Indie Bookstore Featurette!

Dear Aly,

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve had time to visit the amazing indie bookstores in my area, and with my beloved neighborhood Barnes & Noble closing (after 21 years!!!), I figured it’s time to see what else is out there. I’m totally devastated by my favorite hangout going the way of the dinosaurs, but never fear! I found some totally amazing and unique bookstores. These are spread out along California’s coast, all the way up to Santa Barbara, so if you’re in the area, check em out!!!

 

1. The Last Bookstore, Los Angeles, CA – It’s not an indie bookstore post without The Last Bookstore!!! Located in the arts district of LA, this amazing store sells new and used books, as well as gifts and LPs. The YA section holds so much nostalgia, and there’s even a section for local NYT bestsellers (Tahereh Mafi and Marie Lu top that list!!!). The classics section has some amazing finds, and even has all the beautiful Penguin Classics editions you could ever want. Above the store is the Labyrinth: containing independent vendors, the sci-fi, fantasy, and horror books, and in the back, the $1 bargain stacks. If you’re looking for a deal, this place is the best!! For the bookiest of us, The Last Bookstore is heaven!
2. The Book Den, Santa Barbara, CA – Another used and new bookstore. This place has a unique feel and some of the most beautiful classics books I’ve ever seen. You need this place in your life if you love quaint bookshops. It’s actually pretty well-stocked, and they buy books, so it’s perfect if you’re clearing out your shelves and want to fill em right back up! Haha
3. Granada Books, Santa Barbara, CA – A beautiful indie bookstore that has the coolest, most unique selection of books. They’ve only been open for about a year, but I can see them becoming a Santa Barbara staple. I found an amazing copy of Jack Kerouac’s On The Road that I couldn’t resist, and they were the only bookstore I found that actually had The Song of Achilles that I had been hunting for for weeks! The staff was so nice, and I think I kind of made their day – I was darting around the store for a good 30 minutes marveling at all the books. I even found the gorgeous Penguin editions of all of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s books (they’re amazing in gold and silver on white backgrounds).
4. Chaucer’s Books, Santa Barbara, CA – Possibly my favorite place on Earth. Chaucer’s Books would appear in an encyclopedia if you looked up “bookstore.” They have so many books to sell that a lot of them are stacked up on the ground around the shelves. They’ve got everything, or they can get it for you. The YA section is tremendous!!!! Every book I could think of was there, even the oddly-elusive Raven Cycle books by Maggie Stiefvater that I check for at every store. What really wowed me though was the middle grade section. Most stores have maybe two or three shelves of middle grade books, well, Chaucer’s has a whole wall!! I found my beloved Children of the Lamp series (which I was surprised to find has 7 books in it now!!), as well as some middle grade and children’s classics! Oh, and an annotated Phantom Tollbooth, so cool!!!
5. Bay Books, Coronado, CA – Another cool and unique bookstore with a view!! It’s super close to The Hotel Del in Coronado, and the beach is just a few minutes walk. I love the atmosphere and how low key this store is. There’s always people milling about, and they have a lot of books to choose from.

Here’s a list of books I picked up recently on my vacation!

 

On The Road by Jack Kerouac

Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

The Glass Sentence by S. E. Grove

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Champion by Marie Lu

Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen by Garth Nix

 

Look for reviews for all these coming up soon!!

Happy reading,

Zoe

From Z to A: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Dear Aly,

I have felt all the feels. All of them. All. The. Feels.

My lovely friend recommended The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller to me, and so far everything she’s told me was good, was good, so naturally I trusted this recommendation too. And boyyyyyyy was she right!!!

The Song of Achilles is the Iliad told from Patroclus’ point of view. He is Achilles’ trusted and beloved companion, and he tells the story of Achilles’ rise to glory. The story starts when they are boys, when Patroclus accidently kills another boy and is exiled to live with Achilles in his father’s palace. They grow up together and when Achilles is sent to the centaur Chiron to train, Patroclus follows. What comes next is a beautiful portrayal of their friendship and love. They become each other’s lifeline, they love without any cares, and you fall in love with Achilles and Patroclus as they fall for each other. And when news reaches Greece about Helen’s kidnapping, Patroclus finds himself bound to serve in the war, so Achilles follows. The ending is all the more heartbreaking because we know what happens to our beloved heroes.

I absolutely fell in love with this book. Having studied The Iliad for class, it’s really interesting to see it from a different perspective, to see Achilles portrayed as something more than just a mighty warrior. We see his grief at Patroclus’ death in The Iliad but only his rage and grief. In The Song of Achilles, we are shown how their relationship grows. As a fan of Oliver Stone’s Alexander, in which Alexander the Great and Hephaestion use Achilles and Patroclus as a model for their relationship, I really enjoyed reading this. Madeline Miller creates beautiful characters in Pat and Achilles. Obviously, so far into the past, its easy to speculate what might have happened even though we don’t know, but I think this book does a really good job at being believable while still sticking to the Iliad story. I loved that Madeline Miller made Achilles and Patroclus’ relationship definitely romantic instead of hinting at it, or making it “plausible” like it is in the Iliad.

If you love ancient history and adorable Greek men being adorable, you need this book in your life. ALY READ THIS BOOK!!!

Happy reading,

Zoe