An Ode to Books and Browsing

Cara/Andrea here, grumbling a little about change.

Now don’t get me wrong—I’m a big believer in change . . . as in change is a Good Thing. Change is, after all, an organic part of growth, both physical and intellectual. It can challenge us, delight us, surprise us . . . and yes, it can often frustrate us too. As in many aspects of life, the key is balance. It’s often a fine line between clinging to the past and embracing the future.

Now, you are probably wondering where I’m going with this. Well, it’s a prologue of sorts. A setting of the scene, if you will, since we’re going to be talking about books. And the scene finds me walking up Madison Avenue in New York City, on my way to meet a friend at the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see the visiting exhibit on Renaissance Portraits. I was doing my usual City Stride—a fast-paced gait designed to go from here to there without any wasted effort. (New Yorkers will know what I mean.) However, as I was cruising up the west side of the avenue, I stopped in my tracks between 81st and 82nd Street, my gaze snared by a certain shop window. No, it wasn’t a chic little black dress or antique jewels that caught my eye (though I wouldn’t mind strolling into Antiquarium, a wondrous store located a few blocks south, and buying a few baubles.)

It was a bookstore—an independent bookstore that has been a landmark in the area for years. Crawford & Doyle offers an eclectic mix of bestsellers and more esoteric titles chosen by the knowledgeable book-loving staff, as well as signed first editions, mostly by 20th century literary luminaries. Every time I’m in the area, I spend a goodly amount of time dawdling on the sidewalk studying the displays.

Book, books, books! Shops like Crawford & Doyle remind me of how important browsing is to an avid reader. Oh, look! City of Fortune—I hadn’t known about that book on the history of Venice. It looks fascinating. Scribble, scribble. The title and author get written down on a scrap of paper. Hmmm, the book on the Stuarts looks intriguing too. As for Catherine the Great, it's already at the top of my TBR list.

And then there are the signed first editions of Tom Wolfe and J. D. Salinger. Ah, well, a girl can dream. C&D also displays children’s books, and a wonderful assortment of visual volumes—gardens, graphic design, theatre arts, country homes. All works that inspire the imagination.

(Thankfully in New York City there are still a number of quirky independent bookstores offering more than the standard array of recently released bestsellers—I kept my eye open on the way home and snapped a few shots, which you see here.)

I’ve discovered some of my now-favorite authors by walking through my local brick-and-mortar bookstore (now, alas, closed) and perusing the tables heaped with “New Fiction” or “New History.” Maybe I’m a hopeless romantic, but there’s something in the tactile experience of picking up a book, studying the cover, flipping the pages, reading the back blurb that creates a connection between me and the story . . . sometimes it’s that odd tingle that takes hold of the fingertips. Buy me—you won’t regret it.

As I said, I believe in embracing change. I have a Kindle and find it very useful for travel and train rides. I shop online for books. But the magic isn’t there. It’s more a straightforward shopping experience—like buying kitchen cleaners or light bulbs—and works best when I know exactly what I want. Browsing is frustrating online. Hey, I don’t KNOW what I want! I want to be seduced by the look and the feel of a book. I want its blurb to whisper to me . . . I’m the one.

I miss my bricks and mortar bookstores and fervantly hope that they will make a come-back.

What about you? Are you like me and love the physical experience of browsing for books in a real store? Do you still have one close by to visit? Or do you find the buying of books online works just fine?

Comments

[Anne Gracie]

I do buy a lot of books on line, but for me, there is still huge magic in a bricks and mortar see-me-smell-me- touch-me bookstore. I browse, I pick up, I leaf through, I wander, I dream. I invariably come out of one with books I never planned to buy — and that's what I love.

I've just come from my monthly author lunch, where a dozen of so local authors gather and eat and talk books and writing. Every time we do what we call a 'round robin - we each report in on where we're up to, what we've done in the last month, etc and one of the highlights is when people bring in their latest books. We hand them around, stroke the cover (mmm, embossing, mmm, silky smooth matt finish etc), read the back blurb, and flip through the pages. It's a mini bookstore experience.

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

Anne, it's that buying of that totally unexpected book that I love so dearly. That happens so rarely online. Yes, ordering from the internet is great for many things—a hard-to-find title, convenience when at midnight you know exactly what you want . . . but I so rarely find a new treasure. Metrics, ads, all sorts of other marketing programs determine what pops up that is "similar" to what I'm looking for. I don't necessarily want similiar. I want . . .something indefinably special. Something that sparks my imagination, something I never would have thought of on my own.

Love your monthly lunch and book-sharing! Touching, smelling, feeling a new book is a joy that can't be experienced digitally.

[Cate S]

My sister and I have been shopping together for years... ok...decades... Anyway... after bookshelves have collapsed.. we, occasionally have the gall to say... "It's a no book shopping trip.." which means we end up going by lots of books, book sales, book giveaways... and end up with more books!!

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

LOL, Cate! You and your sister sound just like me. I keep telling myself I have no more room. Yeah, that really stops me.

[Patricia Rice]

I used to love cruising bookstores for unexpected treasures, and then I moved to an area with no bookstores. After emptying Walmart's shelves, I learned to interlibrary loan, and order from catalogs. So I was pretty well trained to the internet before it opened up. Now, my reading time is so limited and I'm such a fussy reader that I seldom buy a book without researching it first. And I just plain don't have the room for more hardcovers! I do envy you those lovely stores, though.

[Jo Beverley]

Jo here. I sort of feel guilty over not loving bookstores. I do love used/antiquarian ones, and even the charity shops here that have small book sections because sometimes I find amazingly quirky old books that I'd never have known to hunt down.

But new books? I generally know what I want, either a new book by a favorite author or one I've heard buzz about on line. If I go to a store they might not have it, so I buy it on line. Or I get it from the library.

I love libraries.

There, my confession. Anyone feel the same way?

Jo

[LouisaCornell]

LOVE those photos, Cara! How I envy you the experience of browsing in those lovely looking indie bookstores. It was a very sad day for me when the little local bookshop closed. Nothing even remotely close now save for one of the big box bookstores 20 miles in either direction.

A trip to a bookstore was an all day affair for me. I loved browsing the shelves, handling the books, scanning the pages to see of it might be something I'd want to read. And I invariably came out of the store broke and staggering under the weight of the books I bought and very, very happy.

There are bookshelves in every room in my home and I simply love the sight of them. Filled with all of my old friends and new friends waiting to be met.

I do have a Kindle and I use it to read those books which are only available via Kindle. I have a few research books on my Kindle as well so I can peruse them if I am stuck in a doctor's office or am waiting somewhere away from home.

But for me, the touch and feel of a real book is an experience I treasure and will continue to treasure until they put me to bed with a shovel!

[Laura]

Hi, Cara,

I absolutely agree - give me a book store every day. Please. I love book stores. For browsing, poking, hefting, buying. Nothing like it. What else brightens a rainy day??

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

Jo, that's so interesting that modern bookstores aren't treasure troves for you. I love perusing old olds, as you describe, but I've also found so many wonderful books among current display. Did I know I wanted a book on the history of gunpowder or opium? Nope, but they were fabulous discoveries, and I've ended up using things I learned from them in some of my stories.

Totally agree on the value of libraries. I have a wonderful local one which stocks a terrific array of titles, so I spend a lot of time there.

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

So glad you enjoyed the pics, Louisa. Nothing like NYC for fabulous bookstores. I know I'm really lucky to be able to browse among those treasures.

I am so like you--I love the look of my books on the shelves. They make me happy, in a way all bokklovers understand. A Kindle is a useful tool, but for me, it will never replace the joys of a physical book.

[Linda Banche]

I do my browsing in libraries. I love being able to try out a book to see if I like it. I've found many authors I love, including the Wenches, by trying the books in the library before I buy.

I like browsing in physical bookstores, but that's harder and harder to do these days. (No more Borders. Sniff.) I find it harder to browse ebooks. I'm not about to buy anything unless I try it out first. The few times I've bought from a review or an interview, I regretted it. The good news is, my library is finally getting ebooks. So, I can continue to try out new authors.

[Annrei]

I love browsing in bookstores. I live in between two Barnes and Nobles. I love ordering from Amazon, but there is that instant gratification factor when I want to read a new book NOW and I'm too impatient to wait for it to ship.

I have to say though, my favorite bookstore is The Strand. I don't get over there often, but when I needed to research New Orleans for a story I was writing, I found a Fromer's New Orleans from 2001. Amazing.

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

Linda,libraries are great for trying new authors that you are not sure of. I've discovered some great new ones by perusing the "Newly Acquired" shelves.didn't buy.

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

Annrei, I love the Starnd too! It has so many great, esoteric titles.

[Susan/DC]

Do not get me started on this topic. I love the Internet when I know what I want; it's unbeatable for the directed search. But as in much else in my life, I often don't know what I want until I see it. The "if you like" suggestions on Amazon are generally worthless because I've already got the books or they are authors I don't know/don't like and so don't want to buy.

What is missing in this process is serendipity. I started reading Romance because a friend recommended Amanda Quick. I discovered Julia Quinn because their books were shelved next to each other in Borders. Would I have found Julia Quinn online? Probably not, as alphabetical propinquity doesn't exist. And my local library stocks very few romances, so that is not an alternative. All in all, I've bought far fewer books since my local Borders closed. B&N just doesn't carry the breadth of romance titles that Borders did. As Linda Banche says, Sniff.

[Louis]

No time is ever wasted while browsing in a bookstore.
Unfortunately, many of my favorite used book stores have gone out of business.
The new stores just don't have the "feeling" that I want when browsing.
A former bookstore owner now has an e-mail arrangment where one can order a book and collect it at weekly meetings. I use this and the internet to order books.

[Samantha]

I miss my bookstores. there was nothing better then walking through the bookstore on a Friday night. Somehow I would end up with a pile of books even if I was not looking for anything. I do shop for books online now but I agree that most of the time I do not know what I am looking for and there are too many titles to browse through. I say change is ok and kindels are a nice addition to reading but nothing can replace the feeling you get walking through an actual bookstore picking up actual books.

[Diane Sallans]

I'd much rather browse for books in person, but there is a certain efficiency to buying online & sometimes the online reviews can be very helpful.

[Artemisia]

I love libraries. I used to roam the stacks of the main Carnegie Library near Pitt. But the main library here in Pinellas County closed for renovations and when it reopened half the books were gone. Mostly the older books. Sold, traded, donated and pulped. Their excuse was that they are a "popular materials library." - Recently I bought a Kindle. I decided that I wanted to OWN the first eight books in Laurie King's Mary Russell series, and my friend told me how easy and great it is to borrow Kindle editions from her nearest library. Well my friend in small-town Tennessee has better library service than I do here in over-populated Pinellas County Florida. My selection of books is limited, the website is clunky to use (I searched for Cara Black and got everything with "Black" in the title!), nearly everything is "wait-listed" and I can only wait four selections. (I am #29 in line for one book!) And very few of the Word Wenches are included. This technology will not replace Real Books in my lifetime. - One more thing: you can't buy a "used" Kindle book at a bargain price! - I do miss the small bookstores (Walden etc) that were in the mall, and I spent most of my meager salary at the University bookstore when my workplace was next door. I have a complete paperback Folger Library editions of Shakespeare at 35 cents apiece!

[Jenny]

I love browsing through book stores, old ones and new ones. I do have a book store about 45 mins drive away and it is a favourite place to go - or at least it was. I was told only last week that it might/probably be closing. I feel bereft already. I already use the library a lot, but its not the same. A book of my own I can investigate time and time again. A library book I have to request. The spontanaety is just not there.

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

Susan, serendipity is the exact word! Like you, I find the internet great for ordering something that I know I want (and isn't in stock locally, which is happening more and more) But browsing through tables or shelves full of titles is so much fun. Whim plays a great role in discovery (as it does in writing, I find.)

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

Louis, many of the new book stores are so interchangeable—they just carry the newest bestsellers—which is fine, but I love the more esoteric books too. I'm very lucky in that I'm near both New York and New Haven, CT, which being a university city, has lots of wonderful bookstores and museum shops overflowing with wonderful choices. But still, I miss my local Borders, which was only 10 minutes away and carried an excellent selection of history books.

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

Oh, Jenny, I feel your pain!

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

Artemesia, I fear that a lot of libraries may end up getting t rid of the older books for the shelf space—which is such a shame, because there are so many treasures there. Sigh. And I know what you mean about the difficulties right now of e-book lending. Since other tech problems seem to get ironed out quickly these days, let's hope that the infrastructure on that gets built and smoothed out soon. Still, it really doesn't replace the magic of wandering down shelves and having a title or author catch your eye.

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

Samantha, it seems a lot of us feel the same way!

[alisha woods]

I have found many new authors by browsing at a brick and mortar store. I love walking through the aisle and seeing an awesome cover and picking it up to read the back. It is just not as much fun looking online.

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

I feel the same way, Alisha. There's something about having that shiny new cover in your hands and turning it over to read that just can't be duplicated via the ether.

[Marie]

I also have a Kindle and I love it but nothing will ever beat a real book to hold and even just to look at on my shelves. Sometimes I do just sit and look at my books until something jumps out at me and says today is my turn come read me! That I why I agree that I miss all the little quirky personal bookstores. For people who live in a big city you can still find them but out in the suburbs all there are around are Barnes & Noble's. Finding all those little shops is tops on my list when I make a visit to the city. I loved the pics also, thank you.

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

Marie, I do the same thing with my "old friends"on the shelves—I sit and smile at them, and occasionally decide to take one down for a "play date." I enjoy Barnes & Noble, but I miss the quirky choices of small, personally-picked bookstores. To me they are much more interesting. Glad you enjoyed the photos!

[Karin]

I still miss my local Borders. There's a B&N, but they treat romance like a red-headed stepchild. I find I spend more time in the library now, and on paperback.swap.com. And speaking of independent bookstores, this book is about the author's tour of many of America's greatest independent bookstores. http://www.howardfrankmosher.com/books/theGreatNorthernExpress.html