This is an intimate bookstore and hard to spot when your driving down Goldwater. But it's a little gem in the midst of Scottsdale and well worth any frustrations you might encounter enroute to finding it.
I discovered the Poisoned Pen when I read that Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked, was going to be signing his new book. FYI -- Mr. Maguire is from Albany, NY - my home town - and we grew up right around the corner from each other and went to the same Catholic school ( although I feel compelled to put on record that I'm 15 years younger).
In a world where Barnes and Noble has become the new public library where folks go to do research, homework or just hang out and talk on their cell phone, it was a surprising and enjoyable experience to come across this little gem of a book store.
The book signing event was hosted by one of the owners and was a potluck supper -- really inspiring a sense of community in a CBSA that rates us as the 5th largest city in the United States.
Look up this store on the Internet and check out their author events. It's really a nice experience (and had the added benefit of making me feel intellectual).