nut free nerd

the value of bookstores.

Recently I went to my local bookstore just to look around. I didn’t have any specific book in mind to buy, and I was simply taking my time browsing the shelves. I came across two books in particular that caught my eye, and eventually I decided to buy them. They are:

The Crane Wife by Patrick Ness

Why I Write by George Orwell

I had briefly heard of The Crane Wife before- in a Goodreads post or a Youtube video, I can’t quite remember- but I still didn’t have a clear idea of what it is about. I’ve read More Than This by Patrick Ness and I absolutely loved it, so I leaped at the opportunity to read more of his writing. I had never heard of Why I Write before, although I thought Orwell’s novel 1984 was fantastic. And as someone who adores writing, I am really intrigued to read about the personal reasons behind why this brilliant author writes!

I guess the point I’m trying to make is that I probably would not have taken such an interest in these books if I had not discovered them in my local bookstore. This, I argue, is one of the many values of shopping for books in physical stores rather than online. I find that whenever I shop online I tend to only see the newest, most popular books because that is what the websites emphasize. Unless you specifically know what you’re looking for, it’s more difficult to randomly browse books or discover obscure ones when certain titles come up time and time again. Being able to see a wide variety of books I’ve barely or never heard of before right in front of me on physical shelves is an experience that, for me, online shopping is incapable of replicating.

How do you feel about shopping at bookstores v. shopping online? What are some books that you’ve discovered at bookstores? Let me know in the comments section below!

Yours,

HOLLY

holly

January 16, 2015

Bookish, Rambles

books, bookstores, George Orwell, Patrick Ness

11 responses to “the value of bookstores.”

Bec Graham

January 16, 2015 at 4:32 am

That’s the best thing about book shops! Just stumbling across new books that you’ve never heard of or maybe never knew were books. I can spend hours in bookshops, just looking around at all of the amazing books and new stories within them. I can spend hundreds of dollars in bookshops. But I usually keep the spending in my head.
Online is only good, really, if you know what you’re looking for and want a cheaper price or if your local bookshops don’t have the book you want.

LikeLike

Reply
1. HOLLY
  
  January 17, 2015 at 7:30 am
  
  I completely agree. If I know exactly the book I want, including the edition of it, then I’ll usually order it online because it can be cheaper. But otherwise I loooove bookstores. I wish there were more independent ones near where I live. Sadly, there’s only one about forty minutes away, so I end up going to Barnes and Noble more often than not. Thanks for commenting! 🙂
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply
Laura

January 16, 2015 at 4:46 am

I much prefer buying in bookstores, I love to pick up and flick through the pages 🙂 Sometimes I go in and have Goodreads up on my phone so I can look for stuff that’s on my TBR, other times I just buy whatever takes my fancy 🙂 Another good place to look is second hand shops! You can find so many books for only a small price!

LikeLike

Reply
1. HOLLY
  
  January 17, 2015 at 7:32 am
  
  Second hand shops are the best! They’re great online prices and the experience of a bookstore combined. 🙂 There used to be an awesome secondhand shop nearby, but then it closed a few years ago. 😦 People need to open more of them!
  
  LikeLiked by 1 person
  
  Reply
bendingoverbookwards

January 16, 2015 at 10:08 am

Its definitely much better to go to a physical bookshop if you’re not sure what you want. I’ve also found the staff at bokshops a lot more helpful when I’ve asked for recommendations- it feels a lot more personal than an algorithm used on GoodReads and you get more interesting recommendations. Also, sometimes you don’t realise how beautiful a book is until you see the physical edition- I received The Book of Strange New Things and that is WAY more beautiful in real life than I’d seen in photos advertising it.

LikeLike

Reply
1. HOLLY
  
  January 17, 2015 at 7:34 am
  
  That’s a great point about bookshop staff! The recommendations on Goodreads always drive me crazy, because they rarely suggest books that I am actually interested in. That’s why I love libraries as well- librarians recommend the best books! 🙂
  
  LikeLiked by 1 person
  
  Reply
avalentin574

January 16, 2015 at 5:06 pm

This is very true , bookstores make you look at things you typically wouldn’t scan for naturally, great post I’ll give those books a looksie!

LikeLike

Reply
1. HOLLY
  
  January 17, 2015 at 7:35 am
  
  Thanks for commenting! 🙂
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply
moosha23

January 17, 2015 at 5:08 pm

Love, love, LOVE shopping in bookstores rather than online (although I don’t do it very often). Because we’re bloggers and spend a lot of time online getting book recommendations, and seeing which books are trending in the community it’s easier to buy those hyped up books online. Even in bookstores this is apparent, hyped up books will be put in the front. But when you’re perusing the shelves you have time to yourself to find hidden gems (I came across a pretty expensive Carol Ann Duffy special-ish edition on The World’s Wife…decided not to buy it in the end).
Fun fact: I’ve never been to my local bookstore (apparently the booksellers there are pretty rude, which I wouldn’t believe if I didn’t have firsthand experience elsewhere). Whenever we go to the mall (it’s a half hour bus drive away) I shop at the bookshop there. But because it’s a bookstore in a mall (and subject to good for nothin’ teens that only chill there because it has armchairs and books bout sex *rolls eyes at assumption*) the staff there get really defensive and upfront with anybody there. Haha, my sister and I found the YA section at the book and a staff member was secretly sent there to make sure we didn’t steal any books. XD XD
Sigh. Despite this I like bookstores. They’re personal, and if you block out the rude staff (so shocking! Aren’t book lovers supposed to be nice?), it seems like home. I feel at ease with the mere sight of books, so yes…hidden treasures everywhere is something I look forward to! ^.^

LikeLike

Reply
1. HOLLY
  
  January 18, 2015 at 5:16 pm
  
  That’s so terrible that the staff at your bookstore are awful!! It’s strange, too, because usually bookish people seem to be nice to other bookish people, since we have a sort of club going on between us all haha.
  
  It’s crazy that they have a staff member there in case teenagers try to steal the books! We teenagers have such a negative stigma around us, which I think is totally stereotyped and not warranted. Yes, there are those “thugs” that will steal books, but honestly teenagers are some of the most thoughtful, passionate, accepting people! We are not all juvenile delinquents! I mean, here we are talking about how much we love bookstores! That should be proof enough, haha.
  
  Anyways, thanks for commenting!! 🙂
  
  LikeLiked by 1 person
  
  Reply
  1. moosha23
    
    January 19, 2015 at 1:32 pm
    
    Your welcome – and I know what you mean! But in general the staff there are rude to nearly all the customers, which is sad. I love bookshops, but not that one. Sigh
    
    LikeLike