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*A Collection of Antiquarian Curios & Relics*

"Strings of street lights
Even stop lights blink a bright red and green
As the shoppers rush home with their treasures . . .
You'll hear silver bells, silver bells . . . "
--Livingston & Evans, Silver Bells

It Was the Night That The Lights Went Out In Lansing

Apparently, the Lansing area had the 'Storm of the Century' last night. To top things off, our power at home went out at about 8:30 and it was not anticipated to be repaired until at least midnight. (Notice that I've used the word 'anticipated.' Actually, our power would not be back on until almost 2:00.) We lit some candles and my daughter suggested we play Scrabble. I agreed that I needed to reassert my dominance in this diversion, so I blundered downstairs in the dark, grabbed the game, and snatched our copy of The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary (9780877799290) 7.50 from the bookshelf, which by the way, is always a fan favourite during the holidays.

I went first with the word 'gist.' (I had crappy starting letters.)

While I waited for my daughter to come up with a word, I mentally began to run down my list of Christmas gifts for my family. I am blessed with a family that loves to read, and fortunately, none of them own an e-reader. My brother Jay said he couldn't put down Unbroken (9781400064168) 27.00 by Laura Hillenbrand, which is still selling well in hardcover. I haven't seen anything similar yet, but I think Ian Toll's Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific 1941-1942 (9780393068139) 35.00 should work for him.

"Hey, I don't think 'yon' is a word."

My wife replies, "Yeah, it is. For example: The people went hither and yon."

Resignedly, I add, "Humph. I guess you're right."

My brother Matt is a Star Wars freak. He has so many Star Wars collectibles that he dreams of opening his own museum some day. Seriously. So I'm penciling him in for a copy of LEGO Star Wars Character Encyclopedia (9780756686970) 18.99 or How To Speak Wookiee (9781452102559) 16.95.

"Hey, wait a second Holly, 'B.C.' is not a word."

She says, "Dad, I thought abbreviations were okay."

"That's not a valid abbreviation."

My other daughter is in cooking school in Florida. She's actually more of a baker than a cook, so I think she will enjoy Cake Pops (9780811876377) 19.95 by Bakerella. And I know my nephew Ian is going to love getting Peter Yarrow's Puff the Magic Dragon Pop-Up Book (9781402787119) 26.95. He likes that hippy music.

"Oh look," I put down 'V-I' tiles in the triple word score next to the 'E' and say, "That will be 27 points. And I believe that's game, set, and match."

Odds & Sods

Well, it is Steven Spielberg. We have already sold out of our first batch of Michael Morpurgo's War Horse (9780545403351) 8.99, but we are expecting more copies in a day or two. One of my customers has already seen a preview of Mr. Spielberg's new film and she said that she'd give it a nine out of ten. It opens on Xmas Day . . .

Susan Orlean, author of Rin Tin Tin: The Life and The Legend (9781439190135) 26.99 will be on NPR today. Speaking of dogs, this video will get dust in your eyes: www.beaglefreedomproject.org/video.php
Give your dog a hug.

Ye Olde Partners Page

*A Collection of Antiquarian Curios & Relics*

"He came dancing across the water
With his galleons and guns
Looking for the new world
In that palace in the sun . . . "
--Neil Young, Cortez the Killer

Channel 13 Community Access TV Presents: BOOK TALKERS

(Camera pans Double D's basement and settles on Stoner Bill and Double D sitting in comfortable chairs.)

Stoner Bill: . . . No, not the comfy chair!

Double D: Dude, we're on.

Stoner Bill: Uh, sorry. Hey Dudes and Dudettes! Welcome to Book Talkers with your hosts, Me and Double D. We are now into day 144 of the NBA lockout and we've got some books about the NBA to talk about. Man, I'm like a poet today, I must say . . .

Double D: Yeah, if Ed Grimley were a poet. We'll be back after these messages.

Announcer: The people who brought you Schoolhouse Rock have gotten together with your local publishers to promote new and upcoming books like:

Mikey, Mikey, Mikey, get your adverbs here.

Mikey, Mikey, Mikey, buy her new book here.

Come on down to Mikey's, get the adverbs here!

Hello folks, you can buy Michael Connelly's The Drop

(9780316069410) 27.99 at Partners Book Distributing.

If it's a book or an adverb, we have it at Mikey's!

Bring along your old adjectives, too -- like slow,

soft, and sure. We'll fit them with our L-Y attachment

and make perfectly good adverbs out of them!

Stoner Bill: Whoa! I'm going to get tired of that commercial really quickly. So the NBA. Both of us loved the new book on long-time Cleveland Cavaliers announcer Joe Tait. Joe Tait: It's Been A Real Ball (9781598510706) 15.95 was co-written by Terry Pluto. Great stuff. A perfect Christmas present for all the old accordian players in Parma.

Double D: I also enjoyed the new book about Lebron James, The Whore of Akron (9780062066367) 25.99 by Scott Raab. (Stoner Bill laughs.) C'mon Bill, it's a Cleveland fan's perspective on the chicanery of Lebron James and his move to the Miami Heat. Powerful. Well, that's it for this week. We love you Oprah!

Odds & Sods

The word on the street is that we will have more of the LEGO Idea Book (9780756686062) 24.99 in today. So the news of it being out of stock until December 20 was greatly exaggerated . . .

I have signed Jan Brett bookplates for anyone who orders her new one, Home For Christmas (9780399256530) 17.99. They are available upon request . . .

More and more children are being diagnosed with autism these days, so Daniel Stefanski's How To Talk To An Autistic Kid (9781575423654) 12.99 is a timely book. It's okay to be different . . .

Ye Olde Partners Page

*A Collection of Antiquarian Curios & Relics*

"And we played the first thing that came into our heads,
Just so happened to be,
The Best Song in the World, it was the Best Song in the World . . . "
--Tenacious D, Tribute

A TRIBUTE TO ANDY ROONEY

It really is boring up here in Heaven. First of all, a white toga may appear flattering on some people, but it's not a good look for me, Andy Rooney. In my younger days we would tie an onion to our belt because that's what we did. Good luck with that now. And don't even get me started on the whole halo thing.

Anyway, I wanted to get in one more of my trademark rants for this upcoming Christmas, and the Big Guy has given me the authorization to do so. You know I'm not a big fan of modern technology or what passes for popular culture. Who can forget my famous 'What the %$#& is a Lady Gaga?' screed? When I was a youngster we listened to The Andrews Sisters and we liked it!

At any rate, what is this whole e-book nonsense? When I get a Christmas present, I want something with a little weight behind it. It has to be a book like Erich Lessing's The Louvre: All the Paintings (9781579128869) 75.00, or a kid's title like Daniel Lipkowitz's The LEGO Idea's Book (9780756686062) 24.99. And what's up with Legos today? When I was raising my son we had square and rectangular blocks and Brian had to use his imagination. Now they have these Jedis, ninjas, that Harry Pinter kid, and real &%$#% windows. Well, I guess I shouldn't worry, the publisher is already out of stock until December 20, so you aren't going to find it anyway.

Back to e-books, so how are you going to give an e-book as a present? A little namby-pamby gift card? No, I want a physical book like my friend Tom Brokaw's Time Of Our Lives (9781400064588) 26.00, or Diane Keaton's Then Again (9781400068784) 26.00 that I can crack over the head of a New York city mugger if need be. By the by, I'll have to see if Tommy mentions our 'lost weekend' in Singapore in his new book. We drank so many Mai Tais that weekend that they had to open a new little umbrella factory. True story.

I just learned that my old buddy Regis has a new book out too. It's called How I Got This Way (9780062109750) 25.99 and it is a hoot. You know Reeg was almost as big of a fan of the Fightin' Irish as I was. Almost. We once had a contest to see who was the all-time best complainer. And wouldn't you know that $#@% Reeg won hands down.

Oh, and how about my good friend Betty White? She used to love to stroke my caterpillar-like eyebrows and sing the Butterfly Song. It drove me @#$% crazy. Her new book is Betty & Friends (9780399157547) 26.95. And her 'friends' are the animals at the local zoo. What a sweet, wonderful woman.

By the way, in case you were wondering, Kurt Cobain and I have made up. In fact it's my turn to relieve him from playing the harp. Now get off my @#$% lawn!

Odds & Sods

Our good friend and fellow Michigander Susan Newhof attended this year's GLiBA convention and she was promoting her new book, Spirits & Wine (9780472118007) 24.00. It's a fictional story of a west Michigan couple who buy their dream house and find out that they are not the only tenants. Great fun . . .

We have just received more of Chris Matthews' Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero (9781451635089) 27.50. Speaking of dead Presidents, Being George Washington (9781451659269) 26.00 by Glenn Beck goes on-sale next Tuesday. It's sure to be a bestsller . . .

Ye Olde Partners Page

*A Collection of Antiquarian Curios & Relics*

"For all the gold that is beneath the moon,
Or ever has been, of these weary souls,
Could never make a single one repose . . . "
--Dante Alighieri, Divine Comedy

THE 'H' WORD

It's getting to be that time of year. We all have our favourites for the upcoming season, and I am no exception. Sitting here at Partners Book Central^TM, I notice some things, and whether you like it or not, I'm going to share them with you. In the realm of fiction, there are three big books coming out on Monday. Monday release dates were once the domain of James Patterson, so Kill Alex Cross (9780316198738) 28.99 should be no surprise (and if we could be so lucky), but a couple others have jumped on the bandwagon, including Sue Grafton's V is for Vengeance (9780399157868) 27.95 and whoever wrote Clive Cussler's Devil's Gate (9780399157820) 27.95. As for actual Tuesday releases, Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever (9781419702235) 13.95 will probably be bigger than all of the previous titles combined. And while were talking about tween titles, Christopher Paolini's Inheritance (9780375856112) 27.99 has sold great out of the gate and will continue to be strong throughout the holidays.

Also of note in non-fiction for this upcoming Tuesday, Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope (9781451661064) 26.99 by Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly will go on-sale. After her tragic attack, Gabby captured the hearts of all Americans and I expect everyone will want to read about the details of her assassination attempt and her recovery. Another story that Americans followed closely was the trial of Casey Anthony. The prosecuting attorney Jeff Ashton reveals his thoughts on the case in his book, Imperfect Justice (9780062125323) 26.99. Surprisingly, I haven't seen any publicity on this title, which doesn't come out until November 15, but Jeff's book will be a monster.

As for titles that are already bestsellers and that should continue selling through the holidays, both Bill O'Reilly's Killing Lincoln (9780805093070) 28.00 and our generations' Ernest Hemingway, Nicholas Sparks, and his latest title Best of Me (9780446547659) 25.99 are back in stock. And what more can be said about the Kennedys? Apparently, a lot. Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero (9781451635089) 27.50 by Chris Matthews is sold out everywhere. The publisher is expecting more stock on November 11. We should have our copies by either next Tuesday or Wednesday. And, of course, I am expecting Caroline's Jacqueline Kennedy (9781401324254) 60.00 to blow up around Christmas again.

Overall, I think the publishers have set us up with some winning books for the season. So let's sell some books!

Odds & Sods

Carol Crane's The Christmas Tree Ship (9781585362851) 15.95 will be a great seller for the younger kids. Carol was kind enough to stop in on Monday and sign two hundred copies of her book. As usual, it's first come, first served . . .

Last week we had Corey Henderson, Dan Rollman, and his parents in the warehouse to sign copies of their new title, The Recordsetter Book of World Records (9780761165774) 12.95. It started out as a web site where ordinary people could share their extraordinary abilities. It's kinda like stupid human tricks but sillier. Get yours before they're gone . . .

Ye Olde Partners Page

*A Collection of Antiquarian Curios & Relics*

"I've had enough of reading things
By neurotic, psychotic, pig-headed politicians
All I want is the truth
Just gimme some truth . . . "
--John Lennon, Gimme Some Truth

B. TRAVEN JR. -- CONSPIRACY THEORIST AT LARGE

B. Traven Jr. here. I am taking a break from the filming of the latest episode of Finding Bigfoot to update you on the latest inthe wacky world of books. In fact, I have toyed with the idea of just walking off the set. There is a distinct lack of professionalism amongst their crew, and I would have just as much chance of finding Bigfoot by looking out my backyard window. Ha, ha!

As you well know, I have spent time on many expeditions in search of lost books, like Homer's Margites, The Annals of King David, William Shakespeare's The History of Cardenio, and of course, the latest edition of Mary Hunt's Hunt's Guide to Michigan's UP. However, my latest foray into the Partners' warehouse has revealed at long last that they have received Adam Gamble's Good Night Michigan (9781602190542) 9.95. So you can keep your Goodnight Keith Moon (9780956011923) 10.95 and your Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site (9780811877824) 16.99; I'll take Adam's book. Ha, ha!

I have obviously dabbled in the occult, but I didn't realize that we had a psychic in our own midst. David predicted yesterday that the Michigan football team is going to run the board for the rest of this season. This would be a tall order with Penn State and Ohio State on the docket, but Seth, er, David seems strangely confident. Speaking of Michigan, John Bacon's Three and Out: Rich Rodriguez and the Michigan Wolverines in the Crucible of College Football (9780809094660) 28.00 is shipping directly from the bindery and we hope to have our stock by the end of this week. If David is right, we're heading for Vegas. Ha, Ha!

I wanted to say congratulations to St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, who not only won this year's World Series, but is also retiring from managing, finally. What is he like 150 years old? His recent biography Tony La Russa (9781600785573) 15.95 traces his life from his childhood in Transylvania to his major league career as a three-time World Champion manager. Also, fresh off the press, Partners has two new commemorative 2011 World Series books called Wild Cards (9781600787171) 14.95 & (9780578095776) 24.95. Furthermore, there is a new book called Finally, a Guidebook to St. Louis by and for St. Louisians, Neighborhood by Neighborhood (9781935806073) 18.00 by Amanda Doyle with Kerri Bonasch that will show you right where Mr. La Russa sleeps during the day. Don't forget to bring a hammer and a stake. Ha, ha!

And as Robert Heinlein once said, "Secrecy is the keystone to all tyranny."
Odds & Sods

I did get a kick out of this article called '10 Literary Trends that Need to go Away': http://www.accreditedonlinecolleges.org/blog/2011/10-literary-trends-that-need-to-go-away The first one is 'Lackluster Graphic Novel Adaptations' and it reminded me of Twilight V2 (9780316133197) 19.99. The fourth one is 'Self-indulgent celebrity memoirs' which brought to mind the November 15 release, Shaq Uncut (9781455504411) 27.99 by Shaquille O'Neal. It must have been written by a bookseller because they are all spot on . . .