Independent booksellers are becoming an endangered species these days, many of them forced out of business by the big chains and online sellers like Walmart, Target, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. But the neighbourhood bookstore was once (and in some lucky places still is) a literary gathering place for booklovers and readers. The only way to help keep them open is, of course, to be a regular customer.
If your local bookstore is still hanging on, go support them this weekend by stopping in, saying hello, and buying a book or magazine. (Like we need an excuse?!) And of course, it's a great place to get some early Christmas presents.
Hopefully I'll find myself a bookshop in Mullingar this weekend, and I'll do my part (ooh, ow, twist my arm...) Among the many books I'm wanting to read are Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party
and Forest for the Trees
. Any other books to recommend? Anyone got a great local bookstore to brag about?
15 comments: join in!:
Enjoy your Saturday, I love the local book stores. I hate the idea of the Wal~Marts, Chapters, Barnes n Nobles coming into town and pushing the little fellow out of business. Makes one think of the film "You Got Mail".
Hope you are able to get online over the weekend and see all those things you missed on the blog. Spock doing the "Soft Shoe" a Gotta See.
Mine. You need to read my novel -- if I ever finish it.
I like Borders, because they took a chance and bought my books to sell locally. They are struggling financially, though. Don't know why.
I always use their discount coupons that they email me periodically.
Have a fun Saturday! I haven't bought any books in such a long time, just can't afford them, so have to rely on the library and fortunately we have a very good one near by. I do miss those little book stores though.
Enjoy!
Sylvia
Now that you mention it, I don't know of a single small bookstore around me. It's just Borders. Have a fun weekend, Susan!
Hi Bill! I always wanted to own my own bookstore but if I ever do, it will have to be a labour of love it seems as well as an out-of-pocket expense! If there's high-speed internet Mullingar, will diddly-do!
Quilly, ready and waiting! I've really got to work on mine too. The beginning's too slow and the middle derails. *sigh*
Gigi, I always liked Borders much better than B&N and am sad to hear about the struggles they've been having. The selection was huge but for some reason they just never felt like a 'chain' to me; they felt local.
Sylvia, I can't afford them either! I'm at the clearance shelf or in the second-hand bookshops; our library is small and inconvenient unfortunately. I miss working at the libraries: first pick! LOL
Kay, isn't it sad? But so true these days. I miss being able to walk in and the owner'd say something like 'I've been hoping you'd come in, you've got to see---" and pull out just the thing you'd come in for. I miss service like that.
For poetry, unfortunately, things are often better (shopping-wise) online than off.
As for recommendations...buy and read any of Hugh (Shug) McMillan's books of poetry. And no, I don't get commission.
x
I'm reading 'Genesis' by Karin Slaughter at the moment and it's riveting!!
Here, the big guys have pretty much pushed all of the independents out, at least for new books. However, we have some fabulous used book stores.
That's all the permission I need. I'll be happy to buy some books.
Silly Saturday #4 - Purdie Pyrate "The Pen's Mightier than the Sword"
No but you just reminded me that this weekend is the "Friends of the Library" book sale!
One year I was able to purchase my favorite book from the Library: which I'd checked out so many times that if seemed miffed if I walked past it. :)
Have a fun weekend!
Shame I'm reading this on Sunday :)
As for books, I recently bought a copy of the poetry book Theories and Apparitions by Mark Doty. You know what it's like, when you pick up a book in a shop and you start reading and want to keep reading? I opened it at a striking poem about John Berryman.
I have a place in my heart for the risk-takers who put the oddball books on their shelves. Let's hear it for the independent booksellers who take risks.
trans Allegheny Books in Parkersburg is housed in a former Carnegia Library. It has a spiral staircase and glass floors and is totally cool. I hear they also have resident spooks but none showed themselves when we visited.
Thanks Rachel! I suppose we're lucky; in Ireland many of the bookstores are great stockists of poetry. (Or perhaps that's only us out near Sligo; Thanks Yeats?)
Thanks Akelamalu!
Mama Zen, I love the big old used bookstores but here, we're losing those two. Grrrr.... I know I can get the titles online, but it was the atmosphere of the place. *sigh*
Yay, Nessa! LOL
Hope, I like that you managed to own a much-checked out book! How was the library sale?
Dominic, thanks for that title and that link!
Sandy, I wish there were more of them; every year however there seem to be less. We'll all end up clones of each other eventually if we're not careful.
Susanna, it's now on my list of things to do when I get back!
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