Thank God for Independent Bookstores

I went shopping for some good reading material last week and ended up empty handed and frustrated. You would think that in a city like Portland, which claims to have the largest used bookstore in the world (Powell's) and a reading population that is supposedly the envy of the country, our larger booksellers would carry the newest in gay writing. Forget it. It's abysmal.

I shop at the larger bookstore chains only out of logistical necessity. I work downtown and that's where the larger bookstores are located and I was desperate. I checked Powell's, Barnes & Noble, and Borders and none of these megastores had one of the books I was looking for. Their gay selections were outdated (I've read most of what they have that interests me) and full of schlock (why do booksellers think that filling a bookshelf with gay erotica is the ultimate in giving gay readers a choice?).

I finally took the husband's suggestion and went online and ordered everything I wanted from a local independent bookseller in St. Helen's (that's where his rental store is). Within an hour, I'd received a personal message from the buyer with information on when the books would arrive and what discounts I was getting and not getting. The St. Helen's Book Shop has a great staff and excellent service. Despite the fact that they are 30 minutes from downtown Portland, they still have great authors come to their shop to autograph books (Chuck Palahniuk for one!) and have great prices and discounts.

Here's what I'll be reading for the next couple of months:
Timothy James Beck - Someone Like You (on order)
Greg Herren - Mardi Gras Mambo
Greg Lilly - Fingering the Family Jewels
Thomas Filippi - Dungeons and Dragqueens: A Tony Allegro Mystery

I've learned my lesson - desperate or not - I'm only supporting my local independent booksellers from now on.