Let Me Off This Roller Coaster Now!

This is certainly the most depressing prediction I’ve read in a long, long time. From the blog Debbie Mack: My Life on the Mid-List:

In five years, there will be about 200 bookstores in the United States, centered in the major cities. They will die faster than video stores have over the past five years. In an ironic reversal, the collapse of chain bookstores will open the door for boutique indies to rise again, operated by people who know their customers and understand their products as nostalgia items, and who will hire clerks who care about used books.

In a related post, blogger Janet Rudolph showcases a handy guide to how to open a book--something that might become useful if the above prediction comes true.