Featured Book for Thursday, June 30, 2005

NONFICTION/FUNERAL CUSTOMS/COOKING

Death Warmed Over: Funeral Food, Rituals, and Customs from Around the World
by Lisa Rogak (Ten Speed Press, ISBN 1580085636, $19.95)



Not as intentionally funny as the recent Being Dead is No Excuse, this book provides its own delights by surveying funeral customs across the planet. Here's one example from the book:

To foreigners, funerals in Jamaica must look like outright celebrations, in part because the natives are deathly afraid of ghosts. I'll explain: Many Jamaicans believe that the good soul of a deceased person automatically travels to Africa immediately after death, while a bad soul tends to stick around, languishing around cotton trees on the island and generally bringing negative energy to those still alive. Therefore, not only is a raucous, celebratory wake supposed to celebrate the life of the deceased, but if the bad soul is inclined to hang around, the good cheer will essentially disable the evil, creating a relatively passive ghost...Some Jamaicans also place several johnnycakes - the original term was journey cake - in the casket with the deceased just before burial to make sure the soul has enough food for the journey.

Rogak then provides a recipe for Johnnycake to complete the cultural picture with a food item you can make for your own delights (or funerals). The french flaps on this paperback make it a great gift, whether seriously or for fun, and the alphabetical listings include over 75 cultures, past and present.

Featured Book for Wednesday, June 29, 2005

PSYCHOLOGY/SELF-HELP/RELATIONSHIPS

Please Understand Me II: Temperament, Character, Intelligence
by David Kiersey (Prometheus Nemesis Books, ISBN 1885705026, $15.95)



I can't tell you just how highly I recommend this book. Over the last 25 years, I've probably given away more than 30 copies (and that's long before I could buy them wholesale).

Expanding on Jungian themes, the Kiersey Temperament Sorter uses the incredible Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test as a jumping-off point. Take the test, or give the test to your spouse or co-worker, and you'll be amazed at how accurate it is in describing "personality types."

As I read it, the premise of PUMII is that you can't change another person. Their preferences are pretty much locked in. But you can understand them and find a way to relate to them in a way that draws on those preferences.

That's a little rough, but once you've tried this manual for life, I know you'll agree that it is a tool for building stronger relationships at home, in school, and at work.

I'm an INTJ, by the way. Feel free to skim the book to find out what that means.

Featured Book for Tuesday, June 28, 2005

FICTION

The Blue Bistro
by Elin Hilderbrand (St. Martin's Press, ISBN 0312319533, $24.95)



A fellow bookseller put me on to this one, so let me share her and her patrons' reactions to this perfect summer read.

Elin Hilderbrand’s fourth novel, published by St. Martin's Press, debuted at the Nantucket Wine Festival in May and has been flying out of our store ever since. Set against the backdrop of a bustling and stylish Nantucket beach restaurant, The Blue Bistro is an absorbing, fast-paced tale of romance and island life. It is a must-read for the summer of 2005!

James Patterson raves, "The Blue Bistro is a wonderful, wonderful love story, the kind that you read, then recommend to many, many friends - and so, I recommend it to you. Highly."
Elin is a great friend of mine and a wonderful author.

------------------------ Wendy Hudson, Nantucket Bookworks

Featured Book for Monday, June 27, 2005

COOKING

Totally Garlic Cookbook
by Helene Siegel & Karen Gillingham, Illustrations by Ani Rucki (Celestial Arts, ISBN 0890877254, $5.95)



Since the day we opened, this compact, die-cut manual of cooking with garlic has been a regular seller. The publisher offers a large line of similar items (Totally Chocolate Cookbook is popular, too) that are great gift items, stocking stuffers, or handy ways to add a little something to a daily meal.

As a garlic freak myself, I love this little cookbook. It's definitely one to add to your collection.

Strain Your Brain, Win a Giftcard

Friend and loyal patron Bill Kenney, proprietor of the fascinating Web log The Egglestonian Creed, is running a contest that he, at least, believes is eminently winnable. And the prize is a Booksense Giftcard, redeemable at Destinations Booksellers and hundreds of independent booksellers across the country.

Give it a look and try to work it out for yourself. Bill added a new clue just today.

You should know Bill was one of two winners in a previous online contest referenced here earlier this year. And check out some of his earlier postings. His is a truly different type of blog.

Patron Review

Back in the winter, I asked one of our patrons to give us a review of a book we were considering. Most of you have seen one or more of our advance reader copies. Those are the books provided to us so we can evaluate them.

Ann and I like this book, but we're both pretty far removed from our days as teens, or even as the parents of teens. The book is out and growing daily in popularity among our younger patrons, not to mention aunts, uncles, grandmas and grandpas.

Nastybook
by Barry Yourgrau (HarperCollins, ISBN 0060579781, $11.99)



Dear Destinations Bookstore

I would really like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to read the Nastybook! I thought it was a great book that kids like me will really like. Nastybook was pretty easy to read; every chapter was a totally different story. So this book is always exciting because each chapter is different with new characters and situations. It was really funny and clever. And at the same time each story has a moral or lesson. Overall it was a great book. I really liked it and would recommend it for kids of all ages.

Thanks,
Josh Lewis (age 12)



Yourgrau is already hard at work on his next book for HarperCollins children's and young adult book division.

Weekend Look Ahead

No book recommendations this weekend, but I thought I'd share with you some titles set for release over the next few months.

Cameron Judd, author of Crockett of Tennessee, brings us Boone: A Novel of an American Legend. No less a literary light than Sharyn McCrumb (St. Dale) calls Judd "the voice of the Appalachian frontier."

From the jacket copy comes this description of Rick Moody's The Diviners, due in September: Rick Moody's first novel in seven years gives us a generous, hilarious, and brilliant look at contemporary America, from coast to coast. It's the back story of a "rollicking and intricately woven story" of the studio battles to control the mini-series saga of all time, "the sure-to-please-everyone multigenerational mini-series about diviners, those miracle workers who bring water to perpetually thirsty (and hungry and love-starved) humankind." From the Huns to the Mormon desert, this looks like F-U-N.

In November, watch out for Don't Know Much About Mythology, by popular historian Kenneth C. Davis. The irreverent but factual surveys he has given us over the years in the Don't Know Much About... series comes to the classic world of myth.

After Labor Day, you'll be able to take a look at The Truth Book: Secrets of a Jehovah's Witness Family, a memoir from Joy Castro. She's now a professor at Wabash College, but grew up in an abusive and hypocritical environment. With this telling, she reveals little-known facts about the secretive assembly.

Using the novel to illuminate historical personages has a long tradition, and Mrs. Freud seems to be carrying the mantle well. Nicolle Rosen creates a correspondence between the wife of th seminal psychiatrist (nothing Freudian intended) and a fictional friend. It will be released in October.

BONUS: I've just been looking over a manuscript, which is rare, raw copy pre-editing. It's called War & Peace & War: The Life Cycle of Imperial Nations. Peter Turchin is the author and if it's any good, I'll let you know. It comes out in September.

On the weekends, I'll be sharing with you some of the advance reading I've done trying to predict what you'll want in the coming months. Any feedback will be appreciated.

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e-mail ops@destinationsbooksellers.com

Road Trip for You Literacy Fans

Sunday evening, a gang of us will be crossing the Ohio River to hear J.P. "The Mad Bastard" Lebangood and Carl "The Plain Brown Rapper" Brown duke it out in a storytelling soiree at Molly Malone's.

J.P. joined us last Sunday for our reading series and is hot on the idea of expanding Art Sanctuary events to our side of the river. The event is at 8 p.m. and we'll probably caravan from the store a little before that. Call if you want to meet up, or just meet us there. For more information, go to www.art-sanctuary.org.

Mood Enhancer for the Weekend

I have the world's largest collection of sea shells.

I keep it scattered on beaches all over the world. Maybe you've seen some of it...

------------------ Steven Wright

Featured Book for Friday, June 24, 2005

NONFICTION/LETTERS/HISTORY

Posterity: Letters of Great Americans to Their Children
by Dorie McCullough Lawson (Doubleday, ISBN 038550330X, $24.95)


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Lawson, the daughter of popular historian David McCullough (1776), has compiled these letters from personages from history, politics, literature, commerce, the military, and entertainment in an elegant edition. Vestiges of a time before e-mail and cheap long distance calling, the letter survives in a way we can share with posterity. These are not just lectures, but highly personal documents between parent and child that illuminate the individuals and how they related to the world around them.

This would make a wonderful gift, if you can bear to part with it yourself.

Big Weekend for Authors

Do you have a son, daughter, sister, grandchild, or spouse who just can't seem to deal with money matters?

This weekend Destinations Booksellers will offer one solution. Yes, it's a book. But we've arranged for a whole financial seminar to go along with it as Brian Miller, who speaks from experience, lays out the theory behind his Jelly Jar Finance: Power Over Your Money.

Miller's book explains how to get out of your personal financial mess in simple terms and includes clear guidelines for gaining control over your household's spending and saving for a secure financial future.

This one-day-only seminar starts at 4 p.m. (face it, by then you'll be looking for any air-conditioned place to park) on Saturday, June 25, and appropriate refreshments will be provided. We hope to have more such seminars as time passes, and this will be a good measure of your interest.

On Sunday, Alleen Scanlon will join us at noon for a reception honoring the publication of her fifth book of stories and poetry, The Mirror Was Pleased. Alleen will read from the book several times during this two-hour reception, designed to make it easy for you to stop in after church. Join us anytime between noon and 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 26.

And afterward, you'll have an opportunity to wander over to The Culbertson Mansion on East Main Street, where Robyn Davis Sekula and David C. Barksdale will be signing copies of New Albany in Vintage Postcards at the Mansion starting at 4 p.m. I doubt anyone would mind you getting your book signed if you already bought it here, but if you haven't yet purchased the book, all the proceeds from sales at The Culbertson go to finance its interior restoration. Our own supply is running down, so the fact that they are available at The Culbertson Mansion, too, is a plus for the whole community.

LFBC Meets Thursday

Join us at 7 p.m. on Thursday as we launch the Literary Fiction Book Club at the store. For the time being, Ann is leading the group, but we expect the dynamic will bring another patron to the fore in due time.

The group is reading The Solace of Leaving Early, by Indiana's own Haven Kimmel. If you haven't read any of Haven's work, you're missing out on a stellar experience. Membership (heck, even the date and time) is still up in the air - you can join anytime. Why not come out Thursday and see if it's something you'd like?

Featured Book for Thursday, June 23, 2005

NONFICTION/LANGUAGE/READING

The Little Guide to Your Well-Read Life
How to Get More Books in Your Life and More Life From Your Books
by Steve Leveen (Levenger Press, ISBN 1929154178, $17.50)


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Steve Leveen is the man who created Levenger, which sells "tools for serious readers." It's pricey stuff, but high-quality (bookmarks, reading lights, bookcases, etc.). In this elegant tome, Leveen shares all the techniques he has gathered over the years from fellow book-lovers with a thirst for more time to read. I recommend it to you on this fine summer day.

Featured Book for Wednesday, June 22, 2005

FICTION

Adored
by Tilly Bagshawe (Warner Books, ISBN 0446576883, $23.95)


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From the dust jacket:
To the outside world, Siena McMahon has a fairy-tale life. Born into a great Hollywood dynasty-granddaughter of movie legend Duke McMahon, daughter of billionaire producer Pete McMahon-she is blessed with beauty, brains, and wealth…a proverbial princess.

This debut novel from a high-achieving freelance journalist is a cut above most books in the genre. The influence of Bagshawe's time in England is evident and the writing is sophisticated if the subject is not. It's escapist to the extreme and the perfect novel to clear your head. My guilty pleasure was reading Olivia Goldsmith's empowering novels and Tilly Bagshawe is a worthy successor. The hot Sophie Kinsella provided a cover blurb. Here is your summer read for clearing the cobwebs and taking a trip to new...Destinations!

And for those of you into such, I had to add this sizzling author photo:


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Featured Book for Tuesday, June 21, 2005

BIOGRAPHY

Shooter: The Autobiography of the Top-Ranked Marine Sniper
by Gunnery Sgt. Jack Coughlin, USMC, and Capt. Casey Kuhlman, USMCR, with Donald A. Davis (St. Martin's Press, ISBN 0312336853, $24.95)


.

"I'm just glad he's on our side."

That's the smiling response war correspondent Peter Maas got from Jack Coughlin's commander when he asked for an evaluation of his skills.

Here's an excerpt:

Sometimes, the hardest job of a sniper is not to pull the trigger. In an urban environment, the battlefield is a 360-degree place, with a potential threat around every corner, in every doorway and window, on every rooftop. During a pitched battle in a city, everybody is considered a possible enemy until proven otherwise, and great care must be taken to determine that a target is legitimate. You cannot, as the old dark joke claims, kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out. Professionals don't work that way, but neither are we in the business of dispensing compassion. So the scariest moments come not when someone is shooting at you but when you have to make a life-or-death decision about a person who may just be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Snipers walk that thin line of taking or preserving life every time they put a scope on a target, and some people will never know just how close I have come to shooting them dead.



Honestly, I wondered about bringing this one in. Only a few of you have shown an interest in contemporary warfare memoirs. Military history - yes. Recent wars - not so much. But as I examined the book, I found myself drawn into the psychology and the passion to perform. This is the perfect book for Dad to use that Destinations Booksellers Gift Card on.

Featured Book for Monday, June 20, 2005

BUSINESS

Brewing Up a Business: Adventures in Entrepreneurship from the Founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
by Sam Calagione (John Wiley, ISBN 0471708682, $24.95)


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We're blessed with our own craft brewery here in New Albany and I'm working hard to get Roger Baylor to compile the lessons he's learned so we can publish it here at the store sometime next year. In the meantime, read how the author, starting with a home brewing kit, turned his dream into a "foamy reality and built the country's fastest growing brewery.

Who knows? If we sell enough copies of this one, we might just donate a copy to our local home-brewing club.

Featured Book for Sunday, June 19, 2005

FICTION
The Starter Wife
by Gigi Levangie Grazer (Simon & Schuster, ISBN 0743265025, $24)


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Gigi Grazer has made her mark in Hollywood as more than just the wife of one of its biggest moguls. Brian Grazer and his partner, Ron Howard, head up Imagine Entertainment, the folks who brought you A Beautiful Mind. Gigi skewers the "mores - and the morons - of Hollywood" in this sparkling second novel. The premise is that under California law, a spouse who has been married for at least ten years is entitled to major assets in a split. Grazer's heroine quickly finds herself transformed from the less-than-satisfying "Wife of..." to the scorned "Starter Wife" of the title. If you loved the late Olivia Goldsmith's novels of Hollywood, you'll delight in Grazer's insider's take on Tinseltown.

Perk Up Your Ears

Ever wish you could just listen to a professional read your book to you?

It's not for everybody, but audio books are the fastest growing segment of the publishing industry. But it can be expensive. No worries, though. Destinations Booksellers has your solution.

You all know we don't keep shelves filled with audio books. But just because we don't stock them doesn't mean you have to suffer. Many popular titles are available on tape, CD, or even MP3. And most can be in your hands right away.

Often a new book selling for $25 might be available in audio for $40. We're committed to driving that cost down for you. So you can expect most audio books to be discounted 25%, 30%...even 35% as our service to you.

If listening is your choice, if a malady is making it hard for you to read, or if you're a real road warrior when you commute or travel, Destinations Booksellers has your answer at great prices.

Call or e-mail the store and we'll get your audio book on the way.

This isn't a new program. We announced it months ago. We invite patrons who've used this service to share your experiences in the comments section below.

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e-mail ops@destinationsbooksellers.com

Play Booktastic Through June 30

Dozens of patrons are enjoying the chance to win discounts by playing Booktastic this month.

Booktastic, The Modern Fiction Edition, is the trivia game for book lovers. It's a board game where players collect rare first editions from a board filled with bookstores - there's even a book exchange. But we've simplified it. Instead of earning play money, you choose the level of difficulty to earn 2.5%, 10%, or 20% off your trade books purchases.

Although most people are choosing the 10% "Avid reader" multiple-choice or true-false level, 3 out 5 who try the 20% "Collector" level have been winning.

We'll be playing the game all month and those who've played are loving it.

Featured Book for Saturday, June 18, 2005

CHILDREN'S

The Ring Bear
by N.L. Sharp, illustrated by Michael T. Hassler Jr. (Dageforde Publishing, ISBN 1886225915, $17.95)


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Robert loves bears, so when he is asked to be the ring bearer for his aunt's wedding, he misunderstands. He practices hard for his duties, though, by eating berries (they're really grapes) and drinking honey (it's really apple juice), and when he learns the truth, the fun really starts.

Ann and I adored this children's picture book and we know you and your little ones will, too.

Featured Book for Friday, June 17, 2005

MEMOIR

Playground: A Childhood Lost Inside the Playboy Mansion
by Jennifer Saginor (HarperCollins, ISBN 0060761563, $24.95)


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From the dust jacket copy:

You are six years old. Every day after school your father takes you to a sprawling castle filled with exotic animals, bowls of candy, and half-naked women catering to your every need.

You have your own room. You have new friends. You have an Uncle Hef who's always there for you.

Welcome to the world of Playground, the true story of a young girl who grew up inside the Playboy Mansion. By the time she was fourteen, she'd done countless drugs, had a secret affair with Hef's girlfriend, and was already losing her grip on reality.

Featured Book for Thursday, June 16, 2005

CHILDREN'S

Once Upon a Time, The End: Asleep in 60 Seconds
by Geoffrey Kloske and Barry Blitt (Atheneum, ISBN 0689866194, $15.95)


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Every daddy (and mommy) knows that story time can sometimes be a struggle. When it's bed time, no parent wants to scrimp on the "quality" time, especially with something as important as reading to a child. This is the book for that harried parent. Filled with digested fairy tales, every story reminds the child "it's time to sleep."

My favorites include "The Two Little Pigs" and "Goldilocks and the Bears."

Here's a sample of the latter:

"There were some bears;
It doesn't really matter how many.
There was a bunch.
Let's get to the point:
While they were out, a blond girl
Ate a bear's porridge,
Broke a bear's chair,
And fell asleep in a bear's bed.
When the bears came back,
They found her asleep.
She woke up, screamed, and ran home
So she could sleep in her own bed.
Just like you.
THE END."

Victory! Freedom to Read Amendment Passes by 238 - 187 Vote

In a vote that sends a clear message to the Bush administration that Section 215 of the U.S.A.P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act needs to be amended to protect Americans' right to privacy, the House today passed Rep. Bernie Sanders' (I-VT) Freedom to Read Amendment to the Commerce, Justice, State (CJS) Appropriations Bill by a vote of 238 - 187.

The Sanders amendment cuts Justice Department funds for bookstore and library searches under Section 215 of the U.S.A.P.AT.R.I.O.T. Act. On Tuesday, the Bush Administration had warned that it would veto the House Appropriations Bill if it included any amendments that would weaken the U.S.A.P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act, as reported by the Washington Post.

Featured Book for Wednesday, June 15, 2005

FICTION

Act of War
by Dale Brown (William Morrow, ISBN 0060752998, $25.95)


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Dale Brown (Flight of the Old Dog) has long been one of my favorite writers. He's best known for his action-packed tales about the Air Force's super-secret advanced weapons labs and the pilots and scientists who avert or win extremely-plausible wars and terrorist actions. In Act of War, he takes on a new genre, sort of. Here, he introduces a "top-secret high-tech military unit code-named Task Force TALON, a special joint military and FBI unit set up by the national security advisor to track down and defeat terrorists around the world."

Take my recommendation: You can't go wrong with Dale Brown and his cast of characters. This is a perfect summer read.

Featured Book for Tuesday, June 14, 2005

NONFICTION

Ghosts of Old Louisville: True Stories of Hauntings in America's Largest Victorian
Neighborhood
by David Domine (McClanahan Publishing House, ISBN 0913383910, $21.95)



Those of us who read Kathleen McConnell's Don't Call Them Ghosts: The Spirit Children of Fontaine Manse know all about the subject and I, for one, await the definitive story of the ghosts of New Albany.

In the meantime, here's a wonderful stroll "through picturesque streets and alleyways" from a man who lives right there in the neighborhood. David will be reading from his Ghosts... at Destinations Booksellers at noon on Saturday, July 16, so get started reading it now. It's brand new and we only were able to bring in a half-dozen copies to begin with, so call the store if you want one set aside for you.

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Featured Book for Monday, June 13, 2005

FICTION

Hairstyles of the Damned
by Joe Meno (Akashic Books, ISBN 188845170X, $13.95)



Brian Oswald and his best friend, Gretchen, get involved in the punk scene on Chicago's south side, experimenting with drugs, drinking and relationships and aligning themselves with various outcast groups in order to fit in. Meno will be our guest on Sunday, June 19, at 2 p.m. to do a reading from Hairstyles...along with two other authors whose national tour culminates here at Destinations Booksellers. We have an ample supply on hand of the book if you want to read it in advance and Meno will be pleased to autograph your copy on Sunday.

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Featured Book for Sunday, June 12, 2005

FICTION

The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana
by Umberto Eco (Harcourt, ISBN 0151011400, $27)

Eco is Back
The acclaimed author of Foucalt's Pendulum and The Name of the Rose is back with what is being touted as his finest work of fiction. This illustrated novel tells the story of a Milanese rare-book dealer who loses his "autobiographical memory," as the writer called it last weekend in New York. He recalls the plot of every book he has ever read, every film he's ever seen, but doesn't recognize his family or remember his childhood. (Sneak preview: Pair this with the upcoming Until I Find You from John Irving).

If you want to see a presentation by both authors at this year's BookExpo America, click this link:

BookTV at BookExpo America: Sunday Authors Breakfast: Eco, Ehrenreich, Irving, and Herbert

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e-mail ops@destinationsbooksellers.com

Featured Book for Saturday, June 11, 2005

FICTION

Locked Rooms
by Laurie R. King (Bantam Books, ISBN 055380197X, $24)


A Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes Mystery
Mary Russell and her husband Sherlock Holmes are back in Laurie R. King's highly acclaimed New York Times bestselling mystery series. And this time, the first couple of detection pair up to unlock the buried memory of a shocking crime with the power to kill again - lost somewhere in Russell's own past.

This is the summer of Sherlock Holmes, with Caleb Carr's authorized continuation of the series in The Italian Secretary and Mitch Cullin's A Slight Trick of the Mind. Bookending these (now) three big Holmes fiction releases are the Annotated Complete Short Stories and the Annotated Complete Novels. The first came out before Christmas last, and the latter comes out this Christmas season. Locked Rooms is King's eighth Mary Russell novel.

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Showdown Over Section 215

It's happening a little sooner than we expected, but the showdown over Section 215 is coming up next week. Lord knows we can't count on Sodrel to buck the administration, but at least he won't be able to say he never heard anything from his constituents.

On Tuesday, June 14, or Wednesday, June 15, Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is expected to try again to pass his Freedom to Read Amendment, when the House of Representatives is due to consider the House Commerce, Justice, State (CJS) Appropriations Bill, which funds the Justice Department. The Sanders amendment would cut off funds for bookstore and library searches under Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act.

There's no time to waste: The American Booksellers Association urges you to contact your representative immediately. Speak out strongly in support of the Freedom to Read Amendment. Please e-mail, fax, or call your member of Congress now! Tell them that Section 215 threatens free speech for all Americans. Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act eliminates several important safeguards that prevent law enforcement officials in foreign intelligence investigations from engaging in fishing expeditions in bookstore and library records.

FBI agents can search the bookstore or library records of anyone who they believe may have information relevant to a terrorism or espionage investigation, including people who are not suspected of committing a crime.

ABA strongly recommends that you make calls to your representative's Washington and district offices. Contact information is easily available through the House of Representatives website, http://www.house.gov.

In 2004, when Rep. Sanders joined Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) and Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) in introducing the Freedom to Read Amendment to the CSJ Appropriations Bill, the House voted in favor of the bill; however, House leadership succeeded in forcing enough members to switch their votes to create a tie, thereby killing the measure.

This year, ABA believes there is a good chance to win the vote. There are 126 co-sponsors of Sanders' Freedom to Read Protection Act, which restores the safeguards for bookstore and library records that were eliminated by the Patriot Act.

Once again, many members of Congress who are not co-sponsors are expected to support Sanders. ABA hopes that the widespread criticism that was directed against the House leadership's tactics last year will act as a restraining force this year and members will vote their conscience.

Act now! Your help in this fight has brought us this far, and now victory is within sight. E-mail, fax, and call your rep today!

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e-mail ops@destinationsbooksellers.com

Featured Book for Friday, June 10, 2005

HUMOR/COOKING/SOUTHERN CULTURE

Being Dead is No Excuse: The Official Southern Ladies Guide to Hosting the Perfect Funeral
by Gayden Metcalfe and Charlotte Hays (Miramax Books, ISBN 1401359345, $19.95)


Hosting the Perfect Funeral

We loved this book the minute we saw it, but even we underestimated just how popular this book would be. Within a day or two of acquiring it, at least one local book club adopted it as an immediate discussion book, and this is a club that selects its books months in advance. I don't know if they're discussing it out of order, but we can hardly keep up with the demand.

Here's an excerpt that truly shows what this title is all about:

Buddy Gilliam was buried in the "Old Miss (cemetery)," but his daughter was so distressed that she almost forgot to make good on a death-bed promise: Mr. Buddy refused to die until she agreed to pin a note on his lapel that said "Hell, no, I don't look nachell." Making somebody promise to pin a "Hell, no, I don't look natchell." note on your dead body is the Delta version of a living will - it tells you how we want to be disposed of and must be obliged. Old ladies are inclined to chat endlessly about what they want to wear in their coffins and threaten to return and haunt their friends if their instructions aren't carried out to the letter. "Once you're in heaven, do you get stuck in the clothes you're buried in?" asked one of our more vain little old ladies. Of course, no matter what you end up wearing, we will say, "Doesn't she look natural?" - even if you've been got up to look like Barbie in a coffin.

And then there's this, which is probably the coda to the book:

(For funerals) The smaller the town, the more food you will get. They say it's more fattening to lose a relative in Alligator or Hushpuckena than it is in Jackson or Vicksburg.

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BookExpo Tales

Booksellers Spell Fun at B-E-A!

So rather than tell the tale myself, I invite you to read this objective account of this first American Booksellers Association championship. Enjoy.

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Even I Haven't Scanned Them All

Ran across this recommended reading list Web site for summer and thought you might enjoy making your own lists.

rebecca's pocket


Sun Valley Writers' Conference 2005 Suggested Summer Reading List

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's summer reading recommendations

Associated Press: bookseller recommendations

NPR Best in Spy Fiction

Dolph Tillotson's (Galveston County Daily News) summer reading list

Jean Peerenboom's (Green Bay Press-Gazette) summer reading list

Ellen Goodman's summer reading list

ALA's Recommended Reading for all ages

UC Berkeley's 2005 Freshman Summer Reading List: Great Discoveries, Voyages, and Adventures (press release)

UC Berkeley Past Summer Reading Lists: 2004: Now That's Funny, 2002: Banned Books, and 1989: Selected by the Chairs of Various Departments

Media and Democracy Summer Reading List

The Washington Post's

New York Daily News' 10 books people will be talking about this summer

San Francisco Chronicle's books to be published this summer

USA Today's 10 cool reads, 5 sleepers, and 5 books with movies coming out this summer.

Books on Investing

JPMorgan Private Bank Sixth Annual Summer Reading List

For un-adults:

NPR's Adventures to Read All Through the Summer

The Association of Library Service to Children's All-Time Classics parents and children can read together

The ALSC's list of reading lists

YALSA's 2005 Alex Awards for ten adult books that will appeal to teen readers (all years)

Plus:

the canonical list of Alternate Histories

Syllabi and Other Course Materials for Literature Courses

Whichbook book recommender

Book Adventure will generate a list of book recommendations for grades K - 8.

Amazon's lists of Award winning books, from the Booker and the Pulitzer to the Bram Stoker and the Nebula to the Newbery and the Printz

The San Francisco Chronicle's 100 best nonfiction books of the 20th century written in English about -- or by an author from -- the Western United States (1999)

and of course, Marylaine's list of Books Too Good to Put Down

Featured Book for Thursday, June 9, 2005

NONFICTION

The Survivor: Bill Clinton in the White House
by John F. Harris (Random House, ISBN 0375508473, $29.95)



Bill Clinton's White House 

Harris is the national correspondent for The Washington Post and this presidential history is really the first look back with proper reflection on the "constant succession of remarkable achievements and maddening failures" of the first Clinton presidency. Brit Hume of Fox News Channel says "It's all here, with fascinating fresh detail" even though it "reaches a generally favorable verdict" on Bill Clinton.

Split Decision

It's a "wraparound" Sunday coming up for the store and a great opportunity to make a day of it in downtown New Albany.

Ann and I are splitting up that day so we can participate in the renewal of the Mansion Row Garden Stroll, an event the Main Street Preservation Association intends to be an annual one.

We had already scheduled an event for June 12, but were delighted when asked to add a vendor component to our neighbors' fundraiser. Tickets are $7 in advance, $10 on the day of the stroll. For information and advance tickets, call 981-8000. The tour is self-guided and credentials and information can be picked up at the Admiral Bicknell Inn. It lasts from 1 to 5 p.m. Tour participants can enter a drawing to win a door prize valued at $35 at the Destinations Booksellers tent at 513 East Main Street.

We, as usual, open at noon and will be starting our big BookExpo America giveaway for Patron Passport members. Drop by and see some of the new books coming out this summer and fall and stake your claim to one of the many autographed books, advanced reading editions, and galley proofs I gathered during my New York sojourn. Park here and walk over to 600 E. Main for the stroll guidebook, and we'll keep the store open for a little while after the MSPA event for late shopping.

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e-mail to ops@destinationsbooksellers.com

Featured Book for Wednesday, June 8, 2005

FICTION

Specimen Days
by Michael Cunningham (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, ISBN 0374299625, $25)


From the author of "The Hours" 

This book was the hottest "get" at the entire BookExpo America gathering in New York (with the possible exception of Kim Cattrall's autographed poster of herself in the nude) and created quite a stir. Cunningham, whose The Hours was made into a movie that used Virginia Woolf as a thematic binder, makes use of Walt Whitman to the same effect in this brand-new title.

Coming off a Pulitzer Prize, this weaves a spell and wanders from the turn of the century out into the future, and so far as literary novels go, this is destined to be the summer's most prestigious offering. Available now.

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e-mail to ops@destinationsbooksellers.com

Play Booktastic!

Beginning now and through the end of June, patrons can earn immediate discounts on their in-store purchases by playing Booktastic!

It's a pretty simple concept. Answer a trivia question about modern best-selling fiction and we'll discount your purchases on all trade titles. These can't be combined with any other discounts, however.

There are three levels of discounts, but the higher discounts require you to take on a higher risk question.

Level 1 is the Casual Reader level. In playing the board game, answering one of these questions earns you $25 toward your book collection. In the store, you'll earn a 2.5% discount. Casual Reader questions are open-ended and have no wrong answers, so it's an automatic discount if you choose to play and answer.

Level 2 is the Avid Reader level. In the board game, a correct answer earns you $50 in play money. We're going to boost the in-store reward to 10% off if you answer a multiple-choice question. They're not that hard, but you do run the risk of missing and passing up the "freebie" discounts at Level 1.

Level 3 is a tougher test, called the Collector level. You really need to know your stuff to answer these, but the payoff is a full 20% off your purchase (it's $75 in the board game).

Let's have some fun as you choose your summer reading. Don't be afraid to take on some of the tougher questions. The payoff is immediate and we'll all learn a little something.

We'll ask you at checkout if you want to play Booktastic for a discount. Don't miss it.

Featured Book for Tuesday, June 7, 2005

We're going to try this for awhile and see how it goes. I'll give you one book tip per day, and sometimes two or three, and try to spread it around the various categories and genres. Let me know what you think about it.

NONFICTION
Lavoisier in the Year One: The Birth of a New Science in an Age of Revolution


Great Discoveries 

This is part of the Atlas Books (W.W. Norton) series "Great Discoveries," and this one is by Madison Smartt Bell. It's $22.95.

Tells the story of "how Antoine Laurent Lavoisier set the course of modern chemistry - and lost his life in the Jacobin terror - Roald Hoffman, Nobel Laureate in chemistry.





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e-mail to ops@destinationsbooksellers.com

Unwinding from BookExpo

You know that slight mental adjustment you make when your surroundings change suddenly?

I'm still in the middle of that today. The first (and best) adjustment was being back with my beloved. I slept alone for 18 years before I married Ann, and I'll take having her beside me at night over any other pleasure.

BookExpo America is scheduled for May 19-21 next year in Washington, D.C., so there won't be quite the same alternatives available for our evenings, but one thing is sure - I won't be leaving Ann behind when I go.

My brother Larry, who, among other things, is a publisher, joined me this year in New York. BookExpo did not start well for us. Refused entry to the first official event, a Billy Crystal performance tied to an upcoming book, Larry and I headed for Times Square to seek out cheap tickets to a Broadway play. We succeeded in grabbing up tickets for Glengarry Glen Ross, the revival of the David Mamet play. Alan Alda reprises the role played by Jack Lemmon in the movie version, and does a great job with the part, although in the opening moments he seemed to be channelling Jack instead of interpreting the role. It was a great experience watching Liev Schreiber, Jeffrey Tambor, Tom Wopat, Frederick Weller, and Gordon Clapp tread the boards.

Frankly, however, I would have thought the cast would have, by now, managed to integrate the dense Mamet dialogue. Maybe it was just a bad night for the play that won last night's Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. My vote for best performance? Tom Wopat, as the weak-willed stranger in the Chinese restaurant who falls victim to Schreiber's aggressive, never-take-no sales pitch. While each performance was on point, the whole thing didn't hold together. Weller, in particular, chose an interpretation that was more passive than passive-aggressive, and did not live up to my expectations in a role Alec Baldwin owned.

All this week I'll be giving you snippets like this from my New York trip, so come back for more later.

Book Show Adventures

As most of our loyal patrons and loyal readers know Randy is in New York attending Book Expo America.

He spent yesterday (Friday) meeting authors and getting books signed. Each time he called he rattled off the names of authors that you would recognize. I should have been taking notes so that I could better share the excitement with you.

Children's author/illustrator Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are) was one of the authors signing books. Randy got to meet him and is bringing back a signed copy!

I know that many of you have read Krakatoa by Simon Winchester on Randy's recommendation and won't be surprised to hear that Randy was looking forward to meeting him.

The Fox News O'Reilly Factor was taping comments from the show attendees and Randy thinks his has about a 50/50 chance of being aired. I think given the nature of his comment the chance is much less than 50%. What can we say? We love publicity.

Saturday is shopping day. No, not the Macys and Bloomingdales kind of shopping that New York is famous for. He is visiting the vendor booths at the show and shopping for new books for the store. And, he is probably racking up more freebies.

Don't Tell Randy

There is a secret at Destinations Booksellers. From now through Sunday, June 5th, I have several secret deals to help you stock up for your summer reading needs. Please, don’t tell Randy about this. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.

Some of you have discovered the great prices that we are able to pass along to you on our bargain books. We don’t have room to display all of these value-priced books at the same time so we try to rotate them frequently. Right now we have an entire table of trade paperbacks for only $3 each. Or buy 5 for the special price of $12.

I am also offering randomly selected mass market paperbacks for 30% off the list price. Stop by and take a look. The book you are planning to read this summer just might be one of the ones that I have discounted.

Keep the kids busy this summer. Look for the blue stickers on children’s special purchase paperbacks. We have something for toddlers through teens. Buy any of these for $2.

Remember, these great deals are only good through Sunday and you can’t tell Randy how little you paid.