My Fairyland Haven

We all have moved to online shopping for purchases, and for book lovers like me, the only shopping we do is books.  And we are also aware that many traditional bookstores are in the verge of closing, due to these online shopping and e-books.  Amazon.com said (on July, 2011), it is now selling more Kindle books than paperback books — 115 ebooks for every 100 paperbacks, in the US market.  I never question the advantages of ebooks and online shopping - less expensive, time-saving and less space..this is practical.  I can carry a single Kindle in my bag, that will be equivalent to 1000 books.  In spite of all these advantages, I still think an online store can never replace a traditional bookstore.

Its like a fairy-tale world for me, when I enter a bookstore.  That is where I belong..  Inside of a book shop filled with books?  Yup, exactly!  There is no better place I can think of, that I would love to be.  Almost every time I go to a bookstore, I never know what I want to buy.  Yet, I always leave the bookstore with a minimum of two books in hand and I love the one hour that I spend inside the store, selecting those books.

When I see a kid searching for book in a bookstore, I see the excitement in her eyes that she never gets in searching for a book in an e-store.  

When I see the guy, who asks for the place, where a particular series or book is stacked, I feel like raising my hand and saying "I know where it is..I just now saw and thought of buying.  Do you want to buy it too?".  This is not small talk.  This is where I share my passion for books with other book lovers.  I get to know more books, speak with more people and share our opinions.  I miss all of these small incidents, when I shop online.

On June 14, 2011, the Australian Minister for Small Business, Nick Sherry, shocked the publishing world, when he stated his belief that online shopping would force the closing of all traditional general bookstores within five years. He did, however, give credence to small, niche bookstores in large cities.  So, that is where we are leading to?  Yes, the world is changing incredibly fast..but letting the traditional bookstore to die, in the name of innovation, is overkill.  We, well fine, I, need traditional bookstores.  I still want my kids to feel the magic, that I felt inside the stores in the midst of thousands of books.  I think I always can spend an hour or two in my weekends inside a bookstore, however big or fast this world is changing.

*** This is the entry for the competition being held at 'The Bookplex'.***