Online Bookstores Expand Choices
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
isn't 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 wouldn't 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
wasn't 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.