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*A Collection of Antiquarian Curios & Relics*

"Many of the people who came to us were of the kind

who would be a nuisance anywhere but have special opportunities in a bookshop . . ."

                                                                                 --George Orwell, former bookstore employee

Dearest Mick--

  Chip, my loyal manservant, and I had dressed up in our Wild West railroad costumes and were preparing to play a round of 'holding up the iron horse' when your package arrived via the parcel post. Chip turned off the Lionel train, pulled his kerchief down from his mouth, and cracked open your box.  You may not know that I have been a lifelong train enthuasist and was a founding member of 'Railways Illustrated' magazine.  You should see the centerfold from the August issue, the funnel on the Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 is enormous.

  At any rate, I removed my train conductor hat, Chip opened the aluminium chest  containing a bottle of Hennessey Beaute du Siecle, and he poured me a glass of my favourite Cognac.  Finally, we were ready to settle in and delve into your treasure trove of fine literature.

  I was aghast at your first selection.  There is nothing I find more loathsome and irritating than those who call themselves bloggers or bloggesses.  They are the pickpockets and knaves of the writing world.  However, the title of Hannah Hart's new book, My Drunk Kitchen (9780062293039) 22.99, did intrigue me.  You may not know this but the original title for Dylan Thomas' Portrait of a Young Artist as a Dog was 'My Drunk Kitchen', which I was fond of, but try as I might, Dylan was steadfast in his resolve to parody the title of James Joyce's Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man (9780142437346) 9.00.  I will promise you, if I am ever able to recall any more of those stories, I will be sure to share them with you.

  I do love a good cozy.  And I suppose Louise Penny's latest offering, The Long Way Home (9781250022066) 27.99 would almost qualify.  Of course this title reminded me of the old 'Supertramp' song.  Yes, Mick, I am familiar with some of that noise that you call Rock 'n Roll.  

  Which brings us to your next title.  I understand the copy of Glyn John's Sound Man (9780399163876) 27.95 is what they call in 'the business' an ARC (or advanced readers copy), so it will not be available until November 13, but I cannot wait to sink my dentures into it.  Glynny and I worked together on Neil Young's 'Harvest' when I was briefly Mr. Young's manager. He was a class act. He said several friends urged him to write his autobiography, which many years ago, my dear dear friend Winston had insisted I do the same.  I suppose if Chip and I ever get bored with our model trains, I just might take him up on that suggestion.  Thank you for the presents.

                                                                                    Warmest Regards,

                                                                         Sir Charles Edmund Wilson III  

 

 

 

Odds & Sods

Gary and Jan Bower's I'm a Michigan Kid!: Official Passport (9780970462145) 3.95 is finally back in time for the holiday weekend.  This is a great, inexpensive souvenir that sells like crazy.  Just say Yes to Michigan!

Speaking of upper Michigan favourites, we should be getting a big slurp of Ken Scott's The Ice Caves of Leelanau (9780974206851) 25.00 in tomorrow.  This will be another fan favourite for the holiday weekend.

GOP policy wonk Paul Ryan's The Way Forward (9781455557561) 27.95 has been selling well nationally, but especially in Wisconsin.  We should  have more stock by Friday . . .

Happy Labor Day!

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*A Collection of Antiquarian Curios & Relics*

"There's a young girl screaming all the way in the back

Poor kid, she never saw it coming

Now she knows she's been had . . ."

                                                                                 --Uncle Tupelo, We've Been Had

READING UP WITH THE KARDASHIANS

  Hi, I'm Kris Jenner.  I am the matriarch and career stylist for the Kardashian conglomerate, a former TV talk show host, businesswoman, and the showrunner for the 'reality' show Keeping Up with the Kardashians.  And, my friends, I've come here to finally set the record straight.  I am the American Dream.  I started out in San Diego with nothing more than $20 in my pocket and a skin-tight shirt on my back.  I have single-handedly created a fortune that is the envy of everyone.  Of course, this envy has translated into sniping from the press, so I am just asking for the media to stop intruding on our personal lives, and to afford us the kind of privacy that we so obviously desire.  In this day and age, it is so hard to find good wholesome family entertainment, and I believe my stable of shows does just that.  I consider myself and my former husband Bruce Jenner as the Ozzie & Harriet of this generation, and my daughters as an entire coterie of Ricky Nelsons.  To illustrate my family's intellectual prowess, I have compiled a list of books that each of my children are currently reading to share with you:

Kim:  Personally, I prefer to read print books instead of e-books, so when I take a well-deserved vacation on an exclusive beach, other people can see how deep I truly am.  Case in point, right now I'm reading William T. Vollman's Last Stories and Other Stories (9780670015979) 36.00.  With the untimely death of David Foster Wallace, Mr. Vollman has become my go-to author.  There is nothing more satisfying than receiving a full pedicure while reading one of his more playful passages.  I also find his larger books useful when I want to look Kanye straight in his dreamy eyes before an intimate kiss.

 Kylie:  I am so totally into classic movies, so I really like to read the books they come from like Gayle Forman's If I Stay (9780142415436) 10.99, Lois Lowry's The Giver (9780544336261) 8.99 and John Green's The Fault in Our Stars (9780142424179) 12.99.  And of course, I always like to keep a copy of my fashion icon's book handy, Nicole Richie's The Truth About Diamonds (9780061137334) 15.95.  Nicky is soooo talented.

  

 

Khloe:  First of all, I would like to thank the people of the Hamptons for welcoming us into their community.  Like my sister Kylie, I really, really love a good movie and good literature.  It's not often you find both in one spot, but I think E.L James has pulled it off with Fifty Shades of Grey (9780345803481) 15.95.  My sisters tease me about The Sasquatch Field Guide (9781937196950) 7.95, but I've found it to be a very useful dating manual.   

 

Odds & Sods

A local bookstore has alerted me to Brian Jeffs' My Parents Open Carry (9781618081018) 14.95, which they feel was in response to their policy of not allowing customers to open carry in their bookstore.  The book is very hum-drum, but the reviews on Amazon.com are worth the price of admission.  Check it out here:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1618081012/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1618081012&linkCode=as2&tag=thewaspos09-20&linkId=OSGB3X7VRROU3CG6

Dr. Jan Pol is a Michigan veterinarian and the star of Nat Geo Wild's hit show 'The Incredible Dr. Pol.'  His Herriotesque Never Turn Your Back on an Angus Cow (9781592408979) 27.00 has turned into a regional bestseller.  Check your stock . . .

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*A Collection of Antiquarian Curios & Relics*

"So bye-bye, Mr. Funny Guy

Drove Chevy Chase to the levy, but the levy was dry

And Mork & Mindy were drinkin' whiskey and rye

 Singin', 'This'll be the day that I cry.

This'll be the day that I cry . . .'"

                                 --McLean / Dolinski, The Day the Laughter Died

OLD PEOPLE WITH NOOKS (Part Three)

  Juan Carlos just wanted a decent cup of coffee.  However, as he glanced up at the sign posted above the doorway, he suspected a restaurant called Chipotle!  Chipotle! wouldn't be the answer.  Unfortunately, without consulting him, his partner Wilson had already made reservations for them and his forensics' guy, 'The Ghoul'.  Wilson and Maxwell were impatiently cooling their heels in the entryway.

  They greeted him in unison, "Lieutenant."

  Before Juan could respond, The Ghoul's cellphone made an annoying received text noise that sounded worse than a dying songbird.  He read the text and said, "Oh, crap.  I gotta go.  We have a whole team dusting for fingerprints on this old Ford Gran Torino at the impound.  And it looks like they've found something."

  "Big case?" asked Juan.

  "Yup.  We think it belonged to a drug lord who goes by the name, 'The Dude'.  It has everything," he ticked them off one by one on his fingers, "Kidnapping, extortion, dismemberment, and nihilistic terrorists.  Hey, what's not to like?"

  Maxwell pushed past them as the overhead speaker announced, "Table for Nathan Hale and the Donner Dinner Party (9781419708565) 12.95.  Paging the Donner Dinner Party.

  Juan chuckled, "Wilson?"

  He smirked, "Wha?  I knew they wouldn't get it."

  The hostess grabbed a couple of menus out of a cubby, cocked an eyebrow, and asked, "I thought this was a party of three?"

  Wilson looked serious, "Well, we were so hungry and we had to wait so long that we had to eat the other guy.  But we're still up for some dessert."

  She appeared a bit flustered but continued walking towards a table, "Here ya go.  Your server will be with you shortly."

  Wilson sat down and leaned conspiringly across the table in one fluid motion, "So what's the plan?  Are we going after Bezos?"

  "I'm not sure.  We're not even sure if he's involved with this book sickness or whatever this thing is.  We need to do some research.  This author Douglas Preston, who wrote The Lost Island (9781455525775) 27.00 with Lincoln Child has been organizing this pro-author group against Amazon, so he might know what's going on.  But we should start at the top."

  Wilson exhaled loudly, "That's all fine and dandy, but one does not simply walk into Jeff Bezo's Cloud City.  It is folly."                          

                                                    

Odds & Sods

There has been a disturbing proliferation of 'Goodnight' books since the success of Ann Droyd's Goodnight iPad (9780399158568) 15.95 from several years ago, and alas, there looks like there is still no end in sight.  The latest entrant is from our good friend Mary Jane Barnwell at The Island Bookstore and is called Goodnight, Mackinac Island (9780989933803) 10.95.  It will be a local staple for years to come . . .

 

Finally, some good news, Ken Scott's The Ice Caves of Leelanau (9780974206851) 25.00 is shipping from the printer on August 22.  Backorders are beginning to pile up . . .

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*A Collection of Antiquarian Curios & Relics*

"I know . . ."

                                                                                 --Han Solo to Princess Leia

1)  WHERE'S THAT CONFOUNDED BRIDGE . . .  My oldest daughter is in town and, as the young tend to be, a little more savvy in the pop culture department than I, so when she mentioned she wanted to watch the show Drunk History, I said, "Hey, why not."  Last night's episode covered the story of Ron and Nancy Reagan's romance, and I have to admit that I laughed and laughed and laughed.  Coincidentally, when I received the latest New York Times Book Review, there was Rick Perlstein's new title, The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan (9781476782416) 37.50 on the front cover.  This is the third book in the trilogy, which started with Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus (9780809028580) 19.95 and was followed by Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America (9780743243032) 20.00.  Forget pop rocks, pet rocks and disco balls, Mr. Perlstein is more interested in the ever changing world of American conservatism.  And although his book only covers the years from 1973 to 1976, Reagan already loomed large in the 1976 presidential election.  Brace yourself, there are a bevy of Ronald Reagan books on the horizon, including the just released Reagan at Reyrjavik: 48 Hours That Ended the Cold War (9780062310194) 29.99 by Ken Adelman, where he made the surprising comment to Mikhail Gorbachev, "It would be fine with me if we eliminated all nuclear weapons."  If only . . .

 

2)  DOES ANYONE REMEMBER LAUGHTER . . .  I will admit to you that I did own a pet rock at one time.  Fortunately, like many nerdy kids, my salvation lay right around the corner in 1976; it was a little thing called Star Wars.  I will also admit to you that I saw Star Wars eleven times at the movie theatres.  Remember this is before the internet or DVDs or even VHS tapes, which were still in an embryonic stage.  And don't even get me started on waiting in line for The Empire Strikes Back and hearing some idiotic loudmouth announce that Darth Vader was Luke's father.  Talk about your spoiler alert!  This, of course, leads me to Jeffrey Brown's Goodnight Darth Vader (9781452128306) 14.95, which I will use to bolster my own parenting skills and most likely doom another of my children to a life of nerdom.  Mr. Brown is also responsible for the Jedi Academy series, which I noticed has been trending well.  The hijinks and fun began with the first book, Jedi Academy (9780545505178) 12.99, and it continues into the second book, Jedi Academy: Return of the Padawan (9780545621250) 12.99, which was released this past week.  Don't be a smelly Bantha!  Order your copies today . . .

 

On This Day in Byzantine History (August 7)

In the year 317 A.D., Constantius II, the second son of Constantine the Great was born in Sirmium.  He would live to be the 61st Roman Emperor.  

 

Odds & Sods

Our buddy Jim Dashner has hit the big time.  His first book in the Maze Runner trilogy, The Maze Runner (9780385385206) 10.99 will get the movie treatment on September 19.  We've also been selling the sequels The Scorch Trials (9780385738767) 9.99, The Death Cure (9780385738781) 9.99, and to a lesser degree, the prequel The Kill Order (9780385742894) 9.99. May the odds always be in your favour, or some such nonsense . . .

 

 

If you're looking for a human and dog travel book, you couldn't do any better than Benoit Denizet-Lewis' Travels with Casey (9781439146934) 26.00.  We should have more stock shortly . . .