One more thing on independent bookstores...

In addition to going and seeking out the sites of individual independent (indie) bookstores yourself, there's a quicker way to do it: IndieBound.

It was originally Book Sense, a program of the American Booksellers Association (according to always-right Wikipedia), and it was rebranded and relaunched in 2008 as a more site more geared toward social networking. The website is well stocked, featuring a blog on the front page, links to joining the community or finding it on Facebook and Twitter, as well as a store locator.

And, what Book Sense was known for is still prominent: lists. Up-and-coming works, Bestsellers, Most Wished For (on the front page), and probably many more. There's also the ability to create your own lists.

Additionally, IndieBound is available in, you guessed it, iPhone app form. It's very clean, very simple, easy-to-navigate. Three categories at the bottom: Book Lists (IndieBound or yours inside), Book Search, and Store Finder. And it uses the "current location" function to let you know what's in your neighborhood.

The entire IndieBound system seems a bit oxymoronic, as these are independent bookstores, but no man is an island and all that jazz, so a network to link them together--and their consumers to them--is actually a smart idea.