*A Collection of
Antiquarian Curios & Relics*
"Kids know
what's going on. They always respond to The Beatles, for instance.
Doesn't matter
when they were born, they always seem to respond. Show me
a kid who innately
doesn't like The Beatles, and I'll show you a bad seed . . ."
--Mark Oliver Everett
1) I AM AUTHOR . .
.
As you well know, we have had many fine authors traipse through here, sign our
copies of their latest title, and then offer them to you at no additional
cost. Some writers embrace this process, some do not. The ones who
do not, I understand, just as well as the ones who do. The writing
process, unless you're James Patterson who has a legion of fact checkers,
research assistants, and ghost writers, is a solitary one. Many authors
are suitably introverted. Terry Hayes, author of I Am Pilgrim (9781439177723)
26.99 is not one of those. And damn, was it refreshing. This may be
his first book, but Terry has been working as a screenwriter for years and some
of his better known movies are The Road Warrior, Mad Max Beyond
Thunderdome, Dead Calm, and From Hell. (Okay, you had
me at The Road Warrior.) Michele, the media escort, warned me that
he was a talker, and if you know Michele, that's saying something. In the
course of fifteen minutes, our conversation went from Rudolph Valentino to The
Rolling Stones to Picasso and everything in between. The man can tell a
story, which leads me to believe that his new thriller must be one hell of a
ride. The action-suspense genre is not usually my cup of tea, but on the
strength of his visit, I'm willing to give it a try. As per usual, our
signed copies are on a first come, first served basis . . .
2) I AM HEROINE . . . Unless
you are from a parallel universe, you have surely heard by now that Maya
Angelou was taken from us last week. Subsequently, we have had a run on
her titles. Most of them are backordered at their various publishers, but
we do currently have her wonderful His Day is Done: A Nelson Mandela Tribute
(9780812997019) 15.00 available. It is a lyrical and moving final gift to
a man who changed the world. Also, we are distributing Carolyn Goodman's My
Mantelpiece: A Memoir of Survival and Social Justice (9780984991945) 23.00,
which was written by the mother of Andy Goodman, one of the three civil rights
activists who were killed in Mississippi in 1964. Ms. Goodman is a
political activist in her own right. I mention her title since one of the
last things Dr. Angelou wrote was the foreward to this book. As you are
well aware, the Civil Rights movement was near and dear to her heart. And
although Supreme Court Justice John Roberts and his cronies are 'convinced'
that racism no longer exists in America, we need reminders like this book to
make sure it never rears its ugly head again. Unfortunately, there is no
one near her stature to write Her Day is Done: A Maya Angelou Tribute .
. .
On this day in
Byzantine History
Influential
Byzantine eunuch minister Staurakios died on June 3, 800 AD.
Odds
& Sods
Prairie Lights
wunderkind and Iowan bookseller Paul Ingram will have his new title The Lost
Clerihews of Paul Ingram (9781888160772) 19.95 available shortly. It
is mentioned in his publicity kit that he is one of the Top Five booksellers in
the United States.
Michigan also has a bookseller in the Top Five
nationwide -- Bill Cusumano at Nicola's Books. Unfortunately, he is
fleeing our state for the warm weather of Mississippi, and now their state's
readers will benefit from his vast knowledge and wisdom. Good luck, Bill,
and as Leslie West once said, "Mississippi Queen, you know what I mean,
Mississippi Queen, she taught me everything."
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