So, as we cruised from one port to another in Alaska last week, I was disappointed to find the streets lined with jewelry stores. Jewelry, in Alaska? I don’t know a lot about shopping for jewelry, but when I think of diamonds Juneau doesn’t pop straight to the front of my brain. Nevertheless, the streets were packed as our boat with 4,000 people joined two other floating cities. Luckily, I had done my research, and I knew where to escape the madness, Hearthside Books & Toys downtown by the clock.

We had about an hour between visiting dogs on a glacier and heading out to look for humpback whales, so we dashed to Hearthside and entered what I believe was closer to the Juneau community than store after store of shiny bling. Hearthside permeates a golden color due to the walls and bookshelves, but it stood out more in stark contrast to the grey cloud covered streets and surrounding mountains. It was bustling (more so than many of the jewelry stores, yahoo!) with tourists looking at books and cards. It is fairly small with the front section featuring books on Alaska and the wilderness, including books written by local authors. A raised platform area contained fiction that appeared to cater to the tourist trade, many were vacation reads. There was a nice sized children’s section with toys, my teenager laughed through Peter and the Cruise Ship by Hans Mateboer, if I had a 5 year-old on my Christmas list, I would have snapped it up.

I had fun talking with Darlene, a long time resident of Juneau who worked at Hearthside. I was looking for another book on the Southeast section of Alaska. I had read Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, several of Muir’s essays on the area and John McPhee‘s excellent book Coming into the Country, but realized I was getting more of a feel for the northern sections of Alaska. She had several suggestions, but what struck me was Blonde Indian, An Alaska Native Memoir by Ernistine Hayes. It’s a memoir by a local Native American woman interwoven with Tlingit oral history. I found that most of the books on Alaska are from the point of view of white people, men for that matter, who have well written observations of the Native Americans, but the joy of reading is experiencing a different point of view. Blonde Indian gave me that insight.

Back at home, I checked on their website and found a whole section on the “Battle of the Books.” I had never heard of it, but discovered it’s a non-profit program run nationwide where kids grades 3 through 12 read a list of books and then participate in a family feud style competition. Hearthside provides a list of the books for each grade level and sells them to the participants. I’m forwarding the information for the competition to our school librarian and a few teachers I know. Check it out.

Hearthside Books & Toys
(Downtown by the clock)
254 Front Street
Juneau, AK 99801
Tel: 907.586.1726

Because of Lucy Maud Montgomery, the author of Anne of Green Gables, my daughter spells her name a certain way. That’s power.

In general, authors of novels aren’t seen as particularly powerful.  Brilliant, yes.  Entertaining, insightful, thought-provoking–but not powerful.  But I just visited Prince Edward Island, and let me tell you: that L.M. Montgomery was one powerful woman.

I’m sure PEI is a beloved home to many.  It’s beautiful and green (at least it was at the end of August) and you only have to read any of the Anne books to get a sense of how wonderful the scenery is there.  But there’s not a ton to see there.  We took a packed bus tour of the whole island, and I’ll tell you what we saw: potato fields, golf courses, a preserves company, and the Anne of Green Gables house. 

Did I mention the potato fields and golf courses?  Because there were a lot of those. 

Were the tourists who were thronging to the Island there to SEE those golf courses and potato fields?   No, of course not: they were flocking to see the Anne of Green Gables house, to wander the hallways that Anne wandered, to peek into her bedroom, gaze at her pantry, stroll through her stable, shop at her store and have a cup of coffee at her cafe.

Okay, Anne never had a store or a cafe.  But then again, she never had a house, either.  As I pointed out continually to my family, Anne is a fictional character.  She never lived anywhere except in the pages of a book.  (My daughter kept shushing me when I said this out loud, afraid I’d hurt someone’s feelings by denying Anne’s reality.)  The house hundreds of people were touring didn’t even belong to L. M. Montgomery.  It belonged to a distant relative of hers but is believed to be the inspiration for the house in the novel.  So someone brilliant undertook its renovation and decorated it to match the description in the book.

This is the hundred year anniversary of the publication of Anne of Green Gables and our tour guide said that there were record numbers of visitors to the house.  But I got the sense it’s pretty busy every summer, all summer long.  People made the journey because they loved the book.

Anne of Green Gables is the kind of book that means something to you.  When my Anne was reading the book, I saw her suddenly drop it.  She came running to me, threw her arms around me and sobbed into my shirt.  ”Matthew’s dead!” she cried.  I knew exactly how she felt: I had cried at the same point in the book each and every time I read it.  We cried together and then laughed at ourselves for crying and then cried some more. 

Of course, that’s the real power of books–making people care about something.  Although creating an entire tourist trade for a region isn’t exactly wimpy.

The clerk was terrific, she recommended various books but I was particularly interested in The Writing Class by Jincy Willett because of the story the clerk told me. Apparantly, Ms. Willett wrote a book of short stories, Jenny and the Jaws of Life published in 1987, which went out of print. A few years ago, David Sedaris was asked which book that is out of print would he like to see republished, and he named Jenny and the Jaws of Life. As a result, that book was republished in 2002, she then came out with a novel, The National Book Award (for the longest time I thought the title of the book was Jincy Willett and that it received the National Book Award) and then her latest book, The Writing Class. It is the story of a writing class at UCSD extension (the University isn’t named, but I’m an alumni and I recognized the descriptions) in which a series of murders occur. I had so much fun reading it, I just blasted through. The description of the teacher and what “success” did to her along with the students, some of whom are there to write, others to pick up on writers, was hilarious. I gave the book to my writing teacher, when she’s done I’m going to “confirm” that I’m not like any of the students in the book, right? Ms. Willett lives close to The Book Works in Del Mar and teaches writing classes there. Through her website you can order The Writing Class from The Book Works and request a personal inscription.

The Book Works offers a variety of writing classes from several teachers. It also organizes several book groups, the usual fiction (current and classical), but also history, business and non-fiction. It holds a unique Mind-Brain Series on science which draws on the expertise from science community at UCSD and Scripts Institute. Every Friday night live music is played. The store specializes in literature, childrens books, current non-fiction, cookbooks (some of which were works of art themselves) and art books. The store rewards repeat customers with a patronage program, for every ten purchases, the customer receives a free book. Last but certainly not least, the website mentions that San Diego Magazine named the “sexy, smart Book Works employees” as one of the sexiest features of Del Mar in May, 2007.

The Book Works
Flower Hill Promenade
2670 Via De La Valle, Ste. A230
Del Mar, CA 92014
Tel: 858.755.3735

Balboa Island has one commercial street, Marine Ave. The first year we visited the island, I walked up and down the street and thought I could never live here, there isn’t a bookstore, but not 10 steps later I tripped over Martha’s. I was an immediate fan when I walked in with a horde of kids and the clerk asked the adults “would you like a glass of chardoney?” This is a store deserving repeat visits.

Martha’s Bookstore is set back from the sidewalk almost behind Sugar ‘n Spice (where the original Balboa Bar is sold) allowing me to examine the window display every day as I gobble down my ice cream. The store is small, so as you enter through an outdoor corridor it is lined with bookshelves and tables full of books that are moved in and out every day.

Several years ago, my children discovered Peter and the Starchatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson on the young adult bookshelf, and we have been fans of the series every since. There is a good bestsellers bookshelf, one side for fiction and the other for non-fiction, plus a few bookshelves for paperbacks. The children’s section is in an adjacent room. Clearly, the store isn’t making the rent solely on books because more than a third of the space is dedicated to cards, Beanie Babies and banners (many encouraging the UCLA/USC rivalry that is played out all over the island). Martha’s Bookstore is just right for discovering the perfect selection for an island get away.

Martha’s Bookstore
308 1/2 Marine Avenue
Balboa Island, CA 92662
Tel: 949.673.7185

At Olsson’s Books and Records in Washington, DC, my search plan helped locate the bowl is already broken by Mary Kay Zuravleff, a novel about the museum world. The recommendation card said that the museum in the book was based on the Freer Gallery of Art in DC and several of the scenes occur in the DC area. I’m saving the book to read the next time I fly to Washington DC.

Olsson’s in Washington, DC devotes floor-to-ceiling shelves throughout the store to Staff Picks, plus staff reviews are spread among the remaining shelves. I particularly the entire bookcases dedicated to recommendations of a specific genre: one for memoirs, several for non-fiction of various types, and several for literature. I did ask the clerk what he had recently read that he liked, but he was a horror and graphic novel fan so I smiled and thanked him, then happily worked my way through the staff picks. There were so many recommendations that I lost interest in looking at anything that didn’t have a personal description hanging from the shelf.

Olsson’s Books and Records and Kramerbooks and Afterwords Cafe are close to each other at Dupont Circle so I easily saw both in one visit. Olsson’s is a small chain in the DC area with five stores. The Dupont Circle feels stuffed with books; there are shelves lining all of the walls, shelves throughout the center of the store, books stacked on tables, and seemingly squeezed into every available space. It is a place to meander for as long as you can, picking up books and curling up on a step or in a corner to read. Olsson’s website lists the many events at the various locations along with 5 blogs, one of which is dedicated to poems and another to classical music (which I’ll be looking at on a regular basis). There is relatively small but well stocked children’s section.

UPDATE:  Sadly, Olsson’s is closed.

Olsson’s Books and Records
1307 19^th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: 202.785.1133

The Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale AZ is primarily a mystery bookstore. I’m not a huge fan of mysteries, I’ve read Agatha Christie but I gave up at “C” for the Sue Grafton series. I was relieved when I asked the owner for a recommendation and she handed me The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. It was a bestseller in 2005 when it was published, but I never got to it. The owner described the book as a re-telling of the Dracula story that’s suspenseful, but not creepy. It occurs to me that this could be a good complement to the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer that my daughter is reading over and over again.

The store itself is mostly glass walls so it’s sunny and bright (and possibly boiling at times, but it was early in the day and lovely). It has light stained bookshelves lining the solid walls, lots of free-standing bookshelves and several tables scattered throughout the store. One table was reserved for the next author event (a look at the calendar showed a constant flow of authors, so if you’re in the area, check to see if one is occurring), another table had new arrivals (not all of which were mysteries) and a large table with stacks of staff recommendations.

The store has a nice collection of signed and collectible books. Not all of the books were mysteries, nor were they all from author events, it appeared that some of them were sent from other sources. A check on the website confirmed that The Poisoned Pen receives collectible books on a regular basis. The website is terrific; if you’re interested in mysteries head over. There are recommendations, lists of newly arrived collectible books and dozens of interviews with authors. There is a six part interview with Diana Gabaldon that I’m in the middle of and will probably write about soon.

A unique aspect to this bookstore, in addition to being primarily a specialty bookstore, is its association with the Poisoned Pen Press. There are shelves and shelves of mystery books published by Poisoned Pen Press. The clerk I asked about the Press said that it was separate from the bookstore, so I looked on the website (be careful to look at Poisoned Pen Press, not Poison Pen Press which is a press for medieval cookery, a title which isn’t a great recommendation for medieval cookery in my opinion). The owner of the bookstore constantly bemoaned the fact that so many great mysteries were out of print, so her employees suggested she open a press to re-print them, and she did. The Press expanded to printing new works and several have been nominated for awards. The submission guidelines for new works are included on the website. Additionally, the Press runs a Mystery of the Month Club, join it and you’ll receive a new mystery each month.

Now that I’m back home, I wish I had specifically asked for a good mystery, maybe something with a historical fiction angle, I might have discovered a whole new area of reading!

The Poisoned Pen
4014 N. Goldwater Blvd., Ste 101
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Tel: 888-560-9919

The good news was it meant we had to go to a bookstore which is pretty much my favorite thing to do on vacation anyway.

Although there’s a good, fairly new bookstore in the heart of New London (Morgan Hills Bookstore, which I hope to write about shortly), I had another goal in mind this time: Innisfree Bookshop in Meredith, New Hampshire. 

I didn’t choose this store randomly or without bias.   A little while after my last novel had come out, the events coordinator at Innisfree had contacted me through my website.  She said she had noticed that I was from the east coast and was wondering whether I might be coming to New Hampshire in the near future.  Apparently the novel was selling well at their bookstore and she was interested in setting up a book signing event with me there.  I was all in favor of that idea, but a little while later we ditched the whole trip to NH in favor of a cruise to Alaska which turned out to be not a bad decision at all.

But this year we made it to New Hampshire.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t until the day before we were leaving that I suddenly remembered the nice woman at the bookstore in Meredith who had asked me to come by and sign books.  After a frantic search through an old computer, I found her original note and emailed her.  Of course, it was too late to do a signing but when she got back in touch with me, I said I’d at least swing by the store to say hi.

“Swinging by” turned out to involve driving for well over an hour.  I also had a fairly unwieldy entourage with me, consisting of my husband, our four kids, my niece, my father and his wife.

Innisfree Bookshop is set back from the road in a pretty little enclave called the Mill Falls Marketplace.  Our stroll around the grounds took us past a very beautiful and active waterfall which we stopped and stared at for a while.  Waterfalls are mesmerizing.

Eventually, though, we reached the bookstore which was bustling with customers.  I introduced myself to the events coordinator, Jenny Sweedler, and we had a nice long talk about everything from YA fiction to our deep, abiding, and occasionally overwhelming crushes on Nathan Fillion (long story).  In fact, we talked for so long that by the time I realized I probably should let Jenny get back to work, my family had already selected and purchased a bunch of books, games, and cards, and were ready to go.

So I never got to shop there myself.  But my husband raved about the selection as we left and I saw tons of people happily being counseled by the enthusiastic and cheerful staff.   My kids loved the children’s and YA sections and my son was very pleased with the “elephant poo” notebook he bought himself there.

In short, we loved Innisfree.  I just wish the drive hadn’t been QUITE so long from New London.  Maybe some year we’ll stay at the Inn and Spas at Mills Falls so we can visit the bookstore every day …

Innisfree Bookshop
Mill Falls Marketplace
312 Daniel Webster Highway
Meredith NH 03253
Tel: 603.279.3905
Fax: 603.279.7601

I spent an afternoon meandering among aisles of tall, dark bookcases while my husband sat in the car with the napping kids, listening to the radio. I was gone so long he completely drained the car battery, and we had to call Triple A for a jump. I bought Kalimantaan by C.S. Godshalk there that afternoon, and seeing it on my bookshelf makes me smile as I recall that magical place.

During our last visit, our innkeeper told us that it takes a PhD just to get a job at the Gallery Bookstore. I only have a JD, and I’m sure the last thing Mendocino needs is another lawyer, so I’ll have to console myself with the knowledge that the Gallery Bookshop is only a short plane flight and a lovely drive along the coast away.

Gallery Bookshop and Bookwinkle’s Children’s Books
At the corner of Main and Kasten Streets
P.O. Box 270
Mendocino, CA 95460
Tel: 707.937.2665
Fax: 707.937.3737

If you have a daughter between the ages of ten and eighteen, you’ve heard of the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. The fourth book in the series, Breaking Dawn, is released today, August 2nd, but the true fans stayed up last night to buy the book at midnight on the dot. Release parties were held all over the country. We arrived at our local bookstore, Village Books, at just after 11PM to find a spirited but paltry crowd, maybe ten girls. But the yummy cookies and cupcakes kept us company until more girls (only girls and all of them teens and pre-teens) showed up. Soon the employees started games, including a trivia game with questions so detailed I’m sure I wouldn’t have been able to answer them if they were about my own life. My daughter’s team won because her girlfriend knew all the answers, always nice to have an expert on your side! At a minute to midnight, the countdown began. I tripped up counting backwards from 60 to 1 at midnight, but all of the girls were so excited when the doors finally opened that I was a giggly girl all over again.

As we walked back to the car, I heard one mother yell “no walking and reading, wait until you get to the car.” My daughter and her girlfriend were on page 20 by the time we arrived home, were reading past 1AM and again first thing in the morning when I woke up. It’s going to be a quiet day.

I don’t need to tell you their history, because that’s all on their website — what’s important to me is MY history there.  A couple of times a month (I think — maybe it wasn’t that often but it felt like that), my mom would agree to take us kids to “Strymish’s” as we always called it (the owner and founder’s name was Lou Strymish).  We’d drive about ten minutes to get there from our house in Newton.   Once there, you entered a crazy, mixed-up world of long, dark aisles and piled up stacks of remainders.  You could get lost. I did.  It was industrial before industrial was chic.

It was at Strymish’s that I arrived at my
Barbara Cartland/Virginia Woolf crossroads and it was at Strymish’s that I learned to read through every book an appealing author wrote — so long, of course, that they were all published by the same publisher because, if not, you had to go through the laborious process of looking your books up in the publishers’ index they helpfully provided at the front of the store.  I did that sometimes, but mostly I’d discover authors that certain publishers liked.  It was a weird, backwards way of looking for books, but it meant you might stumble on something you’d never have read otherwise.

The place felt huge to me.  I was little then and I haven’t been back in years so maybe it wouldn’t feel that big anymore, but it’ll always be emotionally huge for me: Strymish’s will always make me think of my mother who died a few years ago and who was the one who always took me there.  It also makes me think of my siblings who’ve spread out across the country but who all happily piled in the car back then to replenish their own book piles — we’d all split apart at the entrance and then cross paths fifteen minutes later in some dark and obscure corner of the store.

You didn’t shop at Strymish’s for what you knew you wanted: you shopped there in the hopes of finding something you’d never heard of (and because you could then buy it at a discount).  It was browsing at its finest and, from what I read online, it sounds like it still is.

Happy hunting.

The New England Mobile Book Fair
82-84 Needham Street
Newton Highlands, MA 02461
Tel: (617) 964-7440
Fax: (617) 527-5817