New Local Bookstore - The Novel Neighbor

One of the saddest things to happen in the 21st Century is the demise of local independent bookshops.  My favorite nearby local bookshop, Puddn'head Books, closed a year or so ago.  Then the downtown branch of Left Bank Books closed. I still go to the original Left Bank Books in the Central West End but not as often as I probably should because, well, I don't live in the West End. 

As I said when Puddn'head Books opened:  "The bookstore of my imagination is small, with a friendly proprietor who likes the kind of books I like, in an easily accessed location with a lot of books that excite me." 

I am excited to tell you that Webster Groves has a new independent bookstore called The Novel Neighbor at the corner of Dale and Big Bend.  I missed the announcement but my sister had heard about it from a friend of hers so we went to check it out last week.  It's a charming little store that sits on a street corner and has decent parking.  It's not only a bookstore - which is probably good in this economy.   As its website says:

The Novel Neighbor is a unique concept and space that carries new adult and childrens’ books, unique works from local artists (including our own “artist(s) in residence”). We offer an amazing community space for book clubs, classes, author events, after-school activities, tastings, parties, showers, and more! We also, include cozy areas for reading – and a fantastic kids’ section with plenty of materials for little ones (and those grown) to read, experience, and explore.

We met the owner, Holland, who was just lovely.  And passionate about what she is doing.  She realizes she needs a business plan built on diversity to bring people into the store.  It worked with us because my sister heard about the store from a local photographer-friend of hers.  The shop has a nice community-use space and they plan to have some really interesting speakers in the evening.  I'm definitely going to check that out. 

The selection of books is not incredibly large (which is very wise of her) but in looking through the shelves, they were "my" kind of books.  So I know that I'll never have trouble finding something there.  And she'll order what she doesn't have. 

One thing I loved is that she is partially funded through kickstarter and she allows some of her funders to have special shelves where they can tell the world what kind of books they like.  I have to say that her backers have the same taste in books that I do!

I really hope the community supports this store.  I don't live in Webster Groves but I live nearby.  If any community in the St. Louis area should be able to support a local bookseller, it should be Webster and environs. 

Check it out:  The Novel Neighbor, 7905 Big Bend Boulevard, Webster Groves Missouri 63119
7905 Big Bend Blvd. Webster Groves MO 63119

Left Bank Books - New Downtown Store

During these hard economic times it is always good to celebrate good things that happen.  One of the good things that has happened here in St. Louis is the opening of a new downtown location for Left Bank Books, an independent bookstore that, up until now, has had only one location in the city's Central West End.

In this economy many bookstores are closing.  But the "powers that be" are really trying to attract businesses downtown and they felt that a local bookstore would be a plus. So, rumor says, they worked hard to get Left Bank to open a branch downtown, not far from Washington Avenue and the loft district with its residential flavor. 

Although the store has actually been opened for a number of weeks, the "Grand Opening" was a couple of weekends ago and I went down for the Friday night festivities.  The event was a talk and book signing by author Mike Lux who is on tour promoting  his book The Progressive Revolution.  A good crowd showed up to hear him and during the Q&A they asked a lot of really good questions.

The downtown store is very different from the West End Store.  The West End store, situated on a busy corner, looks like an old fashioned book store with dark wood shelves.  The high ceilings don't make it any less crowded with books and people. Personally, I always get a little claustrophobic in it.  The downtown location is much more modern, with plate glass windows looking out onto the streets and the HVAC system and other structural elements exposed.  It has a lot of room, which I liked.

Here's the only photo that I thought to take that night, it isn't the greatest but it will give you an idea of what it looks like:

Author Mike Lux acknowledges Mo. Secretary of State and Senate Candidate Robin Carnahan (in the red jacket) during his talk. 

I hope they can make a go of it.  Rumor says that part of luring them downtown was giving them a really good deal on rent.  I hope that's true.  And I hope the people who live and work downtown stop by often and BUY BOOKS. 

Nikki at Puddn'head Books in Webster Groves sent out an e-mail last week extolling the St. Louis community's ability to support local independent bookstores.  That made me reorganize my links over on the side and provide a category for local independent bookstores.  Where they have a blog I've linked to the blog.  So, if you are local check out the links and then go check out the stores. We are fortunate to have some good ones - let's keep it that way.

I Love my iPhone

A few weeks ago I bought myself an iPhone and not only have I not regretted it for one moment, I think its the best phone I've ever had.  And the weird thing is ... I'm fond of it.

It's the same feeling of fondness I had back in law school when I had a Mac.  I knew that, as an adult woman, I shouldn't have emotional feelings for inanimate objects but I couldn't help it.  I often said that I loved my Mac. When I went back into the workplace and had to revert to PC world again, it was a downer. 

I was hesitant about the iPhone. I wondered if it was worth the cost; I wondered if it would live up to its hype.  But I needed a new phone and I needed to make a decision. Over the holidays I checked out my sister's new iPhone and decided I was going to do it.  

I've loved it from the first day.

When I was in DC it was a godsend.  We were constantly using it to get information.  I downloaded an app that contained information about the metro system, including a map and a function that would tell you when the trains were due to arrive at a specific metro stop.  I used it to check in for our flights on Southwest so we could get "A" boarding passes even though we were walking around the streets of DC at the time. I used it to find information about tourist attractions.  I used it to text and phone and e-mail (on multiple e-mail accounts).  It was great.  The only downside is that this is my personal phone, not my work phone, and my work place doesn't support iPhones.  So I still had to carry around my work PDA to (try) to get my work e-mails.  (This turned out to be a waste of effort since T-Mobile had terrible service over that weekend and I was without internet and e-mail service for days, but that's another story.)

Now that I'm home I'm trying out the different apps.  Today via Bookninja I came across a new app described in the LA Times Blog "Jacket Copy" called SNAPTELL.  

Dave Weich from Powell’s pulled out his iPhone and showed his colleagues a new free app (name?) that had them all gulping their wine and gasping for air. The app allows iPhone users to simply point their phone at a book jacket (perhaps one they like the looks of on Powell’s store recommendations shelf) and the phone instantly provides a price comparison of everywhere that book is available online.

Well that was interesting.  But it seemed to be just another way to drive local booksellers out of business. I continued to read and it turns out that the app will also give you price information for stores in your area. 

I decided to try it out.  I searched for it in the App Store and it turns out to be free.  I downloaded it.  I clicked the camera icon that appeared at the bottom of the screen, pointed my phone at my new copy of The Book Thief and snapped the picture.  It asked me if I wanted to use that photo or retake the shot (just like it does when it is in regular camera mode).  I clicked "use photo".  Within a few seconds it gave me 21 online prices ranging from $7.10 and 9 local prices from $5.59. Clicking on the local prices line, the first place that came up was the Target store about 8 blocks away from me.   Well, that's not going to help local booksellers either but it is impressive.

I could also access the Google Shopping results (prices and reviews), ebay results, half.com, barnesandnoble and Yahoo results.

I'm committed to buying books from my favorite independent bookstore, Puddn'head Books, but I know I'll still order some books online. It's just too easy to have them delivered directly to my office.  This is a handy little app to have - maybe even to snap a photo while I'm book browsing and pull up all the reviews etc.

Next I need to learn to use the app that identifies the music that is playing and lets you buy it from iTunes.

Pudd'nhead Books

The Library made me crabby yesterday.   

I went to return my books and I wanted to browse for new fiction.  I should know better by now.  I get crabby every time I go to Buder Branch without a "mission" and just decide to browse around, looking for a book I've never read that attracts my interest.  You see, I have this silly idea that one of the functions of a public lending library should be to encourage people to read. What better way to encourage reading, not to mention justifying the expense of purchasing new books on the taxpayers' nickel, than to display those new books in a prominent, easy-to-access location.

Some Library branches do that.  But those branches aren't open on Sundays so I always end up at Buder Branch, where "new books" are tucked away in a little alcove with floor to ceiling bookshelves on opposite walls and only enough room for 2 people at a time to browse and where most of the books for some reason are placed on the lower three shelves so that you have to bend over to look at them and, yes, bump butts with the other person in the alcove who is doing the same thing on her side. It's just incredibly poor design and it's been that way since they opened this otherwise beautifully designed building - a building that has LOTS of space that could be used to display new fiction in all its glory.

I was not in the mood for butt bumping yesterday; it made me crabby.  And, when crabby, I cannot choose a book.  I left the Library.  Crabby.  I knew I needed to do something book related to try to get the crabbiness out of my mind, so I went to check out Pudd'nhead Books at 37 S. Old Orchard in Webster Groves (in the same little shopping center where the Ben Franklin and the Starbucks are located). 

I saw it a few weeks ago, the day after Thanksgiving, when my extended family was going to dinner at Big Sky Cafe (which I highly recommend and not just because I'm related to the fabulous sous chef there).  The books in the window of what had recently been an empty store front caught my eye and I wandered over to look.  A new bookstore! That was nice.  It was, however, closed and I couldn't see much of the interior. But I decided to go back one weekend day and check it out.  Truthfully I didn't think that it would end up being a place that I loved because ... well, I'm used to disappointment.

But. Oh. My. God.  I loved it. I think it is going to be one of my favorite places. 

The thing is, I always like the idea of supporting independent booksellers but truthfully I have not had an independent bookstore that I've really patronized for all my book needs since The Library Ltd. closed its doors many moons ago. Independent bookstores by their very nature reflect the tastes of their owners and the successful ones generally try to find some kind of niche market.  None of the bookstores within easy distance of me really seem to fit me, although it's hard to say why.

What would fit me? The bookstore of my imagination is small, with a friendly proprietor who likes the kind of books I like, in an easily accessed location with a lot of books that excite me. 

That last part sounds simple but it isn't. I can find a book to buy in almost any bookstore, but my idea of heaven is to walk into a store and fear for my wallet within the first five minutes.  That just doesn't happen very often in small bookstores, at least the ones near me.  They seem to be directed at people with different tastes in reading than mine.  Thrillers.  Political tomes.  Niche books (gardening, photography, psychology).  It's not that I won't read those, I do.  But they just don't get me ... excited.   Off the beaten path literature (especially British) excites me.

So you can imagine my excitement when I walked into Pudd'nhead Books and the first thing I saw on a table full of books was one of the books in the Merry Hall Trilogy.

Well, maybe you can't. 

Because I'm guessing that most of you haven't heard of Merry Hall by Beverly Nichols.  I had never heard of Merry Hall until a few years ago when I came across it at the bookstore of The Missouri Botanical Garden and decided to buy it for my best friend H, who is a great reader and a great gardener.  The first-person account of Mr. Nichols' post-war renovation of a rundown Georgian house named "Merry Hall" including, most particularly, the reconstitution of its garden, seemed like a perfect gift for H.  And she loved it.  She lent it back to me to read.  I loved it.  She bought the sequels; we both loved them.  They have made the rounds of our book club.

The thing is, as delightful as they are, I have never seen them anywhere except the Botanical Garden bookstore.  And it ran out of its copies long ago. So to walk into a little bookstore in Webster Groves and see one just sitting there among a group of other, more "normal", books made me think that maybe this might be the bookstore for me.

I started wandering around.  Although it contained all the usual categories, it's focus seemed to be on the things I like to read.  Fiction.  And not just fiction.  "Literary Fiction". Lots of British authors.  Lots of Canadian authors.  Lots of books I knew and loved.  Lots of books I've been wanting to read.  A fair amount of books I've never heard of.  A smattering of best sellers.  It also had what seemed to be a really good children's section. 

It also had a nice sitting section with a big comfy looking couch and a couple of upholstered chairs.  It isn't very big - really just the right size for a friendly neighborhood bookstore.  But what really clued me that whoever was running this bookstore was on the same wavelength as me were the displays.  Almost any bookstore will have books that I want to read.  But the bookstore of my imagination will make it easy for me to find them.  They won't be hidden on shelves; books that would interest me would be displayed (the owner would of course be able to read my mind to know my tastes). 

As I looked at the displays I realized that about half of the displayed books were ones that I had already read and REALLY liked.  And the other half were books that I hadn't read.  There were no books on display that I knew I didn't like.  That meant that there was a very good chance that I would like the books I hadn't yet read.

I intend to frequent this little store and I hope everyone I know does too.  It's hard to operate a bookstore in this economy so word of mouth is going to be important.  So all you St. Louis lurkers pay attention!  Go check it out and buy something!

And those of you NOT nearby .. do you have a small bookstore you love?  Or are you still searching?