got laughs.
June 5, 2013
So who's up for a road trip?
September 16, 2023
This book is a joy to read. Any book that focuses on writers' obsessions with books and bookstores is a book I will find time to read. The ninety short essays in this collection have been written by published, well-known authors who have formed lasting relationships with the booksellers and bookstore owners of their favorite bookshops. I really enjoyed reading the essays and dreaming of the day I might visit each of the stores, meet all of the authors, and add countless new books to my TBR.
The highlights of the book for me were:
Dave Eggers' essay on Green Apple Books
Carrie Ryan's essay on Park Road Books
Nancy Shaw's sheep poem in her essay on Nicola's Books
Lesley Kagen's essay on Next Chapter Books (she burst into tears when she saw her first book on the bookshelf. Who wouldn't?)
I would have loved a little more diversity, a little more representation of diverse authors and diverse book owners in this collection. I'm surprised that editor Ronald Rice lives in Philadelphia and the only bookstore mentioned in the Philadelphia area is one in West Chester (that is now closed). Granted, local newscaster Larry Kane wrote the essay, but still Philly was not represented well in this book.
Honestly, I have to admit that when I was growing up, I fell in love with reading at my local library, which was within walking or bike-riding distance from my house. The first book store I frequented was a mall chain store (Waldenbooks). I saved my baby-sitting money and went there as often as I could get one of my parents to drive me to the mall. I didn't develop a love for book stores until I was in my 20s and had a little more spending money in my pocket. My first love was Bunch of Grapes in Vineyard Haven, MA (the original store, before the fire). Every summer that I went there, I managed to buy more books than I could fit in my suit case. Of all the essays in this book, the essay that truly disappointed me was the one written about the Bunch of Grapes. The essay did not even begin to describes how great the store is, but it did a good job of capturing how well the staff can figure out what book a person wants based on the vaguest of notions.
There are so many bookstores that I love now. It's ridiculous. I am truly obsessed with bookstores. Some of my favorites include the following in random order (and none of these stores are mentioned in this book, except the Strand): Trident Booksellers & Café (Boston), Mostly Books (Philadelphia), The Labyrinth (Princeton), The Book Trader (Philadelphia), The Book Worm (Bernardsville), Frenchtown Bookshop (Frenchtown), Ida's Bookshop (Collingswood), The Strand (NYC), Portobello Road (Edgartown), Cafe con Libros (Brooklyn), Farley's Bookshop (New Hope) and Collective Bookstore (Verona - new store!!).
I flagged a section of the essay written by Peter Geye about Micawber's to include here. The following lines describe the reasons why the author loves books. I think most of us in this little book community will find at least some of these reasons hit home. Peter said: "There are so many reasons I love books: for the worlds they show me, for the things they teach me, for they way they feel in my hands or in my satchel, for the way they look decorating my house, for the questions they arouse from my children, for their mystery, for their cold or warm truths, for their lies, for their promise. But mostly I just love being transported to some place outside of my everyday life."
I recommend this book to everyone who loves getting lost in a bookstore, going home with books they didn't know they needed or books they absolutely had to have, and then looking forward to the next time they will be able to do it all over again.
The highlights of the book for me were:
Dave Eggers' essay on Green Apple Books
Carrie Ryan's essay on Park Road Books
Nancy Shaw's sheep poem in her essay on Nicola's Books
Lesley Kagen's essay on Next Chapter Books (she burst into tears when she saw her first book on the bookshelf. Who wouldn't?)
I would have loved a little more diversity, a little more representation of diverse authors and diverse book owners in this collection. I'm surprised that editor Ronald Rice lives in Philadelphia and the only bookstore mentioned in the Philadelphia area is one in West Chester (that is now closed). Granted, local newscaster Larry Kane wrote the essay, but still Philly was not represented well in this book.
Honestly, I have to admit that when I was growing up, I fell in love with reading at my local library, which was within walking or bike-riding distance from my house. The first book store I frequented was a mall chain store (Waldenbooks). I saved my baby-sitting money and went there as often as I could get one of my parents to drive me to the mall. I didn't develop a love for book stores until I was in my 20s and had a little more spending money in my pocket. My first love was Bunch of Grapes in Vineyard Haven, MA (the original store, before the fire). Every summer that I went there, I managed to buy more books than I could fit in my suit case. Of all the essays in this book, the essay that truly disappointed me was the one written about the Bunch of Grapes. The essay did not even begin to describes how great the store is, but it did a good job of capturing how well the staff can figure out what book a person wants based on the vaguest of notions.
There are so many bookstores that I love now. It's ridiculous. I am truly obsessed with bookstores. Some of my favorites include the following in random order (and none of these stores are mentioned in this book, except the Strand): Trident Booksellers & Café (Boston), Mostly Books (Philadelphia), The Labyrinth (Princeton), The Book Trader (Philadelphia), The Book Worm (Bernardsville), Frenchtown Bookshop (Frenchtown), Ida's Bookshop (Collingswood), The Strand (NYC), Portobello Road (Edgartown), Cafe con Libros (Brooklyn), Farley's Bookshop (New Hope) and Collective Bookstore (Verona - new store!!).
I flagged a section of the essay written by Peter Geye about Micawber's to include here. The following lines describe the reasons why the author loves books. I think most of us in this little book community will find at least some of these reasons hit home. Peter said: "There are so many reasons I love books: for the worlds they show me, for the things they teach me, for they way they feel in my hands or in my satchel, for the way they look decorating my house, for the questions they arouse from my children, for their mystery, for their cold or warm truths, for their lies, for their promise. But mostly I just love being transported to some place outside of my everyday life."
I recommend this book to everyone who loves getting lost in a bookstore, going home with books they didn't know they needed or books they absolutely had to have, and then looking forward to the next time they will be able to do it all over again.
September 22, 2019
My Bookstore: Writers Celebrate Their Favorite Places to Browse, Read, and Shop is an anthology of ninety-one personal essays which was collected and edited by Ronald Rice and illustrated by Leif Parsons. This anthology is a compilation of personal essays written by authors about their feeling towards bookstores and booksellers.
For the most part, I really like most of these contributions. My Bookstore: Writers Celebrate Their Favorite Places to Browse, Read, and Shop is an anthology collection of ninety-one personal essays waxing poetically passionately about their favorite independent bookstores and about the importance of supporting and nurturing these bricks-and-mortar purveyors in an increasingly electronic age. Written by eighty-four different authors, this collection of personal essays may seem a tad repetitive, praising the stores that have hosted and nurtured them as home, as the soul of the community and other phrases that suggest a bygone era in these days of discount mega-stores and cybershopping. However, the cumulative impact of this handsomely published anthology is not that of a series of survival stories, holdouts against the tidal wave of technology, but of a literary community that continues to flourish and needs these havens of revelation and sharing.
Like most anthologies there are weaker contributions and My Bookstore: Writers Celebrate Their Favorite Places to Browse, Read, and Shop is not an exception. Comparatively speaking, there are a handful of stories that aren’t as written as well as others and with ninety-one entries it may be a tad on the long side, but it is written well nevertheless and it didn’t dampened my joy in reading this anthology.
All in all, My Bookstore: Writers Celebrate Their Favorite Places to Browse, Read, and Shop is a wonderful collections of personal essays that celebrates and love letters to independent bookstores that meant so much to the many contributors.
For the most part, I really like most of these contributions. My Bookstore: Writers Celebrate Their Favorite Places to Browse, Read, and Shop is an anthology collection of ninety-one personal essays waxing poetically passionately about their favorite independent bookstores and about the importance of supporting and nurturing these bricks-and-mortar purveyors in an increasingly electronic age. Written by eighty-four different authors, this collection of personal essays may seem a tad repetitive, praising the stores that have hosted and nurtured them as home, as the soul of the community and other phrases that suggest a bygone era in these days of discount mega-stores and cybershopping. However, the cumulative impact of this handsomely published anthology is not that of a series of survival stories, holdouts against the tidal wave of technology, but of a literary community that continues to flourish and needs these havens of revelation and sharing.
Like most anthologies there are weaker contributions and My Bookstore: Writers Celebrate Their Favorite Places to Browse, Read, and Shop is not an exception. Comparatively speaking, there are a handful of stories that aren’t as written as well as others and with ninety-one entries it may be a tad on the long side, but it is written well nevertheless and it didn’t dampened my joy in reading this anthology.
All in all, My Bookstore: Writers Celebrate Their Favorite Places to Browse, Read, and Shop is a wonderful collections of personal essays that celebrates and love letters to independent bookstores that meant so much to the many contributors.
May 9, 2016
I feel like a real crumb writing a negative review about a book about writers' favorite bookstores, but I have to say I saw it as a vanity project and not something that needed a big publishing run.
I'm not a famous writer nor have I had a book published, so my take is a bit different on bookstores. I worked in two separate stores, one a Borders and one an indie which happens to be mentioned in this book. I love to read and I take pride in the fact that I was a great hand-seller and tried to go the extra mile for any customer.
If you think a bookstore is a great place for a book lover to work, you are [mostly] wrong. It's a retail job and in a retail job, you do three things, deal with all sorts of customers, some nice some rotten, ring them up at the cash register and clean up their messes. Sure, we had a few very famous writers come read and/or shop at the two stores I worked at, and the famous WERE fawned upon. Regular customers, not so much. There was the homeless man who came in at opening, grabbed a stack of manga, plunked himself down on a chair and sat and read until closing time. He cracked the spines of all the books he read and smudged the pages. There were the people who came in and took over the couches and chairs and slept all day, or used the store as a personal library. Left coffee cups on the shelves and crumbs in the books. Scattered magazines hither and yon. I wanted to cry at all the stuff we had to throw away because it was now unsellable. Want to know what killed the big chains and many Mom & Pops? The aforementioned customers. And Amazon.
So, once again, I have to say My Bookstore is cute, but a waste of paper. Sorry.
I'm not a famous writer nor have I had a book published, so my take is a bit different on bookstores. I worked in two separate stores, one a Borders and one an indie which happens to be mentioned in this book. I love to read and I take pride in the fact that I was a great hand-seller and tried to go the extra mile for any customer.
If you think a bookstore is a great place for a book lover to work, you are [mostly] wrong. It's a retail job and in a retail job, you do three things, deal with all sorts of customers, some nice some rotten, ring them up at the cash register and clean up their messes. Sure, we had a few very famous writers come read and/or shop at the two stores I worked at, and the famous WERE fawned upon. Regular customers, not so much. There was the homeless man who came in at opening, grabbed a stack of manga, plunked himself down on a chair and sat and read until closing time. He cracked the spines of all the books he read and smudged the pages. There were the people who came in and took over the couches and chairs and slept all day, or used the store as a personal library. Left coffee cups on the shelves and crumbs in the books. Scattered magazines hither and yon. I wanted to cry at all the stuff we had to throw away because it was now unsellable. Want to know what killed the big chains and many Mom & Pops? The aforementioned customers. And Amazon.
So, once again, I have to say My Bookstore is cute, but a waste of paper. Sorry.
November 11, 2012
Review
Is there anything that readers and writers of all trades love more than roaming bookstores? In My Bookstore authors share their memories and appreciation for their favorite bookshops, those magical places that those who live and breathe books will often call a second home.
Time for a little confession - I only knew few of the eclectic mix of authors who contributed to this charming compilation though you may rest assured that lack of having read books by all of them does not diminish the delight of being able to explore all those bookstores through their eyes. From Isabel Allende to John Grisham, from Ann Patchett to Carrie Ryan, I was enthralled by the stories and anecdotes shared.
What I found especially fascinating was the opportunity to catch a glimpse of how different the narrative voice of some authors can be when you compare their actual books to these essays, sometimes bordering on the dull while at other times full of sparkling wit. It goes without saying that learning more about authors you've always been fond of, being able to get a closer look at the person behind the writer, is a real treat.
How could a bibliophile not love this book? Makes me wish I had a decent bookstore I could brag about, alas I haven't and that makes me really sad now.
Last but not least, the adorable illustrations depicting the featured bookstores only add to the charm of this book.
In short: For the love of bookshops!
Is there anything that readers and writers of all trades love more than roaming bookstores? In My Bookstore authors share their memories and appreciation for their favorite bookshops, those magical places that those who live and breathe books will often call a second home.
Time for a little confession - I only knew few of the eclectic mix of authors who contributed to this charming compilation though you may rest assured that lack of having read books by all of them does not diminish the delight of being able to explore all those bookstores through their eyes. From Isabel Allende to John Grisham, from Ann Patchett to Carrie Ryan, I was enthralled by the stories and anecdotes shared.
What I found especially fascinating was the opportunity to catch a glimpse of how different the narrative voice of some authors can be when you compare their actual books to these essays, sometimes bordering on the dull while at other times full of sparkling wit. It goes without saying that learning more about authors you've always been fond of, being able to get a closer look at the person behind the writer, is a real treat.
How could a bibliophile not love this book? Makes me wish I had a decent bookstore I could brag about, alas I haven't and that makes me really sad now.
Last but not least, the adorable illustrations depicting the featured bookstores only add to the charm of this book.
In short: For the love of bookshops!
February 18, 2014
This book warmed the cockles of my book-nerd loving heart:-)! While I would have loved a few more stores to be listed (say Joseph Beth Booksellers in Lexington KY and Malaprops in Asheville NC) there was a diverse list of independent booksellers represented. I was also quite surprised that no Virginia locations made the cut.
All this aside, I loved the author's essays about what characteristics were present in their favorite bookstore and how their lives had subsequently been transformed by them. No matter what the author's geographic location or literary preference, all credited certain independent booksellers with shaping their careers through hand-selling their novels and hosting memorable author events. I loved the thickness of the pages and the deckle edges, and I now desperately wish to traverse the country and visit all the places listed. Sigh, even though this is a pipe dream due to young children and various animals that require care at home, there's no harm in keeping a copy in the car just in case is there? Meanwhile I feel satisfied that I took many vicarious trips through the eyes of others- and that's really the best part of a book experience:-)
All this aside, I loved the author's essays about what characteristics were present in their favorite bookstore and how their lives had subsequently been transformed by them. No matter what the author's geographic location or literary preference, all credited certain independent booksellers with shaping their careers through hand-selling their novels and hosting memorable author events. I loved the thickness of the pages and the deckle edges, and I now desperately wish to traverse the country and visit all the places listed. Sigh, even though this is a pipe dream due to young children and various animals that require care at home, there's no harm in keeping a copy in the car just in case is there? Meanwhile I feel satisfied that I took many vicarious trips through the eyes of others- and that's really the best part of a book experience:-)
April 9, 2025
Oh the joys of an independent bookstore ❤️
December 18, 2016
For those who are bibliophiles and bookies - and live to visit bookstores, this is a wonderful read. Authors describe their favorite bookstores and the platitudes are many.
As one who loves to read, collect books, and especially enjoy wandering through independent bookstores, "My Bookstore" is a most pleasurable read and invited me to visit some of these stores.
I also spent many years working in a special and unique bookstore when in my late teens and early 20's on Long Island, NY. That store, "The Paperback Bookseller", was the only store that stocked only paperbacks from all the publishers and imprints. The owner, Alida Roochvarg was a known collector of books about books - and instilled in my wife and me, a desire to also collect although the categories are mystery, thriller, and scifi/fantasy. The store had such an attraction for us, that I worked when on leave from the Army, during graduate work in college, and even helping out on visits to the area after moving away.
As one who loves to read, collect books, and especially enjoy wandering through independent bookstores, "My Bookstore" is a most pleasurable read and invited me to visit some of these stores.
I also spent many years working in a special and unique bookstore when in my late teens and early 20's on Long Island, NY. That store, "The Paperback Bookseller", was the only store that stocked only paperbacks from all the publishers and imprints. The owner, Alida Roochvarg was a known collector of books about books - and instilled in my wife and me, a desire to also collect although the categories are mystery, thriller, and scifi/fantasy. The store had such an attraction for us, that I worked when on leave from the Army, during graduate work in college, and even helping out on visits to the area after moving away.
June 18, 2019
This is a very good book if you are a book lover...a REAL book lover, like a solid physical paper pages book lover. It will bolster your obsession and adoration and sense of self-righteousness! It is a great book if you are a writer, because it's not just little essays of people who love bookstores, it's little essays of writers who love bookstores, and they often love them because of the role they have played in their careers and the inspiration they find there. Their inspiration inspired me because a circle is round and has no ends. I wouldn't recommend reading these cover to cover like a novel, because there are a ton of them and they all sort of start sounding like the same exact mantra. I am not able to do this, but, if you are, it's best to pick it up and read a few when you're feeling like a lackluster or discouraged reader or writer, and you will walk away with positive word nuggets and warm and fuzzies.
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