Kepler’s Booksdoesn’t look quite the same as it did when peace activist Roy Kepler first opened its doors in 1955 – or so folks who’ve been around Palo Alto and Menlo Park since then tell me – but those are its roots. It was a serious store where serious readers and thinkers gathered.But then, as now, it was a fun place to hang out, too: The Grateful Dead gave live shows at the store back in the day. And they, along with Joan Baez, often shared ideas with local community leaders surrounded by books. 
Those roots are still apparent in the booksellers who make Kepler’s the store it is today: they know books. I can’t tell you the number of times bookseller Nancy S. has put a novel in my hands and said, “Read this.” I’m sometimes reluctant, but she’s rarely wrong about what I will like, or what is worth reading. And that culture runs deep – a fact the store recognizes by giving booksellers their own bookshelves, like this one by Aggie Z., who runs the Kepler’s Writing Group and hosts the Kepler’s blog, The Well Read Donkey.
Does Kepler’s host book groups? When I first moved to Palo Alto – knowing no one – I set off in search of fellow book lovers. It didn’t take me long to find my way to Molly McCall’s Fiction Book Group. 
Through Molly, I came to Laurie Colwin’s Happy All the Time and L.P. Hartley’s The Go-Between, among others. The store hosts speculative fiction and Spanish literature groups, too, keeps a wonderful display of the books neighborhood book groups are reading, and hosts book club mixers where writers and people in publishing discuss good book club reads. The next one is just around the corner, on Sunday, May 17. 
Kepler’s also hosts terrific readings, and I can tell you as an author that it is a great place to read. Not every author gets the special friends-in-Wednesday-Sisters-Shirts type treatment that local authors like me get, but they do get interested readers (often including prominent bay area authors) asking questions from the seats. Great setting, great books, great company. What more could a reader want?
I love these spotlights, but I always get depressed too at how few of these gems we have in our area! This one sounds fabulous! I will certainly have to remember it whenever I’m out there!
A lot of history in this store! It looks like a place where I could be very happy. I am going to echo the poster above and say that I love these spotlights. It is always interesting to see where other people go to peruse for books. I am also keeping a list, in the event that I ever get out of town and to any place where these great shops reside.
these spotlight posts are great…thanks for sharing this one.
This sounds like an excellent bookstore to get lost in. I like it when booksellers make suggestions of something I should read. Thanks for another good Spotlight.
I live in a big city but the only bookstores close to me are superstores and they just don’t have that sense of community that the smaller independents do. If I won the lottery that is the first thing I would do. Open a bookstore.
BTW.. I love that the bookshelf pic has Meg’s book on the shelf too! I can’t imagine how it would feel to see your own book displayed at the bookstore.
Another great one in California!!! I’m thinking I’m going to have to plan a book store tour for myself … sans kid and hubby!
I’m always so envious when I read these posts.
I love these posts. This sounds like a great store. I wish my local Borders had a Nancy S.! I don’t have a good independent near me so I frequent Borders or amazon.com.
Good bookstores make all the difference don´t they?
It sounds fantastic, thanks for sharing Meg!
Wah! I want a Kepler’s!! And despite my jealousy, I love these spotlights.
>I can’t imagine how it would feel to see your own book displayed at the bookstore
It feels absolutely love Ti! Better than winning the lottery, IMHO. But not as hard. I have a writers page on my website, if you want to give writing a whirl. If you already do, I host a blog, 1st Books: Stories of How Writers get started, that includes some wonderful authors posting about how they got published (in all cases: hard work and persistence!). It’s also available from my site.
Thank you all for reading. I agree with Lenore that bookstores do make all the difference, and I’m glad to have the opportunity to tout one of my favorites.
-Meg