The two years between college and law school were some of my most prolific reading years. (Yes, sad and pathetic, I know. During college and law school, I have been hard pressed to find the time (and mostly the energy) to delve into good books. My attention span usually lasts for a brief tour through the day's news . . . and that's about all. ) The 45-minute-each-way commute lent itself to a glorious one-book-per-week tour through some excellent fiction and non-fiction reading.
During those two years, my favorite haunt was the Borders bookstore in Copley Square, across the street from my workplace. The buy one get 50% off deal got me every time. Sometimes I got lulled into buying completely dull reads (an atrocious book called "Winkie" comes to mind). But other times, I came across influential gems ("Mountains Beyond Mountains," "The Graves Are Not Yet Full") that I might never have read had I just been making a beeline for the book I wanted on Amazon. Mostly, I just really enjoyed the physical act of browsing through a bookstore. I filled my tiny little bookshelf and looked forward to the day when I might get a bigger bookshelf and organize all my books like a geek.
I guess this is a lament, a nostalgic sigh as Borders enters its Chapter 11 proceedings. I suppose the age of the physical store is waning (or already over). First music stores. Now book stores. Perhaps clothing stores are next. I think I may be one of a dying breed who still misses the days of CD albums, who still does not own an iPod or zune or whatever they are called, who prefers a dog-eared book to one of those fancy e-reader or iPad things. I certainly did my part in contributing to the downfall of the physical store, what with all the CDs and DVDs and books that I've bought from Amazon, so I suppose I have no right to complain.That doesn't mean I won't miss the traditional bookstore, though. Goodbye, Borders.
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