Tag Archives: bookstores

The Last Bookstore

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The Last Bookstore in Downtown Los Angeles could be the model for Zafon’s “cemetery of forgotten books – a repository for books from the classics to science fiction to literary criticism and more – except this place is no secret and everything is for sale. The bookstore is housed in a converted old bank building (the guard still stands at the door), and stocks used as well as new books, and an extensive collection of vinyl records – single 45s and long-playing 78s – in a huge hall crisscrossed with books in old wooden bookcases.

I could have wandered through the stacks on the first floor forever, until I discovered the back stairs to the second floor and happily got lost in the maze of more books and art. I felt like Alice in Wonderland as I walked through a tunnel of books, peeked through a window frame of books, and zigzagged through passageways that led to even more books. Soft chairs beckoned and I found it hard to leave.

Of course, I found books to buy – a few children’s books: Dahl’s “The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me”; a boardbook for a small friend – “Ten Little Monkey”; Terry Pratchett’s sci-fi thriller, “Only You Can Save Mankind”; a Man Booker finalist from 2008 – Mohsin Hamid’s “The Reluctant Fundamentalist”; and an old DVD of “Monsoon Wedding.” They all fit nicely in my carry-on for my flight home.

Like the Cemetery of Lost Books, the Last Bookstore has an aura of mystery and reverence, and the caretakers are happy to help or just let newcomers wander in wonder. If you are a visitor in LA, look for this place where readers feel at home.

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Waterstones in Edinburgh

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Waterstones bookstore on Princes Street in Edinburgh has the ambiance of those venues I fondly remember. Four stories of books, comfy big chairs in nooks in the stacks, and a coffee shop with plenty of tables and chairs. The free wifi is a bonus, and a display of Gabaldon’s “The Fiery Cross,” reassuring. Big carryall bags proudly proclaim their philosophy:

“Words cannot do justice to the pleasures of a good bookshop. Ironically.”

A group of ladies at a nearby table were sipping tea and discussing a book, with a few forays into their personal lives. Although I tried, my eavesdropping could not reveal the name of the book. Later, when I browsed the store’s piles of books, I found Fiona McFarlane’s “The Night Guest” proudly displaying the sticker – W Book Club. Of course, I bought it and am now reading it to scare me to sleep at night.

“In an isolated house on the New South Wales coast, Ruth, a widow…lives alone. Until one day a stranger, Frida, shows up…announcing she has been sent to be Ruth’s caregiver….(After a while), Ruth senses a tiger prowling through the house at night. Is she losing her wits? Can she trust Frida? ….can she trust herself?”

I can’t wait to find out.

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Carmel Bookstores

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Nestled in one of the many charming side streets of Carmel by the Sea, the Pilgrim’s Way bookstore shares space with “the Secret Garden.” Not the famous novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, but potted herbs, flowering plants and wind chimes – all for sale, along with shelves of best sellers, children’s books, and old favorites. After browsing the narrow stacks, I found the “secret” entrance to the adjacent garden shop.

Paul, the co-owner with his wife who also hosts a local radio show and podcast, proudly told me the bookstore has been around for 45 years, with plans for many more.

Sadly, a favorite of a fellow reader – the Thunderbird bookstore in Carmel – has closed, but the Mission San Carlos Borromeo still houses California’s first library, including books brought north from Mexico City. In 1778, the Carmel Mission library had about 30 books; today it has more than 600 volumes. Nice to know books can survive.

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Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore

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How could any reader resist this book title – the idea of a 24 hour bookstore is better than eating at an all-night diner.  With a mix of fantasy and today’s world of digital magic, Robin Sloan creates an adventure of rivals – electronic books vs bound pages –  in Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore.

Out of work computer geek, Clay Jannon,  finds a new job on the night shift of a strange indie bookstore in San Francisco.  Few customers want the books on display by Haruki Murakami, Neal Stephenson, and Dashiell Hammet; the attraction for his night visitors is the collection high on the dusty shelves in the back.  Curious to understand the lure of these old books, Jannon digitally scans the log book and cracks a code that uncovers a secret society of readers.  With the help of a new girlfriend who works for Google,  Jannon follows the book store manager, Ajax Penumbra, to the headquarters of the Unbroken Spine group on Fifth Avenue in New York City – and starts the adventurous quest for a secret 15th century message that may be the key to immortality.

Although the ingredients of long black robes, secret staircases behind a bookcase, coded messages hidden in books,  have the flavor of a mysterious fantasy, Sloan cleverly inserts the modern adult world and ancient artefacts into the dilemma.  Google plays a key role, along with experts in simulation, video technology and professional hacking.  You will be googling “The Dragon-Song Chronicles” and  Gerritszoon font to see if they are real.  A suspenseful moment has all the modern technology available working together to crack the code.  Google does not yet have the answer to eternal life, but Jannon finds the solution reveals itself unexpectedly…

“There is no immortality that is not built on friendship and work done with care.”

Depends on how you define immortality…Sloan’s solution happily creates a balance of the new and the old that will please readers who like the smell of new book pages as well as the convenience of the Kindle.

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore is a fun light read – all those familiar landmarks in San Francisco and New York City could lead you to believe that the adventure is real (I plan to look for the building across from Central Park), and the search for the puzzle pieces will keep you reading.