10 December 2007

In praise of our local bookstores

A nice article in this morning's Eureka Times-Standard on our local bookstores. Curious, no, how we maintain a defense of books and bookstores via the electronic interloping internet. Most of what I learn these days about books comes via the web...reviews, news, and blogs. The saviour of books in our hands may well be the electrons on our fingertips.

There are few joys more worthy than an hour in a small, local, individual bookstore. My kids, avid readers themselves, have grown tired of my now six year old line as we wander past Arcata's Northtown Books..."Hey, I've heard this is a great bookstore. Want to check it out?" At least 30 or 40 minutes later, we wander back on to our intended path, usually with a new book or two in hand. I've also way-too-recently discovered (or rediscovered) the beauty of the used bookstore with the help of the Tin Can Mailman, where I'm finding much of my reading inventory from the distant past. And while I won't turn anyone away from a boxy Borders or Barnes and Noble (though I discourage Amazon 'cuz of there Republican leanings), the adventure of literary discovery arrives every day in the small town bookstore.

Here's the link to this morning's story, Independent Bookstores Persevere in the Digital Age, along with avenues to Eureka Books and one of my new favorite blogs from the new Eureka Books owner.

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