The Bookmark at the U

Love, Dating and Other Disasters

2009-09-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

I read "The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance" for two reasons: 1) when going through the Penguin Fall 2009 catalog, it intrigued me when I found out the local Mormon bookstores weren't ordering copies, and 2) I was given an advanced reading copy.

I'm normally opposed to reading "memoirs" by people who haven't passed the age of 30 (have you really done enough to make me want to read about your life?), but because of the description in the catalog and on the book cover, it sounded intriguing- so I dove in, finishing the book in just a couple of days.

Elna Baker is a young LDS (Mormon) woman living in New York who has an internal war taking place between head and heart. Being Mormon means no drinking alcohol or engaging in pre-marital sex, among other things, and this seems to conflict with most of the non-Mormon men she attempts to date. As Elna relates, her longest relationship lasted a month and that was because the guy was out of town for two weeks. Her search for love and acceptance leads her to fall for the most unlikely of men- an atheist. A man who seems to be the exact opposite of a practicing Mormon, yet one who seems to be everything she wants in a potential husband. Can she make it work?

"The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance" is a funny story of how a young Mormon woman navigates dating, love and other disasters. While an engaging read, some parts of the book slow down, due not to story, but to the occasional awkwardness of Baker's writing style. When dealing with Mormon issues and doctrines that play a role in her story, Baker does a satisfactory job of explaining her religion to non-Mormons, but a few statements on Mormonism aren't explained well, and would only be fully understood by a member of the LDS faith. Conversely, there will be many practicing members of the LDS faith that will be offended by some of the language Baker uses as well as some of her feelings about, descriptions of, and encounters with sexual situations.

A book that made me laugh out loud and question my own beliefs and doubts about God and religion, "The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance" will find a niche, both inside and outside Mormonism, among those who enjoy a quest for self and a good laugh along the way.

"The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance" is available to order from our online affiliate Powell's, or by coming into the Bookmark at the U.

Pieces of Me | Guest Blogger Mattox Roesch

2009-09-15T14:54:00.001-07:00

Note: Occasionally we invite authors to write a blog post on any topic they choose. This post is being written by Mattox Roesch, author of "Sometimes We're Always Real Same-Same" his debut novel. I am excited to have Mattox sharing his thoughts on how writing is affected by our own lives. -Drew Goodman

“Fiction’s about what it means to be a fucking human being.” –David Foster Wallace

At the same time my good friend was sentenced to three years in a penitentiary, I moved off the North American road system, to Unalakleet, AK. This is similar to the plight of the narrator in my novel Sometimes We’re Always Real Same-Same, and yet, I hardly made the personal connection when writing it. I thought I was writing the book to better understand the humanity behind imprisonment—how it affects the inmate and his/her family. And I was. But recently, while flipping the pages to find something to read at upcoming events, I saw another reason for writing the novel. I think I was trying to save my friend, using a pen instead of a megaphone. And by leaving Minneapolis I felt like I failed him.

Angela Y. Davis, in her book Are Prisons Obsolete? argues that “Mass imprisonment generates profits as it devours social wealth, and thus it tends to reproduce the very conditions that lead people to prison.” It’s important that we question everything, (right?) politically and socially, including prisons. But how often do you hear a guy on the street corner with a megaphone yelling “Close the prisons!”? It seems we generally don’t question things until they are personal. I didn’t question prisons until I was passing my ID through a slot and walking through magnetically sealed doors and sitting at a booth to talk to the same person I had shared nachos with a few weeks earlier. We see this every day. We see authors write the same memoir over and over, and authors write the same characters over and over. And then I wondered if I was doing the same. Was I only expressing an interest in issues that I had experienced firsthand? It seemed to be the case with my novel. Prison, personal. Spirituality, personal. Mental illness, personal. Rural Alaska, personal.

But when I think about it, I hope that’s not the case. I don’t think it is. Not for most of us, anyway. Of course nobody is perfectly compassionate, but many of us have baked bread for a friend who lost her job, or driven an extra hour to give a family member a ride, or threw in fifty bucks to a local youth group fundraiser. Even if we had never lost a job or waited for a bus or went to church, we felt empathy for those who had.

And I look at some of the best-selling contemporary novels lined up on my bookshelf—Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich, What is the What by Dave Eggers, Lark & Termite by Jayne Anne Phillips. These all, in a way, personalized an issue or two for me that I hadn’t experienced. These novels, in a way, changed my life. So maybe the easy answer is that stories, explicitly and implicitly, transform the personal into the communal.

So by writing about an ex-gangbanger whose older brother is locked up for life, maybe I was, on some level, trying to save my friend. And sure, maybe I was trying to convince the reader to care. But I didn’t write the story with the same motivation that I have for reading stories. I wrote the novel to convince myself to care, over and over, edit after edit. I wrote it to feel this life more fully. I wrote it, standing in front of a mirror with a megaphone, paraphrasing David Foster Wallace, “This is what it’s like to be a fucking human being.”

"Sometimes We're Always Real Same-Same" by Mattox Roesch is available at the Bookmark at the U and at our online fulfillment partner, Powell's Books, and wherever great books are sold.

September 2009 Book of the Month

2009-09-01T08:37:00.000-07:00

I little while back, I wrote a post about my favorite independent publishing house, Unbridled Books. They consistently publish great authors with well written books, and the Book of the Month for September 2009, "Sometimes We're Always Real Same-Same," by Mattox Roesch, is no exception.

Cesar, the teen gang-banger from Los Angeles, watched his older brother, Wicho, go to prison for his gang activities. Cesar's mother, determined to keep him from the same fate, moves herself and Cesar back to her native village in western Alaska. The only thing that the pessimistically minded Cesar wants is to do is get back to LA, but, Go-boy, his older, overly optimistic cousin bets that Cesar won't go back.

How these two cousins affect each other, and how their surroundings affect both of them is the basis of this wonderfully told story of life in a small village where everyone knows who you are and what you do. Infused with doses of melancholy and humor, "Sometimes We're Always Real Same-Same" is a touching novel of how we are often more alike in our wants, needs and feelings than we really like to admit to ourselves and others.

"Sometimes We're Always Real Same-Same" by Mattox Roesch is available at the University Campus Store or through our online fulfillment partner, Powell's Books.

Well Written, But, Kind of Boring

2009-08-18T10:21:00.000-07:00

The other day I sent a message out to the world on Twitter that said, “Major author + really good writing, but = somewhat boring story. I almost feel like I wasted a few days of my life reading the book.” That of course, brought a number of responses from my Twitter followers. Some wanted to know who I was talking about, others tried to guess, and one bookseller hit it right on the head on his first guess. At that point, I felt like I had to come clean; to admit to everyone who I was talking about. I also felt like I was committing bookseller blasphemy.

The author is E. L. Doctorow and the book I was talking about is his newest novel, “Homer & Langley.”

Before I go further, let me just say a couple of things. I like Doctorow. I mean, I really like him. I was introduced to writing fiction in high school by being told to read “World’s Fair” and learn to write emulating him. “Billy Bathgate” was incredible. Doctorow easily has more awards for his writing than I have years in my life. I would love the chance to meet him one day. But, while immaculately written, “Homer & Langley” was not my favorite Doctorow novel. Why?

“Homer & Langley” is a fictional biography of the infamous New York City Collyer brothers who, while living in a mansion on Fifth Avenue, became the poster boys for pack-rats worldwide. They were born in the 1880‘s and died in 1947. Doctorow changed their timeline, moving them forward into the twentieth century so they could experience all the great events from World War I to the Vietnam War and the moon landing. While an interesting story to have two recluses experience the major events and watersheds of twentieth century United States from inside their mansion, the story also seemed a little contrived, kind of like Forrest Gump becoming inadvertently involved in most of the major political and cultural events of his lifetime.

While excellently written (Doctorow is incapable of writing a poor sentence), the story itself did not envelop me, pull me along and make me want to turn the page before I had finished reading the one I was on. The best episode of the entire story, where Homer and Langley are forced to house a wounded gangster, falls in the middle of the book.

If you are a Doctorow fan, “Homer & Langley” is a book worth reading, but I don’t expect this new novel to win new fans for this traditionally amazing author.

"Homer & Langley" by E. L. Doctorow, available September 1, 2009, is available for purchase by coming into the Bookmark at the U or by ordering from our online partner, Powell's.

You Can Go Home Again | Guest Post by Emily St. John Mandel

2009-08-14T08:42:00.000-07:00

Note: Occasionally we invite authors to write a blog post on any topic they choose. This post is being written by Emily St. John Mandel, author of "Last Night In Montreal," her debut novel. I am personally very pleased to have Emily sharing her thoughts on reading with us. -Drew Goodman

I’ve been thinking a lot about reading lately. Books are a passion only recently rediscovered; I’m trying my best to make up for lost time, but I haven’t read very many books over the past decade or so. As a child I read novels constantly, and I’m not sure exactly how or when I fell out of the habit. It may have been around the time I left home—I moved across the continent at eighteen with only the belongings I could carry with me on the airplane, and the books I brought from British Columbia were only the small handful I absolutely couldn’t live without.

In the years after my airplane landed in Toronto I spent hours reading literary journals at the library, but mostly I’d become a voracious reader of newspapers and magazines. I developed an adoration for the International Herald Tribune and The New Yorker and I didn’t read books very often, although after a few years I found that I was trying to write one.

It’s been exactly twelve months since I sold my first novel. I think it’s really only been over the course this hectic and delightful past year that I’ve remembered how much books mean to me, and how soothing it is to find yourself in a room filled with them, and how perfectly a good book can transport you elsewhere. I’m not sure how I forgot these things.

I see people reading everywhere in my city, on benches during their lunch hours and on the trains to and from work. It’s partly a question of refuge: in a city as crowded as New York, books and headphones are our only privacy. In other places people commute alone in their cars; but packed into a subway car with a hundred strangers, the only way to be alone is to disappear into music or narrative.

But questions of escape aside, I’ve been thinking lately about the way the experience of reading a book over a number of days provides us with a certain continuity, a narrative thread that binds our days and our weeks. Like most writers, I lead a double life, and these two lives are entirely separate. There’s the day job: I do the filing and stare at spreadsheets and count down the hours to the end of the afternoon, and then I go home and attend to an entirely other, considerably more vivid life, a life that involves writing novels and approving copy edits and talking to booksellers and fielding interview requests.

My working and writing lives couldn’t possibly be more different, and it occurred to me recently that reading is the only bridge between them. The same book carries me from the morning commute to the calm hours of the late evening, the joys and responsibilities of the double life set aside for the day.

"Last Night in Montreal" by Emily St. John Mandel is available at the Bookmark at the U and at our online fulfillment partner, Powell's Books, and wherever great books are sold.

The August 2009 Book of the Month

2009-08-03T12:23:00.000-07:00

Our selection for the August 2009 Book of the Month is "The Meaning of Night" by Michael Cox. Recently, I was saddened to learn of Cox's death earlier this year, so I decided to make this the book of the month selection

The Meaning of Night is a fabulously written, historical mystery set in Victorian England, infused with life by a cadre of characters that inhabit its pages. The protagonist, Edward Glyver, a man undone by an event from his early childhood, feels the only way to reacquire what is rightfully his is to exact revenge on the man he blames for everything gone wrong in his life- Phoebus Daunt. But, what seems to be a straight-forward story of retribution and revenge takes turns both dark and twisted, ultimately revealing an outcome that leaves the reader surprised and satisfied in a morbidly curious way.

This is one of my top ten all time reads, and a must for mystery lovers.

The July 2009 Book of the Month

2009-07-07T14:43:00.000-07:00

Stieg Larsson finished a trilogy of books that he claimed he really wrote for his own pleasure. Shortly after finishing the "Millennium Trilogy," Larsson died. The first book of the trilogy, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" was published posthumously to great international acclaim and success.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo combines a murder mystery, family saga, love story, and financial intrigue into one satisfyingly complex and entertainingly atmospheric novel.

Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden's wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pieced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption.

The Cold Dish: Book of the Month for June 2009

2009-06-02T14:06:00.000-07:00

The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson, 30% off during the month of June 2009 (in-store purchases only).

"The Cold Dish" by Craig Johnson is the Book of the Month for June 2009 at the Bookmark at the U, at the University of Utah Campus Store. Johnson is an exciting voice in the mystery genre, who tells his stories with both great characters and settings. The characters of Walt Longmire, Henry Standing Bear, and Victoria Moretti have become some of my favorites in the mystery genre. Sitting down with a Walt Longmire mystery is like sitting down for a chat around the campfire with old friends.

"The Cold Dish" introduces us to Walt Longmire, sheriff of the fictional Absaroka County in northern Wyoming and his attempts to keep the peace in what should be a relatively peaceful place.

"Longmire knows he’s got trouble when Cody Pritchard is found dead. Two years earlier, Cody and three accomplices had been given suspended sentences for raping a Northern Cheyenne girl. Is someone seeking vengeance? Longmire faces the most volatile and challenging case in his twenty-four years as sheriff and means to see that revenge, a dish that is best served cold, is never served at all."

May 2009 Book of the Month, City of Thieves

2009-05-01T07:26:00.001-07:00

The Bookmark at the U's Book of the Month for May 2009 is "City of Thieves" by David Benioff. The review of this book was written by Josh Clemens, buyer at The Bookmark.

When Lindsay Wood, a rep from Penguin, recommended this book to me, I told her that I was planning on reading it but I had to get over my unfounded resentment towards the author first. She rapidly deduced the root of my envy and responded “Why? Because he’s married to Amanda Peet?” Absolutely! David Benioff has a successful writing career and he’s married to Amanda Peet! How lucky can one guy get? Wait until you read this book before you answer that question. It is purportedly based on the experiences of his grandfather during the siege of Leningrad in 1942, and it would seem that luck runs in the Benioff genes. One could say that the author has a diluted variation of the Benioff luck gene, and he would likely agree with that assessment.

A blazing quick read, City of Thieves reads like a screenplay, implausible yet not surprising, considering the author is also a screenwriter. The action takes place over a few days in the drawn out siege, and there is no surfeit of transcribed Russian words to stumble over. The narrator does his share of stumbling, but each time it is fortuitous. “Not everybody has talent,” Lev Beniov tells another character who inquires about his talents, but he doesn’t yet realize his own talent for survival. Mistaken for a thief, Beniov is paired with Kolya, a charismatic deserter, and given the task of locating a dozen eggs by a colonel in the NKVD. It is an impossible task in a besieged city, but Kolya is irrepressible. When the pair falls in with a band of partisans and meets Vika, a tomboy sniper, finding the eggs becomes Lev’s second most important conquest. Full of likable characters and humor even in the face of atrocities, City of Thieves deserves to be recommended rather than resented!

It's Time to Play- Book of the Month Contest

2009-04-30T09:10:00.000-07:00

It's here! The Bookmark at the U "Book of the Month" contest for May. In April we selected, "The Elegance of the Hedgehog." We have selected another book that we really like, a book that has made an impression on us, and one that we think many of you would like as well. We will write about it in the blog and hope that, if you have read it, or read it during that month, you will be part of the conversation about that month's book.

But, wait! We're not going to tell you what the book for May is yet.

To kick off the Book of the Month for May we are holding a contest where you can win a free copy of the book. All you have to do is this: follow us on Twitter and watch for clues about the book. The questions will start vague and difficult, and then begin to get specific. If you are the first person to send us a DM (Direct Message) via Twitter, with the title of the book and the author's name, you will win a free copy of the book. The first person to DM us will be based on the time and date stamped on Twitter. We do need to limit this contest to the United States and Canada, but other than that, start following us on Twitter and play along.

In Remembrance: Henry Hubert

2009-04-13T11:13:00.000-07:00

The Bookmark at the U is saddened to note the passing of our friend and former book sales representative, Henry Hubert. On Saturday, April 11, 2009 I received an email informing me that he was no longer with us.

Henry had worked in the book industry for many, many years, longer than many of us who worked with him, and longer even than some of our younger booksellers have been alive. For many years he sold for Oxford University Press, University of Chicago Press and other University Presses, and we valued the relationship we had with him. Henry was knowledgeable about the books he recommended and sold to us and his suggestions made our store better.

In an earlier post, we mentioned that Henry among others were forced into retiring or leaving the book business because the economic climate no longer made selling books profitable (what little profit there is in our business). So, while we were originally saddened by the last visit Henry made to us in the spring of 2008, his recent passing makes this loss even harder to bear.

Thank you Henry for the time you spent with us in this business you loved. We won't soon forget you.

News Flash! Zombies Attack the Bookmark

2009-04-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

I have gained a new appreciation for Jane Austen this last week, more specifically, for "Pride and Prejudice," a book I was forced to read in high school (thanks a lot Mrs. Hansen). I hated the book.

Now, before I start receiving hate comments from you Darcyophiles who read the book every year, I want you to know I consider it to be great and classic literature- for someone else. "A Tale of Two Cities" or "To Kill a Mockingbird" are more my style of classics. But, I am considering reading "Pride and Prejudice" in its new incarnation- "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith.

How can you go wrong with an opening sentence that not only embodies the classic style of Jane Austen but includes a warning about zombie attacks? "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains."

This has turned out to be the hottest book on the shelves this last week, not just here at the Bookmark, but in stores around the country. The publisher has already gone back to the presses for two reprints. We sold our last copy on Friday, three days after it arrived in the store. And, what's worse, somebody stole the "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" poster we had hung up in the store to promote the book. They stole it from a main aisle, in broad daylight, with the lights on! I don't know about anyone else, but I'm blaming zombies.

"Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith is published by Quirk Books and is $12.95 in paperback.

Video- The Elegance of the Hedgehog

2009-04-01T07:27:00.000-07:00

Join us in reading this fabulous book during April 2009! Purchase the "Elegance of the Hedgehog" by Muriel Barbery in the store or through our online fulfillment partner, Powells.com.

We Have a Winner! April Book of the Month Contest

2009-03-30T14:38:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to @Dr_Maggie who won our first Book of the Month contest by following our clues on Twitter. She wins a copy of "Elegance of the Hedgehog" by Muriel Barbery, which is our book of the month for April. Keep watching our blog for more about this great book. If you would like to be informed of our contests, events and other exciting things going on at The Bookmark at the U, sign up to receive our newsletter. At the top right hand corner of the page, just click on the "Enter to Win" button which will take you to our newsletter sign-up page. Just fill in your email address and check the box that says, "Book Buyer's Club," and you'll automatically be entered to win copy of May's Book of the Month (but, we're not telling you what it is yet).

Book of the Month for April - Contest Announcement

2009-03-30T10:01:00.000-07:00

It's almost here! We are starting The Bookmark at the U "Book of the Month." Each month we will select a book that we really like, a book that has made an impression on us, and one that we think many of you would like as well. We will write about it in the blog and hope that, if you have read it, or read it during that month, you will be part of the conversation about that month's book.

But, wait! We're not going to tell you what the book for April is yet.

To kick off the Book of the Month for April, we are holding a contest where you can win a free copy of the book. All you have to do is this: follow us on Twitter and watch for clues about the book. The questions will start vague and difficult, and then begin to get specific. If you are the first person to send us a DM (Direct Message) via Twitter, with the title of the book and the author's name, you will win a free copy of the book. The first person to DM us will be based on the time and date stamped on Twitter. We do need to limit this contest to the United States and Canada, but other than that, start following us on Twitter and play along.

Exquisite Meals, Exquisite Books

2009-03-20T08:11:00.000-07:00

On a recent trip to Las Vegas, I found myself looking for a nice place to have dinner. I wanted to sit down and enjoy a meal that was brought to my table rather than having to go to the food and feel I was eating from a trough (i.e. the Las Vegas buffet). Rather than an easy decision, this turned out to be a saga I shared with my followers on Twitter.

One upscale steakhouse turned me away for dress code violations. Apparently, you are not allowed to eat really good steak if you are wearing jeans (they were nice jeans! No holes or frayed edges). Another two restaurants turned me away because I was dining alone and they were too busy to set a table for just one person (is my money worth less because I am eating alone?). I refused to eat at another because their salads cost $30 (when in the hell did a salad start costing $30, I asked).

Ultimately, I ended up finding a table at Wolfgang Puck's Spago. They had no problem with my clothes, or the fact I was eating alone. It was some of the best service I've ever had at a restaurant anywhere in my life (my glass was never empty for more than thirty seconds). The food was amazing. It was the first time in my life that a steak (Blue Cheese Encrusted Prime Filet Mingon) actually made my eyes roll backwards. Yeah it was that good!

Now, this may seem a strange way to introduce a book, but let me finish.

I recently read a book that invited me in and sat me down at a amazing story. I often read from the buffet of the popular and trendy, so this book was like having an exquisite meal being brought to my table at Spago. I read it slowly, savoring the words, enjoying the story, examining the characters one by one. It wasn't a huge book, but I left feeling far more satisfied than if I had read ten mediocre books.

"Last Night in Montreal" by Emily St. John Mandel is all at once a mystery, a love story, a book about family, about connections and disconnections. It is a recipe for a story that comes together perfectly for a literary meal.

Lilia, whose story we follow throughout the book, is a young woman who can't stay in once place. Ever since being kidnapped by her father, away from her mother, she has been on the move from one place to another, from town to town, and city to city. Being on the move has become so ingrained in her life that she tells her lover Eli, whom we meet at the first of the book, that she dosen't "know how to stay." And then she leaves him.

The question that haunts the reader, and Eli, throughout the book is, "why did her father take her in the first place and send her into this vagabond existence?" And so, we follow Eli to Montreal, where he goes to look for Lilia after receiving a mysterious letter indicating that is where she went after leaving him. We learn about Lilia from several different characters in the book, all of whom her life has affected in on way or another; Christopher, a detective who was hired to find Lilia but became obsessed with her; Michaela, Christopher's daughter, a young woman who lost both her father and mother to Lilia; and from Lilia herself.

What I loved most about this book was the language that Mandel used to tell Lilia's story. It left you both empty and full, warm and cold, lonely, yet surrounded by empathetic characters. By the time I reached the end of the story I felt both happy and sad for Lilia, for Eli, for Micheala, and for Christopher. I wanted for all of them to have found more but knew the book would have been less fulfilling if they had.

In the end, "Last Night in Montreal" was like that Raspberry Chocolate Chip Souffle that ended my dinner at Spago- a perfect ending that was both bitter and sweet and left me hoping that one day I would be able to come back once again and enjoy another meal from this author.

"Last Night in Montreal" by Emily St. John Mandel will be available in bookstores in June 2009 and is now available for pre-orders.

A Favorite... Small Publisher?

2009-03-06T06:40:00.000-08:00

I've always been fascinated by stories, by books. I guess that's why I'm in the book business. Just the natural evolution of my career path. I've never not known a life without books. Both my parents were teachers, both were readers, both loved the written word.

When I had the chance to start working in bookstores, more than 15 years ago now, I leaped, headfirst, into that shallow pool of income, for the love of books. Certainly not for the love of a big paycheck.

Over the years I have come to find favorites in genres and authors. While I'll read any book I can, I naturally gravitate toward mysteries. My first memorable favorite author was Robert Heinlein (back in my science fiction days). I think it's natural for most readers to favor a genre or author, reading more heavily from those than from anything or anyone else.

In the last couple of years, I have come across another favorite. This falls into a category of books where you don't generally find readers picking favorites. This category crosses multiple genres and encompasses many different authors. But, having said that, I have found a favorite small publishing house- Unbridled Books.

Why, you ask, would I have a favorite small publisher? It is simply this. I have never read a book from Unbridled that I didn't like. That is saying a lot. Unbridled seems to have a knack for picking great authors who write great books.

I was first introduced to Unbridled by Caitlin Hamilton Summie, Unbridled's marketing director, when she presented her picks for great books for the 2007 fall season. I was particularly taken by her description of The Pirates Daughter by Margaret Cezair-Thompson, which convinced me to read it. I loved it.

I have since read The Lamentations of Julius Marantz by Marc Estrin, Hick by Andrea Portes, Abbeville by Jack Fuller, and more. I am currently reading, and thoroughly enjoying, Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel and Shimmer by Eric Barnes with The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire by C. M. Mayo and Madewell Brown by Rick Collignon sitting at the top of my "to be read" pile.

While there are many other publishers whose books and authors I enjoy, I find it hard to say that I have enjoyed every book I've read that they've published. But to this point, Unbridled, in terms of my other great passion, baseball, is batting a thousand.

So, here's to Unbridled Books, a publisher who has yet to disappoint me.

The Buzz Is About Little Bee

2009-03-04T11:01:00.000-08:00

How do I tell you about a book, when the book jacket itself says:

"We don't want to tell you what happens in this book.
It is a truly special story and we don't want to spoil it."

Little Bee by Chris Cleave is the story of two women whose lives collide one horrible day on a beach in Nigeria, then again, two years later on another horrible day just outside London. To tell you much more than this would go beyond the warning on the book jacket and would spoil the story.

But, I will say this: The story, told alternately in the voices of Nigerian refugee Little Bee and magazine editor Sarah O'Rourke, give us a view of a world where man's brutal inhumanity to man is only a plane flight away from where we comfortably live. It is a beautifully told story of contrasting events, both shocking and humorous, that show us our lives are only as bad as we perceive them to be. And, finally, how acts of kindness both small and large, bind us together with ties that are difficult to escape.

I've heard a lot of buzz about this book lately from booksellers around the United States, and the excitement it justified.

While telling you too much about Little Bee would ruin it, I can tell you that reading it will give you a different perspective on our world, our nations and ourselves.

Hear author Chris Cleave talk about Little Bee (titled, The Other Hand, in the U.K.).

Is Amazon selling King... Or, Is King Selling Amazon?

2009-02-09T10:47:00.001-08:00

Now, I'm no technophobe. I use computers extensively. I blog, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, you name it. I love the newest gadgets that make life easier (or just more fun).

Having said that, I'm more than a bit upset today about the Kindle 2 from Amazon. OK, let me qualify that a little. I'm upset with Stephen King and the novella he wrote for the Kindle 2.

Today, Amazon announced their new Kindle 2, and at the press conference was Stephen King, who wrote a novella that is exclusively available for owners of the Kindle. Don't get me wrong, I don't begrudge the fact that King wrote a story that was an exclusive ebook. He's done this before and I was excited about reading it. I'm slightly more perturbed about the fact that he wrote it for a ebook that uses an exclusive format, but even that doesn't cut to the heart of the matter.

What really irks me is the fact that the story revolves around a guy who owns a Kindle. It's a product placement story. Hey, Steve, why don't you just head to Madison Avenue and start writing ad copy? A short story about a man who drinks Coca-Cola exclusively to keep the demons away? A novella about a woman who literally can't live without her Manolo Blahnik shoes? An entire novel about a guy who's fallen in love with his John Deere tractor and it loves him back?

For a man who supposedly retired in 2002, he sure is putting out a lot of stuff. And unfortunately, for a guy whose books I used to wait for impatiently, it seems like he's run out of fresh ideas. For example, I give you "Cell." But has the well run so dry that he has to write marketing materials, disguised as stories for Amazon's Kindle?

Well, that's it for me. It was a nice run, Steve, but I'm done. I've got too many other worthy things to read than to read extended advertisements disguised as fiction- ads that I have to pay to read, no less. Good luck in retirement, but I will no longer be contributing to your 401(k).

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, 2009!

2008-12-24T07:20:00.000-08:00

Here we are, once again, near the end of another year. It has been a strange, fun and interesting ride. The economy has been up, and down. Many books have hit the bestseller list and never left it, while others brushed with fame for a week or so, then disappeared quietly into the night (yeah, I'm talking about "The Gargoyle").

We have had some great authors visit this year, including: Robyn Scott (Twenty Chickens for a Saddle), Craig Johnson (Another Man's Moccasins), Pilar Pobil (My Kitchen Table: Sketches From My Life), Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn: Hero of Ages and Alcatraz vs. the Scrivener's Bones), Brandon Mull (Fablehaven), Stephen Dubner (Freakonomics), Charles Mann (1491), and more.

And most of all, we've appreciated having you, our blog readers and customers, share this year with us.

This is the last blog entry of 2008, but we will be back in 2009 with more to share with you, but here are some hints of some things to come- Sara Zarr (Story of a Girl and Sweethearts) will be here in February, Seth Davis, CBS Sports analyst and author of the forthcoming book "When March Went Mad" will be coming in March to talk about the 30th anniversary of the 1979 NCAA Basketball Championship game that pitted Larry Bird against Magic Johnson. Brandon Mull should be back with us in April or May, and we are working to get even more great authors here to make visits.

Keep an eye on the blog as we will have some guest postings by authors throughout the year and some contests that you will want to be part of to win some books. And of course, if you have ideas for what you'd like to see on the blog or in the store, please feel free to leave a comment or drop us an email.

And remember, have a very Merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year!

Buzzmachine.com Quotes The Bookmark at the U

2008-12-22T14:51:00.000-08:00

Wow. The Bookmark at the U was quoted on Buzzmachine.com today for a post that I wrote about the book, "What Would Google Do?" a very interesting book by Jeff Jarvis, filled with ideas of how business should respond to a world where Google holds a prominent place and "nothing is faster than now." Check out the post on Buzzmachine.com.

Countdown. Three Days 'Til Christmas

2008-12-22T11:05:00.000-08:00

It's the final push for shoppers this week, looking for the perfect gift to put under the tree for that special someone. Retail has been a roller coaster ride this year, and bookstores have not stayed out of that amusement park. But, it seems this morning that more people are looking for books in the store than have in the last week.

My own Christmas shopping is not done (I haven't really even started- I know, I know, give me grief later when I have time for it). But, one of the things that made me feel really good was that each of my kids specifically requested books this Christmas, and not just a book, but books. Multiple. More than one. I think I can accommodate that!

"Tales of Beedle the Bard" which started out slowly has continually picked up steam. I may just sell nearly all what I brought in for the store. I may even buy one.

The reissues of the Ian Flemining's James Bond books in the pulp fiction covers are suddenly catching some attention, along with the James Bond Encyclopedia.

Local author, and friend of the bookstore, Brandon Sanderson has written the Mistborn series which had helped our Sci-Fi/Fantasy section to have the best month we've ever had. And, we can't forget Brandon Mull, another local author who has parents coming to the store to find copies of his Fablehaven series. One of my daughters has been begging me for book four in the series (sorry, dear, it doesn't come out until March, and I don't think I'll be getting an advanced reading copy).

I'm almost out of the complete, 4 volume Twilight boxed set. Stephanie Meyers vampires are still hot (in the book and on the movie screen) and are still selling well. Even the reissued, hardcover, slipcased, collectors edition of "Twilight" is selling- most likely to all those Twilight fans who have already read the book.

One of our personal favorites around the store has been Monkton's "The Penguin of Death." This little gift-sized hardcover book is not only hilarious, "he can kill you in any 1 of 412 different ways," but is "One of the most bizarre and engaging stories ever written. This has been one of our favorites books to handsell to customers, mainly because it sells itself.

Well, here's to hoping you get all of your shopping done, especially you guys out there (yeah, it's always the guys, I know, I'm right there with you) and that you get to all your destinations safely.

Countdown. Nine Days 'Til Christmas

2008-12-16T07:13:00.000-08:00

Here are a few of my observations with nine days to go until Christmas:

While the economy may be bad and book sales aren't where we'd like them to be, things could be worse. Customers are still buying, but are being judicious, weighing their purchasing decisions carefully. I am seeing far more paperbacks purchased as gifts this year than hardcover books.

Sadly, the books that are doing well in hardcover are the most difficult to get.

Hachette Book Group, where art thou? Only the hottest series since Harry Potter said farewell to his own children at platform 9 3/4, and both "Eclipse" and "Breaking Dawn" are missing in action. With "Twilight" being released as a movie, you'd think that the publisher would expect a little more attention to all the books in the series. If you can find a copy of these books out there right now, buy them and auction them off. They are worth their weight in gold.

O.K., I'm not trying to pick on Hachette, but this is getting crazy. "Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World," is no where to be seen either (just like a cat, isn't it?). People are asking constantly for this one as well, but, it too is hard to find. Fortunately, I found a small, secret stash and I should have more copies shortly. But, once those are gone, I only hope Hachette has some more ready to ship.

One book that has been doing well here, and we still are able to get more of, is "Grandma's Dead: Breaking Bad News With Baby Animals." This postcard book has a picture of the most adorable baby animals you'll find anywhere, imprinted with some of the worst news you can break to anyone. That cute, puppy dog, telling you that "Grandma's Dead," or the baby bunny letting you know "The Meteor Can't Be Stopped." It gets better. This is an absolutely hilarious book that's had us rolling in the aisles and customers picking them up for stocking stuffers.

One thing that seems to be lacking is one or two real "breakout" books (maybe the "Twilight" or "Dewey" books if we could get them). "Tales of Beedle the Bard" by J.K. Rowling while having steady sales, has been mostly underwhelming. Is it because Scholastic failed to promote it properly, or does everyone just have Harry Potter burnout?

With the lack of one or two big titles really taking off this year, it gives me the chance to handsell some of my favorite books. I love talking to people about books, so in a year like this, when customers are asking for suggestions, I love being there to help.

I'm suggesting several mystery authors that I have "discovered" and really enjoyed. Craig Johnson's Walt Longmire series and Sandi Ault's Jamaica Wild series have been two of my favorites this year. I love the characters, the settings in the West, and most of all, I love the writing. These are two talented authors who know, not only how to tell a story, but how to write really well.

I am still telling everyone about one of my favorite books from last year- now out in paperback. "The Meaning of Night" by Michael Cox has been described as Victorian mystery noir. It is historical, set in 1850's England. It is almost Dickensian. It is dark and brooding. It has everything; love, hate, murder, revenge, deceit, retribution, and then, it gets good. It is like "The Princess Bride," except everyone is bad and has an ulterior motive, oh, and its not so funny.

It hasn't been a great Christmas season so far, but it hasnt' been terrible either. It's just made me look a little harder to match great books to great customers.

I've Been Googled. Is That A Bad Thing?

2008-12-09T08:23:00.000-08:00

One of the things I love about my job is the fact that I constantly get advanced reading copies of books sent to me. Now, I 'm not complaining, but I get so many of these books sent to me, I can't read them all. So every month or so, I put them out in the employee break room and watch the book free-for-all that ensues.

I did this yesterday, mainly to get rid of the books that had been piling up in my office and that I didn't have time to read, and partially just for the entertainment value of watching people dig through the pile of books. Letting a greased pig go couldn't have been as much fun.

At the end of the day, few books remained on the table. There were some children's books left behind, which, I really can't blame anyone for not taking, as I wouldn't let my own children read a few of the titles. Not because of offensive content, but just because after a cursory look, the book was so badly written, I wouldn't want them subject to such poor writing.

One book that remained behind was a book that I had glanced at earlier, but put on the table because I just didn't feel I had the time to read it. Apparently, no one else wanted this book either. Just before leaving the store in the evening. I picked it up one more time, browsed the table of contents, flipped through a couple of chapters, then put it in my book bag. Yes, I have a book bag. What else am I supposed to carry my books in?

I ride the train to and from work each day, so I take the time to read and write, rather than stare out the windows at all the graffiti. I opened up this book and began to read. Wow.

"What Would Google Do?" by Jeff Jarvis is an enlightening look into what he calls both the Google Era and the post-link society. The book is a study of how Google has become the "the fastest growing company in the history of the world," by looking deeply into the practices of Google's success. But, he goes beyond Google. Jarvis asks us to imagine a world in which information is shared and collaborated on by businesses and their customers. For example, an open-source restaurant where feedback from customers about the food and dining experience is instant. Have the restaurant put their recipes online. Let their customers bake them at home, make changes, make suggestions. This doesn't, he argues, ultimately take the control out of the hands of the chef, but gives the chef and the restaurant the opportunity to change and adapt to their customers.

The scariest chapter for me, was when Jarvis re-imagined the book publishing and selling business. I work in a bookstore. I write books. As an author, you write books and hope people like your words enough to pay for them. As a bookseller, you help people find authors that appeal to them so that they will buy the books from your bookstore. What if my livelihood were suddenly changed by an influx of free books on the Internet, or offering only ebooks. Is this such a bad thing, Jarvis asks. I began the chapter by screaming "Yes." I ended the chapter by realizing that the Internet actually helps my business, both in writing and selling books. Collaborate with your community of book lovers, wherever they may be. True, they may get a book for free on the Internet, but as Paulo Coelho found out, free copies of his books on the Internet only increased the sales of books in the traditional format, therefore, making him money from those sales. Jarvis points out, and the book business is no different, that the world is no longer a place of "mass markets," it's a world of "markets of mass niches." Embrace what make you different, unique, and special. Take that to your community, take feedback, and improve. Find the community that already exists and offer them something that is indispensable to that community.

After reading the chapter on car manufacturers, I can only wonder: Would the big three American auto makers be in the situation they are in today, basically broke and looking for government handouts, if they quit operating like they were still in the middle of the twentieth century and recreated themselves in the twenty-first century, post-link world? No. In fact, they just might be flourishing, in a stronger position than ever.

Admittedly, I haven't finished the entire book, but what I have read has got me thinking. How can I find a community for my writing. How can I improve my bookstore in the post-link world? In short, What would Google do? If you have ideas for the University Campus Store Book Department, or bookstores anywhere, let's hear them in the comment section.

Jeff Jarvis is the author of the blog, Buzzmachine.com.

"What Would Google Do?" by Jeff Jarvis will be available for purchase on January 27, 2009, either in the Campus Store, or at our online fulfillment partner, Powells.com.

Hand-selling Books

2008-12-01T14:45:00.000-08:00

Today's blog post is written by our buyer, Josh Clemens. You can also read his regular blog postings at J.A. Clemens.

Like Steve Carell’s character in “Dan in Real Life”, bookstore employees pride themselves on hand-selling books. Unlike Dan they do it for a living, but that doesn’t necessarily preclude romantic entanglements similar to the one that made the movie so enjoyable. The nature of hand-selling is getting to know the customer’s preferences and introducing them to a book they can fall in love with, after all! Sales reps from publishers provide the same service to bookstore employees, making recommendations based upon each store’s unique clientele. This requires developing a personal relationship that goes far beyond ad copy in a catalog. Some of our reps have forged those candid relationships with us, only to have them sundered by the current retail climate. Henry Hubert, the independent rep who shared with me The Irony of American History by Reinhold Niebuhr, was forced into another line of work when his expenses exceeded his income. It’s not just the independent reps who are cutting back, however. Scholastic cut Dawn Kehret’s position when they couldn’t get enough volunteers for early retirement. Larry Yoder was forced to retire a year early by MacMillan. We will get new reps who may be every bit as enthusiastic and capable as Henry, Dawn, and Yoder, but they won’t have the same rapport with us. They won’t have as much time to develop that relationship, either, now that they will have larger territories to cover. We still have John T. Lake as our Pearson rep, but he is now responsible for every account west of Chicago as a result of restructuring. This does not bode well for the publishing industry. Books need publishers, so the houses must be fiscally responsible, but bookselling needs the personal touch, too. Hand-selling books is absolutely critical in lean times, at every level. We’ll miss you, Henry, Dawn, and Yoder!