Off The Shelf

Ruminations on the Reading Resolution

2012-01-17T12:40:00.005-07:00

Every year for the past ten years my New Years Resolutions have remained the same: take more pictures, gain 10 lbs (yes, you read that correctly), and be nicer to other people. The first resolution generally fails in part due to residual film hoarding compulsions of my youth – before these fancy schmancy digital cameras were invented. The second fails due to my ridiculously high metabolism and not having a comfort drive-thru food. The third is relative so I can’t comment on its definitive success or failure – I know I *try* (sometimes) but I also know that it’s an ongoing process.

This year, there’s been a lot of buzz around the bookstore and publishing communities about the Reading Resolution. I’m not certain whether this concept is revolutionary to this year or if I simply missed it in years past. I love this idea conceptually, but wonder if it wouldn’t yield the same results for me as annual resolutions one and three…While reading is something that I obviously enjoy doing and discussing, what would be a realistic way for me to take that passion and incorporate it into a reasonable goal? Let’s look at some variations on reading resolutions others have set:

• Reading a Classic

There are numerous books that fall into this category, that have somehow escaped my reading scope even though everybody else read it in high school or college and every book ever written references it. I’m concerned that this goal will make me stagnant in my reading endeavors. As possibly the most extreme example of this, my friend Becky has been trying to read Ulysses for the last three years. She makes headway for about 20 pages and then another book catches her eye. Then she finishes that one, decides to go back to Ulysses (which is her goal!) and makes slow, slow progress reading an average of a page per day for three weeks or not reading anything because she doesn’t feel like reading Joyce. I do not want this to happen to me. What I miss about school are the discussions in class, not the homework and falling behind on things I *should* be doing.

All that said, I do need to read the following: Emma, Jane Eyre, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Moby Dick, Madame Bovary, Ulysses (yes, it’s there, I’m gonna do it…some day), Infinite Jest, The Corrections, Anna Karenina, The Brothers Karamazov, Lord of the Flies, Lolita, If On a Winter’s Night a Traveler, The Hunger Games and Harry Potter (at least the first one); anything by Kerouac, Thompson, and Kesey, and so many others. One of the curses of working in a bookstore is that your “To Read” list seems to grow by two with every one read, and then that number triples while you’re shelving.

•Reading More

There are two ways one can read “More”.

-The first: reading faster. I have always been a slow reader. I love reading and I’m pretty good at it and with words in general, I just take my time with it. I read at approximately the same speed as I would if I were reading aloud—my own book-on-tape narrating in my head every time I crack the cover. While I often do say that I wish I read faster so I could read more, I’m not sure that this is 100% true. Whenever someone suggests learning how to speed read, a small part of my stomach twitches because I’m doubtful that I’d get the same enjoyment reading truly good description if I didn’t let it sink in; I wouldn’t experience things along with the character.

-The second: devoting more time to reading. This is a noble goal. For me, and I’m sure for many others, sadly, more difficult than I’m willing to admit. I leave work late-ish, get home in time to eat dinner (not always in time to help make it) and then there’s about an hour or two that I have free time before I get sleepy around 10pm. Sometimes I spend this time reading – put pjs on early, get into bed around 8:30 and read until I pass out. Those nights are nice. Sometimes I spend that time playing scrabble or watching a documentary with my fiancé, and rarely I venture out into the “real world” and socialize with other people. Then there are nights where grocery shopping and laundry need to happen – both of which take up a chunk of that free time. I mostly read on the bus, when I’m home alone, in a waiting room, and on the rare occasion I find myself taking time off from work to visit parents/grandma, in an airport and on planes. In my case, devoting more time to reading would largely mean playing hooky – great for me and reading, less great for my boss.

• Turning it into math: Reading for X amount every Y period of time

This is a step-by-step variation on the “Reading More” goal for people who enjoy rules and mini-goals. It would instantly set me up for failure. It also harkens back to my “homework” comment and would be less encouraging for me to “reach my full reading potential” because I’ll either be concentrating on the clock or the page numbers and thus draw my focus from the book.

• Reading Differently

By “differently” I mean branching out of your reading comfort zones. I’m primarily a literary fiction reader who dabbles in psychology/sociology and history books when I feel like I haven’t learned anything for a while. For me, this would largely mean reading Science Fiction, Fantasy, Spirituality, and Science books. I like this goal, but would I measure it? Would I have to read one “other” book for every literary fiction book I read? Or would I set a goal for a number of “other” books I read in a year? This also has the possibility of rendering me a stagnant reader, as the Classics section explains.

• Writing

Writing and reading are strongly related. I am currently in the middle of Pam Houston’s book Contents May Have Shifted (out in February!) and, as any good book will, it’s making me miss my college writing classes a lot. Reading like a writer and writing like a reader both add perspectives to each other that can change the reading/writing experience remarkably. Writing is definitely something I haven't done enough of in recent years.

In general, resolutions are great. They help to renew your energy about accomplishing a task that has been neglected for some reason or another, and can add valuable assets to your everyday life (such as exercising, and cutting back on vices like cigarettes, coffee, and junk food) …at least for a little while. A lot of New Years Resolutions articles focus heavily on how temporal the year-long goal is and how that spark fades after a few months (or weeks or days). Instead, the articles suggest making lifelong resolutions and goals that are not confined to a year – which is how I’m rationalizing writing a New Years blog post more than half way through January.

As with everything, resolutions work differently for different people. Some folks need structure to improve their lives in noticeable ways, while others are satiated knowing that they’re working toward an eventual life improvement strategy.

As for me and my reading resolution, I seem to be the latter and so I’m keeping it very open ended. I’m going to strive to be more mindful in making my reading choices. When choosing what to read, I’ll both read more books outside my standard picks and throw in a few classics when they suit my mood. I’ll also write when inspiration strikes me and read when I can and I feel like it – either by finding time or making time. Essentially, I’m going to keep on doing what I’m already doing, but “better”. I resolve to keep reading pleasurable, and I'll read “more” in that I'll try to have more time to myself, to enjoy it.

What about you? Do you have a reading resolution, or other New Years Resolution (I’m also still retaining the three annual resolutions as well as hoping to go on a vacation somewhere other than my parents’ house) you’d like to share – thus making it public and adding incentive/pressure for your success?

-christine

Guest Blogger Katie Shattered by a New Favorite

2011-11-25T10:01:00.005-07:00

Wow! I’m a little bit speechless right now. I knew Shatter Me was going to be good but I had no idea I would love it as much as I did. I can already tell that this is going to be one of my top books of 2011.

Juliette has been locked up for 264 days. She has been in isolation for that whole time. When Adam is thrown into her cell one day she’s not sure if she should be happy that she has company or terrified of what she might do to him. You see, Juliette can kill with a single touch. And now someone else knows about her gift and they want to make a deal with her. Will Juliette choose to become a monster and use her gift for power or will she fight back for a chance at freedom and the boy she has always loved?

Shatter Me is a new kind of dystopian novel. Sure the world is the same as a lot of others; bleak and hopeless, but that is where the similarities end. Tahereh Mafi really made dystopian her own. I don’t feel like I can compare it to another book because it was just so unique from the characters to Juelitte’s crazy ability. The first thing that came to mind when reading about Juliette’s ability though was X-Men. I loved it!

I also want to mention the romance in this book. I normally wouldn’t dedicate a whole paragraph to the romance but I have to. Adam and Juliette were so good together. Adam was so sweet and caring but also strong and protective. It was so hot! Juliette was not weak by any means but it was so refreshing to read about a guy who is not afraid to show how he feels and stand up for the girl he cares about.

My absolute favorite thing about Shatter Me was the writing. I really wanted to pull some favorite quotes but I would end up sharing the whole book. I honestly cannot pick a favorite passage because they are all so beautifully written. I actually found myself tearing up many times at the way Tahereh Mafi described how Juliette was feeling. I have never felt more connected to a character.

Overall, Shatter Me is a new favorite of mine that I recommend to everyone. I could gush about this book for days! Go check it out!

"The Oracle of Stamboul" - More than a fairy tale for readers of every age

2011-11-11T17:09:00.004-07:00

And now, a blog from Kyle Mares, Bookseller Extraordinaire:

As a bookseller, I recently had a long conversation in the children’s department with a retired teacher who was interested in writing historical fiction for readers of every age. She asked for my favorite examples of such novels, and beyond a few rudimentary classics I couldn’t name any published within the last five or so years. Everything seems to be dystopian futures or time travel, with little effort spent examining the authentic past.

If Michael David Lukas noted the dearth of such novels, he surely would have felt assured that his debut novel, The Oracle of Stamboul, would fill that lack. It certainly reads unlike anything you’ve read lately: blending historical facts with a kind of magical, heightened realism, Lukas recreates the lands of the Ottoman Empire of the late 19th century and focuses eventually on Stamboul (known today as Istanbul). A young girl chafing under her stepmother’s oppression and craving both freedom and further knowledge follows her father to Stamboul, where circumstances and vague prophecy mark her as the titular oracle whose knowledge and foresight will change the very course of history. Soon she has a larger choice to make: fulfill her destiny and serve the sultan or avoid her destiny and find that elusive freedom.

Being sensitive to descriptions of place, I was always entertained and often astonished at the depth of detail Lukas weaves into his narrative. Entire pages had to be read and immediately reread to fully absorb the richness manifested in the text, and Lukas is to be commended for finding so many varied ways of describing the kind of intricate décor and architecture found in the homes, businesses, and palaces of Stamboul. Melding historical fiction with a keen sense of visual aesthetics is how Lukas conjures up this very different time and place, and the beauty of his prose makes the reader an enthusiastic traveler back to 1885. Just as fascinating is the ongoing question of the prophecy regarding 8-year-old Eleonora Cohen. Is Eleonora an exceptionally bright young girl or a prophesized shaper of destiny? And what exactly does it mean to be the oracle?

Calling The Oracle of Stamboul a kind of fairy tale seems too simple, as its complexity and lushness combine with the magical elements in a way that moves beyond most fairy tales. I think it’s more appropriate to say that this novel has many facets that blend together as an evocative historical epic that imagines a fantastical possibility of magic in the destiny of the Ottoman Empire. Genre-busting as it sounds, The Oracle of Stamboul is highly recommended to any reader who loves the pleasure of well-written prose and the adventure of a faraway, long-ago world captured as lovingly as possible.

Get in the Halloween Spirit with "Ashes"

2011-10-27T12:13:00.006-06:00

In the spirit of Halloween, I wanted to write a blog about Ilsa Bick's new YA horror novel Ashes. Liesl, who buys our children's and teen titles, has been going on about it for a month, so naturally I'm intrigued. Then, at our event with Laini Taylor (Daughter of Smoke & Bone) a few weeks ago, I met Katie, the wonderful reviewer behind Katie's Book Blog, and she told me how much she wanted to read Ashes, too. I've been wanting to partner more with local bloggers for some time, and this struck me as the perfect opportunity to feature a Guest Blogger. To my delight, Katie also thought this was a great idea, and has written an awesome review for a creepy book for us to feature this week. So, without further ado, I give you a Guest Blog, straight from Katie's Book Blog!:

Ashes is a dark and gritty tale of a world gone mad. Ilsa Bick does not shy away from anything and while at times it seems overwhelming, in the end it all adds up to one fabulous book.

Ashes packs a punch from the very beginning. It is full of action, suspense, and tons of terrifying revelations about what happens when there aren’t enough resources for everyone. It is full of death, destruction, and quite a few gory surprises. The scariest thing about Ashes is how realistic it is. It really makes you think that this could happen sometime in the very near future.

Every character, even the ones with the smallest roles, is three-dimensional and wonderfully well-rounded. Alex, the main character, is full of spunk, fight, and quite a few snarky comments. Ellie, one of the first characters we meet after Alex, is a breath of fresh air in the gloomy atmosphere of post-EMP United States. Even through the toughest times she lightens the moods and brings out Alex’s sweeter side. Tom is my favorite character because I think everyone can relate to him in some way. He is very real and steady. No matter what, I think everyone can find someone to relate to in Ashes.

Overall, Ashes is one of the most gripping stories that I have read in a long time. This trilogy is one to watch out for. It holds a lot of potential. If the following books are anything like this one, Ilsa Bick can expect to have a lot of engrossed fans. While it may be a little too gory and intense for some younger readers, I think older YA readers will really appreciate it.

Thanks, Katie! Here's to the start of a beautiful friendship.
Check out http://www.katiesbookblog.com/ for other great reviews of YA novels.

We the BBS Staff love "We the Animals"

2011-10-17T12:54:00.003-06:00

One of the things I love about our staff here at BBS is our eclectic taste in books. Some of us are poetry nerds, others love sci-fi and fantasy, some are hard-core literary fiction fans. We've even got readers of romance, zombie novels, and the occasional zombie romance novel. With so many varied readers on staff, I always pay attention when I discover that half the staff are reading same book. A few years back, that book was The Hunger Games. Last year, it was Room. Now, it seems like everyone around here is reading We the Animals, a new novel from Justin Torres.

I asked around for some comments on the book from our booksellers, and here's what they said:

Justin Torres writes in images, emotions, and fragments of childhood disguised as prose. His manner is effortless yet heavy. His scenes are equal parts lovely and painful. And his stories hold a truth that sinks into your stomach and buries itself there. We the Animals is a beautiful, heart-wrenching recollection of hopeless poverty and youthful exuberance that can only be described as brilliant.
--Mari

We the Animals is a lyrical and captivating account of man's childhood, liberally seasoned with desperate nostalgia and universal appeal with a hint of urban tragedy. Torres delivers some of the most beautiful and heartfelt prose to grace a book cover in years. If you are looking for the next great American novella, this is it.
--Larry

A thought-provoking portrayal of the dysfunctional family, We the Animals by Justin Torres will pull you in with the poetry of its language and hold you in a world that is as uncomfortable as it is beautiful. It's the kind of novel we all should read and has left me questioning my own understandings of love, support, and family.
--Susan

The shock of Justin Torres' poetic novella about three young boys growing up in an impoverished family isn't the beatings, the abandonment, or the drunkenness, but the moments of tender love. It's the unbreakable bond between brothers that shines through the day-to-day horror of belonging to two people who became parents at fourteen. It's the stolen caress after the father's battering violence. It's the magnificent flow of Torres' language as he renders each painful scene in riveting detail. Finally, it's the sensitivity of a young boy living in home that has done everything to deaden tender feelings. This book is important as a testament of how love can endure in even the most impossible situations. Torres has captured the emotional heart of a wrung-out family in this jewel of a novella.
--Arsen

With deliberate style and delicate poetics, Torres invests a trio of young brothers with a worldliness steeling them against outside forces promising harm, yet leaving them ill-prepared against corruption from within. Sketching a complicated family trapped by heritage and class, Torres provides glimpses of the primal kind of love that binds them together and promises ultimate tragedy when it all falls apart.
--Kyle

Though it is marketed and sold as "fiction", Torres' story feels more like truth than the world outside the pages. In an observant and poetic voice, it is a telling of the classic story of three sons, narrated by the youngest. It's a book about brotherhood, coming of age, and the inevitable realization that our parents are people too. Lit by love and shadowed by pain, it is the true story of the human condition.

--Nicole

I think I know which book is next on my "to read" list...

What We're Reading

2011-10-07T16:19:00.002-06:00

So I'm sitting at my desk, thinking about what to pick up this weekend (it's supposed to be pretty cold, so I plan on snuggling up indoors with a book and either apple cider or hot chocolate). I decided to use the best resources I have at my disposal -- coworkers. So I called around the store and asked booksellers, "What are you reading?"

Here's what they told me:

Patrick -- Lightning Rods by Helen DeWitt
What he likes about it - "I love the writing. It's probably the funniest book I've read in a couple of months. It's a satire of something I didn't think could be satirized: sexual harassment."
Brief Plot Synopsis - A man finds success in a creative solution to sexual harassment in the workplace.

Christian -- Sabbath's Theatre by Philip Roth
What he likes about it - "I love it. I like that [Roth] can take such difficult and scandalous subject matter and still keep literary and artistic integrity while writing about it."
Brief Plot Synopsis- "A guy named Sabbath who is a puppeteer on trial for obscenity. He's a disgusting, dirty old man, but he brings up a lot of philosophical questions about society."

Ashanti -- The Stand by Stephen King
What she likes about it - "It's awesome. It's a really realistic rendition of an apocalyptic kind of end-of-the-world scenario and there's some really interesting magical realism among the survivors. King always has such realistic characters, it's probably his best quality as a writer."
Brief Plot Synopsis - "Despite bans on German warfare, a government experiment of a superflu gets spread among the populous and wipes out 99% of the human race."

Nicole (our newbie!)-- Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
What she likes about it - "I really like the idea that the story is shaped around these pictures."
Brief Plot Synopsis - "A young boy discovers something strange about his grandfather's past."

Jorden -- Hark a Vagrant by Kate Beaton and Deer Hunting with Jesus by Joe Bageant
What she likes about them - [HV] "It's hilarious. It's both history and good social commentary" DHWJ - "It's really sad but also funny, and just really sobering, I guess."
Brief Plot Synopses - "HV is Kate Beaton's second collection of comics and DHWJ is about how America is poor and keeps screwing themselves by voting Republican."

Ria -- Poems by Elizabeth Bishop
What she likes about it - [Ria had some difficulty putting her feelings for Elizabeth Bishops poems into sentences that would do them literary justice] "They're beautiful and...they're just awesome. They're awesome and amazing and wonderful and she's incredible."
Brief summary of the poems as a whole - "They're mildly humorous and honest without being overly confessional."

Stephanie -- Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor (who will be here on Monday!)
What she likes about it - "There's a good lead character. It's intriguing, and leaves you with a bit of a cliffhanger. I don't like that I have to wait for the next one though."
Brief Plot Synopsis - "Mysterious teen artist in Prague leads a secret second life and discovers who she really is."

Tracy -- The Magic of Reality by Richard Dawkins and David McKean
What she likes about it - "The whole reason I picked it up was because of David McKean. He did The Sandman and his art is just really awesome. I love him. So far, the science is described in a way that is helpful for people like me who don't have science-y backgrounds."
Brief Plot Synopsis - "It's about evolution. Which, I know the basics of it, but the way they're describing some of the concepts are really interesting and different."

Arsen -- Contents May Have Shifted by Pam Houston and When She Woke by Hilary Jordan
What he likes about them - [CMHS] "The writing's good and she's telling her story in a very interesting, unique way." [WSW] "It’s kind of creepy. It makes me want to make sure that Rick Perry doesn’t get to be president. "
Brief Plot Synopsis - "Futuristic tale where a woman wakes up dyed red because she has been convicted of the murder of her unborn child."

Laina -- All Men of Genius by Lev AC Rosen
What she likes about it - "I picked it up because it’s written by someone I went to college with. It’s a little bit along the lines of Alana – it’s a twin story (though not for middle readers!) it’s gender-bending, it’s doing this ‘what is the right path for you despite social convention,’ thing, it’s science, it’s invention, and I’m finding it’s really different to read books by people you know.”
Brief Plot Synopsis - "It's a new Victorian steampunk novel. A scientifically-inclined girl goes to exclusive all boys educational institution without anyone knowing who she really is."

...and so that's what folks around the store. What are you reading?

Where All My Boys At?

2011-09-06T12:16:00.006-06:00

As a veteran of the bookselling world, I keep up with industry news on a daily basis. I visit several worthy websites on my jaunt around the web, catching up on new books and old friends. Indie bookstores will often post photos of their staff arrayed around this or that visiting author. I'm consistently given pause by the rarity of men in these photos (unless, of course, it's a male author). Where have all my fellow male booksellers gone?

My father was a nurse when I was growing up. My mother dressed me as a nurse for my first three Halloweens. When queried by friends, I would insist on a qualifier: "My dad is a male nurse ..." He later became an anesthetist, at which time I would tell puzzled friends, "He puts people to sleep." Do my own children feel a similar reluctance to divulge that, "My dad is a male bookseller"?

We're grateful to the wonderfully capable women who fuel our indie bookstores across the country. I hold no grudge against them, nor against the traditionally female readers who buy most of the books from our stores. Without them, our industry would be in even more dire straits. It is reported that men don't read as much as women, although god knows I'm attempting to raise my own sons to buck that trend. During the fifteen years I worked at Grass Roots Books & Music in Corvallis, Oregon, there were only two other men who held positions there aside from the owner. One of them was a barrista for our sad little coffee shop. A male barrista, I suppose ... When I come across a fellow male bookseller at conventions or gatherings, I feel like we belong to a secret club, exchanging a covert nod of the head.

While at Grass Roots, I facilitated our official store reading group for several years. My lady friends and I would meet monthly to discuss our most recent selections. One of our recurring topics was whether a male author could effectively render the female voice and psyche. What did I know? I recently began half-jokingly telling friends of a plan to assemble an all-male reading group. We would call ourselves The Li-Bros ... It's not that we would read only male authors, not an Iron John thing, but we could discuss whether female writers could get us guys in all our complexity.

Possibly motivated by this idea, my reading of late has skewed decidedly dude. Think Cormac McCarthy, Tom Franklin, Barry Hannah. Writers who allow few women into their stories, and who even I would argue don't really represent them too accurately. Harry Crews, Larry Brown. I recently finished a stellar read by an author named Charles Willeford, Cockfighter. Note to self: A prime candidate for the next Li-Bros meeting.

As Floor Manager of Boulder Book Store, I've taken care to achieve some balance among our bookselling staff. Younger vs. older, student vs. graduate, female vs male. I feel good about this, perhaps making up for the time I spent with the fine ladies of Grass Roots. While the boys of BBS are not an especially gruff bunch, I feel we represent the male species well enough. My secret plan is to one day send the industry a photo of several of us gathered around a visiting author. Until then, I extend a hearty invitation to my fellow fellows in the greater Boulder area. Follow your wife or a female friend into Boulder Book Store and help realign the literary universe. No need to launch a takeover, just celebrate the manly art of reading.

An all male staff photo (though, not of all our male staff members). Pictured from Left to Right and Top to Bottom: Warren, Larry, Arsen, Patrick, Digs, and Scott.

Why Supergods by Grant Morrison is the most important book you’ll read in 2011

2011-08-18T17:16:00.003-06:00

“We tell our children they’re trapped like rats on a doomed, bankrupt, gangster-haunted planet with dwindling resources, with nothing to look forward to but rising sea levels and imminent mass extinctions, then raise a disapproving eyebrow when, in response, they dress in black, cut themselves with razors, starve themselves, gorge themselves, or kill one another.”

– Grant Morrison, Introduction to Supergods

As important as logic and reason are to our rational, technological modern lives, one of the most egregious absences from the current worldview is that of myth. Politicians, rock stars, and reality television celebrity idiots have infiltrated most available slots in the mass consciousness set aside for admiration, mimetic representation, and plain old hero worship. This is not a good thing. Such cults of personality distract us from art, and therefore distance us from our own imaginations. When we fail to engage our imaginations, we neglect something crucial that allows us to repurpose and transcend our ordinary lives. We forget that an essential aspect of life is to seek always discovery and ultimate meaning.

Supergods is rather pointedly not the universal answer to all of humanity’s ills. It doesn’t really claim to be. It is an impassioned analysis and celebration of what one hyper-creative writer sees as a evolutionary step forward from the myths and legends that once enthralled and sustained a burgeoning human awareness. Superheroes are the latest step in the logical progression from gods and demi-gods and urban legends. They invigorate and augment the stories that feature them. They straddle the razor’s edge between being as flawed as us all and being everything we wish we were. They show us that there is a better path to choose that is seldom an easy one but one ultimately leading us all to a finer world. They inhabit a comic book world for now but they are infiltrating our culture through television and film, advertisements and online strips. They want only the best for us all, and they will strive against anything to ensure our survival.

Comic books and graphic novels may not be for everyone, but Grant Morrison isn’t looking to recruit only nerds and geeks to his way of thinking. Supergods is an argument toward embracing any art that makes you stand a little straighter, feel a little better, and smile more at everyone you pass. Readers who have forgotten how to dream of things larger than themselves and are hopeful about finding a new and more confident paradigm won’t merely find entertainment in Supergods. They’ll find inspiration.

Kyle Mares is a MFA student in Writing & Poetics at Naropa University. Born in Denver, he finds his return to Colorado (to attend school in Boulder) to be strangely invigorating after living in Chicago and outside Los Angeles. Having worked for three years in a southern California comic book store, being a bookseller at Boulder Book Store has proven to be a much quieter, less argumentative experience. He's not much for off-roading but he is considering bungee-jumping for the very first time.

Local and Loved #5

2011-08-11T09:22:00.003-06:00

Cover Charge for Author Events

On April 25th of this year the Boulder Daily Camera released an article that partially explained why the Boulder Book Store started charging for events. They did an excellent job. The problem is, so much has happened since April.

June 21, 2011 the New York Times released an article that explained that the Boulder Book Store isn't the only one charging. All across the country independent bookstores are asking customers to open their wallets and shell out a little money for some cheap, intelectual entertainment. This isn't meant to be a slight to readers, it is intended to be a way to reward customers who pay for books at the bookstore (the tickets ALWAYS act as coupons for the featured book or anybook on the day of the event) and a message to those who look at the store and then buy online.

Is $5 too much to ask? The average evening movie costs between 8 and 10 dollars, that isn't counting the extra charge for 3D. In actuallity an author event is worth paying for. It is a great date or the ideal way to pass a lazy evening.

So show your love for the local and come out and support the Boulder Book Store at author events.

Who would you pay to see at the bookstore?

Local and Loved #4

2011-08-04T12:20:00.010-06:00

These are the books that say something about the community, though most aren't about Boulder.

In my opinion one thing that makes the Boulder Book Store a true gem is it's support of local authors. 81% of American's say they want to write a book, that's not to say all of them do it but 81% want to. According to the US Census there are 311million people in the United States, that means that 251,910,000 people want to write a book. 190,000 people get published. That means that there are people writing (not all 251,910,000 because there are a lot of things people say they want to do and then don't) who aren't getting published. At the Boulder Book Store that is not the case for the locals who come in, looking for a break. Check out the lovely blue tagged books on Rec Case 3.

Local and Loved #3: Knowledge is Power, So Our Booksellers are the Superheroes

2011-07-27T09:55:00.005-06:00

There has never been a doubt in my mind that it takes a special kind of person to work in a bookstore. Booksellers must have reverence for books, an extensive knowledge about books, vivacious readers, and a few endearing quirks. The problem is most booksellers at other stores seem to fall a bit short. Sure they all love to read and some may even wear socks with sandals, but they don't have it: They don't have the knowledge of and reverence for books that truly make a bookseller great. Here at the Boulder Book Store I have yet to find a bookseller who can't give me a spot on recommendation or one who doesn't exclaim over books with awe. Reason number three on the Local and Loved list is that our booksellers are the best. I had the chance to follow a few of them around and get a tiny bit of background...

Warren: 16 years
Warren started at the bookstore because he wanted to be surrounded by books. He wanted to buy and feel and read books. He has accumulated an amazing collection since starting at the Book Store and he can't wait to actually have the time to read all that he has. Warren loves seeing what's new at the store and getting a sneak peak of what's to come. He especially loves to see what books old books are being reprinted. A year or so ago he was able to replace a copy of The Long Ships after the New York Review Books reprinted a bunch of classics. Above all Warren just loves to be with the books.

Joey: 4 years
Joey is the sidelines guy. All the cool, extra stuff in the store is here because of him. Joey started working at the Boulder Book Store because he needed a job...and he loves books. The thing that Joey loves the most about the Books Store is how coworkers. He says that they're like one big (crazy) family.

Laina: 2 years
Laina works at the store because books are in her blood. Her parents own an independent bookstore back east and her home has always been filled with books. After moving to Colorado Laina knew that the Book Store was where she belonged. Laina loves the customer service aspect of the store. She loves helping people fine the right books, the ones they came in looking for and others that they might like. Books are very therapeutic for her and she wants everyone to have that same feeling with the books they read.

Tara: 2 years
Tara used to come into the Book Store as a patron and worked across the street years earlier. For her it just made sense to come back to a place she loved. Tara's favorite thing about the Book Store is its location downtown, it's a hub for so many things. She also loves working here because of Joey.

Patrick: 1 year
Patrick started at the Book Store because of the books and the community he had already become a part of. Many people from book club already worked at the Book Store and it already was a place he belonged. Patrick loves the Boulder Book Store because it is truly a community of people who love books. The Book Story is also a place of meeting.

Helen: 1 year
Helen applied for two years before she found a place at the Boulder Book Store. She graduated with a degree in English and it made perfect sense to be surrounded by the friends that she had learned with (books). She loves being at the Book Store because of the books but she loves it for other reasons as well. The Boulder Book Store is the heart of Boulder. It is a place for meeting new people and learning new things. It is also an excellent place to meet Simon Van Booy.

Christian: Christian grew up in Boulder, this is a place where he has roots. After returning from graduate school he wanted to do something he loved and selling books was the perfect thing. Christian loves that the Book Store is a crossroads for the intellectual community and a hub for local flavor. It is a place for him to be introduced to the faces that he's seen his whole life. He has had his first conversations with people that he used to stand in line with at coffee shops or see at the grocery store. The Boulder Book Store is a place for the community to come together. At events everyone can learn and everyone can teach.

For some it was a fluke, coming in a finding a place in this big, historical building. But for every book seller and staff member, The Boulder Book Store is home. And they strive everyday to make it home for their customers too.

Know the Past, Find the Future

2011-07-19T10:27:00.004-06:00

So a little less than a month ago we thought it would be fun to host a writing contest. The prompt? Libraries. Write anything -- fact or fiction -- about libraries. This was sparked by the release of Know the Past, Find the Future -- a book Penguin released to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the New York Public Library (a pretty big one). Winners received a copy of the book and their winning submissions can be read here:

Poetry--

"Libraries" (by Craig)

Who needs’em ~

Got my iPod

Got my iPad

And my iPhone

Epic ringtone

Got my fast car

Got my own star

Gonna go far

Dig it? We are.

What’s a book, man?

In the trash can!

Turnin’ pages?!

Seems like ages

Since mom read me

Stories fed me

Curled up nice

And… thinkin’ twice

I’m goin’ down there

To the place where

Stories live and

Words like quicksand

Take you under

Words like thunder

Rock the soul and

Like a good band

Live forever ~

Forget them?

Never.

Libraries rock, man!

Prose--

"In The Library with Maurice" (by Sandra)

My mother’s face was red and she was breathing heavily. I wasn’t quite sure if it was the intense heat or her rising anger. She remained silent as we boarded our boat-car, lips pursed into their characteristic thin, crooked line; I noticed that every button on her white cotton shirt had found its hole, all the way up to her neck, which had started to hang a little over the top of her collar. She was barely over forty, but the avalanche had started early. At ten, I didn’t fear my forty-something face. I should have.

She was struggling to start the car. Dad was at work. It was over a hundred degrees; we lived in the middle of nowhere, and the clunky air conditioner in the living room window had just died again. With her right foot, my mother mercilessly pummeled the old Dodge, another cast off from my father’s parents, fairly grunting with frustration and anger. Turn the key. Pump the throttle. Turn. Pump. If Dad had been home, he would have been outside in a jiffy, shouting at her at the top of his lungs to stop—she was flooding the engine. “Mrs. J, you’re flooding it! Stop! Stop!” Sometimes, my mother would do it just a few more times, just to make her point about the car, about everything. Then he would finally understand and hang his head. Loud and clear, Mrs. J. It was too late. At that point, we would have to wait for the car to return to a state of balance. Everyone would slowly disembark and dejectedly walk back into the house.

But this day, by some miracle, she got the engine to turn over. I was in the front seat, and my three younger siblings were in the back, probably mocking me, as usual. My mother broke her silence with a war whoop and we were off. Our tiny air-conditioned library, 20 non-air-conditioned minutes away, was waiting for us.

Once inside, we sighed with cool relief. We wandered over to the children’s section, where the tables were already too short for me, and my mother practically ran for the celebrity bios. The library couldn’t have been much bigger than our own tiny house, but it seemed like a mansion. Like Mom, I staked out my spot, away from my immature siblings, and found my own questionable material: Maurice Sendak. Before I was old enough to start sneak-reading my mother’s secondhand celebrity smut, Maurice opened a window in the room of my repressive childhood. My favorites were Higglety Pigglety Pop! or There Must Be More To Life, and In the Night Kitchen. I suspected that there was something subversive in the former, and something desperately titillating about the latter, but I was very sheltered, and couldn’t have explained my feelings. With a curious, heavy hunger, I poured over the pictures and messages in all of these books, even the popular Where The Wild Things Are, which also seemed a bit twisted for the squeaky-clean, don’t-question-authority, conservative façade of my childhood home.

Once, I borrowed Higgelty, but I knew enough to avoid taking home In the Night Kitchen. As far as I know, my mother never saw it. In 1974, the book had been banned in several states; our librarian was either a hippie or a very distracted lady, like my mother. Maurice inspired me to question my world; his world had different rules. Sometimes, children just enjoyed the moment and didn’t worry about whether they were going to heaven or hell. Rules were broken or thrown away. Characters who questioned the meaning of life may have initially feared being eaten, but eventually everything worked out satisfactorily.

In some ways, I haven’t changed much. If someone had told my ten-year-old self that Maurice was gay (of course, he had not yet revealed his sexuality in the 70s), I wouldn’t have known what it meant, but if I had, I’m sure I would have smiled and said, “That’s why I like him. He doesn’t do what everybody tells him to do.”

Maurice has said that when he was a young man, he kept his sexuality secret in order to please his mother. He was sure that she would have been unhappy with him if she had known the truth. Certainly, when I was young, it seemed to me that my mother was not happy with any sexuality. As a result, all of my growing up work had to be done in secret. In my head. Without answers to many pressing questions. But also in the cool comfort of the library, at the children’s table, with the gentle guidance of an author who, like me, just couldn’t see the point in all the rules.

A special "thank you" goes out not only to those who sent us submissions, but also to everybody who loves books -- whether from libraries, local bookstores, or Aunt Edith's shelves. Thanks for reading!

Introduction to Modern Japanese Literature Part IV: Short Stories

2011-04-12T14:18:00.008-06:00

This is the fourth and last in a series of blog posts introducing Japanese fiction to English speaking readers in the hopes that we become more aware of Japan's place on the international literature stage. Previous posts here: 1, 2, 3.

If you're thinking of trying out foreign literature but aren't sure whether you'll like it or not, I suggest trying a few short stories by foreign authors. In modern Japanese fiction, many authors tackle both the novel and short story formats of writing and have wonderful pieces in both.

In fact, the most successful authors in the Japanese literature scene tend to vary the lengths and genres of their works. They write novels, but depending on the author, some also write short stories, novellas, nonfiction, and essays. To put this idea into an American context, one may consider Ernest Hemmingway, who wrote both fiction and nonfiction, and long and short stories very successfully.

From a reader's point of view, the charm of short stories is that they take less time to read than novels, so they're a good way to read casually and start reading an author you're unfamiliar with. Readers who are already fans of an author's novels can enjoy the same author's short stories too; reading short stories can be an entirely different experience for both readers and authors. Haruki Murakami, in his preface to Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman, wrote about what he experiences when writing different types of stories:
"To put it in the simplest possible terms, I find writing novels a challenge, writing short stories a joy. If writing novels is like planting a forest, then writing short stories is more like planting a garden."
Thus, the way he goes about writing short stories is different than his approach and attitude towards his novels, which creates a different atmosphere and experience for his readers as well. Personally, I find reading his novels akin to eating a full-course dinner, and his short stories like drinking a relaxing afternoon tea. They're both satisfying in their own way. The following are a few of my personal recommendations for Japanese short stories:

After the Quake, by Haruki Murakami (compilation)

The six stories in this collection are set at the time of the catastrophic 1995 Kobe earthquake. An electronics salesman who has been abruptly deserted by his wife agrees to deliver an enigmatic package—and is rewarded with a glimpse of his true nature. A man who has been raised to view himself as the son of God pursues a stranger who may or may not be his human father. A mild-mannered collection agent receives a visit from a giant talking frog who enlists his help in saving Tokyo from destruction.

Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman, by Haruki Murakami (compilation)

Here are animated crows, a criminal monkey, and an iceman, as well as the dreams that shape us and the things we might wish for. Whether during a chance reunion in Italy, a romantic exile in Greece, a holiday in Hawaii, or in the grip of everyday life, Murakami’s characters confront grievous loss, sexuality, the glow of a firefly, and the impossible distances between those who ought to be closest of all.

Lizard, by Banana Yoshimoto (compilation)

This book is the first collection of short stories written by popular Japanese author Banana Yoshimoto on the topics of love and family. Easily read, but producing deep themes and concepts, Yoshimoto's stories are realistically surreal and darkly hopeful.

Rashomon and Other Stories, by Ryunosuke Akutagawa (compilation)

This collection of short stories by Nobel Literature prize winning writer Akutagawa includes "In a Grove", a psychologically sophisticated tale about murder, rape, and suicide; "Rashomon", the story of a thief scared into honesty by an encounter with a ghoul; and "Kesa and Morito", the story of man driven to kill someone he doesn't hate by a lover whom he doesn't love.

_________________

This concludes my introduction to modern Japanese literature blog post series. If you're still interested in foreign literature, I suggest checking out the website Words Without Borders. They review and promote literature from all around the world.

Gary Vaynerchuk - The Thank You Economy Event

2011-04-11T15:00:00.005-06:00

Hey, Tweets DO Matter!

Ever been so exasperated at a company's service that you wrote a scathing facebook status about it right after you left? Ever tweeted your friends to get their input on what to buy? Yes, voicing your opinion on social media websites does make a difference, and a huge one at that, according to Gary Vaynerchuk.

Gary Vaynerchuk is a New York Times bestselling author and his new book, The Thank You Economy, talks about how critical social media is in today's cutthroat business world, how it is slowly reverting our economy to one that resembles the 'old days,' when local stores knew most of their customers on a personal basis.

He discusses how social media has brought a significant amount of power back to consumers via virtual word-of-mouth communication, and how businesses can use this to leave their competitors in the dust. He also talks about how social media can affect a company's efforts in branding itself and its products, for better or for worse.

An excerpt from chapter one of The Thank You Economy can be downloaded and read here, and you can also visit his website here. You can also see his video posts and blog there.

In case you were wondering, here's a video of him defining what a "thank you economy" is:

True to what he writes, Mr. Vaynerchuk uses twitter regularly, and encourages his followers to voice their opinions on his page.

Vaynerchuk, who started off his successful career selling wine, also wrote Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion, has been featured on FOX and CNN business programs as a business expert and social media consultant, co-founded an agency that deals with branding and startups, and has spoken at conferences around the world about his business strategies.

Boulder Book Store is excited to have Gary Vaynerchuk speak about and sign The Thank You Economy at our ballroom on Thursday, April 21, at 7:30 pm. We hope to see you there!

Japanese Fiction Series:Great Untranslated Books

2011-04-08T15:31:00.001-06:00

This is the third in a series of blog posts introducing Japanese fiction to English speaking readers in the hopes that we become more aware of Japan's place on the international literature stage.

For this blog post, I will be introducing a few Japanese novels that haven't been translated into English yet. These novels have found success in Japan but have not expanded to the foreign market yet. This list is by no means comprehensive, as it is limited to those that I have already read, but I do think that some of these novels would catch the interest of at least a few foreign readers if only they were translated into English.

Kokuhaku (Confessions), by Kanae Minato

If I could choose any one book that I'd like to see translated into English, it would be this one. It's a powerful psychological thriller about a single mother and middle-school teacher whose daughter has been killed by two students from her homeroom class. Confessions was turned into a movie in 2010, and was selected as Japan's entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar for that year.

It starts with a very long monologue from a teacher to her class on the last day of school, where she announces both her retirement and that she knows who murdered her daughter. Upon revealing the murderers' identities, and how she came to this conclusion, she leaves, but not before mentioning that the milk they were drinking before her speech was tainted with the blood of her HIV-positive former fiancée. This is the shocking first chapter of this novel, which unfolds from six different perspectives of people involved with the killers, from mothers to classmates, showing the events prior to, during, and after the murder itself. Minato touches upon the themes of justice, revenge, family, juvenile law, and bullying throughout her storytelling, which creates a story that paints a picture of the dark side of modern Japan.

I would like to add here that even if you watch the movie, it has been tweaked just a bit so that it fits the director's personal interpretation of the novel. The novel itself actually brings into play many more questions about the reliability of each narrator and what has really happened when all is said and done.

Ahiru to Kamo no Coin Locker (The Foreign Duck and Native Duck's Coin Locker) by Kotaro Isaka

It's a shame that the translated title of this novel doesn't do it justice in showing just how strangely simple it sounds in Japanese, as it sets the tone for this novel, and draws in readers with its absurdity. The story itself is of a college student starting to live by himself away from home who meets his neighbor, a strange boy who, like himself, has a fondness for Bob Dylan. Spending time with this man, whose strange ideas include robbing a bookstore to acquire a dictionary for their Bhutanese neighbor, he learns about his girlfriend and a case that ended with her death. As the novel progresses, and huge twists and revelations occur, one becomes confused as to who is who, and it becomes difficult to figure out the truth, and whose story is the truth and whose is a lie.

Sabaku (Desert), by Kotaro Isaka

Kotaro Isaka is good at writing his novels to fit songs. If the novel above was set to Bob Dylan's Blowing in the Wind, Sabaku is set to the songs of the punk rock Ramones. It's the story of five university students who meet freshman year; about the relationships they build with each other, playing mahjong and getting involved in shenanigans throughout their four years in college. From metaphors comparing society to a desert and college students being on the cusp of entering this desert, to referencing current oil wars and American politics, Isaka also brings his own brand of casual social commentary into this work through his diverse set of characters, whether they be the overly idealistic and annoying Nishijima, or the calm narrator Kitamura, who observes everything around him objectively with a "bird's eye view."

The format of the novel is also unique, depicting snippets from sequential seasons of four years of college (freshman year spring, sophomore year summer, fall of junior year, and winter of senior year, then back to spring for a last chapter on graduation). This is an unconventional and enjoyable novel about growing up that also depicts the current everyday life and mindset of the Japanese college student.

Colorful, by Eto Mori This novel puts an unidentified sinner's soul into the body of a 14-year old boy who tried to commit suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills. The twist is that in order to get the chance to be reincarnated in his next life, the sinner must find out and realize what sin he committed during his own life, which apparently has something to do with the young boy whose body he inhabits. As he lives the pitiful life of a miserable teenager who was good at art but was going through the "worst day of his life," the sinner struggles to find the connections between him and this boy while living the boy's life, all the while trying to make the best of this life he's been given. This is a light, uplifting novel about second chances and how looking at things from a different point of view can drastically change perspectives.

Switch wo Osu Toki (When You Push the Switch), by Yusuke Yamada

Yusuke Yamada is popular with young audiences in Japan and is known for his gory teen thrillers and mysteries. This novel stands out to me as one of his best works, as it seems to be more toned down than most of his other works, and is thus targeting a larger target age group.

Many people know about Japan's high suicide rate. In this novel, the Japanese government, in an attempt to study the psychological causes of suicide, has built facilities nationwide where 10-year old children are taken away from their parents, given a switch to stop their hearts, and monitored in facilities until they push the switch themselves. The novel takes place at one of these centers seven years after the start of this program. There are only five children left who haven't pushed their switches, and the man in charge of them is tired of his job, so he begins provoking them. Enter a new character, a young man who comes to visit the center. Whether he is trying to help the children or the manager of the facility, though, remains ambiguous, leading to an epic and thrilling wild goose chase that shows why people choose to live…or push their switches.

So, what do you all think? Were there any books from this post that caught your eye? If there was, please leave us a comment!

______________________________

In light of the continuing difficulties lasting in Japan, I encourage people who wish to lend a hand but don't know what to do to visit the following websites, all of which are contributing to help those suffering from the earthquakes, tsunami, and nuclear breakdown here and here.

Classic Literature vs. Modern Japanese Literature

2011-04-06T15:07:00.009-06:00

The interns, Jill and Chelsea here! We thought we would do a collaboration to bring together two factions of literature that come from opposite sides of the globe, classic Western novels and modern Japanese fiction.

Here are the 6 novels we found similarities between:

1984/1Q84

1984 is a classic dystopian novel by George Orwell, depicting the futuristic 1984’s collectivist society. This novel inspired Haruki Murakami, whose latest novel, 1Q84, is a play on words that makes its title equivalent to 1984. Murakami references Orwell’s work while telling his own story of the years leading up to 1984, introducing the strange yet normal characters that he is famous for using in his signature style. Fans of literature and modern fiction alike should enjoy this literary re-working.

Lord of the Flies/Battle Royale

Lord of the Flies is a classic English novel about a group of young boys who are stranded on an island, and through a series of events show the deterioration of the human condition into barbarian acts. Battle Royale is quite similar. The plotline is basically the same, but the children are chosen and put on the island so that they can kill each other on TV as a scare tactic for futuristic fascist Japan. Both novels show how children put in dire circumstances resort to cruelty in unspeakable acts.

The Secret Garden/Goodbye Tsugumi

The parallels between The Secret Garden and Goodbye Tsugumi lie in the characterizations and overall themes of these novels. Tsugumi and Mary are both introduced to the reader very early in their respective stories as unpleasant young women. Both novels build on the themes of family and growing up while exploring the strength of relationships between cousins.

If you are a classics lover, don’t forget to attend our “Revival of the Classics” night on April 15th at 7:00 pm!

Jill's Favorite Forgotten Classics

2011-04-06T11:46:00.000-06:00

Though the Time's 100 Greatest Novels List has some of the classics we know and love, it also contains a few drawbacks. Firstly, it only includes novels from 1923 to the present, leaving out a large chunk of great classics that are "too old," and I believe we need to remember some of the great novels that came before 1923! Secondly, great authors usually are not solo acts; they usually have written other works that might be less read, but have astounding merit nonetheless. And lastly, sometimes there are some classics that I feel were completely and unfairly forgotten.

As for novels that were "too old" to make the list, there are two I am particularly fond of, Anna Karenina and Les Miserables. Both written in the late 1800's, these two gems serve as examples of great prose. Anna Karenina, a novel composed of 8-part installments by Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, portrays the high-class society of Russian society with timeless romance and themes of jealousy, family, society and faith. Though it may be one of the longest novels you will ever read, Anna Karenina is worth it. The timeless characters and story still have a lot to offer in today's society, where many of the issues run rampant. We will shift our attention now to one of Victor Hugo's most important novels, Les Miserables. It is the story of strife and heartbreak of the poor in France experienced during the French Revolution. Following characters that experience love, death, prostitution, war and revolution, Les Miserables still stands today as a hallmark for human emotion. Les Miserables and Anna Karenina are similar in that they both examine the human condition, though in different extremes. The themes remain the same though one is in high society and the other in the gutters of the streets. Timeless works like these are proof that we are all essentially the same, and that feeling emotions of doubt, love, jealousy are all part of this world we all inhabit.

Many famous authors usually have one book that makes their fame worldwide. But what about the other works they wrote? For two of my favorite authors, J.D. Salinger and F. Scott Fitzgerald, I actually love the books that aren't their most famous. J.D. Salinger's Franny and Zooey is a favorite of mine, and one I think goes underrated most of the time. A compilation of two stories both published in the New Yorker, it centers on the youngest two children of the Glass family, the main subject for the majority of Salinger's work. The precocious Glass children who were once famous for their stint on It's a Wise Child (a radio show where children answered difficult questions) work through issues of society, religion and dealing with their eldest brother's suicide. For F. Scott Fitzgerald, everyone knows him for The Great Gatsby. However, I thoroughly enjoyed his debut novel, This Side of Paradise, which launched him into fame in the 1920's. This Side of Paradise focuses on Amory Blaine, a pretentious young man looking to climb the ranks of society. An interesting look at society's flaws, This Side of Paradise is definitely worth a read, as Fitzgerald's first novel is just as profound as his last.

There were also some books that I felt were unfairly left off Time's list, as they are classics in their own right. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and The Bell Jar are both widely read classics that I felt deserved to make the cut. Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a wonderful coming-of-age novel featuring the timeless heroine Francie Nolan and her dysfunctional, if loving, family. Almost a century old, Francie's tale still rings true with women and girls everywhere. And then there is Sylvia Plath, a figurehead for feminists everywhere who was also lobbed off the list with her first (and last) novel The Bell Jar. The story follows Esther Greenwood, a successful young woman completing an internship at a fancy magazine in New York City. The Bell Jar follows Esther's spiral into madness as she falls out of touch with society and the people who surround her. Profound and illuminating, it leaves readers questioning. Both of these novels prominently feature strong heroines and beautiful writing. Though written decades apart, they both still explore the human experience and open doors into different realms of possibility.

Don't forget to stop by on April 15th at 7:00pm for our "Revival of the Classics" event, featuring author Erin Blakemore!

Recommendations made by Jill, the Spring Intern at the Boulder Book Store. Need more recommendations? Find me on Twitter at @JillLovesCoffee!

John Robison - Be Different Talk and Signing Event:

2011-04-04T15:45:00.005-06:00

Don't Worry, be different

Augusten Burroughs, bestselling author of Running With Scissors, wrote in his memoir about his older brother "Troy" in the chapter "He Was Raised Without a Proper Diagnosis." When the memoir Look Me in The Eye hit the New York Times bestsellers list a few years later, it became apparent that "Troy" was actually an alias for "John Robison."

Look Me in the Eye is Robison's personal memoir in which he tells his story of living with Asperger's Syndrome, a disease that is similar to autism, but does not hamper linguistic and cognitive development. Because Asperger's is identified by abnormal social interactions and communication, Robison lived undiagnosed until he was forty years old. Until then, he was hampered by his inability to 'fit in' in social settings, despite his intellectual brilliance and work competence. His books explain how he copes with his condition and how he became successful despite it.

Be Different continues his efforts to help his fellow Aspergians, those around them, and also other misfits by incorporating his personal anecdotes and observations with practical advice on topics related to self-identity and social ineptitude. Among the most helpful topics he covers are when to make an effort to fit in versus when to embrace eccentricity, and how to identify special gifts and use them to your advantage.

John once worked as a guitar special effects specialist for Kiss, as an engineer for a company manufacturing toys, and then set up a successful independent car repair business, but now works as a writer and speaker, and also works with Elms College and their autism and Asperger's graduate program.

For more information, you can visit his website here, which has a blog, information updates, links to his facebook and twitter pages, and resources for educators, too.

Come to Boulder Book Store on April 13, at 7:30 pm to hear John Robison talk about his new book and get your copy of Be Different signed, as well!

The Many Faces of Jane Eyre

2011-03-29T09:02:00.017-06:00

Mia Wasikoska (of Alice in Wonderland and The Kids Are All Right fame) is the new face of the classic heroine in Charlotte Bronte's timeless Jane Eyre. However, this isn't the first adaptation of Bronte's novel. In fact, it has been adapted over 15 times for the big screen and 8 versions for television, not including the spin-offs and sequels! In honor of our "Revival of the Classics" event, we at the Boulder Book Store decided to take a look back and remember the most memorable Janes throughout the years.

Mabel Ballin (1921)

Virginia Bruce (1934)

Joan Fontaine (1944)

Susannah York (1970)

Sorcha Cusack (1973) (TV)

Zelah Clarke (1983) (TV)

Charlotte Gainsbourg (1996)

Samantha Morton (1997) (TV)

Mia Wasikoska (2011)

Jane Eyre is in theatres now! Let us know what you think on our Facebook or Twitter. Need more reccomendations? Talk to me (Jill, the Spring Intern) on Twitter @JillLovesCoffee.

Come to our "Revival of the Classics" event on Friday, April 15th at 7:00 pm! There will be classics trivia, a book swap and local author Erin Blakemore will speak about her novel The Heroine's Bookshelf! Students with ID will recieve a free coffee/tea.

Weird is Good: Japanese Fiction Part II

2011-03-22T13:29:00.006-06:00

Hello, spring intern Chelsea speaking. This is the second in a series of blog posts introducing Japanese fiction to English speaking readers in the hopes that we become more aware of Japan's place on the international literature stage. The previous post can be found here.

Japanese modern literature is weird, and that’s a good thing.

Weirdness comes in many forms, and in the case of Japanese fiction, levels of strangeness vary from author to author. The weirdness of Japanese fiction ranges from subtle absurdity to absolute craziness and insanity.

I am most fascinated by how a lot of this weirdness is presented realistically in real world settings, played off as normal life despite having qualities that are undeniably weird.

Perhaps the best example of 'real-life weirdness' in modern Japanese fiction is found in the realistic yet fantastical works of Murakami Haruki, such as A Wild Sheep Chase or The Wind-up Bird Chronicle, in which seemingly normal protagonists meet characters with weird traits and quirks (for example, a girl whose job is to survey the hair of middle aged men for a wig company, or a man who hides among sheep while wearing their skin), and go on adventures that aren't really adventures in a traditional sense, as they don't have that sense of urgency that usually makes adventures exciting. This weirdness is narrated along with actions that are painfully normal, like cooking pasta for lunch and going to the cleaners, and this combination of abnormal and normal life makes it hard to judge whether the novel is meant to be realistic or not.

As for the completely insane, Murakami Ryu's Coin Locker Babies comes to mind. Aside from the weird premise of following the lives of two boys who were abandoned by their mothers in train station coin lockers after birth, this book is full of crazy happenings, with a love interest so weird that she has an alligator for a pet, self tongue-cutting, pregnant-girlfriend stabbing, and a mysterious, fictional destructive substance that is eventually used to wipe out the entire city of Tokyo. The weirdness is very explicit, obvious, and out of this world, yet deceptively believable because it IS set in this world, in modern Japan.

Abe Kobo wrote The Box Man, which is a novel written from the viewpoint of a man who essentially lives his life wearing a box, with holes for eyes, feet, and his mouth. If this isn't weird enough, the appearance of a few more box men and the ambiguous way the story is told (where you're not sure which box man is which, and squabbles regarding people wanting the box and wanting to become box men themselves abound) makes it weird as well. Kobo also wrote The Woman in the Dunes, in which sand becomes as much of a character as the human characters, strangely enough. Many people consider Abe Kobo to be Japan’s Franz Kafka, and that is because the weirdness of their works brings their stories to life.

Weirdness, as I mentioned in my previous post, is a good thing for novels. It makes stories interesting. It gives them a mysterious quality and an element of surprise, because you never know what to expect or just how weird it will get.

Here's a question for you: Have you read any books that were so weird that they're good?
_________________________
In light of the current situation in Japan, I encourage people who wish to lend a hand but don't know what to do to visit the following websites, all of which are contributing to help those suffering from the earthquakes, tsunami, and the aftereffects here and here.

Classic Novels of TIME's 100 Best Novels List

2011-03-21T11:24:00.001-06:00

Hello everyone! In preparation for our "Revival of the Classics" event happening April 15th, we're going to take a look at a few of our favorite classics. We took a look at Time's 100 Greatest Novels list, which you can find here, and chose some recommendations just for you!

The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby is considered to be the "Great American Novel," set in the 1920's where wealth was power and everyone was trying to make connections. Nick Carraway, a young World War I vet and the narrator, moves to Long Island next to his cousin, the beautiful, if ditzy, Daisy. When Daisy, Nick and Tom (Daisy's husband) show up at a grand party held by the mysterious Gatsby, things become complicated for everyone involved. This novel is a personal favorite, as F. Scott Fitzgerald's enchanting writing offers something everyone can relate to. On the surface, this novel seems to be almost a middle-school romance, but as the reader delves into the world of Nick, Gatsby, Tom and Daisy, The Great Gatsby explores issues of loss, love, and the quintessential American dream. (Did you know? The Great Gatsby is being made into a 3D movie… More info to come on our Facebook Page!)

Lolita
Nabakov's Lolita is written in beautiful prose that lets the reader become completely engrossed in the novel, which in my opinion is a true mark of a classic. Humbert Humbert is a distinguished man who is fixated on "nymphets," young girls upon which he fantasizes about. When Humbert moves to New England, his landlord's daughter, Lolita, sparks an obsession within Humbert so strong that he becomes completely enthralled with her. Neither Humbert nor Lolita could be prepared for the whirlwind romance that leads them across the country. This book is known for the emotional attachment the reader gains toward the characters; Lolita is a masterful piece I would recommend to anyone (above the age of eighteen, of course!).

The French Lieutenant's Woman
John Fowles brings to life a tale of Sarah Wodruff, a woman who has been exiled by Victorian England. Marked as a whore, the rumors told that Sarah had an affair with a married French naval officer who promptly left her. A wealthy gentleman takes notice of Sarah, and a forbidden romance begins to blossom. Written in Victorian prose and taking a critical eye to Victorian society, Fowles spins a story that leaves readers thinking after they finish the novel's 3 plausible endings. The French Lieutenant's Woman is wrought with interesting plot twists, literary challenges and unforgettable characters, making it one of my favorite classics.

Catcher in the Rye
J.D. Salinger is without a doubt one of the key authors that remain an authentic voice of the youth. The story of Holden Caulfield, a rebellious teenager in the 1950's, speaks to young people who read it still 60 years later. Fraught with themes of alienation, sexuality, and confusion, Catcher in the Rye is the quintessential teen angst novel. As Holden goes on a self-searching journey through New York City, we start to connect to feelings and changes we have all gone through. An iconic classic, Catcher in the Rye is a must-read for anyone who has ever been young and felt a little lost.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Though most would recognize this title from the iconic Jack Nicholson movie adaptation, Ken Kesey's novel is one of my favorite classics. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest follows the story of Randle Patrick McMurphy, who lands himself in a mental hospital, faking insanity to get out of jail. As the patients get caught up in McMurphy's rambunctious fun, the careful eye of the tyrannical Nurse Ratched becomes more keen and unforgiving. Drawing on Kesey's own experiences with mental hospitals, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest challenges everyone's sanity and leaves the reader pondering the human mind.

Recommendations made by Jill, the Spring Intern at the Boulder Book Store. Need more recommendations? Find me on Twitter at @JillLovesCoffee!

Introduction to Japanese Fiction

2011-03-16T15:00:00.005-06:00

With the world's worried eyes currently focused on Japan, this is the first in a series of blog posts introducing Japanese fiction to English speaking readers in the hopes that we become more aware of Japan's place on the international literature stage.

My name is Chelsea, and I'm currently interning here at Boulder Book Store. I’m interested in introducing you to the small yet fascinating world of modern Japanese literature. I was first formally introduced to Japanese literature during my 9-month study abroad program in Japan. What I found fascinating was that despite being of Japanese ethnicity, a Japanese major, and an avid reader, I didn't know any Japanese authors aside from Murakami Haruki’s Norwegian Wood, which seemed to me the only one who has successfully gained popularity in the West.

Once I was introduced to more novels by modern Japanese authors and found a few more to read that hadn't been translated, I found myself hooked on the strange and unique style and plots of literary works coming from Japan, especially those that lie on the verge of literature and popular fiction.

I am writing these blogs to help increase awareness of and to promote this section of world literature that, in my opinion, is highly overlooked.

If I were to describe modern Japanese literature from what I've read so far, I’d use two words: “weird” and “connected.”

When I say that modern Japanese literature is connected, I mean that many bonds can be found between all of the subjects who have come in contact with these works. Sometimes, connections are formed between readers and a work. Other times, authors put a bit of themselves into their book in the form of a shishosetsu, or I-novel, which is a work of fiction that incorporates some aspect of its author's life into it, but is not as personal or realistic as a memoir.

Sometimes, bonds are created directly between the author and reader (as is the case with Yoshimoto Banana's readers, who often ask her for personal advice) or authors and the subject that their books are about, as in Murakami Haruki's Underground, one of his few non-fiction works about an actual attack on a train line in Tokyo by a cult, for which he interviewed surviving victims to relate accounts of what happened that day to his readers.

Through translations, foreign readers can see the connection between a work and the culture of its country of origin. By culture, I don't mean the obvious, physical cultural practices such as eating with chopsticks or taking your shoes off when entering houses. Rather, I mean that one can experience the sociological and psychological aspects of culture that show how people think and feel about the world around them.

This type of culture that isn't expressed physically is hard to teach and explain, and I believe that novels do a decent job of showing it, rather than telling. 'Showing,' to me, appears to be a natural and comfortable way to introduce and expand awareness of people from different parts of the world.

Thus, the charm of Japanese literature comes from readers' ability to 'connect' with it, and for foreign readers, from readers' ability to see these connections.

In my next post, I will explain why I find Japanese literature 'weird', and why this is a good thing.

In light of the current situation in Japan, I encourage people who wish to lend a hand but don't know what to do to visit the following websites, all of which are contributing to help those suffering from the earthquakes and tsunami here and here.

Mary Roach- Packing for Mars

2011-03-14T13:31:00.005-06:00

MARS: PACKING DO'S AND DON'TS

Ever wonder what happens if an astronaut vomits in their helmet during a space walk or consider the feasibility of sex in zero gravity?

In Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void, Mary Roach visits NASA to learn the answers to her sordid and weird questions regarding space travel. Her humorous and educational observations have been labeled as "truly funny" (Entertainment Weekly) and "hilarious" (Jon Stewart, The Daily Show). Packing for Mars has also been recommended as an editor's choice by the New York Times Book Review and Amazon's Best Book of the Month page.

Roach, a freelance journalist, is known for her humorous articles on scientific subjects, and has been published in Salon, Outside, National Geographic, New Scientist, Popular Mechanics, Wired, and The New York Times Magazines.

Her previous books include Stiff and Spook, which humorously explore the scientific and often revolting worlds of cadavers and the afterlife, and Bonk, for which she wrote on the topic of sexual physiology. For each of her books, she does the research personally, visiting mortuaries, graveyards, or wherever her curiosity leads her, opening her reader's eyes to the gruesome yet fascinating worlds that she visits.

For a taste of what Packing for Mars is all about, see the video Mary posted on her website that, in her own words, "captures the essence of Packing for Mars."

For more information, you can also visit her website here.

Mary Roach will visit Boulder Bookstore for an event on Sunday, April 3, at 2:00 pm to speak about and sign Packing for Mars." This is a ticketed event. Tickets are $5 and each ticket includes a coupon good for $5 off Packing for Mars OR $5 off a purchase the night of the event. Call (303) 447-2074 to purchase your ticket. We hope to see you there!

Are YOU a Mystery Lover?

2011-03-01T15:15:00.002-07:00

If you like mysterious murders, fast-paced suspense and sexual tension, then Silent Mercy is the book for you!

Linda Fairstein, a former New York prosecutor uses her expertise to delve deep into the mysterious world of Alexandra Cooper, a woman who works as a Manhattan prosecutor. In this newest installment, Alex must face her most challenging case yet, as she is called to the scene of a Harlem church with her partner Mike Chapman. A young woman is found at the site decapitated and burned, and days later another woman is found dead at a Cathedral in Little Italy. As suspicions of religious motives start to arise, Alex Cooper finds she is getting deeper and deeper into New York City's dark religious history. The 13th installment in this heart-stopping series, Silent Mercy is sure to keep you at the edge of your seat until the last page!

Linda Fairstein will speak on Tuesday, March 22nd at 7:30 p.m. at Boulder Book Store, 1107 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO.

Got Children?

2011-03-01T14:57:00.000-07:00

South American adventures! Missing chickens! Sinister Lords of Death! A noir-style crime story! These are a few of the things being brought to the table with the next two children's authors coming to the Boulder Book Store.

The Trouble With Chickens brings us a story of a hard-boiled retired search-and-rescue dog J.J., who gets caught in the middle of a mystery involving two missing chicks on the farm. Bribed by a cheeseburger, J.J. decides to help Moosh, a mama hen desperate to find her chicks. Doreen Cronin is best known for her books Click Clack Moo and Diary of a Fly.

Jon and Pamela Voelkel are known for their amazing presentations around the nation with their best-selling series The Jaguar Stones. In the second installment, The End of the World Club, Max and Lola must defeat the Twelve Lords of Death in a race against the clock. To uncover the secret of the long-lost Yellow Jaguar, they must get away from Count Antonio de Landa eventually find their way to Xibalba, the Maya underworld. The dynamic duo brings their dried bugs, safari gear and the Maya King costume (great for photo opportunities, see below), transporting everyone in the audience to the deep South American jungle!

Doreen Cronin will read The Trouble With Chickens on March 9th, 2011 at 6:30 p.m., and Jon and Pamela Voelkel will speak on March 31st, 2011 at 6:30 p.m.

We heart Jonathan Evison

2011-02-28T14:02:00.014-07:00

Tomorrow night at 7:30pm, Jonathan Evison will be speaking about his book, West of Here, at our store. Booksellers have been raving for months about Jonathan's book, West of Here. It's a bold book that draws on the American experience. Set in the fictional town of Port Bonita, Washington, half of the narrative focuses on the town’s founders circa 1890 while the other half shows their descendents in 2006. The novel becomes a kind of conversation between two epochs, one rushing blindly toward the future and the other struggling to undo the damage of the past.

Here's one of our fav quotes from New West reviewer Jenny Shank,

"Without ever getting preachy about it, in West of Here, Jonathan Evison has wrestled many of the West’s most pressing contemporary issues—such as environmental degradation, the challenges facing Native Americans, and loss of distinctive local businesses in small towns—into one humdinger of a story."

Several booksellers from our store got to meet Jonathan last fall at the Mountains and Plains Booksellers Association Trade Show. While there, Jonathan read this awesome and totally heartwarming poem to us. After reading the poem, you'll be able to see why he's one of our favorite authors and we hope he'll become one of yours, too.

A Bookseller’s Love Story by Jonathan Evison
For thirteen years I've been stocking the shelves at The Book Cathedral,
and it is my love story.
You will probably not remember me by my name,
but call me Ishmael.
Or Tom Jones, or Tom Sawyer, or Elmer Gantry, or McTeague,
or The Idiot, if you like.
You may not remember me for my wispy hair, or brick-shaped loafers,
nor for the wealth of cat hair clinging to the seat of my faded dockers.
I distinguish myself by my love of books,
and by never using the search function--I've no need of it.

Ask me who's between Allende and Sherwood Anderson,
and I shall tell you without pause, Martin Amis,
between Sartre and Schulberg, Saunders,
and at the end of the line, you'll find Zusak,
unless of course we're out, in which case you'll find Zafon.
Blindfold me and spin me around in circles,
then set me straight and run my fingers down the spines,
and I'll tell you when we get to Proust, or the shorter novels of Melville.
Ask me where to find Silas Wegg and I shall point you to Dickens.
Ask me where is Oskar and I'll tell you
he's banging his tin drum between Golding and Graves.
And if it's Sancho Panza you're after, you'll find him chasing windmills
with Quixote just to the left of Chaucer.

Ask me All About Lulu.
Ask me For Whom the Bell Tolls.
Ask me where A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, or What Makes Sammy Run,
and I shall tell you without hesitation, that the answer to the universe
is 42. Or that it's never too late to have a happy childhood.
Or that A Good Man is Hard to Find.
Or that The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.
Or that You Can't Go Home Again.
I will show you the beating heart of Ragtime,
drag you kicking through Hard Times, In Our Time, to Places I've Done Time.
Through The Age of Innocence, The Age of Reason,
to The Winter of Our Discontent.
You'll meet The Sleeping Father, The Time Traveler's Wife,
The Bigamist's Daughter, and Wittgenstein's Mistress.
I'll lead you to the Shining City,
beneath The Sheltering Sky, past Lions and Shadows,
to The Dark Side of Guy de Maupassant-and if it pleases you,
to the very Heart of Darkness, itself.
I will tell you The History of Love,
The Brief History of the Dead.

I will tell you The Secret Life of Bees. I'll tell you A Tale of Two Cities
that will make All the Pretty Horses whinny and All the King's Men weep.
I will explain The Mysteries of Pittsburgh,
How the Dead Dream, and The Way of the Pilgrim.
I will talk Of Mice and Men, Of Time and the River, of Leaves of Grass,
until finally, at the end of night, when The Moon is Down,
the sun will also rise, and everything will be illuminated.

Now, ask yourself: where else are you gonna' get this kind of service
but an indie bookstore?

Lisa Napoli Interview

2011-02-23T14:01:00.005-07:00

Lisa Napoli will be visiting Boulder Book Store to hold a signing event for her book, Radio Shangri-La: What I Learned in Bhutan, the Happiest Kingdom on Earth on Tuesday, March 8, 7:30 pm.

After reading her book, we had a few questions about Bhutan and her experiences there, and she has graciously answered them for us!

Q: What is your current philosophy on how to live life?
A: To look at everything as an opportunity, and to help other people by giving. And I don't just mean financially.

Q: After directly interacting with the Bhutanese and living in their culture, do you agree that Bhutan is indeed the Happiest Place on Earth?
A: There's irony in my title, but you have to read the book!

Q: Do you think that Gross National Happiness (and also, Bhutanese culture and tradition) will become obsolete with the increasing westernization of Bhutan?
A: No, I think it'll become more institutionalized, which sort of defeats the purpose but also will hopefully inspire people to seek balance, which is ultimately what GNH is all about.

Q: What do you think are some important lessons everyday Americans can take away from the Bhutanese culture?
A: Community, spirituality, and respect for natural resources.

Q: What advice do you have for ordinary people who are in a rut, but do not have the means to travel as you did?
A: I'm an ordinary person too--who was given an amazing opportunity, which I took. Open your eyes to the world around you, in your immediate surroundings. Walk around where you live, look at it with the eyes of an outsider, and see where you can help. The minute you start thinking of other people and not just yourself, your whole perspective changes. And the minute you start thinking of what you have, instead of what you don't have, that changes everything, too.

Q: Do you have any travel tips?
A: Pack light and don't over-schedule. Or rush.

Q: What was your favorite part about Bhutan? Least Favorite?
A: Most favorite: that every day was a wonder, with a close second just looking at the people and the sky.
Least favorite: Red hot chili peppers.

Q: What kinds of philanthropic acts have you done recently or plan to do in the future, and what kinds of people or organizations would you like to help the most?
A: I am working with friends to raise money to build a library in the Mongar district of Bhutan, through READGlobal. It's called BooksToBhutan.com I also gather friends every month to cook dinner at the Downtown Women's Center, a shelter for women. I also just like to help people when they ask me, for big things and small, for people I know and people I don't.

Q: You mentioned that most of the Bhutanese dishes you tried were too hot for you to eat. On the other hand, were there any dishes you tried that you enjoyed?
A: The traditional snack that's made out of pounded maize is delicious and addictive. I also love the Bumthang Swiss cheese, Red Panda Beer, and K5 Whiskey. But those are not dishes. ;) Chanterelle mushrooms grow all over and I loved making scrambled eggs with them.

Q: Many job interviewers tend to ask the question, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” Hypothetically, would you answer the same question asked by an interviewer in the same way that you answered your acquaintance?
A: Yes, but I'd be as polite about it as possible. I'd say, "I'd hope to still be learning and growing and experiencing the world around me," and be all vague if they pressed me for specifics!

To find out more about Lisa and Radio Shangri-La, visit Lisa's website here. Featured are pictures of Bhutan and her personal blog, as well as updates on her future events.

You can read an excerpt from her book here (It includes the preface and first chapter).

Also, hear her speak more about her book with author Simon Winchester in the video below:

Until next time!
Love, the BBS Interns

Alternative Books For Harry Potter Fanatics

2010-11-15T11:31:00.000-07:00

Have you read the Harry Potter series enough to have it memorized? Unfortunately the series is over but there are tons of books similar to Harry Potter still waiting to be read! The books below are great alternatives full of magic, mystery, and fantasy that will fill the "Harry Potter void," at least temporarily.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis:

Four young adventurers playing hide-and-seek in the home of an old professor stumble upon an enchanted wardrobe that will take them places they never dreamed. Stepping through the wardrobe door, they are whisked into the spectacular parallel universe known as Narnia--a fairy-tale realm of magical proportions where woodland animals talk and mythological creatures roam the hills. Aided by Narnia's rightful leader, the lion Aslan, the four children will discover their own strength and lead Narnia into a spectacular battle to be free of the White Witch's glacial enslavement forever.

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell by chance into the hands of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins. The Lord of the Rings tells of the great quest undertaken by Frodo and the Fellowship of the Ring: Gandalf the Wizard; the hobbits Merry, Pippin, and Sam; Gimli the Dwarf; Legolas the Elf.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Meg Murry, her brother Charles Wallace, and her mother were in the kitchen for a midnight snack when they found a disturbing stranger. The unearthly stranger told them, "Let me sit down for a moment, and then I'll be on my way. Speaking of ways, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract." A tesseract is a wrinkle in time. A Wrinkle in Time is the story of the adventures in space and time of Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin O'Keefe. They are in search of Meg's father, a scientist who disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government on the tesseract problem.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The future America (now called Panem) is made up of 12 Districts, each District serving a purpose, whether mining, fishing, farming, etc. The produce from every District is used mostly to benefit the affluent citizens living within the Capitol, leaving the District natives suffering with poverty and starvation. Every year the Government living in the Capitol hosts The Hunger Games, where a boy and a girl (aged 12 - 18) from each of the 12 Districts is selected at random to enter a televised event where all 24 'tributes' will have to kill or be killed in an arena containing various weapons and utilities. The last remaining survivor will return to their District a hero with a new life of fame and fortune and the Governments reward of one years supply of food for their District.

The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander

Set in the mythical land of Prydain, the book draws together the elements of the hero's journey from unformed boy to courageous young man. Taran, an assistant pig keeper, grumbles with frustration at home in the hamlet Caer Dallben; he yearns to go into battle like his hero, Prince Gwydion. Before the story is over, he has met his hero and fought the evil leader who threatens the peace of Prydain: the Horned King.

His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman

In the epic trilogy Philip Pullman unlocks the door to worlds parallel to our own. Dæmons and winged creatures live side by side with humans, and a mysterious entity called Dust just might have the power to unite the universes--if it isn't destroyed first.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Ethan Wate is struggling to hide his apathy for his high school "in" crowd in small town Gatlin, South Carolina, until he meets the determinedly "out" Lena Duchannes, the girl of his dreams (literally--she has been in his nightmares for months). What follows is a smart, modern fantasy--a tale of star-crossed lovers and a dark, dangerous secret.

Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan

The Lightning Thief Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. When his mom tells him the truth about where he came from, she takes him to Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp for demigods. There, Percy learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon Percy finds himself caught up in a mystery that could lead to disastrous consequences. Together with his friends--a satyr and other the demigod daughter of Athena--Percy sets out on a quest to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.

The Lost Years of Merlin T.A. Barron

Young Emrys washes up on a Welsh beach with a woman who claims to be his mother. For years, they share a hovel, but Branwen tells him nothing about his past. One day he discovers that he has some unusual powers; using them to kindle a fire in Branwen's defense, he is blinded by the flames. However, he learns to see without eyes using his "second sight." Desperate to know about his past, Emrys, now 12, sets off on an ocean journey. He lands on Fincayra, where he plunges into a dangerous quest to rescue the island from the destructive blight caused by a pact between its king and an evil power.

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

Bella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Bella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Bella, the person Edward holds most dear.

Harry Potter: I Spy a Few Changes…

2010-11-08T10:58:00.001-07:00

Most books-turned-movies will at some point find portions of the plot lost in translation. Here are a few pointed differences between each book and movie in the Harry Potter series.

(Know a difference that we didn’t include?? Comment back and let everyone know that you're a true Harry Potter fan and fill the rest of us in!)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone

The Mirror of Erised:

Book: When Harry gazes into this mirror, which shows the deepest desires of the person who is peering into it, he sees the entire Potter clan.

Movie: When Harry stands before the mirror, he only sees Lily (his mother) and James (his father) standing beside him.

Norbert the dragon :

Book: Harry and Hermione give Norbert to Charlie Weasley.

Film: Norbert is taken away by Dumbledore.

Draco Malfoy:

Book: Harry and Draco first meet in Madame Malkin's robe shop in Diagon Alley.

Film: Harry and Draco first meet on the Hogwarts Express.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Polyjuice Potion:

Book: The Potion causes the drinker to assume the exact appearance of the target, including their voice and any disabilities (such as poor eyesight) and abilities.

Film: When Harry and Ron drink the potion to become Crabe and Goyle, their voices remain unchanged and Harry still requires the use of his glasses.

Deathday Party:
Book: Includes a Deathday celebration for the Gryffindor ghost, Nearly Headless Nick, which Ron, Harry and Hermione attend.
Film: The Deathday celebration is completely ommited.

The Sorting Hat:
Book: In one scene, Harry is sitting in Dumbledore's office and sees the hat. He actually picks up the hat and places it on his head.
Film: In the same scene, Harry just converses with the hat while it's sitting on its stand.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Sirius Black:
Book: Sirius Black is given a lot of back-story and a detailed history. The way in which he escaped from Azkaban is also explained.
Film: His back-story is all but cut and the way he escaped from Azkaban isn’t mentioned.

Fidelius Charm:
Book: The charm, which hides locations from those who don’t already know where it is, is explained.
Film: The details of this charm are omitted, which is important because it doesn’t explain how Sirius was supposed to have betrayed the Potters.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Quidditch World Cup:

Book: Harry and most of the Weasley clan are fans of Ireland.

Film: Harry and Ron support Bulgaria.

S.P.E.W:

Book: The book includes information on S.P.E.W, Hermione's Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare.

Film: This organization is not included, and not seen in any of the other movies.

Gillyweed:

Book: For the final contest in the Triwizard tournament, Dobby the houseelf gives Harry Gillyweed to enable him to grow gills and breathe under water.

Film: Neville learns about the properties of Gillyweed from Mad Eye Moody and gives the plant to Harry.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

The playing of quidditch is completely omitted from this film, while it is present in the book.

Mrs. Weasley:

Book: Mrs. Weasley encounters a bogart at Grimmauld Place, which shows all of her loved ones deceased.

Film: This scene is omitted from the film.

Prefects:

Book: Ron, Hermione and Malfoy all become prefects.

Film: This information is ommited.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

The funeral of Dumbledore is not shown in the movie, while it plays a very large and important part of the book.

Hogwarts Express:

Book: When Harry is paralyzed by Malfoy on the train, then hidden under his invisibility cloak, he is found by Nymphadora Tonks.

Film: Luna Lovegood is the one who accidentally discovers Harry, because she is wearing her Spectrespecs and finds him.

Post By KTO, Boulder Book Store Fall Intern

Quidditch for Muggles

2010-11-01T12:25:00.006-06:00

J.K. Rowling introduced countless ideas and mythical creatures to the muggle world with her Harry Potter series. For example, Quidditch, the game played on flying broomsticks, is an impossible game that almost every kid hopes to play one day. Now, Quidditch is being played in colleges and high schools across the country, just without flying broomsticks and winged balls. Players run around a field wearing goggles and a cape while holding a broomstick between their legs and shooting balls through mounted hula-hoops. Surprisingly, the game is quite aggressive and many players have the wounds to prove it.

The popularity in the mythical game has dramatically increased over the past year. The Quidditch World Cup being held in New York November 13th and 14th will have over 60 teams nationwide competing for the spray painted gold prize. Hard-core Quidditch players are even trying to get enough support to make it an NCAA sport. In order to do so 50 schools must sponsor Quidditch as a varsity sport. Some even say that if Quidditch is able to reach NCAA status a future in the Olympics is possible.

J.K. Rowling has inspired people everywhere to think outside the box with her unattainable ideas. These ideas are now becoming reality with new technology and a lot of hard work. Scientists in the US and England are actually working to create and invisibility cloak. The cloak blocks certain microwaves and electromagnetic radiation to keep things invisible.

Edith Kollath has actually created the first ever book that "breathes." The series of books, called Things is based off the Monster Book of Monsters textbook from the Harry Potter series. The books actually look like they are breathing as they open and close (click on the picture of the book for a video). Also, Bertie Bott's Jellybeans have been concocted to mimic the candy that Harry eats. These jellybeans include brussel sprouts, caterpillar, diesel, and rotten egg flavors, just to name a few.

The Daily Prophet, the newspaper in the Harry Potter series, shows moving pictures instead of still life images. CBS is teaming up Entertainment Weekly to create a small screen that is actually inserted in a magazine to live up to the idea by J.K. Rowling. This two inch by one and a half inch screen will primarily be used for advertising, but maybe in the future it will hold moving pictures just like it does in The Daily Prophet.

Overall, the ideas Rowling introduced to the world makes us yearn for a little magic in our lives. The complex game of Quidditch can be simplified to allow muggles to play without flying broomsticks or magic, and now muggles can even buy breathing books. Bertie Bott's Jellybeans allow the muggles to taste what Harry actually tasted the first time he bit into an earwax flavored candy, and scientists are working hard to create a real life invisibility cloak. With these small changes muggles can get a glimpse into the life Harry Potter lives, just without his magical powers.

Quidditch photo: Collegequidditch.com

Invisibility cloak: CNN.com

Breathing book: Vimeo.com

A Brief History of the Mind Behind the Wizard

2010-10-27T10:31:00.019-06:00

The Harry Potter series came to fruition by JK (Joanne Kathleen) Rowling. Rowling was born in England in 1965. Even at a young age, she was enthralled with the fantasy genre and often wrote short stories that took place in a fantastical world. Rowling attended Exeter University and acquired degrees in French and Classics.

The idea to write a series about the young boy attending wizardry school first manifested itself while she waited for hours for her delayed train to London’s King Cross Station. Over the next five years, Rowling made an outline for all the books, but didn’t actually start writing Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Sorcerer’s Stone in the US) until few years later. After briefly living in Portugal and teaching English as a second language, she married and gave birth to her first child. Following the birth of her daughter, death of her mother and end of her short-lived first marriage, her writing began to flourish, and she and her daughter moved to Edinburgh, Scotland.

It was in Edinburgh where the first Harry Potter book was finalized and eventually published. At the time, Rowling decided she wanted to teach in Edinburgh, which required her to get a postgraduate certificate of education. The course to get the certificate was yearlong and full time and was completed after she finished writing the first Harry Potter book and while simultaneously living on state welfare. Rowling wrote her book in various cafés around the city because at the time, taking her daughter for a walk was the best way to get the child to fall asleep.

Many of her characters are semi-inspired by her own life. She has said that Hermione is loosely based on her as an 11-year-old girl and Ron Weasley has many qualities of her childhood best friend. She also said that during her tumultuous years after her separation from her husband and moving to another country, she was diagnosed with clinical depression. This depression was the inspiration for the Dementors, the guardians of the wizard prison Azkaban, who survive by sucking the souls out of their victims.

Rowling’s life after Harry Potter paints her as a true ‘rags to riches’ heroine. She was listed by Forbes to be the first person to become a billionaire (US dollars) author. She also received honorary degrees from St. Andrews University, University of Edinburgh, Napier University, University of Exeter, University of Aberdeen and Harvard. She remarried in 2001 and gave birth to a son and daughter in the following years.

Books:
· Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Sorcerer’s Stone US title): June 1997 (UK) September 1998 (US)
· Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets July 1998 (UK) June 1999 (US)
· Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban July 1999 (UK) September 1999 (US)
· Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire July 2000 (UK & US)
· Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix June 2003 (UK & US)
· Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince July 2005 (UK & US)
· Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows July 2007 (US & UK)

Films:
· Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Chris Columbus, 2001)
· Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Chris Columbus, 2002)
· Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Alfonso Cuaron, 2004)
· Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Mike Newell, 2005)
· Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (David Yates, 2007)
· Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (David Yates, 2009)
· Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (David Yates, November 19, 2010)
· Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (David Yates, July 15, 2011)

*This Post is the first of an ongoing series as Boulder Bookstore counts down the weeks until the November 19th premier of the next film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

Post By KTO, Boulder Book Store Fall Intern

Boulder Writers’ Circle Meetup

2010-10-21T13:44:00.000-06:00

Guest post by Laura Whittemore:

If you are interested in waking up your inner writer, blast through “writer’s block,” or discover the joy of writing, join the weekly Boulder Writers’ Circle Meetup which meets every Tuesday at 6:30 PM. It is a gathering place for all writers, authors, song writers, aspiring authors, journalists, and poets who want to expand the creative art of painting images with words.

Each BWC Meetup includes reading your weekly assignment, participating in writing exercises from a variety of prompts. Only positive feedback is given by the group to highlight the gems and to encourage the writing process. You will be amazed at what is brought forth when prompted to write without expectations.

I will introduce tips on writing, editing, blueprinting and discovering your writing style and writing voice. Since writing is a solitary act, why not join this growing community of writers at the Boulder Writers’ Circle. Where else can you be heard and appreciated by like minded wordsmiths compelled to follow your heart wherever that may lead?

To maintain your writing habit and keep the momentum going, please visit www.meetup.com/Boulder-Writers-Circle.com

Laura Whittemore is co-author of 2 books published by the Brain Injury Hope Foundation. Her 30 year career in education is the foundation of her Life Coaching business, inspiring clients in life choices and the creative writing process. Laura started the Boulder Writers’ Circle to share the joy of writing.

Author Banquet for Literacy

2010-09-03T13:49:00.003-06:00

Are you overdue for a date night? Treat yourself and someone special to an evening out with other book lovers, support literacy, and enjoy after dinner talks by some of the most successful authors of our time. Note: Gentlemen don’t have to wear ties unless they want to!

The Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association, a non-profit professional association of independent, locally owned bookstores in Colorado and surrounding states, would like to invite book lovers to an Author Banquet for Literacy on Saturday, September 25, at the Marriott Denver Tech Center, 4900 South Syracuse Street, Denver, Colorado.

All proceeds from the Banquet and book sales will go toward the Mountains & Plains Literacy Grant Fund, which has donated over $85,000 to literacy programs in the region since 1990.

Guest author speakers are Ian Frazier, Nevada Barr, Connie Willis, Holly Arnold Kinney, and Master of Ceremonies is author Margaret Coel.

For complete information and a reservation form, call 1-800-752-0249 or visit the Mountains & Plains website at www.mountainsplains.org and click on Author Banquet for Literacy

http://www.mountainsplains.org/Author-Banquet-for-Literacy.aspx

See what our staff is reading!

2010-08-02T13:07:00.000-06:00

Wilson, by Daniel Clowes

Meet Wilson. He's a jackass: a scornful, judgmental man without much capacity for self-reflection. And though he is hilarious, he is certainly not likable. That is, until life presents him with opportunities to delve deeper. Clowes continues to display his knack for tearing down walls of normalcy to reveal the raw emotional truths beneath.

Reviewed by: Tracy

******

The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin

One woman's account of how she tried to change her life for the better, this book is also a compendium of spiritual, scientific, psychological, and experiential research on the universal pursuit of happiness. It remains light, honest, and refreshingly accessible throughout. Informative without being dense or overbearingly authoritative, this was a great plane read.

Reviewed by: Christine

******

The Outside Boy, by Jeanine Cummins

"We stayed there, joined at the hair, joined at the knuckles...I think he felt it too—some unspoken sense that if we stayed very still, if we blurred into each other, it mightn't be real. " This excerpt is from the prologue of this stunning tale of self-learning and the meaning of family in the dying context of the Irish Traveller society of the late 1950's.

Reviewed by: Laina

******

A Vintage Affair, by Isabel Wolff

An unexpected friendship with a vintage clothing client leads Phoebe into a journey of healing as she comes to terms with losing her best friend. This is a gorgeous story of grief loss and new beginnings, the tangled dynamics of family, the horrors of losing a dear friend, and the potency of helping a new one. Light enough for summer reading, powerful enough to last you all year.

Reviewed by: Laina

Brown vs. Board of Education: One of the Little Rock Nine to Speak at Boulder Book Store!

2010-07-26T13:25:00.000-06:00

In 1957, Carlotta LaNier was one of the 9 brave students to attend the previously all-white Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas, under U.S. military guard and enduring endless taunting from their white peers. Just three years after the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the desegregation of the nation's schools via Brown vs. Board of Education, these students were the first African-Americans to graduate from a overwhelmingly white-majority school during a time when racial tensions were running high across the country.

LaNier had not written about the events that unfolded during her high school years until Mighty Long W ay: My Journey to Justice at Little Rock Central High School, her memoir due out in paperback July 27, 2010. Her recollection of attending Central High gives the reader a personal insight into the immense challenges presented by LaNier's pursuit of a better education.

LaNier moved with her family to Colorado in 1962, where she graduated from what would become the University of Northern Colorado (UNC). She has spent the last 30 years working as a successful real estate broker, a career that included the founding of her own company in 1977. For their courageous action during a period of turmoil within the American school system, LaNier and the rest of the Little Rock Nine were presented with the country's highest possible civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, in 1999.

Currently, LaNier serves as president of the Little Rock Nine Foundation, as well as on the board of trustees for the Iliff School of Theology and the University of Northern Colorado. She has two grown children and currently lives with her husband in Englewood, Colorado.

Carlotta LaNier will speak and sign Mig hty Long Way (One World, $16.00) on Monday, August 2, 2010 at 7:30 pm at Boulder Book Store, 1107 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO.

Check out what our staff is reading!

2010-07-26T12:40:00.003-06:00

The Butterfly Mosque, by Willow Wilson

A fascinating and intensely personal account of a local young woman's journey from Boulder to Cairo and atheism to Islam. When Wilson marries an Egyptian man, she is incorporated into his family and Egyptian society. She beautifully articulates the joys, frustrations and contradictions of adopting her new roles as a wife, a Muslim and a de facto Egyptian woman.

Reviewed by: Jen R.

******

West Wind, by Mary Oliver

West Wind shows a unique side of Mary Oliver—one still steeped in the nature she takes in on her daily walks, but more contemplative of death and the darker aspects of nature. Her well-known style is fully intact in this darkly ruminative collection. One thing is for sure: Mary Oliver retains her post as what Maxine Kumin deemed "an indefatigable guide to the natural world."

Reviewed by: Stephanie W.

******

Light Boxes, by Shane Jones

An eloquent fable that lies at the intersection of Calvino, Gorey and Borges. The author doesn't waste a word in telling the story of a village beset by an interminable February. Readers won't find half as much delight, disturbance, imagination or mystery in a book three times the length. I flipped from the final page back to the first, in hopes of recapturing the thrill of reading.

Reviewed by: Scott

*******

The Secret Confessions of Anne Shakespeare, by Arliss Ryan

This tale of William Shakespeare’s wife is a romance unlike any other. Anne Shakespeare’s husband and lovers pale in comparison to her true love - writing. I’ve never read another work that captures the passion that springs between creator and creation. Ryan’s devotion to both her character and the craft of literature bring to life the exquisite thrill of being an artist.

Reviewed by: Kira

Check out what our staff is reading!

2010-07-19T14:12:00.001-06:00

The Big Short
by Michael Lewis

Dubious of financial reform? You'll be true believers after reading this book. Lewis chronicles four flamboyant renegade traders—a one-eyed recluse, an offensive crusader and two chump-change investors from California—who bet heavily against the subprime mortgage market. A blistering indictment of the Wall Street mindset that brought us to the financial brink.

Reviewed by: Harry

******

Paradise Road
by Jay Atkinson
Paradise Road is a modern depiction of Jack Kerouac's meandering American journey chronicled in On the Road. Atkinson discovers that the interstate highway system has led to the destruction and closure of many of the backroads that Kerouac trod; yet Atkinson also discovers that the small towns visited by Kerouac still thrive on local commerce and community-based ties.

Reviewed by: Odysseus

******

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
by Steig Larsson

Here it is in the U.S. at last: the conclusion to Larsson's much-loved Millennium Trilogy. No more waiting to find out: Will Lisbeth Salander win against the corrupt government institutions that have continually victimized her? Can she trust others enough to accept their help in proving her innocence? The ending is satisfying, but I am sad the author died without completing the series.

Reviewed by: Alyssa

******

The Fiddler in the Subway
by Gene Weingarten

Weingarten is the best nonfiction writer you've never heard of. His accolades include discovering Dave Barry and winning two Pulitzers, plus he's an expert hypochondriac. The namesake essay—his Pulitzer-winning piece on violinist Josh Bell, who once busked in a busy Metro station during rush hour—is an illuminating read worth the price of admission.

Reviewed by: Michael D.

******

Dead Until Dark
by Charlaine Harris

The inspiration for the True Blood Series on HBO reads like Twilight on V (the hip designer drug of choice for humans derived from, you guessed it, vampire blood). Sookie Stackhouse is our plucky protagonist, ordinary southern girl with one extraordinary disadvantage: She is telepathic. With plenty of lust and violence to spare, this makes a great summer read!

Reviewed by: Ashanti

How Graphic Texts Help Kids (Boys, Especially) Become Better Readers

2010-07-15T11:46:00.006-06:00

by Karla Oceanak

I’m a reader, a writer, and a mother of three boys. My house is atumble in books in general (not to mention dirty socks, Legos, hockey gear, etc.), but I bet you’d notice straightaway the preponderance of comic books and graphic novels littering every surface.

My boys like graphic texts. Yes, they read “plain” novels and nonfiction, too, but in our house the books with the most tattered covers and cracked spines have titles like Calvin and Hobbes, The Far Side and The Wimpy Kid.

Now you’ve gotta understand that I’m an English-major type. Perhaps like you, I’ve been trained to believe that “literature” (in a British accent) is by definition dense and difficult. Frothy, simple books might be fun reads, but they don’t count, really.

Or do they? When I started writing Artsy-Fartsy and working with illustrator Kendra Spanjer on our particular take on the graphic novel concept, I was pretty confident kids would like the book. But would it be “good” for them?

Part of the Aldo Zelnick shtick involves fun but challenging vocabulary. So yes, that vitamin-fortified component would meet with both Mom- and English-major approval. (It’s like sneaking wheat germ into their cupcakes.) But the silly story and the drawings? The sprinkles of illustrated potty humor?

These questions nagged me. So I did some research. Here’s what I learned.

Kids need to read to become good readers.
In a 2007 study by the National Endowment for the Arts, researchers found that the highest reading scores on standardized tests correlated with the frequency of reading for fun. For fun! Another classic study of 5^th graders showed that total daily time spent reading—regardless of what was being read—predicted reading scores. Kids who read 90 minutes a day tested in the 98^th percentile on reading tests; kids who read just 5 minutes a day tested in the 20^th percentile.

Apparently, when it comes to reading, volume matters more than that esoteric, subjective criterion we call “quality.” If our goal is to get and keep kids reading every day, we need to let them choose books they enjoy. This includes graphic texts.

Visuals increase comprehension and recall.
In her book Teaching Visual Literacy in a Multimedia Age, Glenda Rakes points out that combining visuals with text increases comprehension. Using PET scans, researchers have seen that the left brain lights up when exposed to verbal information and that the right brain lights up when shown visual information. Combine visuals with text and you get connectivity. Graphic texts feed both halves of the brain. And because visuals are stored more readily in long-term memory, we remember better when text is accompanied by visuals.

Boys, especially, may need visuals.
In Connecting Boys with Books 2, Michael Sullivan says that the corpus callosum—the bridge of nerve tissue that connects the brain’s two hemispheres—is, on average, 10 percent larger in girls than in boys. What’s more, functional MRIs show that when boys read, the left hemisphere of the brain lights up, but when girls read, both hemispheres light up. Girls visualize earlier and better than boys do, which means that boys, especially, benefit from text illustrated by graphics.

I could go on and on, because I wolfed down lots of research on the reading brain, the reluctant reader, vocabulary acquisition, etc., and I find it all fascinating. (Get Proust and the Squid by Maryanne Wolf if you want a geek-peek into how the brain reads.)

But suffice it to say that I felt vindicated. Graphic texts “count!” Even though Artsy-Fartsy and the Aldo Zelnick comic novel series is “a fun read,” it’s good for kids because it keeps them reading. Children who are taught that only some reading “counts” are being set up to think of themselves as reading failures. Besides, it’s not true. And it’s an attitude that, over time, may well quash their reading altogether.

Mark Twain said that the person who doesn’t read is no better off than the person who can’t read. Lifelong literacy means continuing to read, for self-education as well as for pleasure. I’m sure I’m preaching to the choir here, but let’s keep our kids reading for fun, so they’ll grow into grown-ups who revel in the pleasures of a good book, and who one day live in their own houses with kids and books atumble.

Karla Oceanak is the author of Artsy-Fartsy and Bogus, the first and second books in the alphabetical Aldo Zelnick comic novel series for kids.

Our Staff is Reading...

2010-07-12T13:55:00.008-06:00

The Tassajara Bread Book
by Edward Espe Brown

Edward Brown, master baker and zen priest, strikes a balance between both of his callings in this remarkable cookbook. Simple, clear instructions take the mystery out of baking bread and dozens of recipes, from wholesome to decadent, and strive to nourish both the body and the soul. An addition to your bookshelf that is sure to be used again and again.

Reviewed by: Jen R.

******

Home Ground
edited by Barry Lopez and Debra Gwartney

An elegant encyclopedia that celebrates the poetry of the American landscape: Wrack line, kiss tank, coyote well, rip rap. Far from a dry recitation of facts, each entry reinvests our geography with elements of story. Barry Lopez, Linda Hogan, Barbara Kingsolver, Jon Krakauer and dozens more lend their eloquent voices to this eminently readable collection.

Reviewed by: Scott

******

Beatrice and Virgil
by Yann Martel

In Yann Martel's award winning Life of Pi, he explored issues of God and human nature by writing about a boy, a tiger, and a raft. Now Martel tackles the Holocaust and the face of evil by giving us a taxidermy shop and unfinished play about a monkey and a donkey. Strange, compelling, and with a chilling ending, Beatrice and Virgil is a literary masterpiece.

Reviewed by: Mandy

******
Shantara m
by Gregory David Roberts

Shantaram positively radiates. Gregory Roberts provides an intimate portrait of Bombay that is difficult to leave. His novel, which closely imitates his own life story, transports the reader to a world as colorful as it is heartbreaking. Full of rich and unforgettable characters, the city itself becomes the tragic heroine in Roberts’ search for meaning.

Reviewed by: Darcy

******

The Spartacus War
by Barry Strauss

Down through the centuries, the "Spartacus War" and its charismatic leader have inspired revolutionaries, Marxists, and Kirk Douglas. But given the dearth of firsthand sources and their often contradictory claims, Strauss' authoritative account of this conflict is a remarkable piece of historical reconstruction. His writing is fluid, and his scholarship impressive and insightful.

Reviewed by: Warren

What Our Staff is Reading This Week

2010-07-05T13:38:00.001-06:00

The Wisdom of the Last Farmer
by David Mas Masumoto

After his father's stroke, the author is left struggling to make up for his absence on the family farm. An exploration of the fragility of mortality and man's connection to the natural world, Matsumoto's writing is poetic. Each chapter reads like a highly descriptive personal essay. Combined, the stories of life on the farm are a successful vehicle for examining life in general.

Reviewed by: Christine

******
The Surrendered
by Chang Rae Lee

This harrowing novel follows the lives of both Korean and American survivors of the Korean War. June and Hector are reunited despite their secret of history of violence and lost love. Lee slowly reveals their parallel tales building the novel's tension and showing us a world permanently marked by wars and atrocity.

Reviewed by: Arsen

******

T he Privileges
by Jonathan Dee

The Morey family has it all—looks, charms, wits and money, lots of it. What they lack is scruples, ethics and some basic humanity. Dee tells the story from all four of the family members' perspectives. The Morey's pathological inability to think about their past and the corrupting influence of money leads to family even less savory than their eel namesake.

Reviewed by: Arsen

******
All Other Nights
by Dara Horn

Civil War intrigue, Jewish history and beautiful spies are the foundation for Horn's enthralling novel. Jacob Rappaport, a 19-year old private, is dispatched to New Orleans to kill his plotting uncle on Passover. That's the easiest of his assignments. Marriage to a Virginia spy is the most difficult but delectable mission. Rappaport's cunning and morals are sorely tested in this novel.

Reviewed by: Arsen

******

Making Toast: A Family Story
by Roger Rosenblatt

When his daughter Amy passes away unexpectedly, writer Roger Rosenblatt and his wife are recruited to help raise their grandchildren. Like Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, Rosenblatt's book explores the country of those "left behind" by addressing how even the mundane things are altered. To quote Richard Ford, "These are brilliant lessons, fiercely learned."

Reviewed by: Scott

THE STORY LIVES ON

2010-07-02T13:00:00.000-06:00

The Phantom of the Opera has been a beloved, twisted tale since its publication a century ago, but why should the lives of Erik the Phantom, and Christine halt on the final page? Readers have wondered how the story would be different had Christine stayed with the Phantom instead of departing with the Viscount de Chagny, and now they can find out as local author Kae D. Jacobs writes an alternative fate for the celebrated characters. While the renowned Opera Ghost is presumed dead at the end of Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera, Jacobs has found a way to revive the character by avoiding the finality of death. Picking up where Leroux left off, Beyond the Masque begins with the famous Phantom planning to end his life over the loss of Christine Daeé. Before his suicide can be achieved, Christine experiences a change of heart and returns to Erik soon after, leaving Raoul the Viscount. However, happily ever after doesn't come without trial and patience, and as Erik drifts down from Phantom to human, Christine battles with forgiveness and grace; Jacobs takes pride in the reality of her romance novel, saying that the goal for continuing Erik and Christine's tale was to make it "real life and believable", which she most certainly achieves. "I wanted this book to be believable on a level that people who are going through relationships can attach to it, not that it's so far above them," Jacobs elaborates. Women of all ages will be able to relate to Beyond the Masque as Jacobs confronts issues such as relationship conflicts, problems arising in marriage, self-acceptance, doubt versus trust, grace, and much more.

Taking advantage of the small door left open by Leroux, Jacobs bravely pushes through, re-entering the story of obsession, music, and love while adding unsuspecting twists to story, all written with the flavor of 19th century-style prose. Fans of Leroux's story and Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical adaptation will fall in love with the Phantom all over again, becoming reacquainted with the disturbed genius in a new way.

This is Kae D. Jacobs' first novel, originally self-published and then later signed over to Granite Publishing & Distribution. Beyond the Masque is but a prelude to a trilogy, labeled Bonds of Children.

To check out fun facts about Kae D. Jacobs and discover how Beyond the Masque came into being, visit the author's website at: http://www.kaedjacobs.com/

Kae D. Jacobs will be speaking and signing copies of Beyond the Masque (Granite Publishing & Distribution, $24.95) at the Local Authors Event, Wednesday, July 7 at 7:00pm, in the upstairs Ballroom of Boulder Book Store. Other participating authors include E Smith & Bettsee Gotwald (Evolutionary Guidebook), Irv Sternberg (writing as Mark Irving, The Persian Project), and B. Michael Fett (Beautiful Hardship: My Story).

See you soon at Boulder Book Store, 1107 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO.

What Our Staff is Reading

2010-06-28T13:20:00.007-06:00

The Kind Diet
by Alicia Silverstone

Rather than hit you over the head with scary health stats or gory visions of slaughterhouses, Alicia Silverstone, actress and vegan activist, maintains a positive gentle approach in this uplifting manual to the all-veggie lifestyle. Silverstone presents easy steps for healthier eating through sections on everything from phasing out meat and dairy to macrobiotic-style eating.

Reviewed by: Jen R.

******
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
by Rebecca Skloot

This book blends science, race, and class issues seamlessly. In the 1950s, a poor black woman was diagnosed with a rare form of cervical cancer, and samples of both her cells were taken. However, unlike any other cell line in history, her cancerous cells kept growing in culture, leading to incredible treatments for polio, cancers, and other research—a fascinating story.

Reviewed by: Chris

******

Touching the Void
by Joe Simpson

This is an utterly harrowing yet compelling tale, and one of the most remarkable mountaineering accounts I have read. Simpson and his companion were descending Siula Grande when Simpson fell and broke his leg. What follows is at first heroic, then tragic, then almost unbelievable. This book will leave you astounded at the potential of the human spirit to survive and endure.

Reviewed by: Mathew

******

Every Day in Tuscany
by Frances Mayes

The herbal scent of mountain air, the click of heels on cobblestones, the taste of new olive oil: Mayes' ability to capture the senses is truly remarkable. In the third volume of her Italian memoirs, this ex-pat guides us through the simple pleasures of her day-to-day life. Prepare to be transported by Mayes' lyrical prose and entranced by the spirit of Tuscany.

Reviewed by: Jen

******

The Hakawati
by Rabih Alameddine

Filled with Middle Eastern folklore and interspersed with a modern-day tale, The Hakawati is a multi-layered, culturally rich novel that will delight literary fiction fans. Alameddine’s storytelling is seductive, poignant, and full of ruminations about what stories mean to each of us. One of the most delightful and thought-provoking novels that I’ve read in years. Great for Bookclubs!

Reviewed by: Mandy

Showing a Whole Different Side: Window Displays on Pearl

2010-06-28T13:08:00.005-06:00

Taking a stroll along the mall is never complete without some window shopping, no matter what your purpose may be. This summer we've seen some very eye-catching and fun window displays popping up along Pearl. Our favorite displays were vibrant yet cohesive, showing the store's contents in the most attractive presentation possible. A few exciting windows to check out as you're wandering about include Peppercorn (kitchen supply), Into the Wind (kites and games), Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, and the ever-changing lanterns and origami shapes in Penny Weights (jewelry). Be sure to keep an eye out for more interesting windows, especially with the 4th of July coming up and lots of summer products rolling off the shelves.

Delightful Summer Reads

2010-06-21T15:07:00.008-06:00

There really is nothing better to do with a warm afternoon than grab a paperback, head to the park, and plop down in the first free shade you see to read away the afternoon. Here's a few selections from our newest books to indulge in.

Kabul Girls Soccer Club: A Dream, Eight Girls, and A Journey Home , by Awista Ayub

In Kabul Girls Soccer Club, Awista tells both her own story and the moving stories of the eight original girls, how they found strength in each other, in teamwork, and in themselves- taking impossible risks to obtain freedoms we take for granted. This is a story about hope, home, and determination.

Generation A: A Novel, by Douglas Coupland

Generation A is set in the near future in a world where bees are extinct, until five unconnected people all around the world— in the United States, Canada, France, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka—are all stung. Their shared experience unites them in ways they never could have imagined.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog, by Muriel Barbery

In this enthralling international bestseller, two girls live inconspicuous lives in the center of an elegant Paris apartment building. It is only when a stranger moves into their building--and sees through the girls' disguises--that Paloma and Rene discover their kindred spirits.

Animals Make Us Human: Creating the Best Life for Animals, by Temple Grandin

Drawing on the latest research and her own work, Grandin (austistic, as well as a very sucessful professor at CSU) identifies the core emotional needs of animals and then explains how to fulfill the specific needs of dogs and cats, horses, farm animals, zoo animals, and even wildlife. Whether it’s how to make the healthiest environment for the dog you must leave alone most of the day, how to keep pigs from being bored, or how to know if the lion pacing in the zoo is miserable or just exercising, Grandin teaches us to challenge our assumptions about animal contentment and honor our bond with our fellow creatures.

Let the Great World Spin, by Colum McCann

In the dawning light of a late-summer morning, the people of lower Manhattan stand hushed, staring up in disbelief at the Twin Towers. It is August 1974, and a mysterious tightrope walker is running, dancing, leaping between the towers, suspended a quarter mile above the ground. In the streets below, a slew of ordinary lives become extraordinary in bestselling novelist Colum McCann’s stunningly intricate portrait of a city and its people.

Enjoy!

2010-06-16T15:50:00.000-06:00

Musical Group Paper Bird comes to Boulder on June 16th (Photo courtesy of James Holden)

As the summer season- and the heat, rain, and various other types of extreme weather that come along with this time of year in Colorado- kick off, downtown Boulder evening entertainment is getting into full swing as well. Bands on the Bricks provides live music every Wednesday night from 7-9 p.m., ranging from the folksy Colorado band Paper bird on June 16th (tonight!) to Funkiphino, a funk group playing on the 18th of August. New this year for Band on the Bricks is the addition of a beer garden run by Boulder Draft House, so you can work on a frosty one while watching everyone who's already done so get their groove on.

Full schedule of musical guests is available by clicking here. Bands on the Bricks takes place on the 1300 block of Pearl Street. Enjoy!

Summer Shopping Guide

2010-04-29T12:00:00.000-06:00

The sun is shining, the pools are being cleaned, and school is almost out! Summer is coming, which means it's time to put away the parkas and snowshoes, and get out bathing suits and hiking shoes! Regardless of what your summer plans are, we have a shopping guide for you!

The Boulder Army Store, located at 1545 Pearl Street, is your one stop shop for all things outdoors. From flashlights, to tents, to hiking boots and hiking clothes, this store has what you need for an active summer outdoors. This store has been in business for over 35 years, and has proved their quality with great customer service, outstanding products, and loyal customers. For store hours, and a list of brands carried in the store, visit http://www.boulderarmy.com/
Ladies, do you need to vamp up your summer wardrobe? Walk down to Common Era, at 1500 Pearl Street, for all your summer clothing needs. This store has dresses, shorts, tank tops, sandals, jewelry, and more! Common Era first opened in 1991, and has been a one-stop shop for women’s clothing ever since. For more information, visit http://www.mycommonera.com/
Weekends is a botique featuring women’s & men’s clothing, accessories, home goods, and an additional denim shop. On the corner of Pearl and Broadway, Weekends’ upscale collection of brands and designers make it a perfect place to find an outfit for the upcoming wedding season, graduation presents, or just to update your work wardrobe for summer. Visit http://www.weekendsboulder.com/ for more information and store hours.
Goldmine Vintage is an all-encompassing store featuring new and vintage clothing, shoes, and accessories. With authentic cowboy boots, jerseys, dresses, and concert t-shirts, you will not find a place with a better selection of vintage apparel. Located at 1123 Pearl Street, Goldmine features many local artists’ jewelry, and local designers clothing, as well as buys vintage pieces from the public. For more information, or to set up an appointment to sell your items, visit http://www.goldminevintage.com/.
The days of ill fitting, ladies outdoor wear are over! The name says it all, Outdoor Divas provides ladies with a range of products for their adventurous needs. From undergarments, to climbing gear, this store has what you need (and what you want) for this summer's adventures. Open year round, Outdoor Divas also has great sales on last seasons sporting goods. Check out the store in person at 1133 Pearl Street, or visit their website for some online shopping from the comfort of your own home, http://www.outdoordivas.com/!

Summer Update: Drinking, Eating & Sunshine

2010-04-22T12:00:00.002-06:00

Boulder is a city with weather so nice, it basically begs you to stay outside. I am here to tell you, that although you probably have to leave the beautiful outdoors for work and sleep, you can enjoy the beautiful mountain air, and sunshine on your face while you eat all your meals this summer! Boulder is home to some amazing outdoor eateries, rooftop bars and patios alike. Consider this is your outdoor summer eating guide.

The West End Tavern: The West End has been around since 1987! It's menu is full of great American classics such as burgers, fries, steaks, fish n' chips, fantastic salads and of course fantastic cocktails. Not to mention, you can enjoy everything off their menu while sitting on their rooftop, which looks directly at the beautiful Flatirons. Don't be discouraged if we get a late snowfall, The West End also offers specials if it does snow, and has heaters on the rooftop so you can enjoy it year round! For a full menu, as well as specials, and hours, visit their website at http://www.thewestendtavern.com/.

The Boulder Café: The Boulder Café, is the place to be for happy hour. From 3pm-6pm daily, (or until 7pm if you stay in the bar) you can enjoy the best happy hour in Boulder. Drink Specials include half priced beer, wine, margaritas, & mixed drinks. In addition to the half priced beverages, their appetizers are also half price. The appetizer menu includes a raw seafood bar (oysters, peel and eat shrimp, crab legs), fondue, sliders, and more. The best part about the Café's happy hour? It can all be enjoyed on their patio, which overlooks the historic Pearl Street Mall.

The Rio Grande: No plans for Cinco de Mayo? We've got the place to be. The Rio Grande Mexican restaurant has been serving Boulder cold margaritas and delicious enchiladas for years. A favorite for both college students and local residents alike, the Rio Grande has one of the best rooftops in Boulder, overlooking the Flatirons. The Rio offers a daily happy hour from 3pm – 5pm, with a dollar off margaritas, $2 Corona or Corona Light, and half priced quesdillas. The Rio also just added a pomegranate margarita, which is a must have for any hot summer day. For more information, visit the Rio's website at http://www.riograndemexican.com/.

Centro Latin Kitchen: Waking up on a lazy Saturday and walking to brunch is one of my favorite activities. With a sunny patio and delicious food, Centro is a great destination. Not only do they have an extensive brunch menu including Huevos Rancheros, and Biscuits & Gravy, but they also feature a brunch happy hour (9:30am-11am) featuring items like burnt grapefruit, breakfast tacos, and bloody marys for $2 or $3! While Centro only serves brunch on Saturday and Sunday, they do serve lunch and dinner daily. For a full menu, hours, and specials, visit their website at http://www.centrolatinkitchen.com/.

Spruce Confections: For a delicious pastry or coffee, Spruce Confections is the place to be. Take it to go, or enjoy a slice of quiche and cappuccino on their patio. With friendly employees, and delicious choices including cakes, cookies, salads and sandwiches, Spruce Confections is the perfect place to start your day, or enjoy lunch with a friend. The best part? Every morning, they post daily horoscopes for you to read while you wait in line!

What's your favorite downtown eatery during the summertime?

A big thanks to our Spring intern, Teale, for this post!

Summer Update: Events!

2010-04-15T12:00:00.005-06:00

Summer is coming, which means less snow, and more sunshine! With the extra sunshine and warm weather come many events outside, where you can enjoy the beautiful views of the Flatirons, live music, and more! Here are profiles of a few upcoming events in and around downtown Boulder.

Taste of Pearl: On Sunday, April 25, local merchants, restaurants, and wineries pair up to showcase their products. From 2pm to 6pm, you can walk the beautiful Pearl Street Mall, and enjoy tasting food and wine in participating galleries and shops. Tickets are $52.80 per person, which includes entry to all participating locations for samples of food and wine, along with a keepsake bag and wine glass (proceeds benefit the Emergency Family Assistance Association). For more information, and a list of participating businesses, go to http://www.boulderdowntown.com/events/taste-of-pearl.

Boulder County Farmers' Market: In the autumn of 1986, local farmers organized a farmers' market in downtown Boulder, since then it has grown in many ways, including longer hours, breakfast, lunch, children's events, and more! The Farmers' Market has become a community icon for Boulder, and is a must for shopping, eating, drinking, or just enjoying the outdoors. Join vendors Saturdays from 8am to 2pm, next to the beautiful Central Park, on 13th Street between Arapahoe and Canyon. Starting May 5, the Market will be open on Wednesdays as well. For more information you can visit the Market's website at http://www.boulderfarmers.org/.

Boulder Creek Festival: If you're going to attend one event this summer, it should be the Boulder Creek Festival. This festival is free to the public and features over 500 vendors! There is live music, great food, and shopping! If that's not enough, there are also carnival rides and five performance stages. Celebrating it's 23rd year, the Festival will run May 29 through May 31. Take a stroll down the Boulder Creek Path for this festival full of food, fun, and entertainment! More information on events, vendors, and performers can be found at http://www.bceproductions.com/boulder-creek-festival.

Colorado Children's Day: The day starts off with the Tulip Fairy and Elf Parade at 11:45am, (11:15am if you plan on participating in the parade). Following the parade, Children's Day begins at noon, running until 4pm. Children's Day is a free event, celebrating children and providing them with events and entertainment throughout the day. For more information visit www.boulderdowntown.com/events/tulip-parade.

What events in Downtown Boulder do you look forward to every summer?

A big thanks to our spring intern, Teale, for this post!

Upcoming Event: Dimity McDowell

2010-04-10T10:43:00.000-06:00

Mothers are known for juggling. They are also known for never having enough time for themselves. Dimity McDowell and Sarah Bowen Shea, want to change this reputation. In their new book Run Like a Mother, they write about strengthening a woman's inner athlete while managing a life beyond running. Both mothers and working women, these ladies understand the obstacles that may hinder moms from lacing up their shoes and going for a run. They offer both inspirational advice and practical strategies to help multitasking women make running part of their busy lives.

Run Like a Mother, sprinkled with insights from other running mothers, engenders an attitude of possibility for the reader, whether she be a seasoned or an aspiring runner. Both authors will be touring separately, speaking and hosting 5Ks in cities across the country. Join Dimity McDowell as she speaks about her experiences, and her new book, on April 17, 2010. She will be signing books and speaking at Boulder Book Store, 1107 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO, 80302 at 7:30pm. The following morning she will host a 5K, in and around Boulder.

We Recommend Beth Kephart's The Heart Is Not a Size

2010-03-31T18:34:00.005-06:00

One of our favorite teen books this spring is The Heart Is Not a Size by National Book Award nominee Beth Kephart. We're so excited that it made the Kids' Indie Next List!

“Beth Kephart has written another must-read book for teens in this story of a group of teens who travel to a Mexican border town to work to help the residents there. She isn't afraid to tackle such big issues as parental pressure, anorexia, and death, and she does it all with compassion, honesty, and beautiful writing.”

Also out this month is the paperback version of House of Dance, another fabulous book by Beth.

“Rosie's Granddad has always lived across town but she has never really known him. Then she learns that he is dying. So Rosie spends the summer with him, learning about his life. Lost and feeling alone, Rosie starts to take dance lessons and begins to discover herself. Filled with beautiful descriptions, a little bit of love, and fun characters, this is the perfect summer book.”

For more great teen reads, be sure to check out our Teen Recommended display in our historic Ballroom on the 2nd floor.

Staff Recommendation: Still Alice

2010-03-30T16:22:00.000-06:00

Alice has a PhD, is a Psychology Professor at Harvard, and has Early Onset Alzheimer's Disease. As her carefully structured, productive life unravels around her, Alice is forced to come to terms with the loss of her identity. A rare look through the eyes of one suffering from this illness, Genova provides the valuable opportunity to explore the world of dementia.

Still Alice by Lisa Genova
Reviewed by: Mari

Staff Recommendation: Daily Coyote

2010-03-28T16:19:00.000-06:00

Delicious and unapologetic, The Daily Coyote winds its way into your heart with lyrical phrasing, beautiful photos, enchanting anecdotes, and of course, baby animals! Shreve captures the essence of the wilds of Wyoming with refreshing honesty. You'll fall in love with Charlie the coyote's antics and Shreve's open approach to the unique demands of raising a wild creature.

Daily Coyote by Shreve Stockton
Reviewed by: Laina

Staff Recommendation: The Monuments Men

2010-03-26T16:17:00.000-06:00

WWII posed a greater threat to works of art and cultural heritage than any other conflict in history. Though millions died, only a few hundred people rallied to preserve, recover, and restore the huge number of pieces of European art that had fell victim to the war. This enterprising group came to be known as "the monuments men" and this is their fascinating story.

The Monuments Men by Robert Edsel and Bret Witter
Reviewed by: Jen R.

Staff Recommendation: The Fourth Part of the World

2010-03-24T16:14:00.001-06:00

1507 A.D.: a group of scholars in Eastern France studying the voyages of Amerigo Vespucci produce a map showing a new landmass in the West called “America.” 2003 A.D.: the Library of Congress pay $10 million for the only existing copy of this map. Lester provides a fascinating historical and cartographical look at this significant document.

The Fourth Part of the World by Tony Lester
Reviewed by: Jen R.

Staff Recommendation: Guardians of Being

2010-03-22T16:10:00.000-06:00

This is a wonderful collaboration. Eckhart Tolle is good at making great wisdom simple. Patrick McDonnell, cartoonist of Mutts, is good at making simple wisdom whimsical. Starting with the cover, this book is as warm and profound as a dog and a cat sleeping together after a bonny day of exploration and play.

Guardians of Being by Eckhart Tolle and Patrick McDonnell
Reviewed by: Digs

Upcoming Event: John Thorndike

2010-03-22T10:36:00.000-06:00

How would you respond to a parent's dwindling memory and ability to take care of themselves? Alzheimer's disease is a tragic reality of what can happen in our elder years and it affects over five million Americans. Author John Thorndike writes about his father's struggle with the disease, and his experiences of looking after him in his new book, The Last of His Mind.

When John's father becomes diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, his only wish is to continue to reside in his Cape Cod home. Thorndike leaves his life in Ohio to return to his childhood home and take care of his father. At the end, when his father's heart stops beating, John's hand is on his chest, and a story of painful decline has become a portrait of deep family ties, care giving, and love. This memoir of dementia that strips his father of language, memory and self-awareness, is a bittersweet account of a son's final year with his father, and a candid portrait of an implacable disease.

Join John Thorndike as he recalls his experience, and signs copies of The Last of His Mind (Swallow Press, $24.95) on Monday, March 29, 2010, at 7:30pm at Boulder Book Store, 1107 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO, 80302.

Staff Recommendation: Zabelle

2010-03-20T16:05:00.000-06:00

Zabelle Chahasbanian is an old lady on the verge of death when we first meet her. What follows is a look back at her life from her childhood during the Armenian genocide to her transatlantic voyage towards a husband she's never met. Little gems of folklore and a life's memorabilia make this a perfect read for bookclubs.

Zabelle by Nancy Kricorian
Reviewed by: Mandy

Staff Recommendation: Angel Time

2010-03-18T16:01:00.000-06:00

Angels, assassins, gangsters, Dominican Friars, earls and Jews, all brought to life through rich, evocative prose. Transporting the reader from modern day America to medieval England and France, Rice's first installment of her Songs of the Seraphim series is a tale of faith, loss, persecution and redemption, blending fiction with snippets of historical reality.

Angel Time by Anne Rice
Reviewed by: Mathew

Staff Recommendation: New Word Monkeys

2010-03-16T15:58:00.000-06:00

A rollicking novel about two city slickers who inherit a rural house with disastrous consequences (they run over the town mascot—a wild boar—on their initial journey to the home) as they cling to their deteriorating marriage. Lily digs up her ancestor's missing maid and wards off the boar's crazy owner while Duncan works on a sexist ad campaign that mocks the Vietnam War.

New World Monkeys by Nancy Mauro
Reviewed by: Arsen

Staff Recommendation: True Confections

2010-03-14T15:55:00.000-06:00

I love an unreliable narrator. The reader has to look for clues in the dialogue, in other characters' reactions and in subtle hints to divine the real story. Weber employs this device to create a brilliant satire on the candy industry. Alice of Zip's Candies tells her story in a rambling affidavit that exposes the racist origins of the company and her complicity in its many disasters.

True Confections by Katharine Weber
Reviewed by: Arsen

Staff Recommendation: Jpod

2010-03-12T15:51:00.001-07:00

Reading like an ADD-friendly afternoon spent at the computer, JPod is as much a work of contemporary art as it is a novel. Simultaneously relevant and irreverent, it takes a satirical look at workplace unhappiness and all of the bizarre elements that comprise mainstream North American culture. Bonus points to Coupland for shamelessly writing himself in as a character.

Jpod by Douglas Coupland
Reviewed by: Hart

Staff Recommendation: Unseen Academicals

2010-03-09T15:42:00.000-07:00

Pratchett's witty satire has struck the football field. The pretentious wizards of Unseen University are suddenly compelled to take up this violent sport, unaware of ulterior motives by the city's generally benevolent "tyrant." Add this to the university's mysterious new staff member, plus a dwarf maiden heartthrob, and you'll be laughing throughout this hilarious read.

Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett
Reviewed by: Mari

Staff Recommendation: Between a Rock and a Hard Place

2010-03-07T15:48:00.001-07:00

It is difficult to imagine a situation involving more despair or requiring more guts than the one Aron Ralston found himself in when his arm became pinned by a boulder on a solo hike in Utah. His gripping account is a page-turner of the highest order, and you will never again dare describe yourself as tough after reading about his pocket-knife amputation.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston
Reviewed by: Hart

Staff Recommendation: Book of Basketball

2010-03-05T15:32:00.000-07:00

Finding a gift for your father-slash-teenage son is a horrific prospect, but let me help: buy him this book. Simmons is, well, the hottest thing in sports since Reebok Pumps. The Book of Basketball is fun to read, amazingly informative, and full of so much love for its subject matter that it’ll keep any finicky man quiet for days. BONUS gift idea: Nuggets tickets! You'll thank me later.

The Book of Basketball By Bill Simmons
Reviewed by: Peter

Upcoming Event: Mark Spragg & Laura Bell

2010-03-05T10:22:00.005-07:00

Travel west, to feel the adventure, and experience the drama. Authors Mark Spragg and Laura Bell, natives of Wyoming, are familiar with the subject and tell dramatic stories in their new books Bone Fire and Claiming Ground. These acclaimed authors' newest books will both be released March 9, and are sure to give insight to the lives and times of Wyoming and the modern west.

Bone Fire, will capture your attention with its characters and their struggles in the seemingly idyllic town of Ishawooa, Wyoming. Follow the characters through their stories of harsh truths and difficult consolation combined with moments of hilarity, surprise, and beauty. This will be Spragg's highly anticipated fourth novel, written at the height of his career. Bone Fire builds upon his bestselling novel An Unfinished Life.

Follow Laura Bell as she travels west. Claiming Ground takes you on the journey of a young girl, looking for adventure, and starting her life after college. Bell writes about her career path of cattle rancher, turned forest ranger, outfitter, masseuse, wife and mother. Her story is a heart-wrenching ode to the rough beauty of the western landscape, pleasure of hard labor, and a life formed by nature. Claiming Ground will lead you through lessons of love, life, and happiness while capturing the adventure and excitement of Wyoming.

Join us on Tuesday, March 16, at 7:30pm, in our historic ballroom as we welcome these authors to tell their stories and sign copies of their newest books (Bone Fire, $25.95 and Claiming Ground, $24.95). Boulder Book Store is located at 1107 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO, 80302.

Staff Recommendation: Ines of My Soul

2010-03-03T15:26:00.001-07:00

This is one of history's greatest love stories, written by one of our generation's most capable storytellers. Allende unfolds the fierce romance of Ines Suarez and Pedro de Valdivia, a love that crossed a continent and the two lovers who founded the nation of Chile. Part history, part imagination, it is a completely engaging and heart-stopping novel.

Ines of My Soul by Isabel Allende

Reviewed by: Lauren

Staff Recommendation: The Beauty Myth

2010-03-01T15:22:00.001-07:00

On a list of books that changed my life, The Beauty Myth would top the charts. Wolf's feminist manifesto is this generation's Feminine Mystique, an incisive breakdown of the ways society prescribes and profits from female standards of beauty. Eating disorders, plastic surgery, and more: the truth behind the myth will leave you fuming. In the best possible way.

The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf
Reviewed by: Lauren

Staff Recommendation: The Heart of the World

2010-02-28T13:45:00.000-07:00

Baker's account of searching for a mythical Tibetan waterfall over more than a decade brilliantly interweaves adventure and spirituality along with open-minded meditations on our relationship with the natural world. Riveting stuff for anyone who loves a good adventure, has an interest in Tibetan Buddhism or looks at the mountains with a feeling of reverence.

The Heart of the World, by Ian Baker
Reviewed by: Hart

Staff Recommendation: Eating Animals

2010-02-26T16:08:00.000-07:00

Foer's first foray into nonfiction forces us to examine our physical and cultural attachment to eating meat. As a meat eater, I didn't always find this book to be an easy read, but it was impossible to put down. Well researched and compellingly written, Eating Animals is a must-read for anyone who cares about what they consume.

Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
Reviewed by: Mandy

Staff Recommendation: Mennonite in a Little Black Dress

2010-02-26T14:16:00.000-07:00

Hovering between hilarious and heartwarming—always smart and sensitive—Janzen's memoir reads like a conversation with a favorite friend. With gentle irony and love, she lays bare the collapse of her tempestuous marriage and her return to the traditional Mennonite community that raised her. It is a story of belonging, of coming home, and of the laughter that lives in tragedy.

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress, by Rhoda Janzen
Reviewed by: Lauren

Staff Recommendation: The Children's Book

2010-02-24T15:38:00.000-07:00

Don’t be daunted by this book’s length (almost 700 pages); Byatt is a brilliant storyteller, especially when exploring the Victorian era through WWI. She covers an encyclopedic array of political and cultural topics through the complicated relationships of two families ruled by artists—a children’s book author and a potter—whose mythic creations hint at dark family secrets.

The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt
Reviewed by: Alyssa

Staff Recommendation: Where Men Win Glory

2010-02-24T14:10:00.000-07:00

Jon Krakauer, who requires no introduction, turns his amazing journalistic talents to the war in Afghanistan, as told alongside the odyssey of Pat Tillman. The intensely personal story of Tillman's life creates a stark contrast to the atrocities that led up to, and occurred during, the war. Thank goodness that someone as talented as Krakauer chose to tell this story.

Where Men Win Glory, by Jon Krakauer
Reviewed by: Stephanie W.

Staff Recommendation: Manhood for Amateurs

2010-02-22T14:05:00.000-07:00

Don't let the title fool you—this book is an excellent read for males and females alike. In his typical smooth-flowing, lyrical, and witty style, Chabon gives us his first collected book of nonfiction. In short essays, he muses on everything from circumcision to his first kiss, and from The Future to talking to his kids about drugs. A wonderful collection from a wonderful author.

Manhood for Amateurs, by Michael Chabon
Reviewed by: Stephanie W.

Staff Recommendation: The Lonely Planet Guide to Travel Writing

2010-02-20T13:58:00.000-07:00

Being a travel writer is a Dream Job, and this book details the various paths to financial and spiritual success in this profession. From tips on how best to take the armchair reader to the Dream Destination, to how to neatly arrange a chaotic travel journal for future reference, Don George uses a series of professional examples to punctuate his lessons. Peace to travelers!

The Lonely Planet Guide to Travel Writing, by Don George
Reviewed by: Odysseus

Staff Recommendation: The Leopard

2010-02-18T13:53:00.000-07:00

A beautiful novel that takes place in Sicily during the 1860's. The characters and writing style both work together to create a moving and expressive picture of the turbulence taking place in the midst of the aristocracy during this time. Both tragic and colorful, this is a difficult title to pass up for lovers of Italy. For anyone interested in historical fiction or Italy

The Leopard, by Giuseppe Di Lampedusa
Reviewed by: Dominique

Staff Recommendation: Ultramarathon Man

2010-02-16T13:34:00.001-07:00

Whether you are looking to shuffle your way through your first 5K or qualify for Boston for the umpteenth time, Karnazes is sure to motivate your inner runner. His tales of lonely training sessions and ultramarathons —as well as his rediscovery of running after an extended hiatus—speak to the essence and beauty of the sport and help explain why so many are drawn to it.

Ultramarathon Man, by Dean Karnazes
Reviewed by: Hart

Rave Reviews for Postcards From a Dead Girl

2010-02-12T12:36:00.000-07:00

On Monday, February 22nd at 7:30pm, we'll be hosting Colorado author Kirk Farber for his debut novel, Postcards From a Dead Girl. Kirk's book has been getting some rave reviews and we just had to share them with you here.

“Kirk Farber has a style very similar to Chuck Palahniuk, with offbeat observations, a view of our world through a slightly distorted lens, and a tone that's quite fun and sometimes hilarious and tragic at the same time. I love the voice and irreverence and humor.” - Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain

“Dark. Funny. Bizarre. Mysterious. Fantastic. Kirk Farber's Postcards from a Dead Girl is a polished gem. Farber's uniquely quirky protagonist reflects our own personal obsessions, pinning us in limbo while simultaneously prodding us towards adventure.” - Josh Kilmer-Purcell, author of Candy Everybody Wants

Kirkus says, “A witty, tormented hero surrounded by fascinating, compassionate supporting characters makes this slender debut a surprisingly compulsive read.”

Publishers Weekly supplies the set up; “Sid Higgins, the appealing, self-deprecating narrator of Farber’s poignant, funny debut, has been receiving postcards from his old girlfriend Zoe. Unfortunately, the whimsical Zoe has disappeared, and the postmarks on the cards are more than a year old. Though he doesn’t really expect to find her, Sid travels to Europe in search of Zoe. … Sid plaintively and self-mockingly relates his interactions.”

And, last but not least, here's what our very own Stephanie W. has to say about it: "Twenty-something Sid is in the midst of a life crisis. He's failing at work, having conversations with his dead mother in a bottle of wine, and has started receiving exotic postcards from his dead girlfriend. He needs a change, and so, goes in search of the source of the postcards (all oddly postmarked for a year earlier). This is a quirky, funny, and quick read."

Staff Recommendation: Your Flying Car Awaits

2010-02-10T13:28:00.003-07:00

Daydreaming about crazy, hi-tech future worlds is not just the preserve of children, as shown in this entertaining book, which showcases the predictions made about the 20th century, from cities orbiting earth, to 150-year life spans and weather on demand. Light, funny and easy to read, it makes you appreciate the wild, endless optimism about human endeavor.

Your Flying Car Awaits by Paul Milo
Reviewed by: Mathew

Staff Recommendation: Riprap and Cold Mountain Poems

2010-02-08T11:55:00.000-07:00

This collection is his first—thumping along with a remarkable austerity through images heavy with his trademark fling into nature. The book is split into two collections, Riprap (a concrete, trim exposure to some of Snyder's high country adventure) and the Cold Mountain Poems (excerpts from a more abstract, esoteric examination of his experiences in Asia).

Riprap and Cold Mountain Poems, by Gary Snyder

Reviewed by: Eric

Staff Recommendation: Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar

2010-02-06T12:02:00.000-07:00

The invasion has begun! Like the Vegan Cupcakes before them, reports confirmed that Vegan Cookies are now infiltrating cookie jars across the nation. Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter Blondies are suspected ringleaders, but Key Lime Shortbread, Mexican Chocolate Snickerdoodles and many more delicious culprits have also been sighted...and happily eaten.

Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar, by Isa Moskowitz and Terry Romero

Reviewed by: Jen R.

Staff Recommendation: Live for Your Listening Pleasure

2010-02-04T11:59:00.000-07:00

David Sedaris' unique style of writing comes alive through his unique audio storytelling. His distinctive voice so perfectly delivers his pitch, that after first hearing him read, I have since imagined his voice in my head as I've read each of his subsequent works—which adds immensely to the experience! An embodiment of wry humor, to hear him live is a complete pleasure.

Live for Your Listening Pleasure, by David Sedaris

Reviewed by: Stephanie W.

Staff Recommendation: The Dream Hunters

2010-02-02T11:56:00.000-07:00

Fans of the Sandman rejoice! I found this adaptation of Gaiman's Dream Hunters even more enchanting than the original illustrated prose novel. Artist and Sandman alum P. Craig Russell loved the Japanese inspired folk tale so much he felt compelled to sumptuously illustrate his own version of it. Go ahead, take a look, it's irresistible.

The Dream Hunters, by Neil Gaiman

Reviewed by: Tracy

Staff Recommendation: Stories of Breece D'J Pancake

2010-01-31T11:49:00.000-07:00

Read some of the blurbs on this one. This is Pancake's only collection, published posthumously. This gentleman was the real deal. Bare prose thickened only by the honest voices of rural West Virginia (Pancake's choice topic matter), this stuff is excellent. Each story is cautious, patient, and genuine, encapsulating the hard grit and faced-out violence of Pancake's America.

Stories of Breece D'J Pancake, by Breece D'J Pancake

Reviewed by: Eric

Staff Recommendation: The Lady Queen

2010-01-29T11:43:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows about Elanor of Aquitaine and Elizabeth I, but why haven't we heard of Joanna? Reigning in tumultuous Italy during the Hundred Years War was difficult enough, let alone for a woman. Especially a woman who was accused of murdering her husband the king and had to defend herself in an international court. A highly readable book by a respected historian.

The Lady Queen, by Nancy Goldstone

Reviewed by: Cesa

Staff Recommendation: True Compass

2010-01-27T11:39:00.000-07:00

Reading this memoir is like sitting at your grandfather's knee as he tells idyllic stories from his childhood, and about his storied family. The tone is genial and even confidential, like deeper look into Camelot. The well-known tragedies of the Kennedy family are not sugar-coated, but also not dwelt upon. A great read from one of America's longest serving Senators.

True Compass, by Edward Kennedy

Reviewed by: Chris

Staff Recommendation: Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing from Life

2010-01-25T11:34:00.000-07:00

Finding a book that successfully teaches how to draw the human body can be trying at times. However, I feel confident in recommending this book to anyone that is hoping to improve their technical skills. Packed with resourceful information and fantastic sketches, this is a must for both the aspiring and the experienced artist.

Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing from Life, by George Bridgman

Reviewed by: Dominique

Staff Recommendation: The Book of Genesis Illustrated

2010-01-23T11:31:00.000-07:00

A magnificent achievement: every word of Genesis made flesh (nothing left out!) by one of the great graphic artists. With five years toil and his special excellence at depicting emotions, R. Crumb brings The Bible to life as never before. Crack it anywhere; it’s fascinating, and quite pious. Parental discretion advised.

The Book of Genesis Illustrated, by R. Crumb

Reviewed by: Digs

Staff Recommendation: Ace of Cakes

2010-01-21T11:27:00.000-07:00

This book—like the much-watched show of the same name on Food Network—combines two of my favorite things: cake and hilarity! The good people at Charm City Cakes make some of the most amazing edible art pieces I have ever seen. Each artist at the shop exudes personality, and each one is captured in a cake in these full-color pages. Eat it up!

Ace of Cakes, by Duff Goldman & Willie Goldman

Reviewed by: Stephanie W.