Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Ye Olde Partners Page

*A Collection of Antiquarian Curios & Relics*
"I don't mind stealing bread
from the mouths of decadence
But I can't feed on the powerless
when my cup's already overfilled . . ."
--Temple of the Dog, Hunger Strike
Alternatingly Flailing and Paddling in the Stream of Consciousness

So as is my habit, I was prepping myself for my busy day by reading the latest Shelf Awareness. Much to my chagrin, I noticed in the Book Brahmin that the author had incorrectly spelled Hunter S. Thompson, not once but twice in the same article. I, too, well know the pitfalls of getting names wrong in a newsletter, but it's Hunter S. 'Freakin'' Thompson! If Mr. Thompson were still alive, I'm sure he would be at this author's door with several large calibre guns in hand. As it is, he's probably going to have to deal with Johnny Depp.

Call me converted. Kelley from Minneapolis seems to have a knack for finding good selling mid-list titles that most booksellers probably overlook. (Hey, I'm including myself in that statement.) She was right on the mark with Laura Schroff's An Invisible Thread: The True Story of an 11-Year-Old Panhandler, a Busy Sales Executive, and an Unlikely Meeting with Destiny (9781451642513) 25.00. I believe the subtitle sums it up succinctly. It could be the feel good hit of the holidays. Her other recent selection that's not a 'feel good hit' would be Caroline Moorehead's Train In Winter: An Extraordinary Story of Women, Friendship, and Resistance in Occupied France (9780061650703) 27.99. We've sold out for a second time, but we should have stock shortly. Everybody hates the Nazis.

Speaking of France, the movie The Adventures of Tintin (9780316185738) 4.99, courtesy of some guys named Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg, will be debuting December 21. Apparently its release in France broke all of their box office records. It does looks pretty cool from the trailer. I mentioned Michael Morpurgo's War Horse (9780545403351) 8.99 last week, which is also a Spielberg production. Finally, the last big movie tie-in for the year will be Stieg Larsson's The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (9780307454546) 14.95. This isn't normally a movie I would be interested in, but I do like Daniel Craig so I might check it out. Also, Trent Reznor co-wrote the soundtrack and that sounds kind of intriguing. The movie cover is available in the 'premium edition' (9780307949486) 9.99 and a tradepaper edition (9780307949493) 15.95.

I've decided that my favourite title of the year is Kate Atkinson's Started Early, Took My Dog (9780316066747) 14.99. I have no idea what her novel is about, but what a wonderful, wonderful title . . .

Odds & Sods

Julie from TimeTM magazine wanted me to mention a couple of cute kid's cookbooks. Not to be confused with Sleeping Bear's alphabet series, Sesame Street's B is for Baking (9780470638866) 16.99 and SpongeBob's Kitchen Mission Cookbook (9780470639443) 16.99 would make great gifts for youngsters who yearn to cook . . .

I missed one movie tie-in book. Jonathan Foer's Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (9780547735023) 14.95 is a starring vehicle for Tom Hanks and Jesse James' ex-wife Sandra Bullock. It opens on January 20 . . .

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