It'll always be books for me!

I am experiencing technical difficulties.  Actually, I had numerous problems all of last week, resulting in my inability to access our Facebook fan page, my inability to update our staff reviews on our website, my inability to watch Project Runway off the Tivo on Sunday night, and a particularly bizarre dream last night where I woke up mumbling something about some social media application that I couldn't think of the name of, although I was SURE it existed...  Thankfully I went back to sleep after that last one.  At any rate, it was a rough week between me and technology.

I keep these things in mind as I continue to see headlines regarding the increased market share of e-books in the literary world.  I try to keep these things in mind when I see commercials for the iPad.  (I don't NEED an iPad, but gosh I sure do like their advertising...)  I am confident that there will always be people like me: In the September issue of Wired magazine, of all places, a reader wrote in and confessed to killing a scorpion by slamming a book down on top of it.  Would you like to attempt that with your e-reader?  Take that, Kindle.

I am not afraid of technology.  I'm addicted to Facebook (stupid Bejweled Blitz...), and clearly even I can write up a blog.  It's not fear that drives me to hold onto my books.  It's an undeniable desire to hold that book in my hand, to feel the pages. And I don't think I need to tell you about the smell of books.  Admit--y'all know what I'm talking about.

So if ever you can't find me, just look for the girl with her nose in a book, her glasses halfway down her nose as she absorbs as many of those words as she can....

See you at the bookstore!
Pamela.

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

This weekend I was inspired by Christopher McDougall's "Born to Run"" and made up a lovely display of running books, and thought I would, creatively, make an accompanying sign encouraging customers to "run amok." I then thought, hmmm, my recollection of the use of "amok" is the movie Hocus Pocus from the late '90s.  And I decided to make sure "amok" meant what I thought it meant.  It didn't.

Rather than encouraging customers to run about freely and without care, perhaps with a little wildness, I was actually inciting a murderous rampage.  Because that's what amok means, according to multiple dictionaries:  "in a frenzy to do violence or kill" (The American Heritage Dictionary).  Its secondary definition ("in a jumbled or confused state") is not much better. 

Now my lovely and very creative sign encourages customers to "run wild." 

Is there a word whose meaning has taken you totally off guard?  (It happens more than I like to admit.) 

Happy Reading,

--Mica

p.s. Bonus points if you can name the quote in the title!

Our B-Day Boy, Charles Bukowski, and His Words of Insight

Today is the birthday of the man who said:
"The nine-to-five is one of the greatest atrocities sprung upon mankind. You give your life away to a function that doesn't interest you. This situation so repelled me that I was driven to drink, starvation, and mad females, simply as an alternative."

A happy day to the "laureate of lowlife," Charles Bukowski (1920-1994)!

Follow the link to read his poem two nights before my 72nd birthday.

--Mica

Book Brahmin: Mary Robinette Kowal

Great interview with a local-ish author! Mary Robinette Kowal is a a Portland writer/puppeteer/voice actor (as well the VP of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America) , and her list of current reads and favorite books looks very enticing. Is it bad that I want to be her when I grow up?

Book Brahmin: Mary Robinette Kowal

Happy reading!

~Mica

Bookselling is harder than you think

View from behind the counter at Grass Roots.

I know many people who fantasize about working in a bookstore.  They dream of sitting behind a counter, reading books all day while they occasionally smile at a customer.  I hate to burst your bubble, but it is actually a lot of work if you're doing it right.  I have been working in bookstores for about 12 years now, and I am still exhausted at the end of the day.  There is still always something to learn.  There are still books being published that I want to read.

What does it take to be a bookseller, you ask?  It is far more than a love of reading.  Liking people helps, or at least the ability to act like you like people when you're having a bad day.  So important.  Enthusiasm and good cheer helps, too.

As for the job description, I stumbled upon this quote on the Huffington Post blog today, in an article by Anis Shiva highlighting Twig Book Shop in San Antonio, TX, in which he interviewed bookstore manager Claudia Maceo Sharp:

When I first began to work at Viva and found the tasks to be so complicated, my colleagues would chide me, albeit lovingly, by saying, "And you thought we were just a bookstore." It is a fantasy to think that you can sit behind a counter and read until a customer comes up to pay for a book. Bookselling requires physical and mental stamina. Ordering books requires poring over catalogs with publishing representatives, vendors, and authors. These days a bookseller must have a comfort level with various computer programs from point of sale programs to search engines and publication designs. Boxes of books come daily that must be unboxed, received, and shelved. Organizational skills go beyond alphabetizing. Marketing books once they are in takes retail and design sense. Shelves must be culled of books that are not selling and returned to the publishers or authors. And there is always dusting and sweeping to be done. Oh yeah, and then read, read, read. I used to feel like all I had time to read was the back of a book. After a year as manager that has improved somewhat.

The glamorous life!

I have found booksellers to share a common ideal about the world. We care deeply about our communities, about the power of the written word throughout the centuries, the importance of sharing the stories of our human condition. We are finding and even creating new ways to connect with each other, between various organizations and businesses, in partnerships and special projects.

We are a great community here, and after all of that, we do need to put our feet up at the end of the day.

See you at the bookstore--
Pamela.

Buried by berries

I am SO tired of picking blueberries.

We have four bushes in our backyard, and plenty of scrub jays patrolling the perimeters.  I am fond of blueberries, especially when they are fresh picked and still warm and juicy from their days in the sun.  They are wonderful eaten straight up, or tossed into pancakes, or sunk into homemade muffins.  I am quite amazed, however, how much four bushes can actually produce.  I have probably...I don't know...12 cups of blueberries in my freezer?  I'm just sick of pickin' 'em, and no one else is volunteering to come over.  (Although my brother and nephew are visiting from Illinois this weekend and may view the fruit picking as a novelty.  They live in the suburbs and do not garden.)

My berry stash in the freezer may not seem like much to dyed-in-the-wool home preservists, but it's a lot for me.  There are also raspberries and a growing supply of cut strawberries in there.

Not that I'm complaining!  I'm really gardening and harvesting for the first time in my life, and I'm looking for ways to manage the bounty within my time constraints and resources.  Fortunately, there is a ready supply of resources at Grass Roots to help me out, and I don't just mean my coworkers.

I like my cookbooks to be not just useful, but pretty as well (such an impractical girl...) and we have three new titles that fit the bill.

Paperback, $19.95

I have been eying Put 'em Up!: A Comprehensive Home Preserving Guide for the Creative Cook, from Drying and Freezing to Canning and Pickling by Sherri Brooks Vinton for a couple of weeks now.  Right there on the front cover is a precious little jar of frozen blueberries.  Well, I can do THAT; what else ya got?  (Isn't that a great way to get you to pick up a cookbook?  Taunting?)  I did pick it up, and it looks so useful and pleasant and domestic and doable.  It is divided into two major sections, "Techniques" and "Recipes."  Best of all for someone like me who's standing there going what do I do with all this stuff, the recipes are divided by primary ingredient.  My blueberry problem?  Right here under "Berries."  The pending tomato avalanche?  Covered conveniently under "Tomatoes."  There is good stuff in here.  It's well organized, and even I can manage some of these things on a day off or two.

Hardcover, $22.00

Also on the shelf, I noticed an unassuming and under-sized blue spine, about an inch thick.  I pulled it out, and there on the cover of The River Cottage Preserves Handbook, by Pam Corbin, was something that at least looked like a jar of blueberries with lemonade being poured into it.  On closer inspection, those are probably something else, but it still made me pick up the book.  The book is elegant and pretty and very British.  It is also a hardcover, and, because it is small and difficult to open, I'm frankly afraid to crack it open and give it a good perusal.  It does not look so basic as Put 'em Up, but it does look more challenging.  I think it would make an excellent gift for your favorite bookseller.  Or me.

Paperback, $24.95

Finally, one last book with alluring edibles in glass jars on the cover(doesn't food just look better in jars? unless it's baby food?) arrived just today.  Canning For a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for the Modern Pantry by Liana Krissof is fresh on the shelf.  This book is also full of delicious-sounding recipes, this one divided by season.  What I like best about this book is that it gives you recipes for the recipes.  Gosh, that sounds complicated, but if you go through the trouble of making homemade pickles or preserves, you may just get tired of eating pickles with your hot dog, or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  Here are your options.

Well, there we go.  I've made myself hungry again.  It's probably a good thing I work in a bookstore and not a restaurant.  This way I am just overstuffed with books.

See you at the bookstore!

Pamela

Steamy Summer Reading: The Conclusion

Have you been lolling listlessly in your lawn chair, your brain too melted to focus on something as literary as David Mitchell?  Me too.  One of the delights of summer is being baked in the sun (under plenty of sun block, of course) and letting my brain trip off into the steamy world of ripping bodices, resistant hearts, and men in breeches.  Oh, le sigh...

In general, I somewhat hesitatingly admit to being a reader of romances.  But heck--it's summer!  This seems like the best time to give into all my cheesiest reading vices.  Do not fear, gentle readers: I still have standards!  I must therefore take this opportunity to RAVE about the books of Julia Quinn.  Ms. Quinn is a master of my favorite genre, the Regency Romance.  They are always written with a touch of humor, and a touch of class.  Sure, there's plenty of the type of material that causes romance paperbacks across the globe to become wearily creased on certain pages, but it's done well, and isn't...icky.  Some romance novelists make everybody mean to each other or over-the-top in their sultry ways.  (Ahem, did you read this post by Mica?)

Prominent among the works of Ms. Quinn is the series of eight titles featuring the Bridgerton siblings.  Oh, to be so wealthy, so attractive, so intelligent, so attractive, so witty, and, well...so attractive!  They are the cream of the crop of London society, engaging in all of the best soirees and balls the ton has to offer.  Of course, this entitles them to plenty of romance and drama, too.

There are other books beyond the Bridgertons, however.  On my nightstand right now is her latest, Ten Things I Love About You.  (See how tasteful the covers of her books are?  While the cover shot does give a hint of...the girls, at lest there's not some dark and sultry hero-in-the-making trying to manhandle her as well.)

I think one of the reasons I love Ms. Quinn's books so well, is that her characters are flawed, but so obviously in love.  I feel like they're real and these people exist.  (Really, we're meeting for tea later to discuss taboo subjects and twitter coquettishly.)

If you're looking for something racier, may I recommend Stephanie Laurens?  Her writing and plot lines get rather monotonous, but when all you want is some good smut with dashing and dangerous rakes, you can't go wrong with her.  Yes, I also have several copies of her books in my personal library (tucked away in the Pam Cave, behind a cabinet door), and I will confess that they are also well-creased.  I'm sure that's only because they were used copies, right?  Uh...yeah.  If you decide to succumb to her seductive allure, make sure you start with the Cynster Novels.  The first one, Devil's Bride, is particularly lay-my-hand-upon-my-dewey-forehead worthy.  Ms. Laurens likes the racy stuff.  Later in the series, that's really all that's left to enjoy in her writing, as the characters get old.

And I must be getting old, because when I looked at her website, I found the heroes in the trailers for her newest series of books to be rather young and, well...pansy-looking.  I like manly men to star in my trash, but certainly, you can judge for yourself.  Check out Stephanie Laurens' website to see what I mean.  (I'm all about being a Brazen Bride, but please give me a groom who can stand up to it!)

Well, I clearly need to enjoy some cool refreshment and to mop my feverish brow.  Alas!  I may faint dead away if I keep going on this scandalous topic!  So go enjoy some summer trash!  I will be soon.  I guarantee it.

See you at the bookstore.  I'll be the one blushing.

Pamela.

Book Brahmin: Dana Haynes

This interview with Oregon author Dana Haynes comes from Shelf Awareness, which provides "daily enlightenment for the book trade." (And you guys thought I just made up all of these interesting bits I post on Facebook.) I don't know if there's anything that would actually induce me to read thriller/mystery, but he does sound like an interesting fellow. Please enjoy the read!

Book Brahmin: Dana Haynes


Dana Haynes is the author of Crashers.

Mica's Top 5 Sci-Fi/Fantasy Picks

 Looking for a good--nay, great--sci-fi or fantasy novel this summer?  Here are my top 5 favorites!

1. Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

A hopeful tale set in a dystopian future United States of walled cities, disease, fires, and madness. Lauren Olamina is an 18-year-old woman with hyperempathy syndrome--if she sees another in pain, she feels their pain as acutely as if it were real. When her relatively safe neighborhood enclave is inevitably destroyed, along with her family and dreams for the future, Lauren grabs a backpack full of supplies and begins a journey north. Along the way, she recruits fellow refugees to her embryonic faith, Earthseed, the prime tenet of which is that "God is change."

  Sequel:  Parable of the Talents.


2.   The Merlin Series by Mary Stewart

Here is the most extended portrait in all literature in this compelling figure of Dark Age myth and history. Merlin, the protector and tutor of Arthur, has usually been portrayed as an old man. But The Crystal Cave begins the trilogy with the story of his perilous childhood as the bastard son of a Welsh king's daughter and the secret discovery of the magic arts that will set him apart from other men.

With the birth of Arthur, Merlin's guardianship began and the ancient legend continues in The Hollow Hills with the dramatic immediacy that is Mary Stewart's special gift.

 Book 1:  The Crystal Cave   Book 2: The Hollow Hills   Book 3: The Last Enchantment.

3. The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin

Shevek, a brilliant physicist, decides to take action. He will seek answers, question the unquestionable, and attempt to tear down the walls of hatred that have isolated his planet of anarchists from the rest of the civilized universe. To do this dangerous task will mean giving up his family and possibly his life. Shevek must make the unprecedented journey to the utopian mother planet, Urras, to challenge the complex structures of life and living, and ignite the fires of change.

4.  The Xenogenesis Trilogy, aka Lilith's Brood, by Octavia Butler

Dawn: After nuclear war destroys the world, Earths survivors are rescued by the miraculously powerful Oankali aliens- who survive by merging genetically with primitive peoples without their permission. Adulthood Rites: Desperate to regain their world, childless humans seek to cleanse the alien taint by kidnapping hybrid children. But the raiders are blind to the truth of Earth's new children. Imago: The futures of both humans and aliens rest in one young being's successful metamorphosis into adulthood.

The trilogy consists of Book One: Dawn  Book 2: Adulthood Rites  Book 3: Imago
and is only available to order as a compilation of all three books: Lilith's Brood


5.  The Hyperion series by Dan Simmons

The Hyperion books are credited with single-handedly reinventing and reinvigorating SF in the 1990s. A broad canvased, hugely imaginative and exciting SF epic, the books draw on the works of Keats and provide a uniquely intelligent and literary approach with cutting edge science, compelling characterization and edge-of-your-seat excitement.

Hyperion is the tale of seven people who make a pilgrimage to a terrifying creature called the Shrike in an attempt to save mankind. Stunningly written and beautifully crafted, Simmons's Hyperion resonates with technical achievement and the excitement and wonder found only in the best SF.

Book 1: Hyperion  Book 2: The Fall of Hyperion  Book 3: Endymion  Book 4: The Rise of Endymion


As always, if an item is not in stock, we are happy to special order for you.  All of these titles are readily available (of course they are, because they are awesome!).

Reviews are all excerpts from goodreads.com.  Follow the title links and scroll down the resulting page to get to a collection of reader reviews and get more insight into the books.

Happy reading!

--Mica

Steamy Side of Summer: Part Two

Today:  two more titles that would make me blush profusely if I saw them in one of our in-store displays! (For the sake of my complexion, you won't find these two titles on our shelves.  However, we are always happy to special order for you!)

I'm a pretty happy-go-lucky person, so when I want something racy I tend towards the light and fluffy side of the spectrum (see my blog post, The Steamy Side of Summer: Part One).  However, that's not for everyone, and I don't want to be exclusionary.  If your interest is piqued by tales of "sensual depravity" (heh, I love that term)--stories that may test your sense of propriety and perhaps even your concept of right and wrong--this is the blog post for you.

My first recommendation is "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer" by Patrick Suskind.

 The protagonist--a real anti-hero--has an inhumanly sharp sense of smell and becomes a perfumer, but as he learns the secrets of the trade, his gift drives him to madness as he attempts to recreate the aromas of life--including that of a young virgin. Suskind's book gained quite a bit of popularity, thanks to its sensuality and darkness; it was even turned into a  Hollywood movie a few years ago (a disappointing one, from what I hear, as film is not the best medium for capturing scent). A sensual rather than sexual book, with a few scenes that are exceptions to the rule (including a jaw-dropping crowd scene towards the end of the book.  Yowza!)

If you like a little more boldness (okay, a LOT more boldness), I recommend "The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty." 

Behold:

A torrid, violent story of sexual enslavement, starring Sleeping Beauty of the old fairy tales.  Yikes.  I discovered this book on a shelf in my 9th grade English classroom (SO inappropriate...) and promptly "borrowed" it.  Let me tell you, it was all the rage with my friends, many of whom enjoyed this book so much that they read the whole trilogy.  Anne Rice (writing as A.N. Roquelaure, and employing perhaps the most useless pseudonym ever; see the cover above) is incredibly dark and incredibly graphic--and her readers love her for it.  She followed up this classic with two more titles, "Beauty's Punishment" and "Beauty's Release," so if you like the first in the series, never fear, there's more where that came from.

Stay tuned--next week, Pamela will share her recommendations for hot summer reads.  Oh my!

--Mica