We’re so grateful Frances McClellan visited Salt Lake City and sent us a review of The King’s English Bookshop! Her thoughts are below. If you have a bookstore you love and would like to share, please send us a review.
I came off the snow-covered street into my favorite spot in The King’s English Bookshop: a warm and cozy entry, ample in height, and flanked on the right by bookcases. These shallow and tall bookcases hold the recommended books being read by the staff and local reading groups. A quick glance of these shelves and one can easily pick two or three books to read without going any further into the multi-room, multi-level store. I love these bookcases, as they have always held reading choices, which are meaty, challenging, and often surprising.
The entry way is compact, inviting me to move on into the store. I find I can make a choice; pass a doorway leading into the “Cooking and Gardening” section or a head up a short stairwell leading to the “Young Adult” hall which sits next to the “Mystery” section. As I walk through the store, it feels like I’m in a maze as the old house, which has become The Kings English, sits on a slopping street making for the perfect up, down and around exploring kind of place.
I love this place with its wooden floors, high ceilings, off set levels and hidden stairs, which invite me to explore and search for hidden passageways full of interesting reads. There are no chairs, or couches but plenty of stairs to sit on allowing for a quick read as one opens up a new world by opening and reading a found book.
Heading back to the “Cooking and Gardening” section I watch a man, with a very European look about him, leaning into a corner salivating over a specific recipe he’s discovered within an Ina Garten book. Just then, his eleven year old son runs over with the latest edition of the “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series. The Last Olympian is the fifth book in Rick Riordan’s successful series. Mr. Riordan has been a recent guest to The King’s English, spending an evening not too long ago reading to a room full of enthusiastic kids from his latest book The Lost Hero.
This bookstore is a great place for intelligent minds to explore reading with the help of staff always available to help out. The owner has an affinity for mystery, so in addition to the usual genres, the “Mystery” section within the story holds titles by independent authors, and rare finds, all treasures which should not be missed.
The Kings English bookstore is an independent bookseller in Salt Lake City, located in the Sugar House area of the city. They have been matching books to readers since 1977. The block where Kings English sits has a sandwich shop, a coffee shop, an art gallery, a boutique and knick-knack shop allowing me to buy my books, and quickly settle down to read my new finds while enjoying a mid-afternoon snack.
Be sure a make time to visit this beautiful and welcoming store during your next trip through Salt Lake City. Take a friend with you, as there is nothing more delightful in life than to have a good book to read and share.
1511 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT 84105
Tel: 801.484.9100
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