Between the Lines

The Carousel Mall's Borders bookstore closed its doors in March, leaving two floors of empty shelves in its wake. One month earlier, the Association of American Publishers reported a 200 percent increase in e-book sales — making e-books, not paperbacks or hardcovers, the best-selling books in the world.

Fortunately for local literati, Syracuse boasts plenty of independent bookstores, cafes, and community centers. Even in the age of Kindles and Nooks, these five preserve the fine and increasingly rare art of turning an actual page.

Book enthusiasts easily burn time and money between these shelves. More than 100 vinyl records from the Beach Boys to Mary J. Blige litter the café entrance of Books and Memories, which features five rooms of affordable wall-to-wall literature, both used and new, from cookbooks to comics. A barely used volume of the Norton Anthology of American Literature sells for just $5, and the Complete Works of Langston Hughes for $20. With soft oldies playing overhead and chairs in every corner, you can take a seat and start reading as soon as you find a book.

With its musty smell and cloister-like silence, Books End resembles a secret library or an English professor's attic. On a recent weekday, the workers didn't speak unless spoken to and few customers wandered the shelves. Still, the quiet store does a good trade in used books, giving shoppers a range of well-priced options. You can find a new hardcover copy of Steig Larsson's Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest for $12 and a leather-bound Ulysses for $50. The store also specializes in rare books. Just make sure to take a few deep breaths of fresh air before you enter.

The books at Creekside cost about the same as Barnes & Noble's, and the store's polished interior looks more like a model home than a cozy bookstore. But what Creekside lacks in character or price, it makes up in excellent food. The bookstore adjoins a coffee shop that serves everything from wraps to curry, and its homemade coffee drinks start at $1.50. For a truly pretentious reading experience, explore the shop's extensive local wine list. Creekside also hosts a popular trivia night every Wednesday and live music Thursday through Saturday.

Stereotypical literati might prefer coffee shops, but Roji Tea Lounge provides a Zen-like atmosphere for you and your favorite book. Roji's owners, Tomomi Yoshida and Christian Van Luven, started the downtown teahouse with old-school Buddhist principles like meditation and inclusion in mind. Try the small back room, with its miniature tables and cushy seat pillows. The attentive, non-intrusive service fosters a good reading environment; plus, sweet treats like bubble tea, cookies, and mini-cupcakes keep you energized for hours.

Students, teachers, and Pulitzer Prize-winners all convene at the YMCA Downtown Writer's Center, which celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. The center provides both workspace and instruction to aspiring writers: A large poet's library offers visitors a space to read and write, and the Y sponsors more than 50 creative writing workshops and guest lectures each year. Recent speakers included novelist Alexander Yates, essayist Steve Kahn, and feminist poet Alicia Ostriker. The Y also runs a two-year, MFA-like writing program.