Can You Imagine?

I’ve been inspired by some wonderfully imaginative books lately. Most recently, I just finished reading Anne of Green Gables for the very first time. I’m not sure how I escaped girlhood without entering the magical mind of Anne Shirley! But I’m thrilled to have finally made her acquaintance, and am going to try and read the rest of L.M. Montgomery’s series before my August visit to Prince Edward Island. (I’ll just happen to be up there this summer during the 100th anniversary celebration of the book’s publication.)

Another young adult book that passed me by in childhood was recently recommended by a co-worker. I absolutely loved the play-on-words journey of Milo in The Phantom Tollbooth, a fantasy travel tale like nothing I’ve ever read before. I’ve passed along my copy for others to enjoy, but look forward to reading it again before summer’s end.

And the other night I read a unique “visual novel” - Mr. Fooster Traveling on a Whim is a short work of creative genius! It won’t hit bookshelves till early June, but you can see and hear portions of it online now. This book also introduced me to the work of illustrator Craig Frazier and his imaginative animations. (Click on any of the circles to view his short moving stories.)

Handmade in China

Months ago, during my travels in China, I took a day trip from Shanghai to the city of Suzhou. My main reason for going was to meet one of the partners of The Bookworm, Peter Goff, who was hard at work prepping for the opening of the bookstore’s third location in China. (The Suzhou Bookworm is now open.)

That afternoon, I also had time to explore some of the city’s famous gardens and visit the Suzhou Museum. Although an older portion of the museum has been around since the 1960’s, an entirely new structure–designed by I.M. Pei–opened in October 2006. The collection housed within this contemporary masterpiece focuses on the ancient arts and culture of the region. And the emphasis on authentic local craftsmanship carries over from the exhibit space to the first-rate museum shop, where I had the good fortune to meet its owner (and I.M. Pei’s nephew), Gee Pei. A short piece I wrote about the Suzhou Museum shop appears in this month’s National Geographic Traveler:

Not a great scanning job — so why not buy a copy of the current May/June issue? No better time for some travel daydreaming! There are wonderful features on Guatemala, Portugal and a special photo section on one of my favorite places, Slovenia. And when you go to Shanghai and find yourself with time for a day trip, I strongly recommend Suzhou — for the museum shop, and much, much more.

May Blooms

New month, and a colorful flower box decorates my bedroom view.
(Although it’s a bit hard to tell because of the dirty window!)

But still, a marked improvement from this view.
And the sun is shining.
Happy May.

Bookstore Visit: MIT Press Bookstore

I promised myself I would wrap up my Boston bookstore visits before another month began. So now, finally, here is the last installment — a brief mention of the MIT Press Bookstore that I had a chance to browse through on my way out of town. After a quick meeting with my rep, I headed around the block to a cheerful corner shop that is just steps from the Kendall Square T stop. The store obviously highlights MIT titles, but carries a collection of new and used books from other publishers as well, on topics that fit well with the MIT collection.

During my two days touring bookstores in the Boston area (and I merely scratched the surface, I know), I was also able to meet with my reps and publicity contacts at Harvard University Press and MIT Press. It was wonderful to be able to combine my visits with bookstore event folks with a few additional face-to-face meetings with these reps who I most often interact with through a tunnel of emails. It was refreshing and enjoyable to be able to meet all these colleagues in-person, something I hope to do in other cities in the coming months.

As a wrap up, the other Boston-area bookstores I visited:

Brookline Booksmith

Harvard Book Store

Globe Corner Book Store

It Goes On

“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.”

- Robert Frost

Exploring the ‘hood

Based on where I am currently living, can you guess which neighborhood landmark I visited yesterday? Click on the color to find out.

My thanks to the always informative NewYorkology for the tip that this tiny treasure would be open to the public yesterday.

Distance

Travelling is like a night of heavy rain. It can clear away the heat and dust of the day, of all that has gone before. It can teach you how to be light, to let go.

from Geography, by Sophie Cunningham

Bookstore Visit: Globe Corner

(Slowly continuing my recap of visits to some of Boston’s independent bookstores.)

They worship Planet Earth in style at The Globe Corner Bookstore on Mt. Auburn St. at Harvard Square. Case in point, this elegant “map altar” to the gods of geography nestled near the rear of the store. Travel guides, memoirs, narratives and essay collections are arranged by region and sit on gorgeous custom shelves in an eco-friendly LEED-certified green building.

Bookstore lovers should flock to Cambridge this weekend to visit this fabulous travel shop, as well as all the other area bookstores that are participating in the Passport to Wisdom Book Stroll and Bookish Ball taking place this Saturday, April 12. It’s a fantastic idea — a self-guided walking tour, various author events, and an evening party for the community — all of it in celebration of the bookstores of Harvard Square.

Where poetry lies

What’s In My Journal

Odd things, like a button drawer. Mean
Thing, fishhooks, barbs in your hand.
But marbles too. A genius for being agreeable.
Junkyard crucifixes, voluptuous
discards. Space for knickknacks, and for
Alaska. Evidence to hang me, or to beatify.
Clues that lead nowhere, that never connected
anyway. Deliberate obfuscation, the kind
that takes genius. Chasms in character.
Loud omissions. Mornings that yawn above
a new grave. Pages you know exist
but you can’t find them. Someone’s terribly
inevitable life story, maybe mine.

- William Stafford

More here.

Bookstore Visit: Harvard Book Store

Although I’ve been to Cambridge about a 1/2 dozen times in my life, the trip I took earlier this month included my very first visit to the Harvard Book Store. It’s a beautiful shop with eye-catching window displays and tall wooden bays of books that hug every wall of the store. I was fortunate to have a chance to meet a few folks from their knowledgeable staff — Marketing Manager Heather Gain and Head Book Buyer Megan Sullivan were kind enough to show me around and chat briefly about events and the book-selling biz, specifically the academic side of things, since both our stores serve university communities.

I also chatted with Steve downstairs in the Used Book section, where he pointed out the fantastic “book finds” that decorate the shelves of this basement area. The staff tapes up whatever they find inside used books, and they’ve also managed to wallpaper an entire door in bookmarks gathered from other stores: