As expected, tributes are paid to the favorite bookstores of 84 writers who have a unique relationship with the store and staff. Some call the stores their second home.

This is not the first book of this type over the years, and so far, it looks like this format is still worth the time to read. All the writers talk about the skill of “handselling” a book and all that can be learned from the knowledgeable staff of these specialty stores. Even the writers tell us that they go to the store to mingle with people who care about books.

The relationships reported about these stores have lasted for years. In my case, I was drawn to the review of the local store in Salt Lake City, referred to as a small town by Terry Tempest Williams, who wrote this chapter. His family grew up in Salt Lake when it was once upon a time a small town. Today it is just one of perhaps 15 other towns positioned back to back in the Salt Lake Valley, consisting of over a million people and with a density of almost 1700 people per square mile.

This issue of the town’s size can serve as an example of what is good and not so good about this format for understanding these independent bookstores. What we are given is one person’s experiences more than their insights. The King’s English bookstore is indeed an icon in Utah, and many love the store, but the Williams family’s point of view is just one of the stories. A better overview of this store is in the owner’s book, Kings English by Betsy Burton.

Brent M. Jones

Brent writes with quiet confidence and curiosity, exploring communication, reinvention, and what truly matters. His reflections invite readers to slow down, reconsider their stories, and reconnect with the values that guide them. Through books, essays, and his What Matters Substack Articles and Notes, he offers writing that doesn’t shout—but still speaks clearly.