Wednesday, January 17 2018

The 8 best independent bookstores in Columbus now that the Acorn Bookshop is closing 📚

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Hello Wednesday. It's James. 

I've recently started buying physical books again. Moving fully over to Kindle books seemed like a good idea at the time (less clutter! more space!), but I'd forgotten how enjoyable it is to come across something you didn't know you were really looking for at a library sale, or a used bookstore. Life doesn't give up serendipity easily, but books are a cheap way of manufacturing those moments.

I'll now have one less bookstore to visit in those efforts. Columbus is

after 25 years of operation. That's loads of history, and an admirable length of time fighting the good fight by the owner (and if you're interested in books you should check them out before they are gone). This sad event seemed like a good opportunity  to re-visit and update an article we did fairly close to our launch. Things have obviously changed in just a year, and we found some stores that we missed the first go round. These are 8 Columbus treasures, mostly all for different reasons, all worth an afternoon of exploration.

Wednesday Weather 🌡🌤❄️ Mostly sunny, high of 21. Wind chills as low as -6. We should start thawing out Friday, and the forecast says 50 for Sunday.

Navigator Originals ✏️This New Albany Mansion Is The Perfect Place For Wine Wednesday Book ClubSticking with the literary theme, this New Albany house might have the classiest library in the Columbus metro area, as well a wine cellar that is super over the top.Public Art In The Short North Is Going To Explode Starting In 2019Art on High revealed plans for a significant investment from the city for public art in the Short North. $420,000 will be spent on art coinciding with a $25 million streetscape project that will see sidewalks widened and utilities buried. The first art from this project should be viewable fall of 2019.Witches, Wizards, And Muggles: A Very Magical Potter Experience Is ComingHarry Potter alert: the Columbus Symphony orchestra will be performing the score from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets at the end of the month.

Around Town 🏘Are you satisfied with snow removal in Columbus over the weekend and through Monday? 42 trucks have been working 12 hour shifts, but they are just now getting to residential roads and side streets. [NBC4]One good thing about a winter storm: Columbus Zoo pictures of zoo animals and the snow. These photos are all great, but polar bear cub Amelia Gray is the MVP. [Dispatch]Ohio State basketball fans will remember Jared Sullinger who had a brief NBA career and is now trying to work his way back in China. He posted a ridiculous double double on Tuesday: 40 points and 31 rebounds. [LandOf10]Lake Erie ice is looking like something out of Game of Thrones at the moment. Check out the video of the "ice shove" piling ice up over 30 feet high. [CNN]

Longread 🏋️‍♂️The Awl announced Tuesday that they are shutting down operations at the end of the month. This is a site I loved for many years, for many reasons, not the least of which is that they were concerned with exactly what journalism and story telling would look like in this future that we all find ourselves in. This is a subject so near and dear to my heart that I started Columbus Navigator, despite the dire odds for success. The Awl covered a wide variety of beats, but I really enjoyed when they covered internet culture. This article from this week is a good example of how brilliant the site could be when shining a light on an unexamined online corner. I'm going to miss it."Bodybuilding.com’s humongous Misc. forum embodies the worst of American men."The Awl: The Miscellaneous Bros of Bodybuilding.com

Something to say? Hit reply - we read it all.- James