Go Ahead and Browse There, But Buy From Local Indies

I'm not in the habit of plugging Amazon.com here--they got two years of book reviews and interviews, I got some stock options, and as far as I'm concerned that squares our accounts neatly. Still, I did get a very nice form letter from one of their current book review editors today, offering me an hours-in-advance sneak peek at "Writers Under the Influence," where 23 writers have contributed original essays about the books that move them, and my enthusiasm for folks like Adam Johnson, Cintra Wilson, and George Saunders momentarily trumps my lack of enthusiasm for e-commerce titans.

(I've decided not to take the form letter thing personally, figuring that it's just like what Nathalie told me when we met after last night's Cupcake reading: "For the first two months, I thought you were a woman named Beatrice."