Vrooooom

The days are getting longer, the weather is warming up, and the sun is now a regular visitor. What does this mean? I'm just itching to take a trip on my motorcycle. 

Last year, two of us plotted our week long trip, south-bound along the coast on 101 and then through the valleys of Oregon until we reached our destination at Crater Lake. Unlike car camping, the enjoyment came from the twisting roads and unrestricted views that led us to each campsite. We rode through thousands of butterflies during their afternoon flight. We regularly pulled over on the side of the highway to take a plunge into rivers and cool down from the sweltering weather. We created our own adventure.

Today, while considering the possibilities for this summer's next moto trip, I keep thinking about The Long Way Round and The Long Way Down, two books by Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor. The Long Way Round details their motorcycle journey as they rode their GS BMWs from London to New York, traveling through countries like Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Mongolia. The Long Way Down covers their adventures during their second trip from Scotland to South Africa. Going through their stories, I kept picturing myself on my own (but certainly not as swanky) BMW F650, visiting each of these countries. They got me anxious for the road and my own adventure, even if it meant sticking to just one country and plain-ordinary paved roads.

The books are perfect for any motorcycle rider that's curious about taking a jump into that first big trip. To those riders who have put more miles on their bikes than Boorman and McGregor together, you'll still get a kick out of their blunders and mishaps. And to anyone who might be curious about their friends' obsessions with their own motorcycles, these books will give you a perfect glimpse of what makes us ride.

See you out there.

-Danielle

Now That's a Review

Paul Constant wants you to read (and authors to write) science fiction as a political act. He calls authors prophets. He crushes on Cory Doctorow. Please, please, please read his awesome review of Doctorow's new book, For the Win, here. And then come to our event with both of those two lovely dudes at the Sunset Tavern on Friday. It will rock, I pretty much guarantee. Info here (scroll down to May 14th for the listing).

-Anna (Kids' Dept.)

PS. Feel free to comment: what science fiction novel are we living in right now? I think I'd say a Philip K. Dick mashup.

The Baby-Sitters Club is Back, Y'all!

I was very glad when I started bookselling to find out that I'm not the only one who was obsessed with the Baby-Sitters Club, and that still remembering all the members of the BSC (along with their hair color and basic personality profile) is nothing to be ashamed of. Four out of five of the just-the-right-age ladies I meet will give me a knowing smile when I mention the BSC, and I can't tell you how many horror-struck faces I've seen when I have to break the news that unfortunately, the Baby-Sitters Club books are out of print, and no you cannot get them for your babysitting charge/niece/boyfriend's sister/whomever. People are attached to their BSC memories, and when we fanatics run into each other, we will often indulge in a long trip down memory lane as we talk about Stacey's long blonde hair and struggle with diabetes, the awesomeness of Claudia Kishi's outfits ("lavender plaid overalls" come to mind), and the grand old world of Stoneybrook.

Well, hold on to your overalls, ladies and gentleman, and your white lace bodysuits and your plastic fruit earrings, because Scholastic is reissuing the series, and we just got in the first one- you know what it's called already, right? (Correct answer: Kristy's Great Idea.) Also hot off the presses is Ms. Martin's newly-written prequel, The Summer Before. All I can say is that I'm ridiculously excited to finally be able to go to the shelves and hand #1 to the next person who comes in looking for the good ol' BSC.

A tangent:
Certain people sometimes question the "literary merit" of childrens' series like this. They think Nancy Drew is shallow and Goosebumps is worse. They would prefer that in about fourth grade all children be handed copies of Huckleberry Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird, and their favorite Shakespeare comedy, and not be let out of elementary school until they read, understand, and love them. It seems like a big part of our job in the Kids Department is to encourage parents and teachers to let kids discover and connect to books they choose and love, regardless of their place in The Canon. Not to the exclusion of the above-mentioned books, all of which are almost universally beloved and should be gifted and taught and treasured. But telling kids that the other books they like are dumb serves nobody.

My fourth grade teacher told us we were too old to be reading what she called "formula novels," which was a long list of her literary pet peeves and included the Baby-Sitters Club. I raised my nine-year-old hand and gave an impassioned defense of my favorite series, and she responded by saying, "All right class: raise your hand if you agree with Anna that the Baby-Sitters Club are not formula novels" (italics indicating extra venom). I raised my hand in that stretchy, high-as-it-can-go way, and my poor best friend, loyal to the end, looked over at me, sighed, and put her hand up as well. We were not the only girls in the room who read and loved the books, but we were the only ones willing to face the disdain of a grownup by admitting it. It was the first time a grownup didn't validate that it was cool to read and love books, who said instead that there were some books you should be embarrassed about, and it was humiliating. Was I technically a little wrong, in that they can get kind of formulaic? Yeah, but I was standing up for my principles. And you know what? I learned how to look up books in the library by myself because I wanted to find more BSC. And I babysat and nannied my way all through middle school and high school, following all the rules I learned when I was nine, and making my own money while learning a heck of a lot about responsibility and independence. And I read books she would have approved of anyway, because I liked to read, and now I work in a bookstore. So pooh on people who turn their nose up at "those" books, and thanks Kristy, Mary Ann, Stacey, Claudia, and Ann M. Martin. It was really a lot of fun.

-Anna
(Kids Books)

Just The Facts, Ma'am

To get this ball rolling, I'm going to have to provide you with information that will seem trivial at first, but I promise has some kind of relevance.

I've worn many hats around this bookstore of ours. Before making my triumphant return to the sales floor as a bookseller, I worked in our events department. This might seem like something I'm just throwing out there, as I don't intend to elaborate much more than that, but this means that I rubbed elbows with an unsung hero who is, in one case, becoming all the more unsung as time goes on.

On June 16th, 2009, we hosted an event for local author, and all around great guy, Matthew Simmons. We were there, at the College Inn Pub, for his novella (really a novelette, as you will often hear me say) A Jello Horse. Book Editor for The Stranger, and all around nice guy, Paul Constant was also in attendance.



At the time of the event, neither myself nor Mr. Constant had any kind of firsthand knowledge of the book itself. Matthew had intimated that there were jackalopes, but that was literally the full extent of how informed I was. Danielle, my equally bespectacled counterpart in events, had already read the book and shared a theory which was then transmuted into advice. She said something to the effect that the book was best experienced in one read. With a total of 67 pages, this is an entirely achievable goal, and something that I'm not alone in saying I totally appropriated from her.

These words undoubtedly influenced Paul to say what he said (re: how it should be read), and I can quite honestly say that they alone led me to say what I said in my staff recommendation for the book (something to the effect of "read it in one sitting. If not for yourself, for your children").

The reason why I'm writing about this now is that A Jello Horse has made it into its fourth printing from Publishing Genius Press, which has led to a new jacket design for the book.



See that in the bottom corner? Danielle's words have reached, I think, the height of what a reader's words can reach in regards to a work of literature. That is, a variant is featured on the cover of the work itself. So, to Danielle I say: thank you for sharing your words with us. It enhanced my experience with the book, and has done/will do the same for plenty of others.

Since I still have you here, I feel I should suggest that you take a look at the work of Matthew Simmons. He's an impressive talent that is really on the rise, and for good reason. Along with being the author of A Jello Horse, he is The Man Who Couldn't Blog, the forthcoming author of too many things to count (a novel and two short story collections, I think), and teaches a class at the Richard Hugo House from time to time.

But don't take my word for it! Instead, look at this and see (a second opinion) for yourself.

-Griffin

PS: Thank you, Paul Constant, for allowing me to lean on your words for some kind of credibility.

What Better Way to Celebrate a Love of Books?

Images from our smashing event last night, celebrating the 40th Anniversary of 84 Charing Cross Rd. Days before, Pam and Brad took some time for one last practice (pictured above). All their hard work paid off with a huge crowd and teary eyes by the end. The sweet friendship between Helene and Frank was brought to life and the wonder, nostalgia, and connection that books bring was indeed emphasized. What better way to celebrate a love of books?

If you missed the event, stay tuned here for a video recording. Or, grab the book and revel in Helene and Frank's letters on your own.


Anna, in Events

A Peek Into our Story Time

Yesterday Les Gamins de Paris, a French immersion pre-school, stopped by our main branch to listen to Caitlin read the best in Kids picture books.  Caitlin livened up a Tuesday morning with transportation noises from Roadwork!, growls and songs from The Story of Growl, alternating train and shark sounds from Shark vs. Train and rhyming tongue-twisters from Bubble Trouble.

Did you know that we host a story time every week? More than that, actually. At our Main branch, we invite young'ns to read with us on Tuesday and Saturday. And at our Bellevue and Mill Creek stores, experienced story-time readers gather their best books and share them aloud with little ones every Thursday.

Come join the fun and bring your best train sounds!

On Instances of Authorial Lurking

The subject line may not accurately describe what it is I wish to talk about, but I'm led to believe what I'm about to discuss is something entirely universal in nature. I like to think that we all find ourselves in situations where one author in particular is lodged firmly in our craw, and for whatever reason circles and swirls in your general area. It is entirely possible that my slightly obsessive nature intensifies this occurrence, but allow me to give you a rundown of my week with David Foster Wallace.

Thursday: Rearranging fixtures for our event with Karl Marlantes, who was immensely kind, not to mention modest (which is particularly refreshing given the unanimous praise his debut novel Matterhorn has received), this was the cover located directly in front of (and underneath) me:



Friday: While shelving in our Mathematics section, I noticed a book that was slightly out of alphabetical order. It was Everything And More: A Compact History of Infinity by one David Foster Wallace.

Saturday: Nothing.

Sunday: As if to make up for the day off, Mr. Wallace struck twice during our short day here at the bookstore.

First, a discussion about the ins and outs of book collecting brought about a digression (the only one of its kind) to the current value of a first edition, first printing of Infinite Jest.

Then, just before closing, I helped a customer locate a book for her book club. She wasn't sure who the author was, but she knew "Curious Hair" was in the title. As in Girl With The. Upon arriving in the section, there was a brief discussion about DFW and the importance of experimental fiction. As a degree carrying English major, I walked away elated by this exchanging of ideas.

Monday: Mere moments ago, I was hailed by one of our lovely events associates. When I reached the top of the stairs where she was prepping a display for this evening's author event with Kim Severson, she held a copy of the book that started all of this: Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself: A Road Trip with David Foster Wallace by David Lipsky.

While I was sold on the idea of someone (anyone, really) taking some kind of road trip with a figure the likes of David Foster Wallace, I am pleased to report that the specifics should yield far tastier fruit for all of us to enjoy (the specifics being that this road trip took place during DFW's book tour for Infinite Jest)!

As it turns out, we received an uncorrected proof of the book today, and it had yet to be claimed. Since I seem to be incapable of keeping my likes and dislikes to myself, it was known to the aforementioned staffer that I'm something of a fan. So, due to the fact that I have thoughtful, sweet co-workers, I sit here with a new book in my hot little hands.

With all of this out in the blogosphere now, I'm curious. When was the last time you, my patient, possibly bored reader, have had an author embedded in your life in oddly tangible ways? Furthermore, who was it?

-Griffin

Apostrophes

Not to start anything, because I know people feel quite strongly about their punctuation, but as we were setting up an account for the Kids Department on this here blog, we ran into a snafu that we often encounter. Somehow, the question is never settled, even when we finally make signage and someone gives a thorough explanation: Is it Kids' Books or Kids Books? We know it's not Kid's Books, even though that unfortunate possessive occasionally sneaks onto signage. But of the other two, we decided to go with Kids Books on our giant sign and whatever flyers we produce. As in, these are books for kids, not books that belong to kids. That official decision, however, hasn't stopped us from having the same plural v. possessive conversation every time we have to do something (like make our name for this blog).