Goodbye 2009, Hello 2010

The hustle and bustle of the holidays are over, the inventory is complete, in another week or two I should have everything completed that I didn’t have time to touch over the past two months. Whew! Soon I will be able to get back to what I love most, reading! Not that I ever stopped completely. I don’t think that’s possible. Reading is like breathing to me. I feel like I haven’t gotten through nearly as many books as I hoped by year’s end, but I have great expectations for this year!

I did manage to complete two young adult novels which did not disappoint. If you are as big a fan of Ellen Hopkins as I am, you probably finished Tricks months ago. What did you think? She never disappoints, does she? She isn’t afraid to tackle the tough subjects and she doesn’t tiptoe around the real issues. Her writing style is brilliant and amazes me with each and every addition. How can I possibly wait until September for the final chapter in the Crank trilogy??

The other new series I discovered is the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Have you read it? Oh, you must!! I couldn’t put it down! I’m looking forward to finding out what happens next with Catching Fire.

Many of our local favorites published new books recently, too. Victoria Houston joined us for her annual visit last month with the tenth, but thankfully not the last, book in the Loon Lake Mystery Series, Dead Renegade. Nelda Johnson Liebig completed the fourth book in the Carrie series, Carrie and the Homestead, and was generous enough to sign a few copies for us. Unfortunately she will be moving on to other adventures so this is the last planned for this series. Torture at the Back Forty is still a best seller and another true crime with local ties, The Monfils Conspiracy has been getting a lot of press.

Lately I have been reading a few intriguing titles to be released next month. Sorry, you will have to wait for my opinions on those.

What about you?

Have you read anything exciting over the holidays or that you are looking forward to now that things have quieted down?

"That's why I do this!"

Tracy Ertl, publisher and owner of TitleTown Publishing, hand delivered my order of Torture at the Back Forty and Bodyguard to the Packers for the Mike Dauplaise’s book signing next month. Now that’s what I call customer service! One independent business taking care of another.

We had a very informational and enjoyable conversation about publishing, selling, and the book business in general. I was curious how Tracy, a former police reporter and current public safety dispatcher, began her career in publishing – especially specializing in the true crime genre. I must admit, I have never been a fan of true crime. How can authors exploit the victims and their families in that way? Boy, did I have a lot to learn! Tracy, a survivor herself, has made it her goal to educate about crime and the survival of it. Her purpose, and that of the authors she publishes, is to help readers come to a deeper understanding of the victims and make sure they are never forgotten.

The true story of the pool table rape and murder of Margaret Anderson. Left for dead, practically beheaded in a manure pile, Margaret fights for life. But in the end the single mother leaves behind a son. Author Dauplaise practically makes Margaret blow a breath at readers as he recreates the night she was killed. He then takes readers to the place she was trying to escape back to, her home state of Montana and finally on the investigative hunt of a lifetime as this America's Most Wanted drama ends with the capture of her killer five years later.
From the back of Torture at the Back Forty


What did you think of the inside cover of Torture at the Back Forty? Tracy wondered. Sheepishly I admitted not even opening the book. I had a few copies pass in and out of the store, but really had no desire to more than glance at them. Without reproach she slit the carton in front of us, placed a copy in my hand and expectantly watched as I read the short blurb. “That’s why I do this!” she exclaimed with pride as the goose bumps ran up my arms, “Isn’t it amazing that a book can have that kind of impact?”

No, I am not going to tell you what the single sentence said, you’ll have to pick up the book, but I will tell you that I just got the same reaction reading it again.