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The Last Bookstore in America
A comic novella about the future of books and bookstores by New York Times bestselling author Amy Stewart.Nothing is what it seems in the offbeat and out-of-the-way town of Eureka, California. Shrouded in fog and hidden behind a curtain of redwoods, this rundown mill town is home to a peculiar cast of characters, a unique homegrown horticultural industry, and one of the last bookstores in America.No one is more surprised by the unlikely survival of the Firebreathing Dragon than Lewis Hartman, its newest owner. By the time his uncle Sy died and left the bookstore to Lewis, even the most ardent bibliophiles had abandoned printed books in favor of a charming and highly literate digital device called the Gizmo. Bookstores all over the country had closed their doors. But somehow, the Firebreathing Dragon has kept going.Lewis and his wife Emily find themselves in the unlikely position of owning one of the last bookstores in America. But how has the Firebreathing Dragon managed to survive the death of the book? And if it isn't keeping itself afloat selling books, what is it selling? Reporters, federal agents, and corporate executives out to salvage their own imperiled industries all converge on the bookstore to uncover its secrets. What they discover is a small town that has fallen under the spell of the Firebreathing Dragon's unique offerings.In this short work of fiction, bestselling author and bookstore owner Amy Stewart takes an offbeat and lighthearted look at small-town life and the future of that marvelous two thousand year-old communication device, the printed book.
221 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2009
81 people are currently reading
1192 people want to read
About the author
Amy Stewart
25 books2,527 followersAmy Stewart is the New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen books, including Girl Waits with Gun, Lady Cop Makes Trouble, The Drunken Botanist, and Wicked Plants.
She lives in Portland with her husband Scott Brown, a rare book dealer.
Stay connected with Amy via her newsletter , where she offers cocktail recipes, creative inspiration, book recommendations, and more!
She lives in Portland with her husband Scott Brown, a rare book dealer.
Stay connected with Amy via her newsletter , where she offers cocktail recipes, creative inspiration, book recommendations, and more!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 134 reviews
September 29, 2019
This turned out to be a humorous but also thought provoking little book. Imagine a world where no one reads books anymore and book stores everywhere are closing down. A gadget called a Gizmo, sponsored by Nile.com (spot the similarities) has taken over the provision of reading material and the general public have drifted away from the desire to read long texts.
Now discover one bookshop in an American country town where real books are still selling at a great rate. You have to wonder why. The answer is pretty funny especially when you discover that no one is actually reading those books.
I really enjoyed the idea behind this book as well as the story and the characters. I wanted Uncle Sy's scheme to thrive despite the fact that what he was doing goes against my own principles. It is fiction after all and a thoroughly good read as well!
Now discover one bookshop in an American country town where real books are still selling at a great rate. You have to wonder why. The answer is pretty funny especially when you discover that no one is actually reading those books.
I really enjoyed the idea behind this book as well as the story and the characters. I wanted Uncle Sy's scheme to thrive despite the fact that what he was doing goes against my own principles. It is fiction after all and a thoroughly good read as well!
February 14, 2013
I really wanted to like this book I really did. But it was just ... odd. It teetered on the edge of funny and it teetered on the edge of serious, but never really struck any chords either way. And as a satire, well, once again it never really delved as far into that as needed to make it work. The premise is great, original and well-thought-out enough to make it seem plausible. But there are way too many characters, most of whom never get fleshed out, and there are way too many story lines that cris-crossed and were sometimes hard to follow. Also, I got bored during the last quarter of the book. Which seems odd, because that was when everything came to a head. Hmmm. Like I said, an interesting premise that's written well, but gets lost in the weight of too many characters and subplots and no real agenda/moral. If it sounds interesting to you, give it a shot, it's a quick read.
May 6, 2010
This book is the most good, plain fun I’ve read in quite some time. But, really, how could it not be fun: digital books, old-fashioned bookstores, the sale and legalization of marijuana, capitalism – plenty of issues to warm the cockles of my Libertarian heart.
The author combines clever use of word play (the behemoth digital bookseller “Nile.com;” the e-reader/digital media device “Gizmo”) with a fast-paced, descriptive writing style that pulled me through the story at lightning speed. I enjoyed “getting to know” the cast of characters in this book (but I will admit that I found it a bit hard to believe that Lewis and Emily could be THAT clueless for THAT long ...)
It’s hard to tell whether the author - who is a bookseller herself - embraces the age of digital books or scorns it; her book seems to go back and forth between the two. In the end, she creates an entity that seems to marry the past, present and future quite well.
The author combines clever use of word play (the behemoth digital bookseller “Nile.com;” the e-reader/digital media device “Gizmo”) with a fast-paced, descriptive writing style that pulled me through the story at lightning speed. I enjoyed “getting to know” the cast of characters in this book (but I will admit that I found it a bit hard to believe that Lewis and Emily could be THAT clueless for THAT long ...)
It’s hard to tell whether the author - who is a bookseller herself - embraces the age of digital books or scorns it; her book seems to go back and forth between the two. In the end, she creates an entity that seems to marry the past, present and future quite well.
May 11, 2012
I enjoyed this book; it was well-written, quick to read and did a good job of creating a world without books that was real enough to be scary. Like other reviewers have mentioned, there was little-to-no character development, but that's okay, because it was a short read and it wasn't supposed to be about the characters anyway. I think a longer version could be written and characters and the world developed further, but they didn't need to be for the purpose of the story.
I thought it was ironic that a book about the demise of books was published only in e-book form. I also thought it was ironic that this book perhaps suffered from some of the same things that the author mentions as issues in an e-book only world: the editing seemed minimal and there were some silly errors that could have been caught by any decent proof reader (someone buttered a "role" at dinner, for example). Was it a really great book? Not really. Would I read it again? Probably not. Would I suggest it to someone else? Yes, because it's price ranges from free to cheap as an e-book and it was an enjoyable story. I would recommend it most to those like me, who actively fear the disappearance of real books and real bookstores, because I think those people would get the most out of it. There may be another group of people I would recommend it to, because they would appreciate how the last bookstore was saved.
The reason I gave it four stars instead of three is because the author made several good points about what e-books might do for reading, what publishing will slowly become as it becomes easier and easier to publish anything for an e-reader, and what a world without books might be like. The fact that there were a few moments when I actually became anxious means the author told her story well.
I thought it was ironic that a book about the demise of books was published only in e-book form. I also thought it was ironic that this book perhaps suffered from some of the same things that the author mentions as issues in an e-book only world: the editing seemed minimal and there were some silly errors that could have been caught by any decent proof reader (someone buttered a "role" at dinner, for example). Was it a really great book? Not really. Would I read it again? Probably not. Would I suggest it to someone else? Yes, because it's price ranges from free to cheap as an e-book and it was an enjoyable story. I would recommend it most to those like me, who actively fear the disappearance of real books and real bookstores, because I think those people would get the most out of it. There may be another group of people I would recommend it to, because they would appreciate how the last bookstore was saved.
The reason I gave it four stars instead of three is because the author made several good points about what e-books might do for reading, what publishing will slowly become as it becomes easier and easier to publish anything for an e-reader, and what a world without books might be like. The fact that there were a few moments when I actually became anxious means the author told her story well.
January 12, 2016
Very amusing concept and story — and written by a bookstore owner! It contains some interesting musings on the fate of the book and bookstores in a digital world. We’ve already seen many bookstore closings and trouble for Barnes & Noble (though the indies are holding on, and the past year saw increased sales in some months). I loved the book’s setting and its quirky characters, though wish some had been more fully developed. And I loved the spirit of Sy that inhabits the bookstore and pervades the tale. Light fare and fun to read. It would make a great movie!
I liked: “Sy believed that literature, like jazz and Impressionism, was born out of intoxication, bred in bars and coffee houses and opium dens, and meant to be shared at parties and in backyards and living rooms and out on the street. He was suspicious of writers who swore off booze and cigarettes and late nights in favor of a pot of tea and yoga at sunrise. Healthy living, he believed, was the enemy of literature.”
What bugged me: The book contains a number of errors that should have been caught by a proofreader (words left out here and there; a character’s name misspelled; lay instead of lie; a buttered “role”). And how ironic that this should happen in a book that contains the following lament: “. . . [A]s publishing houses collapsed, the job of editing a book fell to freelance editors, and writers who couldn’t stand to see their precious prose tampered with in the first place decided to skip the editing process altogether. It made for books riddled with foolish errors and long-winded digressions.”
Indeed, the book is self-published. Why didn’t Stewart hire an editor? Or a more careful one?
Does anyone want to hire me???
I liked: “Sy believed that literature, like jazz and Impressionism, was born out of intoxication, bred in bars and coffee houses and opium dens, and meant to be shared at parties and in backyards and living rooms and out on the street. He was suspicious of writers who swore off booze and cigarettes and late nights in favor of a pot of tea and yoga at sunrise. Healthy living, he believed, was the enemy of literature.”
What bugged me: The book contains a number of errors that should have been caught by a proofreader (words left out here and there; a character’s name misspelled; lay instead of lie; a buttered “role”). And how ironic that this should happen in a book that contains the following lament: “. . . [A]s publishing houses collapsed, the job of editing a book fell to freelance editors, and writers who couldn’t stand to see their precious prose tampered with in the first place decided to skip the editing process altogether. It made for books riddled with foolish errors and long-winded digressions.”
Indeed, the book is self-published. Why didn’t Stewart hire an editor? Or a more careful one?
Does anyone want to hire me???
March 8, 2012
Mm. The premise is interesting, but I think there are a few too many characters who don't get time to develop - it was hard to feel much sympathy with any of them. And I really don't give a rat's about pot. I also don't feel ebooks are the death of the book, either - maybe of the cheap airport novel, but books will always be with us. So it was a little hard to take seriously.
February 6, 2017
Quiet humor. Those are the two words that come together after reading this. it took me a while to get into it, as two of the main characters were a bit boring at first. But having read other Amy Stewart books, I knew it had to be good, so I got back to it. And thoroughly enjoyed it.
I'm heading out to my local bookstore, to ensure I play my part in keeping it alive.
I'm heading out to my local bookstore, to ensure I play my part in keeping it alive.
Read
February 20, 2022DNF. Just couldn’t get into this one; not what I expected.
February 29, 2012
I probably should have read a few more reviews before I settled on reading this book....then maybe I wouldn't have been quite so surprised at the turn the story took. But, with that said, I'm glad I didn't read the reviews, as I would have likely passed it over, the plot not one of much interest to me.
I found it complete ironic that the demise of the written word in this book was an electronic device called the Gizmo, developed by a company called Nile.com (amazon, Nile...hmm) Ironic because I've almost doubled the amount of my monthly reading vs. watching it decline.
But back to the book. It was a good read. Entertaining for sure. Simple in it's plot...I just wished that the characters were explored a little further. I felt like I had a bunch of people thrown at me, and I honestly didn't feel anything when something happened to the characters, and that just made me a little sad...
I found it complete ironic that the demise of the written word in this book was an electronic device called the Gizmo, developed by a company called Nile.com (amazon, Nile...hmm) Ironic because I've almost doubled the amount of my monthly reading vs. watching it decline.
But back to the book. It was a good read. Entertaining for sure. Simple in it's plot...I just wished that the characters were explored a little further. I felt like I had a bunch of people thrown at me, and I honestly didn't feel anything when something happened to the characters, and that just made me a little sad...
December 27, 2011
I don't know if I really liked this book; I just know I had to stick with it until the end. The idea of being left an old book store filled with antique books and a house to live in seemed intriguing. But that's about where my true interest lay in the story, and it was so undeveloped so as not to have a real place in the book.
I stuck with it all the way to the only ending it could possibly have, but I dreamed of another ending altogether.
I stuck with it all the way to the only ending it could possibly have, but I dreamed of another ending altogether.
April 10, 2016
I was utterly charmed by this novel. It is a wicked sendup of small-town politics and corporate ill-doing, and laugh-out-loud hilarious. It is ironic that I would read a novel in which electronic bookseller "nile.com" is a villain on my Kindle. But this love poem to books, to bookstores, and to reading is terrific in any format.
October 7, 2018
Fun book. Lively action, irony, and twists. Stimulates thoughts on why we do what we do, and choose what we choose. (Of course, I read it on a tablet computer. In my defense, there are no bookstores within an hour's drive of my home.) Enjoyable to read. Try it, you'll like it!
November 10, 2017
my second freebie book that I'd stumbled upon after first getting my Kindle....what caught my eye mostly about this book was it mostly takes place in Eureka, CA (about an hour from where I currently live & am looking at moving to Eureka to live with my Fiance) & basically how a small town bookstore stays open while the Gizmo (aka Kindle) becomes popular.
This was a quick, easy & yet interesting read for me, & it was easy to picture the Eureka scenery from so many of my trips/visits there.
Another thing I absolutely love is that the bookstore in the story actually exists! Although they just sell books there at the store (I know the storyline talks about drugs there too) I went in to visit this bookstore in Old Town Eureka & it's amazing! 2 stories of new and used books books & the staff is so friendly &helpful (no drug selling because my first trip in there someone else had apparently read the same book & was asking & several staff said it was just added in for the story.
This was a quick, easy & yet interesting read for me, & it was easy to picture the Eureka scenery from so many of my trips/visits there.
Another thing I absolutely love is that the bookstore in the story actually exists! Although they just sell books there at the store (I know the storyline talks about drugs there too) I went in to visit this bookstore in Old Town Eureka & it's amazing! 2 stories of new and used books books & the staff is so friendly &helpful (no drug selling because my first trip in there someone else had apparently read the same book & was asking & several staff said it was just added in for the story.
July 10, 2012
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was a fun, funny, and fast-paced read. It was almost reminiscent of Christopher Moore, but not quite as absurd and out-there.
The premise definitely had a lot of potential and of course, it reflected our world. It's a scary thought to consider a world without paper books, as well as a world where people no longer read. I can't imagine not reading, it was my escape especially while growing up.
I only gave this 3 stars because I thought the ending was a cop out. The build up and the story line up to that point was really intriguing and had moments of brilliance, but I didn't feel that the author really resolved it in a good way. It seemed like she just wanted to neatly tie up all the loose ends and finish it up. I was expecting more than that.
The premise definitely had a lot of potential and of course, it reflected our world. It's a scary thought to consider a world without paper books, as well as a world where people no longer read. I can't imagine not reading, it was my escape especially while growing up.
I only gave this 3 stars because I thought the ending was a cop out. The build up and the story line up to that point was really intriguing and had moments of brilliance, but I didn't feel that the author really resolved it in a good way. It seemed like she just wanted to neatly tie up all the loose ends and finish it up. I was expecting more than that.
March 5, 2012
**Possible Spoilers**
While I liked this book and it certainly was a quick and easy read I'm not sure I liked the concept of the store being successful and still running because they were selling pot. I had no idea when I downloaded and started reading the book that, that was where the story was going so I was a little put off by it. However, I did continue on and finish quickly and even enjoyed it along the way. Reading about the demise of the book as we know it hit a bit close to home and made me want to find my nearest used bookstore and spend some time there. I can't imagine a world without real, hard-copy books! A sad world it would be.
While I liked this book and it certainly was a quick and easy read I'm not sure I liked the concept of the store being successful and still running because they were selling pot. I had no idea when I downloaded and started reading the book that, that was where the story was going so I was a little put off by it. However, I did continue on and finish quickly and even enjoyed it along the way. Reading about the demise of the book as we know it hit a bit close to home and made me want to find my nearest used bookstore and spend some time there. I can't imagine a world without real, hard-copy books! A sad world it would be.
January 2, 2012
This one may hop from 4 to 5 stars at some point. It's fiction, but a great commentary on the changes in the book industry, and just great satire overall. The story is set in Eureka, Ca - in Humboldt County - home of one of the last booksellers in the nation, a lot of potgrowers, and soon the home of Lewis who has just inherited The Firebreathing Dragon - a book store which in the wake of the electronic device overtaking books now survives selling a very special strain of pot. Anyway, it's a fun little read if you like satire, books, bookstores, or green things. Enjoy!
September 1, 2016
The most enjoyable satire I've read in years, The Last Bookstore in America features quirky characters (although stereotyped), the pervasive Gizmo (a $29.95 device made of recycled materials that allow the user to download/read books and other written material, download/listen to music, make phone calls, etc.), content provider Nile.com, a big tobacco company with a unique ability to see the future of smoking in America, an old-time bookstore selling real books with an added bonus, and much more. This book made me smile so many times!
February 28, 2012
I like this book well enough. It's a bit fluff, however, and I wouldn't recommend it for anything other than light reading. There is not a lot of depth to it and it pretty much just coasts along to it's pretty inevitable conclusion, without much depth of plot or depth of character. The writing is fine, though, and so it serves a purpose and quick little fun read.
May 16, 2020
This is a fun story to escape in and wonder, well what if. Lewis and Emily inherit a book store in Eureka, California from Lewis' Uncle Sy. Because of Nile.com's Gizmo, nobody buys and reads books anymore. Everything is read on the Gizmo. However, a few book stores in America remain. The Firebreathing Dragon is one of them. Uncle Sy, and the rest of the town knew the book store didn't actually sell books. It sold hits of Edith's glorious marijuana, disguised as a book sales transaction. Only, no one told Lewis and Emily this when they arrived to check the inheritance. Through the course of the tale, we see Lewis and Emily fixing up the old store and make into something grand, still oblivious to the fact the primary income is weed, not books. They do find out, eventually, and things go from bad to worse after that. Still, a fun read with short chapters.
September 5, 2024
Amy Stewart is the author of The Last Bookstore in America, the most entertaining book I’ve read this year! I had already read it on my Kindle several years before! It combines a delicious plot with witty prose that includes a cast of eccentric characters who run a bookstore that does a thriving business in Eureka, California. Eureka is in Humboldt County, the marijuana-growing capital of the country. This fact hints at why the Dragon bookstore is a success in a society of ebook-readers, called “Gizmo” here. The Dragon’s original owner, Sy, has died and named his city-bred nephew Lewis his heir. Lewis and his wife Emily arrive in Eureka to check out their inheritance and the story proceeds from their naivety about the true nature of the store in contrast to the entire town’s population being in on the deception.
Ironically, this book is only available on Kindle.
Ironically, this book is only available on Kindle.
February 9, 2020
Sarcastic humor delivers a perfect eulogy.In
This is a fantasy, a fabrication and far-flung novel which ironically is about the tragedy of losing all the bookshops in America. However, it is also entertaining and amusing. The characters are convincing booksellers with lots of books to sell. The problem is they have no customers. The Dragon is determined to be the last bookstore standing but they need a product. In Eureka, Humboldt County, California, and from a very accomplished gardener, the product they're looking for might be in their own back yard. For actual book lovers, the kind you hold in your hands, the premise is sadly true in these technological times. The storyline is creative but 3 stars for the horrendous editing job.
This is a fantasy, a fabrication and far-flung novel which ironically is about the tragedy of losing all the bookshops in America. However, it is also entertaining and amusing. The characters are convincing booksellers with lots of books to sell. The problem is they have no customers. The Dragon is determined to be the last bookstore standing but they need a product. In Eureka, Humboldt County, California, and from a very accomplished gardener, the product they're looking for might be in their own back yard. For actual book lovers, the kind you hold in your hands, the premise is sadly true in these technological times. The storyline is creative but 3 stars for the horrendous editing job.
February 9, 2022
A time comes when electronic devices replace hard books. Private bookstores are closing until only a few operate, mostly for collectors. But Eureka, CA's small bookstore is taking in a million a year. When a nephew of the deceased owner inherits the store, he gives up his Bay area job and heads North. Unfortunately, it is dealing in cannibis sales as it's main financial transaction while pretending to sell books. Only a bookstore owner from N. CA could envision a scenerio like this in which bookstores fail.When cannibis is legalized federally, bookstores become essentially a hookah bar with books as decoration. Rather depressing.
November 18, 2017
This book is about much more than the story of the last bookstore in America. It is about the demise of humanity due to the digitization of everything, not just books. There's a fun little back story about the owners and the day-to-day operation of the bookstore, but laced within are bits that make you wonder about your own role as a driver on the information highway. Cliche, I know, but not sure how to express how I feel about the symbolism (intended or not) relating to our society. I definitely enjoyed reading this one...on an electronic device.
December 5, 2023
Fun look at what is almost true - life without print books, only ebooks! The story begins with only a few bookstores left. I loved the town of Eureka where everyone just hung out and no one knows what everyone does all day. Very different from the characters Lewis and Emily’s life. But it sure was fun when they come to town and stick out like a sore thumb. I didn’t like them at all at first but sort of grew to laugh at how clueless they were. I did not expect the book to have the plot it did. I learned a lot!
March 23, 2018
Very fun read. It reminded me of a British farce. This one has to hide something from that one while another has no idea what is happening. I love my "Gizmo" (Kindle) and I love books, so a bookstore is one of my favorite places. I'd hang out at the Dragon any day. Don't look for high literature in this book--
just enjoy the laughter and the trip to the Last Bookstore!
just enjoy the laughter and the trip to the Last Bookstore!
November 26, 2017
Fun read..
With a great title,this author has really captured the possibility of occurrence.
With tongue in cheek,the entire book is a delight. I am not usually a fan of what if,but this book has made it all seem possible.
With a great title,this author has really captured the possibility of occurrence.
With tongue in cheek,the entire book is a delight. I am not usually a fan of what if,but this book has made it all seem possible.
November 2, 2018
A real fun read
I quite enjoyed this book. Who knew illegal drugs could be funny. I started reading this, because New York has lost so many bookstores, so I was I was taken with the title. Plus I am a fan of Amy Stewart. I highly recommend it
I quite enjoyed this book. Who knew illegal drugs could be funny. I started reading this, because New York has lost so many bookstores, so I was I was taken with the title. Plus I am a fan of Amy Stewart. I highly recommend it
November 30, 2018
I am a retired librarian, I love books, I love bookstores, but I read all my books on a “Gizmo.” I enjoyed reading this vision of a world without books. I do purchase hard copies of books I particularly love, and this novel made me think I better continue to support the printed word.
May 21, 2019
True true true
Anyone who has ever loved books, spent hours in a bookstore (a real one, not amazon - perish the thought) will love love love this book. Written with insight and wisdom and ALOT of wit and humor. Read it! Maybe even track down a “real” copy and save it!
Anyone who has ever loved books, spent hours in a bookstore (a real one, not amazon - perish the thought) will love love love this book. Written with insight and wisdom and ALOT of wit and humor. Read it! Maybe even track down a “real” copy and save it!
March 19, 2021
I got a kick out of this story. And it is gun to know the author and her husband own a bookstore in Eureka, CA, so they know the town they are describing. Fast read, with a well told story. All of us on here love bookstores, so the idea of them disappearing completely is anxiety-producing.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 134 reviews