So, last night, because I haven’t been to the grocery store for a week, we went out to dinner. We got some pizza (and a pepperoni roll, yum) and then after dinner we decided to hit Borders. I couldn’t tell you the last time I actually bought a book in a bookstore–rather than Amazon–but I still love to browse.

Anyway, it was our first visit to the Borders, it’s across the street from anything else we ever go to.

My first impression…it was messy! People had left books lying around the front table (and not like they were placing it strategically on the front table which I’ll get to in a second) but, like they were leaving the store and just through the book down at the closest place.

I made my way to the romance sections. It was the most overstuffed romance section I’d ever seen! Books were shelved at least 2 deep and then there were even more piled on top of the shelves. There was a stack of “Breath of Snow and Ashes” that came up to my waist (OK, really that book is so freaking huge it was only a stack of two).

The endcaps of the shelf made no sense at all. You’d expect computer books on the end of the row of computer books. No.

There was a whole endcap of Brava books on the religion section! Hello?

They had another disply labled “Sensual Romance” and had a bunch of Fern Michaels and Linda Lael Miller books? Who’s definition of Sensual romance is that?

Anyway, they had a fair number of e/small press books in the romance section - has anyone ever heard of Vintage Press - but I’m a dumb ass and forgot to scope out the “relationship” section.

But now…onto confession time.

Please tell me I’m not the only one that goes into bookstores and rearranges a little! I admit it, I show some love to my writer friends while I’m in the bookstore!

When they’re shelved spine out, I pull one (or a few) out so they’re a bit more obvious than others.

When books are faced out, maybe I’ll take some bigger authors books and stack them behind or underneath to make my friends books stand out more.

And yes, perhaps once or twice I’ve taken a book and placed it on one of the front tables.

I’m totally okay with showing my friends some love in the bookstore. Even if I don’t buy my books there!

What bookstore tricks do you play?