Village Books calls for help

Katie O'Laughlin of Village Books, one of the city's best and coziest small bookstores, says she's losing the battle against the big boxes and rising rents in her Pacific Palisades neighborhood. Also, there is the hit from Richard Riordan's temporary closure of Mort's Deli, which he bought to transform into a more upscale place. The Tabloid Baby blog talks about the challenges facing Village Books, which is asking customers to come in and buy for the holidays. Coincidentally, tomorrow's New York Times Travel section story on the Palisades urges readers to "explore one of the most secluded neighborhoods in Los Angeles," recalls the Weimar-by-the-sea history and claims "the Palisades has only one full-time police officer to cover this 23-square-mile swath of Los Angeles." Huh?