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"But the May Day is the great day, sung along the old straight track.

And those who ancient lines did lay will heed this song that calls them back.

Pass the word and pass the lady, pass the plate to all who hunger.

Pass the wit of ancient wisdom, pass the cup of wonder . . ."

                                                                                     --Jethro Tull, Cup of Wonder

1)  SONGS FROM THE WOODS . . .  Mystery.  I believe, as a species, it has been hardwired into our brains to pierce the veil of secrecy surrounding mysteries, big or small.  From Bigfoot to the exploration of space, humans have a deep seated desire to 'know' and it is an instinct that has benefited all of us in one way or another.  However, what if there weren't any more mysteries?  This brings me to J.D. Salinger, author of one of the most beloved books of our generation, The Catcher in the Rye (9780316769488) 6.99.  Much like Thomas Pynchon, the author of the upcoming Bleeding Edge (9781594204234) 27.95, J.D. shunned our celebrity society and cutivated a life of relative anonymity.  This will be coming to an end, shortly.  Salinger (9781476744834) 37.50, the 600 page boffo oral history of his life will be released next Tuesday.  The accompanying documentary by Shane Salerno will debut at movie theatres the following Friday.  To me, it's one thing to shine a flashlight in the corner of a room in curiosity, but it's something entirely different to illuminate a stadium-full of Klieg lights on someone's life, famous or not.  We need our Loch Ness sea monsters . . .

2)  HUNTING GIRL . . .  And now on the other end of the spectrum, we have the Duck DynastyTM clan.  Forget the next Harry Potter,  Samantha Shannon's Bone Season (9781620401392) 24.00.  Forget the next Hunger Games' movie Catching Fire (9780545586177) 12.99 by Suzanne Collins.  Duck Dynasty will blow all of the these books out of the water in the upcoming holiday season.  Don't even start!  I can already hear the 'But Mick, that show is so dumb . . .  I can't believe people watch that . . .  It's an insult to my intelligence . . .  blah blah blah.'  This is irrelevant.  We are in the business of selling books.  Also, Simon & Schuster wouldn't be printing three different titles this fall if they didn't have high hopes for this show's tie-ins.  Si Robertson's new one releases next Tuesday and it's cleverly entitled Si-cology: Tales & Wisdom from Duck Dynasty's Favorite Uncle (9781476745374) 22.99.  On October 15, we will have Alan Robertson's Duck Commander Devotional (9781476748689) 16.99.  Finally, on November 5, we will have Miss Kay's Duck Commander Kitchen (9781476745121) 22.99 by Kay Robertson available, so fans can enjoy her recipes for fried deer steak, crawfish pie, and sticky frog legs, too.  Yum!  I see you rolling your eyes.  Stop!  I also expect their two current titles Duck Commander Family (9781476703541) 23.99  by Willie Robertson and Happy Happy Happy (9781476726090) 24.99 to sell through the holidays.  We should have a little breather after these titles.  It looks like they're running out of family members . . .    

  

Odds & Sods

Ann Arbor is known for many things, but who knew that beer was one of them.  The first commercial brewery was established in 1838 and David Bardallis' new book Ann Arbor Beer (9781626191563) 19.99 taps into the brew history of everyone's favourite college town.  History Press has scored  a touchdown with this one . . .

What can I say about Richard P. Smith that hasn't already been said?  When it comes to deer hunting in these parts, he has no peer.  We have received his latest collection of deer hunting exploits in his new title, Great Michigan Deer Tales 6 (9780971035553) 12.95. 

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"Koke adds life says the advertising world

Treat me nice -- the party girl

Koke adds life where there isn't any

So freeze, man, freeze . . . Hit the deck!"

                                                                                     --The Clash, Koka Kola

THE CHINESE GORKY PARK

 

  Hey Dudes and Dudettes!  Double D and I are chillin' in his mom's basement.  I'm crashed on the comfortable couch, thumbing through David Ewalt's Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons & Dragons etc. (9781451640502) 26.00.  The Doctor is a tap, tap, tapping on his keyboard.  I'm not sure what he's up to . . .

  "Dude, have you seen this new geekalicious D&D book?  The guy who wrote it claims he's a level-fifteen cleric, but that's not really that impressive."

  Doctor Delay stops typing.  He raises an eyebrow and asks,"And why's that?"

  "Well, I'd say a level-fifteen wizard would make more sense.  'Cuz like Gandalf, they're more into the history of the world and they have magic tomes . . . and stuff."

  Double D says, "Why not a monk then?  During the Dark Ages, monks preserved a lot of the books and spent most of their lives copying religious texts."

  I reply, "True, true.  But the monk sub-class of the cleric emphasized hand-to-hand combat more than any of their priestly abilities.  They sucked at high level."

  "Dude, you're becoming a major distraction.  I'm trying to finish my book."

  I crane my neck to look at his computer screen, "Sorrrry!  I hope you're not trying to write the new Harry Potter because it's already been done.  Samantha Shannon is being called the British J.K. Rowling.  Her first title is Bone Season (9781620401392) 22.00, and  it is projected to be part of a seven-book series.  Just like you know who.  And it's the selection for The Today Show Book Club."

  Double D let's out a long exhaltation, "Dude, it's nothing like that."

  I'm gathering steam, "How about Star Wars?  There's that new William Shakespeare's Star Wars (9781594746376) 14.95 by Ian Doescher, which is pretty fun.  Or something along the lines of that Angleberger dude and The Surprise Attack of Jabba the Puppett (9781419708589) 12.95.  Or how about Star Wars erotica?  You could do like Fifty Shades of Jedi or Lasers in You . . ."

  Doctor Delay purses his lips, "Bill, I'm sure there are plenty of Star Wars erotica fan fiction web sites out there.  I'm going in a completely different direction."

  "Okay, how about this?  I have two words for you: James Patterson.  He's got like this whole stable of writers.  James has only got a few books out right now.  I believe he has The Mistress (9780316211079) 28.00, Daniel X: Armageddon (9780316101776) 8.00, Alex Cross Run (9781455521500) 15.00, Witch & Wizard: The Fire (9780316101769) 10.00, NYPD Red (9781455521548) 15.00, and Second Honeymoon (9780316211222) 28.00 . . ."

  Double D says, "Dude, I'm not working for JP.  This is the Chinese Gorky Park."    

 

  

Odds & Sods

Big news!  The web order special that we offered in April is back again for this September.  Customers who order at least 50 assorted titles through our web site may take 43% and free freight.  Enter '43% and free' in the special instructions box and we'll do the rest.  To take advantage of this one-time offer, you must be in good credit standing and it will not extend to any backorders . . .

The long-awaited third edition of Universal Map's Michigan County Atlas (9780762583317) 29.99 is finally here.  And remember:  Hunting season is right around the corner . . .   

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"I said maybe I don't really want to know

How your garden grows

I just want to fly

Lately did you ever feel the pain . . ."

                                                                                     --Oasis, Live Forever

1) WHATEVER . . .  Timothy Egan, winner of the 2014 PEN/Brad Pitt Book Award, which is presented to the best looking male author in non-fiction, has just had Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life & Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis (9780544102767) 15.95 released in paperback.  How do I know he could be the winner of the fictional PEN/Brad Pitt Book Award?  Timothy Egan once stopped in here to sign copies of The Worst Hard Time (9780618773473) 14.95, which normally no one but myself would take much interest in.  However, on this particular visit, I noticed that nearly our entire staff of women had joined us in the conference room.  I fled.  Timothy Egan has also won the Pulitizer Prize.  Timothy Egan was one of the nicest people we've ever had sign for us.  I hate Timothy Egan . . .

2) WHISKEY & CIGARETTES . . .  Speaking of Native American photography, Joseph Heywood is back with a full-length novel to go with his recent collection of short stories, Hard Ground (9780762781263) 16.95.  The novel Killing a Cold One (9780762791279) 26.95 is set in Northern Michigan and revolves around the murder of two Native American girls.  Conservation officer Grady Service of the Michigan DNR is on the case.  He finds strange tracks, and then the body count begins to mount.  Some people say it's the 'dogman' and the governor orders him to track down the killer whether it's man or beast.  (If you're not familiar with the 'dogman' legend, we also stock Linda Godfrey's The Michigan Dogman (9780979882265) 15.95.)  Along the same lines, we've received Cary Griffith's new novel Wolves (9781591934363) 12.95.  Sam Rivers, a special agent for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has a predilection for predators and finds himself in the hinterlands of Minnesota in search of a wolfpack feeding on the local livestock.  That is, until his estranged father is found dead in his boyhood home of Defiance, MN. and he realizes he has more to fear than mere wolves . . .

3)  BRING IT ON DOWN . . .  Linda Fairstein has returned with a new Alex Cooper crime caper, Death Angel (9780525953876) 26.95.  It goes like this: (Sung to the tune of Earth Angel by The Penguins)

Oh, Death Angel, Death Angel,

Please be mine?

My darling dear, love you all the time.

I'm just a killer,

A killer in love with you . . .

Odds & Sods

It's summer vacation time in Michigan, and if  you'd like to sample the exquisite cuisine endemic to Northern Michigan but don't have the time to go there, I have the perfect book for you!  The Michigan Bed & Breakfast Cookbook (9781889593302) 22.95 presents a wonderful sampling of the delicious recipes used by B&Bs statewide.

Magnifique!

And so it begins.  The first title leading the onslaught of Green Bay Packer books is Lew Freedman's The Packer Experience (9780760344507) 40.00.  I have to admit that if I were a Packers fan, I would want one.

 

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"The future is already here -- it's just not evenly distributed . . ."

                                                                                     --William Gibson

1)  EXIT MUSIC (FOR A FILM) . . .  Readers of post-apocalyptic fiction everywhere rejoice!  I just stumbled upon some exciting news (and I'm still rubbing my foot): Margaret Atwood's final installment in her dystopian trilogy, Madd Addam (9780385528788) 27.95 will be published on September 3.  Her trilogy began with the battle between corporations and, well, the rest of us in Oryx & Crake (9780385721677) 15.95.  It continued with the eradication of most of mankind in a worldwide pandemic in her second title in the series, The Year of the Flood (9780307455475) 15.00, and now we will see what our genetically modified offspring will do in their 'brave new world' in this concluding volume.  It's not often an author of Margaret Atwood's calibre attempts to tackle this genre, (Cormac McCarthy's The Road (9780307387899) 15.00 is the only comparable novel I can think of), so savor every single sentence . . .

In other dystopian news, the movie based on Divergent (9780062024039) 9.99 by Veronica Roth doesn't release until March 21, 2014, but we're already starting to see sales ramp up in anticipation of the movie and the October 22 release of the third book in the series,  Allegiant (9780062024060) 19.99.  The middle volume Insurgent (9780062024046) 17.99, which is still only available in hardcover, is selling strongly.  Finally, the second film in Suzanne Collin's Hunger Games Trilogy, Catching Fire (9780545586177) 12.99 will be in theatres on November 22.  And we all know how well her books did when the first movie came out.  I remember when the band Timbuk3 once sang, "The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades . . ."  What happened?

2)  KNIVES OUT . . .  "They stab it with their steely knives, but they just can't kill the beast."  The 'steely' reference was a nod by the Eagles to the band Steely Dan, who had namechecked the Eagles in one of their songs. The upcoming title The Embassy House (9781476751139) 27.00 by British Sergeant Morgan Jones, who was at the Benghazi embassy attack and who also found Ambassador Stevens' body, tells all in this new book.  It goes on sale October 15.  Mr. Jones has been confirmed for an appearance on 60 Minutes shortly thereafter.  Is Benghazi a scandal yet?  This could definitely mean trouble for President Obama's 2016 re-election chances . . .

3)  FAKE PLASTIC TREES . . .  The ubiquitous Carl Sams is back with not one, not two, but three new photography books featuring the great outdoors. Carl loves his birds, and both Loons in the Mist (9780982762530) 14.95 and For the Love of Birds (9780982762547) 14.95 highlight his talent for catching the right bird at the right moment.  Lastly, his Babies of the Wild (9780982762554) 14.95 is chock full of baby animal photos that are adorable for any age . . .  

      

Odds & Sods

They're back!  Two of Partner's favourite ghosthunters Kathleen Tedsen and Beverlee Rydel have returned with a new book of their ghostly exploits in Haunted Travels of Michigan III: Spirits Rising (9781933272412) 14.95.  The best feature of this book is that there is a special section on Mackinac Island hauntings.  It is a must-have for Mackinac Island stores . . .

 Today we received the long-awaited fourth edition of Michelle Darrall Zavatsky's Kids Love Indiana (9780615731674) 17.95.  With more than  500 kid-friendly stops, this is the only guidebook that any family will ever need . . .

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"Now another century nearly gone,

What are we gonna leave for the young?

What we couldn't do, what we wouldn't do,

It's a crime, but does it matter?"

                                                                                     --The Kinks, Living on a Thin Line

In the near future . . .

B. Traven Jr. here.  You may remember me from the Dr. Who episode, Night of the Triffids, which is now available for $19.99 on higher definition (HHD) Green RayTM.  I am also the host of The Funniest Organ Harvesting Moments.  "Hey, who needs two kidneys when one will do?"  Ha, ha!

Today I would like to tell you about our public domain books that for a one cent are being offered for cranial download from your good friends at Sahara.com:

Before J.K. Rowling's wildly successful second Harry Potter series, she dabbled in the mystery genre under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith with Cuckoo's Calling (9780316206846) 26.00.  Still no word on when the second two titles in the trilogy, London Calling and Higher Calling, will be available.

As the English monarchy-in-exile prepares to celebrate King George VII's Silver Jubilee here in America, it would be the perfect time to read Phillipa Gregory's The White Princess (9781451626094) 27.99.  Phillipa was known as the 'Queen of Royal Fiction,' and this one highlights the aftermath of the War of the Roses.

Dan Brown, host of America's #1 game show with the highest body count, How Would You Die for a Million Dollars?, was once a mega-selling author and his last novel Inferno (9780385537858) 29.95 has finally been re-issued.  A New York Times bestseller, I don't believe Dante could have done it any better.  He's also responsible for his show's famous catchphrase, "Who's your next of kin!"

Danielle Steel.  What can I say about Danielle Steel?  At the age of 115 years young, Ms. Steel has just released her 1,246 genre title Romance Novel #533 (9789876543210) 250.00.  However, some of her earlier works like First Sight (9780385338301) 28.00, which have been long out of print, are being made available for a very limited time.  Rediscover Danielle again, for the very first time.

Well, that's all the power from the grid that we can legally use today . . .  But wait, there's more.  If you order any of these titles within the next 5 minutes, we will send you not one, but two copies of Glenn Beck's Agenda 21 (9781476717012) 9.99. Remember: Conspiracy theories keep me employed.  Thanks, El Becko.  Ha, ha!

Odds & Sods

Okay, we're still waiting on Kathy-Jo Wargin's The Legend of Sleeping Bear (9781886947351) 17.95, but it should be shipping next week from the publisher.  I'm serious.  Really . . .

National Book Award-winning Andrea Barrett has finally released a new collection of short stories, Archangel (9780393240009) 24.95.  These five stories are held together by the common thread of scientific discovery.  It's indicative of our society that a literary virtuoso like Ms. Barrett will be lucky to sell 1/1000 of what Dan Brown will sell on any given book.  Meh . . .