My baby brother, who lives in Berlin, Germany most of the year, just bought a place in Santa Cruz – giving me a great excuse to go over the hill to the beach. And I can’t get that close to Capitola Book Cafe without stopping in. Not only does this terrific store have a great selection of books being sold by knowledgeable booksellers, they also have great author events, and a cafe that serves wine.

Janet Leimeister, one of the store’s owners, put a copy of The Hunger Games in my hands long before I’d heard of it anywhere else. I bought it for a neice for Christmas, but ended up keeping it for myself.

When I stopped in weekend before last, Megan and Patrick were chatting with a patron who was buying a copy of Karen Joy Fowler’s The Jane Austen Book Club. Karen is a swanky, award-winning, books-to-movies author, but she is also local, and you can occasionally find her in the store. She is one of the most generous writers I know, so it was a particular delight to see a new reader discovering her wonderful work.

I meant to stay only a minute to pick up a book bag to support the store’s Survive and Thrive campaign. But I got to chatting with Megan and Patrick, and the next thing you know I was running quite late for brunch. As always, I loved hearing about the business, and what they are reading. And I signed the stock of my novels they had on hand, so if you’re looking for a nice gift… I can highly recommend the Survive and Thrive bookbags. Mine says:

I ♥ REAL BOOKSTORES

Stop by next time you go to the beach! – Meg

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