Vacationing in Rural New England

Over the years I have visited dozens of rural bookstores throughout New England, and elsewhere, and I am never disappointed in what I find. My expectations are that the local bookseller will reflect something of its owner, its community and its customers that adds to the enjoyment of my visit. I may be in the area to ski, or golf or dangle my toe in the lake, but without a good book to fall back on during rainstorms, cold-snaps and theme-park overload, I might not go on vacation at all.

 
Annie's Book Stop in Wells, Maine is the perfect place to find a good book during your vacation on the Southern Maine Coast.

My book, A Vacationer’s Guide to Rural New England Bookstores, is the book I would like to have had with me over the past 40 years, rambling around the countryside on trips to the mountains, the seacoast and everywhere in between. Necessity being the mother of invention, I elected to write my own book about the rural bookstores.

A recent visit to Harbor Books in Old Saybrook CT serves as a great example of what I mean. The owner is the person you talk to, his dog greets you at the door, the other customers in the store chat freely about the great book they just finished reading and the one they are getting right now; and you realize that you have seven books under your arm - two of which cost one dollar!

The heaviest of the books was Rickover - about a ten pounder I guess - and it was only $6.50. The Harbor Books store is compact and doesn't carry the NYT best sellers. (Thank goodness). But, I went out of my way to stop there after leaving Mystic CT to head North again because I knew I would find some great nautical books. I never miss there. I love those rural New England used book stores.

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Excerpt from Chapter One:

Back to the Future in New Hampshire
"Motorcycle weekend at Laconia NH has been a tradition that goes back to when when I was on family vacations as a child during the 1960's. I vividly remember the sounds and excitement at Weirs Beach when the riders in their leather jackets parked hundreds of motorcycles sideways along the street.

Back then, my interest was in the noise and spectacle of the bikers. Today, I prefer to cruise a few miles up the winding road to The Country Bookseller in Wolfeboro NH, to check out the  latest bargains on books by local authors."
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Excerpt from Chapter Three:

If it’s Christmas, it’s Chatham

"Every year we make it a point to do some of our Christmas shopping in Chatham. The off-season visit to Cape Cod is part of our whole approach to visiting this glacial-induced sandbar. Some of my friends and co-workers think only of the hot summer days along Route 28 basking in the sun and splashing in the waves. For me, summer is a time of year that I avoid Cape Cod. I’d rather be there when pumpkins and maize corn are on display.

At the Chatham Bars Inn my wife found a bartender that not only made the best Raspberry Cosmo she ever had, but at her suggestion added the fresh raspberries he found in the kitchen. I’m sure he doesn’t make that drink without the fresh fruit ever since. And up the road a bit is the Chatman Wayside Inn and The Wild Goose Tavern. A late lunch at the Inn is a traditional part of our visit to the shops on Main Street. Be it enough said that between these two places in Chatham we always feel welcome and at home. To make the leisurely pace even more comfortable, I like to pick up a book at Where the Sidewalk Ends on Main Street.

The Christmas Stroll in Chatham seems to circulate in, around, through and about Where the Sidewalk Ends. From signed copies of local author’s books to a large children’s section, perfect for gift ideas, the bookstore is always a treat. Even though we are off-Capers (not locals), we feel like family during the holiday stretch between Halloween and New Year’s. I tend to favor non-fiction including biographies, memoirs of the famous and infamous and anything by Stephen Ambrose. But, that’s me. This bookseller has everything imaginable and then some.

We haven’t yet been there for the First Night celebration, but it’s my guess that the festive nature of the Chatham locals, the non-Capers that are adding this location to the vacation destinations and the spirit you find at Where the Sidewalk Ends will make this a good bet for your next visit."