Like most readers, I love books, bookstores, and especially independent bookstores.

Over the years, when I've visited family in Washington, D.C., I've enjoyed visiting Politics and Prose, my sister-in-law's neighborhood bookstore. It's a great place, airy, with a great selection of books. Even if you've never been there you may know about them from the frequent broadcasts on Book TV of nationally known authors reading from their books.

This week we learned that Carla Cohen, one of the long-time co-owners of Politics and Prose, has died. During an era when superstore chains, the Internet and the economy led to the closing of thousands of independent stores, Politics and Prose expanded from a crowded storefront with less than 2,000 square feet to a two-story haven with more than 10,000 square feet, including a downstairs cafe.

If you can't make it to the memorial service at the store when it's scheduled, go out to your local independent bookstore and buy a book in her memory.