As always, I don't like seeing independent bookstores falling on hard times.

I can't remember the last time I was in Austin, Texas, where BookWoman--one of only twelve independent women's bookstores in the country--is struggling to stay alive.

While BookWoman's online site, run through BookSense, lacks the bells and whistles of Amazon, a little navigating there on the side-menu hyperlinks will bring you to award winners and bestsellers for your holiday gift giving. Ordering from BookWoman this year just might help save the store.

For more information about the store and its fund raising drive, see the Save Book Woman website and the newspaper article BookWoman fights to keep site as similar stores in U.S. close in the Austin paper.

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