For the last few months something was missing in our small town. Every time I went to the mall, I would sink into melancholy. It wasn’t hard to understand the reason. Walden Books, the only bookstore in our local town, had gone under.
As an avid reader, and writer, I felt an overwhelming sense of loss. Over the years I had spent a great deal of time and no small amount of money in that store.
I must admit that when I dreamed of being a published author it was in that store that I imagined seeing my books on the shelf. When my first novel Shepherd’s Fall was published in April the fact there was no local store in our town was a cause for slight disappointment.
But nature abhors a vacuum, or in this case business partners Chuck Garman and Bryan Foster realized that no town is complete without a local bookstore.
So I was thrilled to stop in and buy a few books yesterday at the grand opening of Five Stone Bookstore in the Lebanon Valley Mall. This community-minded, family-oriented, family-focused bookstore has a cool mix of books and games, with a section devoted to the local libraries to support their (book) sales throughout the year.
It is a warm, fun, friendly place. I even ended up buying a set of zombie dice after playing a game of it with Bryan. Any game with zombies and brains, and I’m there. Although not to worry, it is a fun dice game with no gore involved.
I encourage anyone in the local area to check out this new store, buy a few books, and try some of the games that the staff is willing to demonstrate. Once again another independent bookstore rises up, creating a warm community for readers and writers. I look forward to seeing Shepherd’s Fall on their shelves. Sometime dreams do come true.
