Turning the final page

Re “Save the Book Review,” Letters, July 22

I read with dismay that you plan to stop publishing the Book Review, the section I relish the most in the entire paper.

I have a Sunday ritual of taking the Book Review to Starbucks, reading the section from cover to cover and then, at the Los Angeles Public Library website, reserving the most interesting books. Judging by the length of the waiting lists for these books by Sunday evening, many of your readers do this.

Avid readers are the last group of people a newspaper would want to alienate.

Marc A. Rich

Chatsworth

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I am a first-time author and have gotten encouragement and a sense of community from reading The Times’ Book Review section. Like every other author, I hope to see a compassionate review of something I’ve written in those pages.

Not unlike visiting an art museum, seeing others’ work and critiques of it educates and inspires (who among us hasn’t viewed art and said aloud, “I could do that!”?). Viewing a painting online just isn’t the same. Likewise, downloading reviews -- if I happen to think about it -- won’t be like being treated to Sunday morning coffee and the Book Review.

Pat Rosengren

San Marino

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Congratulations on discontinuing the Book Review. Nobody reads books these days.

Keep up the good work and pretty soon nobody will read newspapers either.

Dori Hughes

Kip Chase

San Luis Obispo