Two of our favorite booksellers had the opportunity to hit Comic Con this year in San Diego. Both Steve and Vlad are longtime devotees of science fiction, superheroes, fantasy, steampunk...you name it, and one of them has read it, seen it, or owns the DVD of it. Here are Steve's top three from their epic weekend along with some epic snapshots...
1. Joss Whedon, Master of the Nerd Universe. I love Joss and everything he does--from Buffy The Vampire Slayer to Firefly to Dr Horrible to The Avengers. However, there was no way I was standing in a line overnight just to see the 10th Anniversary Firefly Reunion Friday morning. Luckily, we were able to squeeze into the auditorium later that day for what was ostensibly Joss talking about his various comic projects with Dark Horse Comics. Instead it turned into Joss being Joss with some of the best Q & A ever. Next up for the busiest man in show business? Finding distribution for his already filmed black and white contemporary version of Much Ado About Nothing. Yes, Shakespeare!
Everyone's favorite tribute
2. Love and Rockets 30th Anniversary Celebration. Hosted by Gary Groth, the publisher of Seattle’s own Fantagraphics Books, this panel featured Los Bros Hernandez (Gilbert, Jaime and Mario) discussing their groundbreaking and now classic independent comic Love and Rockets. I discovered Love & Rockets in college during the late 80’s and still read it today when I can. It was a real treat to see these talented artist/storytellers discussing their work that remains a huge influence today. Case in point: seeing Mike Allred, creator of Madman and iZombie, completely gushing like a giddy fanboy during the Q&A. Adorable!
Lego Gandalf
3. Hark! A Pleasant Surprise! I’m not sure how I have missed it all these years, but my new favorite-thing-ever from the con is Kate Beaton’s webcomic (and now book) Hark! A Vagrant. Beaton pens erudite and hilarious cartoons of historical figures and literary characters mashed up with modern sensibilities and clever ironies... and the occasional fat pony. I only went to this panel in order to kill time until the next thing on my docket and I was totally blown away. Plus, it was certainly the funniest powerpoint presentation on medieval art ever, or any subject for that matter!
I won't discuss the plot of this book, because its one of those novels that rewards so much to the reader who goes in without preconceptions of what they are in for.
Wonderful in its hypnotic creepy atmosphere, Ellen Ullman’s By Blood, moves like a Hitchcock thriller, bewilders like a labyrinthine Paul Auster story and probes and questions like a Malcolm Gladwell essay. Its one of those books where you know the path will be mysterious and the path’s end unpredictable, but you give yourself over to the ride enjoying the richness of the moments rather than rushing onward for the next twist in the tale. The narrative device that Ullman employs here works wonders, giving the perfect mix of tension and momentum to the story and carefully pacing what the characters and the reader get to learn as the novel progresses. This is a book that is going to a strong word of mouth following. You want other people to discuss it with while your reading it and certainly when you are done.
What great praise...now I want to read it too! That's just one more fantastic book review from your favorite independent booksellers
If you are a frequenter of Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park, you have probably made the acquaintance of our delightful duck couple. You'll usually find them waddling around the parking lot, or hanging out by the delivery door for the Honey Bear Bakery. Emily sent me this adorable picture of our resident ducks waiting to get a 'quack' at all those great books. (apologies for the pun.)
There's been some debate about what this lovely couple would read. How about...
I stumbled upon a a great blog post today on Strollerderby, via Babble. Incidentally, is Strollerderby not the greatest name? Anyhow, the blog post is a photo slideshow of classic book covers, and descriptions of the books. But the real genius is that the books are described by the blogger's six-year-old daughter. She recounts that on their many trips to local bookstores her daughter is constantly asking what certain books are about. She tries her best to describe them, but eventually asks her daughter what she thinks they are about. The result is hilarious and quite charming. My personal favorite is the description of Jane Eyre:
"This is about a girl that goes mining.
I don’t know why, but she looks like she would go mining, mining for gold. "
When I moved here several years ago, I came without a car. And in the intervening time, I have not yet felt the need to mobilize myself beyond my trusty bicycle (though only in the summer). As a result I spend much of my time on various buses. Which seems to work out because being a law student, devoted cat mother, crafter, and erstwhile bookseller, I don't always have the time I wish to devote to reading for pleasure. So I read on the bus. When others tune out to their tunes, chat with their neighbors, or focus on Words With Friends, you'll find me tucked into a window seat with my nose stuck in a book.
Today I was reading Just Kids, Patti Smith's memoir of her life with Robert Mapplethorpe. And when another rider tapped me on the shoulder to tell me that it was her favorite book and that she hoped I loved it too; I got to thinking. Here are all these riders, and lots of us read, and yet we are so cut off from each other. Oh sure, I've posted here about my public transit voyeurism; my love for spying on others to see what they're reading, but I almost never talk to anyone about their books. And if you've spent any time with me at all, you know I love talking about books. So why not on the bus?
Well, Transportation Choices Coalition has solved the problem. This summer they introduced Books on the Bus (BOB). It's a book club for bus riders meant to create community among transit patrons. The plan is to introduce a new book every three months. This summer the choice is Hotel Angeline, a novel written in 36 parts; a collaboration among 36 great Northwest authors. And as an added bonus, 50% of the proceeds from the sale of the book will go to local literacy nonprofits Powerful Schools and 826 Seattle.
I'm so excited for this idea! So if you see me on the bus, devouring Hotel Angeline, please interrupt me, and let's start up a conversation. For that matter, if you see me reading anything, let's talk. Let's build a better bus ride, a better community, and a better Seattle. Hope to see you reading on your ride. Posted by Erin B.
Another great theme table has been crafted here at Third Place Books. Two of our Erins (Erin J. and Erin R.), and one of our Jessicas (Jessica B.) have put together this great table featuring books all about doing things yourself. Forget Pinterest and ideas of virtual crafting, and pick one of these great books and start crafting in real life! From making books, to brewing your own beer; sewing capes, to building treehouses...these books have it all!
From zines you can fold in a minute to luxurious leather journals and sumptuous sketchbooks, How to Make Books will walk you through the easy basics of bookmaking. Whether you’re a writer, a scrapbooker, a political activist, or a postcard collector, let book artist Esther K. Smith be your guide as you discover your inner bookbinder. Using foolproof illustrations and step-by-step instructions, Smith reveals her time-tested techniques in a fun, easy-to-understand way.
In The Scavengers' Manifesto, Anneli Rufus and Kristan Lawson invite readers to discover one of the most gratifying (and inexpensive) ways there is to go green. Whether it's refurbishing a discarded wooden door into a dining-room table; finding a bicycle on freecycle.org; or giving a neighbor who just had a baby that cute never-used teddy bear your child didn't bond with, in this book Rufus and Lawson chart the history of scavenging and the world-changing environmental and spiritual implications of "Scavenomics," and offer readers a framework for adopting scavenging as a philosophy and a way of life.
This month's small theme table has been put together by bookseller Annie, and she has decided to spotlight that ever patient, gentle, and loyal animal...the horse.
For most readers, favorite characters are as abundant as the books they reside in. They are as varied as the people who read about them. And some of them aren't always human. This month, Third Place Books is featuring a table devoted completely to the horse characters we love in literature. With good reason. So many characters that are loved in stories just happen to be from the animal kingdom. And often they shine the brightest.Where would Alec Ramsey be without The Black after he washed up on the island? And Gandalf wouldn't have been able to cross Middle Earth nearly as fast as he did on the back of Shadowfax.
Of all animals, I find horses to be the most interesting. Not just because I've had a 15 year love affair with horses, but because they have such a capacity for love and friendship with humans. They trust us, and we trust them despite their size and ability to cause a lot of damage if they're scared or angry. They will learn if we give them the chance, and each and every horse I've ever known has been an individual with their own personality. Is it any wonder then that many books have amazing horses as central characters?
The wise and brave Artax, the star horse in The Neverending Story, protects his warrior friend Atreyu from danger, and guides him when Atreyu is lost. If only we could hear the wisdom of real horses so easily. And yet, Tom Booker teaches us how to listen properly as he helps Pilgrim recovery from a horrific accident in The Horse Whisperer. Eli Sister can't bring himself to get rid of his one-eyed horse Tub - who lost his eye in an altercation with a grizzly bear - during The Sisters Brothers. These are just a few examples of how horses continue to be a prevalent to our humanity. The books on the Horse Is My Co-Pilot table are just a few selections... who is your favorite horse in literature?
Annie has suggested several great books featuring noble and brave steeds. Among them are:
Rocinante gains his name after his master, Alonso Quijano, develops delusions of grandeur and decides to go out into the world on a quest for his "lady love" and to prove his chivalry. Before, a simple farm horse, skinny and expected only to do the occasional bit of work, Rocinante suddenly finds himself carrying the grand Don Quioxte de la Mancha (the delusional Quijano) in full (old, rusty) armor to battle various giants (windmills) and evil knights (muleteers). What's a warhorse (stable nag?) to do?
How could the second book in the Lord of the Rings trilogy not find its way onto a table geared to great horses in literature? It contains the greatest horse of them all! Full of dazzling, beautiful, intelligent horses, Shadowfax stands alone as the mightiest of the mearas. He refuses both saddle and bridle.He can traverse Middle Earth more quickly than any other horse. Theoden "gives" him to Gandalf to ride, but of course Shadowfax is the one who allows Gandalf to sit on his back. Such a horse does not let just anyone ride him. Charging fiercely into battle time and again, carrying Gandalf across Middle Earth on dangerous and urgent missions, Shadowfax stands alone among horses in beauty and intelligence.
Isn't the internet amazing...sometimes...I guess when it's not wasting your time. Anyway, I stumbled upon this cool thing whilst paddle boarding the web (I'm tired of the phrase "surfing the web," so I'm trying something new, feel free to spread the word).
It's called the Community Bookshelf and is located in downtown Kansas City. The giant bookshelf runs along the south wall of the Kansas City Central Library's parking garage. The 22 book spines stand about 25 by 9 feet. I wish Seattle had one of these! So neat!
Here's more info on the Community Bookshelf, as well as a list of the featured titles.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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: Reticenceby 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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.
