There might be nothing funnier than hearing your GPS say Big Chicken Barn.
I’ve been to the Big Chicken book barn in Ellsworth, Maine on at least two occasions but it was always with Lucy in tow which meant one of us (not me) had to stay outside with her. And that, of course, meant that my browsing time was limited. On our recent four-day trip to Maine we flew and Lucy stayed at home which meant I had all the time I needed to comb through the stock. This was a good thing, but, the fact that we flew meant that I didn’t have a car trunk I could fill with books.
John said that I should set a number and just limit myself to that number. I told him that although I wasn’t going to go crazy buying lots of stuff, there are certain authors like Cecil Roberts who are really hard to find and that if I found them I would buy them and then…
hogglestock 
Uh…. “There are a few titles here that I don’t own but given my space restrictions I decided to only get the one that had the coolest cover.” Now I am worried about you and suspicious that you’ve been kidnapped and someone else is posing as you.. because these disciplined words are NOT something you, in your normal frenzied excited mind in a bookstore, would ever say unless under duress.
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As it relates specifically to the Auchincloss, I know I can find them in other places and didn’t have to try and stuff them in my suitcase on this trip.
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That’s the best bookstore name I’ve ever heard. And those covers are beautiful!
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I love how you describe the Brookners as “in the wild.” LOL! That does seem like an amazing bookstore!
And I’m pretty sure I saw a lot of Cecil Roberts’ works at John King Books in Detroit a couple of years ago (naturally I bought Victoria Four Thirty after your rave review). They don’t really have online shopping but will respond pretty promptly to email requests to check their stock. You should go if you ever find yourself in Detroit!
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I am pretty show I picked up the “in the wild” idea from Simon at Stuck in a Book. Believe it or not, I have actually been to John K King. https://hogglestock.com/2015/10/08/thereadersroadtrip-day-6-john-k-king-books-in-detroit/
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Wow – all those Brookners! More than I’ve seen in one go over here!
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I don’t know Auchincloss but those covers are fab.
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If you were to try Auchincloss, I would suggest you start with The Book Class.
The Book Class by Louis Auchincloss (3/1/15)
I had never read Auchincloss before but I feel like I know who he is now. I assume this is a semi-autobiographical tale of Auchincloss’ relationships with the rich, older women who made up his mother’s social circle in and around New York. Their days of glory faded along with the early 20th century milieu in which they ascended to prominence. It had touches of Mary McCarthy to me. Imagine The Group, but much older and largely without the sex talk. I was annoyed to see one review on Goodreads in which a reader lamented that Auchincloss didn’t write about women from the middle or working classes. Well that’s not the book he wrote or wanted to write so move along, idiot.
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Good finds! Every once in a while I will stop in and take my time going through the fiction section. Then, sometimes only nonfiction. There are so many books I really have to alternate sides of the shop between visits. (It’s the kind of place where having a browsing strategy really helps…)
p.s. you passed within half a mile of our house – come visit next time?
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I grew up an hour and a half from Ellsworth, and I go back to the area a couple of times a year, but I’ve never heard of the Big Chicken Barn until now. So, thank you – I have a little detour to make on my next trip!
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