June 1, 2022
Next Page Books, Cedar Rapids, IA.
A copy of my book was left in this very cool bookstore. Next time through, I will definitely visit again. This time, the owner had run an errand and was away from the store so I did not get to meet him, nor really get to know the place. This store is in the New Bohemia neighborhood, across from the NEWBO market.
Prairie Lights Bookstore, Iowa City, Iowa
This is an amazing bookstore. I spent thirty minutes or so talking to Terry who has been at the store since ’93. Got a rundown on the history and growth of the place. What an amazing resource people like Terry are in indie stores like this. The variety and selection of books in the place is unsurpassed. Coffee shop upstairs. Any book lover should stop at this place when passing on I-80. It’s just a few minutes off the interstate on Dubuque St. And it is set in a very appealing downtown area not far from the University of Iowa campus.
Before I left, I picked up a copy of "The Best American Mystery Stories, 2019" edited by Jonathan Lethem, he, the author of "The Feral Detective."
Cat and Bella
Rest Area on I-80 west of Iowa City. Time for a modest picnic consisting of a peanut butter sandwich on rye bread.
Following lunch, my truck would not start. I had recently had the PCM replaced and I first thought that it had failed again. I was downhearted and wasn't sure what my next step would be. Then it occurred to me that it might be a battery problem, even though my battery was less than two years old, and even though there was no click-click sound that used to be indicative of a dead battery. So I got out to check under the hood. As I did, I saw two young women on my right, walking my way. I asked the lead one if she would help me jumpstart my truck. She agreed and in short order, we hooked up the jumper cables I had and the truck started immediately. I was relieved and while leaving my truck running, put the jumper cables back in the tool box. The women had gone for a quick walk across the grassy rest area and when they returned I thanked them again, introduced myself, and gave them a copy of my book. They, in turn, introduced themselves as Cat, who was driving their vehicle and had taken the lead in hooking the cables to her battery and who talked as if she possessed quite a bit of experience getting and keeping vehicles running, and Bella, who smiled and observed and expressed a keen interest in police work, my book, and crime fiction. We talked about some of my experiences in police work that informed the novel and about visiting independent bookstores, introducing my book to those places, as I traveled across the country.
I believe that the two of them were angels, placed in a position to help me – somebody's grandpa – on my way, to lift my spirits immensely, and reinforce my faith in mankind.
Beaverdale Books, DesMoines, Iowa
Another treasure. I had a nice visit with Hunter in this store. I bought “The Family Chao,” by Lan Samantha Chang, here and picked up an extra copy of the 2022 edition of Midwest Indie Bookstore Roadmap. Terry, in Prairie Lights, had recommended this store as a "can't miss" on one's tour of indie bookstores in Iowa. So I went there and was not disappointed. Late in the afternoon, I left here and drove to Grand Island, NE.
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