Literary Los Angeles

Books, particularly used books, have long been a passion of mine. Since I read The Hobbit in the 4th grade, I haven't been able to get my hands on enough. Libraries and used book stores have always held a peculiar romance for me; something about poring through the same pages as someone before you, knowing I could be getting the same emotion from it or something completely different. It can be quite thrilling. So, upon arrival in Los Angeles, I attempted to find the cool bookstores around town. I had difficulty finding anything that looked interesting; few used book stores, but a plethora of specialty stores. I don't collect antique books worth thousands of dollars and books on Hollywood or homosexuality don't hold more interest than any other subject. I quickly made the assumption that Los Angeles is not a book town.

Recently I've put this theory into question. The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books was held this past weekend on UCLA's campus. I was not only surprised that the event was being thrown, but who knew thousands of bibliophiles would flock in. Of course the authors, rare books, and book accessories (like book jackets) will be a draw for some, but last year over 130,000 people attended.

Still, one festival does not a book town make. Many attendees probably came from other areas, and this is only one weekend a year. Any town this size should be able to get attendance up for one literary event a year.

But following that thought, I realized LA does have some interesting draws for bookworms. So many interesting authors wrote from or about Los Angeles; one of my personal favorites is Ray Bradbury, who also wrote a great article about a great bookstore in Long Beach (which closed last year). Now that I live in Los Angeles, I have so much fun reading Phillip Marlowe (2nd only to Sherlock Holmes) stories, all of which take place in LA. That's not to mention all the libraries LA has to offer. The Central Library just happens to be my favorite place in the entire city. It is so beautiful! Yesterday I had the chance to visit the Santa Monica library and I was really surprised at everything it has to offer.

It might take a little extra effort to find, but LA can offer a reader a great experience.