The Book Thread: October 25th, 2026 [MP4]

Good morning, ‘rons and ‘ronettes. It’s time once again for the monthly MP4-hosted Sunday Book Thread. Dress for men, as always, is country club casual. Women, it’s time to break out the latest fall fashions:

So ask the barman for a cocktail, covfefe or tea and let’s get started!

In 1946, George Orwell wrote an essay, “The Moon Under Water,” in which he described his favorite London pub. It was quiet, with friendly middle-aged barmaids who knew their customers’ names, had good yet inexpensive lunches and, of course, the perfect pint of stout. The sad reveal, however, was that the ‘Moon’ didn’t exist; it was only Orwell’s vision of what would be the perfect pub.

Why do I bring this up? A few weeks ago, I traveled out to western Massachusetts to visit a used bookstore that was highly recommended on Facebook (yes, I know – more fool me). It was OK, but certainly not worth the four-hour round trip. The selection was eclectic, which I like, though it was a sobering experience to look through the ‘English history’ section and see that I already own most of the titles! But the place was infested with leftist slop – ‘No Kings’ flyers, ICE denunciations, pride flags, &c – and both the staff and customers ran the gamut from A to B in that they were snotty, pot-aroma’d college students, Karens in peasant dresses and jangling bracelets or man-bunned hipsters in locally-sourced clothes and carefully trimmed artisanal beards.

While I came away with a couple of good books, I was ultimately disappointed and angry at myself for wasting time visiting out west when there is a very good Used Book Superstore only half an hour away.

So what makes a good used bookstore? For me, the perfect one was the late Avenue Victor Hugo Books in Lee, New Hampshire. A converted barn with narrow aisles, tomes in every conceivable category tightly-shelved and overflowing, bundles of old sheet music and magazines, classical music at just the right volume, chairs to settle into while leafing through a possible purchase and an owner who loves books and has a story about every one you bring to the counter. And no posters, flyers or handwritten screeds damning everyone to the right of Pol Pot!

But, sadly, AVHB is now only an online business.

What makes a good bookstore for you? Which would you recommend? Which do you hate?

posted by Open Blogger at 09:00 AM

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