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.
