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BookstoresLocal Bookstore Foibles
The main local bookstore I shop at is an independent, with an intriguing, history-heavy inventory including a wonderful discounted item section built up from selected parts of the odd ends of stock that publishers would otherwise pulp. So far they have held up wonderfully against the pressures of wokedom.
With that in mind I was a bit disheartened to see that over the past month or so, the "women's studies" section has been removed completely in favour of "queer studies" (as opposed to merely being relabelled "gender studies" with a few books by Robert Bly somewhere) and a prominent feature on the now almost two shelves of "trans"-themed books which dominate that section is none other than the vile "Detransition Baby."
A bit disheartened, but not totally for all that, because somebody is defiantly picking out books with "lesbian" (in big letters! lol) in the title that are about actual lesbians, they can't keep JK Rowling's books in stock, and they just got a new shipment of copies of The Ickabog.
Anybody else noticed such things in physical bookstores, if they are able to access any under these crazy pandemic conditions? (Where I am people can browse for up to 15 minutes, although most don't if they observe a line up to get in.)
I've noticed a couple of funny things at various bookstores. At my old local bookstore, the women's studies section used to have a sign saying 'The future is female.' Someone had taken a sharpie and crossed out 'ale,' and had written "and queer and non-binary." Now the sign has been reprinted to reader 'The future is femme.' (lol what) And at my local bookstore now, there's just a sign that says "The Women's Studies section has been incorporated into History, Political Science, and Sociology."
'The future is female.' Someone had taken a sharpie and crossed out 'ale,' and had written "and queer and non-binary."
This is the stupidest timeline.
Darnit, I was just in a Barnes and Noble last week picking up a book I ordered for my daughter. I need to remember to check the women's fiction section next time.
I haven’t been in local bookstores for a few years - there was only one in the small country town I lived in and it didn’t have anything I was remotely interested in. There was on in Melbourne called Hares and Hyenas that used to be LG books, but the last time I walked past it looked like they’d sold out to the freak brigade. Not surprising in that suburb. I used to go to second-hand bookstores to find the areas of history that interested me, but most of them had shut down long before Covid struck. I haven’t found any of interest where I am now, and haven’t room for more books anyway, alas!
I used to live in The Netherlands and close to me they had a women's bookstore, which meant that they only sold books written by women. They had a large lesbian/bi section too. Eventually they changed into a bookstore 'for everyone' (their words) that also sells books by men. They now have LGBTQIA+ and gender studies sections that contain a lot of queer/trans books. Although I can't visit them anymore (I live somewhere else now), I get discouraged simply by visiting their website. They probably had to change to keep profits high enough, but still it's quite sad.
My LBS is woke as a joke for the most part (Detransition Baby is selling well 🤢) but still carries JKR and Robert Galbraith.
All the bookstores closed down where I am except for an extremely small bookstore affiliated with a university, which mostly just has textbooks...I miss bookstores.
My library has been mostly closed during the pandemic, or running with a strict limit on how many people are inside. I haven't gone there since the pandemic started. They did still have a woman's studies section though. I probably wouldn't know about a "queer studies" section since I'm straight and haven't randomly come across one while browsing, but they might have one.
EDIT: I'm checking my library's ebook collection categories now, since their catalog for physical books doesn't have an easily browsable list of categories, as far as I can tell.
Here's what I find:
Feminist: 1 book
Women's Studies: 57 books
Gender Studies: 1 book
There's also this category:
So it looks like there's no "queer studies" section in my library, at least when it comes to ebooks. I'm assuming transgender-related books might not have their own category in this list.
i miss physical bookstores so much and that is awesome you have a local bookstore--i haven't been to even my local Barnes in Noble in years because book prices have gotten so expensive and I just check out at the library. That sucks that they got rid of the women's studies section to put queer studies.
Yes, high book prices are a real problem, which is part of why at this store they are doing their best to snag good stuff that would otherwise be remaindered. The subsequent prices are up to 70% off, which is pretty awesome. I use the library a great deal as well, but of course covid has made it very difficult to use those as meeting places the past year and a half, which is something bookstores can't do unless they have a coffee shop. (For my druthers, the coffee shop should be somebody else's business not too far from the bookstore. Less noise!)
Yeah, i would love to go to Barnes and Noble, but their books are so expensive! i am glad to hear that at least some book stores have competitive prices. Our libraries are closed too and I can't wait to go back. I have been trying to do e book reading lately, and it just isn't the same.
I was in a bookstore last week. First time in a while. I decided to check out a famous bookstore in the area in the bourgeois part of the city. Entirely libfemmy women's rights intermingled with LGBTQIA2S+ writing. No Harry Potter in the children's section. They also had a back room with used books--half a shelf dedicated to women (the only radfem text was The Female Eunuch), a full shelf dedicated to queer theory.
I overheard at the cash register a female customer complaining about TERFs for daring to protest a women's writing prize going to a TIM. The cashier was agreeing with her. I took my sweet time browsing their milquetoast collection to prevent other customers from coming in (there's an occupation limit for COVID), then left without buying anything. I left and went to my favorite used bookstore instead to buy a bunch of books.
I went home and opined for a Radical Feminist bookstore to my friend.
My original favourite used bookstore here is going through a creepy Chapters/Indigo-style+woke makeover, but longtime customers knew something was up way back last year, when suddenly all the experienced staff were let go. I think a few of them may be working together to open up another store, otherwise the best much better used book store is over an hour away, and that one so far has only switched over to "gender studies" labels.
Aw. I hope the old workers can get their own store up and running.
Me too, and not just because of me wanting a store like that one used to be! : )
Lol, this is so brilliantly petty, I love it. :D
Thanks. It's not like I could start dialectical reasoning with these strangers.
It's elegant, proportionate, and probably lost them a tenner.