I really hate buying books online. Even if I order from a major eCommerce site named after a river in South America, I don’t know what I’m getting. Is the book damaged? Is it scratched, or the cover bent? If I order from other online sites, such as auction places, is the book a first edition, or a second printing? The description is rarely clear on this.
When shopping in bookstores, the best bet is one that sells new books. Where I live we now only have one or two such books, at least ones that carry a decent amount of books. Otherwise, it’s used book stores. I never know what to say when cashiers at used book stores ask me whether I found what I was looking for. The easy answer is, “No.” I rarely find specific books in used book stores. I take a list with me of books I own, and check against this list if I find something of interest, but rarely will there be a book in the shelves there that match what I’m really looking for. But, at least I can hold the book in my hand and decide there and then whether I want to hand over money for that item. I’ve made a few mistakes, yes, missed remainder marks, or writing inside books, or thought I was getting a different edition. But, for the most part, if the book looks off, even though it’s one I don’t have, I’ll put it back in the shelf without a second thought.
When it comes to new book stores, I often as not walk out empty handed, for even the big stores don’t have the books I want. The exception is speciality stores. I was in Houston earlier this year, and stopped by Murder by the Book. I’d never been there, but I walked out with 10-15 books, and could easily have doubled or tripled that number, but I had to stop somewhere. On occasions where I visit San Francisco – over every few years – I’ll drop by Borderlands Books and find stuff that I like. Still, it’s as much the act of being in a book store, browsing the aisles, that makes it interesting. Online purchases aren’t quite as fun.
In Austin, when I lived there, I’d make regular trip to a corner of 6th Street and spend hours in Adventures in Crime and Space (Rest in Peace). Back then I couldn’t afford many books, but I always found books from new authors and old favorites. It felt like a community.
Here in the town where I live, there used to be a book store that specialized in mysteries – Remember the Alibi. This was before I really got back into mysteries, and it’s now long gone. A book store opened in my neighborhood last year, during COVID. Well, it didn’t really open, as you can’t go inside. This makes me sad, if not a little bitter. I’d read about the new place before COVID, and was excited that a book store would exist one mile from where I lived. I could walk there, browse, buy, and maybe get a snack or drink. In fact, I often walk past the closed doors. But, it remains closed to the public. Other bookstores in many cities are open. I visited one in Durango last summer. Mysterious Books in New York City is open, as are the ones that weren’t burned down in Minneapolis. I’ve been in a few others since the panic and lockdowns. Will this one near me ever open? I don’t know. I know that I miss visiting stores and reading the covers of books, or discovering new authors. I’d even planned to take a few hundred dollar bills I’d saved up over the years and plonk them down on the counter, then walk off with a bag full of books.
Instead, I bought a guitar.
