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| Images from Underground NY Public Library |
Welcome to the official blog of Third Place Books
Monday, June 25, 2012
More Underground Reading
You may remember an earlier post about an awesome blog, Underground New York Public Library. This week Ourit, the mastermind behind this wonderful project, posted an update on a reader he had snapped back in early May. Turns out he ran across him again and got to chronicle how much progress the commuter had made in his heavy tome. And if you haven't , you NEED to check out Ourit's beautiful work.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Read This Book
Jessica H. says, "Read this book"...
Glaciers,by Alexis M. Smith
Glaciers is a swift entrancing read by a promising new author. As a dressmaking bookseller in Seattle, it was easy for me to fall under the spell of the vintage-hunting, Portland librarian protagonist. However, it is the author's transportive prose and precise sense of time and place that compels me to recommend it to a wider audience. When I am homesick while traveling, I need only open this book to be back in the great cities of the Pacific Northwest.
Glaciers,by Alexis M. Smith
Glaciers is a swift entrancing read by a promising new author. As a dressmaking bookseller in Seattle, it was easy for me to fall under the spell of the vintage-hunting, Portland librarian protagonist. However, it is the author's transportive prose and precise sense of time and place that compels me to recommend it to a wider audience. When I am homesick while traveling, I need only open this book to be back in the great cities of the Pacific Northwest.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Coming to a Theater Near You
It's that time of the year. Summer movie season. And if sometime in July or August you find yourself finally tired of our (hopefully) beautiful summer weather, and wanting to hit the cineplex, maybe you'll want to have read the book first. Here are a few of the choice titles coming out this summer.
A Second Wind, by Philippe Pozzo di Borgo
This book is the inspiration for the award winning French film, The Intouchables.
As the descendant of two prominent French families and director of one of the world’s most celebrated champagne houses, Philippe Pozzo di Borgo was not someone in the habit of asking for help. Then, in 1993, right on the heels of his wife being diagnosed with a terminal illness, a paragliding accident left him a quadriplegic. Passing his days hidden behind the high walls of his Paris townhouse, Philippe found himself the modern equivalent of an “untouchable”—unable to reach out to others, as others were afraid to reach out to him. The only person who seemed unaffected by Philippe’s condition was someone who had been marginalized his entire life—Abdel, the unemployed, uninhibited Algerian immigrant who would become his unlikely caretaker. In between dramas and jokes, he sustained Philippe’s life for the next ten years.
Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter , by Seth Grahame-Smith
While Abraham Lincoln is widely lauded for saving a Union and freeing millions of slaves, his valiant fight against the forces of the undead has remained in the shadows for hundreds of years. That is, until Seth Grahame-Smith stumbled upon The Secret Journal of Abraham Lincoln, and became the first living person to lay eyes on it in more than 140 years.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
This is the story of what it’s like to grow up in high school. More intimate than a diary, Charlie's letters are singular and unique, hilarious and devastating. We may not know where he lives. We may not know to whom he is writing. All we know is the world he shares. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through uncharted territory. The world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends. The world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. Through Charlie, Stephen Chbosky has created a deeply affecting coming-of-age story, a powerful novel that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller coaster days known as growing up.
And here are a few more books headed to the movies either this summer or later in the year...
Savages, by Don Winslow
The Bourne Legacy, by Eric van Lustbader (based on the Robert Ludlum series and character)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, by Jeff Kinney
The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien
Breaking Dawn (Part II), by Stephenie Meyer
Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell
Life of Pi, by Yann Martel
World War Z, by Max Brooks
A Second Wind, by Philippe Pozzo di BorgoThis book is the inspiration for the award winning French film, The Intouchables.
As the descendant of two prominent French families and director of one of the world’s most celebrated champagne houses, Philippe Pozzo di Borgo was not someone in the habit of asking for help. Then, in 1993, right on the heels of his wife being diagnosed with a terminal illness, a paragliding accident left him a quadriplegic. Passing his days hidden behind the high walls of his Paris townhouse, Philippe found himself the modern equivalent of an “untouchable”—unable to reach out to others, as others were afraid to reach out to him. The only person who seemed unaffected by Philippe’s condition was someone who had been marginalized his entire life—Abdel, the unemployed, uninhibited Algerian immigrant who would become his unlikely caretaker. In between dramas and jokes, he sustained Philippe’s life for the next ten years.
Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter , by Seth Grahame-SmithWhile Abraham Lincoln is widely lauded for saving a Union and freeing millions of slaves, his valiant fight against the forces of the undead has remained in the shadows for hundreds of years. That is, until Seth Grahame-Smith stumbled upon The Secret Journal of Abraham Lincoln, and became the first living person to lay eyes on it in more than 140 years.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen ChboskyThis is the story of what it’s like to grow up in high school. More intimate than a diary, Charlie's letters are singular and unique, hilarious and devastating. We may not know where he lives. We may not know to whom he is writing. All we know is the world he shares. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through uncharted territory. The world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends. The world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. Through Charlie, Stephen Chbosky has created a deeply affecting coming-of-age story, a powerful novel that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller coaster days known as growing up.
And here are a few more books headed to the movies either this summer or later in the year...
Savages, by Don Winslow
The Bourne Legacy, by Eric van Lustbader (based on the Robert Ludlum series and character)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, by Jeff Kinney
The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien
Breaking Dawn (Part II), by Stephenie Meyer
Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell
Life of Pi, by Yann Martel
World War Z, by Max Brooks
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
View From the Crow's Nest
From the information desk at the Lake Forest Park store Monday evening, I snapped to attention at the sound of a raven call piercing through the din in the commons. I wasn’t particularly surprised, though. The house was packed for our author event for Gifts of the Crow by John Marzluff and Tony Angell. In an excited crowd of over 500 bird enthusiasts, someone was bound to break out into a caw, right?
What I was able to catch of John and Tony’s talk was stellar, adorned with backyard crow and raven stories. Birds building tools to retrieve food? Sure. Dropping off little presents like glass beads and candy hearts for humans who look out for them? Yep. My eyes were opened to the amazing behaviors of these creatures with whom we’ve co-evolved and continue to coexist.
That’s why I was so excited when I discovered this adorable new corvid book in the children’s section yesterday! More, by I. C. Springman and Brian Lies, begins in a magpie’s empty nest. “Nothing,” it starts. Enter a little mouse who shares a treasure with the bird. “Something!” it continues. As you can imagine, something turns into a whole lot more until the nest is overflowing with stuff. Raise your hand if you can relate! *raises hand* The story of More is told simply through the words that quantify the amount of junk as it escalates, but the pictures tell the rest of the story. I can’t wait to read this one aloud to some kiddos I know, who will be keen to pick up on the pattern and respond to the beautiful and humorous illustrations. Maybe we’ll even practice a few bird calls as we go!
Posted by Jessica B.
What I was able to catch of John and Tony’s talk was stellar, adorned with backyard crow and raven stories. Birds building tools to retrieve food? Sure. Dropping off little presents like glass beads and candy hearts for humans who look out for them? Yep. My eyes were opened to the amazing behaviors of these creatures with whom we’ve co-evolved and continue to coexist.
That’s why I was so excited when I discovered this adorable new corvid book in the children’s section yesterday! More, by I. C. Springman and Brian Lies, begins in a magpie’s empty nest. “Nothing,” it starts. Enter a little mouse who shares a treasure with the bird. “Something!” it continues. As you can imagine, something turns into a whole lot more until the nest is overflowing with stuff. Raise your hand if you can relate! *raises hand* The story of More is told simply through the words that quantify the amount of junk as it escalates, but the pictures tell the rest of the story. I can’t wait to read this one aloud to some kiddos I know, who will be keen to pick up on the pattern and respond to the beautiful and humorous illustrations. Maybe we’ll even practice a few bird calls as we go!
Posted by Jessica B.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Reading in Translation
It's that time of year again! Time for our Reading the World Table. As always, Eric has put together a beautiful table filled with thrilling tales from around the world. Translation gives you the chance to read something you wouldn't normally have access to. And it's not just the original language that makes these books so different and remarkable...
It's the different styles of writing, far off settings, and the strange and unique tales, that all weave together to give you the feeling that you are reading something truly out of the ordinary. Come down and see some of our favorite translations from around the world. Open a window on the world with a few well-chosen words.
Chris recommends: Reticence by Jean-Philippe Toussaint
This book could very easily be subtitled : the fevered imagination of a paranoid mind. It reads a lot like a murder mystery, only without the murder, and the mystery seems only to exist in the main character's head. It's a well-paced, cerebral anti-thriller that you'll want to read in one sitting.
Adam suggests:
Amsterdam Stories by Nescio
Can society and art - or the "artful life" - peacefully coexist, or must the two be forever at each other's throats, tooth and nail? This is the question Nescio asks again and again as he drops us onto the alluring but unforgiving byways of Amsterdam, watching as his characters try, sometimes tragically and sometimes comically, to compress essential pieces of themselves into immortal works - or acts - of art.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Our Customers Are the Best Customers
One of the great things about working at an independent bookstore are the fabulous, loyal, kind customers. I have worked at both the big box bookstore and indie bookstores, and there is just something different about indie shoppers. I'm reminded of that every time I stand behind the counter, but even more so last month. Maybe the planets were aligned in a particularly fortuitous pattern, but you all were just wonderful last month. I'll give you three great examples of the superior indie shopper attitude.
Example 1:
One day, a man came in looking for a book. He had all the information I needed. The title, author, the ISBN number. He could tell me what the cover looked like, and even the number of pages and the weights and measurements of it. Now, it's not a lie when I say that I really do get a kick out of customers who come in with a vague remembrance of what a book looks like, and maybe a word in the title. Mostly because I enjoy the search, and people are impressed at my "superb" book knowledge/amazing Google skills. So when this customer gave me all the information, I wasn't exactly disheartened...but I do love the challenge. At any rate, I commented that he seemed to know an awful lot about this particular book. He replied, "Oh yeah! I do things opposite!" I looked confused, and he went on, "I do all my research on Amazon, and then I come and get the book or order it from you." I beamed at him and wanted to leap over the counter and give him a giant bear hug. Luckily I restrained myself, and we went off in search of his treasure.
Example 2:
I was working at the cash register when a women and her daughter approached. The girl was about 6, and reached up really high to hand me the book over the counter. Her smile was so big when she told me, " This is my favorite BOOK!" I asked her if this was for her and she gave me a disparaging look, "I already have THIS book. This one is for my friend. It's her birthday and she is having a pool party!" The girl and I talked about how great birthday parties are, especially pool parties. We chattered on for a while, her mom very patient. Most of the transaction took place between me and the 6 year old, mom was just there to hand over the cash. After they paid, I asked if I could gift wrap it for them, and the mom said, "Please do!" and then let her daughter pick out the paper and the ribbon color. As I was wrapping, the little girl said, "You're so good at wrapping!" The mom smiled a wry smile, and I must have glowed from that sweet compliment for at least an hour after.
Example 3:
Some days after the previous instances, I was again at the cash registers ringing up a gentleman who was purchasing a few books. We had a pleasant encounter and he went on his way. I was busy doing something else when the same man came back a few moments later. He asked if we had gift certificates, and I said that we did. Then he asked if we had them in $50 amounts, and I told them that we could make gift certificates for any amount. He purchased a $50 gift card and we were finished with the transaction when he hesitated...and told me this story...
Many years ago when he was in graduate school, he stopped at a restaurant for dinner. When the waitress came to his table and took his order, he told her that what he really wanted was a fillet mignon, but what he could afford was just a hamburger. The waitress took his hamburger order and went on her way. When she returned with his food, it was a juicy, delicious, fillet mignon. "But, I can't afford this, I didn't order this," he said. The waitress told him that another man had overheard his fillet mignon desires, and that he knew what it was like to want something and not be able to pay for it. So that anonymous man had paid for the fillet mignon dinner.
After that night, the gentleman told me that one day he wanted to be able to repay the kindness that the anonymous man had shown him. And so, when he finally found himself in such a position, he often did as that anonymous man had done. On this particular day, he said that he had seen so many great families out and about, that he just wanted to thank them. And then he took the gift card that I had rung up for him, and surreptitiously placed it in stroller that was sitting just outside the doors of the store. That was it. He walked on, got in his car and left. The family that owned the stroller was nearby, eating, reading, and playing, and the none the wiser for the kindness that had been shown them. It was really a lovely thing to see.
So, those are just of the few reasons why I love working in an indie bookstore, and helping indie shoppers. You know that every dollar counts for us, even if you do your research elsewhere; you have the patience and kindness to teach your kids to love reading, and love the stores and workers you support; and you're just the nicest people I have met in this lovely city. Cheers, and thanks for shopping indie, and shopping with us.
Posted by Erin B.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Lost and Found
Beloved author, Ray Bradbury, passed away on Tuesday. A prolific author, his work spanned well-known science fiction classics, humor, and Hollywood screenplays. He received an Oscar nomination for the screen adaptation for John Huston's Moby Dick which starred Gregory Peck. Today is the day to dust off that old copy of Fahrenheit 451 and tuck in for a snuggle with one of the giants of literary science fiction.
Amid the news of such a great loss (one in what seems like a long string of great losses for the reading world), archaeologists in London have uncovered the remains of the Curtain Theater in London. The Curtain was a one-time home to Shakespeare's troupe of actors, Lord Chamberlain's Men. It is thought that such plays as Henry V, and Romeo and Juliet had their debut performances in the "Wooden O" amongst these once lost, now found, old stones.
Amid the news of such a great loss (one in what seems like a long string of great losses for the reading world), archaeologists in London have uncovered the remains of the Curtain Theater in London. The Curtain was a one-time home to Shakespeare's troupe of actors, Lord Chamberlain's Men. It is thought that such plays as Henry V, and Romeo and Juliet had their debut performances in the "Wooden O" amongst these once lost, now found, old stones.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Book Trailers
This is an old one from Huffington post, but I found it while cruising the internet in search of book trailers. Didn't know such a things existed? Well, they do, and here are a few awesome examples.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/06/book-videos-best-and-worst_n_791645.html#s198807&title=So_Bad_Its
And here's one of my favorites just for the fun of it...Jane Austen's Fight Club. Enjoy!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/06/book-videos-best-and-worst_n_791645.html#s198807&title=So_Bad_Its
And here's one of my favorites just for the fun of it...Jane Austen's Fight Club. Enjoy!
Friday, May 18, 2012
Read This Book
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
I waited for months to get my hands on a copy of this book, and finally couldn't stand the wait any longer, so I splurged on the the hardcover when I was in San Francisco and visiting City Lights Bookstore. Both the wait and the splurge were worth it.
The Snow Child follows the lives of Mabel and Jack as they try to make a life for themselves in the wilds of Alaska. It's 1920 and homesteading is a harsh and lonely life. Mourning the child they always wanted but never had, Jack and Mabel exist in a distant marriage until one magical night they build a child out of snow. From this moment on, their lives are never the same.
Eowyn Ivey's words bring the wilderness to life, with intoxicating sights and smells that leave you dizzy with the need to be outside, to breath the fresh air. This novel sparkles like the ice and snow that swirl through its pages. It is a love story and a story of survival, a story of belonging and a story of letting go. But at its heart this is really a story about holding ourselves together when the forces that threaten to tear us asunder aren't only found in the dangers of a wild and uncharted territory, but also in the depths of our hearts.
Posted by Erin B.
I waited for months to get my hands on a copy of this book, and finally couldn't stand the wait any longer, so I splurged on the the hardcover when I was in San Francisco and visiting City Lights Bookstore. Both the wait and the splurge were worth it.
The Snow Child follows the lives of Mabel and Jack as they try to make a life for themselves in the wilds of Alaska. It's 1920 and homesteading is a harsh and lonely life. Mourning the child they always wanted but never had, Jack and Mabel exist in a distant marriage until one magical night they build a child out of snow. From this moment on, their lives are never the same.
Eowyn Ivey's words bring the wilderness to life, with intoxicating sights and smells that leave you dizzy with the need to be outside, to breath the fresh air. This novel sparkles like the ice and snow that swirl through its pages. It is a love story and a story of survival, a story of belonging and a story of letting go. But at its heart this is really a story about holding ourselves together when the forces that threaten to tear us asunder aren't only found in the dangers of a wild and uncharted territory, but also in the depths of our hearts.
Posted by Erin B.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Reading With Mom
So many moms and kids have been in the bookstore this weekend; people buying cards, little gifts, and trying to find that perfect book for mom. One woman came in with her new baby, celebrating her first Mother's Day. Another bought the book that she loved most as a child for her mother to read to her new granddaughter.
My mom says her favorite book to read to my brother and I was The Monster at the End of this Book. It is a pretty great read, and I highly recommend it if it wasn't a part of your childhood. And while I have fond memories of reading with my mom, it's as I get older that I truly enjoy sharing with her a passion for reading.
Mostly, I love sharing our different reading tastes. I like to read fiction and love passing on the most interesting and quirky novels to my mom. She doesn't always like them as much as I do, but she always reads them and points out some new aspect that I had missed. But it does make me feel so awesome when she loves my recommendations like I do; gives my daughter/bookseller soul a boost of pride.
Right now my mom is really into history. Specifically, the presidents. She's been making her way through presidential biographies for the past few years. She's currently finishing up John Quincy Adams, which she says has been the most boring...but she pushes on. Her favorite thus far is George Washington. And the horrible things she told me about Thomas Jefferson caused me to throw away the souvenir Jefferson bust I had gotten at the Jefferson memorial. And this summer she starts Andrew Jackson. She'll be reading American Lion, and I think I might shun my history/nonfiction aversion and read it with her. It's the least I can do for the woman who gave me and continues to foster my love of reading. Thanks, Mom!
Posted by Erin B.
My mom says her favorite book to read to my brother and I was The Monster at the End of this Book. It is a pretty great read, and I highly recommend it if it wasn't a part of your childhood. And while I have fond memories of reading with my mom, it's as I get older that I truly enjoy sharing with her a passion for reading.
Mostly, I love sharing our different reading tastes. I like to read fiction and love passing on the most interesting and quirky novels to my mom. She doesn't always like them as much as I do, but she always reads them and points out some new aspect that I had missed. But it does make me feel so awesome when she loves my recommendations like I do; gives my daughter/bookseller soul a boost of pride.
Right now my mom is really into history. Specifically, the presidents. She's been making her way through presidential biographies for the past few years. She's currently finishing up John Quincy Adams, which she says has been the most boring...but she pushes on. Her favorite thus far is George Washington. And the horrible things she told me about Thomas Jefferson caused me to throw away the souvenir Jefferson bust I had gotten at the Jefferson memorial. And this summer she starts Andrew Jackson. She'll be reading American Lion, and I think I might shun my history/nonfiction aversion and read it with her. It's the least I can do for the woman who gave me and continues to foster my love of reading. Thanks, Mom!
Posted by Erin B.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Maurice Send-off
Wild Things...you made our hearts sing. Seems many people have been ruminating on the passing of Maurice Sendak. Here are some of the great tributes that have come my way.
Here is one by our very own Vlad. Vlad cooks the books over at the book oven, aka the Espresso Book Machine, aka Ginger. He's also an awesomely talented illustrator, and this week he put pen and heart to paper for this lovely tribute.
And here's the man himself, making a pretty convincing and mischievous Max, King of the Wild Things.

Here's Steve as another would-be Max. This great Max cut-out lives at Orca Books in Olympia.
And last but not least, another great tribute illustration from Third Place customer, Rob Christianson.
Beautiful tributes for a beautiful man. Great work, guys!
Here is one by our very own Vlad. Vlad cooks the books over at the book oven, aka the Espresso Book Machine, aka Ginger. He's also an awesomely talented illustrator, and this week he put pen and heart to paper for this lovely tribute.
And here's the man himself, making a pretty convincing and mischievous Max, King of the Wild Things.

Here's Steve as another would-be Max. This great Max cut-out lives at Orca Books in Olympia.
And last but not least, another great tribute illustration from Third Place customer, Rob Christianson.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Goodbye, Maurice
Beloved children's book author, Maurice Sendak, passed away today. His classic, Where the Wild Things Are has inspired countless children's adventures, a novel, and even a feature-length movie. He has written and illustrated numerous other books, and won several literary awards. We have all been Max, or his mother, or his beastly friends at one time or another. And I'm sure Maurice will be sorely missed by young and old today.
Recently, Mr. Sendak had appeared on Comedy Central's, The Colbert Report. Stephen Colbert had sought out the famed writer in an attempt to get his advice on breaking into the children's book "racket." Below is a clip of Stephen Colbert revealing his new children's book, I am a Pole (And So Can You). Along with a "glowing" endorsement from Mr. Sendak himself. In a strange twist, I am a Pole (And So Can You) was released today.
So, take a moment and roar your terrible roars, gnash your terrible teeth, roll your terrible eyes, and show your terrible claws, in honor of one pretty great man. Thanks for everything, Maurice. You'll be missed.
The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
New Release Tuesday
It's new release Tuesday! One of the best perks of being an independent bookseller has got to be the ARCs. That's bookstore lingo for Advanced Reader's Copy. Which means we get to read new books before they are released and then tell you, the discriminating book buyer, all about the awesome new reads coming out. This week we've got three great suggestions.
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, by Ben Fountain
A ferocious firefight with Iraqi insurgents at "the battle of Al-Ansakar Canal" has transformed the eight surviving men of Bravo Squad into America's most sought-after heroes. For the past two weeks, the Bush administration has sent them on a media-intensive nationwide "Victory Tour" to reinvigorate public support for the war. Now, on this chilly and rainy Thanksgiving, the Bravos are guests the Dallas Cowboys, slated to be part of the halftime show.
Among the Bravos is the Silver Star-winning hero of Al-Ansakar Canal, Specialist William Lynn, a nineteen-year-old Texas native. Amid clamoring patriots sporting flag pins on their lapels and Support Our Troops bumper stickers on their cars, the Bravos are thrust into the company of the Cowboys' hard-nosed owner, his coterie of wealthy colleagues, a luscious born-again cheerleader, a veteran Hollywood producer, and supersized pro players eager for a vicarious taste of war.
Among these faces Billy sees those of his sister, father, and Shroom, the philosophical sergeant who opened Billy's mind and died in his arms. Over the course of this day, Billy will begin to understand difficult truths about himself, his country, his struggling family, and his brothers-in-arms. In the final few hours before returning to Iraq, Billy will drink and brawl, yearn for home and mourn those missing, face a heart-wrenching decision, and discover pure love and a bitter wisdom far beyond his years.
Poignant, riotously funny, and exquisitely heartbreaking, "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk" is a devastating portrait of our time, a searing and powerful novel that cements Ben Fountain's reputation as one of the finest writers of his generation.
Robert and Emily both loved this one. Robert says:
Ben Fountain has created a sort of inverted Odyssey here where our hero, Billy Lynn, comes home from the Iraq war to find yet a whole new catalog of trials and challenges awaiting him and the rest of Bravo company before they are shipped back to the Gulf.
The book takes place on the final day of that tour, Thanksgiving at a Dallas Cowboys football game where Bravo company are guests of honor. Here the stadium itself becomes a socioeconomic archeological dig where all of America can be seen in the various levels of class and character on display.
In the end, the novel not only gives us a fresh take on how we view capitalism, materialism, ourselves, our country, and our military, but provides a wonderfully empathetic tragic-hero in Billy Lynn, at once a brave, fearless fighting machine while still a very innocent and confused young man
Insurgent, by Veronica Roth
One choice can transform you- or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves, and herself. All while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.
Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable--and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.
I loved the first book in this series, Divergent, but haven't gotten my hands on the ARC for the new one yet. It's a pretty hot item around the bookstore right now. But Emily has read it and she says:
I tend to be disappointed by the second book in a series, but this was a very strong follow-up to Divergent - suspenseful but not repetitive, bringing in new ideas and information about the world. It felt like the author had a plan for the whole story before the first book was published. I can hardly wait for book 3!This series is a great one for Hunger Games fans, and with two books out, now would be a great time to pick it up and join the fun!
Jeneration X: One Reluctant Adult's Attempt to Unarrest Her Arrested Development; Or, Why It's Never Too Late for Her Dumb Ass to Learn Why Froot Loops Are Not for Dinner, by Jen Lancaster
In Such a Pretty Fat, Jen Lancaster learned how to come to terms with her body. In My Fair Lazy, she expanded her mind. Now the New York Times bestselling author gives herself, and her generation, a kick in the X, by facing her greatest challenge to date: acting her age. Jen is finally ready to put away childish things (except her Barbie Styling Head, of course) and embrace the investment-making, mortgage-carrying, life-insurance-having adult she’s become.
From getting a mammogram to volunteering at a halfway house, she tackles the grown-up activities she’s resisted for years, and with each rite of passage she completes, she’ll uncover a valuable, and probably humiliating, life lesson that will ease her path to full-fledged, if reluctant, adulthood.
We are excited to host Jen for an author event on Tuesday, May 8th at 7:00 PM. The event will have signing line tickets, so call us today and get to the front of the line to meet this hilarious and genuine, reluctant adult.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Happy Weekend!
Here's a great shot of used book buyer Kestrel, and a cuddly, chummy shark to start your weekend off right. Come check our other great sidelines, including all the other Squishables. I can attest to their superior cuddliness!
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Art and the Public Transit Reader
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| Image from Underground NY Public Library |
I love seeing people reading, it's one of my favorite things about riding the bus, and if I happen to have read their book, I get an odd little thrill. I almost never say anything to these bus readers, though it is a great way to start up a conversation. It's one of the many reasons to dislike the Kindle and other eReaders. Perhaps such devices are destroying the "brick and mortar" book industry, but more importantly they are denying me the joy I get by peeking into a stranger's life.
All of that being said, today I stumbled upon the greatest Facebook page ever. Perfect for satiating my public transit, book fetish. It's called Underground NY Public Library. And the page is devoted to snapshots of New Yorkers, on the subway, reading. That's all, so simple, but so lovely. Check out the page. Some of the shots are just beautiful and if you are a lover of books, and readers, they will make your heart swell.
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| Image from Underground NY Public Library |
Monday, April 16, 2012
Pulitzer Prizes Announced
Wow. The Pulitzer Prizes were announced today. And everyone is stunned (or at least I am) that there was no prize awarded in the fiction category. It's the first time since 1977 that there has been no fiction award. However, the Pulitzer Board did reveal the finalists for fiction, I guess it was the least they could do. The nominated finalists were Train Dreams, by Denis Johnson; Swamplandia! by Karen Russell; and The Pale King, by the late David Foster Wallace. Seems in this case it might not have been an honor just to be nominated...
Other (actual) winners include:
Drama: Water by the Spoonful by Quiara AlegrÃa Hudes
History: Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention, by the late Manning Marable
Biography or Autobiography: George F. Kennan: An American Life by John Lewis Gaddis
Poetry: Life on Mars by Tracy K. Smith
General Nonfiction: The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt
I"m especially disappointed as the Pulitzer fiction prize is my favorite book prize. I guess I'll just have to read all the finalists and choose for myself. That being said, if I were awarding the prize it would go to the Tiger's Wife, by Tea Obreht.
Posted by Erin B.
Other (actual) winners include:
Drama: Water by the Spoonful by Quiara AlegrÃa Hudes
History: Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention, by the late Manning Marable
Biography or Autobiography: George F. Kennan: An American Life by John Lewis Gaddis
Poetry: Life on Mars by Tracy K. Smith
General Nonfiction: The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt
I"m especially disappointed as the Pulitzer fiction prize is my favorite book prize. I guess I'll just have to read all the finalists and choose for myself. That being said, if I were awarding the prize it would go to the Tiger's Wife, by Tea Obreht.
Posted by Erin B.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
New J.K. Rowling...at last!
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Little House Love

We all have those books that forever ring true in our lives. Steve has long loved the Little House on the Prairie series, as a child and still, perhaps more, as an adult.
Before visiting Tolkien's Middle-Earth and William Gibson's cyberspace, I traveled across the American frontier with Laura, Pa and the rest of the Ingalls family. Like the realms of fantasy and science fiction to come, reading about Laura's world was a completely different, fascinating and new experience of the imagination. Not only was I immersed in the lives of these pioneers but I felt like a cherished member of the Ingalls family as well. Every time I finish the final book, I feel as if I am saying good-bye to very dear friends, at least until the next time I read it. -Steve
This Thursday, Third Place welcomes one author whose love for Little House arguably rivals that of our very own Steve. At 7:00PM, Wendy McClure will present her new book, The Wilder Life : My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie
Wendy McClure is on a quest to find the world of beloved Little House on the Prairie author Laura Ingalls Wilder-a fantastic realm of fiction, history, and places she's never been to, yet somehow knows by heart. She retraces the pioneer journey of the Ingalls family- looking for the Big Woods among the medium trees in Wisconsin, wading in Plum Creek, and enduring a prairie hailstorm in South Dakota. She immerses herself in all things Little House, and explores the story from fact to fiction, and from the TV shows to the annual summer pageants in Laura's hometown.
Whether she's churning butter in her apartment or sitting in a replica log cabin, McClure is always in pursuit of "the Laura experience." Along the way she comes to understand how Wilder's life and work have shaped our ideas about childhood and the American West.
Join us tomorrow for what is sure to be a delightful evening. I know Steve will be there!
Friday, April 6, 2012
Book Hilarity
Need a laugh? You simply must, Must, MUST check out this hilarious site. The Malcolm Gladwell Book generator. Guffaw! It's not that we don't love Malcolm Gladwell, because we do, but this is just too great. Oh, how book humor makes me glow.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Surviving the Zombie Drought

We've got the Walking Dead Chronicles : The Official Companion Book. This book goes behind the scenes of the first season of the beloved T.V. series.

But best of all, check out the graphic novel that started it all. With 15 collected installments of the monthly comic, these fast-paced, action-packed books are sure to get you through the dry spell until Rick and the gang are back on the small screen.

And if you're looking for some hands on preparation, we've got loads of books on homesteading and the all important Can YOU Survive the Zombie Apocalypse, by Max Brallier.
Good luck survivors.
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