M. Suzanne Terry

I’m finishing up a week off from my job at UNT. I used the week as intended for the most part. I got some things done around the apartment that I had been neglecting, worked a few extra hours than usual on my writing job, and got to do some things (long weekend at the farm, long lunch with a friend, late night listening to live music) that I don’t usually get to do. It was busy but manageable. I was able to take care of both my life and myself. I actually slept well and drank enough water and ate well-planned meals.

The only thing I wanted to do that I ended up not doing was driving to San Antonio to visit Nowhere Bookshop in person. I could have done it – I technically had the time and the money. I could have spent a few hours in the hotel working on articles and been frugal with my spending so that next month’s budget wouldn’t be strained.

The only problem with that is that I don’t have frugal feelings about bookshops.

I love the way they smell. While it varies a bit depending on whether I’m walking into a used bookstore like Booked Up or a store that sells only new books, that underlying scent of ink and paper is always there. I am generally an impatient, get-in-and-get-out shopper in most places, but I can completely lose track of time in a bookstore. If I have someplace else to be that day, I actually have to set an alarm because otherwise hours sail by unnoticed. I always assume I’m going to spend at least $50 with each trip, and that’s if I’m very careful.

My favorite places are the ones with cushy armchairs and coffee shops inside. They invite patrons to stick around and thumb through what they find. It would be easy to be stingy – to have a strict buy-before-you-try policy. But bookshops that are owned by people who love books are designed to give everyone who walks through the door the opportunity to do the same. They want you to take all the time you need to find a book you adore. They would rather risk you walking out empty-handed than end up with something that sullies your reading experience. They have faith that if you find what you’re looking for, you’ll be back time and time again when you seek your next literary loves.

I have a list of bookshops I want to visit. Nowhere is at the top, but the list also includes:

• Novel. (Memphis)
• Magic City Books (Tulsa)
• Baldwin & Co. (New Orleans)
• BookWoman (Austin – also home of Book People, which I recommend as well)
• Parnassus Books (Nashville)
• Patchouli Joes’ Books & Indulgences (Denton – perhaps this should be my top pick. It is local, after all)

I’m happy to add your favorite shop to my list, so feel free to drop a link in the comments. Even better – go give them some love yourself. I know Amazon is easy, and I don’t begrudge anyone taking extra work out of their busy lives. But if all of us committed book lovers could manage to spend in an independent shop at least once a month, it could really make a difference. It could keep the places I love alive.

I’ve talked about books all month, and it’s been so much fun.