Perfect… just the way they are.
Count Me As One Of Those Folks Who Think It Sucks
I am, of course, referring to Amazon’s purchase of Goodreads.
I enjoyed Goodreads. It had an excellent recommendation engine that suggested some excellent stuff for me. But now, it’s part of the evil empire.
I can only assume that where it now directs you to a number of different venues for buying recommended books, with brick and mortar based Barnes and Noble featured prominently, it will soon only take you to Amazon… or else hide other options so that finding anything but Amazon is counterintuitive.
Ugh.
Sunday Paper – Cascading Lines
Union Station
I had a $25 gift card and a 20% coupon burning holes in my pockets, so I made the trek up to a Barnes and Noble. On my walk, I stopped at Union Station to see if it was still there. I knew they were closing it down (a dispute over rent increases) but thought I would support it while I could in hopes they might decide to stay (futile, I know). I was also thinking they might have a nice sale to clear out the stock.
But when I arrived, the windows were papered over and this enormous, lovely public space was gone. It had always had a surprisingly good selection , including an excellent array of periodicals. And now it’s gone.
I walked a mile further to the downtown store, where I bought Emil Cioran’s A Short History of Decay and an espresso.
While waiting for my espresso, I got an email from Barnes and Noble alerting me to the closure of the Union Station shop and offering a small discount on coffee or tea by way of consolation.
Was today the first day without it? Did it just close down? Had I happened to stop by yesterday, would it still have existed? It just seems an odd coincidence.
Weekend Reading – Reading Is Dead
Monday Morning Staff Meeting – They’re Hungrier Than You Think
Weekend Reading – Bookstores Are Back
the coffee philosopher 