The stores are located all over the country and the writers are from a variety of genres but each of them share their deep connection to the owners, employees, and spaces that make their chosen store so very special. Some of the authors look at the stores purely from the standpoint of a reader. Others tell of the welcome they've received as published authors. And all of them know that their chosen store is in fact the very best store not only in their corner of the city, state, or country, but in fact the best store anywhere. The writers' love for the stores is palpable in absolutely every one of the entries in the book. Some of the essays are short and others lengthier. Some focus only on the store in question while others are more rambling and farther ranging. Some are as much about the author him or herself as much as they are about the book shop. It's best to dip into the essays one at a sitting as they can run together. While each store is no doubt individual and they are peopled by unique and different folks, there are quite a lot of commonalities between good bookstores and so sometimes differentiating amongst the many highlighted here is difficult. This book is a neat concept and will certainly help me search out good independents, something I try to do when I travel some place new, but this is very definitely not a book to sit down with and read straight through because of the inevitable similarities between essays. Over all, it's a bit gimmicky but if it helps to maintain the fiscal health of the bookstores mentioned as well as those equally deserving but not included, it will have been a worthwhile gimmick and I'll be perfectly happy to have bought it (and at one of the included stores, just in case anyone was wondering).
Friday, December 28, 2012
Review: My Bookstore edited by Ronald Rice
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