Ann Patchett with her dog Sparky, one of six shop dogs at Parnassus Books in Nashville, which she co-owns with Karen Hayes (Photo by Heidi Ross)

Did anyone else fall in love with the New York Times‘ Travel section this past Sunday, Dec. 11, 2016? It was a special “Bookstores” issue, leading with a front-page article written by Ann Patchett (author and co-owner of Parnassus Books in Nashville), titled “When a Bookshop Is a Must: From Boston to Los Angeles, an author offers a road map to stores big and small, old and new, and a few she can’t live without.”

Gloriously spread throughout the 12-page section (between a few non-bookstore themes such as “Trips that matter for Christy Turlington Burns” and “Comfort Zones for Solo Travelers”) were other headlines equally enticing. I turned off my computer and TV, sat down on the sofa next to one of my cats––curled up into his early evening nap––and read the following articles, including Patchett’s, in front of our Christmas tree:

“Bedding Down With Books: Hotels around the world have made books a centerpiece of their themes and décor”

“A Bookworm’s Travel Plan: If a really good shop is on your itinerary, the entire world can be at your beck and call”

“Bookstores Worth Traveling for”

“Temples for the Literary Pilgrim: From Mexico City to Hangzhou, bookstores that are destinations in and of themselves”

Hangzhou, China (Zhongshuge Bookstore)

Porto Portugal (Livraria Lello)

Paris (Shakespeare and Company)

Atlantis Books (Santorini, Greece)

Victoria, British Columbia (Munro’s Books)

Buenos Aires (El Ateneo Grand Splendid)

Mexico City (El Péndulo)

Kalk Bay, South Africa (Kalk Bay Books, Quagga Rare Books and Art)

“Commonwealth” author Ann Patchett (Photo by Heidi Ross), New York Times Travel section (12/11/16) and my cat, Grey Boy

and

“Where Writers Feel at Home: Seven authors reveal their favorite bookstores, those ‘ultimate arbiters of our literary tradition'” (Ta-Nehisi Coates, Pamela Paul, Juan Gabriel Våsquez, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Geralding Brooks, Dwight Garner and Russell Shorto)

I cherish cozy moments like these, especially during the holiday season.

Although I prefer reading the physical print form of newspapers, books and magazines, here is a link to Patchett’s article from that section: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/06/travel/an-international-bookstore-guide.html

Also, please visit Musing, Parnassus Books’ online magazine which features Patchett’s blog at https://parnassusmusing.net/category/anns-blog/

Ann Patchett at her Parnassus Books in Nashville (Photo by: Heidi Ross)