One family lives the dream in Westwood
A lot of us passionate readers have a secret dream of one day owning a bookstore. When Meg Ryan welcomes children to her small independent shop in You’ve Got Mail, who doesn’t want to be that character? To spend your days surrounded by books, to introduce strangers to the books that mean the most to you, to have a reason to order every new book that catches your eye in a review . . . if you love to read, that’s just pure fantasy.
When I walked into Mystery Books on Broxton Ave in Westwood Village, I knew I had found a really appealing independent bookstore with a clear market niche. But when I started talking to the assistant manager, Linda Brown, I learned that this wasn’t just any bookstore–this was my dream brought to life.
Just this fall, the Pasich/Woods family, who had been coming to Mystery Books for years (enough time for youngest son Connor to grow from a small child to a teenager) bought Mystery Books from the small group of investors who had previously owned it. The family isn’t in the book business: they just loved the bookstore and wanted to keep it safely in operation.
You can see why someone would fall in love with this store. It manages to be pretty big and cozy at the same time. I’m not much of a reader of mysteries (recently I had a lovely two month relationship with Laurie R. King’s Mary Russell books, but that was more because of the fantasy that Mary gets to sleep with Sherlock Holmes than because she went around solving mysteries) so I wouldn’t have expected to want to linger in the store–but I honestly didn’t want to leave.
Yes, of course, the bookshelves are filled with mysteries, but not just current, American mysteries–they include first editions from here and over seas. A whole section of the store is dedicated to the British imports that you can’t usually find in America, many of them signed and/or first editions.
Mystery Books stocks a lot of rare finds–including things as wondrous as first edition Agatha Christies and Raymond Chandlers–so if there’s a mystery-phile in your life, I can’t imagine a better place to find an easy birthday or holiday gift.
There’s also an extensive reference section for the budding (or well established) mystery writer, including a lot of books on forensics which might be fun to browse if you’re simply a CSI fanatic.
And their kids’ section is knock-your-socks off great–they won me over when the first very book I saw was a new Orson Scott Card Ender book. Linda told me that the children’s section does skew a little broader than the adults’, so there’s something there for everyone–and the entire section is liberally sprinkled with young Connor’s book recommendations. See? It’s good to own a bookstore.
Their website is fantastic, filled with upcoming author visits and all the newest releases. Check it out and then drop by the store the next time you’re in Westwood Village. (Locals should know that it’s just a couple of blocks from Diddy Riese, the best and cheapest ice cream shop in town and on the same block as my favorite parking structure in the Village.)
1036-c Broxton Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90024
310 209-0415
Tags: California, California bookstore, first editions, Los Angeles, Los Angeles bookstore, mystery, rare books, Westwood Village, Westwood Village bookstore
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