Things get gritty

Things got gritty today, as in “artisanal grits,” which was one of the items on the menu in the very artisanal town of Ridgefield, CT, the last stop on today’s indie bookstore road trip. (Question of the day: Is “artisanal grits” an oxymoron?) Don’t get me wrong; Ridgefield is a beautiful, welcoming town, with one of the sweetest bookstores you’ll ever find, Books on the Common. It’s got a dollhouse in the front window, long aisles with softly burnished hardwood floors, and nooks and crannies with armchairs that just beg you to sit down and read. Carol, one of the booksellers, raved about Brewster, by Mark Slouka, and Wednesday Wars, a middle-grade novel by Gary Schmidt.

Long before Ridgefield, though, the day started bright and early at Diane’s Books in Greenwich, CT. I hit four bookstores in three states today—quite a feat since Thelma (or is it Louise?) left yesterday so I was doing all the driving and navigating myself. (My friend Stacy had to go back to Va. to work and be a mom. I was so lucky to have her with me for three days!) Each bookseller at Diane’s has an area of expertise, and I talked to Maria and Allyson, the children’s book experts. They raved about The Day the Crayons Quit, so I bought it. How can you not love a book that includes a letter from a red crayon complaining that it’s tired of being overused in coloring all those fire engines? Other recommendations from Maria and Allyson for the youngest book lovers in your life: The Man with the Violin and Rufus Goes to School. Diane’s has this giant dog outside that reminded me of Clifford: 

From Diane’s, I drove over the Tappan Zee bridge to Books & Greetings in Northvale, NJ. Kenny, one of the booksellers there, has been in the business for 40 years. He reads EVERYTHING—Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, Gillian Flynn, Nicholas Sparks. I loved Kenny. He wanted to buy me a cup of coffee and some water and a muffin to be sure I’d be okay on the road for the rest of the day. The trip to Northvale was well worth it. Great store.

And from Northvale I crossed the Hudson again to visit the Village Bookstore in Pleasantville, NY. Owners Yvonne and Roy said they’re reading and loving Louise Erdich’s The Round House (Yvonne said it’s her “favorite book I’ve read in the last several years”) and James McBride’s The Good Lord Bird (Roy). And I scooped up a copy of local author Joe Wallace‘s Diamond Ruby. I’ve known Joe for years on FB and Twitter but we’ve never met in person. I wandered Pleasantville for a while trying to find him, to no avail. But now that I know about the Village Bookstore, I’ll be back.

The Hudson River Valley beckons next. You don’t have to be a writer to do an Indie Book Store Road Trip. It’s big fun; I’d recommend it.