On Friday I went to Coliseum Books and bought a ton of poetry (maybe bought their remaining collection?). But the whole time I was in there I kept thinking about the death of bookstores. I adore bookstores. Adore. I worked in my hometown bookstore Readers' Books on and off from the age of fifteen to twenty. It was my home away from home (and it was across the street). I learned the language of books there, I lived in them. It's still my favorite bookstore in the world. (The owners, Andy and Lilla, are like family and secretly I think I'll just move home and work there for the rest of my life. Drink wine. Read books. Go see movies and Sebastiani Theater and walk in the park? Okay.).
Walking into Coliseum on Friday, my heart just sank. So many of the great bookstores are closing and filing for bankruptcy. I want to put my little arms around the store and say, "Sorry. Sorry we Americans to read anymore. Sorry books aren't as important as TV. Some of us really love you. A lot."
A lot.
2 comments:
i know, it sucks. that was one of my stops. i haven't even been able to go in lately.
It's so sad, it's like a graveyard. What's wrong with us that even in a cultural mecca like New York City we can't sustain a real independent bookstore that still carries poetry and holds nightly readings? Ugh. Depressing.
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