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Showing posts from March, 2009

Link-Mad Monday: Cool stuff from the internet

Apologies, Written Nerd readers: there's been a distinct lack of posting around here. I blame the truly frenzied level of real-ness which the bookstore project is approaching. More details and announcements as soon as I'm able, I promise. In the meantime, since I have no attention span, here's some random cool stuff I've noticed lately. Via the ALP's friend Heather (thanks!): The Most Interesting Bookstores in the World . Can't argue with the title. These photos make me woozy with desire, especially the Lello bookstore in Portugal. (Watch out for the hairless cat, though -- rather disconcerting.) Closer to home, Mona Molarsky of the New York Examiner website continues her series on Favorite Bookstore of New York with the Upper East Side (that's Corner Bookstore, Archivia, and Crawford Doyle if you're trying to get your bearings.) Check it out, then browse through the previous 7 articles in the series for an in-depth look at some of the city'

Emerging Leaders Night Out, Spring 2009 edition!

Happy first day of spring! -- on which it's been snowing here in NYC. Weird. Spring is undeniable, however, and with it a young bookseller's thoughts turn to raising a pint with fellow industry professionals. That's right, folks: it's time for another Emerging Leaders Night Out! This coming Wednesday, March 25, at 7 PM, we'll be gathering at Swift , one of my favorite Irish pubs, for some professional networking with fellow booksellers and industry folks. This time, we'll also be joined by members of HarperCollins program for young folks, HarperCollins Emerging Professionals (HCEP) . It's a great chance to learn about what the publisher is doing, and meet some fresh faces coming up through the ranks. And the Independent Booksellers of New York City (IBNYC) will also have a presence, so you can learn about what that organization is doing to promote indie booksellers to consumers in NYC. EL, HCEP, IBNYC -- it will be an evening of acronyms, and beer.

Discoveries and discussions

Okay, I've got internet, but not wireless or phone. Stuck in text-only land until a friend comes by to figure out my network issues on Saturday. Sigh. In the meantime, some stuff. I love the Brookline Blogsmith's reference to Bambi : we are all "twitterpated" now. I've been tweeting (ugh, finally a word more embarassing than "blog") incessantly as @booknerdnyc and @mcnallyjackson, and learning a lot about books, book news, and what folks had for breakfast. My new favorite Twitter use: at last night's event at McNally Jackson , John Wray discussed his ongoing Twitter novel (@John_Wray). He allows as how he doesn't think it's the "wave of the future", but he likes the challenge of making something happen in every 140 character installment, as well as serving a larger narrative. Seventy-one years ago (that's before Twitter), writers already valued "talks, rum, argument, politics and laughter", and a quiet place to wr

Technical difficulties

We're having some trouble with our phone and internet this week -- something to do with multiple routers or VOIP lifespan or something. So blogging is unlikely as I'll be spending every spare moment on the phone with various communication-oriented companies. I have been Twittering a fair amount from work, though (this is allowed??) -- you can follow me @booknerdnyc. Some more long-attention-span thoughts in the works as soon as everything is humming along again.

Link-Mad Monday: Cool Newness!

Bloggin' on my break at the bookstore, crammin' it all in... Via Vroman's : The annual Tournament of Books at The Morning News has begun! Click over for an irresistible death match between this year's top works of fiction, judged by the literati with unabashed prejudice and total transparency. Way more fun than the Booker or NBA, if far more tongue-in-cheek. Brownstoner has a post on the borough's newest comic shop : Bergen Street Comics in Park Slope. Ha, scooped -- I blogged about that on Friday ! Had a delightful retailer-to-retailer chat with owner Tom -- and it's totally awesome to have a new comics purveyor in the nabe. Via Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn : TheBrooklynInk chronicles Heights Books' move from Brooklyn Heights to Smith Street. Speaking of comics -- our Graphic Novel Book Club discussion of Watchmen on Thursday night was AWESOME. I was so happy with the size and diversity of our group, and the conversation was totally exciting. I saw the mo

Writing Elsewhere

Sorry I haven't been writing much around here lately, but I have been writing for other forums. Reverend Daniel Meeter was kind enough to post some thoughts on Lent I wrote last week on Ash Wednesday. Not my usual sort of topic, so it made sense to post it on the Old First blog rather than here. But it was very satisfying to express those thoughts, and I'm grateful. And as you may have noticed, I am now one member of the intrepid blogging crew of the New York Times' new Local blog project for Fort Greene/ Clinton Hill . I'm playing the role of the literary blogger, which means I'll be writing once every couple of weeks about the literary life of the neighborhood , past and present. Andy Newman, the Brooklyn-based reporter who's running the blog, approached me about contributing several weeks ago, and I'm having a great time working with him on this new blogging project. I'm pretty excited to have a byline in the Times . It's a fascinating proj

The Handsell: Comics Roundup!

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As promised, I'm catching up on reviewing some of the many comics I seem to have been reading lately. This will be Handsell style: just a quick description/pitch. A note on linking: I'm trying something new. I'm using my own images and linking them directly to the IndieBound book info page, rather than using the affiliate links, which require an extra several clicks before you get to the book. It takes a bit longer for me, but seems more likely to be click-through-friendly for you. Let me know what you think. Miss Don't Touch Me by Hubert & Kerascoet (NBM/ComicsLit) This graphic novel is a study in contradictions: it combines a somewhat lighthearted tone - "prudish girl finds herself working in a high-end whorehouse, bring on the sex comedy!" - with some rather grisly plot points, including some pretty dark perversions and more than one bloody murder. The very French drawing style -- quick and flowing, almost sketchy, a la Joann Sfar of The Rabbi&#