Wednesday, Nov 16

There's an article in the NYT today about a Nashville bookstore that is set to open today! The article, titled "Novelist Fights the Tide by Opening a Bookstore", is about the woman behind the opening, author Ann Patchett. Although I haven't read any of her books, I think what she is doing is really great. The article says how Nashville was once the "Athens of the South" because of its rich cultural tradition. I've been to Nashville a few times and it is an absolutely beautiful city - street cleaners clean the streets every night! Apparently there are very few bookstores left in the city, which to me, a HUGE book lover, is really really sad. However, I hope that the efforts of this woman help return some of that rich cultural tradition back to Nashville. The article also mentions RiverRun Bookstore in Portsmouth, which I didn't realize needs $100,000 to stay in business. Over 150 people packed inside the store last week "to discuss its fate." It would be really upsetting to love RiverRun so I'm thinking about getting some of my friends to see if we can help out in any way possible!