My Holy Grail...from a Used Bookstore Perspective

Aren't they beautiful!! Old and worn AND shiny and classic. Ahhhh. I want them all!

Welcome to Cal's Books in Redding, CA. I shopped here whenever I could a get ride when I was in high school. Things have changed a little since then. The place was bought from its hippie owner (No disrespect intended. I totally liked the guy.) and the hazy back room of 'herbs' and such has disappeared. Now it appears to be some sort of alternative religious section. And the Fantasy section has doubled. And they now play catchy jazz music - like suddenly-find-yourself-bopping-along-while-scanning-book-titles catchy. Fabulous. Otherwise, everything is still the same.

(The Fantasy/SciFi section. Well, 1/3 of it.)

These two pictures don't quite capture this complete section of the store. I tried. And this section is only 1/3 of the store. This place is the BOMB! You can find everything here - from old national geographics (like I needed for a school project), YA (drool), political, romance (a massive section), maps, music, cookbooks, classics, to really old stuff. I used to bring in bags of books for credit to buy new ones. Maybe next trip we will plan well enough to bring out the stuff we don't want for trade.

Scott and I had a blast. We only wished we had a hours instead of minutes!!

How I Know...

...these are my children:

• They cleaned the house for a promised trip to the library.
  

• When we asked Kyra if she knew where Daddy's spine was, she said, "Of course!" and drew a line from his armpit to his hip. ?? On the side, like a book.
• Xander will get ready for bedtime in record time (while off his meds) for a single page from Septimus Heap.
• Jadyn decided she wanted her allowance paid in books.
• Kyra has been as excited as I've ever seen her about the Kindergarten take home books, and she can't read yet!
• When I told Xander how I have a whole library filled with adventure stories like Septimus Heap, he replied, "I know, Mom." In that insufferable voice.
• Jadyn told Santa to surprise her. Santa brought books. Jadyn said it was just what she wanted.
• Aspen has been reading Fifteen Animals by Sandra Boynton out loud to everyone for days.