Tag: Diane Mott Davidson

Where Do You Go For Your Book Fix?

Walls of Books

Walls of Books Bookstore Dog

Bookstores are my happy place. I have noticed though that each bookstore has a different feel. Some are warm and friendly, some are more modern with sleek lines and more minimalistic, some are geared toward adults, some more toward children. I have been to a mystery only bookstore and I have been to the Haunted Book Store. I am not sure if those last two are still around but I will do some research and let everyone know. I will try to visit them again.

The first time that I visited Walls of Books, I was looking for Diane Mott Davidson’s Goldie the Caterer series. I found them. I bought all of them. From then on, I was known as the lady who bought all those books. Which reminds me, I need to finish this series.

I discovered this bookstore a couple of years ago. It’s located in Ankeny, IA in a strip mall and it’s part of a franchise so I am sure you can find more in other locations.

It is an interesting place, not just because they have a bookstore dog. (To be honest, I was a little intimidated to see this dog running around the store. I like dogs but I can feel uncomfortable around strange dogs.) This one is gentle and most of the time it lies down near the owner and allows people to pet and talk to him. Lately, I haven’t always seen Isa in the store. Maybe he gets a day off occasionally.

This store is set up with bookshelves all the way around the room with stacks of shelves running in between. In the middle of the room is a leather sofa and chairs for anyone who wants to take a minute to look through a few books before they purchase them. It also has a second room connected with more books.

The main room has children’s books lining the back wall. As you walk into the store, the books start on the furthest wall to the left and weave back and forth through out the room. All the fiction books are in alphabetical order. All the fiction genres are mixed, so if you know the author’s name, you can find what you are looking for easily but there is no separate mystery, romance, horror, or sci-fi, fantasy section. I like to slowly walk through the stacks and find something that calls to me. When you reach the end of the fiction books, there are young adult and classics on last two rows on the furthest right.

In the second room, you will find a couple more chairs and new books, autobiography, biography, historical, non-fiction, and any other genre that doesn’t fit in fiction. I like the fact that this smaller bookstore thinks of the comfort of the customer compared to a local big name box store that pretty much removed any comfortable seating.

In the center of the store in front of the check out counter is a small row of tables with featured books and book related items for sale.

The staff are all pleasant and a mixture of younger and older employees. The fiction section is both used and new books. If you are looking for something special, you can ask someone to order it for you.

You can sell books as well as buy books there. They don’t pay cash, but they do give credit and you can use that credit toward half the purchase of a used book. You keep track of your credit, and you can spend it at any time.

The store has a pleasant atmosphere. There was a man proposing to his future wife there one day. Maybe they met there. Guess I will never know but I did watch with a few other customers and clerks.

Tell me about your favorite bookstore. Where is it located? Why is it your favorite? I hope to add more stores as I visit them. The Des Moines area has several bookstores now so watch for more tours soon.

Coming soon: A book review for Silence for the Dead by Simone St James.

Also, if you are in the area, the Des Moines Public Library has another AVID event tonight at the central library. The author is Jack Carr and it’s at 7:00 PM. I try to get there by 6:00 to make sure I get a copy of the book and a seat. They do sometimes have standing room only. Will post more about this event later.

Happy Reading,

Virginia

March Reads and February Follow-Up

I did meet my reading goal for February by finishing At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon. A friend had recommended that series a long time ago. It was a very satisfying read. It is about a minister in the small fictional town of Mitford, North Carolina. Father Tim, the bachelor Rector is about to turn 60 and he is beloved by the village. He is the go-to person whenever there is a need. Each chapter is like a short story. The village is made up of quirky characters. It was written in 1994 but it felt like it could have been set in an earlier time but there are references to some technology. Father Tim has a mysterious children’s book novelist who lives next door and they have an immediate attraction. He takes in a young boy whose mother abandoned him and all of his siblings. The young boy had been living with his grandfather when the Rector was asked to help with him. Tim also adopts an annoying dog that is a little rambunctious. The keep it from jumping on himself and others, he quotes the bible and the dog settles down. The dog actually adopted him first and he didn’t have the heart to give him away. Each chapter adds another layer of stories about each of the local people. I plan to read more of this series in the future. I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for an entertaining read that is Christian based.

Jan Karon is an American novelist who writes for both adult and young readers. She has been designated a lay Canon for the Arts in the Episcopal Dicease of Quincy IL by Keith Ackerman, Episcopal Bishop of Quincy. In May 2020 she received the Degree Doctor of Humane Letters honoris casa by Nashotah House, a theological seminary in Nashotah, Wisconsin.

My goal again for March is to read four books. I did complete one novel so far this month. Tough Cookie by Diane Mott Davidson. That book is part of a series that I love. I read several back in the 80’s but never finished so last fall I started them all over again. This series is about a caterer – Goldilocks Catering in Aspen Meadows Colorado who constantly either finds a body or gets dragged into investigating a murder. She always has a struggle with her business because she works out of her own home and the health inspector seems to have the need to shut her down whenever possible. Another problem is her abusive ex-husband who seems to always get tangled in her life no matter how hard she works to be rid of him. She was raising their grade school son, Arch, by herself with visits to his father until she marries a local cop. She also has a young chef, Julian, she meets along the way who helps with her business and becomes part of the family. The other character is her best friend Marla who also used to be married to her ex- The Jerk, a name Goldie and Marla gave him. Again full of quirky characters and enough twists to make me want to come back for more. She does have recipes for the food she highlights in each story. I did purchase her cook book last fall but I have yet to try anything. I tend to like to eat food but not cook it.

I hope to include as many of that series each month as I can fit in. I do enjoy series because you get to spend time with characters you become fond of. There is another series I hope to start a re-read of this year – The Sue Grafton A,B,C series, another series I started many years ago but never finished.

So I have a fairly ambitious stack of books for this month. I have started reading – The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict. I love Agatha Christie and felt this would be an interesting read. It is not a biography but it is a novel about that time when Agatha disappeared. So far very interesting.

I have been lucky enough to receive my first Covid vaccine and look forward to not being so afraid to leave my house soon. I should be fully vaccinated by the end of the month. How are you doing? Books help me to accept our situation and give me something to look forward to doing besides housework. During the winter it hasn’t been too bad. Our weather makes it difficult to get out that much anyway. I am looking forward to planting some flowers toward the end of April or early May. I also look forward to meeting with friends who are also getting vaccinated, so it will be safe. Take care of yourselves. I hope you are enjoying books now too. Let me know what you read this past month or what book are you excited about reading in March.

Until next time,

Virginia

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