The Book (list) Thief

School is back in session along with the need for students to get their hands on the necessary text books. I came across this amusing article about professors at a university in Amherst supporting local independent booksellers by providing them with their required reading lists. The university bookstore, which is run under contract by the nation’s largest collegiate-bookstore chain, was left in the dark. The director of this campus store was caught posing as a parent of a student inquiring which textbook a professor required for her class.

I couldn’t help but stand up and cheer for the professors who see the importance of supporting independent businesses and sharing that knowledge with their students. The same would apply to high school teachers as well. Doesn’t it make sense for all teachers to send their students to an independent business less than two miles away rather than a chain almost thirty miles away? How about providing the nearest independent bookstores with required reading lists and preferred foreign language dictionaries in plenty of time to stock up?

Speaking of required reading lists, I just received a list for a local high school English class and have to admit, a few titles made me cringe at the memory of my own high school years and the dreaded reading lists. The Good Earth , Pride and Prejudice , Jane Eyre . Some were gifts presented to me by my knowing teachers; others were not the enjoyable experience they had promised.

What about you?

Any books you are still fuming about having to endure?

Help!

For me Labor Day signifies the end of summer. The six postcards I received in the mail this week reminding me to have my two kids at the bus stop ten minutes early along with offers to have care packages sent to my college student (how can I miss him enough to send a care package while I am still trying to figure out how we are going to get a futon, fridge, TV, mountain bike and five people in our compact car?) have assured me that yes, summer is over and I missed it completely. Why is it that when the kids were in grade school the end of summer couldn’t arrive soon enough and when they are in college it’s gone in a flash?

Can summer really be over? I haven’t taken the Jet Ski out since July…of 2007. Why did I purchase a fishing license this year? I don’t even remember what fresh perch tastes like. Do we still own a tent for our once was weekly camping trips? My stack of summer reading seems to have grown and now my goal is to read 37 books a day over the next 3 days to get them finished before tackling fall’s mountain. Summer can’t be over!!

Help me out here!

What books have you read this summer that just can’t be missed?

Which can I safely pass on?

All good things must come to an end...

I feel as if I am in mourning. Tears were actually shed on my way to work. For Edgar and Almondine. For the unfortunate end of their story. A story filled with such passion and fury and loneliness and longing. A story I foolishly believed would come to it’s conclusion long after I lost interest and was ready to read the happily ever after and move on to the next. There is no moving on from The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. He will be with me now for the rest of my days. I can only envy David Wroblewski who completed his life’s purpose with depth and beauty. How can I begin another book without feeling let down? How can another possibly compare to the one I just finished?

How about you?

What books have you read that seized your very soul and wouldn’t let go?

Lucky 8... or 5?

The Chinese believe 8 is a lucky number. Numerologist say the number 8 means achievement, abundance, strength and grandeur. Many people believe today, 8/8/08, will be a lucky day. Today also just so happens to be Friday and who doesn’t love Fridays?

Friday is the perfect day to share my book pick which came out within the past 8 days. If you are on Shelfari, Goodreads or LibraryThing you may have already read my opinion, but did you also notice the number of stars The Lace Reader earned from me? I am extremely stingy with my stars, so for Brunonia Barry’s debut to receive 5, this should be considered a great honor!

Beautifully written, poignant and intriguing. Each word is woven like a delicate thread into this powerful novel by Brunonia Barry. History, romance, and mystery in a perfect blend to create the most compelling read of the year.

I prefer not to know anything about a book before reading it so I had no clue what I was getting myself into with this one. I’m not going to share any information with you, either. If you choose to know the characters, plot, twists and turns before opening the cover, you will have no trouble finding that information, but I will not spoil the story for you. The only complaint I have is that I wasn’t able to finish and then restart the entire book in one sitting.

What about you?
Did you read anything exciting in the past 8 days?
Do you like to know everything about a book before opening the cover or do you cherish the surprise?
And, do you believe today will be a lucky day?

Oh, What a Week!

It started last Saturday with a visit from one of our favorite Wisconsin authors, Victoria Houston . Since the publication of the ninth book in her Loon Lake mystery series was postponed a month, her visit was also postponed. This gave customers a whole extra month to reserve copies. Unfortunately the extra month didn’t help. As a small town bookstore, our orders are based on the number of reserved copies and previous sales. Since this is the third year this particular author visited us, we at least had the previous years’ numbers to go off of. We had an excellent turn out this year which proved to be good news/bad news. We had about half a dozen frustrated customers walk away without a signed copy of Dead Hot Shot – all but one were first time visitors from other towns. This is something we felt absolutely terrible about, which almost overshadowed the feeling of glee at selling twice as many as last year.

This has me concerned about tomorrow’s release of Breaking Dawn. Once again based on last year’s sales of Eclipse and the number of pre-orders, we should have plenty of books for all…I guess we will know soon enough.

Hopefully tonight musician extraordinaire, Skip Jones, brings enough copies of his newest CD, Life is Delicious!

Luxury or Necessity?

It is no secret that times are rough right now. With gas and food prices soaring, who can afford luxury items? And, what would be considered a luxury item?

Books?

Books a luxury?? No way!! I have noticed a shift in the book buying habits of customers this summer compared to last. It may not be the change you would expect, though.

In the past I would have customers stopping in to purchase a paperback or two for something to do on the airplane or the long car ride as they set off for their vacations. This year it seems more and more people consider a vacation an extravagance they can do without. The trip anyway. They still have the vacation time and are obviously going to make the most of it. Since they are saving hundreds of dollars by not taking that trip, they think nothing of spending some of that savings on books.

There were some great comments on this blog about eliminating book buying from the budget:

I’ve found that I don’t really save all that much money by cutting out book buying. The problem is that if I don’t have a book to read, I’ll start looking around for other types of entertainment that are usually more expensive. A book costs between 8 and 30 dollars, and generally will keep me entertained for 5 to 15 hours, depending on the length. By contrast, a movie is $12 and only keeps me entertained for two and a half hours.

Buying books is a real weakness of mine. … it’s one of my main forms of relaxation, stretches my mind and is probably the one thing I do for myself.

…Browsing in local bookstores as a child and in college made special memories and we seek out shops when we travel now. Their owners may recommend something we’ve never heard of and the shops have a sense of place that B&N or Borders lack. Our house is also overflowing with books. Yeah, it is in need of culling every once in a while. But it is part of who we are as a family. Hasn’t anyone read the studies directly linking books in the home and academic success? Both our kids benefited from this “literacy-rich” environment and achieve well above their peers who do not read for pleasure. We love the library and visit regularly, especially for audio books. But books at home are a must. And my daughter’s perfect critical reading score on the SAT was a bonus ;-)

This summer I’ve had more and more customers purchase stacks of books for themselves and for their children. Since they are staying home for their vacation, they want to make sure they have plenty to do.

What about you?

Are you giving up any luxury items due to the economy?

What do you consider a necessity that others may not agree with?

Life is Like an Old Pop-Up

Last Friday is lost to me and by next Friday I will be another year older. Realization dawned on me when I noticed the trailer hidden among the weeds in our yard. Isn’t it about time we get rid of that old piece of junk? I asked my husband. The trailer started as a pop-up camper which my family spent some of the best weekends of my life in when I was a little girl. We grew up and moved on and the camper was passed on to an uncle. Once his kids grew up, the camper made it full circle back to me. We spent many weekends with our own kids in the camper until the tarp could no longer hold any more duct tape and we eventually turned that old camper into a trailer. It may not look as good as it use to, but it still serves a purpose, just not the one it was originally meant for. Isn’t that trailer about the same age as you? my husband responded.
I suppose my life isn’t so different from that old camper. My kids are getting older and my life is taking on a new purpose and I know I’m not alone. Many of us take new directions in our life, either by choice or happenstance. Many of us want to make sure we are doing everything we can to have a happy life, which is obvious by looking at the bestsellers lists. The Secret , Quantum Wellness, Soul Wisdom, A New Earth , You Can Heal Your Life, The Power of Now , The Purpose-Driven Life , and Your Best Life Now . I have another personal favorite, Critical Choices that Change Lives .

What about you?

Have you found an inspiring book that changed your life?