"Nothing ever happened in the past that can prevent you from being present now; and if the past can prevent you from being present now, what power does it have?"
—Eckhart Tolle
Have you ever read a book by Eckhart Tolle ?. I highly suggest that you do. No one or no thing has the power over your will. You have the power. You have a choice in life. You have choice to play 'games' or be " in be drama "with individuals. I have chosen for today, not to play into other's drama. It is what it is. Do you something more esteemable than be in another's drama. Extend this choice to buy a book in a little book store.
What happened to the little bookstores of days gone by ? Remember " Youi've Got Mail."(1998)
Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) is involved with Frank Navasky (Greg Kinnear), a leftist postmodernist newspaper writer for the New York Observer who's always in search of an opportunity to root for the underdog. Kathleen meets Joe ( Tom Hanks) via email/IM . Joe belongs to the Fox family which runs Fox Books — a chain of "mega" bookstores similar to Borders or Barnes & Noble. Kathleen, on the other hand, runs the independent bookstore The Shop Around The Corner, that her mother ran before her. The store looks lovely, especially with Birdie, portrayed by Jean Stapleton of " All in the Family" fame.
Even the Borders book stores are now closing. ( closure at Park and 57th and Columbus Circle Mall)
Suprisingly there are a number of little bookstores still left in NYC and the boroughs. One of these is called Unnameable in Propsect Heights ( 600 Vanderbilt Avenue between Dean and St. Mark's, Prospect Heights, (718) 789-1534 )
Your first time in Unnameable is likely to feel similar to the beginning of a romance, butterflies and all. You feel like you are in The Shop Around the Corner and waiting for Jean to appear from behind the counter. Besides possessing a quiet, library-like ambiance and an unobtrusive staff, Unnameable also boasts an impressive selection of well-priced used and new books. I even like their selectgion better than the Strand. You must be careful with old books, as sometimes the mold can get to you.
Every time we visit a different town I find two things: 1. a needlepoint store and an old bookstore. Rick has a severe mold allergies so he cannot walk in old antique and bookstores without feeling stuffy . In Philadelphia, we found the Rittenhouse Needlepoint Shop. On Amelia Island we found The Bristley Thistle. In Brooklyn, in the Unnameable, we found every author we searched for, and not just their most popular works! The shop carries both obscure and classic novels, anthologies, biographies, tomes of poetry, small-press chapbooks, and a well-curated, if modest, array of graphic novels. I would check this book store out if I were you.
Do you live in NYC? If so start finding these independent bookstores and start supporting them.
I miss my dear ol' bookstore, Oscar Wilde where I first encountered Andrew Holleran and Edmund White. If I didn't end up buying something in Oscar Wilde, then I went on to A Different Light in Chelsea.
We are lucky in NYC as there are an abundance of Independent bookstores. These stores need your help.
Anyone who lives and reads in New York City knows that we are lucky enough to be surrounded by an abundance of independent bookstores—despite the fact that some of our favorites continue to fold. In celebration of these gems, please visit one and buy a book: Make this your new hobby. The internet ( Amazon, Books a Million, and Barnes and Noble) has been a cause of some of these book store closings as well as the Kindle. I have a Kindle but I like the feel of a book in my hand. I especially love hardcover books. I have a vast collection, that one day I will donate some to the LGBT Center in NYC.
1. Morningside Bookshop
2. Book Culture
3. The Strand
4. Babbo's
5. Shakespeare and Co.
6. Housing Works Bookstore on Crosby
7. Greenlight - 686 Fulton Street Fort Greene
8. Three Lives in West Village - favorite of mine
9. Bank Street Bookstore - great for kids
10. Books of Wonder
11. Book Court
12. WORD - 126 Franklin St Greenpoint Brooklyn
13. Argosy - west 59th - might be closed
14. Bluestockings Bookstore - 172 Allen Street Lower East Side
15. McNally Jackson - 52 Prince in SoHo
I do not know if the St Mark's bookstore is still open
There is one bookstore that has survived. It is much larger than those above. For more than forty years, Rizzoli Bookstore has been an unsurpassed source for superb books on visual topics, foreign language books and periodicals, and an eclectic assortment of music. The flagship store was first established at 712 Fifth Avenue in 1964 and moved into our current location in 1985. The store now occupies three floors of a historic townhouse at 31 West 57th Street, a beautiful setting filled with nooks and crannies that makes Rizzoli Bookstore a welcoming destination that overflows with a treasure trove of books waiting to be discovered.
The treat for me is coming out of my office building at 47 West 57th , turn left and walk 3 minutes- and I have arrived at paradise. Every time I walk in the front door, I get that same old feeling of being in someone's study with oak-lined walls and the fireplace blazing. I could happily stay forever. In addition to a strong selection of popular fiction and non-fiction, Rizzoli Bookstore is an unsurpassed source for illustrated books covering a vast range of topics including art, architecture, photography, fashion, interior design, gardening, pop culture, and luxe travel. Rizzoli carries a vast number of titles in other languages. I got a great small photography book for Rick yesterday. I love 'Wicked Bugs" and ' Wicked Weeds'
Until tomorrow...
No comments:
Post a Comment