Loved this, Joel. Perhaps a bit off-topic, but my favorite local bookstores are European (assuming the in-country store has an English section). England is the best with its bookstores older than the USA, with books to match. Old classics alongside new bestsellers. London has some great bookstores, both large and small. Oxford too.
That’s a gap in my education! I still haven’t been to the UK. When I go, you can be sure I’ll be stopping at several bookshops.
I did shop at a bookstore in Kampala when I visited Uganda over a decade ago now. That was an experience—picked up two titles there I still have today.
I've known of the James Daunt story for a while. Still very much enjoyed this essay. Daunt Books in London is one of my favourite bookshops because it has a great selection of books, many of which I haven't seen in other bookshops. The only thing I don't like us that it doesn't give a discount to members of the society of authors, which is strange because Waterstones does. In the UK some indie bookshops have stayed afloat by introducing other things, such as author talks, readings, having a different collection or, in one case, arranging the books differently.
We have a small but very vibrant indie store in Nashville, Tennessee, called Parnassus. It’s succeeded in part because of what you describe here: bringing authors to the community, curated inventory, and a really knowledgeable staff who can help make selections. There selection of biography and history is, for instance, objectively small. But it’s rich. I always find something I’m eager to read. I don’t believe I’ve ever left without buying something.
Like you, I listen to audiobooks on my daily constitutional. (Mine runs only 3 or 4 miles these days) What I’ve found is that the audiobooks that work best are ones which are intended to entertain. There is a performance involved with audiobooks, and a good performer can elevate the audiobook. For example, Jim Dale’s narration of the Harry Potter books elevated them from a poorly written waste of time to an enjoyable listen with the kids on a road trip. Currently, I’m listening to selections from Sketches by Boz, narrated by David Timson, and it is a terrific listen. There are certain narrators, Simon Vance comes to mind immediately, who are worth seeking out. And of course, things like mysteries and science fiction work very well as audiobooks.
On the other hand, I’ve found that books that involve the potential for underlining or making marginal notes don’t work as audiobooks. Once in a while, I find myself returning an audiobook and getting the print book instead - that happened to me while listening to Solzhenitsyn’s In the First Circle.
It often seems to come down to the extent to which I want to be carried along by listening to the book, or whether I need to engage with the book in a deeper way.
I much prefer listening to novels on audio. I do alright with nonfiction as well, but I almost always buy the book as well so I can refer to portions as I go. If, for instance, I go out on a walk and hear something important, I’ll want to look it up when I get back; if I don’t, chances are good I’ll forget it.
Audible has a bookmark feature that should allow for followup, but somehow I don't use it. It would be interesting if that feature could be integrated with the Kindle copy, so that the Audible bookmark would show up in the Kindle version.
This was superb. Wow. Yes, I get what you mean. In Kingston where I grew up, there was no local bookstore to pine for. Walden Books had a store in Oak Ridge which was 20 minutes away. Of course we had a fair library but my book windfall as a kid was the library at the Community College. Art, Music, Literature, Film, all the books I wanted to check out were there. Fortunately County Residents could. When I first went to a Borders or Barnes and Noble when they opened up in Knoxville it was a mind blowing experience. Like, I think I was literally high off the excitement.
I used to watch this movie religiously and loved it even tho I knew what it was about: mom and pop shops not surviving and the big bad retailers taking over. I’m starting to write again and want to eventually become a successful writer. Having said that, I struggle with B&N pricing just because I can go to the local thrift store and buy about 20 books for the price of one. But I understand the pricing too. It’s all relative.
Yes, the economic models differ. It’s just a question of retailers aligning their interests with customers. The tricky part is those interests are always shifting.
Probably my favorite of your wonderful essays. Thank you.
Thank you, Lee!
Loved this, Joel. Perhaps a bit off-topic, but my favorite local bookstores are European (assuming the in-country store has an English section). England is the best with its bookstores older than the USA, with books to match. Old classics alongside new bestsellers. London has some great bookstores, both large and small. Oxford too.
That’s a gap in my education! I still haven’t been to the UK. When I go, you can be sure I’ll be stopping at several bookshops.
I did shop at a bookstore in Kampala when I visited Uganda over a decade ago now. That was an experience—picked up two titles there I still have today.
I've known of the James Daunt story for a while. Still very much enjoyed this essay. Daunt Books in London is one of my favourite bookshops because it has a great selection of books, many of which I haven't seen in other bookshops. The only thing I don't like us that it doesn't give a discount to members of the society of authors, which is strange because Waterstones does. In the UK some indie bookshops have stayed afloat by introducing other things, such as author talks, readings, having a different collection or, in one case, arranging the books differently.
We have a small but very vibrant indie store in Nashville, Tennessee, called Parnassus. It’s succeeded in part because of what you describe here: bringing authors to the community, curated inventory, and a really knowledgeable staff who can help make selections. There selection of biography and history is, for instance, objectively small. But it’s rich. I always find something I’m eager to read. I don’t believe I’ve ever left without buying something.
Like you, I listen to audiobooks on my daily constitutional. (Mine runs only 3 or 4 miles these days) What I’ve found is that the audiobooks that work best are ones which are intended to entertain. There is a performance involved with audiobooks, and a good performer can elevate the audiobook. For example, Jim Dale’s narration of the Harry Potter books elevated them from a poorly written waste of time to an enjoyable listen with the kids on a road trip. Currently, I’m listening to selections from Sketches by Boz, narrated by David Timson, and it is a terrific listen. There are certain narrators, Simon Vance comes to mind immediately, who are worth seeking out. And of course, things like mysteries and science fiction work very well as audiobooks.
On the other hand, I’ve found that books that involve the potential for underlining or making marginal notes don’t work as audiobooks. Once in a while, I find myself returning an audiobook and getting the print book instead - that happened to me while listening to Solzhenitsyn’s In the First Circle.
It often seems to come down to the extent to which I want to be carried along by listening to the book, or whether I need to engage with the book in a deeper way.
I much prefer listening to novels on audio. I do alright with nonfiction as well, but I almost always buy the book as well so I can refer to portions as I go. If, for instance, I go out on a walk and hear something important, I’ll want to look it up when I get back; if I don’t, chances are good I’ll forget it.
Audible has a bookmark feature that should allow for followup, but somehow I don't use it. It would be interesting if that feature could be integrated with the Kindle copy, so that the Audible bookmark would show up in the Kindle version.
This was superb. Wow. Yes, I get what you mean. In Kingston where I grew up, there was no local bookstore to pine for. Walden Books had a store in Oak Ridge which was 20 minutes away. Of course we had a fair library but my book windfall as a kid was the library at the Community College. Art, Music, Literature, Film, all the books I wanted to check out were there. Fortunately County Residents could. When I first went to a Borders or Barnes and Noble when they opened up in Knoxville it was a mind blowing experience. Like, I think I was literally high off the excitement.
When Borders opened up in Roseville, I went to work there. I felt like I was in a palace of books every day :)
I used to watch this movie religiously and loved it even tho I knew what it was about: mom and pop shops not surviving and the big bad retailers taking over. I’m starting to write again and want to eventually become a successful writer. Having said that, I struggle with B&N pricing just because I can go to the local thrift store and buy about 20 books for the price of one. But I understand the pricing too. It’s all relative.
Yes, the economic models differ. It’s just a question of retailers aligning their interests with customers. The tricky part is those interests are always shifting.
Also: Good luck on your writing!
Thank you!