TAKEN FROM ARTICLE BY MITZI STARK
SPECIAL TO THE TICO TIMES

It's worth a trip to Alajuela, 17 kilometers west of San José on the General Cañas highway, to visit the goodlight bookstore. Whether you're a fanatical reader or a light browser, this new bookstore offers 9000 books and a big selection of videos on eye-pleasing pine shelves with enough room and good light for comfort.

But the big selection of books is what makes a bookstore, and goodlight books covers all categories, including cats, as Kitty is a resident pet. There are sections on art, philosophy, novels, mysteries and crime (a huge selection), biographies, non-fiction, and a big section of books for young readers, which also please those learning English as a second language for their simple style.

Prices start at an unbelievable 50 cents, and most books are under three dollars. There is even a box of free books -those without covers or that have other damage. Goodlight books buys and sells, but does not take trades, said owner Larry Coulter.

The store is easy to reach, one block north of the cathedral and two blocks east, or two and a half blocks east of the Juan Santamaria museum. It is just around the corner from Jalapeños restaurant, a popular gathering place for ex-pats. There is on-street parking by ticket in the neighborhood.

Rapid Internet service is also available for checking your e-mail or sneaking a look at Amazon.com for book suggestions. International phone calling will be available soon. Goodlight is open every day, Sundays too, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

"Sometimes there is nothing to do on Sundays," notes Coulter, who now offers a comfortable choice.

Coulter is a newcomer to Costa Rica, but had made several extended visits before settling here in January. His previous home was Sebastopol, California, where he was a contractor for carpentry and remodeling.

His talents in carpentry and sculpture are what give goodlight books its special ambience. His metal sculptures, including a fountain, make a garden out of the patio. Clea, a life-size mannequin, adds a special touch of beauty.

Coulter has thought of everything, including chairs scattered around the shop for customers' comfort while researching the blurbs.

Coulter's interest in literature and poetry are the spur behind the bookstore.

"The name goodlight comes from a line in the poem Si Yo Fuera Poeta by Antonio Machado, a Spanish poet from the 30's," he said. "La buena luz tranquila" describes a comforting good light in which we see the world in flower.

"A good light is also needed for reading," explained Coulter, who added that in northern California there is a chain of bookstores called A Clean, Well Lighted Place for Books named after a short story by Hemingway. "Goodlight also expresses good reading and good atmosphere," he said.

Although still in the finishing stage, goodlight books has attracted North Americans looking for something different to read and a place to hang out, and Costa Ricans looking for literature in English. Coulter says he even gets visits from schools looking for books in English.

It's not always easy selecting a few books out of 9000, and more on the way, but with a cup of coffee and a brownie, it's relaxing to join Clea, the mannequin, and Kitty, the cat, on the patio while listening to the trickle of the fountain and paging through our new treasures.