More than ever before, it seems like the book is on the brink of extinction. Is this really the case? And if so, what can we do about it? In his beautifully crafted mix of a memoir and a history, Lewis Buzbee addresses these questions in his Yellow-Lighted Bookshop while describing the past and future of books and bookstores.
If you're lost trying to choose which book to read next, or at a lack of motivation when it comes to picking up a new one, why not go with one that raises the subjects of books themselves? My suggestion is one that I recently picked up titled The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop by Lewis Buzbee, a professor at USF. I will have the honor to speak with him in the coming days about publishing and the craft of writing as a whole, and might discuss this on the blog at some point.
In this book, you will learn about Buzbee's experience in the literary world while traveling all the way back to the Great Library at Alexandria and learning about the enduring importance of books throughout our history. Buzbee channels his passion for these special bindings in such a way that his sensory details and specific descriptions overwhelm you and make you realize the hidden components of books that you have probably often overlooked. Not only will you read about the inseparable connection between coffeeshops and bookstores because of their harmony that leads you to sit down and enter a new world, but you'll also understand why books continue to hold an important place in readers' hearts despite the rise of electronic technologies.
The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop spans all the way from analyzing the nature of books on a shelf and in a reader's hands (the origin of the vertical alignment system in bookstores, the smell of each new copy, what makes a store that houses books so appealing) to discussing some of the ways that books have left significant impacts on our societies (the Rushdie fatwa controversy and who gets to decide what is sold in a bookstore).
I also can't help appreciating Buzbee's explanation as to how he became so involved in the literary world, which all started with his fascination for John Steinbeck's books. He does a lot better job explaining this author than I do, and even talks about how he visited the sites that Steinbeck illustrates in his books as a child.
And finally, for those of you interested in supporting local bookstores in California if you live here, he's got a whole list of them with their benefits and downfalls which are like a roadmap that you can carry with you, well, until the day they close down.
In all, The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop is a short but charming and inspiring read that you will definitely enjoy due to Buzbee's talent for description and intimate voice that runs throughout the book.
1/9/21