Ye Olde Partners Page

*A Collection of Antiquarian Curios & Relics*

"Met a man with a rifle in his hand
Been away to battle in a distant land
Taught him to hate taught him to kill
Now he's out on the road with a hole to fill . . ."
--Steve Earle, The Low Highway

1) DISCO DUCK . . . As we segue from Memorial Day into the Father's Day book-buying holiday, I have noticed from high upon the Partners Weather Centre several titles that appear to be rocketing up the bestseller lists. First of all, let the record state that I have never watched Duck Dynasty, and that is neither a good or bad thing it just holds no interest for me. I have caught a few snippets on The Soup, and they have been mildly amusing. If you are unfamilar with their show, in a nutshell, it follows the trials and tribulations of a rednecky type family that has made millions of dollars selling duck calls. Yup, duck calls. As Yakoff Smirnoff once said, "I love dis coun-try!" The patriarch of the family, Phil Robertson, has a new book called Happy Happy Happy (9781476726090) 24.99, and it is selling selling selling. Of course we are waiting for Simon Simon Simon to send send send books to us, and backorders are piling up. In the meantime, Duck Commander Family (9781476703541) 23.99 by the Robertson clan is in stock and it is moving quite briskly. (Mick throws his microphone down, say's 'Word', and strides off the stage.)

2) BOOGIE WOOGIE BUGLE BOY . . . My brother Jay, who is not a huge reader, has been waiting with bated breath for the concluding volume in Rick Atkinson's Pulitzer Prize-winning Liberty Trilogy, The Guns at Last Light (9780805062908) 40.00. It's here and it has Father's Day written all over it. The Liberty Trilogy follows the actions of the American forces in the European theatre during World War II. If you're looking for something a little more off the beaten path, I would suggest a title on the previous World War, The Last of the Doughboys: The Forgotten Generation and Their Forgotten World War (9780547554433) 28.00 by Richard Rubin. Rick tracked down the last surviving American veterans of WWI and interviewed each of them. This is their story. It also includes a CD with a heavy metal version of The Caissons Go Rolling Along. 'Cuz that's just how Rick Rubin rolls . . .

3) BASKETBALL JONES . . . There was a time (specifically the Detroit Pistons Bad Boy era) when I loathed Phil Jackson, the then coach of the Chicago Bulls. Now, he probably wouldn't elicit a 'meh' out of me, but then that's pretty much my opinion of the current NBA in general. His new book is called Eleven Rings (9781594205118) 27.95. It isn't about The Lord of the Rings, which was my initial thought, but the number of NBA ChampionshipsTM that Phil has accrued as a coach. Basketball fans will love it, and as my good friend Nigel Tufnel once said, "But mine goes to eleven . . ."

Odds & Sods

Loreen Niewenhuis is up to her old shenanigans. The author who brought you the bestselling regional book A 1000 Mile Walk on the Beach (9781933987156) 16.95, has been doing some more walkin'. Her new one is entitled A 1000 Mile Great Lakes Walk (9781933987217) 16.95 and it is sure to sell as well as her first one. Beat the rush . . .

Also, Lucas Mann's Class A:Baseball in the Middle of Everywhere (9780307907547) 26.95 would be another great, quirky last minute Father's Day gift. It follows an entire season of the Clinton LumberKings, a minor league team in Iowa. Good clean fun . . .