All The Comforts Of Home

I thought I'd experienced everything when it comes to bookstores.  I've been to everything from used bookstores http://www.biblio.com/ to bigger stores such as Books-a-Million http://www.booksamillion.com/ .  So it came as a surprise, to find all the comforts of home, in a large chain book store, like Barnes and Noble. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ , especially, when larger chain stores, no matter which ones, can be very impersonal.

My daughter and I had not had much time, that first visit to Barnes and Noble, and I thought, I'll just go in for a quick look, and then I'll be on my way.  But that was not the way it worked out.  From the minute I walked in first set of double doors, I experienced a hush...a silence, in a tiny entryway, where I was able to peruse some books on sale, before I even got to the main part of the store. It's very quiet here, and I heard neither the noises from the outside, nor the noises from the inside of the bookstore.

And when I go through the next set of double doors, I heard a sort of whoosh, and then the smell of coffee drifts to my nose, a most delightful caffeine high.  First, to the left, of the entrance, is a very cozy lounging area.  Here customers, are sitting chatting quietly, at some tables, with a few typing away on laptops as they sip coffee.  And past this, is a little cafe area.  Here again, one can sip coffee and enjoy one of the many desserts in glass enclosed display cases, to tempt someone like me, long before I take the first bite.

Even though the lure was almost more than I could take, my daughter and I start off towards the back of the store.  In the very back is a section dedicated only to kids.  The display of books was incredible. Too many to see, for a rushed visit.

So it was very hard to know where to go next.  There was a teen section just outside the kids section.  Several shelves of fiction.  And to the right of that there was a eight to ten feet, at least, long section of magazines, of every kind.  There were so many things to look at, I actually just sort of ignored- some things- as it was just so hard to know where to go next.

I had to go, time had run out, and I regretted not being able to stay longer, but I had to stop, for a second, at their cafe.  I had the biggest piece of cheesecake, I'd ever seen.  My daughter had a piece of chocolate cake.  We pulled out our books, bought in haste, but that I knew we'd enjoy.  My daughter started reading from Tumtum & Nutmeg and I started reading, Known To Evil.  It was wonderful, the short time we had.  I've no doubt I'll be back again, soon.  Only the distance, will make these visits far apart.