Welcome to Literary Ashland

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Soundpeace, located in downtown Ashland next to Zoey’s Café and all Natural Ice Cream and across from the historic Ashland Springs Hotel, is the home of spiritual books and gifts for all types of people. Soundpeace specializes in books concerning personal growth and spirituality but not limited to just books. They have jewelry, candles, prayer flags and even incense.

I had the opportunity to speak with Steve, the owner of the shop and he provided me with mountains of information on their book selection and his love of the book business. Steve’s love of books started when he was young and continued as he ventured into the book business. Steve has owned Soundpeace since 1991, five years after it was established in 1986. He enjoys ordering books and handling new books as they come in: “It’s like Christmas,” he says in a calm and quiet voice, but not completely concealing his true passion for his career in books.

A question that I asked all the bookstores around Ashland was their thought on the future of traditional, paper copies of books in the age of the kindle and Amazon ebooks. He informed me that customers ask if Soundpeace is a showroom for Amazon. His store, through the age of technology, has remained traditional in their selling and buying books. Steve believes the shift in the way people buy books, over the Internet for example, could alter the fate of books. Books could someday become collector items, outdated pieces of history that technology has replaced.

Soundpeace is a wonderful bookstore and gift shop. The people are pleasantly friendly but not fake or overpowering. The selection is directed to a specific genre of readers but vast in what they provide. If you haven’t stopped into Soundpeace, make it a priority in the very near future; it’s not an Ashland location that you want to miss out on!

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Those of you that have inhabited Ashland for longer than a few years may remember a pleasant bookstore wedged down the alley next to the Varsity Theater in downtown Ashland. Although that shop has closed its doors, owner Judi Honore has not left Ashland or the book business.

Her new store, Shakespeare Books and Antiques, snuggly located between Ashland Bakery and the Running store downtown is lively and overflowing with numerous book options for all ages. Upon walking through the front doors, customers see books lining the walls of the store and popping out at them–classics, poetry, children books and even a two-dollar paperback section; you name it, Judi probably has it shelved somewhere in her shop.

I have known Judi for almost five years. She frequents the small cafe I work at daily. Judi’s generosity is indescribable. Half of my book collection has come from Judi. Whenever I would stop in to say hello, I found myself scanning the books, often leaving with books that were purchased and others that Judi gave to me. She has provided me with familiar classics like Out of Africa. She also has quenched my thirst for history, supplying me with an endless amount of history books.

An interesting part of Judi’s store that is unique to only Shakespeare Books and Antiques is her section of “banned books.” All the brilliant pieces of literature that we were “forced” to read in high school from To Kill a Mockingbird to Catcher and the Rye can be found in a special section designed to highlight these unforgettable works and their special history. It is truly enjoyable to simply scan this section and wander down literary memory lane. She also has classics for newer generations to experience and best sellers/new releases both new and used. Her books are priced fairly, allowing college students trying to pinch a pretty penny to adventure through new works of literature.

If you have not sorted through the many shelves, put it on your to-do list. I promise you will find yourself lost in the endless book titles that nip at your desire for good literature. If my promise falls flat, you are more than welcome to swing by my house and look through Judi’s other collection, Part 2.