Bookstores These Days

"Many people, myself among them, feel better at the mere sight of a book." - Jane Smiley

I love going to bookstores. I grew up visiting mall bookstores and used bookstores. When I was a university student I was a regular shopper at the Science Fiction and Mystery Book shop in Atlanta. I bought lots of books from Border’s before they went under.

I still love used bookstores. For new books I stop in Barnes & Noble sometimes. While I read a lot of books on Kindle, I still buy old paperbacks and new books by authors that I’m interested in. Sure I buy books online, but there's something special about making discoveries while browsing shelves. And for some books, I'd rather have the paper version.

One of the ways you can tell most people buy books online these days is how Barnes & Noble places their new books. While new hardcovers are given a prominent display, new paperbacks are given a small table in a hidden corner. The selection is really limited. No mysteries or science fiction. I can't help but compare that with Kinokuniya English Books in Shinjuku, Japan. They have their new releases on display on two huge islands just as you get off the elevator.

A lot of books I'm interested in came out this June. Only one of the five books I was looking to pick up, the paperback of S. A. Cosby’s Blacktop Wasteland, was prominently displayed. It was at the entrance since it’s one of their picks of the month. 

The two hardcovers I was looking for were not in the new hardcovers display. I found a single copy of Joe Lansdale’s Moon Lake in the mystery section. I didn't find Chis Offutt's The Killing Hills, a crime story set in the hills of Kentucky, in the mystery section though. I found three copies on the shelf in the general section.

I was also looking for the new paperback edition of Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. The hardcover was quite popular and the paperback has a step-back cover with a pulpy movie poster style piece of art under the main cover. 

Finally, I was looking for Once Upon A Time in Hollywood by Quentin Tarantino. I really liked the movie and I love that Tarantino had the book released in paperback before the hardcover. It even has old school ads for books in the back.

Even though these two new paperbacks weren’t on the ”new in paperback” table in the hidden corner, I eventually found them. They were on the shelf mixed in with all the other books. One or two copies each. It’s like they aren't even trying to sell them, like they can't be bothered. It really seems like brick and mortar bookstores aren’t going to be around for much longer. I find that really sad. 

I think I need to start going to the library more before they start disappearing as well.

Update:

I visited the two Barnes & Noble bookstores near me recently. It was nice to see that they now have tables at the front displaying new paperbacks. They didn't have Once Upon A Time in Hollywood displayed but Mexican Gothic was on both tables.