Daily Figment 127 - Reading Trout Book Store Review!

As we mentioned in an earlier post, we visited the Reading Trout Book Store to see author David Koenig speak about his new book, Realityland. It was scheduled for the Friday evening during MouseFest. This was my second trip to Celebration; I had visited it in 1997 one afternoon while we were on vacation. It has grown quite a bit. At that time, they were still selling houses and there was a lot of obvious construction. 2007 paints Celebration as an upper-class private resort without the gates. There are some stores and shops, but most of the ancillary services still seem to cater to tourists.

We had some issues with parking in Celebration because of the nightly Christmas Celebration: snow in the town square, electric train rides, sleigh rides and free Christmas flavored coffee (don't ask--Andy sampled it, not me). The Town Square was blocked to parking, so we needed to circle a few times. I called the book store and spoke to one of the owners, Lori. She mentioned a few places to park. We found a spot right in front of the Christmas Tree lot and parked. It was only a few blocks from the store. Celebration is a beautiful planned community--especially at night--and it was a very enjoyable walk past restaurants, shops and holiday revelers.

Reading Trout Book Store is a few shop fronts down from the Celebration AMC Theater. You immediately feel welcome and at home. Rich green walls with bright white trim and shelves envelop you in a sense of warmth and comfort. Of course, the first thing that I noticed was the massive selection of Disney books. I will let you know, up front, that my wallet didn't suffer--my wife informed me that I had a few books coming from Santa and I needed to be careful with purchases. Since we are supposed to be back at Walt Disney World in April, we will definitely be stopping back by the store. I wonder if they sell gift cards (hint, hint)?

After a few minutes of wandering around, we settled in the chairs in front of the screen to hear David's talk. After the book signing, Andy and I toured the store. It is a small, but well-designed with areas for children's fiction, young adult, fiction, nonfiction, magazines and special interest works.In my opinion, the Disney book collection is one of the coolest parts of the book store.There are sections on corporate history, biographies and animation/film. My favorite area was the section devoted to Disney theme park-related books: guides, histories, annuals, architectural titles, gardening, cultural analysis, designing the parks and corporate-produced pieces. There were only a few titles I didn't own (but I made a list) and it is a very extensive collection. I spoke to one of the co-owners (Adam) and he, too, confessed that he was obsessed with Disney-related books. I believe his wife, the other half in the business, collects china--so it equals out.

Reading Trout Book Store should definitely be on your list for you next visit to Walt Disney World. If you live close by, stop by and check them out.

Oh yeah, tell then George sent you!

Reading Trout Books

671 Front Street, Suite 110
Celebration, Florida 34747
321-939-BOOK (2665)

http://www.readingtroutbooks.com

HOURS OF OPERATION:
Monday - Thursday: 10:00am - 9:00pm
Friday & Saturday: 10:00am - 10:00pm
Sunday: 11am - 6:30pm

Reading Trout Books offers nearly 12,000 volumes of new & used books and over 100 magazine titles. Reminiscent of a 1040’s Homefront Lounge, the store is filled with wood floors, book shelves to the ceiling, and a fireplace surrounded by deep leather chairs. Over half of books in stock are priced below $15 and the store has an expansive selection of rare Disney titles.