Value for literature lives on in Sunrise/Whitney

The written word, and how we access and interact with it, is undergoing some of the greatest changes since the invention of movable type. In the Sunrise and Whitney areas, the loss of Borders may not have been felt as strongly as other parts of the valley. The big chain bookstore movement never made it there in the first place. Even without mega bookstores, eastsiders have a number of ways to get their read on.

Independent Bookstores press on

Michael Clark recently changed the name of his store at 3430 E. Tropicana Ave. from Michael's Used Books to On the Road Books and Vinyl.

"We're adjusting to the times," Clark said. "I brought in several thousand dollars of vinyl. We've budget-priced our DVDs. Most are $2.99, and hardback fiction is $1.99. Obviously, we hope that people come in and buy more."

The store has books on a wide range of subjects, with a particularly large section of history, classic literature and a Nevada section that includes new works by local authors.

For many years the store hosted a book club, with literature buffs reading and discussing a particular work. The club went on hiatus during the recent transformation, but Clark hopes to bring it back soon, though he hasn't set a date.

Although Clark still loves books and being around them, he feels bookstores may be on their way out.

"It's Kindles and an overall lack of reading by people in our community," Clark said. "It's just getting harder to make it profitable. Slowly these stores will disappear, like the old Mom-and-Pop candy stores."

Ann DeVere, owner of Plaza Books at 7380 S. Eastern Ave., has a more upbeat view.

"Business is good," DeVere said. "I'm doing what I love. I've always wanted a bookstore from when I was a kid. We've got a lot of steady customers, so it's working."

Plaza Books is one of the longest-running used bookstores in the valley. The shop has been at the same location for 17 years.

"We're a general bookstore," DeVere said. "We have an excellent science fiction and mystery selection, a lot of military history and hardcover Easton Press books."

The store has books ranging from $2 to $6,000, with several first editions and hardcover antiquarian books. DeVere feels there will always be a market for collectible books. Despite the advent of e-readers, she doesn't believe people will stop wanting traditional books.

"There's something about the feel and smell of a book," DeVere said. "You have favorite books that you put on a shelf. You look at them and pull them down when you want them."

There's one other advantage DeVere feels books have over e-readers.

"You can't read a Kindle in the bathtub," she said.

Area authors work to get words out

Another advantage dead tree books have over e-readers is the personal experience of meeting an author and having them sign your copy of their book. While there's no reason an e-reader couldn't be signed, there's a limited amount of real estate for autographs, and in a short time, your e-reader could resemble a New York City subway car.

Some of the writers who live in the Sunrise and Whitney areas have found that self-publishing is the way to go.

Stan Vaughan's first novel, "Paul Morphy: Confederate Spy," tells the true tale of a 19th-century chess master who retired at the height of his game.

"I've always been intrigued by Morphy," said Vaughan, who is a World Chess Federation champion himself. "He was the first American international celebrity."

Vaughan said Morphy had dealings with many famous people, "including Victor Hugo, Gustave Flaubert, Louis Pasteur, Jules Verne, (Eugene) Delacroix and William Gladstone. They're all in the book."

When it came time to publish the book, Vaughan went to a small press.

"It's really hard to get someone at a major publisher to look at something these days," he said. "These days, if you want to get something out there, you really have to take control of your own marketing and publishing."

Local author Ingrid I. Holm-Garibay published her book -- "Letters from Frank: An American Terrorist's Life," which recounts her correspondence with Frank D. Alexander, who was convicted of sending bombs to President Clinton and evangelist John Hagee -- on an installment plan. While she had some concerns that it would make the story less timely, it was a trade-off she was willing to make to ensure the story got out.

"It's difficult to find a publisher who wants to work with controversial issues, like this one," Holm-Garibay said. "In my case, I have to self-publish. If I had the money, I would have published it two or three years ago."

Holm-Garibay said the book is selling, but she still has to keep her day job in retail. Still writing is her passion, and she shares that passion with the Henderson Writers Group and the Las Vegas Writers Group.

"It's very helpful to talk to other writers and see how they are doing things," Holm-Garibay said. "It's social as well. We get together and go to clubs and other things."

Library use on the rise

The written word is alive and well in the valley, according to Jeanne Goodrich, executive director for the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District.

"There will always be a market for thrillers, mysteries and romance books by tried-and-true authors," she said. "Good escapist fiction is more popular than ever, especially with the economy the way it is."

Library usage has increased each year since the economy tanked, and people are turning to the libraries for various programs, Goodrich said. Circulation is down by 6 percent. Goodrich attributed it, in part, to the 17 percent cut in library district hours due to a budget shortfall.

At each branch, the computers are "busy from the moment we open until the moment we close," she said, as people surf the web to look for jobs.

Downloading books is more popular than ever, she said, even though it accounted for only 1.5 percent of library circulation last year. There was a reason: Kindle was being particularly stingy. When the ability to download to a Kindle from the library became available in September, Goodrich said, "The Kindle floodgates opened up. In the first three days, 1,000 people downloaded to their Kindles."

Used books sold at libraries are seeing an uptick in sales as the economy limps along. That program brings in $250,000 a year.

The Sunrise Library, 5400 Harris Ave., hosts two book clubs. The Breakfast Book Club, meets on the third Friday of each month and is hosted by librarian Becky Damoth. The group's next meeting is scheduled at 11 a.m. Nov. 18 when members plan to discuss "Shadows of the Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Zafón.

"We do it to highlight the importance of literacy," said Sunrise Library branch manager Anna Vallencourt, "and just for the pure pleasure and enjoyment."

The Reading Pals meet at 4 p.m. every Monday. The group gives children with emerging literacy a chance to read aloud to volunteer teens.

At the Whitney Library, 5175 E. Tropicana Ave., librarian Rebecca Colbert oversees the Book Bistro.

"I guess we call it that because we serve coffee and treats," Colbert said. "We have about 10 regulars. The group is small but loyal."

The group meets at 5:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month. The next meeting is set for Nov. 8, when the group plans to discuss "The Scent of Rain and Lightning" by Nancy Pickard.

"We read about 90 percent fiction," Colbert said. "I scan the New York Times Book Review and the best book lists of the year and keep the reading kind of literary."

Colbert takes suggestions but said most club members are there because they want to read things they wouldn't normally read.

Contact Sunrise/Whitney View reporter F. Andrew Taylor at ataylor@viewnews.com or 380-4532.