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katysax · 02-14-2010, 01:07 PM

Sigh. From the first time that I ever went into a book store it was a magical place. The selection was different and more current than my local library. I can still vividly remember when I was 10 years old entering the bookmobile outside my school (the first book "store" I ever knew) and feeling overwhelmed by enchantment.

Throughout my life bookstores have been my sanctuary. More so than libraries because libraries have deteriorated horribly from when I was a child. Books are my drug, and any time that work has felt too hard or life too much of a struggle, a trip to a book store could restore my equanimity.

For better or worse, things change. I barely go into book stores any more. Long ago I abandoned Daltons and Waldenbooks because the selection was limited almost entirely to books in which I had no interest. When I lived in the urban core of Washington DC there were a number of very good book stores nearby (most of them have since closed). When I moved to Los Angeles twenty years ago, the major loss that I felt was the lack of a great bookstore. When Borders opened I loved it.

At first I thought that Amazon would never be much. Then I discovered that I loved it. I could still read the first few pages of a book, I could read what others though. Most of all it had real selection. Anything I was interested in I could find. Even better than a university library.

My home was overfilled with books, and I kept getting rid of them too. I started to experiment with ebooks. I could have hundreds of books and they didn't take up shelf space. I could carry dozens of books with me and they had no weight. I could read all the classics that I wanted for free. Alas, the selection of ebooks is still lacking. But it gets better every day.

Meanwhile Borders has devolved into a store with lots of games and nick knacks and calendars. It's selection has become more like Waldenbooks. It's atmosphere more like a coffee shop than a bookstore.

I rarely go to bookstores any more. Ironically, since I've been working downtown where the best library is, I've rediscovered the public library if I want to browse among books and sit in a chair and read a variety of things. But sadly, bookstores which have been a magical place for most of my life have lost their magic. At this point I don't care if they all close - I mourned them years ago when I saw them deteriorate.

02-14-2010, 01:07 PM	#38
katysax Enthusiast Posts: 44 Karma: 222 Join Date: May 2009 Location: Los Angeles Device: Kindle2, Kindle DX, prs 505	Sigh. From the first time that I ever went into a book store it was a magical place. The selection was different and more current than my local library. I can still vividly remember when I was 10 years old entering the bookmobile outside my school (the first book "store" I ever knew) and feeling overwhelmed by enchantment. Throughout my life bookstores have been my sanctuary. More so than libraries because libraries have deteriorated horribly from when I was a child. Books are my drug, and any time that work has felt too hard or life too much of a struggle, a trip to a book store could restore my equanimity. For better or worse, things change. I barely go into book stores any more. Long ago I abandoned Daltons and Waldenbooks because the selection was limited almost entirely to books in which I had no interest. When I lived in the urban core of Washington DC there were a number of very good book stores nearby (most of them have since closed). When I moved to Los Angeles twenty years ago, the major loss that I felt was the lack of a great bookstore. When Borders opened I loved it. At first I thought that Amazon would never be much. Then I discovered that I loved it. I could still read the first few pages of a book, I could read what others though. Most of all it had real selection. Anything I was interested in I could find. Even better than a university library. My home was overfilled with books, and I kept getting rid of them too. I started to experiment with ebooks. I could have hundreds of books and they didn't take up shelf space. I could carry dozens of books with me and they had no weight. I could read all the classics that I wanted for free. Alas, the selection of ebooks is still lacking. But it gets better every day. Meanwhile Borders has devolved into a store with lots of games and nick knacks and calendars. It's selection has become more like Waldenbooks. It's atmosphere more like a coffee shop than a bookstore. I rarely go to bookstores any more. Ironically, since I've been working downtown where the best library is, I've rediscovered the public library if I want to browse among books and sit in a chair and read a variety of things. But sadly, bookstores which have been a magical place for most of my life have lost their magic. At this point I don't care if they all close - I mourned them years ago when I saw them deteriorate.