The news that Borders Group Inc. has filed for Chapter 11 protection and also plans to close 30 percent of its stores doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Increasingly, consumers and publishers are focusing on e-books, and many readers prefer to order books online through retailers like Amazon.com. I love small bookstores. I have a particular fondness for the Lift Bridge Book Shop in Brockport, New York, my hometown. The store may have more books than there are residents in the community.
I don’t think the Borders bankruptcy is an indication that reading is dying–it’s really a sign that reading is changing. The recording industry faced a similar shift. People hadn’t fallen out of love with music — they just wanted it in other forms.
Excellent point.
I’ve found that my 8-year-old son and his friends may actually be more excited about reading than kids of previous generations. They talk excitedly about Harry Potter, A Series of Unfortunate Events and other book franchises. My son’s 16-year-old babysitter borrowed some of my copies of the Hunger Games books. And on more than a few nights, I’ve had to go into my son’s room and turn off his iPod after he fell asleep listening to the Narnia books or the Secret series.
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