The future of the high street bookshop.

Having been in the process of packing up and moving house again (four times this year!), I have left blogging a little to the wayside. But, since the big W has been officially sold off and faith is gradually being restored in the high street bookshop, I felt a need to express my opinion. 

I love bookshops. I think anyone who enjoys reading does. Whether you shop in them or not is, in some ways, irrelevant. Just having them about, walking in and seeing row upon row of bright new paperbacks puts a little smile on my face. I’ve worked in bookshops as well and my days as an Ottakar’s Weekend Girl were immensely enjoyable. And a lot of that was due to the people. The store I worked in was full of brilliant, funny, intelligent, and eccentric characters, and, although the friends I made in that store are still mad (and still working their crazed magic in stores across the country), they seem to be getting fewer and far between. 

I’m not saying they’re not there anymore, but many bookstores (and not just the big brands) are becoming identikit models, where even the staff are forced to fit the mould. So much of what made these shops cosy little havens from the big bad high street was in the warmth and obvious enthusiasm for books that their staff possessed. Being encouraged to push uninteresting titles or vaguely relatable product is sure to drive many of the staff screaming from the building. 

I haven’t ever visited Daunt Books so I can’t say with any authority that I think James Daunt is going to change anything once he’s set up as Managing Director. To be honest, the stores I’ve passed of his look a little stuffy and, before Friday, I genuinely thought they were Second Hand shops. I hope he does a good job with the W but I’m not throwing myself wholeheartedly behind him. I like the idea of bookshops being more about books but I think he has to be careful not to squash all the joy out of reading. 

The main problem stores have now is getting customers in the building. All you need to do is take a look at a good library (which, I’ll grant you, there aren’t many of) to see that they’ve found other ways to draw people in; competitions, cafes, art galleries. The thing to remember is that knowledge isn’t everything. Just because you know all there is to know about Post-Modernist Literature doesn’t mean I want to here you blather on about it for twenty minutes; give me someone with enthusiasm over knowledge any day. One bubbly, passionate bookseller, eager to find you something you will genuinely enjoy (not just something you’re “supposed” to read) will probably have many more satisfied, returning customers, than one who makes you feel guilty or stupid. 

Whatever happens, I like the high street bookshop and I’m not keen to see it go anywhere. A sentiment echoed by many a fellow bookworm, I’m sure.

They is closing down the centre!

So, a fun announcement to start off the New Year with: HMV and Waterstones shutting shop on 60 stores. Not a good thing but hopefully, it'll keep the chains running a little longer. Even if I don't shop there, I still like having those stores on the High Street to browse through. And I suppose I do shop there sometimes. Anyway, enough of that. Onto my latest acquisitions.

I finally found a copy, and finished, my book club selection - The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore. I'll leave most of my comments aside until Book Club comes and goes (planning to write a regular piece after each month's meeting) but generally I liked it. Very odd, but its nice to have a different kind of Christmas story.

Onwards and upwards - I finally joined the library in my new town! December was much too manic to try and get it done but it has been driving me crazy, not having any access to new books, even if I do still have a small mountain at home to devour. The library, unfortunately, is exceedingly poor. For something that calls itself the 'Central' library, its range of books, its organisation and its generally depressing decoration make it somewhere I really don't want to spend a lot of time. Luckily, living in a London borough means I do have access to libraries in 11 other London boroughs as well as my own. Thank god for small mercies. Needless to say, most of my book browsing will be done online, only venturing forth once I know books I want are in stock. I know the Government/Councils are pulling a lot of funding from the Library System and, while this is a terrible thing, you can see why no one visits when they look like my one. They need dedicated, passionate staff (who will be more so with a decent salary) and some cold hard cash spent on new books and sprucing the buildings up. Seriously, give me a couple of grand and some able volunteers and I'm sure that I could do wonders with the places.

The one book I did pick up on my first trip was a teen fiction one (I had to take something home) and I was quite pleased with the outcome. If I Stay by Gayle Forman, is the story of a teenage girl who is almost killed in a car crash. With her body in a critical condition in the hospital, Mia's spirit (no better word for it really) is left to decide: to live or die, to give in, give up or to stay and fight. The book details Mia going back over her life, and watching the people she loves by her bedside, as she desperately tries to make a decision. Mia's tale, borne out of a real life incident in Forman's life, where friends died in a car crash, strikes home and leaves us to decide (in the words of Jodi Picoult): what would you do?

So January is starting off well for books; I've finished... (counting in my head)...three new books this year, and it's only the 7th. I've also watched a few new-ish films and finally started the third season of In Treatment (mainly because everything else is on Thanksgiving/Christmas/Holiday Season hiatus). It's good but I haven't really watched enough episodes yet to build up a massive interest - it's been too long since I watched Seasons One and Two. So In Treatment is back on the 'Watching' list and, very annoyingly, Boardwalk Empire is off it. I have the episodes (Iphone compatible) but, apparently, ITunes has taken a dislike to them and refuses to acknowledge their existence. And people wonder why I don't like Apple products? ITunes is the biggest waste of RAM I've ever encountered to be honest.

There is more to come, but this post is getting a little longer than I'd like so I shall wrap up and continue on later.