Christmas on Main Street

This year for the third time I played Mrs. Claus in the annual Christmas on Main Street celebration in Westhampton Beach. Although the wig is itchy and the sweater is really ugly, I enjoy entering into the holiday spirit. This year was cold and between the children coming for storytime and the dogs coming in to have pictures with Santa, chaos reigned. Despite the craziness, there is something about the sound of carollers and the decorated trees and the earnest children asking how Santa can see them when they are sleeping. I hope your holidays are relatively stress free and full of moments of joy and wonder (and no outlandish costumes!)

Rabbit Food

I sometimes say that I devour books or that I just eat them up. Oddly enough in my house we have a creature that literally eats books. Our lovely bunny enjoys a little literary nosh when allowed. So we keep the bottom shelf of the bookcase just for Bunny. Sometimes it is hard to decide what warrants banishment to the bunny shelf. Sometimes it is just a book that I know I will never read, sometimes it is a book that I have kept in the car so long that the glue has melted and the pages have fallen out, sometimes my motives are downright vindictive. If I really disliked a book.....onto the bunny shelf it goes.

This may be seen as animal abuse if Bunny could actually read (and I am preceding from the belief that he never learned).  As to paper and texture, I believe that books are fairly similar. But are they? Sometimes Bunny will just eat the cover of a book and ignore the pages. Sometimes he will make his way well into a book. Tonight he was eating Who Cares by Dee Marrella.  Sara says this means that he has deep inner thoughts.  I wonder......

Cause for Celebration

This AP photograph is a book lover's dream. We have a president-elect who looks awfully comfortable carrying a book around! Not a Kindle, not a file, not a newspaper......a real live, paper and print book. Here is a favorite quote from Barack Obama:

"I believe that if we want to give our children the best possible chance in life, if we want to open the doors of opportunity while they're young and teach them the skills they'll need to succeed later on, then one of our greater responsibilities as citizens, as educators and as parents is to insure that every American child can read and read well. That's because literacy is the most basic currency of the knowledge economy that we're living in today."

Books for the Holidays

Shopping for the holidays in this troubled economy can be stressful. One avid reader and book blogger has decided to address this by encouraging people to buy books for the holidays. Books make wonderful gifts, are relatively inexpensive (compared to an iPod anyway) and are memorable. Check out the blog, aptly titled Buy Books for the Holidays. It has book suggestions and ideas for non-readers alike. You can post questions about books for cousins and nephews and bosses. Within minutes, book bloggers from far and wide will be back to you with titles and authors for the most difficult person on your list. This makes shopping relatively painless. Just make a list of titles, visit your local independent bookstore and you are ready to enjoy your eggnog knowing that you have found the perfect gift for everyone!

A Small Good Thing

Sometimes a book does not have to have bombs bursting and wars breaking out and bad guys lurking at every turn. Sometimes the story of an everyday life is satisfying and spellbinding. The story of the man who runs the corner store or the woman who has too many kids can help us to remember that everyone, no matter how seemingly mundane their life, has a story.

I just finished reading Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo. While there are a few fist fights and dramatic scenes, the story focuses mostly on the very quiet lives of the Lynch family. Lou and his son, the unfortunately nicknamed, Lucy, are large men who see the world as a good place. For Lou, a successful man must be a man that is well liked. When bad things happen he contiunually repeats, "I just don't understand". The Lynch men marry women who have a less favorable view of humanity, yet they stay with these optimistic men no matter how exasperating that may be.

Richard Russo writes so beautifully of small town life. He knows the towns that are teetering on the edge of extinction due to the closure of a factory. He knows the divisions between the classes and the races. Russo writes almost tenderly of these fallible, very human people. You come away from reading his books with the feeling that you would know his characters if you met them on the street. And seeing inside a character so deeply, is for me, a small good thing.

Overheard in the Bookstore

One customer to another customer:

"She likes all kinds of books. You know....both friction and non-friction."

As long as you keep reading (whatever you want to call it), I'm happy!

Saratoga

I just returned from a library conference in Saratoga, New York. It is a beautiful little town that was temporarily overrun by librarians who were there for the annual New York Library Association conference and lawyers there for an American Bar Association meeting.

Over the years I have been to many bookseller's conventions. I have gone to the big Book Expos with their numerous vendors and fancy luncheons and noted authors. I have also attended the smaller, regional conferences where you have time to meet other booksellers and learn a little about how they survive the business. It was fun to compare the booksellers to the librarians. The similarities kind of suprised me.

Female booksellers and librarians do not tend to wear really high heels, maybe it is all that time spent walking among shelves of books. Both booksellers and librarians tend to stop in the middle of streets, hotel halls and restaurant lobbies to discuss something that gets them excited. Booksellers and librarians seem to really enjoy complimentary chocolate at display booths (much more than free pencils). Booksellers and librarians also really like free books, although the librarians are much more civilized and even wait to be invited before taking advance reading copies from a publisher.

Mostly, booksellers and librarians love books and people who like books. They get excited about new ways to get information out to people (though booksellers are, in general, not too thrilled about the popularity of the Kindle). Since I am both a bookseller and a librarian, I will admit that we are a quirky bunch of people that value words and knowledge over many other things that normal folks think is important. Oh yeah....it seems that the majority of us wear glasses.

Halloween

Every Halloween for the last ten years I have joined all the other Main Street merchants in dressing up and closing early to give out candy to the children of my community. I have always said that one of the things I like best about owning a bookstore is that I have had the opportunity to dress up in silly costumes much more often than most adults. I have dressed as a clown and a witch and a giant mouse and a witch and a gypsy and a witch. (You have to forgive the repetition but I just have the best witch's hat!). The first year, I was the only one standing in front of The Open Book, guarding the cauldron of candy. This year we have a large volunteer crew joining in on the fun.

I am lucky to live in a small town that closes down Main Street so that kids can safely celebrate getting lots of candy and dressing in silly/scary costumes. And, if I do say so myself, this town is lucky to have independent business owners that spend their own money on Halloween candy and close their businesses so kids can have some fun. So on Halloween and on every day, don't forget to shop locally and support the businesses that support your community.

Blogmania

If you just can't get enough of either my opinion about books or blogs in general, I have a treat for you. I am a part-time reference librarian at Rogers Memorial Library in Southampton and we just launched a new blog called By the Book. This blog will feature book reviews by my fellow librarians and news about the literary goings-on at the library. Hope you enjoy it!

Sisters

I have two sisters, both of whom I love dearly and both of whom I rarely see. It is not that I would not love to see them much more often, but many miles divide us. Still, we are sisters and that bond is unbreakable and above all, precious.

I recently read a book by Julia Glass entitled I See You Everywhere. This is the story of Louisa and Clem, the "serious" sister and the rebel. The two tell their stories in alternating chapters, tracing the story of their lives over the years. As they move further apart geographically, they grow closer emotionally. This is a funny, heart-rending story that is beautifully written. Although both sisters could be difficult and prickly, I liked them and found them to be both honest and real. I found myself hoping for a happy ending with the two sisters rocking on a porch in the sun as they enjoyed their old age.

I guess sisters are a rich topic for fiction. In my library's catalog there are over 250 books listed under the subject "Fiction - Sisters". Some of my favorites are:

Desirable Daughters by Bharati Mukherjee

The Faraday Girls by Monica McInerney

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

How to be Lost by Amanda Eyre Ward

Last Summer (of you and me) by Ann Brashares

Leonardo's Swans by Karen Essex

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

The Wilde Women by Paula Wall

These books demonstrate that relationships between sisters range from affection and caring to competition and rage. The stories are entertaining and funny and sad and sometimes emotionally difficult.

And to my sisters who are so far away....I am thinking of you, miss you and love you......

Where are you reading?

I just read an article in a magazine about a man who stores his American Literature collection in a beautiful cabinet in his bathroom. While this may seem a little strange to some people, it makes perfect sense to me. When people ask me what I am reading, I usually answer, "where?"

This is a tour of my current reading life. Upstairs in the bedroom, I am currently sleeping with (and sometimes on) two books: Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead (an advance readers edition of a much anticipated book) and Portrait of a Lady by Henry James. Whitehead wins out over James most of the time, because James is "required reading" for a book club meeting and it is inevitably put off until the last minute. (I say that this is so it is fresh in my mind, but really it is just procrastination). Still upstairs, in the bathroom I am reading The Temptation of the Night Jasmine by Lauren Willlig. This book is historical fiction of the lighter sort and is perfect bathtub reading.

Downstairs in the living room there is a copy of a play, Wait Until Dark by Frederick Knott, and The Gold Coast by Nelson Demille. I am re-reading The Gold Coast in anticipation of the release of DeMille's new book, The Gatehouse in a few weeks. In the dining room is a pile of books that are "to be read" and have yet to be prioritized. In the kitchen are the cookbooks, which as you can tell from the previous post, also are fine reading material.

You might think you are done with the tour, but no, hang on a minute. You cannot forget the car and both of my jobs. In the car is a decrepit copy of The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb that is being slowly consumed at bank drive-through windows and other waiting areas (I swear I hardly ever try to read at red lights....) At the bookstore, ironically enough, I hardly ever read books. I try to catch up on catalogs and reviews and book magazines. But at the library, on my break, I have an uninterrupted period of time to sit down and read. Right now I am reading Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire.

I have always enjoyed reading many books at the same time. There are different books for different moods and different times. Some people think that this is confusing and just a little crazy. I say that if you want to know what I am reading, you better specify the location or sit down, because it may take awhile.

Comfort Food

When I was growing up in California, October wasn't exactly autumnal. The weather would cool down from the blazing 100 degrees common to the Sacramento summer, but we did not have to pull out the warm jackets to take long walks and kick the falling leaves. Here in Westhampton, the temperatures have cooled and the leaves are changing and it feels like the time to hit the farm stand to buy fall produce to make a hearty soup. This kind of weather is also good for curling up under a cozy blanket on the couch and reading a good book.

My favorite book of the moment is called The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister. This book is due to be released in January, but I cannot wait until then to talk about it. The story revolves around a cooking class given by Lillian at her restaurant. Lillian believes in the power of food to evoke emotions and memories and propel people to make changes in their lives. As the classes progress, we learn the stories of the students, sometimes funny, sometimes sad. This book just made me want to cook and tell stories and be with the people that I love. I am sorry that you have to wait for it, but in the meantime, here are some food books to whet your appetite....

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel is a story of magic and food and familial obligation. The language is rich and beautiful and you will fall in love with the characters. Tita, though constrained by familial expectations and a rather difficult mother, shines through.

Another magical story that revolves around food, family and love, La Cucina takes place in Sicily and is full of descriptions so lush and complete that you swear you can taste the food. Rosa suffers great love and enters into mad passion. Sadly, in her darkest days she move to Palermo and becomes a librarian (!?!).

I just loved this small book that is partly an ode to pies and partly a memoir. The author describes the pies and the pie-makers with delicacy and affection. I especially love the sections dealing with the "Pie Ramble", a kind of roadtrip/quest for the holiest of grails....a perfect piece of diner pie. Humor and love are combined in this book to make a tasty dish.

If you have finished these books and it is still not time for the release of Bauermeister's book, you can turn to the tried and true book of food stories: The Joy of Cooking. I am most fond of the 1975 edition. This classic cookbook will tell you everything from how to set a table for entertaining to how to cook a lamb's head (though you may want to skip that recipe if you have a weak stomach). Among the many recipes you will find little stories and tips about cooking, and sometimes life.

Good food nourishes not only the body, but the soul. Good books about food do the same. So make a big pot of soup, find a soft blanket and settle in on a rainy autumn afternoon for a good read.

fREADom

Just about a year ago I heard a rumor about a parent who was upset about the content of two books on a list of 300 self-select reading books for the 9th grade. According to the rumors (I live in a small town and rumors abound), there was a petition asking for the removal of the books from the list and from the library. As a library science student, a bookseller and a mother, I felt that I needed to investigate what looked like an attempt to censor books. This began a season of my life that was difficult and disturbing and just a little heart-breaking.

The petition was presented, committees were formed, sides were taken. Because I chose to fight the removal of the books from the list, I lost long-time customers at the bookstore, I was berated for bringing negative publicity to our town, I was accosted at my place of business and called a "pornographer" and my 15 year old daughter and I were addressed at a school board meeting by a parent who told us that she felt sad that the only way that my daughter and I could relate to one another was to read filthy books together. The disappointment was compounded when the school board decided to remove the books from the list. I lost a lot of innocence about what I had supposed was a general consensus that people should not dictate what I or my children were allowed to read.

Yet in the midst of all of this, I experienced something that gave me so much hope. And since next week is "Banned Book Week", I wanted to reflect on that event. On a cool, autumn night, about 70 people showed up at the bookstore to celebrate their right to read. We had people of all ages writing letters to the school board, making posters, signing petitions and eating pizza. We had celebrated authors including Roger Rosenblatt, Julie Sheehan, and Ursula Hegi read aloud from works that had been challenged. We had school teachers and journalists and librarians read, as well. But most importantly, we had teens (Kristian, Kenny, Rachel P., Louie, Amanda, Rachel L., Billy ) read aloud from books such as The Giver, The Book Thief, Catcher in the Rye, The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Go Ask Alice. I got goosebumps while these works were being read because all of the people that had been eating and talking and writing, stopped what they were doing and listened....listened to these words that others had wanted to silence.

Although we may have lost this particular fight against censorship, I believe that something was gained. The young people that came to our "Read-In" learned that is possible to dissent both vocally and respectfully. They also learned that rights that we may take for granted are rights that are precious. I hope that they feel that they fought the good fight and that books and reading will always be worth the struggle.

So I hope that you are able to take some time this week to read a good book and celebrate your freedom to read. If you want to see a list of some books that have been challenged or banned, take a look at the ALA list of the top 100 for 2000-2007. I think you might be amazed at some of the titles you see.

School for Scandal

School has begun and the books I have been reading lately all seem to deal with schools and scandals . I recently took the comprehensive exams for my library degree and I have not felt that level of pressure for many years. But for young people in school, the pressures go beyond those of an academic nature. These three books deal with the social pressures, the gossip, the impact of the internet on kids. The books also talk about how these issues affect the lives of the adults involved in their world.

In Testimony by Anita Shreve, the headmaster of a private school, three male students and a young girl each tell their story of a drunken party, a video posted on the internet, an affair between unexpected people and lives that are changed forever. The narration of the story in a so many different voices leaves open questions, that may or may not be answered by the end of the book. This book does not come out for another month but it is affecting and timely and well worth the wait.

The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perotta deals with the dangerous combination of religion and education. Ruth Ramsey, the human sexuality teacher at the local high school is forced to teach an abstinence curriculum after parents complain about the content of her course. Tim Mason, one of the evangelical Christian parents who does not approve of Ruth, has troubles of his own. This book shows both the personal and the societal effects of this very timely struggle. Perotta writes so well that you feel you know all the characters.

Carol Goodman's Lake of Dead Languages is a book that explores scandals, both old and new, at a boarding school located in a rural setting. Jane Hudson returns to her old school, along with her young daughter, to teach Latin after a failed marriage. Jane had left Heart Lake School twenty years earlier after a scandal. This haunting story tells of late night rituals, murder and suicide and the secrets a school community can keep over many years.


September has always been a "back to school" time of year with new notebooks, sharpened pencils and shined shoes. While it is easy to romanticize the good old school days, these books remind us that being young is not as carefree as we would like to remember.

It's a Classic

Oh how I love a Penguin Classic! If I won the lottery, I would not run out and buy diamonds or cars or houses, I would buy the complete set of Penguin Classics. As an independent bookseller, I rarely want to buy anything from Amazon.com, but every once in a while I log on and look with longing at their "sale priced" (only $7,989.50) collection. It is described as follows: The Penguin Classics Library Complete Collection currently consists of 1,082 titles, all great works of literature totaling nearly half a million pages. From Renaissance philosophy to the poetry of revolutionary Russia, from the spiritual writings of India to the travel narratives of the early American colonists, from The Complete Pelican Shakespeare to The Portable Sixties Reader, there are classics here to educate, provoke, entertain, and enlighten readers of all interests and inclinations.


While I am waiting for those winning lottery numbers, I try to be content with reading one classic at a time and slowly building up my library. I love the Jane Austens, the Charlotte Brontes and the Steinbecks. So in the spirit of starting up new things in the fall (it is a new school year, after all), the Open Book Book Club has decided to start an offshoot devoted only to classics. We will meet on Sunday afternoons every other month to have a snack and discuss a classic novel. We are starting with Henry James' The Portrait of a Lady. If you live in the area and would like to join us for our October meeting, you are welcome.

If you can't make the meetings, join us in spirit and let me know what your favorite classic is. And keep an eye out for those distinctive black-bottomed covers at your favorite independent bookstore. They always encase a treasure.

Wife Tales

The last two books I read had the word "wife" in the title. I could try to continue my streak but that would mean abandoning the advance of the new Wally Lamb book which is titled, The Hour I First Believed. So far the Wally Lamb is disturbing and really good....I cannot wait to find out where it will go.

So, to the wives.


The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff is part historical fiction, part present day mystery. The story of Jordan Scott, a "lost boy" expelled from his fundamentalist community and the story of Ann Eliza Young, the 19th wife of Brigham Young are intertwined in this well-researched, fascinating novel. The history of polygamy and the Morman religion are explored as the stories proceed. The characters are complex and their stories are compelling. A great read to take you into Autumn.


American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld is the story of a Republican president's wife. This character closely resembles the current president's wife and this book has gotten quite a bit of publicity because of that. I liked this book because it made me think about the perceptions we hold of public figures. Sittenfeld writes clearly and with great detail about this woman who lives in a skin that is not always a comfortable fit. Although, I did not always admire the main character, I felt some compassion for her life.


Enjoy Labor Day weekend, take some time to read a good book!

Rules to Live By

On the way to the library today I passed a church that had a billboard out front. On the billboard it said, "Don't Commit Adultery. Don't Kill. Don't Steal." About a quarter of a mile past the church there is a liquor store. In front of the liquor store there is a neon pink, handwritten sign that says, "Be Nice". Though the latter is less specific, I believe it may cover a lot more ground than the church billboard. Enjoy the rest of the summer. Be nice.

Bookstore Stories

How could I have possible lived this long without reading this wonderful little book? Beth the Librarian told me about it last Friday and by Friday at midnight I had read it and added it to my list of the very best books ever. This small gem of a memoir tells the story of a New York writer and the people who work at a small London bookshop and the correspondence between them in the years following World War II. Apparently there is also a wonderful film starring Anne Bancroft.

There are other books that feature bookstores and their caretakers. Here is a list of a few of them:

Shelf Life: Romance, Mystery, Drama, and Other Page-Turning Adventures from a Year in a Bookstore by Suzanne Strempek Shea

The Bookshop: A Novel by Penelope Fitzgerald

The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley

The Kings English: Adventures of an Independent Bookseller by Betsy Burton

I realize that not everyone is as obsessed by bookstores and bookselling as I am, but all of these books are little windows into a world that has kept me interested and learning for almost ten years.

It's A Mystery

It is a mystery how the summer can fly by so quickly....

Last night the library's mystery genre discussion group met. We had a great group with lots of suggestions for good reads. We also were very lucky to have a visit from Jason Pinter, author of The Mark, The Guilty and The Stolen. Not only did Jason drive all the way from Manhattan to Southampton, but he and his wife even baked cookies and brownies for the gathering. The group members enjoyed talking to Jason about his writing and his life. I think we should all keep our eye on Jason Pinter.....someday we will gloat that we knew him before he was a mega-million selling author!

Some of the other authors that were mentioned at the discussion were Josephine Tey, Harlan Coben, Lee Child, and Jacqueline Winspear. My list of mysteries to read continues to grow. I am currently finishing The Rules of Deception by Christopher Reich. It is interesting, but quite convoluted. I may have to finish it in the winter when my concentration levels are higher.

Summer brings all kinds of people into the bookstore, some wonderful, some not-so-wonderful. This summer has had its share of both. It is best to try to laugh at the difficult people and revel in the wonderful. My favorite customer this summer was a small boy, about 6 or 7 years old. He came up to me and said, "Excuse me, could you help me find a book?". I (thrilled to be treated to some good manners) said, "Sure, what are you looking for?". "Well," he said. "I need a book for a grown woman." I tried not to giggle as I asked him what he had in mind. He told me, "I think this Jane Austen might be a good present for my mom." We happily found him a Jane Austen and wrapped it as beautifully as possible for a very lucky grown woman.

Summer Reading

The ironic thing about running a bookstore in the Hamptons in the summer while working part-time as a librarian, is that there is almost no time to read. I review catalogs and read reviews and order books, but the time to sit down and read is almost non-existent.

You might be amazed at the sneaky ways I find to read. There is a book in my car for the line at the automatic teller machine (and the occasional long red light). There is a book in the kitchen and my cooking truly reflects my love of fiction. There are books in each room, just in case I can grab and extra minute or two.

My summer reading this year reflects the quirky nature of my reading life. The following books are both wonderful and just a bit odd:

The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry was released a few years ago and being re-released this July. It is a tale of twins and madness and religious zealots and love. It takes place in Salem and tells the of a generation of women who can tell fortunes by reading pieces of lace. It twists and turns and surprises you up to the end.

Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos is another kind of story. It is the story of a small neighborhood and friendship and a marriage. It is a story of first impressions and how they can change. This book continues the story that de los Santos started in Love Walked In and she takes her characters on an interesting and very human journey.

How to describe The Monsters of Templeton? Well there is a monster and it is partially a historical novel and it is also a contemporary story of a historian hiding out in her hometown after trying to run down her married lover's wife with a bush plane in Alaska. Oh yes, the town is a thinly disguised Cooperstown, so the Baseball Hall of Fame also plays a bit part. Actually, I really cannot describe this book. I really liked it and I hope you do too.

I absolutely love Georgia Nicolson. I know these books are for teenagers but I just don't care. I love her slang and her outlandish ideas and her many friends. I even like her enemies (no one can be more nasty than Wet Lindsey). Stop in the Name of Pants is the latest in the saga, so if you haven't read Louise Rennison before you must start with Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging. I dare you to try to stop at just one book.

This is Buddha. He holds open the front door of The Open Book. Buddha has been licked by dogs, kicked by small children, sat upon, hugged and his stomach has been rubbed more times than can be counted. He had been called "Buddy", "Baby" and "That Chubby Guy". And still he sits patient and serene.

When we moved into the new store, we found that the big glass front door was extremely heavy. We tried rubber door wedges and wooden door stops and the door smashed them. I bought a cute cast iron dog and the door knocked it across the sidewalk. Finally we settled on a cinder block, which was practical but ugly and soulless. And then one day I came to work to find Buddha sitting in front of the door, effortlessly holding it open for all passersby. Jessica, the magnificent store manager and her husband, Seamus, the adorable, had brought Buddha from home to live and work at The Open Book. Seamus even built Buddha a little cart with wheels so that the Open Bookies could save their backs for lifting heavy boxes.

Buddha reminds people to ignore the siren song of the sand and sea and to come into the store to browse the books. He convinces people that the steak on the grill and the wine in the glass can wait a few minutes while they decide on a good read. Buddha reminds me to be kind and patient when I am tired and every face starts to blur into one.

I hope that having Buddha as a doorman is not sacrilegious. I believe his position is one of honor and sporadic respect. Moms with yoga mats have been known to teach their children to say "Namaste" to Buddha. I know that I have rarely left the quiet, empty bookstore at the end of a long day without giving his belly a little pat for luck and saying a thank you for his service.

So next time you are in town, come by and say hello to Buddha. Just don't call him "Baby".

Independence Day

Ten years ago, when I opened The Open Book, the American Booksellers Association was in the process of launching its Booksense program. This program was developed to give independent booksellers buying power, lobbying power and a presence in a world where chain bookstores seemed to be taking over. This year, the ABA announced the creation of "Indie Bound", a new program designed to promote independent businesses of all kinds, with a focus on your local independent bookstore, of course.

In educating myself about this new program, I began to think about what it means to own an independent bookstore. Several years ago I wrote an essay on this subject for a regional booksellers association conference. I thought I might include a bit of the essay in this blog.

An independent bookseller at her best is a little beam of humanity in a crazy boxstore world. I will remember that your grandchild reads well above his level, that you cannot read the tiny print on mass market books anymore, that you love a cozy mystery, that you only read “good” books, that you are sad, tired, over-worked, in love or in need of a hearty belly laugh.

An independent bookseller knows that she will probably never make the Fortune 500, but she also knows that wealth takes many forms. As an independent bookseller, I am rich in friends, “adopted” children, and, of course, books. I am rich in life altering encounters with people who have brought me laughter and offered me wisdom and trusted me with their stories.

An independent bookseller is important in a world where forms must be filled out and customers are assigned a number. An independent bookseller is likely to write an order on the back of a lunch bag or drop a book off at the customer’s house on the way home from work. Acknowledging the individuality and humanity of our customers, we fight against the grey automation of the retail world. When you come into an independent bookstore, you come into a world that reflects the personality, beliefs, and aesthetics of one or two people, not a faceless corporation.

At the end of a long day, I am so proud to be an independent bookseller. I feel that my work makes the world a better place, if only in an small way. I feel that I give value for the money spent in my store. I feel that people are better for spending their time in my store. I feel that the work I do is important. Finally, every day I am reminded that I am one of the luckiest people I know because I am able to do work I truly love.

So, even though it is a little early, happy Independence Day. And I hope you remember to patronize your local independent businesses this summer. Now go read a good book!

Here's To All The Dads!

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. I know that my dad is reading this from the other side of the country, and while I am grateful that this computer makes communication easier, I certainly wish I was not so far away.

Have you ever noticed how "bad dads" abound in literature? Read anything by Pat Conroy or Augusten Burroughs and you will be grateful that you were not part of their families. But where are the "good dads"? Well I have found a few in fiction and non-fiction and in honor of Father's Day, here is a list of recommended books with kind, caring, loving and sometimes, funny, fathers.

Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank Gilbreth. I admit that the father in this is a little bombastic but he has a good heart, is hilariously clueless and loves his many children.

Plainsong by Kent Haruf. The McPheron brothers fall into the role of father to an unwed teen mother and Tom struggles to care for his two young boys after their mother leaves them.

Dirty Job by Christopher Moore. This one is pretty quirky. But despite his over involvement with death, Charlie is a loving and protective father to his daughter, Sophie.

Daddy Needs A Drink by Robert Wilder. This is a funny group of essays by a high school teacher learning the perils of being "Mr. Mom".

The Way Home by Henry Dunow. I am not very interested in baseball but this story of a man coaching his son's little league team was a touching look at the evolving relationship between a father and a son.

One father that I have great admiration for is Randy Pausch. Though dying of pancreatic cancer, he has made an effort to leave a legacy of wisdom for his children. If you have not seen the film about his last lecture at Carnegie Mellon University, I have included a link to it. There is also a book called The Last Lecture which expands on the video. Dr. Pausch has an fresh way of looking at the world and appears to savor the life he has yet to live without seeking self-pity or being maudlin.

So, on Father's Day, if you are lucky enough to have your father around, give him a hug, or a call, or a cookie or a really expensive sports car, if you have the pocket change. And then, go read.....

We're Having A Heat Wave

It is HOT here in Long Island. The summer came flying in over the weekend with high heat, higher humidity and thunderstorms that brought trees down and left us without power. Last night I sat on my couch which was all wet from the rain (forgot to close the windows) and read the latest Lee Child with a flashlight and candles for light.

Jack Reacher is such a great character. I have run into very few people who do not like the Lee Child books. There are lots of reviews out there that try to explain why an ex-army drifter who travels around carrying only a toothbrush, an expired driver's license and an ATM card is so popular with both men and women readers. All I know is that I would be happy to read the whole book with a flashlight tucked under my chin.

So, now that the power is back on. I am going to go sit in front of the air conditioner and savor the last twenty pages.

A Little Bit of Magic

For someone who is supposed to be a grown-up, I love Harry Potter way too much. I revel in a world where people can fly on brooms and turn chocolate into toads and hatch baby dragons. In a pathetic attempt to justify my love of all magical fiction, I am giving you a list of "adult" (read, serious and legitimate) fiction that has either a little bit or a lot of magic between the pages.

I just finished Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen. I fell for the characters in this book in a second. But I really want an apple tree in my backyard that throws apples at people to get attention. I cannot wait to read her new book, The Sugar Queen.

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez also has a tree, but this tree sees much sorrow in the many years it gives it shade to the Buendia family. This family story is full of premonitions and mysteries, and is told in a way that leaves you wondering what is imagined and what is real.

One of my favorite books is The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. The love story of Henry and Clare is challenged by Henry's disturbing condition that occasionally sends him forward or backward in time. Once you have made the leap of imagination, the journey that this special couple takes will stay with you for a very long time.

Elizabeth Kostova spent many years researching and writing her novel, The Historian. Vampires, history and international setting combine in a haunting tale of the quest to find Vlad the Impaler.

A few summers ago, Alice Hoffman came to The Open Book when she was visiting friends in the area. I am afraid that the bookstore employees (and the owner) behaved like the rabid fans that we are and terrified the poor woman. Ms. Hoffman graciously signed books and left, looking relieved to get away. All of Alice Hoffman's books have a bit of magic, and one of my favorites is The Ice Queen. Ice, fire and water as metaphors, fairy tale references and love and passion are combined in a dark, beautiful story.

So, it is summer and what better time to indulge in the desire to experience worlds where things are a little out of the ordinary? If you want the ultimate fantasy experience, I highly recommend that you read all seven volumes of Harry Potter while eating Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans and drinking butterbeer!

Finding the Missing Pieces

I have always loved puzzles. I like jigsaws, crosswords, acrostics, and wordfinds. I think this love of puzzles explains my love of mystery books. I like all kinds of mysteries, from Agatha Christie to James Lee Burke. I like the cozy mysteries and police procedurals and legal thrillers and historical mysteries and even those crazy cat mysteries. (You would be amazed how many cat mysteries are out in the world!). I am working on a project for my job at the library that involves a compilation of mystery titles for summer reading and I thought I would tell you about some of my favorite mysteries.

Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers - Harriet Vane and Lord Peter Wimsey have to be the most elegant detectives on earth.

Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz - Izzy Spellman and her dysfunctional family will keep you laughing while trying to solve the mystery.

A Tan and Sandy Silence by John D. MacDonald - Before Magnum P.I. , there was Travis McGee. McGee is cooler than can be imagined as he solves mysteries from his Florida houseboat, "The Busted Flush".

Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters - I love the Amelia Peabody series. You can learn a little about archaeology's early days and enjoy the exotic locales. Amelia is stubborn and funny and destined to find trouble.

Bookman's Wake by John Dunning - Cliff Janeway, the detective turned rare book dealer, goes in search of a rare volume of Poe's The Raven.

In addition, anything written by Lee Child, John Lescroart, Jason Pinter, Janet Evanovich, Robert Crais, Elizabeth George, P.D. James, Dennis Lehane, Harlan Coben and Donna Leon will lead you into hours of intrigue and mystery.

I just started reading Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane. Both Elizabeth and Beth from the library said that I would not be able to put it down. Lehane writes really well and captures the gritty, dangerous world that his characters inhabit.

And if you are intrigued by puzzles, I think that this movie, created by Christian Nilsson, an Open Book employee and aspiring filmaker, is something you will really like.

Some Books You Should Know

"Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eye down its pages, its spirit grows and strengthens. . . . Every book you see here has been somebody's best friend." Carlos Ruiz Zafon in Shadow of the Wind


Have you read Shadow of the Wind yet? It is an eerie, beautiful, dark, romantic book. There are parallel love stories and a Cemetery of Forgotten Books and a mysterious author. All of this takes place in the almost Gothic city of Barcelona in the years following World War II.


One of my greatest pleasures as both a bookseller and a librarian is to introduce readers to authors and books that I know they will love. Connecting readers with books sometimes requires a bit of detective work. What do you like to read? What do you love about that character? Why did you hate that book? Simple or complicated? Funny or sad? Scary or sweet? Whatever your answers, there is a book for you. Here are some books you may not have read yet, but I hope you will give them a try:


The Henry Parker series by Jason Pinter. The Mark and The Guilty are available now. The Stolen is due in August. This series of books involves a young protagonist who gets involved in a variety of situations which leave your heart racing. I like the details of Henry's life and the fact that he is a young, fallible man who tries to do the right thing.


The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. This novel is funny and touching and contains a bit of mystery. I like that it is written as a series of letters. I did not know anything about the occupation of Guernsey during World War II and the hardships endured by the residents and this novel fills in my historical blanks about that subject. The very unusual book club that is formed during this time consists of characters that are so well drawn that you feel that you know them.


A Monk Jumped Over a Wall by Jay Nussbaum. What at first seems to be a legal thriller quickly heads in another direction, as the hero falls victim to his own compassion. This novel makes you think about the consequences of living up to other's expectations. J.J. Spencer takes a journey that leads to a rethinking of his life and values. The story moves quickly and the turns it takes will surprise you.


Norma Ever After by Nancy Baxter. OK, this really is a bit of a "girly" book. But who can resist a love story that takes place on the Orkney Islands and includes puffins? If you are in the mood for Atlas Shrugged, this is not going to satisfy you, but if you want a lovely little read....this is it.

I Love Libraries

When I was a little girl, going to the library was an adventure. There were all those books with the crackling plastic covers and the stories hidden inside of them. Sometimes you could tell from the picture on the front what the story would be about. Sometimes, you had to wait and be surprised. I wanted to read every book in the library by the time I grew up. It was an exquisite torture to have to pick just six books.

In college, the top floor of the UCSB library was a quiet sanctuary to read and study and nap. When I could not study for one more minute, I would explore the stacks, pulling out oddly titled books. From my scarred wooden carel, I would look out the window and watch the sun setting.

I may be one of the very few people who, when living in Aspen, spent her days off in the Aspen Library. It was comfortable and almost suburban. It was as far away as you might get from the tourists in their fur coats and cowboy hats. The books were often outdated and a little worn, but it was cozy and familiar, in the way that libraries are. You could not mistake the purpose of that building, no matter where it was situated. In every place that I have lived (California, Colorado, Iowa, Boston, Nantucket, or New York....it is a long list), I have sought out the public library, grand or small, and made it a place that was somehow my own.

And now I am a librarian. Although I still sell books, I also lend them as well. I help people with research and talk to them about great books to read. I help with computers and copiers and microfilm. I find that I am fitting happily into this new role. It may be because a library, any library, feels like home to me and I have finally settled in as a resident.

Books You Should Read

Have you ever read a book that you loved so much that you want to stop people on the street and tell them that they have to drop everything they are doing and go read this book? When you spend as much time around books as I do, you might think I come across those "you just have to read this" books all the time. Unfortunately, the magical books are few and far between. There are plenty of good reads and interesting novels and exciting stories....but the ones that make you sit all day reading when you have a million other things to do are rare.

So, here, in no particular order, is a list of books that took me away:

Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
The Solace of Open Spaces by Gretel Erlich
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
White Oleander by Janet Fitch
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
Once Upon a Day by Lisa Tucker
Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
How to Be Lost by Amanda Eyre Ward

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

These books are real treasures. They wrapped me in deftly written phrases and beautifully crafted stories. I remember these books because while I was reading them, the rest of the world just disappeared.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the bookmamas. Mothers Day makes me think about all of my children: the two great girls that I gave birth to and the many "adopted children" that have come to me through The Open Book. When I opened the bookstore, I imagined ordering books and talking to customers and selling and stocking shelves. I barely gave a thought to the people who would come to work with me. What an amazing surprise it has been to find so many people that have loved the store and become part of my extended family.



I find that the people who want to work at the bookstore tend to be creative and hungry for life. Whether they are writers or actors or students or filmakers or artists, they pursue their dreams and find joy in the daily world. The people who have worked with me in the past and those who work with me now have entertained and enlightened me. I have laughed so hard while working that I have literally had to sit down on the floor to catch my breath. From the Open Bookies I have received empathy, concern, friendship, moments of complete silliness and love.


So, on this Mother's Day, this Bookmama is grateful for the inestimable joy given to her by her daughters and for the unexpected happiness brought to her by her bookstore kids.

Sometimes when you can't come up with the right thing to say, you have to turn to others for the right words. On my dining room wall we have written our favorite quotes in multicolored Sharpies. You do not have to go quite that far, you can always turn to the old standby, Bartlett's Familiar Quotations for quotations for your speech or wedding toast. But, if you would like some beautiful photography with your wisdom, find a copy of The Turning Point by Victor Gagliardi. This is one of my very favorite books. I can turn to any page and find something that makes me smile or makes me think or touches my heart.

Welcome to Bookmama's world. I am the owner of a small independent bookstore and a part-time reference librarian. I am completing my degree in library science. My world revolves, for the most part, around books: studying books, reading books, recommending books, ordering books, selling books. I am also the proud "Mama" of two daughters (who are almost too old to call me "Mama" anymore). Thus, the title of this blog.

I read all kinds of books and am looking forward to sharing some of my favorites with you. I am interested in what is going on the world of libraries and bookselling and will pass items of interest on these subjects to you. I will occasionally go off on a bit of a rant about censorship, rudeness, the price of gas, etc. You have been warned.

Hope you enjoy my world. I would love to hear from you.