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Online Bookstores Expand Choices
by: Chris Robertson
There are few experiences in life that match curling up
with a good book and losing yourself in the lives of the
characters, the exotic settings, and the twists and
turns of a compelling plot. Reading continues to be one
of the great joys in my life, and I so appreciate the
effort that authors put into crafting their work.
As I've gotten older, though, I've found that I am more
apt to read fiction, and to stick to a set of authors
that I know and love, or to a single genre of books.
Personally, my great escape is not in literature, but in
what I term "junk food for the mind" - reasonably
well-written murder mystery novels. I enjoy taking the
journey with the author down one dead end lead after
another, reading with bated breath as the protagonist
extracts himself or herself from harm's way, and finally
understanding how all of the puzzle pieces fall together
and point the finger at the book's true culprit.
Although I absolutely adore this genre, I also know that
I'm limiting myself in my reading choices. That's why my
New Year's Resolution this year was to expand my
universe and read books that I would not have even
glanced at twelve months ago. Because I've never been
fond of browsing the aisles of a bookstore, I've turned
to online bookstores to find new areas of reading to
explore. I'm particularly drawn to online bookstores
that are the equivalent of independent brick and mortar
bookstores - those that have a depth of selection within
many different genres, but that don't purport to stock
every book ever published. I've found that the mega
online bookstores are difficult to browse; keyword
searches bring up unrelated titles and I have to dig
through all of the wannabes in order to find the gems
I'm looking for.
So far, my quest to expand my reading horizon has led me
to read non-fiction books like biographies (one on Rosa
Parks was a favorite) and autobiographies (Madame
Secretary, by Madeline Albright is a winner), as well as
African American titles like Black Trials, which traces
a path of civic identity through the prism of the legal
system. I've even read a graphic novel. It was not to my
taste, but I can at least say I've given the genre a
try. I've also found a new delight in children's books.
Some of the classics are as good as I remembered, and
there are new authors proving that children's books can,
indeed, be considered literature.
I'm enjoying fulfilling my New Year's resolution, and
look forward to browsing my favorite online bookstore
for more ways to expand my literary horizons.
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