#9 The Bookstore Plus, Lake Placid NY

We are up in Lake Placid for what has become an annual Thanksgiving pilgrimage. We hang out at Whiteface Lodge with family and wander into town at least once. The Bookstore Plus is crammed full of good stuff - from books to cards to art supplies. Like many of the stores I've been in, they have reviews for books taped beneath the books. What I liked about these reviews was that they were only a sentence or two and proffered an easy to understand synopsis or opinion, "It's sad but so worth the read." They also have section of books about the Adirondacks, including memoirs by local folks. 

I made two purchases - Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell, billed has, "House meets the Sopranos," and Growing Up in Lake Placid by Barbara Kelly, a memoir (interesting fact - Kelly was present at both the 1932 and 1980 Olympics).

You can find The Bookstore Plus on the web at: http://www.thebookstoreplus.com/

Two of our favorite places to eat are Lisa Gs (http://www.lisags.com/) which has a little bit of everything and The Good Bite Kitchen (http://thegoodbitekitchen.com/) a small vegetarian place that is out of this world. 

#8 Elm Street Books, New Canaan CT

Elm Street Books is located in the heart of New Canaan. Inside it is very elegant. Browsing is easy as there are numerous write-ups right beneath the books. Many of the write-ups are hand written by, I assume, employees of the store. Other write-ups are from NPR, etc. 

Since I work in an elementary school library I feel like I have a pretty good handle on what's out there so I'm always pleasantly surprised when I find a book I didn't know about. Cynthia Rylant's God Got a Dog (illustrated by the wonderful Maria Frazee) falls into this category. I also picked up Alice Munro's Dear Life which won her the Nobel Prize for literature.

Elm Street Books can be found on the web at: www.elmstreetbooks.com/ 

(their bookstore is far more inviting than their website)

Although I did not stop, Rosie sits next door to Elm Street Books (in fact there is a door between the two stores). According to their website they specialize in American comfort food and based on the photos I'd say it's worth a return trip. Rosies can be found on the web at: www.rosiecatering.com

#7 Books on the Common, Ridgefield CT

Books on the Common sits on the main drag in Ridgefield - parking was a breeze on a recent Saturday morning and the atmosphere inside was very conducive to browsing. Conversation was available if you wanted it which was perfect for this introvert. 

As it is getting close to Christmas I picked up a couple of books that may find their way under some trees so I'm not going to mention those. However, I am rather excited about Billy Collins' new poetry collection, Aimless Love and a book called The Moth which is a collection of personal stories. The Moth celebrates the art of storytelling and according to the London Guardian, "..is brilliant and quietly addictive." It has developed a cult following in NYC where stories are performed live and then shared via podcast. I'm not even close to doing it justice so check their website, www.themoth.org. 

Like many local bookstores Books on the Common brings authors in to speak. We took my dad to hear Kevin Peraino talk about his book, Lincoln in the World: The Making of a Statesman and the Dawn of American Power. I'm not a history buff but I enjoyed listening to Mr. Peraino talk about Lincoln from a perspective that is often overlooked (foreign policy); he made the information very accessible (the Lincoln impersonator sitting in the audience seemed to agree).

Books on the Common can be found on the web at: www.booksonthecommon.com/

#6 The Book Garden, Wickford RI

The Book Garden in Wickford Rhode Island is a lovely used book store. Our niece Megan suggested it and it made for perfect day trip. I picked up a hardcover copy Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris for seven bucks. If you haven't read any Sedaris you are missing out - his reflections on life are quirky and poignant and just plain funny. I never really think about going to used book stores but as Megan pointed out - if you get involved in a series, a used book store is a perfect place to pick up earlier books in the series.

We had a delicious lunch at The Beach Rose Cafe (www.beachrosecafe.com). Fish and chips for Suann and me and a lobster roll for Megan. Why didn't I get a lobster roll? Put simply - it had been altered with mayonnaise, celery and the like. That's not a lobster roll in my book, that's lobster salad.