Bookstore

Freewheelin’ at Oxford’s Square Books

Leaving Memphis for the day, I head South to Ox ford, MS., a town billing itself as “the cultural Mecca of the South”.

As I walk around the town square at the heart of the historical district, it seems that every window has a black sign with these simple words: “Oxford mourns”.  For a second, I think it might be related to recent news events – and it is, but not one I know of: the small community is grieving six residents killed by a plane crash just days ago. IMG_0819.jpg

The bookstore-and-ice cream parlor (delightful combination) has the sign on its door, but also a wordy tee-shirt in its window. It advocates the repeal of HB 1523, and announces that all are welcome: only guns, smokes, cell-phone use and yelling are prohibited in the store, and the store owner wants us to know that people in Mississippi are “amongst the nicest, most hospitable in America”.

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“Square Books” does indeed qualify as one of the most hospitable bookstore I have visited. I could (and do) browse here for a very, very long time.

The ground floor table is lined with recommendations and books by authors who will soon be talking and signing here; the wall by the staircase is covered in autographed photos – including one of Trent Lott, the former Republican majority leader, holding Mammacita “the most tolerant Democratic” bookstore cat. Signs advertise First edition and Signed copies, two great “gift ideas”.  Upstairs, I discover the promised ice-cream and coffee parlor, the outdoors balcony, as well as excellent sections about the arts, and a Faulkner section naturally (the town was his home, and is now that of John Grisham amongst others).
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The literary section full of detailed advocacy notes. I would not dare call them “staff pick”, as they are so detailed, and written with flair. I do not find any book by Michel Tournier (nor do I find any of his works later amongst the collectibles at the “Off Square” branch of the bookstore, but I do see signed copies and first editions of another favorite, Walker Percy).
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As I linger in the “T” area of the literature section, I end up chosing a recommendation by Richard, one of the original founders of the bookshop: “Vexation Lullaby” , a novel by Justin Tussing.

Later, I read inside the book cover that it received a Ken Kesey award: how appropriate for me, as I am (slowly, I confess) finishing my reading of “Sometimes a Great Notion”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Published on: Author: NM
Bookstore

I’ve been to Memphis… and did not find Tournier

So here I am in Memphis, and I did not find Tournier. No “Midnight Love Feast”, nor any of his other books – but, more surprisingly, no “Confederacy of Dunces” either. Two bookstores, no John Kennedy Toole: that’s a first. I am nearly disappointed; who would have thought?

However, at the Book Depot, I did find a nice classics section where it seems every student in town disposes of any literature they may “have had” to read (I recognize the reading list from the International Baccalaureate, amongst others). It seems someone thought that if they liked the Henry James novel the “had to” read enough, they might also like “The Reverberator” –  a comic novel about an American journalist in Paris, which I have never read, and happily take with me for a mere 61 cents.

As I pay, I notice again the sign that I had seen coming in:  “I can only please one person per day. This is not your day.” For a minute, the endless rows of cheap romance and paranormal novels made me believe that, but I was wrong. Just as I would have been wrong to pay too much attention the concerted effort to appear curmudgeonly. There is an advice price rate posted behind the cash register, pricier for “questions that require thinking”, and a sign in the back of the store asking: “Do you want to talk to someone who is in charge, or someone who knows what is going on?”. She may try to seem tough, but the lady who runs the shop knows what is going on, and is unquestionably nice. It would be a loss if this quaint book exchange were to close down by the end of the summer – a distinct possibility, unfortunately.

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While in this area of Memphis, I  make another quick stop by Book Traders . Here, there is a separate section for “Paranormal romance”. Must be a local interest?

The official section of “local interest” is actually quite abundant, with many interesting history books. The “international” section is one of the  InternBookTr.jpgsmallest I have seen: seven books, to be exact, including two volumes of Hemingway in Russian and one volume of Proust in French. I end up buying a “plane book” (this road begun and will end on a tarmack): “The little friend”, by Donna Tartt, which would seem like an appropriate way to end a little trip to the South. Because I paid cash, I am entitled to a free book in a left-over basket: I take home a gothic novel, the pick of the litter.

 

 

Published on: Author: NM
Bookstore

Grounds for New Hope and small press

That weekend, the road initially led to Sculptor’s Way, in Hamilton, NJ, for a summer tour of Grounds for Sculpture, a park created in 1992 by J. Seward Johnson. Sometimes decidedly kitschy with its many three-dimensional reproduction of Impressionists paintings, the place is still quite charming thanks to its Giverny-like atmosphere, reminiscent of Monet’s garden.

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Naturally, the road could not end there; it had to lead to a bookstore… It was Farley’s Bookshop, in the nearby town of New Hope, PA.

No sign of any book by Tournier – but, yes, as I enter the store, it is just there, on my right: a Staff Pick for “Conspiracy of Dunces”. There is clearly no escape from John Kennedy Toole. Farley’s, however, turns out to be a lovely find. As promised, it offers “great books for young and old”, with an original selection for children, youth, and young adult literature. Most interestingly, Farley’s has established a strong connection to small press and advertizes their production with care and warmth. It is difficult to resist the appeal of the many works well represented here. I nearly fell for a novel about bibliophiles – but the fact that it was entirely written in emails ultimately discouraged me. Poetry and translation shine in this small press catalogue; I was particularly intrigued with the choices from Black Widow Press, and the recommendation for Perec’s Void amongst a nice selection of translated works.

And, at this bookshop, the bookstore animal has his own recommendation list: find Butter-the-cat’s Staff Picks here. In a recent interview to LitHub, one of the booksellers is miffed that some people seem to care more about the cat that they seem to care about the book – let me propose that this may be because he has slightly more original suggestions than “A Confederacy of Dunces”? 

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Farley’s Bookshop window, and Butter’s backyard in New Hope, PA.

Published on: Author: NM
bookstore signs

The ‘kindfulness’ of bookstore signs

For this first in a series to be continued, three bookstores signs – coincidentally, all from Powell Books, in Portland, Oregon.

Where we find a recommendation for my old nemesis “The Confederacy of Dunces”,  always there, it seems, when I look for Tournier‘s “Midnight Love Feast”, praised as a “comic tour de force”.confedPowell

Where the “kindfulness” is a best-seller – a nice pairing with the local signs reminding people to “Be nice, you’re in Oregon”. Powellbestsel.jpg

And where one book hit the road already….MotorcyclePowell.jpg

 

Published on: Author: NM
Book Festival

“The World’s Borough” first Book Festival

Ever been to a show where there were more people on stage than there were in the audience?

That was a bit the feel of the first edition of the Queens Book Festival, a grass-root initiative born of the will to support literacy and encourage interaction with local authors. The setting – the back lot of Kaufman Studios – was airy; the temperature, perfect for a New York City August afternoon… even if holding the event on a Sunday made it a bit extra challenging to get there for non Queens residents, thanks to the usual weekend subway disruptions. However, panels discussed topics ranging from “Language, Power and Censorship” to “Queens Scene: Setting  Novels in the World’s Borough“: authors exchanged, books were flipped through, bought and sold. QBF gen 16

One of the emphasis, given the original motivation for the festival, was on children and teen literature. What makes a good teen novel? According to the reader supporting Selena Castroville’s “Melt”, the magic ingredients are action, feelings, and sex: “Teens might not be active, but they sure are curious”. To be avoided: background and descriptions. The author, who also publishes children history books and poetry, does indeed have a style that moves briskly. Across the alley, the Omnivorous Traveler was happily peddling his recipes for food-fueled adventures in the Americas. A bit further, a little girl had dived deep into chef Alyssa Gangeri’s “Mimi adventures in baking“. I am guessing someone is having chocolate chip cookies tonight.

One of the interesting aspects of this festival were the publishers who chose to be there. Akashic Books, with its “Reverse-gentrification of the literary world” slogan, and its publishing of “Queens Noir” in the series of locally sourced thrills, had to be there. And yes, they are the publishers of the cult “Go the _______ to Sleep“. Another interesting offer came from New Vessel Books, who invites you to “read your way around the world”. This publishing house specializes in translations, a too-slim segment of books available in the United States, as documented by the “Three Percent” initiative from  Rochester University.

So, was this first edition a great success? By the numbers, probably not. But by the quality of the conversations, the obvious joy of children exploring the stands specifically devoted to their interests, and the opportunity given to emerging local authors, this was a great start. With a little luck and a lot of efforts, it can only get better next year. Because there will be a next year, right?

 

 

Published on: Author: NM
Bookstore

Oregon epilogue: Sometimes A Great Notion

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Heading back to the East Coast, I leave behind the novel I finished on the way West – a bit of a “throw away” book: “L’homme intérieur”, a book offered by a French publisher with the purchase of two other novels. Originally published in English as  “Shadow and Light”, this thriller by Jonathan Rabb takes places in Weimar-era Berlin and turned out to be a perfect “plane-and-motel” read. I am not surprised to find out that the author’s favorite read is Chandler’s The Big Sleep, and his favorite film, Welles’ The Third Man. But, speaking of classics, I feel it is high time I started the Oregon classic, Ken Kesey’s Sometimes A Great Notion.  I had been putting it off until now, but I am ready (or so I think… more on that later!). It was celebrated just a few years ago at Cannon Beach’s Jupiter, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the novel, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the bookstore.

Published on: Author: NM
Bookstore

Full stop: Portland

As I end this trip in Portland, the first obvious stop had to be Powell’s, the “city of books”. It keeps its promise of gigantism, complete with a colored-and-numbered coded map to its 3500 sections on four levels of an entire city block. I find the biggest French used book section I have seen so far, with four books by Michel Tournier whose Midnight Love Feast is still eluding me. In the English-language literature, I do not find a single novel by Tournier… but there is an (obscure) study of one of his  early works.

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I ask help for my other quest (a book about manga). First stop, the manga section, where the help is minimal. Second stop, the foreign-language books. At that nearby desk, my question is met with a querying look, followed by a quick rattle of suggestions (numbered and color coded) that send me to the Japanese history section (where I find an outdated book about Japanese pop culture, and a recent work about Japanese hip-hop, but nothing about mangas); to the art section (nope); the Japanese literature section (nope); the cartooning section (dozens of “how to books”, but none about the genre itself).
SignorGiovNo matter: this little expedition led me to a few treasures. I leave Powell’s with a surprising little book by Dominique Fernandez, that will turn out to be the perfect accompaniment, the next day, to my delicious French-Italian meal. Now there’s a thought: pairing books with meals (and that bookmark is the Powell’s “Weird Reads” list  – more on than at a later date.)

Next, I decide to check the nearby Floating Word Comics, which seems to have a promising name for my book-about-manga quest. And I get real help, from clearly knowledgeable people… but no results. Later, I check Books with Pictures, a much smaller venue in East Portland which has a solid collection of mangas, small-press publications, a feminist viewpoint… and a discount for readers who bike to the store. Portlandia, anyone? Oh, and speaking of that, I did not check In Other Words: they were closed. While in East Portland, I stop by two more bookstores.
LongfelALiceThe first, Longfellow, is well represented by the Alice in Wonderland mural on its façade. When I step inside, I am joyfully greeted by a man hard at work, typing away. The place is both warm and chaotic. Piles of box look like they could have been there for many, many years.  Sections are a bit haphazardly organised, but each is packed with fascinating works – including one by Michel Tournier, Friday, but not the one I am looking for, Midnight Love Feast.

My last stop has an intriguing name – Mother Foucault’s Bookstore. In what appears clearly as a neighborhood in transition (the obligatory tattoo parlor, designer/craft store, pubs/breweries, construction sites …), the bookstore is a small wonder. Its windows are lined with classics in various languages. Inside, the well-stocked philosophy section is filled with books in many languages, including Foucault in French, of course. It faces a piano, and a small stage for readings. The literature section shows a carefully thought-out selection, amongst which several books by Tournier, both in English and in French (still no Midnight Love Feast, but, this time, a bookstore owner who knows what I am talking about!). I could have spent hours exploring those shelves, but this is Monday, and “On Sundays and Mondays, we take it easy”, says the owner, so the store closes early. Probably just as well, because the place seems so welcoming I might have just stayed, and  could have found enough interesting books to require an extra suitcase.

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Published on: Author: NM
Bookstore

Bookstore animals

I had read rumors of cats in the bookstores: a sign announced an “Attack Cat On Duty” at both Book Bin I visited, in Salem and Corvallis. Rose, the attack cat of Salem “who shares a birthday with H.P. Lovecraft” was nowhere to be seen when I stopped by, but today her grandmother Tess was guarding the “T” section of Literature in Corvallis.

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In Medford, at the Village Bookstore, there was no sighting either of Winston the cat, successor to the “Quality Inspector cat” Mr. Dickens… though customers were warned about his drinking habits or suicidal tendencies – I am not sure which, as I forgot to ask the owner.

doorBookBin.exporting.jpeg WinstonCat.jpegWe did, however, have a nice chat about her bookstore, which turned out to be a very pleasant surprise in the middle of an otherwise nondescript shopping mall, alongside the supermarket, the gun store, and the nail salon. This is another bookstore whose proprietor wants her business to do more than sell books, and is dedicated to serve as a link for the community and as a cheerleader for “the reader in the family” (sadly, I am told that the singular does apply, statistically).

I did not find two books I have been looking for, but enjoyed looking at the daedalus of shelves and great selection of books. I was intrigued by the “mystery bags” of books that could be had for a couple of dollars, but not enough to succumb; and I was surprised to find a small section of foreign-language books (mostly French, German, and Spanish classics) with a whimsical display starring Bécassine, the less-than-apt nanny from Brittany, next to a Hebrew dictionary and “How to read Egyptian”.

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My own modest “bonne idée” was to go on, and check more bookstores along the way.

 

Published on: Author: NM
Uncategorized

My frontier for this trip

When I reached Prineville in the late afternoon, there was no bookstores to be seen, though there were books in one of the windows of the block-long “Neat Repeat” store.NeatRepeatext.jpg

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By breakfast the next morning, it all had changed: The Hub had open. Two children play in the  blossoming front yard of the little house; a cart of free books welcomes the visitor on the porch. This bookstore projects the cheerfulness of its proprietor, who greets me inside her cafe-free library-bookstore. Not even the “For Sale” sign in front of the place dampens her enthusiasm: “This is a commercial building, so we hope the buyer keeps us!”  “The Hub” could definitely be a contender for the “Cute Cozy Room” with its inviting tiny side rooms, complete with seats and tables.

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No surprise in the literature, classics, and children books sections here; a dedicated shelve for the local authors and another one to religion: my quests will have to wait, since there is obviously no Tournier, no book about mangas. Time to grab a cold drink (which becomes a family affair: both kids help!), and hit the road to a desolated place.

The Painted Hills, about an hour away, would make anyone want to read an adventure novel, or some history book about the Frontier.

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This is as far in-land as I will travel on this trip started a few days ago in Manzanita.

As I start my slow travel back, I stop in the city of Sisters, named after the summits have appeared on the horizon some time before reaching town. And, surprise, there is a bookstore on the main street, amongst the many western and “quaint” establishments.

However, here, at Lonesome Water Books, there is a clear sign of discouragement…LonseomeLonesome

The ongoing 50% off sale on all books (but not on buttons, the other specialty sold in this unique “B and B!) is not a happy sign. The business founded 25 years ago is for sale. “Antiques and craft do better than books”, explains the bookseller to a mystified reader who just finished perusing the vast collection of readings offered here – everything from romance to rare books, world history to art, and philosophy. However, all is not gloomy in Sisters. The Paulina Springs Bookstore seems to be alive and well, and is the headquarter of a Where-is-Waldo promotional contest organized with other local business. The Antiques and Books store down the street beckons passers-by with a book cart, a saddle, and… a duo of aging country singers. Here, I find a complete section on Lewis and Clark; another one on the “Skinners/Fur Traders”; and yet another one… for Louis L’Amour. That will not get me closer to the Midnight Love Feast, so I leave.

 

Published on: Author: NM
Bookstore

A parenthesis… or not

When I left Klamath Falls this morning, the bookstore, Basin Book Traders, was still closed; a lone reader sat on the bench placed outside the strip-mall store.

So, I thought, this day will be a parenthesis in my reading adventures, and I took the road. Which looked really open.

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And on I went to find a nice place to read for a bit… This is Crater Lake, and that ultramarine blue would be very, very ,lovely in an fountain pen.CraterLake.jpg

But it turned out the day would not be book-less after all.

As I reach the center of Bend, by the Deschutes river, two bookstores share the same side of the sidewalk on NW Minnesota Avenue:  Pegasus and Dudleys. One specializes in comics, mangas and fantasy; the other, in literature. Both appear potential gold mines for my quests. pegasusout

At Pegasus, where collectible comics, graphic novels, and figurines line the walls, an enthusiastic expert fearlessly picks up the challenge of finding a book about mangas but could only offer two books about anime and a (quite extraordinary) book about contemporary Japanese artists as “coming close”.

A few doors down, Dudleys appears at first glance as a very pleasant cafe with a wall of books. Upon closer inspection, the wall is pretty interesting. Under “Shantaram”, a note just reads: “One word: awesome!”, whereas under “The Elegance of the Hedgehog”, a note reads: “What do you get when you mix a plump concierge and a suicidal 12 year old? The unlikely and beautiful story of friendship, love and finding one’s purpose in this big, big world. Best book ever”. Maybe a bit of a hyperbole, but certainly a good pitch.
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A quick walk up the stairs painted to look like stacked books, and more books – as well as the most charming little reading room. A cheerful question, and yes, I am looking for something in particular. And then, a resigned answer: no… No sign of Tournier (but yes, you guessed, I could have picked up “A Confederacy of Dunces”, but that will wait for another day.)

Instead, I head to the second-hand bookstores just outside the downtown core. The Open Book and the Bookmark are on either side of the same road but on the same page when it comes to running an old-fashioned second-hand bookstore. At the Open Book, a young employee  (who I am guessing who was not born when the store opened in 1985) echoes his boss’ trust in the future of the printed page, especially when you can renew your reading for a couple of dollars, or a trade-in.

openbookint Of course, no Tournier, no book about mangas here either, “but isn’t it the rule of used bookstores that you don’t find the book you wanted, but find something else?”

Very true, yet today I will be on my way without adding to my current travel book bag. The next bookstore awaits.

 

Published on: Author: NM