Capitola is a sleepy little town just south of Santa Cruz with a terrific bookstore. We stopped in last week while spending a week in the area and immediately relaxed in the warm, quiet atmosphere. What first caught my eye were the New York Times Book Reviews cut out and placed next to the appropriate books. I can’t count how many times I’ve read a review, wanted the book, but then couldn’t remember its name when I was in the bookstore (the Kindle users don’t need to chime in that I could have had the book in moments, my Kindle sits in a drawer), why don’t more bookstores do this? Plus, stacks of the Review sat by the cash register for customers to peruse.
Capitola Book Cafe sells both used and new books shelved together. My daughter grabbed almost as many YA books as she could hold and given how fast she reads, the used book discount is nice. For my son, I found a guide from a local author: 25 Month Until College: The Don’t Panic, Step-by-Step, What-When-Why-How Guide for Students and Parents, by Judy McNeely. It starts with December of sophomore year and has specific tasks for each month, some a little more hectic than others. I appreciate the bullet-point layout including charts and deadlines. If you have a sophomore or junior, buy it, while not all inclusive of everything you need, it provides the highlights and some organizational structure. Needless to say, when I handed it to my son during vacation, he wasn’t thrilled. I’ll be keeping the book until December to ensure that it doesn’t get “lost.”
Capitola Book Cafe has a fun recommendation bookshelf entitled “Our Community Reads” open to writers, readers and faithful supporters. This month, Laurie King’s favorites were listed along with those of Doug Abrams Read the rest of this entry »
Last month, a New York Times 
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