For various personal reasons, I've decided to keep my birthday low-key this year and not have any sort of gathering of my own. However, in celebration of my birthday, I have a request of everyone I know, everywhere. I have spent a good portion of my time lately, when not thinking about the things closer to home, mulling over books and more importantly, indie bookstores. I believe that with the new reading technology – Kindles, Nooks, etc. - that more people are reading afterall and that's exciting. But booklovers...well, see, we love
books. Physical objects with pages to turn and ink to sniff. And what's more, we love our bookstores. With the decline of the chain bookstore at hand, I've been contemplating the state of independent bookstores a lot lately – those places not built by corporations but by people with the same passion for books that I have, people who had a dream. While I believe that most indie bookstores cater to the community more than chain bookstores and that their connections and niches will keep them alive, I worry sometimes that I am being too naïve and idealistic holding onto that reasoning. It is due to this concern that, for my birthday (April 23rd), I would like everyone with the means to support an independent bookstore. Namely, my favorite independent: Women & Children First in Chicago. Even if you don't live in Chicago, you can create an account and have books shipped to you (“Look ma! It's just like Amazon!” - only not).
Of course, supporting ANY indie bookstore, anywhere, would be wonderful. And everyone, everywhere reading great books would make me ecstatic, too. So bonus points if you can do all of the above.
Besides posting this blog, I am also making this a Facebook event over here – so if you are inclined, even if you are not my Facebook friend, you can “attend.”
xoxo,
Louise
