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Idlewild Books – New York, NY

October 8, 2010 in bookstore, recommended reading, translation, travel by Kim | 1 comment

In honor of this weekend’s Book Tourism event, I’m posting a a couple of reviews this week of stores participants can visit during their eight hours of exploring Greenwich Village.

The entire five days I spent in New York City, I exited the subway station to the street and turned in the correct direction only once.  Even when I thought ‘my instincts say it’s to the right, so I’ll go to the left,’ I went the wrong way.  I was so sure I heading the correct direction down 19th Street to Idlewild Books that I walked blocks and blocks away from the store.  It’s a lovely neighborhood, I know because I’ve seen it at a pedestrian’s pace.  Actually, a little quicker.  On the way back it started to sprinkle, then it started to rain, then hard, and I started to sprint.  When I entered Idlewild Books I was dripping.  I literally shook myself off on the landing like my golden retriever.

Some of the stained glass and chairs are from the original Idlewild Airport

David, the owner of the store, asked “Did you forget your umbrella?”

I said, “I’m from Los Angeles, I don’t even own an umbrella.”

I’m sure the store is beautiful in any weather, but it is perfect for a stormy day.  It exudes warmth.  Check out the picture with the wooden floors, huge front window and bookshelves everywhere.  There is an alcove or two for curling up in.  In fact, the entire time I was there a man was diligently working on his laptop in a corner.  In Los Angeles, he would be a screenwriter, but since I was in New York I assumed he was writing the next Great American Novel (no, it wasn’t Franzen).

I hesitate to say that Idlewild Books is a travel bookstore because I fear that the title invokes the travel section at Borders with sloppy shelves of guidebooks.  Idlewild Books has guidebooks (they looked neatly organized), but its charm is as an advocate for traveling with or through literature.  In the last 18 months, I think I’ve purchased about a dozen books there (a set for each family vacation) and only one was a guidebook that David practically had to beg me to buy when he found out I loved Italian art.  My experience has been to tell David where I’m going and what I’m interested in and he tells me the books that will add an entirely new dimension to the trip.  I should add, it’s not just me, he recommends the books my teenagers will carry with them.  [What we read on our latest family vacation, including David's suggestions, will be in a future post.]

The store is divided geographically with all the guidebooks, novels, YA, classics and non-fiction about the appropriate area in one location.  By providing novels relevant to the literature, culture and history of various countries, the store is also a treasure trove of translated literature.  When I was looking for books to read while Read the rest of this entry »

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The Scholastic Store – Soho, New York, NY

October 6, 2010 in bookstore, childrens, young adult by Kim | No comments

In honor of this weekend’s Book Tourism event, I’m posting a a couple of reviews this week of stores participants can visit during their eight hours of exploring Greenwich Village.

Mother and son reading on the kangaroo's tail

The Store Of My Childhood Dreams

My favorite day in elementary school was the day the Scholastic Books flyers arrived.  Growing up in a small town with very few bookstore options and having read through everything of interest in our small library, this was my monthly goldmine of book discoveries.  Weighing my desire for each book while carefully allocating my allowance money provided early lessons in money management.  This childhood literary crush didn’t fade with time.  When my kids started school, I raced to volunteer to be the Scholastic Parent.  Every year I was amazed that I was competing with nobody, the parents and teachers happily gave me the job.

When I saw The Scholastic Store on my way to Housing Works Bookstore Cafe, I practically skipped over (well, I might have actually skipped if the weather wasn’t so hot and muggy).  I hesitated for a moment going into a children’s bookstore without any kids, either with me or at home.  I realized this was the perfect opportunity since my teenagers would have wanted to spend less time in a children’s bookstore than I would.  The store is a delight!  It’s a cross between a playground and a bookstore.  Don’t take my word for it, check out the store tour video.

The Scholastic Store is organized by age.  I spent quite awhile in the YA section for teenage readers.  As a mother who inadvertently gives her daughter YA books that are too old for her, I found it helpful that the YA books were divided between teens and pre-teens.  The sales people were immensely helpful, pointing out several books that a lover of the Twilight series might enjoy.  The rest of the store was a bit of a walk down memory lane.  The Magic Tree House section reminded me of the hours we spent learning about the world from Ms. Frizzle.  Harry Potter central brought back the days we had to buy three copies of the latest book so we could all read it at once.  And of course, I recalled the truly olden days when the Big Red Dog was the hero of our world.  Add to those series the Hunger Games trilogy, the 39 Clues Books, and Madeline, it’s clear Scholastic publishes terrific kids books.  To see them all together in this publisher’s bookstore is a treat.

The Scholastic Store is more than a purveyor of books, it’s an activity center.  With regular storytime every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, activities every Saturday and a dream birthday party destination spot, the store attracts our littlest readers with fun.

If you’re in Soho, with or without kids, stop by and indulge yourself in a visit to childhood reading.

The Scholastic Store

557 Broadway

Soho, NY

Tel:  212.343.6166

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Bookstore Tourism is Rolling Again!

October 3, 2010 in bookstore, Literary Event by Kim | 2 comments

Several years ago, I followed a series of links on the Internet to discover Bookstore Tourism by Larry Portzline.  I immediately bought the book.  What I remember thinking as I read it is that were other people like me, people who looked for bookstores when they were traveling along with great restaurants and unique activities.  In the “old days,” Larry also led organized tours to various stores.  Well, happy days are here again!  For the first time in years, Larry will be leading a bookstore tourism event to Greenwich Village.  Here are the details:

On Saturday, October 9th, Larry is commandeering a chartered bus, picking up 50 bibliophiles in Harrisburg and Lancaster, and dropping them off at Washington Square Park with a map locating 23 area bookstores.  Larry’s description of a few of the stores:

The stores include everything from the Strand, which advertises 16 miles of shelf space, to Bonnie Slotnik Cookbooks, just a few blocks away, which is the size of a living room but has a worldwide reputation.  (No lie, she carries cookbooks from all the way back in the 1700s and has chefs and collectors from all over the world calling her.)  Some other favorites:  Three Lives & Company, Housing Works Bookstore Care, Books of Wonder, Partners & Crime . . . I could go on and on.  Some new stores on the list:  the Scholastic Store, the Taschen Store, and Idlewild Bookshop.  It’s a fantastic mix of new, used, and specialty bookstores.

The bus leaves at 7PM giving the participants 8 hours of bookstore shopping time.  This is the blueprint for my perfect day!

If you’re interested in joining this tour or learning about future tours, contact Larry through his website, via Facebook, or via Twitter.


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Housing Works Used Bookstore Cafe – New York, NY

October 1, 2010 in essay, short story, used books by Kim | 2 comments

Fighting AIDS One Book at a Time

I don’t know of another bookstore in the US like Housing Works Bookstore Cafe.  The entire premise is to raise money for AIDS programs; it’s a thrift store for books.  I keep thinking I must have been in other ‘charity’ bookstores (other than at a library), but can’t come up with one.  To date, Housing Works has helped over 20,000 men, women, and children with AIDS/HIV.  The public contributes in a variety of ways.  Housing Works offers memberships.  For example, a $60 annual fee entitles the member to 10% off all purchases.  Book donations stock the store, in fact there was a table of books donated by Chronicle Books, but unlike most used bookstores, the public is actually giving the books to the store without receiving a credit.  If that was an option in LA, I’d happily give my books to a charity bookstore (I already give my books to the library, but I’m open to spreading the love).  And, of course, you can do what I did-buy books and eat there.

The Bookstore

It’s all for a good cause, but is it a good bookstore?  You bet.  The atmosphere is used store perfection:  wood floors, dark bookshelves, open space for lounging or holding events, a wide selection.  In the essay section I found a volume of Michel de Montaigne’s Essays that has been on my ‘to be purchased’ list for over a year.  In classics I found Anthony Powell’s A Dance to the Music of Time which I passed up the day before at Posman Books.  The book was discounted and it was for a good cause, so I succumbed.  But the prize was waiting for my in the short story section.  A book rack displayed recommended books and there was Nathan Englander’s For the Relief of Unbearable Urges. Half an hour earlier, I was shopping at McNally Jackson and almost bought Englander’s book; at Housing Works I practically lunged for the book wondering why no one had snatched it before me.

Why my reaction to Englander?  A few weeks earlier, Claire e-mailed me and said I had to read Englander’s story in the New Yorker’s 20 under 40 issue.  People tell me I have to read stuff all the time, and I love hearing recommendations, but often it feels overwhelming to add them to the sea of books on my desk.  But, Claire isn’t the biggest fan of short stories, so I paid some attention.  When she asked the next day if I had read the story and sent me the link, I knew I needed to read it.  It’s gut wrenching and  impeccably written, Claire describes it best in her post.  Needless to say, I felt like I hit the jackpot when I found it, I almost took a picture of it to send to Claire.

Any used bookstore where I can pick up two books I passed up at regular prices within 24 hours of seeing them qualifies as a good bookstore in my opinion.  Plus, they serve a mean quiche.  Check out the two amusing signs I found in the store.  FYI, Housing Works and McNally Jackson are less than two blocks apart, making for a nice duo excursion.

If you know of other charity bookstore, other than those associated with libraries, please tell us about them!

Housing Works Bookstore Cafe

126 Crosby Street

New York, New York   10012

Tel:  212.334.3324

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Museum Monday – Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York

September 13, 2010 in art, bookstore by Kim | No comments

The underlying question for this erratic series on museum bookstores is whether or not the store is worth visiting independent of the museum.  Anyone who has ever walked into the Met’s bookstore knows there isn’t any suspense, it is the Queen of Museum Bookstores and always worthy of a special trip to visit.  The sheer size of the store would woo any art lover, it is significantly larger than most museums’ combined concession areas (bookstore, gift store, pop up stands, etc.).

Having spent the day at the Museum seeing the French paintings I read about earlier in the summer, I failed to leave enough time to explore the store.  I was proverbial kid in a candy store, everywhere I turned there were books I wanted to sample and buy. The book tables were organized geographically (this seems to be a trend in NYC, both McNally Jackson and Idlewild are similar) which was perfect for me.  I could find books about Realism, Orientalism and Impressionism, trends all were present in late 19th century French art, in one place.

Further in the store, I discovered sections devoted to each of the Museum departments, along with separate sections for reference, instructional and the usual artist monographs (here comprising a long wall of offerings).  I spent time in the criticism section and came away with two books:  The Painted Word by Tom Wolfe and Art and Culture:  Critical Essays by Clement Greenberg.  Greenberg was a proponent of abstract art and hugely influential in the emergence of 20th century American Art.  Wolfe isn’t so enamored with modern art or Greenberg, so I’m looking forward to an interesting dialogue between the books.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art publishes enough books to keep an art lover busy for a lifetime.  These books are displayed on several dedicated shelves in the store.  I momentarily dreamed of following the example of the kids in From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, E.L. Konigsburg, hiding in the museum and working my way methodically through the books and the holdings.  [As an aside, when my kids were younger, I read The Mixed-Up Files to them and made a list of the art mentioned in the book.  With that list, I designed my own tour for the kids at the Met.  It was the perfect way to introduce them to the collection without completely overwhelming all of us.]

My one disappointment with the store is that there isn’t a bookseller, or at least I didn’t notice anyone who could talk to me about books.  I’ve experienced this with all of the museum bookstores I’ve visited.  There are lovely cashiers, but not a resident bookseller who can guide me to the next great art history book that I would love.  In other bookstores, I can walk in and say I loved The Children’s Book by A.S. Byatt (which I did), what do you recommend I read next?  I greatly miss that interaction.

Metropolitan Museum of Art

1000 5th Avenue at 82nd Street

New York, New York  10028-0198

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