We’re voracious consumers of culture. And each week, a member of our team shares the words, images, and beers that inspired them.

Bart’s Books, the world's largest open-air bookstore

Read.// I first discovered Eve Babitz's books on a gloomy New Jersey morning, and though I was roughly 2,800 miles away from her beloved Los Angeles, her funny, acerbic voice was so immediate, so electric that reading her made me feel as if I were hanging out with her under the shade of a jacaranda tree, gossiping about the passersby. If you live in a wintery part of the world and miss sunshine this time of year, Babitz's Slow Days, Fast Company has got you covered. It may be a while before you can walk down the Sunset Strip and see for yourself all the places Babitz loved and loathed, but losing yourself in the pages of her arch love letter to California just might be the next best thing.

Look.// Tucked down a quiet street off the main drag in Ojai, California, you'll find the world's largest open-air bookstore. Bart’s Books does more than house books, though. The store is a house itself, its shelves occupying nearly every spare inch of a former residence. Though corrugated metal protects the outdoor shelves from exposure to the elements, wandering the shop feels like stepping inside the home of a delightful eccentric or an especially well-read literary hoarder. Its staff is friendly and knowledgeable and very tolerant of throngs of perusing visitors overwhelmed by choice and charm. You don't have to be a book lover to spend hours amid the dusty pages and the open air. And the Mediterranean climate of this part of California sure doesn't hurt.

Drink.// Cold-pressed juices at The Farmer and the Cook

It can be tempting to take your bookstore spoils directly to any number of Ojai's inviting craft breweries or wineries, but why not hydrate first? The cold-pressed juices at The Farmer and the Cook, an organic grocery store and cafe, are so vibrantly colored and fresh they feel more like elixirs than health drinks. Bring a tall glass of celery juice outside and enjoy it on the sun-shaded patio frequented by locals, and once you've gotten your daily dose of vitamins in such a picturesque locale, you can check out all those great breweries nearby (the lively Topa Topa is a good place to start.)