Cheap thrills at neighborhood bookstores!

I'm starting a new feature, profiling neighborhood bookstores and some of the interesting, unusual book discussion groups and events that they are organizing this year. The idea is to emphasize the fact that bookstores -- and books --- are cheap, sustainable forms of entertainment and enrichment in these utterly wretched economic times. The first featured bookstore in the series will be The Booksmith in San Francisco. Stay tuned. And if you are the owner -- or an employee of -- a neighborhood bookstore that is putting on an interesting, unusual event, anywhere in America or in the world at large, shoot me an email at some point and I'll try to get you into the 'cheap thrills' column at some point.