The Decline of Bookstore

The Decline of Bookstores

Last Friday, I was in a queue for two hours at some mall.

You may ask, what was so important which caused me to ditch studying for my examinations and to stand, waiting patiently for my turn. Where were my PRIORITIES? Surely this was a stupid move unless I was doing it out of love ^^.

And this was what I did. I was doing it out my love. I was queuing at Borders.

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't queuing for someone special. Rather I was paying my last respects..

17 Feb was the the last operating day of the only Borders store in the country. And I had to visit it before it was gone,.. gone forever. I had to... Why the devotion, you may ask? Well, I felt guilty. Guilty for playing a part in the annihilation process of bookstores. Guilty for always being a free rider in bookstores. And guilty for taking away this precious experience of bookstores from future generation.

To tell you the truth, I grew up not loving books or places with books. When I was young, Saturdays were always spent at the library to borrow x number of books, with high hopes of finishing them all. Yet, they were returned the week after, all UNTOUCHED. Speaks volume of how much I love reading, huh?!

Fortunately, my love of book was kindled in middle school when my english teacher lent me a bunch of books that were so so interesting! Classics like Oliver Twist changed my perception of these seemingly boring things. There seemed to be a hidden treasure in every single book, waiting to be discovered. I soon visited bookstores to fuel my growing appetite of books and began to have emotional attachments to bookstores.

Of all the bookstores, Borders was special to me. Firstly it was near my house making it extremely convienent for me. Secondly, the ambience was magical. The place was huge, holding a wide