Bookstore Finds by Eleri Grace

For me, the appeal of shopping very much depends on what I'm shopping for and who I'm with. Where I once happily spent hours at the mall shopping for clothes -- by myself, with my mom and sister, with friends -- I rarely find any joy in clothes shopping for myself. I'm still happy to take my daughter shopping, but it's much more about the time with her rather than the additions to my own wardrobe that might result. 

But bookstore shopping? I will never not enjoy browsing the shelves of bookstores. 

My best bookstore find ever was in Baldwin's Book Barn in West Chester, Pennsylvania. While visiting a friend who had relocated to the Philadelphia area from Texas, my group of BFFs decided to spend the afternoon at an indie bookstore our friend had already found. It is a book-lover's paradise -- our pictures don't really do it justice. It's a large old barn dating back to 1822, and has been operating as a bookstore for decades. It requires climbing up some narrow and questionably-safe ladders and staircases to reach all the floors that are brimming with old and new books, including a large selection of original and collectible editions. 

It was in this collectibles section where I made my find -- on the first level not long after we entered the store. I wish one of my friends would have thought to snap a photo of me when I first spotted it -- I recall squealing out loud (not my usual demeanor at all!). What caused this reaction you might ask? A Folio Society boxed set of Paul Scott's "The Raj Quartet." Before my children were born, I had belonged to the Folio Society and bought a few editions from them each year. But since I discontinued my membership long before, I'd had no idea that Folio issued one of my favorite series in their beautiful illustrated editions in 2009. 

My friends did take a photo of me on one of the upper levels still clutching my find -- the lighting is poor but possibly you can see my huge smile. I refused to leave it at the downstairs checkout and instead carried this heavy four-volume hardback boxed set up and down all the rickety ladders and narrow staircases. 

I'm not sure whether to classify my most recent excursion to a indie bookstore as a "best" or "worst" shopping experience. It too was surreal in that the first book I picked up at Austin's Book People was a recently-published historical fiction novel about a trio of Red Cross Girls in WWII. I had no idea it had been published, and while I'm delighted to see other authors exploring the stories of my beloved WWII Red Cross Girls, it was a bit jolting to realize I've been missing out on some marketing opportunities over the last several months. Whether I can find the time to familiarize myself once again with the technicalities and strategy of Amazon and/or Facebook ads remains to be seen. But I certainly should try! I'm not quite finished with this novel, but I'm fascinated by the author's personal connection to the Red Cross Girls. His mother was Phyllis (McLaughlin) de Urrea, and she served on a Clubmobile crew with Jill (Pitts) Knappenberger, whose WWII story was documented so nicely by Illinois Public Media. 

Bookstores -- you'll never know what you might find!

You can learn more about me and my Red Cross Girls novels at my website or on my Amazon page.