The hubs is back on the book tour circuit, which means a lot of visits to bookstores.

Much as I love a good Barnes and Noble and much as I lament the loss of Brentano’s (as my son laments the loss of Borders), I have to say that I have grown more enamored of the independents. They always have a distinctive smell—not the same smell, but a distinctive and pleasant one. There’s often a cat. The person behind the counter has actually read a book or two in their lifetime and might have a guess about what you’re looking for.

Plus, most of them have great used sections where you can find things that no mainstream bookstore would even be able to order. Out of print novels. First editions. Outdated histories about outdated things that nobody wants to focus on in new histories.

Everyone probably knows The Strand in New York. It’s heaven. City Lights might be the only reason I would ever go back to San Francisco. Vroman’s was one of the high points of living in Southern California (and I can only hope that someone buys it and it doesn’t go the way of the Original Pantry Café downtown). I went to some great talks at Politics and Prose in DC (one of them by the hubs). My son’s second home in Manassas was McKay’s Used Books (although he spent more time on the movie and music side of things). Now that we are in Illinois, Books on the Square is our new favorite—there’s one in Springfield, and one in the teensy town of Virden that takes up three (three!) store fronts.

Keep the list going. Where’s your favorite idea garden?