Ye Olde Partners Page

*A Collection of Antiquarian Curios & Relics*

"Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances
you may have against one another.
Forgive as the Lord forgave you . . ."
--Colossians 3:13

1) WELCOME TO FANTASY ISLAND . . . "A mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge," said the Imp. I have been waiting almost a year for George R.R. Martin's The Game of Thrones series on HBO to release on DVD. It finally came out yesterday. The last time I was this excited about a media event is when Star Wars: The Phantom Menace was coming to the movie theatres. I was there on opening night and . . . Let's just say 'hugely disappointed' would be the understatement of the year. So I tried not to get too overly excited about this one. I've only watched two episodes so far (because I'm trying to savor it), but it has exceeded my expectations. If you like fantasy, you should read The Game of Thrones (9780553593716) 8.99 mm & (9780553381689) 17.00 tr. The second season of the series begins April 1. It will be based on the second book, A Clash of Kings (9780345535429) 8.99 mm & (9780345535412) 18.00. Interestingly, the co-creator is David Benioff. He wrote the bestselling novel City of Thieves (9780452295292) 15.00, which traced the lives of several people during the brutal Nazi siege of Leningrad. There was a lot of snow there, too.

Speaking of fantasy-based films, John Carter (9781423165583) 9.99 by Edgar Rice Burroughs will be released world-wide on March 9. We also stock the Collected John Carter of Mars (9781423165590) 16.99, but the title that we have sold the most of has been The Mars Trilogy (9781442423879) 12.99, which consists of the first three titles in the cycle. The only thing I remember about these books were the lurid covers.

Lastly, of course you've heard that Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games will be in theaters on March 23. You might want to check your stock on The Hunger Games (9780439023528) 8.99, Catching Fire (9780439023498) 17.99, and Mickingjay, er, Mockingjay (9780439023511) 17.99 and beef it up a bit. I haven't read the books, but I am intrigued with the movie because Jennifer Lawrence is starring and I thought that she was brilliant in her last film. It was based on Daniel Woodrell's novel Winter's Bone (9780316131612) 13.99. I will warn you that Winter's Bone is not for everyone . . .

2) BOSS, DA PLANE . . . Mark Titus was not a second or third or fourth banana when he played for the OSU Buckeyes in basketaball. In fact, he hardly played at all, but he did score a grand total of nine points in the NCAA, which is more than most of us can say. His new book Don't Put Me in Coach: My Incredible Journey from the End of the Bench to the End of the Bench (9780385535106) 24.95 is starting to sell and it's just in time for March Madness.

Kid's Korner

Around these parts, we can't get enough of Kelly DiPucchio's books, which is a good thing because she stopped by last week and signed our copies of Crafty Chloe (9781442421233) 16.99. As usual, it's a first come, first served basis for autographed titles.

And the hits keep coming! Jonathan Rand must have had a sudden burst of creativity. Not only was Michigan Chiller #15: Calumet Copper Creatures (9781893699663) 5.99 released a couple of months ago, but now we have American Chillers #33: Monster Mosquitoes of Maine (9781893699571) 5.99. Hopefully, his next one will be the Giant Black Flies of the U.P. . . .