I love books. (In case you didn’t already know.) I love reading them, talking about them, lending them to friends, receiving them as gifts or loans from friends, checking them out of the library, smelling them, flipping through them, writing about them.
I go through them pretty fast, so it’s nowhere near practical for me to buy all the books I read – hence my ardent adoration of libraries, and of borrowing books from friends. But I love to buy them when I can. And like a good reader/writer/bookworm, who doesn’t want to see the publishing industry go under or switch solely over to e-books or be totally monopolized by Amazon, I try to do most of my buying at local indies. (Most notably, my beloved Brattle – for used books – and the Booksmith, with occasional forays to Concord. And, okay, I sometimes still order occasionally from Amazon.)
I was sad to hear Borders had filed for bankruptcy and is closing more than 200 stores – though a tiny part of me cheered for the indies who will (I hope) see more business from this development. Mostly I worried for the future of the book industry in general – as lots of publishing professionals have said, fewer bookstores means fewer places to sell books, for everyone. And I’m sad for the communities in which Borders is the local bookstore, similar to the way in which Barnes & Noble is the (only) bookstore in my hometown.
However, I’ve been heading down on a semi-regular basis to the Borders near Copley Square, to scope out the deals at its closing sale. On my most recent visit, I scored three trade paperbacks for $23. This was after picking through shelves of disorganized books, shoved into crooked lines under scribbled-over signs with discounts larger than the section names. And though I was glad to score a deal, I felt a little like a vulture, picking over the remains of a carcass.
There’s something here about the devaluing of books in general, and supporting the big chains because discounts are attractive (which is the exact reason The Shop Around the Corner closed in You’ve Got Mail), and also something about not having the budget to buy nor the room to store all the books I’d like to own. I can’t quite articulate all the layers, nor am I seeking to condemn anyone for where they buy their books. (And I know some folks love their Kindles and nooks and iPads, though I am such a paper book fanatic that I don’t want one.)
But seeing the unruly shelves and the crossed-out discounts (replaced by higher discounts) and the empty space on the second floor, cordoned off like a crime scene with yellow Caution tape, really got to me. It felt like taking part in the dismantling of the store, though I know Borders’ problems go well beyond my ken. Nevertheless, I won’t be going back there. I’ll be more committed to doing my book shopping at the Booksmith and Brattle and other indies I love – because while I was sad to see this Borders close, I think I’d cry if any of my favorites had to close up shop.
cakes, tea and dreams 
I share both your love of books and of shopping local. My favorite place to buy books was the Harvard Book Store and its Remainders basement in particular. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable and the selection is very wide. They even carry the old Nancy Drew books with the yellow hardcovers. Those are the very first books I read when I started reading in English (right along the Baby-Sitters Club!) Thank you for feeding my nostalgia… and for inspiring me to fill my Friday with books.
Roxanne, I loved Nancy Drew and the Baby-Sitters Club too! I still have some of my old yellow-hardcover Nancy Drews. I haven’t been to the Harvard Book Store in a while, but am planning to attend some author events there in the near future…so excited!
I love to read, too! Behind spending time with the Lord, reading is my most favorite pastime, with knitting being a very close third. There’s just SOMETHING completely magical about holding a book in your hands and turning each page. I feel like I’m unwrappung a lovely gift as I excitedly and expectantly turn each and every page. When I reach the end of a book, I go thru a little mouning period as the end of a certain story-world closes it’s door. I love the power of story!
I love a good second hand bookshop. To become one, the shop has to have existed for years, be slightly musty, a bit disorganised and staffed by someone best described as “odd”. Not scary wierd, just not the sort of person you can imagine being in a modern shop.
I love digging through the shelves in search of buried treasure. I love the fact that most people will be too scared to come in because they think booshops should be like Waterstones, all lights and precision and stupid offers.
I also love the idea that the books I buy have had a life before I owned them.
Phil, I agree – it is like a treasure hunt! And I love finding bits of memorabilia in the books I buy – or just imaging the life they had before I bought them.
I share your love of books and real paper books. I am worried that the move to e-books will mean we lose more and browsing on Amazon isn’t the same as scaning the shelves and finding a gem on there! I wish I had an indie bookstore near me, I just have Waterstones.
Your words capture the love of books exactly. I share your feelings about all of it – the feel of pages turning, the wonder about the what-happens-next moment, the search through the stacks, the impossibility of owning every book you read. I do have a nook, and I love it, but it does not replace my love of books – only expands it.
Also, have you ever ordered from Better World Books? For every purchase, they donate to literacy programs around the world. Very cool business model.
[…] – easily one of the company’s biggest stores, and the only one close enough (since they closed the Copley Square store) for me to browse on my lunch […]