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Books on the Nightstand, Episode 39 (25:46)
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We start this week’s episode with some listener voicemails and comments. Thank you to all who called in!
Three listeners called in with suggestions as a follow-up to our road-trip episode:
Robin from Michigan suggests The Leisure Seeker by Michael Zadoorian; Heather from the Colgate Bookstore in New York talks about The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub, and The Stand by Stephen King. And another Robin from Michigan called to tell us about Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill.
As a follow-up to our “Books for book clubs” episode, Kerry recommends Don’t Lets Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller. Kerry also asks about Goodreads, wondering how people are using it. We talk a bit about our uses of Goodreads, especially the Books on the Nightstand discussion group, which is one of our favorite ways to connect with readers and listeners of our blog and podcast.
Lisa phoned in with an original rendition of our voicemail telephone number, (complete with new lyrics to that song that you are likely tired of by now!). Thank you, Lisa! We love your version of the song.
Please feel free to call in your comments, recommendations and ideas: (209) 867-READ (7323). We hope to hear from you.
In segment two, we talk about the future of the book and bookstore, inspired in part by Moriah Jovan’s blog post about her ideal bookstore, and Northshire Bookstore owner Chris Morrow’s post about the Loss of Serendipity. I’m not sure I can summarize our thoughts in a concise fashion, so you’ll just have to listen if you want to know what we think. New England Cable News recently aired a spot showing the Espresso Book Machine in action at Northshire Bookstore that is well worth watching if you’re interested in what may be coming to your local bookstore in the next few years (you’ll have to wait through a short commercial before the video starts).
We’d love to hear your thoughts on the topic, so do let us know.
In “Two Books We Can’t Wait for You to Read”, Ann talks about Invisible Mountain by Carolina De Robertis, a novel of three generations of women in Urugay during the 20th century. Michael talks about Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder. It’s an inspirational story of Deo from Burundi, who escapes the civil war and genocide of the region to eventually graduate from medical school with the help of many along the way. Fans of Tracy Kidder’s earlier book, the Pulitzer prize winning Mountains Beyond Mountains, will find many similar themes in this book.
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The Leisure Seeker by Michael Zadoorian, Harperluxe trade paperback
The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub, Ballantine Books mass market
The Stand by Stephen King, Signet Books mass market
Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill, W.W. Norton trade paperback
Don’t Lets Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller, Random House trade paperback
Invisible Mountain by Carolina DeRobertis, Knopf hardcover
Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder, Random House hardcover
Have a comment, question, or book recommendation? Call our voicemail line and wait for the beep. Tell us if we may play your message on a future podcast.
As for Road Trip Books, I would have to say both “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” (by Hunter S. Thompson; illustrated by Ralph Steadman) and “On the Road” (by Jack Keroac) would be seminal works on the theme; but of course the uber-Road Trip book would have to be “The Odyssey” (by Homer!)
As for the future of bookstores, I’m not overly optimistic. Having born witness to the demise of Record Shops and hard copy formats of music, the aesthetics of a physical book may fall victim to “progress.”
Will I go the e-book route? Probably not (I can only read about 6 minutes at a time on any e-book reader manufactured so far), but you’re talking to someone who still has a collection of Led Zep albums (and a turntable!), a box of Thank You notes, and goes to the theater.
I can foresee graphics software evolving to handle illustrations and maybe even interactive elements (a cross between a video game and a Leapster) making e-books more dynamic and appealing.
In another decade or so, I wouldn’t be surprised to see teen-agers heading off to college w/o the need for cumbersome and expensive texts.
Tanya,
I often go back to the record store/vinyl album example, too. But here’s the thing: I was an early adopter of the CD, and then later the mp3. My husband and I have hundreds of thousands of digital music files, sold our vinyl record collection, and stashed the CDs in the basement. But recently we both realized that we had lost our connection to the music. Without the album art and liner notes in our hands as we listened, connecting the auditory with the tactile, we had lost much of what our music experience had been.
So we dragged the turntable out of the basement. And we’ve started buying vinyl again. Many of the new albums come with a digital download code, or a copy of the CD, packaged with the album. I love that. It means I can take my favorite music with me on my iPod, but can have the full sensory experience at home.
Will this be a universal experience? Probably not — especially for those who grew up without owning physical copies of their music. But I’m hopeful that the realization that the entertainment is experiential in many ways will let us keep the physical form of the book strong and healthy instead of later needing to revive it.
I really enjoy your podcasts and am glad I found you (and the blog). Thanks for all you put into both. I found the discussion of the future of books and bookstores very interesting. Also I completely agree with Michael’s comments on Tracy Kidder and look forward to the new book.
I left a comment on your voicemail about this subject too, I hope it recorded. I too love the book as “object” and I think that enough people still do to keep the “book” around for many many years. The Expresso Machine has it’s use and place though. Nothing beats browsing through the shelves of a bookstore or library.
I’m working on an updated post about the perfect bookstore. I’m not a print hater, and I *don’t* want to lose the serendipity, but I think it can be stumbled upon in a different manner. (Taking my cue from needlework shops.)
On the other hand, my latest trip to Borders (my closest bookstore AT ALL at 20 miles one way) was a right bust and the indie bookstores I’ve been in don’t cater to my taste and/or sneer at it. So…
What I’d like to see is some amalgam of E and P in a sort of community atmosphere.
@Ann
Without the album art and liner notes in our hands as we listened, connecting the auditory with the tactile, we had lost much of what our music experience had been.
I’ve been thinking about that A LOT because of Apple’s development of art and such as “liner notes” for whole albums.
I’ll address that in my post, but I’m still cogitating the floor plan. Also, all the comments on my original post brought up things I never thought about but are good ideas. I want to incorporate those.
But the bigger point here is that my perfect bookstore is in an existing space with a small footprint.