I don't know if I am an avid reader, but I certainly do like hanging out in Avid Reader. If you don't know, Avid Reader is a nifty little bookstore located in the heart of West End. It kind of amuses me the lengths some bookstores will go to receive your patronage. Obviously larger chains have incorporate DVDs, coffee, music and so much more. What I find really special about Avid Reader is that it organizes events in which readers can meet local and famous authors. A friend of mine actually found out through a trip to Avid Reader that Pulitzer Prize winning author Michael Cunningham was coming to Brisbane to connect with his fan base and discuss his work. In case you don't know, Michael Cunningham has written such books as 'The Hours' and 'Home at the End of the World'. In addition, Avid Reader has a range of book clubs to join that meet monthly. One such book club that caught my eye was the 'Adaptation Book Club' that exclusively discusses books that have been adapted for the screen. All these little extras I find are a perfect way the ensure that customers keep coming to bookstores and resist the temptation to order all our books online, having them delivered to our doors in large, lifeless crates. I do need to have a whine about this about this though. So I'm a huge Frida Kahlo fan and I saw a 2012 calendar of her paintings in Avid Reader for $70; as the calendar was quite large and of a high quality I almost considered this a reasonable price to pay, but pulled out at the last minute. Later that day I saw the same calendar in another bookstore for almost half the price. I can't justify that kind of markup in my mind. I wonder if they can? All in all, Avid Reader is definitely a great starting point if someone wants to connect with local bookworms. One of these days I know I'm going to join a book club as a reaction to some type of crisis and Avid Reader will definitely be my first port of call. P.s. I didn't get the chance to grab a cup of coffee there. Let me know how it is? read more