Bookstore Woes and Drag Race Commentary

[kybearfuzz]

Last night, after work and workout, I had dinner and decided to take a spin over to Joseph-Beth Booksellers, the very sad replacement for my once-beloved Borders. The place was nearly empty. Seriously, it was depressing almost, as I think they had more employees in the store than they had customers.

I love a bookstore, but the vibe of this place is so drastically different than Borders. Borders was fun and felt contemporary. Joseph-Beth feels rather stuffy. After much searching around the place, I finally broke down and asked one of the clerks where the gay and lesbian section was located. After seeing the four rows of bookshelves dedicated to Christianity, I think I already knew the answer to this question, but hoped I was wrong. The clerk was very nice and said they didn't have a specific section on it, but that many LGBT books were found in Men's studies, Women's Studies, and Sexuality, each of which is probably two shelves at best. I give them some credit for having at least some books on the subject, but the fact they're buried in other hard to find sections definitely tells me who is their projected client base. The clerk practically apologized to me for the lack of materials, saying that if there was something I was looking for, he could order it.

Um... I could order it myself, I wanted to say. I didn't. I was nice. It's a new goal of mine.

If this is their usually evening compliment of customers, I fear they won't be there long. Mixed feelings because I love a bookstore, but kind of meh because this bookstore doesn't seem so inviting. At least Borders was good for daddy bear and cubby watching.

So back home to doodle and watch TV. My drawing game isn't faring well and I am having trouble getting in the mood. I did watch "RuPaul's Drag Race" last night while DVR'ing other shows. No real spoilers, but except for two queens who stole the show, the "Snatch Game" episode was the worst I'd seen. Are these queens so illiterate on pop culture and history that they don't even known anything about the characters they're playing?? It was almost embarrassing. The season so far isn't the best as I'm having trouble finding a queen I'd rally to win.

Happy Tuesday! :)

Comments

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

In general, I find the disappearance of bookstores distressing, especially the gay & Lesbian ones.

[kybearfuzz.livejournal.com]

I hear you. When I found out that Lambda Rising in Dupont Circle in DC closed, I was crushed. It was my first real gay & Lesbian bookstore and I loved it. It was always busy, had REAL books, not just naughty magazines (not that there was anything wrong with that), and cool stuff like tee-shirts. I spent a lot of money in there and wish it was still there.

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

A Different Light in San Francisco is gone now, too. It used to be my first destination when I visited The Castro. Arrgh! I don't think I knew that Lambda Rising had closed. So sad ....

[changeling72.livejournal.com]

I have to say, I love pottering around book shops, but I mostly order from Amazon. It's simple economics - I can't afford to pay book shop prices. Sad, but reality.

[kybearfuzz.livejournal.com]

I know the feeling. I generally browse the discount and bargain aisles first at a bookstore. Unless it's a really good find or I'm running out of time for gift-shopping, I order online.

[master-dave.livejournal.com]

This, naturally, is why bookstores are dying out:  They are being killed off by people buying from the slave-labor corporate-profiteer internet sites, Amazon being about the worst.

I buy books online, too, but from independent bookstores.  http://used.addall.com (http://used.addall.com), ABEbooks, et cetera, provide for most of my needs. 

Our local bookstore, Copperfield’s, recently had a BDSM author reading from her book.  If I need to physically order a book, then I go there:  They like books!  And they produce zero sermonizing! 

[texwriterbear.livejournal.com]

I miss Borders. I could roam around there for hours.

[kybearfuzz.livejournal.com]

I could too. I almost always bought something there, even if it was just coffee.

Barnes & Noble does a fair job substituting, but it still just isn't the same.

[texwriterbear.livejournal.com]

I'm not a huge fan of B&N. Why should I have to pay to get your special membership? Also I can get everything cheaper from Amazon and pay no shipping.

[kybearfuzz.livejournal.com]

I have never gotten the B&N membership. Like you, I don't feel like I should have to pay to get special discounts. Still, I do like being able to walk around and browse the shelves. That's hard to do online. :)

[texwriterbear.livejournal.com]

Well I do go to B&N from time to time to walk through the aisles and add books to my Amazon wish list. LOL

[notmypresident.livejournal.com]

Are these queens so illiterate on pop culture and history

Which made the fact that the win for "Little Eddie"-- who they all dismissed -- was that much more ironic.

I thought for sure that the one going home this week would have a name starting with the letter J, but they still went with an inevitable choice.

[kybearfuzz.livejournal.com]

I was so surprised that they had not heard of "Grey Gardens." I was happy "Little Edie" won because that performance was awesome. Alaska did a good Lady Bunny, but the rest of them were little more than manniquins with empty heads.

And the queen who left wasn't a big surprise while watching it, her Snatch Game character was a mess. And she wasn't even the one who peed on the floor!!!

[notmypresident.livejournal.com]

I feel honored because you took some of your time to see me in a better light.

Oh honey, I think more than a few of those queens have peed on the floor at least once in their careers (no big thing).

But not knowing Grey Gardens was surely a generational gap. Ru and the judges knew, and they got it.

[kybearfuzz.livejournal.com]

I figured there was some generational issues, but some of those queens are in their 30's, barely younger than me (cough cough) and they should know better.

The majority of them were just guilty of the sin of not being funny. The peeing on the floor bit was just kind of sad. The queens have got to get away from doing imitations of singers known mainly for just their music. It's hard to make fun of them or make them funny, unless they're like Paula Abdul (a "singer") who is known for being a chemically-induced nutjob on camera.

[notmypresident.livejournal.com]

The queens have got to get away from doing imitations of singers

Now that you mention it, that does seem to be a theme. But anyone outside of their age range seems too difficult (the Marilyn drag went nowhere).

Bottom line: We got to get these girls some HISTORY!

[barak.livejournal.com]

My issue with the chain bookstores like B&N is that they're slowly scaled back their books to carry more crap like movies, CDs, toys, lap desks, ugly knick-knacks and the like. Its really kind of depressing.

Borders was fun, but I always felt every store was poorly organized... I think that contributed to their demise.

I also think that traditional (and specialty) book stores face a lot of challenges, especially when it comes to the ease of ebooks. The pricing of ebooks proves that publishers artificially inflate the value of their stock and gouge the seller (and buyer).

[kybearfuzz.livejournal.com]

I don't mind the knick-knacks as long as they are not the main focus of the store.

In 20 years, I bet there will almost no tangible bookstores left.

[barak.livejournal.com]

> In 20 years, I bet there will almost no tangible bookstores left.

Oh, I hope not. One of life's greatest pleasures is being able to go and browse what's on the shelves. To fondle brand new prints. To be able to open and smell that fresh glue. Oh, the raptures!

[prisonbitch.livejournal.com]

there will probably always still be one in Seattle, even if it is the last bookstore in America.

France and other countries have laws where a book's minimum price is set, so even Amazon and the like cannot undersell brick & mortar stores as they've done here.

[prisonbitch.livejournal.com]

was the the newer joeseph-beth in crestview hills? I think the one in kenwood is still regularly busy.

[kybearfuzz.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it was the one in Crestview Hills. It could have been an off night too, but it was eerily quiet.