July 2009

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Logrolling for the Non-Lumberjack

July 30, 2009 in publishing by Claire | 2 comments

Should you trust blurbs on the back of books?

One of the many reasons I never want real, live, actual bookstores to disappear from our lives is because browsing through books is one of life’s most enjoyable activities.  Even if my night table is stacked to the ceiling with books I should be reading, I can waste hours in a nice little bookstore, glancing through tables of books the owners specifically chose to display, picking up the ones whose covers or titles pique my interest, reading the first page or two . . . and checking to see what kind of blurbs it got. 

I admit with only a certain amount of shame that I’m likelier to check out a book that someone has called “sexy” or “fun” or “fast-moving” on the cover and a little less likely to pick up one that’s described as “moving,” or “thoughtful,” or “emotionally devastating.”  But that’s just me.

I’ll also make a point of scrutinizing books that boast a blurb from an author I already know and love.  If Robin Hobb puts her stamp of approval on a fantasy novel by an unknown author, I may well take give that new author a try.  Same with graphic novels and Alan Moore.  And if Jane Austen were around to recommend modern women’s fiction, I’d be grabbing at anything she said was worth reading.

The funny thing is, I know better than to trust blurbs.  Because . . . you know . . . I write them. Read the rest of this entry »

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Translated Tuesday – Back to the Coast by Saskia Noort

July 28, 2009 in book review, international, press, translation by Kim | 1 comment

9781904738374Saskia Noort’s Back to the Coast grabbed me within the first three pages:  Maria is a single mom with two kids who just returned from having an abortion.  Before the reader has a chance to empathize with Maria, the threatening letters arrive:         

The letterbox rattled and the mail landed on the floor with a soft thud. . . I hauled myself up and shuffled over to the door, where I picked up the damp pile of envelopes.  Two letters from the taxman, a bank statement, a reminder for my six-monthly dental check-up and a postcard.  A black-and-white photograph of cute pink baby feet.  Tiny feet smelling of little white lambs and baby oil, tiny feet I wanted to kiss and cuddle, tiny feet I was mourning.  What a horrible coincidence.  My womb was still throbbing with pain. . . I picked up the card with trembling fingers and caressed the crinkly toes, the delicate heels.  I swallowed the tears that welled up and turned over the card. 

Maria!  You’re a viper.  A slut.  You murdered your child.  You don’t deserve to have children.  You don’t deserve to have a life.  I’ve been watching your case for years.  Someone ought to punish you, whore!

I’ll be watching you.

 The threats quickly escalate causing Maria to rush to her sister’s for safety.  However, with all good thrillers, there isn’t an escape, just a turn in the plot. 

Back to the Coast takes place in Amsterdam and in a seaside village on the Dutch coast.  The book gives a reader a gentle view of the stereotypical free and easy lifestyle of Amsterdam with Maria, a mother largely unconcerned with a conventional life.  Maria sings in a band, her two children have different fathers, neither of whom she married, and she never turns down a drink.  However, her strong suits are love and compassion.  In contrast, Maria’s sister Ans represents the traditional, taciturn, stern attitude of the Dutch.  Her house is sterile.  Disapproval drips from her.  Her life is a series of filling obligations.  Read the rest of this entry »

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Texas Board of Education Reaches National Arena with Textbook Debate

July 27, 2009 in textbooks by Claire | No comments

My favorite kind of post: a guest-written one.   The following post on the ongoing textbook debate in Texas was kindly contributed by Britney Wilkins, who writes about the online universities. She welcomes your feedback at BritneyWilkins81 at yahoo.com.  Also check out her website .

There has been a recent debate within lawmakers in Texas over the curriculum in American history classes, moving past the recent “evolution” debate in Texas a few months ago. While there was originally debate over the importance of specific characters within history that many lawmakers did not agree with, the conflict has now moved to the implications which religious theology should have in social studies textbooks. Three of the reviewers of the curriculum have been striving to emphasize the roles of the Bible, the Christian faith, and the civic virtue of religion in the study of American history while two of them want to remove reference to “liberal” iconic figures like César Chávez or Thurgood Marshall.

This debate has in turn sparked controversy around the state, even within the national arena because of the blatant agenda pushing that many partisan voters contend is going on within the legislature. K-12 textbooks have always been a tricky subject for many lawmakers to deal with, since they have to develop a curriculum that can reach all ends of the spectrum while still providing students with a balanced view of their own state. On one side of the review board, lawmakers have the social conservatives who feel that teaching about such figures affects the “moral and spiritual soul of America” while the other camp contends that there should be more references to Latinos and Native Americans who helped mold Texas history. The Texas Board of Education is going about this the right way at least, and allowing social studies teachers from around Texas to cast their recommendations to the board in order to revise the standards.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Dudley’s Books Shares an Example of “Community”

July 25, 2009 in bookstore, classics, giveaway, used books by Kim | No comments

One of the reasons independent bookstores are so important is that they 320_6447399provide a place to build and support community, more so than almost any other type of retailer.  We’ve discussed this various times on the blog and posted a list of what some stories around the country are doing to promote a sense of community.  Last week, Terri Cumbie of Dudley’s Bookstore and Cafe in Bend, OR shared this story that typifies what lovers of bookstores mean when they describe community:

I had something amazing happen in the shop last week….  I found a leather-bound copy of the Collected Works of Thoreau at a thrift store and put it in the window of my shop.  Some guy came in the store and was having coffee when a young woman came in and said she wanted to buy the Thoreau book but didn’t have any money today.  She wanted to know if I would hold it for her until the next day, which was no problem.  After she left, the man came up to the counter with the book in his hands and said he wanted to buy it for the young woman so she would be surprised the next day.  I asked him what I should do if she didn’t come back for it.  He said to give it to the next person who inquired about it.  Well, the young woman didn’t come back, and on the 4th day, I put it back in the window.  A young man came in with a dark cloud over his head, and asked about the Thoreau book.  I told him he was welcome to take it, as it had been bought as a gift by a previous customer.  He was so shocked!  He told me that he’d just gotten back to the States after spending a year in Peru with Patch Adams, painting/repairing some slums in a town along the Amazon River, and when he returned to the States, he was distressed at our wealth and how we seemed not to appreciate it.  And then he was given this book by a complete stranger.  He was so thankful and wrote a note to the man (who remained nameless).  I was so very honored to witness this.  It’s all about community, isn’t it?

Yes it is all about community!

If you have any bookstore stories you’d like to share, please tell us!

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The Best Walking Tour in San Francisco!

July 23, 2009 in bookstore, Literary Event, travel by Kim | No comments

1stPlaceSanFranciscoCableCarsFollowing in the steps of The Millions in New York, Conversational Reading organized an independent bookstore walking tour in San Francisco.  Here’s the itinerary:

  • Starts @ 12:00 pm. Get Lost Travel Books, @ 1825 Market St. Travel extravaganza, with special curated selection of lit-in-translation.
  • 12:30. The Green Arcade @ 1680 Market St. Lots of green and sustainable living titles, plus an interesting selection of nonfiction and fiction. Lots of each I haven’t seen anywhere else.
  • 1:00. Great Books Symposium, @ 325 Hayes St. The best selection of classics I’ve seen in any one place, hands down. Plus, info on their series of “symposium” book discussion groups.
  • 1:30. Books, Inc in the Castro, @ 2275 Market St. More hand-picked fiction and non, great coverage of LGBT titles, and awesome staff picks.
  • 2:00. The Booksmith, @ 1644 Haight St. An SF institution, and Vollmann’s home-away-from-home when he’s in SF. There will be a special visual presentation here and a reception after we’ve shopped.  (I love this bookstore!)

They’re moving a pretty fast clip!  Can’t join the fun?  Bookmark this post, grab a map, and walk your own tour–that is exactly what I’ll be doing the next time I’m in San Francisco.

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