About Me

My photo
Melfort, Saskatchewan, Canada
I am a lawyer in Melfort, Saskatchewan, Canada who enjoys reading, especially mysteries. Since 2000 I have been writing personal book reviews. This blog includes my reviews, information on and interviews with authors and descriptions of mystery bookstores I have visited. I strive to review all Saskatchewan mysteries. Other Canadian mysteries are listed under the Rest of Canada. As a lawyer I am always interested in legal mysteries. I have a separate page for legal mysteries. Occasionally my reviews of legal mysteries comment on the legal reality of the mystery. You can follow the progression of my favourite authors with up to 15 reviews. Each year I select my favourites in "Bill's Best of ----". As well as current reviews I am posting reviews from 2000 to 2011. Below my most recent couple of posts are the posts of Saskatchewan mysteries I have reviewed alphabetically by author. If you only want a sentence or two description of the book and my recommendation when deciding whether to read the book look at the bold portion of the review. If you would like to email me the link to my email is on the profile page.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

“M” is for Mystery Bookstore is No More

Last year as part of my posts about mystery bookstores I have visited I put up a post about the “M” is for Mystery Bookstore in San Mateo, California. It was a lovely store and I enjoyed my visit there during a trip to San Francisco.

Unfortunately, “M” is no more. Owner, Ed Kaufman, closed the store in January of this year. While another bookstore, Third Avenue Bookstore, will occupy the space it is sad that “M” is gone.

Ed said that he had been a lawyer for 41 years and then a bookstore owner for 16 years. At 81 it was time for him to stop owning the store.

It was obvious even from meeting Ed for only a couple of times that he loved books and loved authors.

It is ironic that the store is being awarded a Raven Award at The Edgars banquet next month.

I wish I was writing about the opening of a new mystery bookstore.

9 comments:

  1. What a shame Bill but a least it is being replaced by another bookshop. Here shops disappear and are replaced by cafes (usually Starbucks).

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bill - That is very sad news. Interesting, well-run and inviting bookstores are hard to come by and it's a shame this one is closing. An unfortunate trend...

    ReplyDelete
  3. That's really sad, Bill. I remember the Murder One bookshop on Charing Cross Road, which was the last specialist mystery bookshop in London. The last time I visited, it was about to close down so I picked up some bargains, with a sad heart.

    In the town where I live, there is one bookshop (a chain). When I first moved here, 20 years ago, there were 8 independent bookshops and two chains, one of which had two branches and the other, one.

    Some people are critical of the charity Oxfam, which in the UK has bookshops to sell on donated books. I am not one of those critics, for at least the Oxfam bookshop in my town means that we have two bookshops. (Admittedly, the Oxfam shop is kept full by my donations!)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sarah: Thanks for the comment.

    It is no longer often a bookstore is replaced by a bookstore.

    The world already has all the Starbucks cafes needed.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Margot: Thanks for the comment.

    The closing of bookstores is indeed a sad trend.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Maxine: Thanks for commenting.

    I was startled and depressed that London has not a single mystery bookstore.

    I am grateful your personal reading keeps the Oxfam store going. It demonstrates your good taste in books that they can sell the books donated by you.

    In our community the local library, of which I have been a board member for over 30 years, makes thousands of dollars a year by the sale of donated books. I cannot say that my contributions keep the library going.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Bill, quite a few old bookshops have closed down in Bombay to be replaced by new and swanky outlets selling everything except books. The new bookstores with games and video games, leather goods, music, and stationery thrown in just don't measure up to the charm of the old bookshops. I miss the smell and feel of books as I have known it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Prashant: Thanks for the comment. You express beautifully a sad reality that is obviously worldwide. The new bookstores are not really for book lovers.

    ReplyDelete