One of Us

Turns out that Joe, the guy fired from Waterstone's in Edinburgh for his blogging, is actually one of those people who make going into bookshops worthwhile, and the corporate whore who's managing that particular shop decided, therefore that his face didn't fit. Charlie Stross has the story.

I'd noticed a while ago that the SF section in W's in Cheltenham had been derogated to the back of the shop, and the selection there just hasn't been very tasty recently, so I'd pretty much given up on the place as soon as Ottokar's had opened. Last time I went in, the popular science books had been wedged into a not-very-welcoming corner on the top floor.

And, of course, the front of the shop has become just a kind-of popular book supermarket, completely antithetical to any kind of enjoyable browsing experience, anyway. Ottakar's, with its wonderful central staircase, is much more fun.