Footnotes from the World's Greatest Bookstores

I discovered this delightful little book at the library the other day. It's even fun how it opens. The cover lifts up and then the pages turn as usual in any book.

Of course, I had to check to see if Powell's was included. It was.

Some of the store names are terrific, such as:

• Moby Dickens in Taos, New Mexico
• Giggles in Chennai, India
• Books of Wonder in New York City
• Tell a Story in Portugal

But my favorite of all is Weapons of Mass Instruction in Argentina.

Some had interesting signage. I especially liked this one. Wise men fish here.

  

One of my favorites is a shop in San Francisco called Adobe. It's in the Mission district. It's story: In 2013, the store's rent was set to practically double in the fast gentrifying neighborhood. The artist community that had grown up around Adobe over the decades promptly rallied and once starving, now influential artists like Rebecca Solnit and Chris Johanson took over the store as a collective. 

The most amazing show they ever had was in 2004 when overnight, Chris Cobb rearranged the entire store (20,000 books) in order of color--rainbow hues and then a big black and white section. As an artist, I love this and only wish I could have seen it. And the expressions on peoples faces when they walked in the door.

This little book made me realize what gems bookstores are in our communities. Libraries too for that matter. In the days of Kindle and Amazon delivering to your door in two days, these little guys will struggle to make it. So head to your local book store an make a purchase or two. They are so worth it!

Solo 1: Grow an Herb Garden

I love lists, always have and always will. I don't mind if they are mine are someone else's. I have been looking at the list Fifty Things You Can Do by Yourself. Number one is to grow either a vegetable or herb garden. I chose the herb garden because in the Pacific Northwest there lives this creature called a slug who loves the fresh growth of most garden vegetables. It's hard to even get one started without nightly vigilance. On the other hand, my herb garden is on my deck right outside my kitchen door. No slugs there. I love it!
Check this out.