A Bookworm's Home

Every bookworm needs a home, just like every musician needs a studio in some shape or form, a surgeon needs a table and a full set of tools and a chef needs a kitchen with a fridge and pantry full of options.  The bookworm in me used to be drawn to the corporate bookstores -- Barnes, Borders, etc. -- however; from the help of my sister, a new delightful haven has appeared in my world.  This gem is Green Apple Books; the home of book lovers all around.  Whether you're searching for vintage, leather bound classics, large picture books at a very reasonable price, or a vast array of fiction, non-fiction and everything in between, this is the place to be.  New books, used books, you name it, it's there.  It is the only location where I have found brand new books in fine condition for half of their retail value.  It's a sanctuary to get lost in and forget about every possible thing going on in your life.  I've been in several bookstores, used and new, but somehow, the old structure of this store is so much more inviting than any other bookstore I've been in.  It has narrow walkways, old, creaky stairs, shelves unreachable by those under 6 feet, piles of books in every corner, it has every appeal in every possible way imaginable!  


I love books like the next bookworm.  I love the smell, the feel, the weight, turning pages, bookmarking, picking up where I left off, I love every possible part of a book.  My boss saw me carrying around Anna Karenina one day and stated, "If you had a Kindle, you wouldn't have to lug that around." .... A Kindle?  That poor excuse for wanting to absorb literature, but not wanting to feel the weight of the book, the words printed on the page, the smell of a book?  I think not.  My response to his statement was, "But oh, I love the smell!" and promptly stuck my nose in the pages of the book.  Part of the beauty of reading is holding the book in hand, flipping the page, reading the book in the font chosen by the author.  A true reader yearns for a library of books, an endless wall, floor to ceiling of books in their home.  


So while we see the large bookstores closing because ordering online is so much easier (yes, I do love Amazon.com and will continue to purchase books, movies and more from them because it is a great place to shop) and downloading books to a Kindle, the small, quaint bookstores are still open.  Cody's on Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley closed which also was a gem; however, we still have a Cody's on 4th St and one in SF, plus we still have Moe's on Telegraph.  Even in my 'hood, there's the Russian Hill Bookstore, which I explored once, but haven't been back.  The setup of it somehow didn't appeal to me -- it felt messy, disorganized and unappealing, whereas Green Apple is jam packed of books and very appealing.  I see City Lights Books still open on Columbus which is home to writers like Jack Kerouac, Charles Bukowski and others -- sadly I have yet to enter the store (New Years Resolution for sure).  Somehow, these small locations still survive even though large corporate book stores try to take over and it is definitely a shout out to book lovers around.  We keep our local bookstores alive and well because we cherish the atmosphere of a welcoming, absorbing, mesmerizing place which allows us to dive into what we love -- paper with the written word conveying a story, message, or one with a tantalizing photograph, a piece of art, a keepsake.      


So if you haven't been to Green Apple Books yet and you live in San Francisco or happen to be in the neighborhood, pay a visit to 6th and Clement St and be prepared to fall into a black hole of books where you'll lose 2+ hours of your life, but won't feel remotely bad for doing so.  It is a love affair you keep returning to and won't feel guilty for; an investment you'll always find worthy; and most of all, a home.

Courtesy of Ichabodsquad.net

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