Archive for November, 2009

Hamilton–Photo by Roy Carroll

November 30, 2009   Posted in: Hamilton  3 Comments

Guilt-Free Cybershopping

Anybody who knows me is well aware that I fervently push shopping locally, especially at independently-owned stores of any kind.  My fervor is largely because of what happens to indies like mine when people don’t shop there, partly because of the effect on the community when local stores disappear and partly because of the essential [...]

November 30, 2009   Posted in: Tales of a Bookseller  2 Comments

Review: Ballad

Ballad
Maggie Stiefvater
Flux, 2009
ISBN 0738714844
Trade Paperback
James, a teen with a remarkable gift for music, is surrounded by other students with artistic talents at Thornking-Ash School of Music, a boarding school in the mountains of Virginia.   His long-time best friend, Dee, is also a student there but they are estranged, torn apart by earlier events involving the [...]

November 27, 2009  Tags: , ,   Posted in: My Reviews  No Comments

Starting Over

I’m happy to welcome Kathleen Delaney, author of
And Murder for Dessert,  as guest blogger today.  Kathleen is the author of several mysteries who found herself facing an almost insurmountable hurdle a year ago.  Here, she shares with us the story of what happened to her and how she has come to terms with it.
It’s been [...]

November 25, 2009   Posted in: Guest Blogs  10 Comments

Review: A Country Affair

A Country Affair
Rebecca Shaw
Three Rivers Press, 2006
ISBN 1400098203
Trade Paperback
I’m an addict when it comes to the heartwarming sort of small town story, the kind that involves a large cast of characters living unremarkable lives but you can’t help wanting to know what’s going to happen next.  You know the kind of books I mean, Jan [...]

November 24, 2009  Tags: ,   Posted in: My Reviews  No Comments

The Harlequin Mess

The internet has been full of talk about Harlequin Enterprise’s decision to enter the self-publishing arena and the subsequent outcry from nearly all sides.   Essentially, a traditional publisher thought it would be a good idea to offer a self-publishing division branded with its own name.
Wrong.  Wrong on so many levels.
Many people, myself sometimes included, speak [...]

November 24, 2009   Posted in: Tales of a Bookseller  One Comment

My Daughters Rock

My other daughter, Laura, found the last three of my missing posts so the blog is complete again.   Thank heavens Annie and Laura know a lot more about this sort of thing than I do.  Thanks, girls!
And I promise not to delete anything again without asking first ; )

November 23, 2009   Posted in: Tales of a Bookseller  One Comment

Review: Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery

Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery
Deborah and James Howe
Aladdin Paperbacks, October 2006
ISBN 1416928170
Digest Paperback
Harold the dog and Chester the cat are comfortable in their home with Mr. and Mrs. Monroe and their two sons, Toby and Pete (all fake names for their protection).  Harold and Chester are far more erudite than we humans could possibly believe [...]

November 22, 2009  Tags: , ,   Posted in: My Reviews  2 Comments

I Should Not Be Allowed to Touch This Blog

Sigh.  I managed to delete some of my posts today and I can’t even claim it was accidental because I meant to do it.  Actually, I thought I could delete them from the admin section because they had already been published.
Apparently, that also deletes them from the blog itself.
My webguru, Annie, has helped me retrieve [...]

November 22, 2009   Posted in: Tales of a Bookseller  One Comment

The Future May Be Now

I read an article in the November 16, 2009, issue of Publishers Weekly about the demise of the mall bookstore now that Borders has announced the closing of 200 Waldenbooks.  Once that has been accomplished, there will be very few small-format bookstores left in malls and the author of the article, Judith Rosen, notes that [...]

November 20, 2009   Posted in: Tales of a Bookseller  2 Comments