tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post5647725526226179117..comments2023-08-14T11:44:27.299-04:00Comments on Jeremiah's<br> Vanishing New York: BookberriesJeremiah Mosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11791516443125872364noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-91171598217798487142011-07-26T10:10:19.290-04:002011-07-26T10:10:19.290-04:00"The poets round here don't write nothing..."The poets round here don't write nothing at all/They just stand back and let it all be..."James Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04462181592584893568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-87881615605940769362011-07-26T07:37:23.749-04:002011-07-26T07:37:23.749-04:00as a Gen X'er, i know what it's like to be...as a Gen X'er, i know what it's like to be criticized as a generation. but you can't blame technology. technology is a just a dumb, blunt instrument, a tool that people choose to use or not. some choose to worship it and value it over all else. others choose to use it moderation. <br /><br />either way, people are to blame. <br /><br />people are to blame for technology's negative impact on our culture. as a blogger, i participate in that. we all participate. none of us here are blameless. hopefully, we are conscious of our participation, we feel some remorse, and so make different choices elsewhere to limit the impact.<br /><br />unfortunately, i hear a lot of young people often saying "it's not my fault" about a lot of things. it is your fault, just as it's my fault, too. until we each accept that, and make up for it in other ways, nothing changes.Jeremiah Mosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11791516443125872364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-64731785945143044722011-07-25T23:57:19.041-04:002011-07-25T23:57:19.041-04:00I'm so tired of being young and blamed for eve...I'm so tired of being young and blamed for everything that everyone decides is wrong with the world. I'm tired of being blamed for being born into recessions bred from the baby boomers' greed or their ignorance from hours of talk radio or 24-hour news. I'm tired of being blamed for gentrification, and for poverty where gentrification doesn't reach. I'm tired of people older than me washing their hands of the world I've been given and tsk-tsking about the habits I take up when my income is meager, my time is occupied with increasing my income, and my generation's culture is so constantly berated that it's become cool to be nostalgic about eras we never lived in.<br />It's great when a small bookstore outlives Borders, but when it dies, it's about technological advances- not about young people and the extent to which they detest reading in favor of hedonistic games and television.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-78111266543449104622011-07-25T21:37:38.422-04:002011-07-25T21:37:38.422-04:00i'm sure plenty of young people read books and...i'm sure plenty of young people read books and make art, etc., but where are your voices? and where are the next Sartres and de Beauvoirs? what happened to the avant garde? it didn't die with you--it died somewhere in the 1980s. you were just born into, and of, that bereft era that spawned our current way of life.<br /><br />so now what?Jeremiah Mosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11791516443125872364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-72381122227059955272011-07-25T17:26:39.525-04:002011-07-25T17:26:39.525-04:00St Marks does carry many popular titles- at least ...St Marks does carry many popular titles- at least those which are popular among the trendy pseudo-hip, books that are so obvious they wind up in every follower's collection. But the bane of the city is the Strand, which is getting more commercial by the day and increasingly a place for tourists.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-84849516025731071562011-07-25T13:48:03.684-04:002011-07-25T13:48:03.684-04:00kateoverseas: it's HORDE, not hoard.kateoverseas: it's HORDE, not hoard.Katrinknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-18361362770181041992011-07-25T08:48:52.001-04:002011-07-25T08:48:52.001-04:00kateoverseas, if that is the case, then you are a ...kateoverseas, if that is the case, then you are a lone pearl among a toxic bed of oysters.Mick Cantonenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-44919818733519200342011-07-24T22:55:03.201-04:002011-07-24T22:55:03.201-04:00Look, I know you see us as the oncoming hoard, the...Look, I know you see us as the oncoming hoard, the first generation of the apocalypse or something, but can you at least pretend that some of us are still pursuing careers and lives in books and art and intellectual pursuits? We're not all the next incarnations of Sartre and de Beauvoir, but it's not all zombies from you on out. <br /><br />The whole "après nous, le déluge" attitude that gets thrown around here really grates on me. Do you really think everyone younger than you loathes books simply because the internet exists? That we must have no communicative or imaginative skills because, what, the people on TV don't? I somehow doubt that many of you fit into the mold of the prototypical members of your own generations, yet you still feel free to paint us with wide brushstrokes of incompetence and willful ignorance.kateoverseashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11928659849089676494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-62954558845400445362011-07-24T19:25:57.224-04:002011-07-24T19:25:57.224-04:00This isn't really a NYC phenomenon; they seem ...This isn't really a NYC phenomenon; they seem to be vanishing all over.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-70088155489040213182011-07-24T15:46:44.477-04:002011-07-24T15:46:44.477-04:00I'm sure they could open up a brand new Cupcak...I'm sure they could open up a brand new Cupcake shop in it's place, or maybe a FROYO spot. Us New Yorkers just love Orgranic FroYo. How about a new neighborhood called "FroYo" where they serve FroYo on every corner. The FroYo district.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-18945130732195029252011-07-24T01:37:43.639-04:002011-07-24T01:37:43.639-04:00My kids made books, though admittedly this was bef...My kids made books, though admittedly this was before kindles. Neither gives a fuck about kindles however, so I must have done something right! I can't imagine not having time to get to a bookstore, though perhaps I've wasted too much time reading to have a jam-packed professional & social calendar. Damn books ruined my life.onemorefoldedsunsethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05995652957356064546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-4801996227836093032011-07-23T23:24:52.102-04:002011-07-23T23:24:52.102-04:00I remember back in the 80s St. Mark's was on t...I remember back in the 80s St. Mark's was on the ropes financially and one of the main complaints of people was that they refused to carry popular titles. They had this attitude. So, I figured, the hell with them. Let them go under. They didn't take any steps to remedy the situation. Pretentious pricks. I bought books there. They had a good selection of what I was looking for, but they had a bad attitude. I stopped going there. Frankly, I'm surprised they lasted this long.eatenbybearshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12646269172290263609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-73339432828860032632011-07-22T20:57:09.943-04:002011-07-22T20:57:09.943-04:00BaHa - I am not one to call for someone elses job ...BaHa - I am not one to call for someone elses job lightly, but the librarian really said that, then she should be relieved of her duties as soon as possible.<br /><br />It is horrifying to think that she deals with the early impression a child has of books - numerous times per day.JAZnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-46489060050722837642011-07-22T18:55:46.078-04:002011-07-22T18:55:46.078-04:00@Mick: My partner is definitely getting 100 Whores...@Mick: My partner is definitely getting 100 Whores for his birthday next month. (And then I get to read it, too!) From St. Mark's, of course!BaHanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-40622521302230237152011-07-22T18:52:23.633-04:002011-07-22T18:52:23.633-04:00What the fuck indeed?
I've worked in publishin...What the fuck indeed?<br />I've worked in publishing (on the editorial side) just about all my working live. And I have a Kindle. Ninety percent of the books on it are classics that I already own...I'm an annoying fast reader and would never be able to pack enough books for even a 4-day trip. This way, I have Austen, Trollope, Benson, and the Brontes, among others, tucked in my purse. And I can't wait until the NYPL makes books available for Kindles this fall. (And it will cost them more than a regular book, which can be taken out until it falls apart. Kindle version will have to be repurchased after every 26 loans.)<br /> And, by the way, I still buy more real books than I can afford!BaHanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-63455662422105466612011-07-22T18:18:43.005-04:002011-07-22T18:18:43.005-04:00what?! a LIBRARIAN said s/he was glad to be rid of...what?! a LIBRARIAN said s/he was glad to be rid of books? what is wrong with people? what is happening to people's brains? where am i? what the fuck is this place?Jeremiah Mosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11791516443125872364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-75072855187694720002011-07-22T17:47:49.386-04:002011-07-22T17:47:49.386-04:00I love the chance meetings with books that I'd...I love the chance meetings with books that I'd never heard of, which only happens in a bookstore or the NYPL. And far too much of the NYPL shelf space is devoted to DVDs of Sex and the City and the like. The TSP librarian actually said to me that it was so wonderful to get rid of all those messy books!BaHanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-56473212824406982142011-07-22T15:28:03.752-04:002011-07-22T15:28:03.752-04:00Two of my favorite stores are book stores and reco...Two of my favorite stores are book stores and record shops and they are all slowly dying. I've never been to Bookberries, but will try to stop in next week to buy something and get a look at it before it closes. I pray that Unoppressive Non-Imperialist Bargain Books on Carmine St. never closes. A great ever-changing selection of books at what I think has to be the least expensive prices in town.Marty Wombacherhttp://www.martyafterdark.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-23730130783444210992011-07-22T13:37:12.100-04:002011-07-22T13:37:12.100-04:00Funny you should mention that, Goggla. I used to m...Funny you should mention that, Goggla. I used to make books when I was a boy too. To answer your question, I highly doubt many schoolchildren make books like that today. In about 10 years time, they will be teaching childern to make mock Kindles and such like. Sad.Mick Cantonenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-87165473334156233172011-07-22T13:31:43.589-04:002011-07-22T13:31:43.589-04:00I have to confess that names like "Bookberrie...I have to confess that names like "Bookberries" make me a little queasy. That said, I mourn the store's passing; Kindles make me queasier. And because they do, to me the more harrowing news today is the death of Borders. Yes, it was a chain and it got lousier every year, but one of the reasons it died is that it banked on books. Those guys who sell books on the sidewalks may soon be supping at '21.'Mitch Broderhttp://mbvintagenewyork.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-21345571969854156292011-07-22T13:00:25.749-04:002011-07-22T13:00:25.749-04:00When I was a kid, I loved to make my own books. I...When I was a kid, I loved to make my own books. I'd write the story, do the illustrations and then staple the pages together at the spine. Later, I learned to sew the signatures and page edges with colored yarn.<br /><br />Do kids still do things like this?Laura Goggin Photographyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15517481509431547970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-6435652174414990032011-07-22T10:46:56.879-04:002011-07-22T10:46:56.879-04:00Sad to say but all of my books are available on Am...Sad to say but all of my books are available on Amazon or check my web site for other distributors. I know but we're coming to an end of an era. Some of us hate to see it vanish but that's what is in store for us. Poof! It's gone...Mykola ( Mick) Dementiukhttp://www.MykolaDementiuk.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-72422037413766948442011-07-22T10:28:03.799-04:002011-07-22T10:28:03.799-04:00You are absolutely right, Jeremiah. One cannot ups...You are absolutely right, Jeremiah. One cannot upset tourists with a kindle. That is why I still cherish my horror magazines and Marquis de Sade paperbacks. Reading Sade or gory horror mags on a Kindle will NEVER cause the consternation and upset that the physical medium can bring to passersby. Also, regarding AfineLyne's statement that the world today belongs to the current tech-savvy generation may be true, but we have one thing they don't: our imaginations and social skills.Mick Cantonenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-92203271039697269942011-07-22T10:16:57.296-04:002011-07-22T10:16:57.296-04:00see that? you cannot horrify the tourists with a K...see that? you cannot horrify the tourists with a Kindle. they have no idea what you're reading. <br /><br />rather, the Kindle reassures them. you're not some intellectual New York snob. you're just another regular person who loves electronic devices.Jeremiah Mosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11791516443125872364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-86156661526283189672011-07-22T10:07:05.939-04:002011-07-22T10:07:05.939-04:00I have been as guilty as anyone in not spending en...I have been as guilty as anyone in not spending enough of what I can afford to spend at independent bookstores, but I am going to make a concerted effort to change that. I'm fixin to jump on the 6 after work, and head over to St. Marks to grab 100 Whores - would be some great weekend reading, and I'd love to proudly crack it open on the subway this weekend, horrifying the tourists catching a glimpse of the cover as they fold up their maps and herd their kids to the other side of the car. <br /><br />I don't spend much time on the UES, but regardless I can confirm your suspicion that they are indeed in dire need of a cupcake shop for the zombies - more accurately, an "Ye Olde Tyme Artisinal Cupcake Shoppe".<br /><br />After all, wouldn't Samantha and Miranda rather stop in there after shopping Madison Ave. than some boring book store?JAZnoreply@blogger.com