I was in a bookstore last week.
That doesn’t sound like a particularly interesting fact until you know that before last week it had been about four months since I’d been in one. And maybe over a year before that.
Granted, a big part of the problem is that I live in the mountains and it’s a four hour drive to the nearest big bookstore. But even when I did live near one, my visits to bookstores have decreased a lot over the years.
Long ago, before children, we regularly visited bookstores. We’d have a cup of coffee, a handful of books on fascinating topics, and a squishy chair to sit in while we determined if any were interesting enough to buy.
Fast forward to last week. Because I’ve been out of the bookstore world for the past couple years, something strikes me every time I walk into a Barnes & Noble.
There are not nearly as many books visible as I expect.
The entire front quarter of the store is filled with shelves and tables of fascinating bookish things and a nice big cafe, but not many actual books.
Don’t get me wrong, I spent a LOT of time perusing that front section. The cool bookends. (I think my IQ would go up having this guy sitting next to my books.)
There were tiny zen gardens and tiny globes and tiny journals and tiny magnifying glasses. All of which I wanted.
There were aisles of activity books. Also not a bad thing. We bought a book of Extreme Mazes that are so detailed my 10-year-old asked to borrow my reading glasses to complete one.
The journal section is magnificent. If I bought a couple of those, I’m fairly sure my journaling would transform into works of genius. There’d be a bidding war for them after my demise.
But…but there weren’t many books.
After the four hours it took to reach the bookstore, the kids headed to the kid section and the train table and towers of stuffed animals and some big display with forest creatures who dress in clothes and live in dollhouses.
It was a cool kids section. But what I didn’t notice were books. There were shelves and shelves of them off to the right. But that part of the section wasn’t…exiting.
I went browsing around the store for a bit and it took me two u-turns to find the fantasy books. There was a huge shelf of books labeled “Fantasy/Science Fiction” that were based on video games – I’ve often thought video game writers are masters of storytelling so this is not at ALL surprising – but I couldn’t find the regular books.
Please don’t think I’m criticizing Barnes & Noble. I’m not. I was just struck by the fact that the bookstore has changed.
The real actual complaint I have is that even though I’ve barely been to a bookstore in years, I already recognized a huge percentage of the books that were on display. For instance, there was a table of children’s books near the checkout, and I think we owned every book on that table. The most prominent was Goodnight Moon.
I love Goodnight Moon. It has sent my kids off to sleep many a time with its dark green and obnoxious orangey-red room. (Side note: this made me laugh. Issues with the Room in Goodnight Moon.)
But it also sent me off to sleep as a child. And I’m no spring chicken.
There was Dr. Seuss (which I also love) and PD Eastman (more loving going on) and a dozen other books that I already own and already love. Because they’re wonderful books.
But…BUT, there’s a statistic, and I’m not sure of the exact number, but it’s something like 4 billion books have been published since you started reading this post. So, when I saw the table of children’s book, I was hoping for recommendations of new children’s books.
And it wasn’t just on the front table. Walking through different aisles, if I was familiar with the genre, the books facing forward (i.e. the only ones I noticed) were almost all by familiar authors. And most I recognized the actual book. Often because I’ve seen it in movie form.
Again, I’m not trying to criticize Barnes & Noble. I’m sure financially B&N stays afloat thanks to the bookish things section at the front and the mega bestselling books-made-into-movies.
I just felt disappointed that the things set in attention-getting places of the store were not there for me to discover new, interesting books.
I could have delved deep into the fantasy section to find a new gem, but I didn’t have that much time or energy. We had to get back in the car.
I realized that the reason I used to go to bookstores was to find new books. But the way that the bookstores I’ve been in lately are set up, this is hard to do. I’m too distracted by the magnificent journals and the yummy cafe.
Do you guys visit bookstores often? What are your thoughts on them? Have they changed or am I the crazy old woman hollering about the good old days?
It’s not you and it’s not just Barnes and Nobles. It’s been getting worse for awhile. No books but cool book stuff and calanders! All are more than willing to order a book you request but what if you don’t know what you want? Too bad. They carry the big name author new releases, on a table, and all of the stories that they always have, but new books in all of the different genre sections of the store? Don’t think so. It’s a shame really. It’s more like a big gift store than a book store. Find a good used book store ( harder and harder to find) or an independent book store and then you’ll find books to browse but even those only have one or two copies of new books. If you’re looking for new authors, none for you. It costs the store too much to purchase books and be stuck if they don’t sell, and since they never know what the public is going to want, most stores rely on customer requests before ordering paperback and hardcover books. Book stores themselves are few and far between for this reason. There used to be 2 used bookstores in town but both went out of business a few years ago. Even my grandchildren have kindles but no where near the number of real books I kept on hand for my kids. Thank goodness I kept all of my books through the years, maybe one day they will be worth more than the antique furnishings I have, and pay for the great grandkids education!!😮
I do think it’s mostly a financial issue, like you said. These stores need to stay afloat in a world where people increasingly shop online. I’m sure it’s hard for them!
Here’s hoping your books are worth millions some day! (Um, for you. I guess that would mean no one else had books, and that would be sad!
And if you do find a book that looks interesting it will be number three in a series and they don’t carry the first two books. OR you are looking for number three in the series and they only carry the first book. *cry*
lol! yes!
I absolutely love going to the bookstore. I also enjoy the library! There is an aura in them and you can feel the pullings of a great book!
I do too. I love the feel of being surrounded by shelves of books! I just wish that magically we could have the variety of books we can find online in the physical form of a bookstore. I know it’s impossible, but I can dream!
It is sad but true! Many of our bookstores have disappeared. We are in the digital age and most of our reading is done on our Ipads or smart phones or other electronic devices. About 5 years ago I had my knee replaced and did not want to have to carry my books with me to the hospital or drag them around the house. I finally went online and downloaded all the books by JD Robb. I took this tiny device to the hospital thinking I would not like reading on this silly thing that I did my email on. I loved my library and frequented several book stores. I loved sitting with a cup of cocoa all curled up in a big squishy chair and read for a happy couple of hours. Most of our bookstores have disappeared. No reason just gone. We now have one Barnes and Noble left. It may disappear soon and all for the same reason, no one wants more books. My Mom and I were avid readers. She lived about 30 miles from us and we both bought books to read. Often the same book because we liked the same Authors. When she came to live with us we shared books and that was ok because we both wanted to read certain books. We would visit the bookstore and spend several hours there on the weekend just getting the books we wanted to read and enjoy a cup of something to drink. But while I was in the hospital I was hooked on the ease of reading online. So Mom got an Ipad and we only had to buy one online book. No more piles of books to donate. I missed the feel of a real book for a while but this was just so easy. I had subscribed to several dog magazines and my favorite AKC gazette was eagerly awaited each month when I would devour it cover to cover, loving to look at the beautiful pictures and reading all the articles about different breeds, not just my own. But several years ago it went digital and now you can only get it online. Most of the time I read one or two articles and delete it. No more beautiful pictures or the feel of the pages and the smell of the magazine as I would sit in my swing outside and read it from cover to cover.
I wanted to buy a really nice selection of an Author my Mom loved in hardback for my Mom to keep. I went to the area in town where we used to have 4 different bookstores and they were gone! I was shocked to realize that it had been at least 3 years since I had been in a bookstore. Now they were gone. The Barnes and Noble only had a couple of books I wanted so I asked the lady behind the counter why they had so few books and almost no new ones? She asked me how I read my books and I told her……my IPad. She looked sad and said, “so do most people now”! I could not believe what a big impact this little machine would have. I now do all my reading, play games, do my email and most of my shopping online. The older I get the less I like going to stores, so I shop online. I realized I had not been shopping in a store in over a year. I bought everything online. I think what I am saying is that pretty soon we will be doing all of our shopping online. No more bookstores to sit in and no more books or magazines except online. So if you wonder where the bookstores went just look in the mirror and look in your hands!!!
yup! It’s true! “I missed the feel of a real book for a while but this was just so easy.” That’s exactly it. It is just too easy and convenient! So I’m totally nostalgic for something I’ve helped remove. Sad, but true!
I remeber going to a big independent
book store as a teen because they had wall after wall of fantasy books along the stairway of the three-story behemoth. They had every book, new or old. I think that store is gone entirely now.
But I’m part of the problem. Like you, I haven’t been to a brick and mortor book store to buy a book in years. My library has tens of thousands of ebooks. And what I want to keep forever, I buy from Amazon. Instant book without having to put on pants, drive to the store, find the right section, then get pissed because I want book 3 and they only have books 2, 4, and 5. Then I have to wait for them to order it and go back and do it all again.
So on the one hand, I’m sad that book stores are fading from the landscape. On the other, I’m thrilled that I can read more since the rise of the ebook – especially all the fabulous independent authors that could never have gotten shelf space at a Barnes and Nobel anyway.
Was the store The Tattered Cover in Denver? Because they had a fantasy section like that and it was HEAVEN when I was younger. I have no idea if it’s still there!
And yes to not having to put on pants! 🙂
Yup – Tattered Cover was fantastic! I moved away a long time ago, so no clue if it’s still there or not.
I am pleased to tell you both Tattered Cover is still around,,,, and still sells, uh, books! Although it is now in a different location. Cherry Creek has swallowed up all the independent store and has chosen to build towering condo complexes, banks and all sorts of other bland things,
Tattered Covers’ ‘new’ space ( they moved about 10 years ago) is in the old Lowenstein theater on Colfax and Elizabeth, across from East High School. Not as cool as the old location but you can go read music and theater books in the orchestra pit 😄.
They also still have their location downtown AND one in highlands ranch!
Next time you’re in Denver you can make the loop to visit all three and buy a real book from them 😄
( or of course visit them online and order a real book)
You are not the only one who has noticed the loss of the book store that just sells books. I used to be drawn to book shops like bees to flowers and I’d get lost for hours in the smell of new books in the excitement of finding new books. Now a days it’s not there any more, it’s all about nik naks, and other sometimes useless stuff that you will never use but buy on an impulse because the display catches your eye. I sometimes miss the bookshops but I read more now with ebooks. At least my kids no longer have to grab me and pull me from the front door of the bookshop to stop me going in. LOL
lol! Yes, I’m a little sad, but I wouldn’t go back to bookstores being the only way to find books. 🙂
You are 100% correct. Close to the end of the year they will have calendars for everyone on racks. You like dogs? There are plenty. Like other countries? There they are. At least we still have libraries to find books we like. I love sharing these books with people. Have you met Mo Willems’ characters? One set is Piggy and Elephant that are friends and no adults in the books. Then there is the Pigeon who wants to do things but no one lets him because it isn’t safe. Both are more on a picture book level. On a higher reading level (simple chapter books) there is Bad Kitty. She causes all kind of problems and picks on Puppy. These adopted animals live in a home with an adopted baby (from overseas). When my granddaughter brings home a new Bad Kitty or Mo Willems book, I have to stop and read them.
We LOVE the Piggy and Elephant books at my house! We’ll need to check out the Bad Kitty ones!
You are so right about the shift away from a bookshop being all about the books, here in Australia for a lot of businesses the message appears to be if you don’t diversify you die. For me I don’t visit bookshops often because as you mentioned they feature the blockbuster books and not much else and those books are released in either hard cover only or 3/4 or trade size which are too heavy and cumbersome to hold in 1 hand while you hold a coffee in the other. 😁 Not to mention the ridiculous prices that they ask for them.
Yup! the size, the price and the poor selection. I feel bad that bookstores are in the position they’re in, but the book world is really changing. And I have no idea how they can change to stay with it all.
I live in a small town in southern Ontario, Canada – Uxbridge. We have an amazing independent bookstore – Blue Heron Books. The owner has won 2 national bookstore awards in the last 5 or 6 years. I don’t get in there often anymore as I’m retired and try to get books from the elibrary, to save money. But the staff are a plethora of information, and there’s LOTS of books. Last weekend there was a Canada wide (perhaps world wide) celebration of independent bookstores. Blue Heron had about 12 authors selling books – including Linwood Barclay. So the big stores might not have as many books, and certainly not the expertise; try the independent bookstores. I do also notice that books are often cheaper online at Chapters than they are in the store! Same book! The independent stores can’t compete the same with price; but they have the knowledge! We need to keep them alive.
That store sounds great! I really do think we need more stores like that.
What!!?? I thought Barnes & Noble was a new kind of Starbucks. An experimental way to get us to buy more bad coffee!
LOL!
I don’t go to book stores anymore because of what you have observed except to maybe get a dictionary, and then the selection is poor. so I use digital media instead
Barnes and Noble also stopped their “New Arrivals” shelves for each section. Yes, they still have a couple tables of new arrivals, but it’s no where near as many. I am now spending maybe a third what I used to because of this. I used those sections to find new authors as well as new titles from old friends, mainly in paperbacks. I read at least a book a day, so I prefer the paperbacks. I have to chase down the kiosk with new paperback books in B&N about every 2 months because my store moves it often. Drives me nuts! And I, too have noticed the change in what book stores carry. I suppose it’s backlash from parents trying anything to engage their kids in something besides the computer. The first inkling by parents, is to buy books. They get there and find other ideas like puzzles, art kits, Lego kits, puppets, and many more that require engaging physically in ways computers don’t require. Although I have to laugh, I can remember my parents saying similar things about the TV.
For starters, I currently work around 100 hours a week and won’t return to a sense of normalcy until March 2020 when I’ll be able to once again work normal workweeks. My paycheck has also taken a huge hit and while I’m no longer spending a huge chunk of my salary in buses and renting, I am paying a mortgage and have some other expenses.
So between the very limited free time and less money, I haven’t been to a bookstore in a while.
There are some indie bookstores scattered around in Mexico City but again, I don’t have the time and energy to engage in a grueling 4-5 hour trip in soul crushing traffic. The only bookstores near my home are the big name brand places that sell these kinds of books:
1- School textboorks.
2- Self help books.
3- Spanish translations of the same bestseller novels sold everywhere else
4- Political rants by millionaire self professed ultra socialists
5- And that’s pretty much it.
If a fantasy novel is sold at these places, it’s probably a spanish translation of a Harry Potter novel. You’ll be lucky if you find a fantasy book in english. Forget indie novels, just the mainstream stuff.