Danville, il, my home town, has been without a bookstore for most of the year. First we lost Walden Books when Borders downsized and then we lost a quaint children's book store called Blue Kangaroo. So really the only place to get my book fix has been Walmart. And Walmart doesn't have a huge selection. Plus when I shop for books I want to be surrounded by stacks and stacks of them. I want those stacks to rise above my head. Environment really matters when purusing books.
I was able to stock up on some really good books at Borders going-out-of-business sale a few weeks ago in Champaign. That was awesome! One of the books I now own and have read is called Rot & Ruin. I forget the author's name. I can see the book on my shelf across the room but I'm really sleepy right now and don't feel like getting up. Anyway, it's an awesome book about zombies. I love zombie movies but I had never read a book about zombies. Rot & Ruin is one of those books you beg to turn into a movie!
My mom surprised me at dinner last night with a $40 gift certificate to A Novel Idea, a used book store that opened in the old Walden Books space. So of course after dinner I had to stop by. There was an entire wall of Romance novels, of which I am not a fan. There was a small selection of Sci-Fi and Fantasy and a slightly larger section of general fiction.
Remember I said that the environment of a book store matters? Well A Novel Idea had what looked like the environment of a good bookstore. There were tables and chairs for reading, and stacks of books, they even had some snacks for sale. But there'd was something off. The smell of burning incense reminded me of a metaphysical shop I visited while living in Chicago and there were just way too many Romance novels. Plus in the front of the store they have art for sale. It would have been one thing if it was original art but it looked like they just got them from a bunch of rummage sales.
I only spent $20 of my $40 gift certificate but I'm upset because I don't think I will find any more books there to spend the rest on.
