Just got back from an overnight trip to Seattle and spent an hour at Elliott Bay Books this afternoon.

I love this bookstore.  It’s got amber-colored worn wood floors, all these intriguing different levels reached by ramps and wood staircases, and, of course, books. 

One of the best things about the bookstore is all the different recommendation shelves the store has.  You could spend an hour browsing those alone. 

I saw a bunch of books I wanted.  Chief among them is Barbara Kingsolver’s new book about eating locally, the name of which escapes me but its something clever.  I have hinted BROADLY and LOUDLY that I want this for a Mother’s Day gift, so I’m hoping.

Lately Barbara Kingsolver irks me because she can get just the wee-est bit patronizing and holier-than-thou, but I am very interested in this subject so I’m willing to give her another chance.  (For the record, Animal Dreams is on my top ten books of all time, but nothing she’s written since has captured me in quite that way.)

(Okay, its not good to be lazy, I looked the title up.  It’s called Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.  Tres clever.)

Paul Hawken has a new book out about the environmental movement called Blessed Unrest.  That one is definitely on my to-read list.  I’m currently reading two books on global warming, one called Field Notes From A Catastrophe by Elizabeth Kohlbert, which started as a series in the New Yorker, always a good recommendation; and Feeling the Heat, Dispataches From the Frontlines of Climate Change, which is a collection of articles from reporters who went all over the world.  Both are excellent.

Can you tell I’m getting just the tiniest bit obsessed with global warming?

I saw tons of novels I would like to read, Lionel Shriver’s latest, which I have on hold at the library (me and half the population of Portland), a new one from Margaret Drabble and a couple others which escape me.  Walter Mosley has a new book out on writing novels, which I almost bought but put aside in favor of a book on blogging called Dispatche from Blogistan, by Suzanne Stefanac.

Thought it was interesting that the store was relatively uncrowded.  Here in PDX, Powell’s, the biggest bookstore on the planet, is generally so crowded its hard to walk through the main rooms on a Saturday.  But maybe the nice weather in Seattle had an impact.

P.S. Please note the lack of links to Amazon in this post.  Somehow, it just didn’t seem right to fill this post with links when I’m writing about Elliott Bay.

P.S.S.  Congratulations to Roy and Leslie Burkhead on the birth of their second child and first daughter, Eryn, born this morning in Tennessee. 

P.S.S.S. The reason for the trip to Seattle was to see the Cornish College of Arts BFA show –of which the beloved Justin L’amie was the star.  I’m not prejudiced or anything, even if the kid did spend half of his time growing up, and a year in full time residence, at my house.  Nope, not prejudiced at all.  He’s brilliant, that’s all there is to it.