Tag Archives: bookstore

A new (old) favorite

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In last week’s post, I encouraged us (me included) to dwell on positive, lovely, beautiful, true things. The weekend brought new lows in political news and in terrible stories of a hurricane spreading devastation from Haiti to the Bahamas and up the southeast coast of the United States. It’s truer than ever, this need to turn toward what is good. And maybe fun, too.

While I was in North Carolina recently visiting family and friends, I managed to sneak in a few minutes with my mom to visit a new (old) favorite bookstore. It’s an old favorite because it’s the independent bookstore I’ve been going to for a couple of decades, and I was sad to learn last year that it would be changing locations. The new space is fantastic, though, and I wish I could have lingered even longer in this beautiful “new” favorite bookstore.

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A view from the second floor

Walking in the front door, I was immediately transported into what feels both new and old, as if an old world bookstore or library had risen up with new polish and bold colors.

The ceilings soar, and a second floor—only a little larger than a balcony—takes up part of the space and draws your eyes upward.  Continue reading →

Snapshots from home

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Plenty of folks may say you can’t go home again, and I understand what they mean. But I went home to North Carolina for a bit of rest a few weeks ago anyway. Here are some snapshots and brief thoughts of my visit home.

It’s hard to balance the need to rest with the desire to catch up with dear friends and family, and so I ended up not doing as much of either as I had hoped. I am slowly realizing that it may always be this way on the visits home, the pull of the heart to spend time with those I love and the pull of the body to rest and soak up the nature of this beautiful place.

The cows came up to the near pasture on my hike through this most favorite of places:

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I always love this view but especially when the field is full of cows.

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Fields of gold

I almost missed my chance at taking this hike, so busy hiking and running and walking in other loved places, but if I hadn’t gone, I would have missed the lilies blooming: Continue reading →

National Independent Bookstore Day

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This Saturday, May 2, is the inaugural National Independent Bookstore Day. Cue the confetti and the noisemakers. Across the country, 400 independent bookstores are teaming up to celebrate, and one of my favorite bookstores will be in on the party with special sales, activities and prizes.

Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh has long been my book haven. I haven’t found anything like it out here in the Sacramento area yet, though I have visited some great independent bookstores in San Francisco and Palo Alto. I’m still a member at Quail Ridge and am looking forward to their Readers’ Club Sale this weekend. And even though I can’t attend their Independent Bookstore Day party in person, I know it’ll be great. Maybe some of my Raleigh friends reading this will go celebrate for me?

In super exciting news, Quail Ridge contacted me last week to tell me they’ll sell my book on consignment. Yay! … That pause was so I could do another happy dance. For now, they’ll only carry a copy or two, and so if you want one, give them a call first. I’ll replenish their stock as they request.

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This is the perfect weekend to pick up a copy of the book. Not only will you be supporting a great bookstore and supporting me, you’ll also get a discount through their semi-annual Readers’ Club Sale, May 1-4. If you’re not a member, it’s easy and inexpensive to join (free if you’re an educator or senior citizen).

On a side note, any independent bookstore in the country should be able to order a copy of my book for you. They’re happy to place orders, and I’d be happy to send you a small token of my appreciation if you buy my book from an indie bookstore. Simply email me a photo of the receipt along with your name and mailing address, and I’ll pop a little gift in the mail to you.

Whether you’re a novice or a regular when it comes to indy bookstores, there are great reasons to support your local stores. And here are some great tips I found over at Book Riot for getting the most benefit from your local independent bookstore.

To give credit where credit is due, this whole event stemmed from California Bookstore Day and has expanded out across the country. Yay, California! In case you’re not in California or near Quail Ridge Books, here’s a handy map so you can find your closest independent bookstore for the party on Saturday. What books will you buy as part of the celebration?