"I have never met a bookstore that I didn't love. And I've met a lot. I can't seem to help myself. It's a habit, an obsession, a life's work. Drop me anywhere and it's like a homing device starts blinking in my brain.... Every bookstore is different, just like the people who own them, and yet there are threads that tie them together. The books for one thing. All those covers. All those blurbs. The dim nooks and corners where shelves meet. The spines, lined up, row upon row, covers turned face out every so often, calling you to come a little closer. I always feel, if I could just stand quietly enough, I might actually hear the faint whispering of thousands of stories jostling together on the shelves, waiting to be chosen."
--Author Kate Morton, speaking at the Australian Booksellers Association's annual conference (via the Australian).
I most certainly agree with Ms. Morton's statement, although I was deprived of the independent bookstore experience until college. My sophomore year I went to Oxford, Mississippi for a speech and debate tournament and was introduced to Square books. The experience singularly changed my outlook on how a community and a bookstore can benefit and prosper from one another.
Yesterday the Huffington Post compiled a list of "the most amazing bookstores in the world." It was a very impressive list that made me all to aware that I haven't traveled nearly enough!
Every independent bookstore that I visit has an endearing quality, and usually after I visit has become a new favorite. What have been some of your favorite bookstores?
Best,
Paz,
~Nieves
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