THE BEST BOOK STORE.

The Book Barn in Niantic, Connecticut, looks like a garden when you drive up. That’s because it IS a garden, and a quaint place where book lovers hang out, trade and buy books. And, yes, there is a barn, and many other sheds and shacks and benches and…well it is different by all accounts. So follow me for an abbreviated look.

Your first stop is a buy and sell counter with the above sign. You grab a number if you have books loaded in your car. When the counter is clear of book sorting, and your number is called, you can unload your books on the counter. If you have bags full you can carry in one hand, you don’t need a number. That was us, we turned in about 30 books.

Now its time to go shopping. You have to choose from roughly 350,000 volumes, mostly paper back. I chuckle at their designations. Perhaps you like books that bite?

Or maybe chick lit? A little building I love to browse. In one mystery barn, the alphabet stopped at G and was continued on over to another barn. Despite the widespread collections, everything is pretty easy to find with good signage and able helpers.

I have no clue what Paranormal Romance is but others must. I was after books by a new for me author, Iris Johansen. I found one in the latest arrivals kiosk, right out front at the entrance. Is she mystery or adventure thriller?  Hard to tell, maybe a little of both.

I followed the garden path.

Beauty in bloom.

A gargoyle overlooks a quiet pond. A person could easily spend a quiet day here in the garden reading.

And, they make it easy to shop with children. Besides the Peanut Butter Shanty, there are rideable and pushable toys at various wide sections of walkway, wagons to sit in and places to read for kids.  A penned goat to pet and many cats.

Then there are the graveyards.

Hey, fell victim to a dangling participle. What a hoot.

And cookbook Ken whose love of food did him in. You may have to double-click the photos to read the inscriptions.

Hovering over the graveyards, two skeletons with the sign, Death By Kindle. I expect they are writer’s skeletons.

It was at the haunted book shop building that I found 14 Iris Johansen books I hadn’t read. That’s because I’ve only read one and she’s  written about 40 books. I can see I’m going to have fun for weeks for my fourteen dollars.

Many cats sleep among the shade plants, but this one would be my choice. It was a fun day. The barn has two more stores in town and between the three, they have an average total of 500,000 books. Today, we were supposed to go raspberry and blueberry picking with Jim’s grand-daughter, Jaime, but it is raining and looks to continue for the rest of the day. Iris Johansen will keep me entertained.

FINDING HARMONY, PEACE AND JOY

 Several months ago, I picked up the book Blue Highways, by William Least Heat-Moon. He calls himself a half-breed. Part Indian, his father called himself Heat Moon, and his oldest son Little Heat Moon, thus, born last, William became Least Heat Moon. Least Heat Moon set out in a home-made camper van and traveled on "small roads", across the U.S. from Missouri headed east to the coast then back through the Carolinas, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Utah, Nevada;  north to Oregon; east across the top part of the U.S., through the Great Lakes, up to Maine and then back to Missouri. An epic journey of trails and travails in fascinating prose. What made it special to me is the many places he passed through that I have passed through these last three years, with Jim, at the helm of a motor home. Least Heat Moon  reminded me of other RVers, (particularly our friend Randy Vining,) who take the path less traveled, and adopt philosophies of a simplified life. Emerson, Thoreau, poets, Walt Whitman, and other historic figures like Muir, who relate to nature and the simpler things in life. People shed their possessions and find harmony, peace and joy. On the road, we meet people who profess to want that, few find it. Be inspired by this book.  Here is a link to Least Heat Moon:
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Least_Heat-Moon

Jim ordered 68 books from the Book Barn in Connecticut, at $1.00 each. He finds an author he likes, and they ship him the used books. He is set to put in another order, and I've ordered two more "journey" books by Least Heat Moon and a Walk In The Woods by Dryson. What a treat, what a deal.

Yesterday was a quiet day of letter writing, swimming  and reading. The weather remained cool, but dry with a weak sun. Enough sun for Jim to get out and put new battery cables on the Bronco while I swam. At the pool, I met three kids from Tennessee with their grandfather. None of them knew how to swim. I had fun with the youngest, seven year old, teaching him the basic rules of learning to blow bubbles, getting used to having his face in the water, and holding onto the edge and kicking. All benefit of watching my own grandkids take swimming lessons a few summers back. The boy was pleased with himself. I was taught the old, regrettable way, as a kid, when my dad pushed me off a stump and said, "swim." 

PICNIC AND A BARN LOAD OF BOOKS

Yesterday, the weather was beautiful, Eric The Man had two ball games in a tournament, so everyone gathered at Groton Park for a bit of rest, fun and food between games. Joceylyn Jaillet used the time to burrow into a book. She kind of reminds me of myself at age 15.

And, on the subject of books, how do you peruse 350,000 books? Niantic, Connecticut has a famous book store, that has turned into three stores.
The main barn is not the whole story. Building after building has been added around the spacious garden grounds filled with every imaginable book.  Friendly benches, a children's play area, several friendly cats, tables, coffee, cookies, flowers, settees invite you to linger and relax. Things are wonderfully organized in cozies, new items, old items; political or photography; children's or teen's. you might find one copy filed in fiction and the same book filed in poetry if it has both.

I found a copy of my newest favorite book, Bel Canto, so now I can return the one loaned to me by a friend. That, and a bagful of others. If your bag gets heavy, staff provides a cubby to hold your books while you continue your search. Jim needed help to lug his big box of books out to the Bronco. Oh, such hidden pleasure in those pages

Helpful, plentiful staff, and if you get tired of looking, you can always rest your eyes and throw a few balls into the basketball hoop in one of the courtyards, or stop for a game of chess or checkers.

Folks here have a great sense of humor. Every sign has at least one funny line. This place is such a treasure. The hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Open every day of the year except Christmas and Thanksgiving.