Village Books Blog

How bookseller Dave Wheeler will spend his summer vacation, Part Deux.

A week or so ago, we posted what our own bookseller, wordsmith and dry-wit extraordinaire, Dave Wheeler, was reading for the summer. He's done his follow-up/epilogue, so here's what he's got on tap for the second half of the season (even though we aren't even through the first half. Talk about a guy who plans ahead!) You'll see once you read his post that his summer reading plans are a bit skirted by a writer's crush, but can you blame him? Who hasn't been wooed by the words of another (ahem, Jonathan Safran Foer)? Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the writing of a bookseller who has a way with words.

Summer Reading

There seems to be no lack of summer reading lists around--NPR, nearly every newspaper, well, just about everybody has one.  There's a lot of great stuff on those summer lists but, I was particularly struck by the "How I'll Spend My Summer Vacation" blog post by VB's own Dave Wheeler.  His list has a special twist.

RIP Shaman Drum Bookstore

It's always a sad day for booksellers and those who love books when any bookstore announces it is closing its doors.  But this week was a particularly sad one for the world of books.  Shaman Drum Bookstore in Ann Arbor, arguably one of the best bookstores in the world, announced it will close at the end of June.  And, it was a particularly sad day for those of us at Village Books because Karl Pohrt, owner of the store, has been a colleague and friend for years.  He is one of gentle people who are the soul of bookselling.  There's not a person who Karl has interacted with over the year who is not better off for that interaction.  We have learned so much from Karl and his store.  The world is diminished by the passing of Shaman Drum.  Fortunately, Karl's passion for the printed word lives on.  I expect we'll be hearing of good things from Ann Arbor with Karl's fingerprints all over them.

Reflecting on BEA 2009

It was, if I've counted correctly, the 28th time we've attended our national convention and trade show.  So, wouldn't you think it would have become old hat?  Why does my heart still race and why am I so excited each year?  Well, in reflecting on who we saw and heard talk, I realize it is somewhat rarefied air we breathe at these events.  The author events were tremendous.  Even though I was disappointed that Pat Conroy couldn't attend because of health reasons, I was thrilled by all of the authors I did hear--Richard Russo, Tracy Kidder, Gail Collins, Jeannette Walls, Laurie Moore, Mary Karr and Pete Dexter (who stole the show and nearly had Russo rolling on the floor in laughter) just to name a few.  In addition to the buzz about these author's new books and others by Barbara Kingsolver, Tim Egan and, of course, Dan Brown, there was lots of talk about ebooks and print-on-demand (stay tuned for a very big announcement from Village Books soon). I'm always refreshed and renewed when I come home from Book Expo America.  And, this year is no exception.  Now, if I can just find time to read all of those advanced reading copies I picked up.

Off to Book Expo America

Each year at this time I get a bit anxious about how I'll choose from all there is to do at the grand convocation of publishing and bookselling--Book Expo America, better known in the biz as BEA.  I've been going over the seminar offerings and making appointments with vendors I really need to talk to and there just doesn't seem to be enough time on the calendar to do everything.  People often ask what we do at our national convention and trade show and it's sometimes difficult to answer succinctly.  We see displays of books that are being published this fall.  We meet authors and hear some of them talk at breakfasts and lunches. We attend seminars on all aspects of the business and we do go to a few parties.  But, perhaps more important and more satisfying than anything else, we see our friends and colleagues from all over the country and around the world.  We get a chance to share ideas, commiserate about the state of the business and the world and just share each other's company.  I often tell folks that a trip to BEA is much cheaper than therapy.

No matter what I do each year at BEA, I find that--though I may be tired when it's over--I'm mentally refreshed and invigorated and ready for yet another year in this wonderful, crazy business.  Now, when am I going to pack?

Remembering Greg Palmer

I admired and enjoyed Greg Palmer long before I met him.  He did funny features on KING TV and, back in the days when I watched TV, Greg was one of my favorites (check out The Best of Greg Palmer).  My respect and admiration for him grew immensely when I met him in our store after the publication of his book, Adventures in the Mainstream: Coming of Age With Down Syndrome, a book about the experiences of his son Ned and his challenges and adjustments when he completed high school.  Ned is a remarkable human being and Greg, as revealed both in the book and in person, interacting with his son, was a wonderful father.  The book is now, unfortunately, out of print.  More recently Greg published a memoir of growing up on Mercer Island and working as a short order cook, Cheese Deluxe.  It's a wonderfully warm and hilariously funny book of the mid-60's.  He graduated from high school in 1965, as did I, and, though we grew up nearly 2000 miles apart, we might well have lived in the same neighborhood during the last innocent era. Greg died this morning of lung cancer.  Though I didn't know him well, I will miss him and, the world will miss a great talent and wonderful human being. 

Learn more about Greg Palmer.

So Many Books...

Several years ago a fellow bookseller friend created t-shirts and buttons with the phrase, well-known to book lovers, "So Many Books, So Little Time."  The phrase has really hit home even more strongly in the past few days as I began to worry that the teetering stack on my bedside table would be the cause of my early demise and as I anxiously shuffle books trying to decide which to read right now.  The Elegance of the Hedgehog for my book group?  I've begun it and was really enjoying it but then The Voice of Authority, for today's VB Reads Business Book Group, intervened.  And, last night the advance reading copy of Pat Conroy's next novel, South of Broad elbowed its way into my consciousness.  Others fighting for space and my attention include Martin Melaver's Living Above the Store (I'm a ways into this and love it...just need more reading time), First Break All the Rules and Stephanie Kallos' latest, Sing Them Home.  But, just when I think it's all a big problem, I ask myself "what if you had nothing good to read?"  Isn't it amazing what we consider to be a problem sometimes?

Dave's Evening with Anne

A few years ago, the book group of which Dee and I are a part read Anne Lamott's Traveling Mercies.  It was a very popular read for the group and the discussion was lively and satisfying.  It was one of my favorite books that year.  Now, Village Books' own Dave Wheeler, weighs in on his own fascination with Lamott and her work on his blog, Tongue-tied Poetics.  

Elegy for James D. Houston

My friend Alexandrea just linked me to this beautifully written tribute to author, James Houston, who succumbed to cancer last week.  Alexandrea is a friend of Houston's daughter, Gabrielle.  She, too, was touched by this heartfelt piece by journalist, historian and filmmaker, Geoffrey Dunn--a dear friend of Houston's.

A Literary Spring Quiz

Perhaps I was more quickly drawn to this Guardian quiz this morning because this evening I'll participate, as a member of the "Village Idiots" team, in the Whatcom Literacy Council's Trivia Bee.  I certainly hope I do better tonight than I did this morning.  I only got five of the twelve answers right and was admonished to "wake up, you're still in deep hibernation."  Try the quiz and, good luck.