@Charlie Jane Anders: Thanks! :)
On the synopsis of Seed Seeker, "Sayrah" should be "Safrah." :)
Lists are always fun to see! I've read a quarter of the books you've got listed here and am working on the sixth (Oryx & Crake). It was fun seeing your decade picks, thanks! :)
Congrats to the winner! I'm sad to see so many bookstores go this year, outside of Waldenbooks/Borders Express/Borders; bookstores really do become a large part of our communities and hearts.
My favorite bookstore is the Waldenbooks/Borders Express that closed a couple of years ago in my hometown. As a kid, I used to save my allowance and go every week for a new Star Wars book. Back then, they were only $5 and my only hardship was finding the loose change to pay the taxes. Over an entire summer that bled into fall, I read every adult Star Wars post-ROTJ book in print until I finally caught up. The store always had the SF/F section right up front and after that, I would march right up to the bays, pluck the latest installment on the day of release and make my purchase. It was a huge store to me then, with two entrances and long aisle down the middle separating towering shelves of books. Some of the smaller aisles snaked around corners or opened into new clearings of sections I hadn't noticed before. When I got older, I was surprised when the manager actually hired me and I stayed there a few years until our store was forced to close, shortly after a remodel. Of course I was devastated--this store had been a huge part of my life for so long, it felt like I was losing a friend. I kept the SF/F section clean and organized, taking particular care with the Star Wars books until the day we had to pack everything up and move out. To this day I haven't found another store that could replace that one. Also, I never get over the weird feeling of having to buy the newest Star Wars book from another store. It will always hold a special place in my heart!
