Things I'd drive 45 miles for, part 3: Bookstores

I love Amazon, but sometimes you want to look up at a real-life shelf of books. I can usually find out about good novels and good poets from friends and book reviews, but lately, I've been all about getting my hands on well-written non-fiction. The big challenge in hunting for your next dose of elegant, crystalline prose is that if you don't have a particular subject in mind, you can't simply run a search on Amazon and get what you want.

That's where brick-and-mortar bookstores come in. As much as I appreciate Amazon's recommendations, there's something to be said for taking a random walk through a section you weren't originally in the market to explore. I love scanning over carts and table displays (admittedly judging many books by their covers, at least initially) and lingering over staff picks.

Here are some SF bookstores I particularly like:
1) City Lights - Great poetry selection, but the real clincher for me is the bizarre, eclectic basement and close proximity to Gelateria Naia.
2) Green Apple Books - Narrow aisles make this place a really cozy hangout, as long as you've come to terms with the idea that we live in earthquake country.
3) Chronicle Books @ the Metreon - I love a good coffee table book. This is a fun place to kill time.
4) Cody's Books - The staff here is thoughtful about their table displays and reviews, and that's where I think the battle is lost and won for independent bookstores. Lots of in-store events, though I have yet to attend one thanks to my commute.
5) Kinokuniya Bookstore - If I could read Japanese, my life would be so much cooler. Thanks to Kinokuniya, I found my Next Big Craft Hobby once I move down to Cupertino: making "bead mascots" (see left). HELL YES.
6) Red Hill Books - I just discovered this place today... it's pretty small, but it totally feels like you're in your cool aunt's house, checking out her library. There are lots of comfy chairs and they even put snacks out.

So what have I been reading lately? The last two books I read were The End of Oil by Paul Roberts (really interesting and well-written, though it got repetitive toward the end) and The Places In Between by Rory Stewart (amazing).