I took a wondeful trip to Milwaukee, Wisconsin last week to meet local booksellers and sign stock in their stores. It was so great to see people out shopping in each of the stores I visited. Despite the bad economy, people need books. As Buzz Blog readers know, books are a great way to escape into a different world for many hours or even days -- all for around the price of a movie ticket and popcorn.I know it's so convenient to hop online to a big bookstore these days,but the local brick and mortar stores really need business. And isn't it so great to browse all the titles, read the first pages, and get advice from real life humans? There's something about the smell of a bookstore - fresh ink and paper -- that always makes me smile.
I had a particularly fun time visiting Next Chapters Bookstore in Mequon, Wisconsin. It used to be a store owned by a small, independent chain called Harry Schwartz, but they went out of business. Luckily, the store manager bought the store and renamed it Next Chapters and they seemed to be doing well.
I was impressed by how friendly each of the booksellers I met was - from the folks at Barnes and Noble, to Fireside Books in the small town of West Bend. Booksellers love books and they love Young Adult fiction!
Do you have a favorite bookstore? What do you love about the bookstore experience compared to the online one?
Hugs,
Heather
The Clearing ~ April 2010 HMH Graphia
Never Cry Werewolf ~ Sept 2009 HarperTeen






This is Finn with the "other" woman in his life, the female lead of Glee Club, Rachel who is in love with him.






