Keep The Indie Bookseller Alive!

Today I visited the King's English Bookshop in Salt Lake with two of my fabu writer friends. It's perfect. Tiny nook-ish rooms. Little twisty hallways leading to more rooms. Or stairs. Or odd corners. And everything lined with shelves and shelves of the most wonderful, eclectic, universal, unique books I've seen brought together in one place. The best-sellers were there, to be sure. But so were the less often stocked books at some of the larger chains. (What a relief to see something besides vampires and werewolves in the YA section.)

The place oozes charm, and something of Dumbledore's office. It would not be surprising to bump into any of the characters of your favorite books there. You certainly have a chance to see the writers of these books, as TKE is often the host of book signings by some of the better known authors out there.

The staff are friendly and helpful. And the little converted house the shop inhabits sits on a lovely old tree lined street in the east hills of Salt Lake valley. The shop is a gem.

I think there is a place for eReaders. I own one. It's great to pack a couple of books around as I take kids places or sit in the doctor's office, without actually lugging anything but a slim bit of electronic wizardry. I love it.

But it does not, cannot, will never, replace the heft and smell of a book for me. I need a book in my hands. I need to feel the cover, turn the pages, interact in a more tactile way with the story I'm reading. And I like seeing the shelves in my home lined with colorful spines that bind the pages of adventure together. An eReader won't fill that space in the same way.  I will always own books.

Please don't let wonderful indie book sellers like The King's English disappear from our communities. We need them. And they need us. 

(And now for a subliminal message: *visit bookstores and buy books!* *visit bookstores and buy books!*)

(TKE is located at: 1511 South 15th East, in Salt Lake City)