One of the first series of books I ever read about bookstores was Carolyn Hart's Death on Demand (
http://carolynhart.com/) about a spunky young woman who inherited her uncle's bookstore which carried only murder mysteries. She and eventually the man who would become her husband set out to solve a series of real murders. The best part was how Hart dropped names of authors, characters, and titles throughout the book, I was introduced to many new books that way. I walked into the real thing when I visited
Mystery on Main Street in Brattleboro, VT. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I told the proprietor that he held my dream job, he responded that owning your own business wasn't as easy as it looked. I discovered Edmund Crispin there in a reprinting by
Felony and Mayhem Press.
A couple of years ago I read
The Novel Bookstore about a Paris bookstore that only stocked novels chosen by a select and secretive committee. The competition in the city heated up between the different book sellers of Paris and there was some skullduggery. Again a good way to learn about authors I was unfamiliar with.
This afternoon I finished Robin Sloan's,
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, where once again we are introduced to an unusual bookstore with a twist. There's a secret society, a quest, friendship, and the search for meaning. I won't tell you more as I think you should read it for yourself. Here's a hint though, if you do get the book leave it under a light for a short while and then turn the light off. Cool isn't it?
