“Magic Can Save the World”

By: Gracee Arthur

Welcome back Diesel Books we missed you. It was a long eight months for Malibu when in February 2011 it became a town without a bookstore. This would not be the first time Malibu would be without a bookstore since back int the ’90s we lost a wonderful local bookstore, Books and Company, whose mascot was a terrific white cat named Henry. Books and Company, was located at the Country Mart, had two stories and was filled with fabulous books, art and a helpful, knowledgable staff. Then in came a corporate entity with the charmless Crown Books which put our village book store out of business. In 1998 a Haft family dispute forced the closing of Crown Books and Malibu was without a bookstore until Diesel opened in 2004.

The return of Diesel, in its new location at the Malibu Country Mart, was celebrated with a “Thank You” party on October 23rd hosted by owners John Evans and Alison Reid (following their soft opening a few days earlier on October 21st).  The party was standing room only as excited readers young and old stood in line to purchase books. The apple pie was long gone by the time I arrived but there were some fabulous looking pumpkin pies, as well as terrific pumpkin colored t-shirts that were being given away in a customer drawing later that afternoon.  The highlight of the event took place in the court yard when author and Malibu local Lee Klinger from his book “In the Shadow of Dracula.”

The first Diesel opened in Emeryville in June of 1989 and subsequently moved to Oakland in 1994. The first Malibu store opened at Malibu Village in June of 2004 with another store opening in Brentwood in 2008. The current store is located off the courtyard in The Malibu Country Mart which gives it a perfect location for future book reading and signing parties, as well as sitting outside and reading a book. The new store is stylish and cozy with John, Alison and company there to help you find just the right book or order it for you. What warmed my heart was seeing so many younger people in the store with their parents. One young man who appeared to be about ten years old proudly showed me the sic-fi books he was purchasing and told me how much he liked turning the pages of a book. A a life long reader, who has always thought of turning the pages of a book like a “sensual experience for the mind.” My favorite way to spend a quiet afternoon as a child was reading a good book while eating a Macintosh apple (East Coast treat). So, I was heartened to know at least the kindle/iPad generation still enjoys the pleasures of curling up with a good book!

Diesel A Bookstore is located at The Malibu Country Mart 23410 Civic Center Way Suite A-3  Malibu 310-456-9961 www.dieselbookstore.com