On the previous post, Paul DeMarco mentions All Good Books in Five Points. I wish to elaborate on that topic a bit.
My relationship with that store began before it existed. Several years back, my daughter gave my wife and me some gift cards to Odd Bird Books, which existed in the tiny Arcade Mall downtown. When we heard it was about to close, and we still hadn’t used our gift cards, we made a point of visiting that shop for the first and last time.
We picked up several books that day. I believe one of them was the third book in Edmund Morris’ trilogy, Colonel Roosevelt. But the main thing I remember about that visit was how very impressed I was by what was being offered in that diminutive space.
The shop was only about the size of my home office — maybe smaller. So there were not that many books. But the place possessed a virtue I’d never encountered in any bookstore, whether independent or chain — more or less every single book was one that I would like to read, if my life should last so long. It was like Ben Adams, the proprietor, had been asked to collect every book he wanted to have with him on the proverbial desert island — and he happened to have excellent taste.
In other words, all good books. No junk at all. There wasn’t room.
So when Ben teamed up with Clint and Jenna Wallace to open a new store, naturally it bore that name (although they didn’t get it from me — see the Hemingway quote in the picture below).
And it lives up to that name. Of course, since it’s bigger and there are many more books, they’re not all books that I particularly want to read. But we should consider that I’m not the only reader in the world (or even here in Columbia), and different strokes and all that.
Still, I’m deeply impressed by the selections. And if I happen to want something that’s not on the shelves (an astoundingly high percentage of what I seek is on the shelves), the folks behind the counter will quickly get it for me. And I’d certainly rather do that than order it from Amazon.
Oh, and there’s always coffee and other refreshments. And you may think this is odd to mention (you’ll understand if you’ve spent huge amounts of time in bookstores), but a very nice restroom. That’s essential, don’t you know.
I hope to see you at All Good Books sometime. It’s located at 734 Harden St. Now that Yesterday’s is gone, it’s my one motivation to visit Five Points.
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The passing of Yesterday’s was a great loss to a lot of us. So was the end of the Five Points Starbucks.
Of course, a lot of folks preferred to get their coffee at another place in Five Points. Or one of a couple of other places.
But this is where I split with those who always prefer the indie over the big chain. For me, it depends on the quality of the product. I can always depend on a good cup of coffee at Starbucks — and I’ve had some very BAD cups at some local indie places. Atmosphere is nice. But that should come with coffeemaking artistry. Don’t serve me a bad cup of joe.
Not that Starbucks is as great as it was. It was once a major company goal to be customers’ “third place” between home and work, a place people wanted to BE. Which is what Paul was talking about as a reason why he likes the indie book stores. And I like that, too. Starbucks has abandoned that. It seems to be all about the drive-through window. (I did the drive through once. Once. They handed me a cup with milk in it. I assure you, I’ve never asked for milk in coffee. I like staying alive too much.)
I sometimes feel like they don’t even want me or anyone else inside the place. If the coffee quality goes at Starbucks, that’ll be it…
Anyway, All Good Books not only has the atmosphere, it has… well, you know. Read the name of the place.
About that Hemingway quote…
It reminds me of my youth. When I was in college, the yearbook — in briefly describing the editors of the student newspaper — referred to me as the Hemingway nut in the group. (Which was way better than being the girl who was described as “the Manilow nut.”
It was a fair description at the time. I did talk about him a lot back then — as much as I talk about Patrick O’Brian in my almost-old age. But I kind of moved on over the years.
That quote might move me to go back and reread some of that stuff again, reacquainting myself with “the people and the places and how the weather was,” as only Hemingway or a shameless imitator would write.
I especially like the part about good books being “truer than if they had really happened.”
Obvously, he’s not talking about history books there, since he admits they didn’t really happen.
I’ve always felt I learned more about the world — including about history — from good fiction than I do from most history books. They give you the FEEL of a place and time, and vastly increase your understanding of the story and its context. That’s because it puts you in the minds of the characters, and also shares subjective impressions to an extent that would be considered unacceptable in a work of straight history.
And there’s just as much truth (actually, far more) in subjective perception as in the “objective,” to the extent that objectivity is possible. The subjective stuff, skillfully conveyed, puts you there in a way that who, what, how, when, where and even why cannot do. Those easily verifiable things only represent a very thin slice of what’s really going on.
That’s why I got into those O’Brian books. When I first heard of them from Mike Fitts more than 20 years ago, he recommended them because of the uncanny way the author had of putting you in a completely unfamiliar place and time, and making you feel like you’re really there. A lot of good fiction does that, but none as well as O’Brian’s….