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*News From the Glamorous World of Bookselling*

"The critics say it's a bad show, but there ain't no critic who can climb into people's windows and turn off their [TV] sets . . ."
--Sherwood Schwartz

1) THE BRADY HOUR (2.0) . . . You may have heard about this Harry Potter^TM thing. However, due to a dirth of publicity, you may not know that the last movie in the series, Harry Potter & The Deathly Hollows 7.5 will be released at a handful of art theatres on Thursday night, so you might see some sales on Harry Potter & The Deathly Hollows (9780545139700) 14.99. A youngster, Rhyss Bowen Jones, was quoted in The Guardian as saying, "I have grown up in the Harry Potter generation, it's a limbo state after this . . ." Mr. Jones, I know how you feel, I grew up in the Sherwood Schwartz age, and I was saddened to learn that the creator of Gilligan's Island and The Brady Bunch passed away yesterday. Much like this Harry Potter fellow, Mr. Schwartz's TV shows were a rite of passage for my generation. How else would I have developed a fondness for coconut creme pies? How else would I have known that a beaded door in my swinging bachelor pad in the attic is cool? Good times . . .

2) GILLIGAN'S ISLAND . . . Okay, here's the scoop on the hot titles this week: Steve Hamilton's Misery Bay (9780312380434) 24.99 has been selling like crazy in our neck of the woods. The publisher is out. We have an order that will be shipped from their bindery on Friday, most likely it will arrive here next Tuesday. By the way, my good friends at Books Connection in Livonia will be entertaining Mr. Hamilton for an autographing on July 29. Jaycee Dugard's A Stolen Life: A Memoir (9781451629187) 24.99 is the second hottest book in the nation and we are sold out. The publisher is out too. We are expecting a partial re-stock order next week. Backorders are piling up faster than Rupert Murdoch's News of the World hacking allegations, so get your order in. Finally, the biggest seller has been the long awaited fifth book in the George R.R. Martin opus, A Dance with Dragons (9780553801477) 35.00. We're down to a few copies in the stash, but we are expecting another big batch tomorrow . . .

3) BIG JOHN, LITTLE JOHN . . . Sometimes I think that there is some sort of synergy in this universe. A higher power? Maybe. Pure coincidence? I dunno. Recently, I received David Bowie's Hunky Dory on CD as a gift, which led me to replaying most his catalogue over the ensuing weeks. And now, lo and behold, we have a new biography called Davie Bowie: Starman (9780316032254) 25.99 by Paul Trynka. I can't put it down. The reviews have been outstanding and Bowie's band, The Spiders from Mars, featured one of the most underrated guitarists of all-time, Mick 'Ronno' Ronson. John, I'm only dancing . . .

"Good night, Funnyman, may the Schwartz be with you!"

Odds & Sods

Geez, I put a new northern Michigan title in the Partners Page last week and all I got was *crickets*. Everybody complains that there aren't any new releases about upper Michigan, so here we go again: Red Hot Best of Northern Michigan 2011-2012 (9780918293091) 14.95 by Traverse Magazine is reasonably priced and it highlights the best northern Michigan has to offer in 100 categories. So say Yes to the UP, eh!

There's a new book out by the staff of my favourite TV show, Pawn Stars. It's called License To Pawn (9781401324308) 23.99 by the owner of the pawn shop, Rick Harrison. Good stuff!