Ye Olde Partners Page

*A Collection of Antiquarian Curios & Relics*

"We are the Sherlock Holmes English Speaking Vernacular Help save Fu Manchu, Moriarty, and Dracula. We are the Office Block Persecution Affinity God save little shops, china cups, and virginity . . ."
               --The Kinks, Village Green Preservation Society

So yesterday morning, I was leaving for work and I was just about out the door, when my beautiful wife walked down the stairway, clutching her copy of M.L. Stedman's The Light Between Oceans (9781451681758) 16.00, (which she really likes a lot), to kiss me goodbye. Trying to impress her, I said, "That's our bestselling trade paper book right now."

She stopped, her foot hovering in the air before the next step, and replied, "Really? What about Maria Semple's Where'd You Go, Bernadette? (9780316204262) 14.99?"

She got me.  I hemmed and I hawed, "Well, that's a good one.  They probably are neck and neck.  It would be really hard to say which one is doing better . . ." I was regretting my comment.  I should have known better than to try to match wits with someone who is responsible for the fiction category in their bookstore.

She continued, "Okay, how about Beautiful Ruins (9780061928178) 15.99 by Jess Walter?"

I exhaled in resignation, "You got me.  I better get going before I'm late for work."

Suddenly, we heard loud crying from our baby's room.  It looked like there wouldn't be any reading for my wife this morning.

I smiled, "You better get that.  I'll see you tonight."

1)  SCHOOLBOYS IN DISGRACE . . .  As a Detroit Red Wings fan, I begrudgingly acknowledge that our rivals, the Chicago Blackhawks, won the Stanley Cup in a strike shortened season.  I will admit that they were the best team in hockey in this abbreviated season.  However, with the winning of the Stanley Cup, there comes great responsibility and, much to my chagrin, their franchise has already dropped the puck.  I was greeted on MSN.com this morning with a photo of JUSTIN BIEBER not only posing in the Chicago Blackhawks' dressing room with The Cup, but actually touching hockey's most sacred shrine.  Fortunately, the two commemorative titles we are stocking, Unstoppable: The Chicago Blackhawks 2013 (9781600788918) 14.95 and The Year of the Chicago Blackhawks (9780771051357) 19.99, are completely BIEBERless.  Shame on you, Blackhawks!  Shame on you . . .

2)  MUSWELL HILLBILLIES . . .  I initially thought that Alida Nugent's Don't Worry It Gets Worse (9780452298187) 14.00 would be the best title that I'd hear all day, but then Deb asked for How to Honey Boo Boo (9780062288509) 19.99 by Shannon & The Thompson Family.  Really?  I don't even . . .    

  

Odds & Sods

Daniel James Brown's (Ha!) The Boys in the Boat (9780670025817) 28.95 has been getting some buzz.  It's the true story of nine Americans with hardscrabble beginnings who comprised the U.S. rowing team in the 1936 Berlin Olympics.  Was there anything that Jesse Owens couldn't do?

A sleeper children's title to keep an eye on is Drew Daywalt's The Day the Crayons Quit (9780399255373) 17.99.  It's been trickling out of here on a regular basis . . .

Steve Lehto has updated and written the 2nd edition of Death's Door (9781938018039) 24.95 for the 100th anniversary of this U.P. tragedy . . .