The 20 Most Beautiful Bookstores in the World [Editor’s note: In celebration of the holidays, we’re counting down the top 12 Flavorwire features of 2012. This post, at #1, was originally published January 31.] With Amazon slowly taking over the publishing world and bookstores closing left and right, things can sometimes seem a little grim for the brick and mortar booksellers of the world. After all, why would anyone leave the comfort of their couch to buy a book when with just a click of a button, they could have it delivered to their door? Well, here’s why: bookstores so beautiful they’re worth getting out of the house (or the country) to visit whether you need a new hardcover or not. A gorgeous converted Dominican church gives the power of reading its due diligence.
Little Libraries have people thinking (and reading) outside the box MADISON, Wis. – Todd Bol wanted to honor his mother, a former teacher and book lover who died a decade ago. So two years ago, Bol built a miniature model of a library, filled it with books for anyone to take, and placed it outside his home in Hudson, Wis. He says people loved it. "People just kept coming up to it, looking at it, patting it, saying 'oh, it's cute,' " Bol recalls. From that idea, hundreds of similar Little Free Libraries are popping up on lawns across the country. PHOTOS: Little Libraries around Wisconsin But they all hold books. "Take a book, leave a book," says Bol, explaining in a nutshell, the basic concept of these tiny libraries. After building the first library, Bol thought the idea had potential to spread. Together, they have helped launch a small, but growing movement. The men provide logistical assistance and support to people who want to become mini-librarians. Today, Little Free Libraries can be found in at least 24 states and eight countries, Brooks says.
10 Graphic Novels for the Literary Minded As graphic novels continue to become more widely accepted by the general public, I encounter more and more people unsure about where to start reading. There's a lot of product out there, which can make it difficult to find the right entry point. Additionally, many pick the wrong entry point and tend to run screaming from the medium. But when you read a bad book, you don't swear off books, you just swear off that author, or perhaps that genre. The same should be true for Graphic Novels. For fans of detective fiction: 'Stumptown' by Greg Rucka (writer), Matthew Southworth (artist), Lee Loughridge and Rico Renzi (colors). A tightly plotted detective story that follows P.I. Buy Stumptown, Vol. 1 from Amazon.com If you like this, also try: 'Alias Vol. 1' by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos, 'Batwoman: Elegy' by Greg Rucka and J.H. For fans of sci-fi: 'Black Hole' by Charles Burns (writer/artist). Buy Black Hole from Amazon.com Buy Friends with Boys from Amazon.com