> As far as recommendations, my local bookstores are often staffed by people that don’t have much in common with my interests. Much easier to find relevant book

> As far as recommendations, my local bookstores are often staffed by people that don’t have much in common with my interests. Much easier to find relevant book recommendations online. Then you haven't found the right bookstore. Many, if not most, independent bookstores specialize in particular areas. In those cases, the staff's knowledge of a product can be invaluable. Certainly better than online recommendations since you can talk to them about what you are looking for, rather than accepting random reviews or machine generated recommendations at face value. If they don't specialize in a particular topic, then any recommendation they can provide is not going to be any better than what you will get from a major retailer or website.