Friday Odds & Ends
I love that people send me articles about books, bookstores, book technology, and other stuff they know I might be interested in for the blog. My friend Steve sends me the best of the gazillion articles he reads about ebooks. The ALP sends me articles about comics. And sometimes my mom sends me articles about bookstores. Thanks, guys -- I read them all, though I don't always have time to talk about them.
Speaking of time, if you've got any this Saturday and Sunday, check out the Indie & Small Press Book Fair at the New York Center for Independent Publishing. As the Times notes, the sessions include musicians as well as authors and publishers, and the conversations should be as wide-ranging as the books on offer.
And speaking of a wide range of great books, check out the new project of the National Book Critics Circle: a monthly Best Recommended list, compiled from the favorites of lots of great authors and critics. It's sure to be an extremely well-curated list -- like an NBCC award shortlist for every month. We're planning on featuring a display in the bookstore, and I think the list will prove useful in lots of other venues for finding out the best books of the moment. Here's the current list:
Fiction
But that display will have to wait until January, because the bookstore is currently crammed to the gills with Christmas books. In terms of the War on Christmas (thanks Noelle for the link to weirdness), I think "Happy Holidays" is a more thoughtful and kind greeting in a diverse city, and the one I use with customers; but myself, I love Christmas, and all the wrapping paper and cards and festive gifty books are making me a bit giddy. The ALP surprised me this morning with a brand-new stocking for our first Christmas together, and a gingerbread house kit. I'm reserving all of my favorite Christmas books at the library, and compiling my mental list of recommendations for customers and book gifts for my own loved ones.
And in what feels like a very nice pre-Christmas gift, my presentation of my bookstore business plan to the judges at the Brooklyn Business Library went extremely well on Wednesday. Since I spend a lot my time thinking and talking about the viability of indie bookstores and the great opportunities in Brooklyn, answering their questions was pretty easy, and I felt especially confident and articulate -- of course, it was a book-loving crowd, so they were on my side. Thanks to all of you who were mentally supporting me! Now I just have to wait until the end of January to find out what they really thought. Good thing there's plenty to think about in the meantime.
And of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention our fabulous ELNO at HousingWorks on Wednesday night. About 30 booksellers, publishing folks, and authors were in attendance, publishers generously donated reading copies (the remainders went to HousingWorks, of course), and good bookish conversation was had by all. Thanks to all who attended -- see you again soon.
Happy Friday -- enjoy your weekend, and happy reading!
Speaking of time, if you've got any this Saturday and Sunday, check out the Indie & Small Press Book Fair at the New York Center for Independent Publishing. As the Times notes, the sessions include musicians as well as authors and publishers, and the conversations should be as wide-ranging as the books on offer.
And speaking of a wide range of great books, check out the new project of the National Book Critics Circle: a monthly Best Recommended list, compiled from the favorites of lots of great authors and critics. It's sure to be an extremely well-curated list -- like an NBCC award shortlist for every month. We're planning on featuring a display in the bookstore, and I think the list will prove useful in lots of other venues for finding out the best books of the moment. Here's the current list:
Fiction
1. Junot Diaz, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Riverhead)
2. Denis Johnson, Tree of Smoke (Farrar Straus & Giroux)
3. Michael Chabon, The Yiddish Policeman’s Union (HarperCollins)
4. Philip Roth, Exit Ghost (Houghton Mifflin)
5. Per Petterson, Out Stealing Horses (Graywolf)
Nonfiction
2. Denis Johnson, Tree of Smoke (Farrar Straus & Giroux)
3. Michael Chabon, The Yiddish Policeman’s Union (HarperCollins)
4. Philip Roth, Exit Ghost (Houghton Mifflin)
5. Per Petterson, Out Stealing Horses (Graywolf)
Nonfiction
1. Edwidge Danticat, Brother, I’m Dying (Knopf)
2. Alan Weisman, The World Without Us (St. Martin’s)
3. Naomi Klein, The Shock Doctrine (Metropolitan Books)
4. David Michaelis, Schulz and Peanuts (HarperCollins)
5. Tim Weiner, Legacy of Ashes (Doubleday)
Poetry
1. Robert Hass, Time and Materials: Poems 1997–2005* (HarperCollins)
2. Zbigniew Herbert, Collected Poems: 1956-1998 (Ecco)*
3. Robert Pinsky, Gulf Music (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)*
4. Rae Armantrout, Next Life (Wesleyan University Press)
5. Mary Jo Bang, Elegy (Graywolf)
2. Alan Weisman, The World Without Us (St. Martin’s)
3. Naomi Klein, The Shock Doctrine (Metropolitan Books)
4. David Michaelis, Schulz and Peanuts (HarperCollins)
5. Tim Weiner, Legacy of Ashes (Doubleday)
Poetry
1. Robert Hass, Time and Materials: Poems 1997–2005* (HarperCollins)
2. Zbigniew Herbert, Collected Poems: 1956-1998 (Ecco)*
3. Robert Pinsky, Gulf Music (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)*
4. Rae Armantrout, Next Life (Wesleyan University Press)
5. Mary Jo Bang, Elegy (Graywolf)
But that display will have to wait until January, because the bookstore is currently crammed to the gills with Christmas books. In terms of the War on Christmas (thanks Noelle for the link to weirdness), I think "Happy Holidays" is a more thoughtful and kind greeting in a diverse city, and the one I use with customers; but myself, I love Christmas, and all the wrapping paper and cards and festive gifty books are making me a bit giddy. The ALP surprised me this morning with a brand-new stocking for our first Christmas together, and a gingerbread house kit. I'm reserving all of my favorite Christmas books at the library, and compiling my mental list of recommendations for customers and book gifts for my own loved ones.
And in what feels like a very nice pre-Christmas gift, my presentation of my bookstore business plan to the judges at the Brooklyn Business Library went extremely well on Wednesday. Since I spend a lot my time thinking and talking about the viability of indie bookstores and the great opportunities in Brooklyn, answering their questions was pretty easy, and I felt especially confident and articulate -- of course, it was a book-loving crowd, so they were on my side. Thanks to all of you who were mentally supporting me! Now I just have to wait until the end of January to find out what they really thought. Good thing there's plenty to think about in the meantime.
And of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention our fabulous ELNO at HousingWorks on Wednesday night. About 30 booksellers, publishing folks, and authors were in attendance, publishers generously donated reading copies (the remainders went to HousingWorks, of course), and good bookish conversation was had by all. Thanks to all who attended -- see you again soon.
Happy Friday -- enjoy your weekend, and happy reading!
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