Help Indie Bookstores

Nobody who loves books needs to be told that this is a perilous time for indie bookstores.  Over the past few years, despite the behemoth called Amazon (which, yes, I order books and ebooks from often enough), indie bookstores were mounting an impressive comeback, and there seemed no reason why this development would not continue -- until the pandemic hit.  Now, who knows how many of these great shops, which cater to their local reading communities, will go under?

Anyway, a friend of mine posted a link on social media the other day I thought worth sharing here.  It comes from a short article by the McSweeney's editors, and it's called "Ways to Help Independent Booksellers and Bookstores".  It's not that anything listed in the article is shockingly inventive or surprising, but it's still good to keep in mind the basic things one can do to help indie booksellers.

Here's the link, with some good suggestions and information on how to help the indie bookstores stay afloat through this hazardous period:  
https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/ways-to-help-independent-bookstores-and-booksellers.

By the way, number eight of the nine things listed in the article -- "Take part in virtual book events to support authors and stores." -- is something the crime fiction world is already doing, with virtual Noir at the Bars having taken place.

We gotta keep these places we love alive!

Well, that's it for this week.

Back to reading, movies, writing, working on my cooking...