Stuart Dybek

The wonderful Stuart Dybek was named a MacArthur Fellow this year. Yes, he's a genius!

No argument here. I dig his short fiction quite a bit.

Writers I like winning the Genius grant—this is a trend I endorse.

Lydia Davis in 2003. Aleksandar Hemon in 2004. Jonathan Lethem in 2005. George Saunders in 2006.

I'd rather be reading...

But, no. I'm shelving. If I were reading, though, I might sit down with a copy a very odd book called I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets: The Comics of Fletcher Hanks.



Much like Guybrarian, I thought perhaps this collection of Fletcher Hanks work was a clever satire of old comics. I think the source of my trepidation was this: the Stardust the Super Wizard comics, for example, begin—as one would expect—with villains coming up with some horrible plot to gain wealth or power. (One criminal gang discovers a way to turn gravity off—the Anti-Solar Ray—sending the world's population into the atmosphere, leaving their valuables and planet for them.) Stardust foils these plots with little to no action, though. He does so in mere panels. The bulk of each story is the elaborate—and horrible—punishment Stardust tailors for each criminal.

Also, Stardust has a giant neck:



The collection, by the way, was gathered by Paul Karasik.

Dog of the Week

This little lady is named MacGyver. Look at that face.

No, seriously. Look at that face!

MacGyver is named for the inventive, non-violent, gun-control advocating, TV action hero played by Richard Dean Anderson.

Need a little MacGyver in your life? Check out Brendan Vaughan's book What Would MacGyver Do? True Stories of Improvised Genius in Everyday Life.

Much like the TV MacGyver, the dog MacGyver knows how to non-violently subdue a crowd of people:

Avast

It's International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Why not celebrate with some pirate-themed literature?

Like, say, Pirattitude: So You Wanna Be a Pirate? Here's How! by John "Ol' Chumbucket" Baur and Mark "Cap'n Slappy" Summers. Heck, they are the creators of Talk Like a Pirate Day, so if you're looking for a definitive guide to the day, this is likely it.

About Gideon DeFoe's book The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists & In an Adventure with Ahab, comic legend Eric Idle says: "Hilarious. Destined to become a classic of pirate comic fiction."

Kids who want to hunt the high seas for treasure hunting scalawags can check out Pirateology: A Pirate Hunter's Companion.

Here's a personal favorite: A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes. It's a gorgeous book, an adventure novel, a look at the innocence of childhood, a comedy—good stuff all around.

And, of course, if you've never read Treasure Island, isn't it about time?

Found in a Book

Here's another odd little find from our used book buyers.

A little traveling music, please...

Here's the last of the new Booker T. Owl videos. It stars one of our professional booksellers.

Booker and Nancy again

Here's another Booker video, again featuring University Book Store friend Nancy Pearl.

He's been a busy owl. One more later today!

Booker's been at it again...

We have some new videos from our buddy, Booker T. Owl. This one stars our friend Nancy Pearl.

Enjoy!



Watch for a couple more tomorrow.

Dog of the Week

Let's here it for Rusty, this week's Dog of the Week. He's a big fella, very calm, nice coat.

Good boy, Rusty. Thanks for that very good stay.

Found in a Book

Today's Found in a Book is an old ad for a book!

I don't believe we currently have copies of Mary J. Studley, M.D.'s What Our Girls Ought to Know. So. If you need information on "What causes cold feet," you'll have to use Wikipedia or WebMD.

A Wrinkle

One of my elementary school teachers liked to read to her class. She read the John Christopher Tripod books, to which I was mostly indifferent, having read them in comic form in the back of Boy's Life magazine.

And then she read A Wrinkle In Time. Boy did I love that book.

Madeleine L'Engle has passed away.

Dog of the Week

This is our new friend Toby. Wee little thing, isn't he? Cute, too.

Toby got a little nervous when we picked him up and sat him on the counter for a photo. It was either a little too high for him, or a little too reminiscent of a trip to the vet.

Either way, we apologize, Toby. Thanks for being patient and toughing it out. In your honor, we suggest Arianna Huffington's On Becoming Fearless.

Why not? Toby can do it. So can you and I.