The Magic of Bookstores

 LUCY BURDETTE: I am certain I am not the only person reading this blog who has an obsession with bookstores. Whenever I visit a new town, a stop to the local bookstore will always be included. Each store has its own personality. Of course, I check to see whether my books or the books of my writing friends are there. Often bookstores are small, and the number of books published every year is enormous, so I am not disappointed if I don’t see familiar titles. It’s a special bonus however, if I do! This year I stopped at the Midtown reader in Tallahassee with my sister, and also visited The Bookshelf in Thomasville, Georgia. While at a family wedding last weekend, we went to Sherman’s Maine Coast  in Damariscotta, where we spotted a full shelf of Barbara Ross books and also Jenn’s Love at First Book. Here is what I found at Thiemers Magazin in Copenhagen. Hooray, Jenn is everywhere!

I feel particularly lucky to have wonderful independent bookstores in both of my hometowns, RJ Julia in Madison CT where I often have a launch party, and Key West Island books and Books and Books in Key West, both of which are extremely supportive of local authors.

Though I don’t do nearly the amount of touring that our own Hank does, I visited two amazing stores in the past month. Jeff Kinney (the writer) established An Unlikely Story in Plainville, Massachusetts. This store is absolutely magical!

And as I mentioned on Wednesday, John and I stopped at Ann Patchett’s Parnassus in Nashville while we were there for the Bouchercon conference. We found Jenn again!

This reminded me that my first real job out of college was working as a clerk at a bookstore. Sometimes I dream of owning one myself, but then I remind myself that I should have thought of this 20 years earlier lol. Instead, I will visit as many stores as I can reach, and support them with as many purchases as my nightstand can hold!

How about you Reds, are you hooked on bookstores as well as books? Any favorites to tell us about?

In the form of a Question...

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:   I have a newfound respect for that guy who's winning billions of dollars on Jeopardy. (Are you watching that? I am fascinated by his strategy.)

Hank and Jeff Kiney

Anyway, I have new respect for anyone who wins anything on Jeopardy! Friday night I played a special game of Jeopardy in a tournament of An Unlikely Story Bookstore in Plainville Massachusetts--one of my fave bookstores on the planet. 


It's owned by Jeff Kinney, who wrote the Wimpy Kids books, and he is the best person in the world. 


He organized this truly authentically amazing Jeopardy tournament this Independent Bookstore Appreciation Day weekend to benefit the Book Industry Charitable Foundation, a nonprofit that helps booksellers in need.

SO--I was on the author team with New York Times bestselling authors Cassandra Clare (Darkhunters!), Holly Black (Spiderwick Chronicles)!, and Raul The Third (Low Riders in Space! Sponge Bob!). We were SO ready, and when we saw the categories, I knew we had it nailed. I knew every answer to the crime fiction category and first lines, and Cassie and Holly had  horror and music down pat, and Raul had illustrators and children's lit.. 

SADLY we could not make the buzzers work.  

See how crazed I am?

We really tried, and we were way too competitive, but, apparently, we just did not have good buzzer skills. So bottom, line were were, um, skunked. It was TRAGIC! But off-the-charts fun. Amazing. And Jeff Kinney was a terrific and  charming and witty Alex Trebeck.

We won the consolation round, which is little consolation, but you know authors. We'll take every win we can get.

And here we are afterward, with our score posted. (That's Raul the fourth in the photo, too. 

And we demand--I mean, we'd be delighted--to come back next year and regain the crown.  

A million years ago, I did a series on "How to get on a game show" for Channel 7, and took the Jeopardy test and passed! (It was very difficult, but my head is full of unnecessary stuff.)  I could have been on the show! (But conflict of interest kept me off, of course.) But Meg Gardiner won Jeopardy, did you know that? And Brendan DuBois? And Laura Di Silverio was a contestant. 

Do you watch Jeopardy? Do you love it?