Village Books Blog

Have you met Chet?

Let me introduce you. He failed his K-9 exam and now works as Bernie's partner in the Little Detective Agency chasing down perps, searching for missing people and eating the occasional cruller. From his thoughts on people and wine-spice, pear, oak--don't get me started these people have no idea what they're talking about--to his ever present optimism when Bernie get's into a funk about his son, his ex-wife, or the ever diminishing aquifer, Chet's running commentary makes this series. Check out Dog On It by Spencer Quinn. Thereby Hangs a Tail is coming in January. --Sheri

These are the moments that make my job fun.

A few days ago, a couple came in asking about a book, but didn't know the author or title. Knowing that they didn't have enough info about the book, they jokingly said, "you know, it has pages and words and the cover is blue." "Oh, yes, the book with the blue cover," I said. "That'll be shelved in our 'Blue Cover' section." After a few failed attempts at pinpointing the book, the couple walked away to conduct their own search. A little while later, they were back in line, itching to get back to my register. When I was finally free, they walked up with proud smiles. "We found the book!" "Really?" I asked "What is it?" Like a child excitedly showing off his artwork to a parent, the gentleman held the book up and I started laughing. The name of the book? The Blue Zones.

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.