The Last Chapter

Just about thirteen years ago, I was getting ready to embark on the great adventure of opening a bookstore. Armed with some shelves, ninety boxes of books and a hand-me-down cash register, I was nervous and excited about what kind of place The Open Book might turn out to be. I wondered what kind of people would walk through the door to browse the shelves. I could not have even imagined the last thirteen years: the customers who became friends, the authors who came to visit, the talented and intelligent people who went to work behind the counter.
Sadly, the difficult economy, the rise of the popularity of ebooks and the arrival of another bookstore down the block have combined to form a set of circumstances that will result in the closing of The Open Book by the end of the year. We have tried everything to stay open but it is just not financially feasible to keep going.
The Open Book has always been more than a business to me. The store is the place where my children grew up, where the employees worked on their school projects and rehearsed their plays. Movies were filmed, songs were sung, books were read aloud, customers shared their favorites, a few romances bloomed and throughout it all, I sat back and smiled about this amazing little world that had grown up around a few books. I will miss all of this. I will miss all of you. But I am happy that for a few years, The Open Book existed in Westhampton Beach and enjoyed the privilege of being your local bookstore.

For the next few months, we are asking our old friends to come by and say hello. We need to sell everything in the store, so come in and buy a book at a healthy discount and while you are at it, buy a chair, bookshelf or some window decorations. We will continue to have free coffee, as well as a journal in which to set down your memories of The Open Book and the good times you have had with us. We will also set out a box of photos of our various events over the years. Dig through and see if you can find some pictures of your children at a Harry Potter event or a story time.

Finally, thank you all for your support. The store may not have been able to survive the competition, but I know how many of you made the extra effort to shop at The Open Book. Your loyalty and kindness will not be forgotten.

Keep turning those pages.......

True Confessions

I like to think that I am an educated person.  I own a bookstore and work in a library.  I have read widely, including some of the more challenging classics.  But here we go......my name is Terry Lucas and I have never read anything by Charles Dickens.

Until now.  I am in love with David Copperfield.  Now strictly speaking, I am not reading David Copperfield; I am listening to the book on tape as I commute to my library job.  Simon Vance, the narrator, (who, oddly enough, also narrates the Steig Larsson "Girl Who" books) does a marvelous job of capturing the pacing and the voices of the many characters. But it is the timelesss writing of Charles Dickens that brings readers to his work year after year.  What was I thinking by skipping this author all these years?

From the lovely Peggotty who loves little David as if he is her own boy to the malevolent Jane Murdstone, the people who inhabit the world of David Copperfield spring to life.  You can see the little graveyard in David's hometown and imagine the boat that is a house, inhabited by Mr. Peggotty, Ham, Little Em'ly and the eternally suffering Mrs. Gummidge. Mr. Micawber and Uriah Heep appear in this novel and I now have personalities and stories to go with those well-known names. By turns funny and touching and even a little frightening, David Copperfield is a pure pleasure. 

Keep those pages turning......

A Bookstore Friend

This last weekend I attended a memorial service for an elegant, intelligent and lovely woman.  As I looked around at her family and friends, I was grateful that I had been included in the gathering.  Because while Carla and I had spent hours over the years talking about everything under the sun, we had never sat down to a meal or even a cup of tea.  I was Carla's bookseller.

If you sell books to a person over a period of time, a special relationship develops.  I am privileged to know so much about the lives of my regular customers.  But "customer" is just not the appropriate word.  There is a deeper connection that a retail description does not cover.  Sometime I say that certain people are my "bookstore friends".  I have bookstore friends that drop in just to say hello without the thought of money exchanging hands.  I know about their joys and sorrows.  I have watched their children or grandchildren grow up.  I have been through the loss of a spouse or the celebration of a birth.  I also know what kinds of books take them away from the many distractions of a busy life or bring them comfort in a dark moment. And they know me too.  They have seen my daughters grow, experienced bookstore celebrations and sympathized with my struggles.

Of course there are people who are just passing through.  I hope that those people find a book that they love and enjoy their little time at The Open Book.  There are bookstore friends who have become "real world friends" as well.  My bookstore friends, however, hold a special place in my heart.  How lucky am I to have a world of people to care about, to share a love of books and a quiet talk on a rainy afternoon?

I will miss Carla.  Her gentle sense of humor.  Her love of good mysteries.  Her knowledge of the world.  I was fortunate that she walked into my door so many years ago and became my bookstore friend.

Big Sigh of Relief

Our Morning With Jodi Picoult was a success!  A few over 300 people were there to celebrate the publication of Sing You Home, talk to Jodi and hear the beautiful music of Ellen Wilber.  Here are some photos of a special day......

 Thanks to Cheryl Dorskind for the wonderful photographs!

Keep those pages turning!

Waiting For Jodi

As a bookstore owner, I have played host to many authors over the years.  From the launch party for Justin Kramon's Finny, to the impromptu Dr. Ruth afternoon to the lovely Christian McLean and his Duckhampton, I have been lucky to meet people who love to write and have put their words out into the world.

Soon we will be hosting another wonderful author.  Way back in 2000, a popular author published a book called Salem Falls and was kind enough to come to Westhampton Beach for lunch with the bookclub and a book signing.  Twelve years later, this author is extremely POPULAR and is coming back.  Jodi Picoult is an author that draws hundreds of people to her booksignings and we are going to get to be her host again.

I am thrilled, it goes without saying.  But I am also a little nervous. This is the kind of event that goes beyond the four walls of my tiny bookstore.  I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about the space, the chairs, the books, the lines, the people.  Will my customers be happy?  Will Jodi be happy?  Can The Open Book pull this off?

I think we can.  With every employee and a few volunteers, we will welcome Jodi Picoult and musician Ellen Wilber on March 5th to celebrate the publication of the new book Sing You Home.  She will speak in the beautiful ballroom overlooking the ocean at the Westhampton Bath and Tennis Club.  We have strategies to make the autograph line move along smoothly and plans to have plenty of books available for sale.  Bagels and coffee will be offered at the store after the signing.

What makes me really happy is how excited my customers are.  When you get to meet someone who has taken you to another world with their stories, it is a treat.  When you read their books in the future, you will hear that author's voice and intonation.  It adds an extra layer to the experience of reading.  I am so happy to be able to offer that to my friends and customers. 

Just another reason why being a bookseller is an amazing profession.......

A Little February Magic

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness is not quite a fantasy novel and not quite historical fiction. It is not really a mystery, nor is it a romance novel.  This unusual book is, in fact, a great combination of all of those genres.

Diana Bishop is a scholar of history.  She is fascinated by the era in which people moved from a belief in magic to a reliance on science.  She has spent most of her years trying to deny her own heritage as the last of the Bishop witches.  After her parent's death, she ignored her powers and decided to rely on research and study.

One day Diana requests a book from the library at Oxford and her whole life changes.  The book is bewitched and apparently Diana is the only one who can open it.  Suddenly she finds herself surrounded by witches, daemons and vampires, all of whom want to know what is in the book.  But Diana has returned the book, wanting nothing to do with its magic.

One vampire, Matthew Clairmont, seems to be everywhere that Diana goes. Behavior that at first appears to be a bit threatening, soon evolves into protection.  Diana is in danger, and despite the forbidden nature of their relationship, Matthew cannot help but protect her.

This novel is full of surprises that unfold with the plot.  A library, a romance, a little bit of fantasy.  What else could you want on a snowy day?

Word After Word After Word

I am a bit of a sucker for books about writing.  I love Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird and Stephen King's On Writing.  I like to know what writers think and the process they follow as they create these creatures that fill so many shelves of my life.

Roger Rosenblatt is an Author with a capital "A".  He writes essays, fiction, memoirs, and plays. He is also a teacher, currently with the Stony Brook University Writers Program. Who better to write a book about writing?

I was not disappointed.  Rosenblatt tells us about good writing  as he describes a semester with a MFA class called "Writing Everything." The students in the class, their work, their comments are all springboards for nuggets of wisdom.  At one point he tells his class, "I believe in spare writing. Precise and restrained writing. I like short sentences. Fragmented sentences sometimes,  I enjoy dropping in exotic words from time to time.  Either they put off readers or drive them to the dictionary."

Not every writer would agree with Roger Rosenblatt. But his lessons are straightforward and clear.  He is always kind in his criticism and often a little sarcastic with his praise.  He can laugh at himself and allows his students to do the same.  He may feel great affection for his students, but he is no cream puff. He leaves room for them to find the flaws in their own work and to learn to become better writers.

Finally, what I liked most about this book is that in describing his class and his teaching, Rosenblatt writes with ease and elegance and beauty.  That may be a few too many adjectives, but I needed them.  Rosenblatt ends the book with this, "Both you and the human heart are full of sorrow.  But only one of you can speak for the sorrow and ease its burdens and make it sing - word after word after word".   This one sings for me.......