Do you have a favorite bookstore?
For my money, one of the neatest bookstores on the planet is the Tattered Cover on Colfax Avenue in Denver. Did you know that it’s built inside an old theater? Strange, but true. They even kept a few of the old folding red theater seats, where you can sit and read, and pretend you’re just killing time between acts. Also, they have a delectable coffee shop.
(By the way, I’ll be doing a book signing event at the Tattered Cover for A Kiss Before Doomsday on Friday, July 21, at 7:00 pm. Prizes, treats, and lots of fun. Join me!)
Last month in my author newsletter, I asked subscribers to tell me about their favorite bookstores, and I gave away a signed copy of It Happened One Doomsday to one lucky reader. I also heard some great stories and shout-outs to some real bookstore gems. Here are a few:
“That’s an easy one for me, it’s every book store I’ve ever been in. The smell and the feeling I get standing with my eyes closed thinking about the output, the thoughts of the thousands of minds that wrote the words I’m standing in. I truly believe that words are the only gods we have. Since I discovered the stacks in a big library (at eight) and what that smells and feels like I’ve wanted to spend the nights there, to listen to all the ghosts contained in all those words. I’m a stage actor too, a hundred or more performances some of which I got paid for, and I believe in theater ghosts. I enjoy lying on the stage in the dark and listening to them.” – Paul
“My favorite bookstore is the local Copperfield’s Books. The Copperfield’s company has nine locations in northern coastal California and I like most of them, but mine is within walking distance and I know most of the booksellers.” – Marion
“My favourite book store is my local independent one. It’s called Best Books and it’s in Exmouth, where I live.” – Claire
“My favorite bookstore is Barnes & Noble (if I can’t choose my local library!) Love your book!” – Jeanne
“My local library! ;) Or probably the Book Bar.” – Coral
“Waterstones is my favourite book store.” – Mark
“Schuler Books, Grand Rapids, Michigan.” – Shane
“I live in a VERY rural area – we no longer have a book store here. So, my favorite book store isn’t a book store at all. It’s a small thrift store with extremely affordable books, and clients who like to purchase hardback books, read them once and donate them (I am so grateful for these people). The store is usually so uncrowded (if I time my visits correctly), I can sit on the floor, look through the books, and pile my selections next to me without causing alarm to others. So I go to the 8th Street Thrift Store for my reading needs.” – Michelle
What’s your favorite bookstore? Leave a comment below.
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For me it’s any bookstore I walk into. I’ve just entered the expanded universe of tens of thousands of minds and they’re all there for me to enjoy. The first thing I do is close my eyes and smell, that odor starts things going in my mind and I lose myself for many hours. I live in books when I read them and travel to many wonderful places.
I have enjoyed many hours of that at City Lights on Columbus Avenue in San Francisco.
Paul
My favorite bookstore is Mary Ryan’s. It’s a cafe and bookstore in one. Got to love that.
Congratulations Mary! You’ve won a signed paperback of A Kiss Before Doomsday. Send me your mailing address, and I’ll send you your prize. (If you want, you can use the contact form here: https://laurencemacnaughton.com/contact/)