How to reinvent the bookshop

Are bookshops yesterday's news?

This month's issue of the brilliant Intelligent Life has an article entitled 'Let's Reinvent The Bookshop'. It's a fascinating look into how some bookshops could redefine themselves in order to survive. It's a great read, but more interesting, I think, are the comments below the article from readers furious with the statement 'Bookshops are closing down like nobody's business'. They complain that many bookstores are surviving, and that these new forms of bookshops would be cold and impersonal and go against everything a bookstore should be.

I buy a mix of books, both e-books and hard copies, and from both online stores and traditional stores. In my ideal world, this mix would stay so that when I need a book instantly, I can simply download it, and when I have time to browse shelves, I can do that too.

Read the article for yourself. What would your ideal bookstore look like?