Borders is closing

This is truly a sad day, because I first heard the news this morning on the radio that my favorite bookstore, Borders, is closing its doors for good.

I've spent many a good day at Borders browsing through their aisles, looking at books, movies, and music. My favorite Borders of all time was at 18th and L in Northwest DC, near where I used to work. Almost every day from late 2000 to spring of 2002, I would venture over to that Borders on my lunch break, walk down the stairs to the basement section, and browse through the Stephen King section of books and then make my way over to the classical music CDs, walking my fingers through cases of Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Wagner, and Chopin. I even had one or two dates at that store, back in my courtship days.

But that Borders closed for good recently when the company announced it was closing many of its stores as a cost-cutting measure. The last time I went into that particular Borders was in late August of 2008. I had just taken a trip to Ben's Chili Bowl and was on walkabout through downtown DC, visiting several of my old haunts—this Borders included. And it saddens me to think that a place that once brought me such joy and peace is no more.

My second favorite Borders has to be the one in Pentagon City, which was within walking distance of Riverhouse. This Borders, while not as fancy as the one on 18th and L, served its purpose well, and I fondly remember the days when that particular outlet was much bigger (it used to encompass a large amount of retail space before being downsized). Other favorites included the Borders in Woodbridge and Springfield, but the most rockin' Borders had to be the three-story Borders at White Flint Mall. (Three stories? How could it not be awesome?)

If asked why I prefer Borders to Barnes & Noble, I honestly couldn't tell you. There are certain outlets of Barnes & Noble that I hold near and dear to me as well, but overall, Borders had a more concrete place in my heart, and I will dearly miss this bookstore when it closes up for good.

Thank you for the memories, Borders. I'll miss you much!

A brief brush with greatness

I've read a good number of Dean Koontz books over the years, and I'd say he occupies a good 25-30% of my bookshelf at home. Today he hosted a Washington Post chat, and was kind enough to answer one of the questions I submitted to him. (I think I submitted two.)

Arlington, VA: Mr. Koontz,

I've noticed that you seem to shy away from the spotlight and commercialization that's become so commonplace with many other writers of this generation. I'm thinking of Anne Rice and Stephen King as examples. Is there a particular reason for this, or do you just prefer your privacy (which I can greatly respect!)?

Dean Koontz: Some writers enjoy being public figures, God bless them, and I think they do a service to publishing by making the book seem more glamorous than it otherwise would. I may be the only writer on the bestseller list who has never done a national tour and who avoids as much TV as he can without annoying his publisher. I like radio interviews because some anonymity is preserved when your face isn't all over the tube. If I had my druthers, I would write and do NO publicity. For me, the joy is in the doing, in the creating, not in what comes next. Except for this event, of course, which I am enjoying IMMENSELY because we are all being so BRILLIANT here. Besides, I'm actually in Hawaii, and 346 monkeys are typing these answers.

His chat was filled with much of his trademark humor, and I can honestly say I enjoyed his chat. Not to mention being flattered that he answered my question!

This is actually the third time I was able to talk to a major figure in the entertainment industry on a Post chat. The other two times were with filmmakers Darren Aronofsky and Kevin Smith.