A Corner Book Shop

When I was growing up, my mom and I would go every Friday to the book shop in our neighborhood, called The Corner Book Shop. It was a tiny little store packed ceiling to floor with paperbacks, and whatever they didn't have, they were happy to order. In those days, there was no Amazon.com, no book Mega stores, and you were willing to wait days, even weeks to get a book you were looking forward to reading. In those days my requests often consisted of Sweet Valley Twins, the occasional science fiction read, and a lot of required reading for school. My mother also indulged in her Anne Tyler novels. We loved our trips there, and the quirky people who ran the place.

Needless to say, The Corner Book Shop disappeared a long time ago, gone the way of the corner coffee shop, the corner copy shop, the corner hardware store etc, etc, etc. My mom and I continued to enjoy our books, and I finally caught up with her, so we could read the same books, discuss and bond over them. Now my mom is gone too, and I find that my thoughts and feelings about the books I read get lost in the shuffle of every day life.

Hence The Corner Book Shop Blog. I don't think of these entries as reviews, although my observations and feelings will definitely reflect my opinions at times. I like to think of my entries more as meditations on the books I read, so that they don't just fade into my past. Its a way of recreating the joy and excitement of visiting that Corner Book Shop. And maybe restart that conversation about books that died with my mom.

So happy reading.