The Wanderlust Librarian | Keep me away from Japantown!

Places that make my heart go pitter-pat:

Office Depot. 

Staples.

Office Max. 

I know it sounds weird, but I love office supplies. At a young age, my parents always encouraged me to write letters and Thank You notes. When we would visit Indonesia (often for 2-3 months at a time), I would buy pens, notebooks and stationery from Japan (readily and cheaply available to me!). My friends would often get gifts of erasers shaped like food, cool pencils (with fun designs and no erasers) and fun papers with cartoon animals on them upon my return to the United States. Needless to say, this obsession did not wane as I grew older. 

In fact... it grew. 

My friends often make fun of me because I carry a pencil case in my purse. No, not a metal one...but one with a zipper. I believe that one should always have a writing utensil at the ready. 

See? A pen (and some pencils) for
EVERY occasion

My motto: 

A pen for every occasion!! 

They may make fun of me, but my friends also know they can count on me for writing tools. 
One of my favorite places to go is Japantown. I can always count on a delicious meal and adorable things to look at. This trip to Los Angeles was no different. My favorite (and ONLY) Japanese bookstore I love the most is Kinokunia. This bookstore chain has locations in major cities around the United States but I've only visited the Los Angeles and San Francisco locations. The offerings in the stores are the same: Japanese books, toys, DVDs, stationery and tools for writing. 

Ginger Broth

Fried rice for breakfast?
Acceptable in Asia!! :D 

It's hard to be an adult. Especially an adult who likes cute things. Kinokunia was the apex of my office supply love. No... I take that back. These weren't merely office supplies... they were my destiny and my desk just HAD to have them all! Look at what I was up against! 

Asian notebooks!!! 

Books of tiny book-related stamps! 

I am proud to say I only spent about $30 that day on some little things for friends and a cloth bag for me. This doesn't mean that I won't be back to spend more money, it just gives me a little space between all those cute things and when I return to assess IF I really need them. Try to contain yourself when you see how awesome everything is! 

 Bookmarks: cuter than a
napkin, but more expensive!

Every. Color of Pen. I drool.

Japanese Pens

Pen cases for every occasion! 

Holy cow... MORE STAMPS! 

Zentangle is awesome!
So are these pens! 

So MANY cute sticky notes!! 

The Wanderlust Librarian | The Bookstore

It's true. I work at a library and yet... I still go to the bookstore. I cannot get away from books because they are so magical. Bookstores, for me, are places where I feel I belong when i'm not at work. They're full of delicious paper smells and things I love to look at. When I was in college, bookstores were places where I could study, grab a cup of coffee and just people watch... all for the price of a coffee. Nowadays, most bookstores have Wi-Fi, so one could have the added bonus of having their computer, studying, drinking a coffee and people watching! 

Luckily, I'm not the only person who gets my inspiration from the bookstore. 

Check out these books! 

My Bookstore: writers celebrate their favorite places to browse, read and shop

The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap

If you're reading this, you've probably taken a look at my last post about the Last Bookstore. If not, check it out here! I found that there were WAY too many pictures to put in that post, but i'm happy to share them in this post.

Until then, have many literary adventures! 

See you next week! 

I love the screen on this desk.
I wish the library had one! 

The performance / lecture stage 

Eye need a penny!!! 

Book birds! 

This confounded me, but it was cool to look at. 

Sheet music bursts out of its confinement

I could not get enough of this sign. 

Every great bookstore has a
Mystery Door! 

Learning | What Would Be On Your Ideal Bookshelf?

I am a member of an informal online book club, consisting mostly of friends from my high school days.  We are all busy people, and we are literally scattered all over the world. We are unable to meet in a physical location, so we suggest books to read, and start discussing when we are ready--usually whenever each person who has said they will read that title has declared that they are finished reading. 

I can't remember who suggested Carlos Ruiz Zafón's Shadow of the Wind (original Spanish title: La Sombra del Viento.) It was such a hit with our group, that we continued reading some of his other books, The Angel's Game and The Prisoner of Heaven. These gothic novels are set in Barcelona. We were immediately drawn to Shadow of the Wind when we read its intriguing first sentence: "I still remember the day my father took me to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books for the first time."  

The Cemetery of Forgotten Books is in a secret location in Barcelona, in a building Ruiz Zafón describes as "the carcass of a palace, a place of echoes and shadows." In this place, books that are not remembered by anyone are guarded until they reach a new reader's hands. 

The father of the main character, Daniel, runs a bookstore called Sempere and Son. Daniel's father takes him to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, where the young boy chooses a book to protect; it is called The Shadow of the Wind by Julián Carax. His choice changes the course of his life in the coming years.

I would love to visit the Cemetery of Forgotten Books and the Sempere and Son bookstore.  These books make me want to visit Barcelona. If am ever lucky enough to find myself in that city, I imagine I will be looking for that fictitious bookstore and the Cemetery of Forgotten Books.

In recent months, SSJCPL has purchased some new books that made me recall the Cemetery of Forgotten Books.  In each of these non-fiction items, celebrities share their thoughts about favorite books and bookstores.  Just reading their answers to these questions will encourage the thoughtful reader to consider how they would answer them.

My Bookstore: Writers Celebrate Their Favorite Places to Browse, Read, and Shop
The title is self-explanatory.  It does not, however mention that 84 writers have contributed to this book, describing their favorites and including personal anecdotes. There are too many famous writers to mention here, but let's just choose a few:  Isabelle Allende, Ivan Doig, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., John Grisham, Ann Patchett and Lisa See.

My Ideal Bookshelf

This book title made me think of the old "What books would you bring with you, if you knew you were going to be stranded on a desert island?"question.  It really asked the celebrities to imagine a bookshelf full of the books that shaped who they are today, which might not be the same thing as the ones you would would take with you. The contributors include David Sedaris, Malcolm Gladwell, James Patterson, Stephenie Meyer, Dave Eggars and Alice Waters, to name only a few.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the ideal bookstore, or the books that have helped to create the person that you are today--or even which books you would bring with you to a desert island.  If you visited the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, which book would you choose to guard with your life?

The Wanderlust Librarian | North Beach (Part 1)

I was born and raised a California girl. My parents had many friends in San Francisco and enjoyed visiting them at least twice a month. A majority of my City experience was next to Golden Gate Park in the Inner Richmond neighborhood. I spent many a Sunday exploring the park on foot, a borrowed bike and one (painful and clumsy) time with rollerblades. Thinking about it now... my parents must have figured I could take care of myself as a plucky, tomboyish 12 year old since they let me wander Golden Gate Park solo. Considering my own child, it's hard for me to let her wander around the mall alone...let alone a metropolis!

I passed North Beach many times: on the way to the Exploratorium, going towards the Presidio and on the way to Lombard Street... but never took time to really stop and see what I was missing. 

My friend lived her life around Northern California and spent a lot of time in San Francisco as well. The city was a wealth of happy memories for her and her family. Much of her time was spent on Columbus Street ; the anchor of North Beach; also known as "Little Italy". This neighborhood is vibrant and eclectic. She frequents this neighborhood at least once a month and invited me to take time out to explore next time I was enjoying the City.Recently, I had the opportunity to visit North Beach and I absolutely loved it.

I'm horrible at finding free parking spaces, so I used Yelp to find a parking garage in the vicinity. The North Beach Parking Garage is right across the street from the local police station so needless to say, I felt safe. I also got a little something extra when I parked: a fortune! Not the price for the hourly parking... a literal fortune! Check out the pictures below!

I have an affinity towards bookstores. Any bookstores. There's something special about books, living together in a communal space that really sends my heart into a happy whirl. Enter: City Lights. This bookstore's history goes back to 1953 and has published many authors that exemplified beat poetry and radical writing in the 60s. Authors like Allen Ginsberg and Charles Bukowsi still remain popular today. The bookstore is cozy. It has creaky wood floors and stacks of books comfortably cramped on endless shelves.  Above the shelves, it's as if time has stopped and the beat culture has taken hold. There are tons of pictures, signs and articles from the day. 

For as small as the store is, there is so much history that it's hard NOT to picture a poetry reading in the downstairs area, banned books being stashed behind the counter waiting to be sold and hoards of people in and out of the store purchasing books that only City Lights has published. 

My daughter (a worldly 14) was simply awestruck by the simplicity and the magnitude of the space.  I saw her rifling through the Banned Books display towards the front of the store and felt proud. This bookstore contributed to keeping books available to everyone; that everyone had a voice to be heard. 

My fortune's so bright, I gotta wear shades! 

Announce yourself, door! 

History is alive at City Lights

Where the Beat Poets meet!