Debut Author Interviews

Do you have a favorite bookstore?

• G. Neri on...Favorite Bookstore
• Sarah Beth Durst on...Favorite Bookstore
• A.C.E. Bauer on...Favorite Bookstore
• Paula Chase on...Favorite Bookstore
• Kelly Bingham on...Favorite Bookstore
• Eric Luper on...Favorite Bookstore
• Greg R. Fishbone on...Favorite Bookstore
• S.A. Harazin on...Favorite Bookstore
• Ruth McNally Barshaw on...Favorite Bookstore
• Carrie Jones on...Favorite Bookstore

Do you have a favorite bookstore?

Good question. I have two, one for each place I’ve truly lived. In Venice Beach, my fav, right off the sand and the famous boardwalk, is one of the last truly independent bookstores—Small World Books and the Mystery Annex. It’s a writer’s and reader’s dream shop, hidden away behind a restaurant. It’s been there since the ’70s and has the most fabulous collections of books—real books, not the garbage you see in most Borders. Great fiction, mystery, graphic novels, art books…you name it, they got it. With cats wandering the aisles too.

My other favorite is in Tampa, where I live now. Inkwood Books is also the last indie holdout, and resides in a lovely old wooden house with a porch. Great selection and staff, lovely and relaxing. If you are ever in any of these cities, check ‘em out!

Do you have a favorite bookstore?

Do I have to pick just one? I love Pandemonium Books in Cambridge, MA. I love the Boulder Book Store in Boulder, CO. I love Books of Wonder in New York City. I’ve never been to Powell’s Books in Oregon, but I’ve had it described to me so many times that I love it from afar…

Do you have a favorite bookstore?

I have many favorites—I like different stores for different reasons. There’s the bookstore restaurant I like going to with my children, because after eating a hearty meal, we can spend time exploring the stacks. When I feel like thinking, quietly, there’s the store with the tall wooden shelves lined up in narrow aisles that has a few tables in front crowded with unexpected selections. In the summer, there’s a second-hand store I like to frequent, airy and cheerful, that serves cold drinks and carries the oddest cards I’ve ever seen. When I’m looking for a present for a child, there’s the children’s bookstore in my town with a warm and friendly owner, and a remarkable selection for such a tiny space. And when I have time to spare, nowhere to rush to, and it’s on the way, there’s a two-story store filled with nooks and crannies, that has a beautiful selection for all ages, intelligent shelf talkers, helpful staff, and even a café in the back, if you need a snack.

Do you have a favorite bookstore?

I really don’t. I love being in any bookstore, especially the type with benches and seats scattered around the store inviting you to sit and have a read.

When I was a kid, my cousin and I would often visit a bookstore in the Rotunda off Security Blvd. We’d sit in the aisles and read and read until her mom, who worked in the building, came and got us. How wonderful that no one ever chased us out, considering we rarely bought anything.

Do you have a favorite bookstore?

The Flying Pig, in Vermont, is an awesome bookstore!!

I also love the little bookstore in Wellesly, MA.

But I have to admit, I’m easy as far as bookstores go. Give me a good selection and a friendly environment, and I’m happy.

Do you have a favorite bookstore?

I like different bookstores for different reasons.

As a young adult author, it means a lot when I see that a certain degree of thought has gone into the YA section. This is a niche that has very specific tastes and needs and it really irks me when the YA section is some half-bookcase in a corner next to the bathrooms. I like to see a couch and some cool graphic novels and lots of titles from the people I know and love. I also like a book seller that understands YA literature.

With that being said, there are plenty of bookstores that I love.

Do you have a favorite bookstore?

I can’t pick just one favorite bookstore. They’re such amazing places, it’s hard to visit any bookstore without finding a book you’ve wanted for a long time, and one that someone has strongly recommended, and another that you had no idea about at all. And these days I can find books written by friends and 2k7ers as well.

Do you have a favorite bookstore?

It is hard to choose a favorite bookstore.

But today I am especially fond of The Mystery Bookstore in LA. http://www.mystery-bookstore.com/blog/

My book is a pick of the month. That means a lot to me.

Do you have a favorite bookstore?

A few years ago East Lansing, Michigan, had more bookstores per capita than any city in the country.
I live in Lansing, just a jump from E.L.
I don’t know if E.L. still holds the title, but there sure are a lot of bookstores to choose from.
My writing group meets at Schulers. I love the local Barnes & Noble stores and can never pass by a Borders without going in.
I adore Pooh’s Corner in Grand Rapids and Halfway Down the Stairs in Rochester and Nicola’s in Ann Arbor.
There are two wonderful bookstores in Williamston (or is it Webberville) and Mason which I haven’t visited yet.
The Flying Pig in Vermont is owned by a dear friend.

I love bookstores. Only art stores and computer stores hold as much magic, for me.
So, no single favorite. Just lots of great stores that, when I walk in the door, feel like home.

Do you have a favorite bookstore?

I am a bookstore slut.
Yes, it is true.
Show me a bookstore and I turn into a crazed, happy woman who peruses the aisles, sighing.

My favorites?

1. I love the Flying Pig in Vermont because it is AMAZING. It is comfy and fun and the owners are brilliant. And it’s so obvious how much the people who work there love books.
2. I love Port in the Storm Bookstore in Maine because it’s on Somes Sound in the village of Somesville, and this bookstore is full of light. You walk in and you have to smile.
3. I love the Borders in Bangor Maine because I actually witnessed a girl buy TIPS ON HAVING A GAY (ex) BOYFRIEND there. This is the highlight of my author existence. It was so hard waiting until she went to the cash register, but I did wait. I swear! Then I jumped up and down in a circle silently screaming “YAY” and pumping my fist in the air.
4. This really cute bookstore in Scotland that was down a tiny dirt road (It was Scotland…) and was just crammed full of books. You had to turn sideways sometimes to get down the aisles. I really loved that store.