@Ruby Leigh – There is definitely something to be said for wandering through the isles, but I wonder how many books the typical person buys this way. I think I bought fewer books in store because you can read a few pages and decide whether or not you really like the book.

@kerilynnengel.com – Borders has always confused me 🙂 Glad to hear I'm not the only one. Thanks for the recommendations. I've added them to my list!

@Little Miss Moneybags – I absolutely love local mom and pop book stores. A lot of the ones around me have been going out of business and it's a real shame. I bought many a used book from their shelves back in the day.

@anonymous – Good point on the return issue. I often buy from clothing stores that have a brick and mortar location so I can return items that don't fit.

@anonymous – It's true that some books are the same price as Amazon, but book for book Amazon definitely has the same and/or lower prices on just about everything.

In terms of how bookstores stay in business, well, do a Google search for recent news on either major chain and you'll see it's not a pretty picture. Borders is in bankruptcy and closing a third of their stores, and B&N tried to put itself up for sale but didn't get any takers. Amazon has been killing their business model for years and is also hurting traditional publishers and authors by selling the books below cost. And that's to say nothing of the independent book stores – remember them?

People shop at bookstores for many reasons (camaraderie, discovery, recommendations from a person instead of a computer, specials, etc), but there won't be many stores around in the near future.

I don't want to paint a terribly bleak picture, though – I work in publishing and I love books and bookstores. Correctly managed, a bookstore can fill a great need in a community and I don't think they'll completely disappear any time soon

If you like fantasy novels, I highly recommend Sarah Monette. She's a genius writer! =) I also recommend Steven Brust because he's hilarious.