Musing Mondays is a meme hosted by Should be Reading and it asks you to muse about something “bookish” each week …… so here is my musing for the week !
A Bookworm’s dilemma with a touch of guilt
Most of my recent book purchases have been through online shopping. One thing I can’t deny is the convenience online shopping offers when I want to buy a specific book.
Why the guilt ? Because in recent times, all our local newspapers have been flooded with reports about various small independent bookstores shutting down largely because of decreased patronage. I can’t help but feel responsible in a way for that.
Here is the “chicken and egg” aspect of the story though. In an attempt to face the onslaught of the online market, a lot of these bookshops are diversifying and including sections like music, movies, jewellery,lifestyle products,etc. This, to me, dramatically decreases their appeal rather than make me revisit them. My favourite bookshop, which so far has resisted the temptation to diversify, is 13 km away (courtesy Google maps) and yours truly being quite lazy simply cannot trudge that far 😦 Which again leads me to the first 2 points !
So what does a bookworm do ?
Do share your thoughts on this and also leave your musings link in the comments !
You can view all of my Musing Mondays posts here.
The Resurgent Bookworm 
Hi. Thanks for posting the link.
And you are so right about the online book purchase. I also prefer buying books online rather than going to a store by myself! It takes less than 2 minuted to order the book and that too can be done at even 2:00 am. God, It’s so convenient!
But whenever I visit any shopping-mall, I literally get dragged to either Crossword or Landmark. But to be honest it’s so difficult to leave all the books (other than the one I buy) sitting on the shelves there. I always end up emptying my card on buying books that I didn’t even plan to buy.
As you mentioned, it’s really like the ‘egg and chicken’ story. And I’ve come on terms with myself to be specific about the books I really wanna buy (as I’m a member of a library).
It was great to read your Monday Musing and to talk about (or write about) books here. That exactly being the point anyways 🙂
Have a great week ahead.
Hope to catch up with you over Top Ten Tuesday 🙂
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So true ! I have to look the other way when I see Landmark or even FabIndia for that matter 😀 The reason I don’t go to a bookshop with specific titles is because I’m afraid I’ll miss out on some really good book there – kinda odd I know 😐
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts ! 🙂
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Great topic–This is definitely a dilemma!
I so agree with you about “book”-stores carrying so much more than books these days–my favorite bookstore used to have HUGE history and biography sections (two of my favorites!)–now most of that space is devoted to puzzles and educational toys. I almost have to hunt for the books! And I do buy a lot of books online–particularly used books. I can usually find a nice hardcover from an independent used bookstore for less than the price of the new paperback version. Yet whenever I do buy online I always feel a little pang because I KNOW I’m part of the problem–the reason bookstores have had to resort to carrying so many non-book items is because book sales are down! I do still buy new books in brick-and-mortar stores, but not nearly as many as I used to. I don’t think there’s an answer to this–but it does make for good discussion!
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Thanks !
Now that you mention it, I think that even in the stores I visit, the non-fiction section seems to be the victim of the overhaul. The popular fiction series always survive. Used bookstores are great but in some shops they try to push pirated copies as “used” and that puts me off.
I guess there is no solution after all ! Unless we let go of the guilt ……..
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Shopping for books online actually keeps me from overspending. If I’m browsing in a bookstore–or craft store for that matter–I always end up buying more books than my budget allows.
We also no longer have any local independent bookstores around here, so I’m only supporting a big chain anyway when I visit a bookstore.
Hope you’ll visit http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2014/05/musing-mondays-may-26.html
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Online shopping actually makes me overspend. They market it so well by giving you recommendations and so many discounts that I end up buying moe than I can handle. I guess my city is going to lose all small bookstores soon too 😦
Of course, I’m heading over there right now !
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My neighborhood bookstore (Barnes & Noble) has cut down on books, too, instead, offering all kinds of other things…I go there mainly for the coffee and the bargain books. My main place to buy is Amazon. But I miss the B & N of old….
Here’s MY MONDAY MUSINGS POST
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Amazon is only now making an aggressive foray into India. People feel it may even affect Indian online shopping websites leave alone bookshops.
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I haven’t had a proper bookshop within a reasonable distance for nearly twenty years, so for me online shopping is a huge boon, and I don’t feel guilty about it at all. The only shops that sell books around here are the big chains, and they only sell the fiction bestsellers and cookbooks – if they make so little effort, then I’m happy not to support them. On the other hand, if anyone opened a nice little independent shop with maybe a nice cafe/reading-room and bookclubs etc, I’d be delighted to shop there…
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I haven’t had one over 10 years ….. But you are right – fiction, cookbooks and a whole array of self-help and management books. A cafe with a reading room sounds great ! I would hop over there every other day !
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I just read the previous post and I find it is just the opposite. Online I spend so much more than in the bookstore. Online I just click and buy so I have less time to think. In a store I have to pick up the book and walk to up to buy. More time to think so less buying. We do not have a independent book store where I live only a Barnes and Noble. I find I buy fewer paper copies online and in the story than I did several years ago. Mixed Book Bag
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Same with me – I overspend online also because I feel “if I don’t take up this offer now I’ll lose it !”. You do have a lot of time to think in a bookshop especially if its less crowded.
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That’s quite a dilemma! I also prefer online shopping because I can get books much cheaper that way. I like browsing in actual bookstores though, so I can see what’s new and popular and I know what to buy online later.
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My problem with online shopping is beyond a point I feel like my TBR gets slotted into a few types of books. In a bookshop I browse so much that I buy something I wouldn’t usually buy online ! But the prices are so attractive online right ? 😀 Especially when they announce book sales !
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Buying them online is a lot easier, yes!
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I’ve felt that guilt, too. But my only independent bookstores are in the city centre and it takes me an hour to get there. None of them stock anything other than books, though. I think there’s a pretty strong book-buying culture in this city, because Borders closed but no independent bookstores seem to be majorly affected. I count myself lucky for that 🙂
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Bookshops with only books ? I think that is pretty rare 😀 That says a lot about the support the shops receive from your city’s bookworms.
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I loved reading your post! All the bookstores nearby my place have started keeping other than books. Sad. So sad.
Here is my Musing post.
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