Favorite bookstores in Auburn, Colorado, La Jolla, Scotland

This past week, my friend and Silver Screen regular (auburnsilverscreen.com, when the Auburn Library is open) Nancy Thym emailed me – her focus was bookstores. Local bookstores, bookstores elsewhere. "Maybe," she wrote, knowing exactly what my response would be, "you could invite your readers to write in about their favorite bookstore or their favorite bookstore story." This time, and probably next time, I want to focus only on bookstores. Email me info about your favorite bookstores. Favorite bookstore stories? Send them to me, too, and I'll share them later, when they've piled up. Nancy writes that, "All bookstores are the best and each one has its own special atmosphere. I love the old-world charm of Winston Smith's – the historic building, floor to ceiling bookcases, the old and colorful tomes, the staircase, the artwork. It's like walking into an old-fashioned library. And they can order anything for you. "But I also enjoy the Humane Society bookstore out by Raley's. Everything is organized by genre and alphabetically by author. … And you can't beat their prices. "And there's the Tattered Cover on Colfax Avenue near the capitol building in Denver, CO. Just the name makes my heart beat faster. It is a huge barn of a place, all natural wood inside, with many levels connected by wooden staircases, lots of comfortable couches and nooks and crannies." Writer, reader and traveler Beth Falor shared about several bookstores, including Powell's in Portland, which "presented oodles of new and old books that fed my soul. ... In Berkeley, I must have supported several employees at Black Oaks Books. "Also in Berkeley (lived there for, gasp, 22 years), Moe's offered other ways to read, and a cultural experience at hand for someone who grew up in the Midwest." Beth also mentioned A Clean Well-Lighted Place for Books in Corte Madera. "It was just as its name said, and they would get/order/find whatever book I wanted." Linda Yaffe, enthusiastic spokesperson for Placer Adult Literacy Services, also specified Powell's. As well, she added, "The dozens of used book stores we visited while on a 5½-month trip through the British Isles." Rhonda Apicella wrote: "I love Prairie Lights in Iowa City. ... Book Passage in Marin County, The Bookstore in Chico. (Her daughter, Katie, attends CSU Chico). … Recently discovered Charis Books & More in Decatur, GA. through an online event. "Of course, my favorite is City Lights, owned by my old friend Lawrence Ferlinghetti, in San Francisco." Kathy Petri shared that, "Our favorites are/were down south. The first one was in San Diego, called Adams Street Books (now closed). They had everything that you would want. That's where Ralph got most of his history books and I got old mysteries." They also like Encinitas Book Tales – Books, Don't Sit Down Without One. "Again, whatever you want, they probably have. We always visit them when we go down … and always come away with our arms full." Linda LoBue, the brilliant mind behind Sight Word Busters (sightwordbusters.org), shares that, "Hands down for me is Powell's Books in Portland. … It is the biggest bookstore ever. It sells new, used, rare and out-of-print books in various languages. … I can't wait to go back one day." Mona Anderson likes Ron J. Ballou, Bookman, Used and Rare Books in Roseville. "He's more the caliber of Winston-Smith ... not 'just' a 'used bookstore.' My personal favorite for cheap-books-for-a-good-cause in Auburn is the Used Bookstore that supports the Humane Society … in the Raley's shopping center." I brought some more free face masks to add to the nearly full basket at Winston Smith. Chatting with Glen Sewell was the bookstore's former owner, Fred Bernstein. I had the very cool idea to ask these guys about their favorite bookstores. Glen says he has a soft spot for seven bookstores in Southern California but especially "a small place with a ton of books, crammed in tight." This is D.G. Wills Bookstore in La Jolla. "He's dedicated his life to books. He has great literature, not the most popular, and the store does small internet events all the time, with big names." Fred insists he hasn't been to a lot of bookstores – "There are so many," he said. But he named three: "Moe's in Berkeley, Ted's in Santa Barbara – it's out of the way – and, 40 years ago, Acres of Books in Long Beach. It was huge. It just went on for miles." Me? I usually find something when I find myself in Winston Smith. I'm very fond of that place. I'm fond (inordinately) of most places that sell books. Except those that insist I abide by a specific religion or political party or advocacy group. So: I fell in love when I found Shakespeare and Company in Paris. And I learned later that several others exist in this country. I'm happy Kepler's still exists in Palo Alto. When we visited Inverness in Scotland, I happily noticed our rooms were right across the street from Leakey's Bookshop. The place is vast and multi-storied and in an ancient church. So now: What are your favorite bookstores? And got any good bookstore stories? Email me at the address below. And stay well. That's my town. Got any items for me? Email me at goldcountrydenizens@gmail.com.