OK, so I posted a mean comment on this interview of Paul Ford, but I was goaded into it. Towards the end, though, in a sort of “final remarks” post, Mr. Ford said something interesting.
“Barnes & Noble turns reading into a commodified experience, w/focus on volume selling. It makes me itchy in their stores, and with all they have, they still never have what I want, nor do they have things that I didn’t know I wanted but turn out to want. It is a serendipity-proof book chain.”
Upon reflection I realized that this reflects my own experience as well. I like the feel of the stores and would love to sit down with some coffee and a good book and listen to some kind of weird twelve-tone progressive music, but every time I try, I end up wandering around for hours looking for a book that interests me. None of them ever do.
