I mourn for the wonderful indy bookstores. It used to be such a wonderful treat to go on to Whyte Avenue in Edmonton to visit such an establishment. The place had many floors and we spent happy hours perusing the shelves in the hushed atmosphere. There is nothing quite like searching in the vast array of shelves and talking to the staff to find that one special and unique book.

Even the smaller book store chains were worth a visit. I would often see authors signing at the smaller venues and it was so nice talking to them about their books. All gone. Now we have the giant box store Chapters/Indigo, Nice stores, but not in the same league. All the commercially great books are pushed to the forefront and those wonderful treasures are no where to be found. Yes, they have coffee shops on the premise, but the atmosphere; the quiet search of discovery for the special treasures is something encapsulated in the past.