Book Nerds: New York Public Library

The very special edition.

100 Aker Woods Map New York Public Library, New York City. April, 2015.

Yes, my fellow traveling book nerds, this is a special edition of this odd saga I’m currently undertaking, but who can blame me, right?

Thus far my adventures have had me bouncing around from beautiful bookstore to bookstore across continents and seas—some of these adventures will be posted in the next few weeks, don’t worry!—but who can forget the even bigger haven of the book nerd—especially us broke students or post-grads: Public Libraries!

If you read last week’s post, you’ll know I had a very impromptu trip to New York City to visit my family (yes, that will also be a post!) and my mother (she knows me so well) planned a very special trip to the New York Public Library. Now, before you get too excited, I have to say that there were eight of us with the age range of 60 years or so, so to say the trip was short would be a major understatement—they couldn’t take the whole day running around the city on a good day, let alone the last one.

So, in the end we only went through one small section but it was beautiful!

Day at the Library. New York Public Library, New York City, New York. April, 2015.

But let’s start at the beginning, shall we?

The library is huge and filled with everything you can possibly imagine, not to mention the fact that it is one of the major landmarks in the city being featured in films like Ghostbusters. The front is picturesque with its twin lion statues and Bryant Park around back, if you fancy a nice lunch in the sun before, after, or between looking through the library’s enormous collections.

But let’s get down to why this book nerd loved this particular trip, despite how short it was: Pooh Bear.

Love. New York Public Library, New York City, New York. April, 2015.

That’s right, that silly, old bear ended up being the reason we went out that day.

In the children’s section of the library, situated just to the right of the side entrance doors, in their own little room are all inspirations of the characters most of us grew up loving. I stood in the corner of the room reading Pooh Bear quotes to my sister while my mom teared up and snapped pictures.

If I couldn’t spend the day running through the whole building, this little room was worth the effort for those of us who love to read and just don’t want to grow out of believing these characters are as real as anything else—those who just aren’t ready to let go of the magic of books and grow up.

One warning, however, my dear book nerds: if you are in the children’s section with a group of rowdy adults who can take things more than a bit too far, be aware of the audience because things can really get out of hand—children’s art books can be interpreted in many ways, fiends… and it is wrong.

Anyway, to leave you with a quote (which made my mother tear up) which sums up this post, my trip, and brings in a little bit of travelers’ wisdom:

“If ever there is a tomorrow when we’re not together…  there is something you must always remember.  You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we’re apart… I’ll always be with you.”                                                               –A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh.

This is Leave on the Wind, helping you soar.

Book Nerds: Bal des Ardents, Lyon

I mean, come on, this is the entrance to the store—an archway of books!

The Archway. Bal des Ardents, Lyon, France. February, 2015.

So I’m writing this a few days early because when this gets posted, I’ll be running around New York with my family (hopefully adding a bookstore or two to my nerd list!). But for now, back to the matter at hand.

Rounding out my book tour of France (even though that maxes out at two stores), I visited this little bookshop on one of the tiny side streets in Lyon, France.

While shopping is a problem if you don’t speak or read French (unlike Shakespeare and Co. from last week, this is an actual French bookshop), this shop is well worth the quick stop in. Why? Because just looking around the store set up will make any book nerd feel the coziness of home.

Inside Shot. Bal des Ardents, Lyon, France. February, 2015.

While I can’t speak to the content—though it’s as varied in sections as any other—what I can mention is the sheer volume of books inside the small space!

Every surface is covered in books including some pretty creative ones—there was a great bright yellow chair tucked in between two tables, all of which were piled with books.

Again, this post is small—just like it’s topic—but if you are in the area, go check it out!

Until next time (when I’m safely back in London Town),

This is Leave on the Wind, helping you soar.

Book Nerds: Shakespeare and Company, Paris.

Shakespeare and Company bookshop, Paris, France. February, 2015.

Standing just opposite the river Seine with the most picturesque view of the Notre Dame behind you, sits this tiny, unassuming bookshop. While Shakespeare and Company’s history may not be as long or grand as the building across the river, this little shop has its own kind of appeal which pulls people from around the world into its courtyard and through its front door.

This trip to Paris was not my first, so only a few years earlier, I stood yards away from this historic bookshop and never realized what I was missing simply by not looking behind me. I don’t think I can stress enough how close these two major attractions are for travelers to Paris—basically, if you get to visit Paris and the Notre Dame, take five minutes (at least) across the river and you won’t be sorry.

Across the River:the view of Notre Dame from Shakespeare and Co. Notre Dame, Paris, France. February, 2015. (My nice sunny picture was lost with my phone so gray sky aplenty here-doesn’t quiet do the view justice. Sorry.)

On four large panels in the middle of the storefront, beginning with the worlds “Paris Wall Newspaper January 1st 2004”, you can read the building’s history through the voice of the building itself as it watched the world change around it, setting the tone of the experience you encounter within the space—It really is a place out of time.

Made famous by the major literary cohorts of the 1920s and 1960s who hung out in and around the shop, Shakespeare and Company isn’t a bookstore for the modern world, but a shop that transports you back in time through the construction of its tiny passageways and alcoves to the grand history of the large range of books filling them.

This small, English language bookshop still seems a draw in and serves as a haven for literary expats like myself which was unexpected, yet a nice change from the bookshop I’ll talk about next week; I was able to look through the books as I explored without looking too lost since I can’t speak or read French. While it definitely seats you within the historically American patronage throughout the history of the store (from both its 1920s and 1960s storefronts—remember, the building did change locations though still claims its rich history), I found myself a little lost in placing myself in another country as well as the time discussed, as this shop felt almost like a satellite nation—a tiny piece of American and English space and history connected to its Parisian roots and yet separated from them.

All in all, it was an interesting place to be especially when you stopped to really place yourself in it.

In an almost constant stream, you will see tourists pick up books from the small stalls outside the building and pose/sit, pretending to read, on the benches in a mirror of all those figures who came before them as friends snap photos to send home. There are no pictures allowed inside of the shop—a beneficial scheme for them as it limits the congestion of photographers in the small alleyways within the store as well as creates a little extra money through picture postcards you can collect for 1 Euro each—but the outside of the building and it’s square are fair game.

The Iconic Shakespeare sign. Shakespeare and Co, Paris, France. February, 2015.

I loved the inside of the shop and know I will not be able to give it its proper due through my descriptions alone—I feel it’s a place that needs to really be experienced in all its Book Nerd glory to fully appreciate. My favorite feature to note, however, was the poetry alcove sitting past the twists and turns of the sections, in the furthest back and left quadrant of the main store. This is a tiny, three sided alcove covered—almost floor to ceiling—with books of poetry. This alcove is set down a few small steps and it’s entrance is decorated with a small iron gate that can be closed and padlocked giving you a sense of a world apart, a separate sphere to be recognized separately from all the other wares in the store. I was so tempted to take a picture of this particular detail but you really can’t get away with it—there are workers and the all seeing eye of security cameras pretty much covering the entirety of the store.

Other little things to note for you book nerds while you are there are the pictures and quotes hanging and painted on the walls—seriously the building is worth checking out for these detail besides just looking for great books and shopping!—but what I really loved was the literary nod of the raven sitting high in the widow next to door.

Anyway, to wrap up this week, Shakespeare and Company is a huge MUST on my recommendation lists for anyone visiting Paris—book nerds and non-readers alike—for a place of history and art and a unique quality you won’t find anywhere else. So if you are around, spare the time and, I promise, you won’t be sorry!

This is Leave on the Wind, helping you Soar.

Book nerd…

The reason I’m in London….

Lights and London’s eye. The London Eye, London, England. December, 2014.

If you’ve been paying attention, dear reader, you’ll remember that I moved to London four months ago to get my Master’s degree (and travel when I can, obviously). So this week in class, we’re really starting to look into our masters dissertations and, with my focus, this means one thing: major nerding out when it comes to anything literature based.

My focus seems to be settling of comparative history, mixed with industry analysis with a dash of grub street while my elective is looking at the history and culture of books (as in the actual object and construction of books)…

So yes, I’m (being) a book nerd.

But what, you may well ask, does this have to do with travel?

I’ve said it before and I’ll probably continue to say for a while to come: plan your travels to your passions. And that, my friend, is what I’m starting to do.

In just shy of a month, I’ll be on my reading week and, since most of my breaks have been spent wandering pretty aimlessly around London (not a bad thing to do or a bad place to do it), I’m working hard now to be free of school responsibilities and free to wander out further.

This is where the nerd comes in. While I can’t really travel around the world in the week I have off, I’ve been doing my research and there are a few things I’ll be going out to see.

First, I’m planning a Bookstore Tour of some of the coolest bookstores (look and history) that I can get too in the week. While there are lists like this that give you tons of options from around the world (which, hopefully, I will manage to get out too eventually!), I’ve narrowed my field to stops in England and France.

I’ve been to both of these countries before and plan to go again, so making a few day trips out and about to spend the day wandering to and around bookshops doesn’t seem like a waste of travel days—it’s all about the experience!

Right now, I’m looking at Barter Books, Stanfords (cause how can I not check out a store for travel-centric books?), Hatchards (Piccadilly’s, of course, for the history), and Daunt Books throughout London and (more broadly) England, and Le Bal de Ardents and (one of the highlights) Shakespeare and Company in France.

During this time, I’ll also be finding the location of the extinct “Grub Street”, which is framing my dissertation, and then I’m off to Bath for a belated birthday, to see one of Box Tale Soup‘s literary productions. That week, they are putting on puppet enactments of “Alice in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking Glass” for children’s theatre; and M.R. James’ “Casting the Runes” which are both supposed to be brilliant. I’m sad they aren’t doing Austen’s “Northanger Abbey” at this time, but I’m keeping my eyes peeled for other chances!

So, that’s my nerdy plan and I’ll be updating you on my comings and goings, as well as any adventures unfolding in the next couple of weeks and remember: life’s too short not to follow your passions, even if they lead to a week of running in and out of bookshops!

Cheers!

This is Leave on the Wind, helping you soar.