Village Books Blog

The Anti-Aging Process

Recently I've found myself involved in numerous conversations about favorite children's books. Perhaps these talks are the result of the surge in young adult fiction (most recently, of course, being the Twilight series). One thing I've noticed--bringing up kid's books with a group of adults causes an immensely different reaction than say, bringing up religion or politics. Rather than heated arguments, people let out exclamations of "Oh my god! I LOVE that book!" or get wide-eyed with excitement and wave their arms wildly, practically jumping up and down like a 5-year-old (maybe that's just showing the true maturity of my friends). Now that I think about it, these recent conversations are the result of the upcoming release of Where the Wild Things Are (Chills! Chills, I tell you, from the trailer alone! SO excited for the movie!) A beloved book of so many of our own youths is being made into what looks to be an amazing movie. Huzzah! My absolutely favorite kid's book is and always will be The Monster at the End of This Book, narrated by none other than Grover. Know this one? If not, you need to set aside 2 minutes to read it (plus you can say you read an entire book today). My mom used to read this book to me, doing the most fantastic Grover impression she could conjure. And no matter how many times we came to find out who the monster at the end of the book was (I won't spoil it for you), I still held my breath as the brick wall crashed down and the ropes shredded apart at the turn of each page. And my mom, such an amazing mom she is, would be just as shocked as I was when the monster was revealed. I get so excited when I sell someone that book. I tell them my own story and, quite often, they've had a similar experience as a child. Few things can so quickly transport adults back to their childhood like their favorite book as a child. Think about it--what is your favorite children's book? Do you remember how you felt when you read your favorite book as a child? Are you smiling right now just thinking about it? When is the last time you sat down and read ________? Maybe today's a good day.

--Lindsey

The Layman's Health Care Guide

The other day, a customer called up and wanted to know if there was just a general book for the lay reader that explained the US Health Care system. Seeing as how we are in the middle of a national debate on the subject, I took a look for something similar to Sowell's Basic Economics - a general text for the lay person on a very important subject.  But what did I find? Nothing! Zip! Zilch! A thousand memoirs of doctors, a dozen angry diatribes about some specific problem with the system or a conspiracy of right-wingers/socialists to turn us into Cuba...but no basic "HEALTH CARE FOR DUMMIES" or "COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO THE US HEALTH CARE SYSTEM." What I did find were several $300 text books for nursing and pre-med students.

 

Surely there must be some book out there that explains the role of insurance in pooling risk, the difference between a hospital and a clinic, who licenses whom and why, the current state of malpractice law, and so on...Isn't there?

--Andrew

Why Do We Read?

Sometimes I read to get inside someone else's head instead of listening to my own thunking mind. Here are two of my latest favorites for getting inside someone else's head.

The Caveman's Valentine by George Dawes Green: The central character is a musical genius and lives in a cave in Central Park in NYC. The novel begins with his tirade about you readers invading his brain so you can forget about your own problems and away it goes. I've rarely read a book with such a magnificent main character.  

Long Past Stopping by Oran Canfield: Plays loud music just to stop the thrumming of his mind in this memoir of juggling, strange desert schools and circus camps. Like the title says, I couldn't stop reading and was amazed at what a bizarre childhood Oran had survived. You won't be able to stop reading it either.

--Sheri

The Superpower I Wish I Had.

Every workday begins the same for me. I turn on my computer, go make my coffee, then sit down to read my favorite book industry blogs. Every day I'm floored at the insights and knowledge that I encounter. How do these people know so much? And more importantly, how are they able to put this knowledge into such amazing, coherent, and eloquent writing? One of my new favorites is HTMLGIANT, which always entertains me, even at its most absurd times. Recently, after sifting through a few posts on the site, I encountered this one on favorite first sentences. Ken Baumann, the author of this particular post, lists the first sentence from Blood Meridian as his favorite: "See the child." Wow. Three words. That's it. Yet, I stopped in my tracks when I read that line. See. The. Child. What an incredible opening! Now listing off favorite first lines isn't anything new, but it is always something that makes me pause. I love hearing what people's favorite first lines are. The impact that one line can have. A first sentence. A string of words. When placed in a certain order, these words can make us gasp, make us woozy, bring chills to our entire core. Just in the first sentence! Can you imagine creating something that stirs such reactions? But the most amazing thing about first lines, those few words that when separated may have little meaning, incite us to an incredible action. They incite us to read. Thank goodness for first lines. --Lindsey

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.

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.