Ye Olde Partners Page

*A Collection of Antiquarian Curios & Relics*

"Look around -- there's only one thing of danger for you here -- poetry."
--Pablo Neruda, speaking to Pinochet's Chilean Secret Police

1) EXTRAVAGARIA . . . I'm not exactly sure what the heck is going on in the book biz, but quirky animal books are the latest craze. From the people who brought you How to Tell If Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You (9781449410247) 14.99 comes My Dog: The Paradox (9781449437527) 9.99. I haven't had a chance to take a peek at the dog one yet, but I have to admit that there were a few laugh out loud moments in the cat one. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg; internet sensation Grumpy Cat not only has Grumpy Cat: A Grumpy Book (9781452126579) 12.95 due to release on September 18, but a Grumpy Cat 2014 Wall Calendar (9781452126609) 13.99 as well. I'm sure there will be refrigerator magnets, bumper stickers, and a line of Grumpy Cat feline apparel, too. And Halloween costumes. On the heels of this huge literary event, I learned yesterday that another animal internet sensation, The Baby Pig in a Wheelchair aka Chris P. Bacon has signed a three-book deal with Hay House. I checked out Mr. Bacon on the intrawebs and doggone it, he is as adorable as advertised. Mmmm, bacon. I guess I better start shopping around the book about my dog, Casey: A Major Pain in the A** before it's too late . . .

2) THE CAPTAIN'S VERSES . . . Jessilynn from Petoskey alerted us to a great new series of children's books that highlight the tireless efforts of the U.S. Coast Guard to keep the straits of Mackinac safe. The series is called The Adventures of Onyx by Tyler Benson. Onyx is a homeless dog who stows away aboard a Coast Guard cutter and is adopted by his new found friends. The first title is The Guardians of the Straits (9780615627373) 13.99 and the just-released The Gales of November (9780989284608) 14.99 arrived here yesterday. If your store is near Mackinac or St. Ignace, then you should be stocking both of these books. By the way, this title should not be confused with The Gales of November (9781882376339) 16.95 by Robert Hemming. The heroism of Onyx almost makes me too embarrassed to hawk my book about Casey to publishers. Almost . . .

3) THE YELLOW HEART . . . If you're a fan of the Alex McKnight series by Steve Hamilton, then you should check out Gus Carpenter in Brian Gruley's The Skeleton Box (9781451650303) 16.00. Brand new in trade paper, this is the sequel to the award-winning first two books in this series, The Hanging Tree (9781416563648) 15.00 and Starvation Lake (9781416563624) 15.00. Gus is the editor of the local newspaper in the small town of Starvation Lake in northern Michigan and after the 'Bingo Night Burglaries' become deadly, he has yet another murder to solve. It becomes personal when it appears that his mother Bea may be implicated in the victim's death . . .

Odds & Sods

There seems to be a big buzz building up around Philipp Meyer's The Son (9780062120397) 27.99. A multi-generational epic set in the Old West, it is being compared to the best works of Cormac McCarthy and Larry McMurtry. We have few copies left in the stash. Maybe Philipp should change his name to McMeyer . . .

Also the deluge of diet books seems to continue unabated. Jorge Cruise's The 100: Count ONLY Sugar Calories and Lose Up to 18 lbs. in Two Weeks (9780062227072) 25.99 appears to be the flavor of the week right now. Again, we do have some stock hidden in the stash. Hor-hay . . .