One of my favorite San Francisco indie bookstores is in trouble. A Clean, Well-Lighted Place for Books is now up for sale. Owner Neal Sofman cites declining sales and lousy foot traffic. This also explains why Sofman withdrew the highly lucrative domian name bookstore.com, which I had mistakenly reported as “hijacked” last week. (Thanks to Dan Wickett for the head’s up on this.)
Magic Hours by Tom Bissell: This marvelous collection of essays chronicles everything from film shoots to novelists rescued from oblivion. (The essay on the Underground Literary Alliance, with its portrait of raucous factions, unexpectedly reveals how soft today's literary world has become.) But if you peer between the cracks of these smart pieces, you may very well see how cultural lives are formed from the most unexpected life choices. And as we follow Bissell's development as a writer over the years, that goes for Bissell as well. (Bat Segundo interview with Bissell)
Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway: Harkaway's latest novel greatly improves on his previous book, The Gone-Away World, which I'm already on record as praising. Angelmaker adopts genre elements without ever feeling like a genre book, and it leads me to believe that Harkaway is well on his way to a narrative grace close to China Miéville's. Yet inexplicably this very fun book, which includes an eightysomething badass named Edie Banister, a mysterious mechanical object that may destroy the world, farcical scenarios involving lawyers and the police, and some unexpectedly moving moments about fatherhood, doesn't appear to be getting much attention in American newspapers. Nothing from the snobs at The New York Times Book Review, nothing from The Washington Post. And since I can't get Harkaway on Bat Segundo, I hope this Jump Up and Down mention gets you hopping as well.
The Age of Insight by Eric Kandel: Unless you're really pressed for time, forget Jonah Lehrer. If you want to understand creativity and its relationship to neuroscience, then the bowtie-wearing Nobel laureate is your man. In addition to being a physically beautiful book (you will drool over many of the paintings), there are helpful overviews on optical illusions, science, biographical backgrounds, and many vital figures from the Vienna Secession. Kandel's enthusiasm (and his call for greater unity between the humanities and science) is contagious. 
That’s too bad. I have always thought that was in kind of a weird location, though. It seems like he could do better in a different neighborhood.
he’s opening a smaller neighborhood-style bookstore at west portal. i had the pleasure of working at their original cupertino store years ago – it seems they had a penchant for weird locations.
What was weird about the Cupertino location? As I recall, it was pretty much right across the street from DeAnza College. A very pleasant store and I suppose it just fell victim to landlord greed.
That is too bad. My dad was a customer and has a huge collection of books and music up here in Reno. I am sorry to hear about this turn of events.
http://www.twitter.com/fahrenheit1969
A very long time ago I fell in love with one of the employees at the Cupertino location while buying a book. That was the best bookstore ever.