Times flies. (Like an arrow, though that's an irrelevant obscurity for today's post. As is that you can time flies with a stopwatch.) Meaning Buy-a-Book Saturday is once more almost upon us.
Regularly since 2010, shortly before Thanksgiving, I've posted about Buy-a-Book Saturday. That's my personal variation on Small Business Saturday: the day (specifically, the second day after Thanksgiving, and one day after retail's infamous Black Friday) on which holiday shoppers are especially encouraged to patronize small businesses. The big-box stores and Internet giants will do fine this holiday season. But will neighborhood stores, non-chain shops, and boutiques?
Rara avis! Is that a book store? |
Why do I promote the buy-a-book variant? Because what business is smaller than the author toiling away by him- or herself? Because, as I (and many others) post from time to time, the publishing business keeps getting tougher -- especially for authors. Because more than likely you're a reader, else you wouldn't have stopped by this blog.
So: I'm here to suggest you give serious consideration to books -- whether print or electronic or audio -- for some of your holiday gifting. Friends, relatives, coworkers, your kids' teachers and coaches, the local library you support ... surely there's a book that's right for each of them. And at least one book for yourself, of course ;-)
Am I pushing books I myself have written? Unavoidably, if only by implication. (If you do consider any title of mine ... however you happen to decide, I appreciate it.) That said, I intend this annual appeal more broadly. This blog concerns itself mostly with science and SF, but I don't limit today's notion even to those broad topics.
If you're in need of inspiration, not to worry. For many years I've posted about a few books -- SF and non-genre fiction, science and other nonfiction -- that I personally found noteworthy. Here are links to those posts:
- "Best Reads of 2023"
- "Best reads of 2022"
- "Best reads of 2021"
- "Best reads of 2020"
- "2019 best reads"
- "2018 best reads"
- "2017 best reads"
- "2016 best reads"
- "2015 best reads"
- "Books to savor, 2014 edition"
- "Books to knock your socks off ..." (posted in 2013)
- "That's entertainment! / Books for the holidays" (my 2012 list).
There you have it: Buy-a-Book Saturday! (Not to mention the obvious extension of the concept to Cyber Monday! Perhaps also a Writerly Wednesday or an Authorial Thursday. And throughout the holiday season. Heck, any time.) Nourish the meme! Spread the word! Buy a book!
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