Editor’s Note: Lo and behold, an actual column by yours truly! An early Christmas miracle, methinks.
Over the Thanksgiving break, I had a lot of time to rest and recharge for the final month of the year, which was spent on anticlimactic Black Friday shopping (where are all the mobs fighting over TVs?), Christmas tree decorating, and sipping glasses of eggnog and non-alcoholic cider.
I also picked up and finished a book for the first time since September of this year—a sad thing to admit if you’re me, a self-confessed bookworm—called “Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop” by Hwang Bo-Reum. Set in Seoul, the book follows Yeongju and her quest to follow her dreams of running a bookshop after her old life falls apart. From there, she meets and befriends a whole cast of characters who all have issues of their own that they learn to grapple with and overcome together.
It’s a heartwarming, feel-good book packed with many valuable life lessons, but I wanted to take the time to share an epiphany I had while reading it: newspapers are, in fact, a lot like bookstores.
Hear me out: both newspapers and bookstores have existed a long time--since the days of the printing press--but are currently struggling in the brave new world controlled by Big Internet™ (Amazon, Google, ChatGPT, you get the picture).
But call me crazy, but I predict that newspapers, especially local ones like the Bryan County News, will make a huge comeback in 2026, much like Barnes & Noble and independent bookstores alike are having their mini-renaissance fueled by BookTok, Starbucks, and vinyl collectors.
And as the managing editor, I hope that my efforts in making Bryan County News the news equivalent of Savannah’s E. Shaver Booksellers comes to fruition. How will I do it? Simple: by building a good community paper, one story (and iced mocha!) at a time.
Spotify Wrapped
In lieu of poetry (which I have taken the editorial decision to suspend for the time being—I told y’all, I want to flex my writing muscles again!) I’ll just cap off this week with some songs on my Spotify Wrapped playlist this year. Although I already have my Christmas trees up both at home and in the office, I’m trying my best to avoid the holiday playlists until at least next Monday.
Question for next week: what is everyone’s least favorite Christmas song? Mine has to be the Chipmunk song—the 2007 movie was played in every classroom in elementary school the day before classes shut for the holidays, and I absolutely hated it.
Editor Gutierrez’s Spotify Wrapped ‘25
Ladies Room - Olivia Dean Nice to Each Other - Olivia Dean Life - Jamie xx, Robyn Glum - Hayley Williams Whim - Hayley Williams Mirtazapine - Hayley Williams True Believer - Hayley Williams The Fate of Ophelia -Taylor Swift Elizabeth Taylor - Taylor Swift Opalite - Taylor Swift Wi$h Li$t - Taylor Swift Tu Perfume - Karol G Verano Rosa - Karol G, Feid Can we talk about Isaac? - Rachel Chinouriri
Princess of Power - MARINA Find A Way - Balu Brigada What You Know - Two Door Cinema Club
Billy (Yeah Yeah Yeah) - Inhaler Wonderwall [Remastered] - Oasis Kimbara - Barry Can’t Swim capaz (merengueton) - Alleh, Yorghaki
EURO-COUNTRY - CMAT Just Two Girls - Wolf Alice Like You Did Before - Circa Waves Love Me Not - Ravyn Lenae Foam - Royal Otis Kiss It Kiss It - Renee Rapp The Subway - Chappell Roan.
Andrea Gutierrez is the managing editor of the Bryan County News.