These Books Rocked Our Year

Zócalo Picks the Smartest, Funkiest, Most Delightful Nonfiction of 2013

The air’s turned chilly, Hollywood awards season has begun, retailers are knee-deep in their quest to get in the black, and so everyone—and their mother—has a best of the year list for you. In true Zócalo fashion, our favorite books from the past 12 months are meant to keep you guessing. Their subjects zig and zag—from saints to scrap to Serra (Junipero, that is). But all of our top 10 nonfiction books of 2013 put forth ideas and stories that surprise, delight, and make us see the world just a …

Books For Your Sun-and-Beer-Addled Brain

Zócalo—and Zócalo’s Guests—Offer Reading Recommendations For the Sultry Summer Months

Does the impending summer heat threaten to slow your brain? Fear not: Zócalo has an antidote to the dog days of air-conditioned naps and cold beers. We asked some of …

Ten Books You Should Purchase, Borrow, or Steal

You’ve Got Stockings. Zócalo Can Help You Stuff Them.

Every day, Zócalo brings the best of the year’s ideas to L.A. and beyond, online and in person. We present the speakers we think people ought to hear, publish the …

My Big-Box Bookstore Daddy

Borders Books Made Me a Man-and a Mean Hot Cocoa

I hate walking into the Barnes & Noble at The Shoppes in downtown Chino Hills. Every time, a salesperson unenthusiastically asks me if I’ve heard about the Nook, the chain’s …

Book Castle

Nothing Like Musty Serendipity

My eyes still grow wide each time I step into Book Castle’s Movie World, and I can’t help but grin at its reliable smell of old books. This place feels …