Search This Blog

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Familiar Diversions in an Unfamiliar Land


Tuesday was bookstore expedition day. Our first stop was out on the range, where we visited a bookstore that occupies three rooms of the ranch house. We didn't go immediately into the bookstore, as we were initially waylaid by two charming donkeys and another customer's border collie, Cody. After Cody left, David took Sarah over to meet the donkeys and reported to me (I was in the bookstore by then) that she found them very interesting. Not as intimidating as cattle, it sounded like.



Cody watching donkeys



Such a lot of books! All new, as it turned out, every last one, none old or out-or-print or even gently used, but a huge and fascinating selection nonetheless. 


And despite the distraction of yet another charming dog, I managed to look at books and select a couple for purchase. I also took time to admire the homemade mesquite bookshelves. 





Then we went back into the town of Benson for our second visit to a wonderful gem of a bookstore we'd been tipped off to by a friend. The little pink building set back from the main street of the town is only the beginning of it, with another, larger building connected behind. The books go on and on and on!







The proprietor, Lenore, has a wonderful selection, both new and used books. Everything is very well organized and labeled (even the stacks on the floor are in front of the shelves where they would go, if only there were room for them), and her prices are great. As this was our second visit, David and I knew immediately where we wanted to head when we got inside. I was relieved that the book I'd held back on buying the last time was still there waiting for me. Such is not always the case, as I know from my experience as a bookseller. 


Do you wonder about the name of this charming establishment? Lenore calls it, very modestly, Paperback Recycler. It's her name, and she's had the bookstore for 25 years, so that's that. I do want to tell anyone visiting southeast Arizona, though, that this store has much, much more than recycled paperbacks! I can't think of a subject category that is not well represented in this bookstore, and there are a lot of hardcover books in every section.

So now, here are my purchases from our bookstore day. Can you guess which books I bought where?


Days are still short, sunset and dark coming quickly at the end of every day, but the lovely expanse of time is a great luxury we do not take for granted.





7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Two oases in the high desert. My guess: At the store with the donkey you purchased: Rocks of the Chiricahua,Field Geology, Sierra Nevada Natural History, Land Subsidence(?)and the Great Plains. At the other store the Spinoza book and the blue book underneath. Is the object with the fish a book or a notecard? Nice to have these stores nearby.
Ed

Barb S-N said...

What a delightful episode in this lovely ongoing report.

Karen Casebeer said...

What a nice chronicle of these two quite different bookstores. How exciting for you! And what a lovely sunset image that is! I love how it was situated in the valley between the two hills.

BB-Idaho said...

The book about Spinoza stood out from the SW books. Don't know much about him, but I suspect he
would like a big ranch bookstore
with Donkey greeters.

P. J. Grath said...

Okay, ROCKS OF CHIRICAHUA and LAND SUBSIDENCE (read "sinkholes"!), along with the fish notecard, were from Singing Wind. All other books were from Paperback Recycler, geology and philosophy and natural history.

Karen, I've been enjoying sunsets between those two hills but realized the other day that that will change as the sun moves to the north. :(

How would Spinoza have gotten along with donkeys? We will probably never know, but now I'll always wonder, BB, thanks to your comment.

Melanie Guthrie said...

Who is handsome mystery man lurking in the doorway??? Ha! It is that David Grath!! Pamela, your blog is a delight to read and look at…just love it. it sounds very fun to me. Guess what?? I just ordered a Little Free Library for our front yard here in Atlanta. Are you familiar with that program??

P. J. Grath said...

Good spotting, Mel! You have a great eye for handsome men.

Yes, I know about the Little Free Library movement. Just heard of a new one somewhere near here. Maybe we will see the one in your front yard in April???