Monday, September 10, 2012

Book Exchange


Yesterday, I walked the neighborhood, carried twenty or so books to sell to the used bookstore, also my go-to place for buying used paperbacks.  Most of the books on my shelves come from their shelves.  To my surprise, the store was half empty when I arrived.  Empty bookcases. Hollow bins. A sign that everything must go.  I immediately became frantic, What? You're closing?  The owner nodded.  The lease is up.  It's time.  But I saw, in the quiet way his shoulders shifted, this was not the full story.

I stood with a heavy bag of books slung on my arm. I had made the difficult decision to let go of them and I needed to unload. There is simply no room for them in my apartment.  Despite that, I looked at the half-store of books that must-go, this store I had spent countless hours in, browsing and buying,  and bought as many as I could.

I left the store with more books when I should have had less. I debated what to do.  My shoulder, at that point, hurt.  So I stood at the corner, looked up at a brownstone with its towering stoop and decided to leave the books I had meant to sell at the foot of it.  As I arranged them, an older couple stopped to look at the titles.  You can have any you want, I said and I left them all there (the books, the couple) with the hope they'd find a match.

As I walked home with my newly bought used books (confused yet?) I found this young girl.  She also carried a bag of books, just bought from Book Court, the indie bookstore in nearby Cobble Hill.

It seemed she couldn't wait to read what she had found. She read the opening pages while she walked.

10 comments:

  1. sadly, this is now has become the norm, I suppose more people are into digital books but I'll always prefer paper books over digital any day.

    have a great day.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh...so sad. Digital. A blessing and a curse. I will always love the book!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I hate when a good bookstore closes. I hope you can find another lovely one. And that picture is wonderful--if I weren't so clumsy, I would definitely read as I walked. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. So sad! And how many times have I done that reading while I walk thing? Now my son does it. Oh how I love books.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I was so disappointed when the used bookstore in my area closed down.

    ReplyDelete
  6. So sad for your bookstore.

    I used to be that girl reading though. I would read as I walked home from school (to the dismay of my parents who thought I would get run over).

    ReplyDelete
  7. I LOVE books, and libraries and book stores. I can't really get into the digital reading thing. I prefer turning pages to scrolling any day!!! That's so sad that your bookstore is closing. :(

    ReplyDelete
  8. One of the best indie book stores in my area (what am I saying? the ONLY indie book store in my area) is facing closure, too. The rent has become too high, and the strip mall owner has an offer for a gym. Everyone around here is devastated ... and, selfishly, I am also devastated I can't have my launch party there in May. :(

    ReplyDelete
  9. This is the major downside of the digital revolution. It's becoming economically unfeasible to run used bookstores.

    Have you ever considered setting up a community book swap? My church does this occasionally. It's fun! Maybe there's an existing group in your neighborhood (a rec center or something) that might want to host it. Every good book deserves a home.

    ReplyDelete