| It's hard to imagine a more scenic
terrain than driving along Interstate 10 that crosses the southwestern
United States. Here are the mesas, the deserts, the stunning
rock formations. The highway passes Fort Bowie and Chiricahua
National Monuments, not to mention Saguaro National Park.
For those interested in the history, culture, indigenous peoples
or the environment of the borderlands
are wise to make a stop at Singing Wind Bookshop in southern
Arizona. The store features the best in Southwestern fiction
and non-fiction. Here are university press offerings and coloring
books for kids. Most of one of a kind treasures that will delight
any reader interested in this region.
Singing Wind itself is a unique resource center. Unfortunately,
the number of independent bookstores in the United States has
steadily declined in the 1990s. Those remaining stores persist
due to loyal customers and dedicated owners.
It was a sad day when Tucson's classy Books, South, Southwest
closed its doors and became a flower shop. But readers who wanted
choice books about the southwest simply drove 45 miles east
of Tucson to the town of Benson and the famous Singing Wind
Bookshop.
The store is located in a compact ranch house. This is both
the business and the home of Winifred Bundy, who opened the
book shop a quarter of a century ago. Sturdy wooden shelves
reach to the ceiling with intriguing titles: The
Late, Great Mexican Border, Sonoran Desert Summer and The
Road to Mexico. If you can't find what you are looking for,the
owner or manager Kathy Suagee will be happy to help you in your
quest.
A small alcove at the front of the store has lower shelves,
filled with children's titles. It's hard not to feel at home
here. Picnics are encouraged on tables underneath the mesquite
trees. And if you make an arrangement in advance, Mrs. Bundy
and her staff will arrange book talks and historical lectures
with cookies and punch.
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