Monday, December 3, 2012

Nice 'ta Meetcha Monday 12/03/12

Welcome back! This week's edition of Nice 'ta Meetcha' Monday will be featuring two of the most important members of the Boulder Book Store team...the legendary ladies of the Business Office, LuAnn & Tracy.


LuAnn Harris --

  • When did you start working at BBS? 
    •  I started working at the Boulder Book Store on 5/2/05
  • What is your role on the floor?
    • My role on the floor is to the avoid the floor/customers at all costs! I am the Business Manager and Bookstore Mom.
  • Where are you from originally and what brought you to Boulder?
    • I am originally from Florida and my ex-husband's job brought us to the area.
  • What are some of your favorite genres/specific titles?
    • My favorite genre is mystery.
  • What is your favorite thing about working at BBS?
    • My favorite thing about working here is all the employees. I truly do love my "kids" and I love how kind and wonderful they are to each other.
  • What is one unique/interesting fact about you that one wouldn't necessarily learn in ordinary conversation?
    • The only unique/interesting thing I can think of about myself is that the best thing I ever did in my whole life is to adopt my son, Scott. He is 19-years-old now and has worked summers here for about three years now and many of the staff know him.

Tracy -- 


  • When did you start working at BBS?
    •  I started in Summer of 2009 right around the time I turned 30-years-old.
  • What is your role on the floor?
    • I've done almost every job available at BBS. I started as a bookseller, moved to shipping and receiving, then spent a year as the Head Buyer's assistant. Now I am Business manager/Bookstore Mom LuAnn's assistant in the business office. My days are spent counting the previous day's cash and paying our vendors. I'm an accounting nerd so it's my favorite job by far.
  • Where are you from originally and what brought you to Boulder?
    • I grew up in Southern California where I learned to loath the sun. In 2003, I escaped to Portland where I met my partner Bryce, a mathematician, who decided to go to graduate school at CU.
  • What are some of your favorite genres/specific titles?
    • My all-time favorite books are the Sandman graphic novels by Neil Gaiman. I judge book by their covers on a regular basis, it is often how I choose my next read. A quirky western called The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt is one of my favorite books/covers from the last year.
  • What is your favorite thing about working at BBS?
    • My fellow employees for sure. We're a goofy bunch of dorks.
  • What is one unique/interesting fact about you that one wouldn't necessarily learn in ordinary conversation?
    •  I want to live in the middle of nowhere and rarely come into contact with human civilization.

Monday, November 26, 2012

Nice ta Meetcha Monday, 11/26/12

Hullo there everybody. Hope that everyone has settled stomachs after Thanksgiving and that it was an enjoyable holiday. Here's is another weekly installment of Nice ta' Meetcha Mondays. This week, we are only featuring two employees, but they are fantastic: Hayden & the man with the plan, Arsen.

Hayden Griggs --

  • When did you start working at BBS? 
    •  I started in August of 2012 
  • What is your role on the floor?
    • To ensure the happiness and well-being of our customers and make sure that those who come into our store keep loving literature as much as I do. Down with Amazon.
  • Where are you from originally and what brought you to Boulder?
    • I am from Boulder, born and raised.  
  • What are some of your favorite genres/specific titles?
    • Victorian era fin-de-siecle literature (HG Wells, Oscar Wilde, Jules Verne, Bram Stoker, etc.) and Science Fiction and Fantasy (Orson Scott Card, Neil Gaiman, etc.) My favorite books are Oscar Wilde's Picture of Dorian Gray and Patrick Suskind's Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. You also can't go wrong with Arthur Conan Doyle.
  • What is your favorite thing about working at BBS?
    • The booksellers. Everyone who works here works here for a reason. We love literature.
  • What is one unique/interesting fact about you that one wouldn't necessarily learn in ordinary conversation?
    • Claymation gives me nightmares.

Arsen -- 


  • When did you start working at BBS?
    •  September of 1992
  • What is your role on the floor?
    • I am the buyer of all new books in the store. The arbiter of literary newness. I keep the shelves fresh and updated. Also, I answer oddball questions with very little background information, ie: what is that book by that one woman who wrote that other book and I think the cover was green? 
  • Where are you from originally and what brought you to Boulder?
    • I am from Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love, and ironically enough it was brotherly love that brought me here. A good friend lived out here and visiting the area made me love it.
  • What are some of your favorite genres/specific titles?
    • Literary fiction, confessional poetry, and first-person baseball history books. Jewish American writers such as Philip Roth or Bernard Malamud are some of my favorites because it is serious-themed literature that can incorporate humor. Also, Junot Diaz, Zadie Smith, and Jhumpa Lahiri are fantastic. 
  • What is your favorite thing about working at BBS?
    • There's something new every day! Every 10 seconds for that matter.
  • What is one unique/interesting fact about you that one wouldn't necessarily learn in ordinary conversation?
    •  I got drunk with Gillian Flynn and at the same party proceeded to lie to Barack Obama about having read his book. Also, I was a sportswriter for a few years when I lived in Maryland, before moving to Colorado.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Nice ta Meetcha -- Monday, November 19th: Christian, Emily, Kyle W

Welcome back! Ready for another round of learning about three great BBS employees? Prepare yourself for this week's edition of Nice 'ta Meetcha Monday.

Christian --

  • When did you start working at BBS?
              • I started working at BBS a little over 3 years ago at the end of summer. I was thrilled to get the job.
  •  What is your role on the floor?
    • My role is to connect people with the books they love. Some customers are looking for something specific, but have no specific information, some customers have fragmentary information, and others are looking for something new, absorbing and unheard of; it is my job to make a happy couple between book between customer and book.  I am a literary detective. I also make jokes, tell funny stories and assist my other co-workers and whatever they need so that we all work together and help the store run smoothly. Aside from this I host authors events which is a lot of fun. I like connecting the authors with the public and make sure that this relationship is smooth, comfortable and enjoyable for all.
  • Where are you from originally and what brought you to Boulder?
    • I was born in Springfield, Illinois, but my parents left when I was four and since then I grew up during the school year in Boulder and summers in Seattle. Aside from this I have lived in New York, Prague and eight years in St. Petersburg, Russia.
  • What are some of your favorite genres/specific titles?
    • I have too many favorite titles to list, but a current favorite is Tomorrow In The Battle Think On Me by Javier Marias. I like David Foster Wallace, Philip Roth, Sylvia Plath and in general literary fiction and poetry. Currently I am on a Latin American writer binge. Also Dostoyevsky, Bugalkov's The Master and Margarita, Anna Ahkmatova and Russian poets of The Silver Age, Anna Karenina and Joan Didion.
  • What is your favorite thing about working at BBS?
    • My favorite thing about BBS are the wonderful people I see every day. Without them this would not be the Boulder Book Store. I also enjoy our diverse, eclectic and often eccentric clientele. And of course all the books and my generous employee discount.
  • What is one unique/interesting fact about you that one wouldn't necessarily learn in ordinary conversation?
    • Most people wouldn't know that for several years while growing up on Bluff Street in Boulder, Allen Ginsberg lived just a few houses down from us.

Emily -- 


  • When did you start working at BBS?
    •  June 2012
  • What is your role on the floor?
    • Bookseller, Card and Sidelines Buyer
  • Where are you from originally and what brought you to Boulder?
    • Seattle, WA, but I've lived many places.  I have family throughout Colorado and figured I'd give Boulder a try! Plus, it's safe to bike here. :)
  • What are some of your favorite genres/specific titles?
  • What is your favorite thing about working at BBS?
    • My book discount? The wonderful staff? Talking to people about books all day? It's hard to choose!!
  • What is one unique/interesting fact about you that one wouldn't necessarily learn in ordinary conversation?
    •   I have visited 26 countries.

Kyle --

  • When did you start working at BBS?
    •  Mid September, 2012
  • What is your role on the floor?
    • I am the revised edition of the Promotions and Marketing Assistant. I make signs, tend to the recommended shelves, and mess around with this blog thing. And also do any and all of Stephanie's grunt work.
  • Where are you from originally and what brought you to Boulder?
    • I'm from Doylestown, PA, a small town outside of Philadelphia, far away on the Eastern side of things. What didn't bring me to Boulder? Mountains, adventures, a big change in life. I mean, it's completely fantastic.
  • What are some of your favorite genres/specific titles?
    • I love reading classics, literary fiction, sci-fi/fantasy, and young adult lit. Some favorite all time titles include the Harry Potter series, all JD Salinger, Ayn Rand, The World According to Garp by John Irving, all Jonathan Franzen and John Green. Best of the year: Sailor Twain by Mark Siegel (an incredibly wonderful graphic novel - check it out!)
  • What is your favorite thing about working at BBS?
    • The books. I feel more at home surrounded by literature than most things. Since I've moved out here I've been made to feel very welcome by everyone that works here so that too has been great.
  • What is one unique/interesting fact about you that one wouldn't necessarily learn in ordinary conversation?
    • Okay, I'll admit it, I have three cats.

Monday, November 12, 2012

Nice ta Meetcha-- Monday, November 12th: Taylor, Katie, & Christine

Hello again. Today, we're back to an all-girl lineup for the BBS Staff E-Meet-N-Greets. Enjoy!

Taylor --

  • When did you start working at BBS?
    •  I started working here in June this year (June 2012).
  • What is your role on the floor?
    • I'm a bookseller and coordinator, which means I do what the booksellers do but I also get to hold a cool yellow phone.
  • Where are you from originally and what brought you to Boulder?
    • I'm from Centennial, CO originally. I came to Boulder to attend CU but also because the ever-growing presence of cookie-cutter houses in my hometown gave me the creeps.
  • What are some of your favorite genres/specific titles?
    • Right now I'm working on Stoker's Dracula and enjoying it. The Little Prince never gets old and is my go-to comfort book. I'm crazy for magical realism but branching out of that I'm definitely a sci-fi/fantasy girl. I love Abarat by Clive Barker, The Foundation Trilogy by Asimov and anything Vonnegut. One of my favorite books is Life of Pi by Martel. Recently, I've been delving into a little non fiction. I read Air by William Bryant Logan (he also wrote Dirt: The ecstatic Skin of the Earth, which is worth reading) and I loved it. What I'm getting to is that I am addicted to reading and I will read just about anything I can get my hands on. 
  • What is your favorite thing about working at BBS?
    • I have the best co-workers around and that makes this a great place to be. It puts me in a good mood which definitely helps with the customer service aspect of our job. Also: books. That one's self explanatory.
  • What is one unique/interesting fact about you that one wouldn't necessarily learn in ordinary conversation?
    • I am terrified of cotton balls and participating in choreographed/organized dancing.

Katie -- 


  • When did you start working at BBS?
    •  Halloween day, 2011
  • What is your role on the floor?
    • I am a bookseller and an Event Host
  • Where are you from originally and what brought you to Boulder?
    • I was born in Denver but raised in Aspen and Denver, I came to Boulder for school, hooray learning!
  • What are some of your favorite genres/specific titles?
    • I had a weird obsession with the classics for awhile. Everything from Tolstoy to the Bronte sisters (except for Anne, poor, sweet Anne is always left out) Jane Austen and pretty much anything else you can find in the Dover Thrift section. My favorite book of all time is probably The Great Gatsby but that's impossible to know for sure. I really love Neil Gaiman, Leif Enger, but Jack Kerouac I love more than most. This could go on forever. I don't really stay in one genre, I will read any book that is nearby, I think that's what's great about books, though, there's an unending variety!
  • What is your favorite thing about working at BBS?
    • The people I work with, and Buster's giant bowl of candy, that's pretty neat too.
  • What is one unique/interesting fact about you that one wouldn't necessarily learn in ordinary conversation?
    • I'm a twin, but seeing as that is becoming increasingly less interesting (everyone has a twin these days) I will also add that I learned to ski when I was not even a year old.

Christine --

  • When did you start working at BBS?
    •  October 8th, 2008
  • What is your role on the floor?
    • The last two years I've been the Assistant in the Marketing and Promotions department. The last few months, I've also added ordering books to my list of things I'm in charge of. Really though, I just do everything.
  • Where are you from originally and what brought you to Boulder?
    • I'm originally from Cleveland, Ohio. My cousin's empty room and my lack of immediate prospects post-college-graduation brought me to Boulder.
  • What are some of your favorite genres/specific titles?
    • I love most books. Words are wonderful. Lately, I've been a big fan of Ruta Sepetys (she wrote Between Shades of Gray -- NOT to be confused with 50 Shades of Grey -- and will soon come out with Out of the Easy in February). In the last few years, some of my favorites have included Let the Great World Spin and Brooklyn. And really most books. Talk to me about books.
  • What is your favorite thing about working at BBS?
    • The people. I'm actually leaving at the end of November to live closer to my inlaws and I'm certainly going to miss my coworkers and working with books in general. The bookselling industry is pretty dismal in Pittsburgh (where I'm headed). Stores there have not fared as well as BBS. I've been fortunate enough to meet so many people (both staff and customers...and authors!).
  • What is one unique/interesting fact about you that one wouldn't necessarily learn in ordinary conversation?
    • When i was in high school, I owned enough pairs of ridiculous socks to fill a suitcase. Also I lived in Canada for 5 years of my childhood.

Monday, November 5, 2012

Nice ta Meetcha -- Monday, November 5th: Liesl, Daniel, & Shelly

This week, we've got a mix of old and new faces as well as...A BOY! Yes, we do have male staff members here at the Boulder Book Store! 

Liesl -- 

  • When did you start working at BBS?
    •  The Stone Age--before Computac, before the Annex (Blogger's note: ahem, she means the Upper North Room), before email. (that would be the early 90's BTW
  • What is your role on the floor?
    • To make people smile, especially kids, to hand out the bathroom code, and straighten stuffed animals. (Another note from the blogger -- Liesl is also our "Children's Room Inventory Manager" and she's a wonderful resource for recommendations for young folks!!)
  • Where are you from originally and what brought you to Boulder?
    • There is no time before Boulder--my parents brought me when I was an infant. 
  • What are some of your favorite genres/specific titles?
    • Children's (but you knew that) what you may not have known is that I also like Sci-Fi, Mysteries, Cooking, and Crafts.
  • What is your favorite thing about working at BBS?
    • Books and people and rep night. 
  • What is one unique/interesting fact about you that one wouldn't necessarily learn in ordinary conversation?
    • My dad was an Olympian.  He went to Mexico City in 1968 and was co-captain of the men's gymnastics team. No he didn't win, but, hey, he went!

 Daniel -- 

  • When did you start working at BBS?
    • I started in June of 2012
  • What is your role on the floor?
    •  I am  a bookseller.
  • Where are you from originally and what brought you to Boulder?
    • I am from Belleville, IL, the home of Jimmy Connors and Stag Brewery.  The never-ending onslaught of present moment discovery in the contemplative psychotherapy program at Naropa University brought me to Boulder.
  • What are some of your favorite genres/specific titles?
  • What is your favorite thing about working at BBS?
    • The money obviously.  Ok, ok the books.  What a wonderful, diverse collection of glorious books.
  • What is one unique/interesting fact about you that one wouldn't necessarily learn in ordinary conversation?
    • I'm a fighter, not a lover.

Shelly -- 

  • When did you start working at BBS?
    • November of 2005
  • What is your role on the floor?
    • Part-time bookseller
  • Where are you from originally and what brought you to Boulder?
    • From Conifer and Evergreen, though I usually just say somewhere close to South Park. And now I live up in the sticks of Gilpin County, which is why I don’t work at the Book Store more often. I moved back to Evergreen for my family, but when the local drugstore and hardware went belly-up, I moved to the cabin where I am now. It’s hard to see all the changes in Boulder too (I will eternally miss Tom’s Tavern), but it’s worse for me in my hometowns, since I’m such a sap.
  • What are some of your favorite genres/specific titles?
    • I read mostly contemporary literary fiction: short stories and novels, plus memoirs. Certain graphic novels or cartoons, literary magazines, and any other subject that peaks my curiosity, unless the writing/art itself doesn’t suck me in enough. The titles are endless, but two memorable story collections are Vanishing by Deborah Willis and Girl Trouble by Holly Goddard Jones. And I can tell you my three favorite Colorado writers and books: Laura Pritchett, Sky Bridge; Tim Z. Hernandez, Breathing, In Dust; Kent Haruf, Plainsong or Eventide. (All three will have new novels out in 2013.). Wyoming’s Mark Spragg, who wrote
      Bone Fire, is also brilliant.
  • What is your favorite thing about working at BBS?
    • Shelving, finding books for customers (and myself), and meeting writers, such as the local people above. I first found Laura and Tim’s books on our shelves and I’ve since become pals with them, and worked with them as a writer myself. Kent and Mark are also lovely human beings. Stephen Graham Jones, who lives here in Boulder, is amazing and funny. Terry Tempest Williams left me in awe. And Andre Dubus III gave just about the best reading I’ve ever seen. Ideally, I love writers who are talented, smart, hilarious, and very authentic. I also like writers who swear (dammit).
  • What is one unique/interesting fact about you that one wouldn't necessarily learn in ordinary conversation?
    • I started wearing mini-skirts during my first year of college when I also stopped shaving my legs. And, with respect to my brothers, I was raised by wolves.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Nice ta Meetcha-- Monday, October 29th: Ingrid, Laina, and Susan

As I mentioned in the previous post, the next few weeks, I'm taking some time to introduce y'all to our lovely staff members so you know whom to speak with about your particular book queries. This week, I'm continuing the streak of posting about all female booksellers (the boys are shy, I guess).

Ingrid--

  •  When did you start working at BBS?
    • I started working at Boulder Book Store in September, 2012.
  •  What is your role on the floor?
    • I'm the one trying to appear like I'm not forcing the Reader's Guild membership on you at the register.
  •  Where are you from originally and what brought you to Boulder?
    • I'm originally from Park City, UT. My husband is currently attending law school at CU Boulder.
  •  What are some of your favorite genres/specific titles?
    • I read all kinds of stuff. Some of my favorite genres are memoir (especially memoirs about living in polygamous marriages,) Native American literature, women's studies, some philosophy, and general literary fiction. My favorite book of all time is War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. I also love Margaret Atwood, Thomas Hardy, Edith Wharton, Cheryl Strayed, Jeffrey Eugenides, Joan Didion, Louise Erdrich, and Sylvia Plath. 
  •  What is your favorite thing about working at BBS?
    • I love keeping up on new releases and talking to customers about the books they are buying. 
  •  What is one unique/interesting fact about you that one wouldn't necessarily learn in ordinary conversation?
    • Starting in elementary school I developed a somewhat unhealthy obsession with WWII history. I read everything I could possibly find about WWII in my elementary and middle school libraries, and every day after school would scan the yahoo search results for "holocaust," "nazi," "d-day," and other general WWII terms. I had an intricate folder system in my closet in which I would store and organize what information I had printed from the internet. When I graduated from high school, my grandfather took me on a special trip to Europe where we visited all the major WWII sites.

Laina-- 


  • When did you start working at BBS? 
    • Fall 2009
  • What is your role on the floor? 
    • Bookseller/Assistant Buyer (DVDs, Out-of-Print Search Service, Buyer for several smaller backlist sections (ask me which ones!)) 
  • Where are you from originally and what brought you to Boulder? 
    • Pleasantville, NY (No, it's NOT black and white (just white)). I moved here in July of '08 to join my sister and my cousins for the excellent skiing. And also to go to Massage Therapy school. (Yes, I'm in practice)
  • What are some of your favorite genres/specific titles? 
    • Graphic Novels, SciFi/Fantasy, Fiction, Kids and teen! Titles - too many to count :)
  • What is your favorite thing about working at BBS? 
    • Other than the books and fine company? I love being involved in the book market as a whole. I'm proud to work for an Indie, and it is important to me that the outstanding customer service that goes hand-in-hand with Indies stays outstanding. We are what keeps bookstores alive, and no town should be without one.
  • What is one unique/interesting fact about you that one wouldn't necessarily learn in ordinary conversation? 
    • I share a birthday with Billie Holiday, Ravi Shankar, Francis Ford Coppola, Russell Crowe and Jackie Chan!

Susan-- 

  •  When did you start working at BBS?
    • August 2010
  • What is your role on the floor?
    • I'm the Corporate and School Sales assistant which means I handle offsite sales and large orders for schools, corporations, and - on occasion - individuals. I also buy used books and process all of our internet sales. 
  • Where are you from originally and what brought you to Boulder?
    • I've lived in quite a few places, but Leadville, CO has always been home. I moved to Boulder to strike out on my own while still saying close enough to family.
  • What are some of your favorite genres/specific titles?
  • What is your favorite thing about working at BBS?
    • What? You mean aside from the books? The people. My amazing coworkers who are each unique and passionate and all of our quirky customers. 
  • What is one unique/interesting fact about you that one wouldn't necessarily learn in ordinary conversation?
    • I'm writing a zombie novel. The mindless, slowly decaying kind. Oh! The zombies, not the novel. Well, hopefully not the novel. Eek.

Monday, October 22, 2012

Nice ta Meetcha-- Monday, October 22nd: Nicole, Madeleine, & Ashanti

The holiday season is coming up quicker than you can imagine here in the book world (and, really, any retail environment). We've also had a lot of turnover the last 6 months or so, which you've probably noticed. In order to better acquaint you with all the new faces (and some of the more familiar ones), and so you know just whom to speak with about that uncle of yours who is very particular about the type of science fiction he likes or that cousin who only likes historical romances set in Napoleonic France, I'm taking the next few weeks to feature some of our staff members. 

This week we have three (mostly) lovely ladies Nicole, Madeleine, and Ashanti:

Madeleine--

  • When did you start working at BBS?
    • May-ish 2009
  • What is your role on the floor? 
    • Bookseller, Spo-enterer, Calendar Wrangler
  • Where are you from originally and what brought you to Boulder?
    • A (very) small town in Oregon. My family came here for business and then suddenly college happened.
  • What are some of your favorite genres/specific titles?
  • What is your favorite thing about working at BBS?
    • I love the layout of it -- cozy but not (too) cluttered. Also, it smells like brownies sometimes.
  • What is one unique/interesting fact about you that one wouldn't necessarily learn in ordinary conversation?
    • When I was six, I used to hide in my school's library and read books about various historical figures and how they died. Also, I like The Ramones, which always surprises people for some reason.

Nicole--

  • When did you start working at BBS?
    • September of 2011
  • What is your role on the floor?
    •  I primarily work in the Used Book Department but I also help out with bookselling, the store's Pinterest
  • Where are you from originally and what brought you to Boulder?
    • I am from the exotic and not-so-distant land of Longmont. I have left this region many times, only to return because it appears to be one of the greatest places on the planet.
  • What are some of your favorite genres/specific titles?
    • My favorite genre hands down is magical realism. I love falling into a world that appears solid but eventually cracks and gives way to magic. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and any Haruki Murakami are my favorites. I am currently reading Cloud Atlas and enjoying it a lot.
  • What is your favorite thing about working at BBS?
    • Every day I am exposed to whole books full of new ideas. While shelving or processing books I can take a couple of seconds to get a grasp on what the book stands for and the message that the person writing it was trying to get across. I feel that I have learned more than you would expect by these fly-by encounters with books I would have not otherwise ever laid hands on.
  • What is one unique/interesting fact about you that one wouldn't necessarily learn in ordinary conversation?
    • I live on a farm.

Ashanti--

  • When did you start working at BBS?
    • July, 2008 (yes, over four years ago).
  • What is your role on the floor?
    • I am Princess DOS, which means I benevolently rule over the people of DiskOperatingSystemia. Or rather, that I am one of the Supervisors who fixes things when they are broken, like all the Supervisors do. I also write the schedule for the staff and buy used books for the store.
  • Where are you from originally and what brought you to Boulder?
    • Birth brought me to Boulder. I graduated from the same High School as Jello Biafra. Yup.
  • What are some of your favorite genres/specific titles?
  • What is your favorite thing about working at BBS?
    • Taking large steps up and down the stairs. Not having to resort to lifting some lead off the roof of the Holy Name church for cash.
  • What is one unique/interesting fact about you that one wouldn't necessarily learn in ordinary conversation?
    • Most of my life I've hated mayonnaise, but when I went to Osaka, I ate a ton of onigiri out of convenience stores, which usually have a bit of mayonnaise in the middle and love it! I still make special trips to the Asian Seafood market to get Kewpie Mayonnaise, and my mother cannot stand it.
Keep checking in to meet more booksellers over the weeks to come -- I'm hoping to post these on Mondays (when I have time). Stop in and say hi and meet these lovely folks in person next time you're looking for something to read! 

Friday, September 21, 2012

Why Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis Rock, and why you should read the Wildwood Chronicles




I should start out by saying that I have always been passionate about a good story. If it’s also a creepy or unusual story, I usually like it even more. This is a large part of what I love about one of my favorite bands, The Decemberists. Their songs tell beautiful, sad, haunting stories, and sometimes they even need multiple songs to tell the story, like with “The Crane Wife”, and they’ve even used a whole album (The Hazards of Love, my favorite of their albums to date) to focus on one story from beginning to end.

So, naturally, I was quite excited when I learned that Colin Meloy, the frontman for The Decemberists, had written a children’s book. I immediately set out to get my hands on an Advanced Readers Copy, and it was well worth the effort. Since its release in September 2011, I’ve convinced many booksellers and family members to read it as well, and everyone seems to get a feel of an old childhood classic from the story. One person compared it to Alice in Wonderland, as the protagonists stumble upon a different world hidden in the woods. Another compared it to the Narnia books because of the talking animals. One bookseller said the story reminded her of the movie Labyrinth, since it begins with the heroine’s baby brother being stolen and taken into another realm, and she must go to this realm in order to bring him home.

For my part, I was too caught up in the story to think of these comparisons until after I had finished. The language and characters captivated me, and the Impassable Wilderness felt familiar but also unlike any place I’ve been. However, once finishing Wildwood, my first thought was of the elements of the story that felt familiar to me because I’d heard similar elements in Decemberists songs; The feel of the late 19th century, some of the roguish characters, the horror of war, the thirst for revenge, and of course the lyrical language.  In addition to Colin’s wonderful words, I loved the lush illustrations from his wife, Carson Ellis, who also illustrated The Composer is Dead by Lemony Snicket and The Mysterious Benedict Society. Her artwork gave flavor and spirit to the text without changing the mental images I already had of the characters and the setting. Rather, her work enhanced the story experience, giving more scope and depth to the world I had imagined.

Needless to say, I loved Wildwood and eagerly awaited the sequel, Under Wildwood. And it was so worth the wait. While I loved Prue (our main heroine) in the first book, I didn’t feel that I saw the same type of development in her that I saw in Curtis (our main hero), who really blossomed and discovered his potential in Wildwood. I was very happy to see this development in Prue in Under Wildwood, and I felt her development was just as wonderful as Curtis’s development.  I found book 2 of the Wildwood Chronicles to be just as beautiful and haunting as book 1 – in fact, I’m still haunted by a scene at the end of the book that involves two hooks and a horrible sound. I won’t say more about it here, you’ll just have to read the book, and I promise you’ll know which scene I’m talking about.

I am now eagerly awaiting the final book in the series. As such, I plan to do my best to weasel plot points for the finale out of them when they are at BBS on Saturday,September 29th at 4:00pm. So far, the only thing I don’t like about Under Wildwood is that I don’t have the next book to read right now.

So why should you read these books? Because I’ve talked to so many adults who have read and fallen in love with the series. Because I’ve overheard a 9-year-old girl in our Children’s Department tell a friend of hers that she’s read Wildwood nine times. Because it has the same classic feel as so many other beloved children’s stories, and I think the Wildwood Chronicles has the sort of staying power that will keep children reading it for years to come. And because Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis are both wonderful people who very politely listened to me ramble on about how much I love their book and were willing to talk to me about literature instead of looking at me like I’m crazy (yeah, that’s right, I’ve met them before). So do yourself a favor – read these books, and come meet Colin and Carson next Saturday. I’ll definitely be there.

Friday, August 3, 2012

The LAST Book vs. Movie: The Hunger Games

Hello Owyn is here for the last time *sobs while eating ice cream straight from the carton in the dark while listening to emotional music*. For my last Book vs. Movie, I have decided to compare The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

 VERSUS



*WARNING! ALERTING THERE ARE SPOILERS AHEAD*

Have you ever heard the saying "Parents are always right"? Unfortunately I have, from my parents. They are constantly trying to get me to "try new things" and "stop being indoors so much" and "get a life". Back in summer of 2011, their mission was to get me to read The Hunger Games.
I would never define myself as a conventional rebel when it came to going against my parents. I don't smoke, drink or party. Instead I refuse to read or watch things they want me to. They even got my sister to try to convince me to read the series, but I was stubborn and possibly a bit ignorant.
Then I heard they were making a movie of it. And I had read the back of the book, and it seemed vaguely interesting. When I realized my parents would never let me watch the movie without reading the book, I finally decided to read it around Thanksgiving.
I honestly could not put it down. I finished it in three hours. Then I finished the next two books in the next days. I thoroughly and completely enjoyed them, even with my parents smugly smiling at me when I admitted they were right.
When the first movie of the trilogy came out, I went to see it with my best friend Ana. Since we're odd we didn't go in the opening first weeks, we went when it was out in its fifth week because we wanted to sit wherever the hell we wanted without having to deal with people. Then my bladder became my enemy since when I had to go pee, I missed the kissing scene.
I remember walking out with Ana saying: "Did I miss anything?" And she's all "No not really, well wait... did you leave right before the Mutts?" I nodded. "Oh, then you missed the kissing scene." After almost falling to my knees in front of the movie theater while shouting: "WHY??!!!!?", since I REALLY wanted to see that, I accepted my fate and vowed to get the movie to watch that scene when the movie comes out on DVD.

Differences:

  • They didn't have the Mutts look like the past contestants. That was something I was really looking forward to
  • They changed the point of view so you can see more of the inter-workings of the Capitol and Gale's reactions to the Katniss/Peeta love plot that you didn't get in the book.
  • I didn't really feel the whole connection between Katniss and Rue in the movie, it seemed very fake and forced. I definitely felt it in the book though. 
  • There's a lot of focus on the preparation for the games when the contestants are in the Capitol. I didn't like that so much because I just wanted to see the epic death match.
  • There's no Avox-girl. And I liked that whole back story.
  • I don't know about you, but I pictured the Tracker Jackers bigger. I wanted those things to be scary demons from hell the size of your hand. 
  • A difference that I did like was the fact they didn't make Katniss shove Peeta into a vase. I found that ridiculous. 




The Love Triangle: A Rant by Owyn the Intern (the last rant)
I enjoyed the book and the movie, but there is something I'd like to rant about: Love triangles. I don't like them. I haven't liked them since Twilight came out with Bella/Edward/Jacob. Why? Because I was upset how these random girls could get two boys pining after her when some people can barely get one. *stomps foot like a petulant child* It's not fair! Why does Katniss get Peeta and Gale and other girls don't! Therefore, I don't like it. And, ignoring my personal bias, they aren't realistic. You never really see love triangles in real life and only serve as a plot device. And it pisses me off when people root for Gale/Jacob when obviously Peeta/Edward are gonna win. I seriously want to wring their necks shouting: WHY ARE YOU ROOTING FOR THE LOSING TEAM? YOU'RE SETTING YOURSELF UP FOR FAILURE AND LITERARY UNHAPPINESS!!

Which did I like better?:
I liked the book better. Granted, everyone says that (about every book-to-movie adaptation when you ask them this question) but I have specific reasons why in this case. Like I said in the differences, they cut out the Avox girl, probably for time. That kind of pissed me off. I thought it added a nice back story since I found it extremely interesting. And who cares about the time? It's a huge series with a fanatic fan base. If you made the movie 24 hours long, people would probably still watch it. Another reason is the whole changing-focus thing. I didn't like how they showed Seneca Crane with the berries or the riot that broke out in District 11. I liked the first-person aspect of the book; it made the teenagers-killing-each-other-in-a-giant-organized-death-match human and real. In my opinion, they lost that in the movie.

But that's just my opinion. Leave a comment on what you think or which you prefer or what differences you noticed.
Unfortunately this is my last time, so you can send your goodbyes in present form. Preferably cash.
;)
Owyn