Independent Bookstore Day

A Dying Breed?

Tomorrow is Independent Bookstore Day.  Remember those?  Before Amazon, B&N, even Borders (RIP).  Turns out they still exist.  Amazon has prime day, and bookstores across the nation have the last Saturday in April.  I argue the latter is better and here’s why: Amazon may be cheaper, but at a bookstore you can smell the books before you buy them.  You can flip the pages and feel its weight, you can see if it has those fancy deckle edges (guaranteed no sticky pages!) or an embossed cover.  At a bookstore, you can experience live author readings or art showings.  There are book clubs and poetry slams. It’s sometimes a coffee shop, but always a gathering place.

No man is an island; Every book is a world.

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, Gabrielle Zevin

A Community Investment

Studies show that a community’s level of well-being and social involvement is positively related to the share of economy held by independent businesses.  Mega-retailers like Amazon, and big box stores like Costco and Target can undermine local development and community engagement.  The greatest thing, besides the books, about local bookstores is that they are in their community for their community.  If the community invests in them, they will thrive and so will the people around them.

By this logic, the more people reading books the better.  So find an indie bookstore and get involved.

You can find a local store here, or here.

Some Reading Suggestions

• American War, Omar El Akkad.  For a realistic apocalypse.
• Annihilation, Jeff VanderMeer.  For goosebumps.
• As Bright as Heaven, Susan Meissner.  For history lovers.
• A Secret History of Witches, Louisa Morgan.  For family and bloodline.
• Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love an Heartbreak in the Stacks, Annie Spence.  For book lovers and library lurkers.
• Iron Gold, Pierce Brown.  For the uprising.
• March, John Lewis.  For 2018.
• Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore, Robin Sloane  For the night owl.
• The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood.  For 2018.
• Turtles All the Way Down, John Green.  For the mystery of all of us.

Find more of my favorite books here.

And please, for the love of all that is holy, use a bookmark.  You’re not an animal.

What are you reading for indie bookstore day?  Leave a comment!

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