Laguna Beach

Last month, my husband and I found ourselves without any kids for 24 hours.  One child was away on a school trip and another at a sleep over.  In celebration, we dashed down the coast for a quick get away in Dana Point, CA.  On the way home we putt-putted up the Pacific Coast Highway and stopped for a peek into Laguna Beach Books.  This lovely bookstore is part of The Old Pottery Place, a former pottery outlet revitalized into several unique businesses including a chocolate shop, a gallery, and a wine and cheese shop  (this could be as close to heaven as we’re getting on earth).   In fact, the goal of The Old Pottery Place is to create an intimate shopping experience by having only independent businesses.

Laguna Beach Books benefits from its proximity to the University of California, Irvine, famous for its graduate school writing program (think Michael Chabon).  Some of the students work at the store and share their discoveries with the customers.  For example, when I walked in the owner was discussing Stoner by John McGahern, recently re-published by New York Review Books Classics.  She pointed out Stoner, suggested by a UCI grad, as a  good book group choice.   It sounded great, so I bought it.  As I was leaving and chatting with the owner, she mentioned that a popular book at Laguna Beach Books is Hunting and Gathering written by Anna Gavalda and translated by Alison Anderson.  The owner of Laguna Beach Books learned of Hunting and Gathering from a student, loved it, and the store sold more than 550 copies last year by word of mouth.  Of course, I bought it and left the story feeling like I hit the jackpot.  My experience at Laguna Beach Books was exactly what I look for in every Read the rest of this entry »