HALLIE EPHRON: If you open my kitchen cabinet in search of a coffee mug, here’s what you’ll find, front and center.
Every time I see that mug from Mystery Lovers Bookshop in Oakmont, PA, I think of Mary Alice Gorman and the wonderful bookstore she and her husband Richard Gorman made into a required pilgrimage for mystery writers. They hosted a ton of author events and local Sisters in Crime chapter meetings. And an annual event that drew scores of mystery authors on their way home from Malice Domestic and hundreds of crime fiction shoppers.
Watching Mary Alice hand sell books was like watching a virtuoso violinist. She knew just which strings to pluck. Her customers came in empty-handed and left with armloads of books.
What booksellers have a special place in your heart, and do you have any keepsakes from your visits that you treasure?
RHYS BOWEN: I have memories and memorabilia from so many bookstores. When I first started writing mysteries John had just retired and we drove coast to coast several times visiting bookstores along the way.
I have particularly fond memories of Mystery Lovers Bookshop, Mary Alice and Richard and their wonderful festivals of mystery. As a new mystery author I sat at my table at my first festival and saw a long line waiting to get books signed by me. Wow! Amazing!
I remember so many dear friends and stores that are no more. M is for Mystery in San Mateo and dear Ed Kaufman, Robin and Aunt Agatha’s, the store in Thousand Oaks plus several others around LA, Kate’s in Cambridge, Joanne Sinchuk’s Murder on the Beach in Del Ray Beach Florida.
I have a mug from Kansas City, a little box from Orange County, and I remember the store in Denver where they made a cake to look like the book cover. What a loss these little stores are to our community–they’d hand sell newcomers like me, make us welcome, put on spreads, have a friendly cat…
Thank heavens a few favorites have managed to thrive: Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale is always a favorite, as is Murder by the Book in Houston. Most of the other stores I visit on Book Tour these days are big indies, not specialty mystery bookstores, but I miss those cozy nooks and store pets.
Thank heavens a few favorites have managed to thrive: Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale is always a favorite, as is Murder by the Book in Houston. Most of the other stores I visit on Book Tour these days are big indies, not specialty mystery bookstores, but I miss those cozy nooks and store pets.
HALLIE: Reminds me of the potbellied pig who hung out in the mystery bookstore in Tucson. She was a heavy-breather with a gristled snout.
JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I’ve been to every one of those bookstores you mention, Rhys, and their loss is keenly felt. We do have fewer mystery-only bookstores around than when I debuted as an author 20 year ago.
On the plus side, there are actually more independent bookstores opening, as more and more readers come to value what good booksellers can do for your TBR pile and for the community! Over 300 have opened in the past few years, according to the New York Times, and the average bookseller is getting younger and younger - good news, because hauling those boxes from the publishers around isn’t easy.
In that vein, I’d nominate PRINT: A Bookstore, right here in Portland, ME, as my special place.
Founded just six years ago by veteran booksellers Josh Christie and Emily Russo (yep, her dad is Richard Russo,) PRINT has made a big splash in our already great indy bookstore scene. I’ve taken part in several great events with them, including interviewing Michael Koryta and taking part in a lively Sisters in Crime panel presentation.
JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I’ve been to every one of those bookstores you mention, Rhys, and their loss is keenly felt. We do have fewer mystery-only bookstores around than when I debuted as an author 20 year ago.
On the plus side, there are actually more independent bookstores opening, as more and more readers come to value what good booksellers can do for your TBR pile and for the community! Over 300 have opened in the past few years, according to the New York Times, and the average bookseller is getting younger and younger - good news, because hauling those boxes from the publishers around isn’t easy.
In that vein, I’d nominate PRINT: A Bookstore, right here in Portland, ME, as my special place.
Founded just six years ago by veteran booksellers Josh Christie and Emily Russo (yep, her dad is Richard Russo,) PRINT has made a big splash in our already great indy bookstore scene. I’ve taken part in several great events with them, including interviewing Michael Koryta and taking part in a lively Sisters in Crime panel presentation.
Josh and Emily were one of the first booksellers to pivot when everything shut down in early 2020 - we went from canceling my live appearance to streaming to several hundred viewers in a matter of ten days. I don’t have any merch from them, but I do have a stack of books…
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: The very first such a store I remember visiting, with great– well I almost said joy, but it was really more like terror–was Kate‘s Mystery Books in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Remember, Hallie?
In a ramshackle Victorian house, with a crazy front lawn and all kinds of decorations on the porch, and then you would open the door to this bookstore and there were stacks and piles and overflowing tables of mystery novels in some order that no one could ever figure out, no one but Kate Mattes at least, with the entire store ringed with a all kinds of ceramic cats.
Cats everywhere. It was nutty and wacky, and Kate never got a computer or a cash register, she would just write out a sales slips by hand and make change from an envelope in a drawer, if I remember. Buying a book from her was incredible, absolutely everyone in mystery world came to Kate’s, but I also remember how long it took to buy a book! The paperwork was so complicated!
She told lots of stories about when she opened the store, most memorably, Robert B. Parker helping her build the bookshelves. Her Christmas parties were famous, everyone came. She’s long gone, (not too long, I guess), but still such a presence in mystery world. (And talk about a gift from her–she hooked me up with RBP, who gave me a wonderful blurb for Drive Time, on his personal stationery, which I have framed in my office.
And of course the incredible Aunt Agatha‘s in Ann Arbor Michigan. Where Robin Agnew, queen of the universe, knew every single mystery novel and every single mystery author, and talk about a virtuoso, could match every reader with the perfect book.
She told lots of stories about when she opened the store, most memorably, Robert B. Parker helping her build the bookshelves. Her Christmas parties were famous, everyone came. She’s long gone, (not too long, I guess), but still such a presence in mystery world. (And talk about a gift from her–she hooked me up with RBP, who gave me a wonderful blurb for Drive Time, on his personal stationery, which I have framed in my office.
And of course the incredible Aunt Agatha‘s in Ann Arbor Michigan. Where Robin Agnew, queen of the universe, knew every single mystery novel and every single mystery author, and talk about a virtuoso, could match every reader with the perfect book.
When their store closed, after 25 years, Robin sent me a framed note from Mary Higgins Clark note that she’d sent as congratulations. I look at that every day.
Two more? Continuing the standing ovation for the indomitable and brilliant Barbara Peters at Poisoned Pen, what would we do without her and her amazing team? And I point you to Page 158 Books in Wake Forest North Carolina, where the Dave and Sue Lucey have taken care of me gorgeously since the beginning of the pandemic. I cannot wait to go visit in person.
JENN McKINLAY: Since I live in the same neighborhood as the Poisoned Pen Bookstore, it’s small wonder that I have a longstanding relationship with Barbara Peters, the owner, and her employees - Patrick, PK, Susan, Tracy, and John - to name just a few.
Two more? Continuing the standing ovation for the indomitable and brilliant Barbara Peters at Poisoned Pen, what would we do without her and her amazing team? And I point you to Page 158 Books in Wake Forest North Carolina, where the Dave and Sue Lucey have taken care of me gorgeously since the beginning of the pandemic. I cannot wait to go visit in person.
JENN McKINLAY: Since I live in the same neighborhood as the Poisoned Pen Bookstore, it’s small wonder that I have a longstanding relationship with Barbara Peters, the owner, and her employees - Patrick, PK, Susan, Tracy, and John - to name just a few.
Barbara and her crew aren’t just booksellers to me. They’re friends and mentors and their shop is a sanctuary when the writing gets hard and I need to get out of the house and visit with book people.
Also, Barbara and her husband Rob have taken to Tik Tok, which impresses to no end and is forcing me to raise my game. LOL.
Another favorite is Murder by the Book in Houston. My friend Dean James (Miranda James) worked there the first time I signed in Houston and it’s become a favorite stop of mine ever since. And I can’t forget Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego. I love this quirky little shop and the staff who work there are the nicest booksellers in the biz.
And here’s some happy news from the NYT: “But there has also been a sharp and sustained rise in new bookshops, and more than 200 additional stores are preparing to open in the next year or two, Ms. Hill said.”
Read more here: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/10/books/bookstores-diversity-pandemic.html
YAY!!!
LUCY BURDETTE: Can you believe I’ve never been to either Poisoned Pen or Murder by the Book? Maybe this year… I adore indie bookstores and I feel so lucky to have them in both my hometowns.
RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison CT has been an amazing supporter, starting with my very first book launch when SIX STROKES UNDER came out in 2002! I love having book parties there–I always bring cake. And I’ve spent a truckload of $$ buying books in that gorgeous space.
In Key West, we have two wonderful but very different indie bookstores.
Suzanne Orchard runs Keywest Island Bookshop, a little shop on Fleming St with tons of local, used, and some new books. She handsells the Key West mysteries like nobody’s business.
Books and Books on Eaton Street was founded by George Cooper and Judy Blume. It’s a gorgeous little store with a great collection and sometimes the bookseller is Judy herself!
DEBORAH CROMBIE: I'm not much of a keepsake keeper, but if I were, I'd have mugs from Murder By the Book in Houston, and from The Poisoned Pen. I've been to many wonderful bookstores, but these two began as, and remain, my favorites. I've never missed a book launch signing at either store, and they were so kind and supportive when I was a newbie author and not sure of the ropes. Barbara Peters at the Pen is a force of nature in the mystery world!
HALLIE: Bookstores are the glue that connects authors to readers, and we've all been privileged to be invited into their worlds.
DEBORAH CROMBIE: I'm not much of a keepsake keeper, but if I were, I'd have mugs from Murder By the Book in Houston, and from The Poisoned Pen. I've been to many wonderful bookstores, but these two began as, and remain, my favorites. I've never missed a book launch signing at either store, and they were so kind and supportive when I was a newbie author and not sure of the ropes. Barbara Peters at the Pen is a force of nature in the mystery world!
HALLIE: Bookstores are the glue that connects authors to readers, and we've all been privileged to be invited into their worlds.
What are the bookstores that have connected you with the writers of the books you love?
With no bookstores close by, it's good that we can order from many of these wonderful bookshops and get books set to us . . . .
ReplyDeleteSo important to remember! They have web sites and can deliver books to your door. Of course that's not as much fun as being there, meeting the booksellers...
DeleteDefinitely not as much fun, Hallie, but when there's no bookstore near you, mail order works wonderfully well . . . . .
DeleteI loved a bookstore that was at our mall here in eastern Iowa. Of course they shut down and each time a bookstore shuts down you feel it in your heart. Since I have become more disabled I find myself ordering online but I would much better browse a bookstore get to know the manager and reccomend a book or two if they don't have it in stock. Yes I have several mugs in my mug cabinet that remind me of authors when I first joined Susan Mallery's fan club and at that time when you promoed a book you went to a certain level and one was for the mug I love looking at it.or making my hot chocolate in it. Another is Tameri Etherton and her mug that she mailed is the one I use every day for my hot chocolate it has a saying on it "Kickass Heroines and the Rogues who steal their hearts. Thank you for letting me share peggy clayton
ReplyDeletePeggy, such sweet memories! Thanks for sharing!!
DeleteMain Street Books in St. Charles, MO, is still thriving. Pudd'nhead Books has closed, and it was a really nice place. When they had moved from another nearby location, customers came to help move the books. I once accidentally stole an Elaine Viets book from there, in the confusion of cleaning up a pig's ear sandwich spill. I realized it when I was nearly home, and called them with credit card info rather than drive all the way back. Virtual events aren't quite the same.
ReplyDeletea pig's ear sandwich????
Delete"Accidentall stole"????
DeleteElaine's DEATH ON A PLATTER featured odd St. Louis foods . . . fortunately there was Kakao chocolate as a chaser for the sandwich. I set the book in my book bag to free my hands to help with cleanup before BBQ sauce could ruin anything, and quite forgot that we hadn't actually rung it up. Heading home, thinking of stopping for food, questions in my mind: Did I get my credit card back? Did I ever give her my credit card? Hmm, here's the book, no bag, no receipt.
DeleteAs it was a 45 minute drive, I was glad we could correct things by phone, no trudging back as in the Lincoln anecdote.
Perfect Books and Books on Beechwood are the two Ottawa indie bookstores that I frequent.
ReplyDeleteI usually visited indie (mystery) bookstores when I travelled and miss the already-mentioned Kate's Mystery Books as well as Seattle Mystery Bookshop and San Francisco Mystery Books in Noe Valley.
Fortunately, I can still go to Tattered Cover in Denver (I bought and still wear a "So Many Books, So Little Time" t-shirt), Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale, Green Apple Books in San Francisco, Whodunit in Winnipeg and Sleuth of Baker Street in Toronto. I plan to go back to Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego when I'm there for Bouchercon23.
I hope we're all coming to Bouchercon Grace!
DeleteYes, it will be great to visit Mysterious Galaxy!
DeleteYay, Mysterious Galaxy! One of the first stores I went to on my first book tour... and one of the last.
DeleteHALLIE: FYI, Mysterious Galaxy got new owners in early 2020 and moved their store to a new location on Rosecrans Avenue. I visited their new store in March 2020 before LCC San Diego.
DeleteA big cheer for every indie bookstore and their smart owners and employees. Here's why I love my local indie, McNally Robinson Booksellers in Winnipeg: I was driving into town and listening to the radio. The interview with the author of a just-released book was interesting, but I was concentrating on traffic so I didn't catch either the title or the author. When I got to town, I made a beeline for McNally and, without hesitation or shame, asked the staffer if they had this book I'd heard about on CBC radio that morning. It was about silence and quiet and that's all I could tell them. And -- they knew immediately and exactly which book I meant. And led me to it. And I bought it. Wow. If that's hand selling, then I love it. (Is that hand selling? It's a new term for me.)
ReplyDeleteIt's a PERFECT example of handselling. Another would be if the bookseller asked you what books you've enjoyed and based on what you say, recommends other books. "If you like <> you'll like <>"
DeleteOne of my best friends is a retired middle school librarian. She was very talented at “hand selling” books to students and finding requested books with the minimum of details, like the color of the cover. It was magical watching her in action.
DeleteThe only mystery-only bookstore I've ever been to was for a Mystery Lovers Festival, many years ago. And I didn't actually set foot in the store, just the festival site. Mary Alice and Richard were geniuses.
ReplyDeleteCincinnati, to my knowledge, has never had a stored dedicated solely to crime fiction, but we have had some wonderful bookstores, and along with our excellent public library system we have several private libraries that are incredible. The Mercantile Library is in a magnificent space where you'd swear you had been transported back to a time when computers were not even dreamt of. I've been to many wonderful lectures and author talks there, and despite its old world charm, their audio and ebook collection is impressive, too.
Fortunately, we also have Joseph Beth Booksellers, and their incredible staff of book mavens. Audrey has worked there for decades and she can tell you exactly what book you're looking for. She also is on local TV regularly to make seasonal recommendations, and the store hosts multiple author events every week. Plus, they have a very good bistro that serves all day, and one of the finest children's books and gifts selections I've seen outside of New York. It's my go-to place for special gifts for the kids in my life.
LOVE Cinci... but I've not been to Joseph Beth...
DeleteI have fond memories of Joseph Beth! Rhys
DeleteThere's nothing like getting "lost" in Powell's. Would make a great setting for opening a fantasy novel... because it does feel like a gateway to other worlds.
ReplyDeleteI have a book my son and daughter-in-law bought for me at Powell’s when they were vacationing. Books make the best souvenirs!
ReplyDeleteThe only independent bookstore I know and frequent is Brome Lake Books in Lac Brome, Quebec ( one hour and fifteen minutes from home ).
ReplyDeleteThey don’t only sell mysteries but they have a good section of them.
The owners Lucy and Dany are helpful and very kind. They also are friends of Louise Penny and host her pre-launches every year.
When travelling I visit libraries more often than bookstores.
Danielle
Librarians are "hand sellers" too! Thanks for the reminder, Danielle.
DeleteMystery Lovers Bookshop is still very much alive and thriving although it has changed hands a few times. The current owners, Tara and Kristy, are awesome. Kudos to them for finding a way to flourish during the pandemic (they bought the store just before the lockdown). But I do miss Mary Alice and Richard. They were a true dynamic duo in the bookselling world.
ReplyDeleteHoping to get back there with my next book... I haven't had a chance to meet Tara and Kristy yet.
DeleteWe have a couple of used bookstores here (Rochester, MN) but nothing great. I was surprised recently when one of them hosted a Wm Kent Krueger signing. Most of the people in the line had either never heard of the store or never been there, including me. The event was not well advertised by the store. I only knew about it because I get WKK’s newsletter. In fact a review of the book in the local newspaper said at the end it was “available at the Barnes and Noble at Apache Mall or online.”
ReplyDeleteI shouldn’t tell you these things as none of you great authors will come here!
I like to visit bookstores when I travel. The Poisoned Pen is definitely on my bucket list. I need to write all these others down.
What a wonderful list - and set of stories! I missed the Mystery Lovers Bookshop events, alas, and never got to Aunt Agatha's in person before it closed, although I was Robin and Jamie's guest at their fabulous book festival one year, which included dinner for the authors at their home the night before.
ReplyDeleteKate's - what a place. My first-ever author signing was there, as part of the second (original) Level Best books anthology of Best New England Crime Stories. I also miss New England Mobile Book Fair - not a fair and not mobile - which tried really hard to fill the gap after Kate's closed, hosting the holiday author parties. Tom didn't make it in the business, alas.
I've been to the Mysterious Galaxy in Redondo Beach, but I think it's closed now, and "appeared" on a zoom panel with my fellow Wicked Authors at Poisoned Pen during lockdown. I'd rather have appeared in person, but it's on the list.
As for non-mystery bookstores, yesterday I stopped into Book Passages in Corte Madera - wow - and into Green Apple Books, also amazing (Grace, we ate dinner across the street from it!). Agree with Julia about Got Print, and I have to give a major shoutout to my local back home, Jabberwocky Books, where Hank and Debs have each spoken (and other Reds, too? Julia? Hallie or Roberta?), and where I've held numerous launch parties. Sue Little still isn't back to in-person author events, but she and her fabulous staff pivoted right away during lockdown. When Paul would deliver books to my door every couple of weeks, I wanted to cry and hug him (I didn't). Such a blessing. The store marks 50 years this year, owned the whole time by Sue.
Book Passage is my home store. Hallie and I both teach at their mystery conference. Rhys
DeleteSo true! Book Passage. So many wonderful staffers there, spearheaded by Elaine and Bill Petrocelli and their daughter Katherine. An amazing place. I was once there for their mystery conference and Bill Clinton was having book signing. LINE around the store and out into the parking lot.
DeleteOh, and I agree about R Julia, Roberta. I was on a panel there a few years ago. Great place!
DeleteI know, Rhys! I plan to inquire about an event when my new series set in the Alexander Valley debuts next fall. Also, I waved vaguely in your direction as I drove by yesterday.
DeleteEDITH: Yum, there are so many great restaurants on Clement Street near Green Apple. And yes, the Mysterious Galaxy store in Redondo Beach closed a few years ago. Enjoyed going to that store, too.
DeleteThis is a great source of information! I could spend the rest of the day Google-ing all the references - which I probably will. Love the comment from Hallie, describing the potbellied pig. "She was a heavy-breather with a gristled snout." haha!
ReplyDeleteOur local book store, Warwicks, is privately owned by the same family since 1896.
This is Diana. Is Warwicks in Los Angeles?
DeleteAnother bookstore I *love* is Buttonwood Books... south of Boston in Cohasset - another legendary bookseller founded it, Betsey Detwiler, and still there is the fabulous Totsie MacGonagle. So welcoming.
ReplyDeleteRegarding author events, the most memorable "reading" I ever attended was at Powell's with Jasper Fforde, author of The Eyre Affair. It was like watching standup comedy. He was so funny!
ReplyDeleteHere in the Harrisburg PA area we have the Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookshop which I’ve visited twice to see Ellen Crosby who writes a wine mystery series set in Loudoun County VA. The store is rather quirky but little did I know when I discovered it in 2019 that it’s a local institution! —Emily Dame
ReplyDeleteMurder by the Book in Houston is where I started my love of mysteries back in the late 80's. They started me on Anne Perry and I haven't looked back. Now living in Tucson, I try to get to Poisoned Pen a couple times a year. I miss our own Tucson store, originally Footprints of a Gigantic Hound, and then Clues Unlimited. Shut down a couple years ago.
ReplyDeleteLove Murder by the Book in Houston. They were the first to have captions for their virtual events. Now other bookstores have captions for their virtual events. I think BOOK PASSAGE recently started providing captions for their virtual events.
DeleteDiana
Wonderful wonderful post today. Please send good thoughts / prayers / good vibes since I am about to submit my short story for a writing contest. I woke up thinking of how I wanted to wrap up everything with a solution to the murder mystery.
ReplyDeleteWow! There are so many bookstores.
Have anyone ever been to Alice's Shop in Oxford, England? I cannot recall if it also sold books. When my Mom and I travelled to England in 1986, we discovered Alice's Shop, which was modeled on Alice in Wonderland. I remember the postcards. When I went back in 1990 for my studies at Oxford, I could not find the shop. Perhaps it fell victim to the axe of Thatcherism??
Love BOOK PASSAGE in Corte Madera and the Ferry Building. They have a cafe in Corte Madera and a wonderful collection of children's books. I went there for a Mystery Writing Workshop years ago.
Love A GREAT PLACE FOR GOOD BOOKS (If I recall the correct name) in the Oakland hills. It is small and I always discover new books there. There is a wonderful room in the back with children's books and comfy chairs.
Love MRS. DALLOWAY'S BOOKS because they often have British novels that are not found in other bookstores. They also have a big Gardening book section. Yes, they also have a separate room with many children's books on one side and academic books on the other side of the room.
BLACK OAK BOOKS no longer exists at the Shattuck location in Berkeley, though it has been replaced by BOOKS INC. I love that it is local and most of the time I find a book that I want. Sometimes they do not have a book. They lean more towards Suspense and Thrillers and Hard boiled Mysteries. There are a few Traditional mysteries, though I rarely see Cozy Mysteries. If I wanted Cozy Mysteries, I am more likely to find them at a Chain bookstore, which tends to be bigger than an independent bookstore (not always).
In fact, I am more comfortable browsing in a smaller bookstore. PEGASUS BOOKS on Solano is another wonderful bookstore. They started carrying some Rom Com novels and I am a new fan to Rom Coms.
Thank you,
Diana
Sending positive vibes and good luck wishes your way, Diana! And thanks for the great recommendations!
DeleteThank you!!! Just finished today and submitted the story. And there are so many wonderful independent bookstores and amazing libraries too.
DeleteDiana
There is also a wonderful children's bookstore in Lafayette, California. I am not sure if it is still there. And I loved TOWNE BOOKS in Pleasanton, CA, but it is too far away for me. RAKSTRAW BOOKS is another favorite, but again, it is too far away for me.
ReplyDeleteSeveral years ago, I went on a tour of Independent Bookstores in Lamorinda.
Diana
I'm not sure that I have any one particular store that I've connected with in some remarkable way or have some kind of great story to tell about it. I would love to be able to go to all the mystery-centric stores that have been mentioned above but they are all so far away, it seems unlikely.
ReplyDeleteI have a couple of book bags featuring store logos. One I inherited from my mother but the other is from Titcomb's Bookshop in East Sandwich. I picked it up on a lark one day when I'd gone there to meet up with Edith Maxwell for lunch and to have some books signed. They've sponsored a number of signings that I've attended so if you were asking what my favorite indie store was, they'd be my answer. But their location on the Cape means it isn't exactly easy to get to from May to September.
Blasphemous I know, but I usually just stick to Barnes and Noble in-person (when I call to check if they have a book in, there are a couple of the women working there, including the divinely cute Heather, who actually recognize my voice because I call so often. HA!) or online or occasionally Amazon. There just aren't enough bookstores around within easy driving distance.
Growing up, there was a store called Kenmark Books (or Buck-A-Book) here in town that my family (in varying combinations) frequented. It burned down a long time ago.
I liked New England Mobile Book Fair even though it was a bit of a hike. I attended a couple of signings there and got to meet a host of authors who attended those signings as audience members. I went to Brookline Booksmith for a Jungle Red signing with Rhys and Lucy as the guests (Hank and Hallie served as moderators with Julia in the audience...and Edith Maxwell was there along with Kristopher Zgorski). I liked the store but getting there was a nightmare for someone who hates driving in the cities.
I wish I had a more exciting "Bookstore I Love" story but these days, I'm pretty much tied to wherever is the cheapest and most convenient for me model, unless there's an author signing involved.
My part of the area around Boston has become a bookstore desert, sadly - even my local Barnes and Noble has closed. But it's always great to see you at Brookline Booksmith, Jay!
DeleteI forgot to mention Brookline Booksmith, Jay. It's also a nightmare for me to get to from the NH border!
DeleteJay, is it still possible to take the train in Boston? Or is Brookline Booksmith too far from the train stop?
DeleteSo glad there are employees like Heather at the local Barnes and Noble.
Diana
Fforde's books are genius! What fun, Gillian.
ReplyDeleteClare: I thought that was my mom’s cupboard because she has all the same mugs! I’ve been drinking tea from those mugs in her kitchen for years now. We have a lovely local new/used bookstore close to us called Changing Hands but it doesn’t specialize in mysteries. We’re so lucky to have the Poinoned Pen for that. I also live across the street from Bookmans- it now has 8 locations I think but started in Tucson. It sells new and used books and musical instrument. I take all my used books and instruments there and come home with new ones!
ReplyDeleteI've heard great things about the Bookmans bookstores.
DeleteBeverly Barron. The Poisoned Pen!! And yes, Barbara is a force of nature!!! Love that lady and her staff. 🙂
ReplyDeleteAnd to an author, Barbara is a gift.
DeleteKaren, they really are. My sis and her family went to Swindon last time they were in the UK just because of Fforde!
ReplyDeleteAnother mention of Sleuth of Baker Street. I got to see (fangirl here) Elizabeth Peters! And Aaron Elkins! Probably a highlight of my life.
ReplyDeleteDear Husband used to take me to Toronto to go to Sleuth for Christmas and birthday with an unlimited book buying amount. He knows what I really want.
Chris Wallace
You saw some of the grass, Chris! Unlimited book buying amount: a dream!
DeleteI hate spell correct. Not grass. GREATS
DeleteMy favorite bookstore is Books of Wonder in Manhattan. Run by Peter Glassman, it was the store studied when they were making You've Got Mail. They have the quintessential staff who know their books inside and out. "My nephew loves books. He just finished the ______ series. What should I get him now?" And they immediately know the right books to suggest.
ReplyDeleteThey also have great author signings and readings. We managed to go to one with Lynne Reid Banks of the Indian in the Cupboard series and a then unknown British author, JK Rowling!
Realizing I've walked past BOOKS OF WONDER many times. Next time I'll go in! I did not know that about it being researched for YOU'VE GOT MAIL (You'd think I would!)
DeleteI miss the mystery bookstores we used to have in the LA area. Attending their events is how I found so many of the mystery authors I read back in the day. One in Pasadena turned me on the Rhys, and I met Hank at a signing at the bookstore in Thousand Oaks for her very first book. It's another way to find new authors, and I really miss it.
ReplyDeleteLOVED that store in Thousand Oaks. They had the best events. And there was a wonderful one in the middle of Westwood Village. And Pasadena. Sigh...
DeleteYes, I saw Debs at the Westwood shop.
DeleteLisa in Long Beach
Great memories! I love the reception one gets at RJ Julia in Madison and that is where I'll be for Lucy /Roberta's next book launch! I bless the Poisoned Pen for making author events available on Zoom, to those of us 2,000 miles away!! I have watched interviews with many favorite authors because they generously share!
ReplyDeleteThis is so great to hear! I know Barbara is a big fan of remote technology - it makes the author (and the book) accessible for a much longer period of time.
DeleteIt’s so much fun to read all these! So many memories! The time I went to Murder by the Book and it was a monsoon! Total monsoon, I couldn’t even open the door of my Uber because of the wind, and people still came. Now that’s a bookstore ! And Newtonville Books, where Katherine Hall Page and I still had to show up when there was an absolute blizzard. Awwwwww. Bookstore people are in the pantheon of wonderfulness.
ReplyDeleteI remember that blizzard!
DeleteSO crazy. The governor >orderedSTAY HOME< and still they had the event.
DeleteI have never been to a bookshop that was strictly devoted to mysteries, but one of my favorite sites of pilgrimage is the incomparable Northshire Books in Manchester Center, Vt. Closer to home, besides R.J. Julia in Madison, CT, are Grey Matter and Book Trader in New Haven, CT.
ReplyDeleteNorthshire is fabulous - and they have an entire COZY book nook.
DeleteAcres of Books was a used bookstore in Long Beach that was invaluable in my collecting most of the Independent Mystery Booksellers Assoc 100 Favorite Mysteries of the 20th Century (http://www.mysterybooksellers.com/favorites.html).
ReplyDeleteRay Bradbury wrote an ode to it (I Sing the Bookstore Electric). It couldn’t have been code compliant in earthquake country since the shelves were old fruit crates. I got a beautiful one as a souvenir when it closed in 2008.
Lisa in Long Beach
What a sweet memory! Seems to be Newtonville Books has a counter that rests on piles of books... or did I make that up?
DeleteSo many bookstores...so little time! *sigh*
ReplyDeleteJenn, you are blessed that the poisoned pen is in your neighborhood! Diana
DeleteI haven't had the wonderful independent bookstore experiences so many of you have. I live in an area where the nearest bookstore is 45 minutes away, and it's a Barnes and Noble. I'm familiar with Joseph-Beth Books, too, the one in Lexington, Kentucky. But, western Kentucky is sadly lacking in small, independent bookstores, mystery or otherwise. I have said before that I'd like to take a road trip visiting mystery bookshops in the U.S. Now I just have to find the perfect travel companion for this trip. I'm sorry I've already missed some first-rate stores.
ReplyDeleteI do have a a favorite mystery bookstore that i order from online. McKenna Jordan and her Murder by the Book store in Houston is at the top of my list of bookstores, mystery or otherwise. Being able to get to know McKenna online and attend events online from Murder by the Book saved my sanity during the lockdown time of Covid.
Kathy, big fan of MURDER BY THE BOOK in Houston here although I’ve never been to Texas. It’s wonderful to see virtual events online with captions.
DeleteDiana
While I read the Reds nearly every day, I comment about once a year. I couldn't let this topic go by without posting about the lost mystery bookstores of my various home towns, starting with the SF Mystery Bookstore. I had probably spent over $1000 there over the course of several years before Bruce Taylor deigned to recognize me as a regular customer and offered me the shot of scotch that I'd seen him offer to others. Bruce redeemed himself by forcing me to buy A Test of Wills, making me a lifelong fan of Charles Todd. And the wonderful M is for Mystery in San Mateo, right near my accountant's office!
ReplyDeleteWhen I moved back east circa 1996, there were 5 or 6 specialty mystery bookstores in NYC. I loved Partners & Crime in the Village, and adored the Black Orchid up on East 81st St. The proprietors of the Black Orchid were so welcoming that their store became my home away from home on many weekends. Their author signings and big parties were legendary. I was heartbroken when that store closed.
And now that I live in Saint Louis, I miss Big Sleep Books. I visited once on a scouting trip but they closed several years back. We are lucky to have Left Bank Books, a wonderful independent bookstore that works on author events including some in conjunction with our excellent City and County Libraries.
Chris Aldrich
The original Tattered Cover on east Colfax I think in Denver. Nooks and crannies with comfy chairs and side tables for your coffee and the smell of books. They lost that comfy feel when they went big time, though it was still a good store to browse. There was also an antiquarian store in Cherry Creek run by author John Dunning. That shop was a treat! deaun
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