click to enlarge For bibliophiles and history geeks, literary types and plain old nerds, there are few places more comforting than the stacks of a local bookstore. These brick-and-mortar shops, run by passionate individuals who champion the books they love, are meeting places for the community. They cast spotlights on local writers, put new wind in B-list authors’s sails, host book clubs and writing clubs, foster relationships, and stock our home libraries. The nearly two dozen independent bookstores scattered throughout the Hudson Valley are part of the cultural fabric of the area, as much for the events they host as for the minds they cultivate.