Independent is the Word in the World of Bookstores

When people ask what I enjoy doing for fun I rarely come up with a response they were expecting. I mean, I suppose my reply depends on who is asking and why they're asking. If it's someone I'm interested in and we're on a date I usually answer as honestly as possible and let him take it from there. If I'm being asked by a potential employer then I will come up with some off-the-wall hobby like collecting rejection letters or something as equally ridiculous as the question itself. It's not so much that I enjoy being an asshole as it is there are just some things I don't like sharing with people, especially strangers.

I will, however, share one of my favorite past times because I think it is something I have in common with many individuals. Here it goes - one of my favorite past times is spending hours browsing the shelves at independent bookstores. I used to make a habit of visiting my favorite shops at least once a month but that has waned over the years. Some of the bookstores I frequented were bullied into shutting their doors by the obnoxious chain stores or could no longer keep up with the rent as the neighborhoods gave way to gentrification.

Over the years my love for books and reading fell by the wayside and the method of adding books to my thinned out collection came by way of ordering on Amazon. It's easy. You go online, find what you want, order and in no time your selection arrives in the mail. Convenience is too high a price to pay. I need to have my senses stimulated when it comes to buying books. Visually, I am drawn to a cover/title/author. There's a tactile draw to pages and content that you just don't get online and my sense of smell feels cheated from not being able to take a whiff of musty old books.

Being in an independent bookstore is a mind, body and soul experience I can't really describe. The chain bookstores may offer a vast selection of titles but the vibe is so very impersonal and generic - it makes me feel uptight and uneasy. I suppose that's why I've steered away for so long. Maybe it's having more available time to read during my daily commute that driving me back into my old love of reading or it could be age. Whatever it is, I'm not going to question it...instead I'm on a quest to find more and more independent bookstore to haunt (see list below).

Although many old favorites like Both Sides of the Equator in Uptown Whittier, Midnight Special Bookstore in Santa Monica, IMIX Books in Eagle Rock and Espresso Mi Cultura Coffee and Books in Hollywood have been gone for some time there are many other independent bookstores that Have survived. I am also happy to report there are many new bookshops popping up around town in places you wouldn't expect. My latest discoveries, Libros Schmibros Bookstore/Lending Library in Boyle Heights and The Last Bookstore in downtown L.A., are literally in my own backyard.

Bring on the books, I say. I think it's time for a new set of readers O_O