Books are in good hands

It seems the dirge lamenting the demise of printed books and the stores that sell them was sung a bit too soon.

Last month, the Christian Science Monitor featured an article about the rise of independent bookstores.

“After a precipitous fall, indie bookstores are making a quiet, but sure, comeback,” the correspondent wrote. “In fact, the number of independent bookstores has increased 25 percent since 2009, according to the ABA (American Bookseller Association). What’s more, sales are up, too.”

And the Associated Press reports that e-books sales have leveled off, leaving print books as the most popular medium of choice.

As someone who’s spent a lot of time in bookstores lately, I’ve had an eyewitness view of this phenomenon.

Since the February release of “War Bonds,” I’ve spent many weekends signing copies or doing readings at stores across the region, and what I’ve seen is enough to warm even the most skeptical writer’s heart.

The most wonderful thing I’ve observed is that bookstores seem to be a destination for young families. On a recent Saturday at a Spokane Valley store, scores of kids still dressed in soccer uniforms browsed the shelves with parents in tow. More here. Cindy Hval, SR