Little Free Library Tour—Spokane Sequel
Book Hunting in Spokane
After our successful first Spokane tour, we were hooked! Back we went at the end of September for a
new round of Little Free Libraries and we weren’t disappointed. This time BOTH
of my sisters joined me, and my son was once again our driver. And the heavens smiled on us with another
beautiful day in the Inland Northwest.
1st Stop. 1903 W 10th Ave.
This library was a nice surprise—it was a happy unexpected
accident that we spotted it. I must have
missed it on the LFL map, because it wasn’t on my list. I left a fun book called
Patty Jane’s House of Curl by Lorna Landvik, and I took a book for my sister—Julie and Romeo by Jeanne Ray. Looks good.
2nd Stop. 1917 W 8th Ave.
This library and home were an obvious treat—just beautiful! Here I left The Giant’s House by Elizabeth McCracken and hope the library
steward will enjoy it as much as I did. I took an interesting looking book
entitled Kitchen with an even more interesting
author’s name, Banana Yoshimoto—no kidding. The inside cover of the book states
the author received numerous awards for this book, which was originally
published in Japan where it became a run-away hit. She had me at “Banana.”
A quick stop to at the Patsy Clark Mansion designed by architect
Kirtland Cutter in 1897. At one point this
building used to be a restaurant and both my sisters were lucky enough to have
been there together. Right across the
street is Coeur d’Alene Park, the first park in Spokane built in 1891. Look at that copper-topped gazebo!
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| Patsy Clark Mansion and Coeur d'Alene Park, Spokane, WA. |
3rd Stop. 2017 W Pacific Ave.
At this library in the Browne’s Addition I found a book for my
granddaughter, The Legend of Sleeping Bear
by Kathy-jo Wargin. Illustrated by
Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen. I left a good one that should get snatched up
right away. What She Knew by
Gilly MacMillan was one of those books that was hard to put down.
And guess what? This library was right by Browne’s Tavern—lunch
time!
Browne’s Tavern is a converted old home made into a cool
restaurant. We had never been there before, but right when we walked in, we saw
a feature wall covered with books; that’s when I knew it must have been fate
for us to eat here on our book tour. The
food was wonderful! (stuffed mushroom appetizers, eggs Benedict, Portobello mushroom
sandwich, a pear/walnut salad, then ending with a crème brûlée cheesecake!—yum!)
Wash that down with a couple of Bellinis and a Bloody Mary, throw in an awesome
server, and we couldn’t have had a better time. We left with full stomachs, smiles,
and even hugs from our friendly server, J@*#. (I didn’t want to use his real name in case he’s not up to
giving everyone hugs. I like to think we’re special. Ha!) :)
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| Browne's Tavern. |
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| Portobello Mushroom Sandwich, Yummy Cheesecake, Bloody Mary! |
4th Stop. 2414 W Pacific Ave.
We were back on tour and just look how welcoming and wonderful this
Little Free Library is! It’s like a little book paradise. They have a bench
next to a potted plant, ready for you to sit right down and start reading. Of
course I wouldn’t do that with the others waiting for me, but it sure was
tempting. I couldn’t believe my luck, when I found the most beautiful children’s
book—a hefty, full-color book overflowing with all of Disney’s classic stories
made into movies from Snow White to Cinderella and more. I almost felt guilty taking it. I hope I
don’t get a nasty-gram telling me that the book was just for display. I can
tell you though that this book will be well used. I babysit my three-year-old
granddaughter twice a week and right before nap time, we jump on the bed piled with
stacks of books from which she chooses what I should read to her. She LOVES books! Most of the time, I wear out
before her and find my eyes crossing and my words slurring while I fight to
stay awake during the fourth book or so. She loved this Disney book the moment
I brought it home! I left two books at
this Little Library—a kid’s book called Rule
of Three by Megan McDonald and a book I thoroughly enjoyed—The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.
5th Stop. Belt
and Sharp Ave.
This well-stocked library was tucked away in a neighborhood
north of downtown Spokane. I spotted Haus
Frau by Jill Alexander Essbaum and left Still Life with Chickens
by Catherine Goldhammer. One of my
sisters and I both read it and liked it.
Hard to let books go, but I have to make room for new ones.
6th Stop. 3204 Fairview. (Corner of Fairway and "D")
Our final stop of the day was in the Audubon Park area with
well-kept beautiful homes all around.
Here I found another treasure for my granddaughter—The Midnight Fairies by Ronne Randall; illustrated by Maddy Bell. I
hope these people have a sense of humor, because I left an amusing (though
sometimes rough) book club selection entitled I’m Down by Mishna Wolff. As a side note: my husband had recently read
it and liked it, too.
Well, that’s it for today—another awesome tour! Thanks again to
the stewards who make it all possible. I imagine that this was not the last of
our tours. We’ll keep hunting, probably
a little north of downtown Spokane. Feel
free to pass on restaurant or sight-seeing suggestions!
Missed my other tours?
Check them out below.
Happy
Book Hunting, Happy Reading,
Annette
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