Bookstores

Part of what I love about being a reader is going to bookstores. Amazon is a godsend, don't get me wrong. I buy the majority of my books from Amazon. However, nothing can replace the joy of standing in a large room full of books, row after row after row. Be it bookstore or library, being surrounded by books I have not read is heaven. I love to browse tabletops and shelves and aisles full of books. Table tops especially. My fantasy bookstore would be one where all books are facing out so you could see the full cover. Cocking my head sideways to read spines in not an ideal way for me to browse. But I'll do it! My favorite book store to go to is Dutton's Bookstore, either Brentwood or Dutton's Beverly Hills. The Brentwood store is like going to a private home. There are three different rooms and one of them has a coffee bar. The building is a bit older and funky. Funky in a quirky way, not a yucky way. Like your favorite winter jacket-cozy, lived in, dependable. I pre-ordered and picked up "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" from there when it came out, years ago. I was so excited to go and get it. I sat down in the coffee bar and ordered a latte and read the first couple of chapters. I loved the whole experience. Dutton's Beverly Hills I found by accident. I started to see a new Chiropractor in BH and the parking structure is underneath the bookstore. This Dutton's is like a new dress that you love so much you wear it to everything. Shiny and new and bright and lovely. When I'm on the east side of town, Los Feliz or Silver Lake, I like to stop into Skylight Books. SB is a smaller, independent store just down from Fred 62 -- one of my favorite places to eat ---ooooh I love that Ty Cobb Salad, I could eat it all day. For convenience, my neighborhood Barnes and Noble helps when I need a fix, when I need to touch books. Very handy. Handy like a Starbucks.