Best of Tucson 1996: Best Books--Chain

Best Books--Chain

Barnes & Noble
5480 E. Broadway

READERS' AND STAFF PICK: Have you ever seen a tentative gambler in Las Vegas? Shortly after the first little win he becomes animated and enthusiastic and before you know it has emptied his pockets and is frantically looking around for an ATM. You can see the same phenomenon without leaving on the red-eye for Nevada. Just step into Barnes & Noble's mega-bookstore: Shoppers enter looking calm and serene, but just four aisles back you can see the change in their faces--the feral eyes darting to and fro as they try to triage the stack of books in their arms to fit their budgets. Barnes & Noble is a veritable candy store for readers. They stock more than 100,000 titles, including all of the usual genres and categories, as well as workbooks for children and indispensable novelty items like book lights, tarot cards, blank books and plastic cubes containing hundreds of individual words on magnetic strips so that you can create poetry on your refrigerator or file cabinet. Barnes & Noble carries a line of classics that have been printed and bound for this huge chain, often at surprisingly affordable prices. They've also beefed up their weekly reading and poetry groups for adults, with discussion groups for fans of the classics, mystery and sci-fi. Another feather in its cap is the Saturday afternoon story hour for kids, with a Barnes & Noble staffer reading a story featuring the character of the week, who often makes an appearance (in costume) during the reading. Afterward, the children in attendance get to make a craft or sample a treat relating to the story. What a delightful way to encourage literacy among children while they watch their parents stagger through the store like seedy gamblers on a weekend bender.

READERS' POLL RUNNER-UP: Borders Books and Music, 4235 N. Oracle Road. People familiar with Borders around the country were excited the corporate powers that be tapped Tucson last year as the site for one of their new stores. Younger, hipper and more casual than chain champion Barnes & Noble, Borders caters to a wide array of tastes. The combination of a diverse and deep inventory in both books and music, several listening stations throughout the store, the tantalizing aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafting from the adjoining Coffee Plantation, and a full calendar of events ranging from book signings and featured musical guests to a party for The Cat In The Hat make Borders one very happening place. Add to this a staff impressively knowledgeable about books and music and you begin to understand why this store is such a popular place. Borders is open long enough every day to accommodate both early birds and night owls.