Helping things grow is the personal and professional privilege of the down-to-earth Parent family. For the past 23 years Paul Parent — sometimes with help from his son, Patrick — has been the nice-guy radio host of a popular, nationally syndicated show that shares tips, trends, and troubleshooting ideas about gardening.
The Paul Parent Garden Club airs 6-10 a.m. Sunday mornings on 104.9 FM or online at www.paulparent.com. Green-thumbed listeners, who glove up every season in hopes of making their patch of Eden a more heavenly place, are welcome to call in and ask the pros questions about all verdant things around New England and beyond.
Earlier this month, Francis X. Clines of the New York Times published an editorial with the heading, "Indie Bookstores Are Back, With a Passion." While providing a brief recap of the ups and downs faced by independent bookstores over the past two decades, he expressed real optimism for the future of bookselling.
After decades of reading sobering news about our industry, this editorial provided a real tonic. It also reinforced what my colleagues and I have been feeling as we go about our daily work. The pendulum seems to be swinging back in the direction of paper-and-board books. We hear it in the comments of our customers and see it in their purchasing decisions. Four or five years ago, we watched as long-time loyal readers turned away from physical books and began reading almost exclusively on screens.
