The Relentless Reader

On the Blog:

Overheard in an Independent Bookstore (A guest post from the owner of my local indie bookstore)

Books Read This Week:

Brutal Youth by Anthony Breznican

Sleep in Peace Tonight by James MacManus

Currently Reading:

Dr. Mütter’s Marvels by Cristen O’Keefe Aptowicz

(Suitably spooky cover for this time of year, right?)

Upcoming:

I’m reading on a whim. It’s awesome.

Around the Blogosphere:

The Estella Society, in conjunction with Stainless Steel Droppings, hosted a readalong of Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House as part of R.I.P. IX. I took part in the discussion here. Creepy good book!

In My Neck of the Woods:

I started Gilmore Girls on Netflix. I’ve been hearing about the bookish goodness of this show forEVER. In the first episode alone there were mentions of Twain, Kerouac, Melville, Rosemary’s Baby, and Madame Bovary…whew! While it was actually airing on television I was elbow deep in diapers and rarely even knew what day it was. Thank goodness for Netflix.

I’m a cheater. A big cheater. I was 38 books behind on my Goodreads reading challenge. 38!? I know I had a slumpy year but wow. So, I changed it. I lowered my goal. (Again.) I don’t know if I’ll even start a challenge next year. I don’t do well under pressure.

I’ve been taking part in the 31 Book Pics Instagram challenge hosted by Quirky Bookworm. It’s a lot of fun and it’s not too late to join in! If you’d like to see some of my photos you can follow me on Instagram.

Don’t forget that Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon is coming up on the 18th!

I just realized that I published my 500th post this week. Sweet.

How was your week? What are you reading? What’s happening in your neck of the woods?

My local independent bookstore is one of my very favorite places. Redbery Books gives you something that a giant online store cannot: A sense of community and conversations with real people are just two examples.

Bev, the owner of Redbery Books has overheard many bookish conversations. Many of them, of course, have to do with why people love indies. Such as:

1. Less is more. I can shop in a big box store all day and not find as many books that I want to read as I do here. Indies can respond to their customers in a way online and bigger outlets can’t.

2. By browsing, I find books that I didn’t know I wanted to read. No algorithm can do that for me.

3. I allocate time to shop an independent bookstore and find myself still there 30 minutes later. Not because I haven’t received good service but because I have. I’ve talked books with other customers and booksellers who are readers and now have even more recommended reads.

4. I have discovered local authors’ books.

5. I can walk out of the bookstore that moment with a bag of books. No waiting for shipping.

6. On the other hand, I can special order a book just as easily from the indie’s website as from any other online retailer. It can be shipped for free in a couple of days or can be picked up at the store. I don’t have to pay a membership fee for this service.

7.My indie, through tax dollars, contributes to the economic well-being of a community.

8. My indie is a member of a community and gives back to the community in ways an online retailer can’t. They give to the arts and museums, service organizations, libraries, families in need and community events, They support organizations that encourage literacy.

9. At indies I can meet authors, go to story time with the kids, belong to the book club, and find out what is going on in my community.

10. The owners love me and are grateful for my business.

Thanks to Bev Bauer for contributing to The Relentless Reader!

I hope you’ll like Redbery Books on Facebook and consider ordering your next stack of reads from their website. (Free shipping!)

Tell me about your favorite independent bookstore in the comments below!