The Reading Chair Bookstore

My E-Reader

2011-04-25T13:39:00.001-07:00

Yes my friends, that commotion you hear, that sense if impending doom you feel, that is the end of the world quickly approaching. Yes, I did it. It is my fault. I, Taniya Barrows, acquired an e-reader! I don’t know how much time we all have left, but this has to be one of the signs of the approaching apocalypse.

Okay, the doomsday joking aside, the truth is I did actually buy an e-reader. Through a random set of circumstances, my husband and I found ourselves in a large electronics store holding a hefty gift card trying to figure out how to spend it. Our planned purchase of a practical household appliance turned out to not be so practical upon closer inspection. So now what? We have all this money to spend but it has to be spent here, in this store. We do not need that many DVDs, CDs or video games, our computer needs are satisfied and my husband just got his major electronics purchase with the bulk of the gift card. So once again I ask, now what? Wandering the store, with two overly tired and antsy small children in tow, I found myself repeatedly returning to the e-reader section. After far too much time, and way too much wrestling with my logic and reason, I finally conceded, and sold my soul. My husband had his large electronic toy and now I had mine. The kids were just happy to be heading home.

Under normal circumstances, I would have never purchased an e-reader of any kind. I honestly do not see the point of the device, and I’m weary of its impact on both the book industry and our society as a whole. How, I constantly ask, can an electronic device replace the printed and bound book? A book will never need updated software to work properly. A book will never have to be repurchased in the latest format in order to access its content. A book will never interfere with the operation of an airplane. A book can be personalized and given as an immensely sentimental gift. A book can be handed down through generations as an heirloom. A book can be loaned, borrowed or randomly gifted to a stranger with no strings attached. A book can be signed by its author. A book can be a magnificent piece of art that must be held to be fully appreciated. A book can be a magical shared experience between you and a child just learning to read. And most importantly, a book does not need its battery recharged right when you get to the most pivotal point of the story!

And yet, I bought an e-reader. . .

In the end, my reasoning was simple and practical: if I am to re-enter the bookselling industry, it behooves me greatly to fully understand this powerful new device. The world of bookselling has been rocked to its core by the digital age. Reading is declining and bookstores are closing their doors all across the country, probably even the world. If I am to exist at all within this new realm of bookselling, I need to know as much as I can about this Pandora’s Box.

So what do I think after my first weekend with this contraption? I still have a hard time with its existence, and there is no way anyone will ever convince me it is better than reading an actual book. But I do concede that the e-reader can have a useful time and place. For instance, I have an American friend living in Brussels. She told me that it is challenging, and expense, to find English language books over there. For a voracious reader, such as herself, I can see that as a form of torture. Thus, her e-reader allows her access to the reading opportunities I know she truly enjoys, and would not otherwise encounter.

After reading one full e-book, and spending the weekend tinkering with this thing, I have begun figuring out how I will use it. When it comes to reading of an e-book, the device allows you to read a story, but you are not reading a book; far too much of the book reading experience is missing. For instance, upon reaching it, I was unable to tell I had actually finished reading the last page because all the publishing content was listed last. So I turned the page, or rather pushed the button to advance in the story, only to find HarperCollins telling me their various international addresses. I was left with a pseudo-sense of satisfaction of having finished reading a story and confusion over whether or not I had just finished it. While I will continue reading e-books on my new device, as I said, it behooves me to do so, I will be sure to keep it to books I don’t expect to relish or wish to pass on to my kids. I’ll keep it to my guilty pleasure books: short, formulaic novels with superficial character. Yes, I am a bit of a book snob, but then again I’m a literature major for a reason.

Alright, I acknowledge that I’m an old fashioned girl, in love with her paper, glue and dustcovers, talking smack about the new-fangled device that has recently hit the market and become popular with “the kids these days.” And yes, given enough time, I may even - begrudgingly - end up really liking this thing. But I try to give credit when credit’s due, and I can see two immensely value benefits of the e-reader.

The first is the blog. I hate reading blogs (insert irony here as I type away at my own blog entry). Not so much because of what they are or what they say, but because they require my computer to read and enjoy them. I have a friend who is a talented author who maintains an interesting and thought provoking blog, but I hate reading it only because it requires a computer screen. With the new “E-Ink” technology of these new e-readers, and the internet access they come complete with, I can now read and follow my friend’s blog, and seek out the many others I’ve longed to peruse, without the confinement of my computer screen. Plus, it seems fitting to read these “web logs” on an electronic-reader. The two seem destined for each other, and I’ll confess I’m excited about this new discovery.

The second benefit is one I find both hopeful and tragic. Our current generation of young people, those currently in high school and just barely entering their twenties, are a frightening conundrum for those of us in the older generations; even for me, and I’m just slightly older. This younger generation is the first one being raised solely within this digital age we now live in. These are the kids living so much of their lives with far too many distractions. There is an ongoing debate over whether or not it is a good thing to multi-task to the extent this younger generation is doing. To be texting, chatting online, Twittering, Facebooking, YouTube watching and doing homework all at the same time has taken a toll on our youth. It is also this youth that has been showing severe declines in reading over the past decade. I can’t help but ask, if our digitally addicted youth can be given a digital device that will entice them to read more, is that device truly a bad idea? That is a rather loaded question, and I don’t know the answer, but it is part of the debate that should at least be considered.

So my e-reader may not exactly be the root of all evil, and perhaps I didn’t really sell my soul. I do hope that this experience will help me find a way to positively impact the whole e-reader revolution and debate. Following trends in technological evolution, I find it hard to believe this device will ever go away. But perhaps we can find a way to peaceable co-exist with it without destroying that sacred institution known as the bookstore, and hopefully use it as a bridge back into the world of the book that far too many people have abandoned for digital devices.

Book Parties: The Reading Chair’s Return

2011-04-22T10:58:00.000-07:00

2010 was a hard year for The Reading Chair Bookstore. I find solace in knowing The Reading Chair was not alone when it comes to hard times in recent years, but it still made for a glum outlook for the future of this dream of mine. On the personal side, 2010 was an eventful year. My family grew and I was finally able to leave my accidental engineering career. Yet, the remnants of my attempt to enter the bookselling world plagued me all year long.

2011 has brought promise and a glimmer of hope. I have returned to school to - hopefully - complete my literature degree. I am amazed at how much my school has changed in the six years since I was last a student there. However, I am thankful Dr. Robin Keehn, one of the most influential teachers I have ever had, is still teaching there. Returning to her classroom has been inspiring. Being her student again has helped me begin exploring what I want to do with my life. I have begun to allow myself the freedom of wandering through the countless possibilities my degree will afford. Slowly, ever so slowly, I am allowing myself to reconsider the dreams of my youth; the ones shattered by a harsh decade.

I have also begun exploring the future of The Reading Chair. In fact, I was walking back to my car after Dr. Keehn’s class a few weeks ago when it hit me: Summer Reading with The Reading Chair. That was the window, just barely cracked open, I needed to compensate for the many doors slammed shut for The Reading Chair. Towards the end of 2009, just before The Reading Chair’s harsh year, I had had this idea of the “Book Party.” It has been done with Tupperware, make up, candles, cookware, the list goes on, so why not with books? I do not have the best track record when it comes to organizing my own personal book groups, but I know a lot of people who have. So I asked myself, what can I do to help support those book groups, and possibly inspire people to form new ones of their own? And thus, The Reading Chair Book Party was born!

The mission of The Reading Chair Bookstore, and the primary goal of the book parties, is to promote literary discussion and spread the joy of reading throughout the community. The book parties are structured simply enough with The Reading Chair’s current inventory displayed for sale, and as a conversation starter. Guests are invited to mingle, enjoy a cup of coffee (freshly roasted by my husband and myself), share reflections upon their personal reading preferences, share thoughts about their favorite books, and explore new stories as recommended by friends and fellow book party attendees.

I don’t have any numbers or statistics to relate the decline in reading, yet I know they’re out there. I only have anecdotal experience that makes me worry for the future of reading in our society. As a parent, I hope to pass on my love of literature to my children. As summer vacation quickly approaches, I am gearing up for my son’s summer reading lists and projects, which has ended up becoming the inspiration for a few of my kid and family themed book party ideas. I want to bring together kids of varying ages and have them write and share stories. I want to gather kids together and have them share their favorite books, even give them a chance to read their favorite stories to their friends. I want to inspire families to read together and foster inter-generational book groups.

The Reading Chair’s first book parties are being hosted at my home for my friends. Bring The Reading Chair to your home and share the joy of reading with your friends! Email me at readingchairbooks@gmail.com to schedule your book party and help The Reading Chair Bookstore grow.

The Reading Chair Turns One!

2009-03-15T19:13:00.000-07:00

Wow, what an incredible year this has been! It’s hard for me to believe that The Reading Chair Bookstore has been in existence for a whole year now. In celebration of the occasion, I would like to share a little of how the Reading Chair came to be and, in future blogs, I will share some of the adventures I’ve had during my first year as a bookseller.

Life’s funny in the twists and turns it takes you on. I arrived in San Diego County almost a decade ago with aspirations of becoming a school teacher. But life did what it does and I have spent the vast part of this last decade working in the field of civil engineering. I do find some fulfillment in my accidental engineering career but, nine years after it started, it has begun to wear on me. Feeling trapped, lost and frustrated with the downturn in the housing market and economy as a whole, I finally remembered what it was my mother has always said about me my entire life; I’m nothing if not resourceful! So I grabbed those damn boot straps and I began to look around.

What I saw reflected the bravery and determination of others to find their own source of income through self employment and following their dreams. So I began to ask, why not me? What is it I could do that would allow me to achieve my dreams of positively influencing the growth and education of my community while also allowing me to pursue the literary world I love so much? Every time I asked myself that question, I kept answering: the Boulder Bookstore.

A couple of years ago my husband and I had traveled to Boulder, Colorado. Aside from falling in love with the area, I was awed by the Boulder Bookstore. After only one visit and enjoyable meandering through this wonderful bookstore, I turned to my husband and told him he we had to move to Boulder and he would have to make enough to support us because I was going to work there, in that wonderful bookstore, and odds were the majority of my salary would remain there. This is the thought that stayed with me when the housing market in San Diego turned and it became clear we would be remaining in Ramona for a number of years to come.

That’s where I was. A crossroad we all come to at some point in our lives and I had to make my decision; accept a career in Engineering, or take the leap and follow my heart. I couldn’t stay where I was any longer and I could only measure those cracks in the road (literally) for so long before I succumbed to the career disappointment that consumed me. So I leapt.

I’m still working in engineering full time but I spend all the minutes I can spare on building The Reading Chair and what an amazing time it has been! I quickly discovered that it is hard to refer to the bookselling community as an industry. Every single bookseller I have met has been welcoming, encouraging and supportive. I was embraced as soon as I entered the business and I have finally found the career path I have been searching for. I have found a place I am excited about participating in the ongoing conversations and adding my voice to the topics swirling about. Bookselling leaves me with the desire to foster my own creativity and to contribute my part to further the advancement of the industry.

Confessions of a Reader

2008-11-10T12:38:00.000-08:00

I prejudged!

I did, really!

I had the honor of meeting an incredibly talented new author (and a local one at that) by the name of Laurel Corona who personally put her new novel, The Four Seasons: A Novel of Vivaldi’s Venice, in my hands and I did not truly appreciate the gift I had just received. Granted, on that day I had a lot of books placed into my hands by authors, publishers and sales reps so it’s understandable that I didn’t fully grasp the treasure Ms. Corona handed me.

But that wasn’t bad enough… I prejudged again!

I was in a foul mood. I had just endured a pretty crumby weekend and I was in between books. Four Seasons caught my eye and I remembered how much I enjoyed chatting with Ms. Corona. So I plopped onto my couch and began examining the exterior of the book, at which time I began to get a sinking sensation (yes, you could insert the age old book cover cliché here). I loved the concept of the plot; two orphaned sisters raised in the Venetian orphanage Vivaldi taught at and composed for and how the three lives intersected and influenced each other. But I have been burned before and something on this jacket cover, I can’t really articulate what, gave me the suspicion that the pages inside held the expected: superficial characters, a drawn out plot line and the sensationalistic and predictable subjugation and use of women in 18^th century Italy!

Wow, was I cranky or what?! I was also very wrong!

Three pages…

That’s all it took, just three pages and I was hooked! I honestly started this book in the absolute worst mindset. I even told myself to just power through it and skim if I needed to. Yet, three short pages into this book all of that melted away. I was now emotionally invested in these two young girls who only had each other in a frightening world. I had to keep reading – not skimming, reading! I had to know that my girls were going to be okay. I needed to know that someone would be there to look out for them and shepherd them through a society that didn’t exactly view women as much more than pretty things that produced heirs; and if she wasn’t pretty, a nunnery was the best she could hope for.

The most remarkable part of this book is the growth of these two women. I found it easy in the beginning to think of them as “my girls.” Each moment I had to sit and read I was able to check in on “my girls.” However, as the story progressed and they were growing up, Maddalena and Chiaretta could no longer belong to anyone, not even the reader.

The Four Seasons is a magnificent surprise. Read it, I urge you! It is a story of life and the journey we all travel from childhood to adulthood artfully told. Two sisters diverge on the road of life and follow their own paths yet remain true to each other. Laurel Corona has given us a beautiful lens to watch these incredible girls grow into the remarkable women anyone would wish for as a sister, a wife, a friend. Corona even rejects the stereotype of the domineering man who must be overcome and beaten down. Men, women, the Catholic Church, the whispered customs of 18^th century Venetian nobility and a demanding and controversial composer of the day are all respectfully represented and honored in this beautiful book.

Courage

2008-06-25T22:31:00.000-07:00

I am not only learning to be a bookseller these days, I am also learning the depth of my courage. I have had my share of challenges in life and I have faced them all with a strong will and a determined nature. Yet, it wasn’t until I dared to venture out into the uncertainty of following an amazing dream, primarily on my own, that I discovered my true capacity for courage.

For many reasons, I have had to embark on this bookselling adventure primarily by myself. My family has been a wonderful support, especially my husband, but with a little one at home and many other responsibilities someone has to attend to, we can only spare one of us to nurture this dream. So I steal as many moments as I can to assemble the pieces of The Reading Chair and, in doing so, I have found myself wishing I could hide under my chair, hide under the covers of my bed and even turn and run after a three hour drive without even entering the event I battled the LA traffic for. Thankfully, at each moment I longed to flee, I was able to summon the peace of mind and cleansing breath that helped me turn that doorknob, flash a smile and even seek out a complete stranger to thank her for her kind and encouraging words.

Courage, I am discovering, has a lot to do with pretending you possess it. How does the saying go, “Fake it ‘til you make it?” Regardless of the actual cliché, the sentiment is the same. I have only been active in the bookselling community since March and yet I have found myself in more situations than I could have imagined when I was intimidated by my surroundings and breadth of experience and knowledge of those I was with. Inside, all I wanted to do in these situations was melt into the wall, disappear under my chair or even quietly runaway but each and every time I summoned a smile to hide behind long enough to gather my wits.

Why on earth would I confess my desire to runaway and hide and publish it on the internet? Because it’s part of how I’ve learned to be brave; be honest and true to yourself. A primary reason I wish to be a bookseller and open an independent book store is to make a difference in my community and to pay-it-forward for all of the positive influences and role models I’ve had in my life. The Reading Chair’s doors aren’t open yet, they don’t even really exist yet, but because of my commitment to my community and to – hopefully – becoming a positive role model for others, I feel it necessary to admit to my intimidation and help share how I overcome it.

So to all who have a dream you feel may be impossible, or even just an intimidating situation, remember you are not alone. I encourage you to fake a smile, take a deep breath and collect your wits. You may also discover the courage you never knew you had.

Time to Read

2008-06-14T20:43:00.000-07:00

I was asked today how I find time to read. With a slight pause and a whimsical smile, I replied simply that, for me, the challenge would be finding time to not read.

The more I sat and reflected upon this question, a question I get quite often, I realized that I find it to be a very sad question and a very sad thought. Books are such amazing creations that hold the magic to transport us into different lives, to shed new perspective on old problems and help us find answers we need. Books are treasure chests awaiting our discovery. Think of all that would be lost if we didn’t make it important to reward ourselves with a break from the world around us and crack open those treasure chests.

Finding time to read is like finding time to enjoy a child’s laugh, pause for a beautiful sunset, savor a delicious dessert. For me, it’s not a matter of “finding time” it’s a matter of simply breathing. Open a book. Take a deep breath. Enjoy the rhythmic pattern of the page and your lungs. This is reading. So instead I ask; how do you not spend time reading?