What I miss most about having half-a-dozen favorite bookstores to make regular visits to is the pleasure of shutting out the rest of the world for an hour or two while slowly making my way through shelf after shelf of books I'd never seen before. Whichever book caught my eye next was going to, at least for a few minutes, feel like a new gift to be opened. I couldn't wait to see what was inside "the box."
Sadly, those days are long gone. In the Houston suburbs I now have relatively easy access to two Barnes & Noble big box bookstores, but except for their physical layout they are pretty much the same. And neither of them offers any real bargains anymore other than the same handful of discounted books I can find in any Target store in the country - or even in my local Kroger grocery store, for that matter. Knowing that I'm unlikely to be able to carry home for much under $30 any book I might fall in love with (even though I didn't even know I was looking for it when I came into the store) takes away most of the joy of exploring the shelves. Instead of walking away with four or five new books on each visit - some from the now non-existent remainders shelves - I might come home with one, or none, nowadays. Let's face it, all of us read a lot of books or we wouldn't be talking about them so much, but most of us can't afford to pay $100 for four or five new ones every couple of weeks.
So I don't browse much anymore, and when I do I often (I know, I know...that's not the thing to do) come home and place an order with Amazon. And I always come home at least a little bit angry about what Barnes & Noble has turned itself into after so ruthlessly driving all the competition right out of business like it did.
But I've found a solution of sorts. And in Part II, I'll tell you what that is and how it's worked for me for the last thirty days.
You may be interested in a book I read recently:
ReplyDeleteThe Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians by James Patteson and
Matt Eversmann
It gave me great hope for bookstores. Even the chains where some of the booksellers work lifted my heart.
And it was encouraging to see how very many people still read.
I also realized that very few people read the books that I do, or that interest me. haha
Interesting, Nan, thanks for the recommendation. I'm kind of irritated these days when I go to most bookstores or book displays in big box stores. Seems like everything is aimed at teen or YA girls and women...now I'm hearing there's a thing called Romantasy. Seems like boys are not encouraged to read these days, and that makes me sad.
DeleteI look forward to hearing the solution in Part II. But I agree most bookstores aren't what they once were .... and I've changed on how I get my books -- mostly from the library the past 5 years ... and $1.99 ebook sales. I do have a large bookcase of books ... so I can't get many more either ... so the library has been good for me. It gets most of what I want and I can return it after.
ReplyDeleteI'm highly dependent on the library these days...although sometimes short on patience due to the long waits. But I'm way past the days of ever lacking for something new to read. The house is filled with unread books - and then there's my Kindle and Kobo, filled also.
DeleteI am so fortunate to have a wonderful indie bookstore I can get to-- The Poisoned Pen. It has so many wonderful author events, and I never ever leave there empty-handed. Looking forward to your solution, Sam.
ReplyDeleteYou're very lucky, Cathy. We have a similar indie in Murder by the Book, but it is a nightmare to get there anymore because of its location.
DeleteI'm embarrassed to say that most of my new books these days come via Amazon for my KF. I know why I shouldn't but bookshops are few and far between and often awkward for me to get to re parking and me not being able to walk as robustly as I used to. It all adds up to things like me buying four bargain books for my Kindle yesterday and being mighty pleased with my purchases. Look forward to your solution, Sam!
ReplyDeleteI think we're all figuring out how to negotiate our way in a whole you world of book shopping, Cath. And they said we couldn't adjust to change...lol.
DeleteI miss having bookstores around me that actually carry the books I want to buy. Most of the time I can't get the book I want at the bookstore, so I have to buy it on Amazon. It's frustrating. We used to have great used bookstores, too, which are no more. I miss those a lot, too, because you never knew what treasure you'd find hiding on the shelves.
ReplyDeleteOur biggest used book bookstore has jacked up the prices so much in the last couple of years that it makes more sense just to go ahead and buy a new copy someplace else. But I really do miss the "hunting" aspect of shopping in that kind of store.
Delete