(Do you love Barnes & Noble or do you have your own favorite book store?)

I found out 5 days ago that my neighborhood Barnes and Noble is going to close in 1 month.  The day I found out I was crying off and on all day.  The unhappiness lasted through the weekend.  I can’t imagine the store not being here.  I haven’t been coming as often as when I was homeschooling, but it is one of my favorite places to go.   I will be missing many things in this store.

I decided to try to get here as often as I can before they close.  In fact, I decided to bring my computer today and write a blog post.  I was wondering what I was going to write about and I decided why not write about my beloved book store.  

Right now I am sitting in their Starbucks looking out onto the magazine section.  I have heard many years ago that magazines were dying out.  Looking at this section you would never know it.  This store has 3 isles of magazines.  Even though I am not much of a magazine person I love perusing the titles.  There are magazines written for almost every topic.

I will be missing the laid back feel I get when I come here.  I walk through the front doors and I feel a calm come over me.  In this hustle and bustle world this is my reprieve.  I don’t come here nearly enough for my liking because the world keeps calling me away.

Well, now my choice is being taken away.  I didn’t come here enough, though I knew it was here for me when I was able to break away and come to my favorite store.  Now what am I going to do?

 I love books and I love the library, though you have to be quiet in the library.  Sitting here I love to hear the chatter of conversations.  Children talking about a book they are looking at.  Also, if I happen to sneeze or squeak my chair I am not disturbing the whole place.

I love being around real books.  To see how many authors there are out there is amazing.  Then to realize how much work must have went into writing each of these books.  The authors share a part of themselves and their knowledge in each book.  I get awed looking around.  And someday I hope to be a book author and have people see my stories.  But for now I am happy to be around other authors.      

I like to walk up and down the aisles and see topics that one day I would like to learn more about or seeing books on topics that I can’t believe got published.  I learn thing just walking the aisles without even opening a book.  And when I find the book I want to read it feels like I found a treasure.  I am excited to get home and start reading.

My senses are at work when I walk the aisles also.  The smell of new books and the rainbow of colors on the shelves is part of the experience.  It feels magical to me to walk up and down the rows of books. 

I will really miss this place.  I don’t know where else I can go that is close to home that will give me the calm feeling and happiness I feel when I come here.  Why is this happening?  Why is Barnes & Noble closing?  Borders couldn’t survive.  And now is Barnes and Noble following suit?  As I look around I see that this store hasn’t changed much.  They have been here 13 years and during that time they got a Starbucks put in.  The overall layout and feel is about the same.