Stop in December 4 during the Winter Walk events to shop!
Gift cards of $25 or more will be 25% off all day!
Tag Archives: event
Come start a scifi book club with me!
There is so much cool scifi/fantasy/speculative fiction out right now, I’d love to start a book club for it. Who’s with me? If I can get 5 people to commit to coming every month and buying the books for it, I bet I can convince Steph to carry our book list.
For the first month, we could do a little compare/contrast between classic scifi and modern interpretations of the same themes. For instance, we could read Asimov’s collection of short stories I, Robot, and then also Cory Doctorow’s stories I, Robot and I, Rowboat for a different take on both machine sentience and legislating technological development. Or some time travel development between The Time Machine and Connie Willis’ Blackout or To Say Nothing of the Dog, maybe.
I hear that the Old Firehouse Bookstore is courting Paolo Bacigalupi to make an appearance at their store in September or October. So September would be the perfect time to read The Wind-up Girl, which just came out in paperback. It was up for an award this year, a Hugo, I think.
Then we could do a little genre-pushing. Maybe some Michael Moore, like Fluke (with singing whales) or You Suck (a paranormal romance parody). Or Chuck Palahniuk’s Lullaby, where magic in the world is anything but sexy.
After that we’ll probably have a better idea what the group is into and what our tastes are. I’d love to talk about scifi marketed as mainstream, like The Time Traveller’s Wife or The Lovely Bones, which suck in people who pride themselves on not reading scifi. Compare notes on Heinlein’s Starship Troopers in today’s political context. Try a debut novel from somebody we’ve never heard of. See if Ursula K. Leguin’s communist moon in The Dispossessed lives up to The Communist Manifesto- and does it count as a utopia? Compare a movie and the book it was based on - or experiment with the novelization of a summer blockbuster.
Leave a comment here, and we’ll work out a time. I’ll put a sign-up sheet at the front of the store, too.
It’ll be awesome, you guys. I promise!
Fall Events at Anthology Book Company
It’s been a busy fall with many exciting things happening in the book world of Loveland. In late September, Stephanie, Teresa and I attended the Moutains and Plains Independent Booksellers Association Trade Show in Denver. Two days were devoted to learning more about social marketing, surviving in this economy, hearing from publishers as to the “top picks” in new books; it was a great experience! We came back enthused and encouraged to broaden our marketing focus, find ways to attract and retain loyal customers and with a list of books to read/sell at the store.
Then two great events happened the first week of October, with Loveland Loves to Read hosting Wyoming author, Craig Johnson. His first novel, The Cold Dish, was a hit with a wide variety of readers and the Rialto Theater was filled with a welcoming crowd of folks who were eager to snatch up his other 4 novels, including the latest, The Dark Horse.
Later that week, the US Poet Laureate(1997-2000) Robert Pinsky came to Loveland as part of the Loveland Poet Series. He offered an informal talk on his poetry project, Americans’ Favorite Poems, held at the Loveland Museum and Gallery. Later that evening, following a sponsors’ reception, he spoke to a packed house at the Rialto. Dave Beegle performed acoustic guitar in an opening number, then was brought back by Pinsky to join him in the reading of the poetry. It truly was a magical evening, and what a delight to see so many people appreciating the art of poetry.
Anthology hosted another special event, on the 9th of October, bringing Bhanu Kapil and Aakash Mittal together for an evening of original work. Bhanu read from her latest book, Humanimal, while Aakash and his ensemble performed improv jazz, drawing from his East Indian roots. “Rhythm is melody” was the underlying theme of the collaboration, as I introduced the artists to a welcoming audience of about 40 individuals. The lovely fall day turned to a brisk and snowy evening, yet folks lingered and sipped coffee well until closing time. This Night on the Town event brought out the best of Loveland’s supportive locals, and visitors from as far away as Boulder and Denver.
Join us in November when award-winning young adult author Laura Resau offers a chat and signing of her latest book, The Indigo Notebook. Laura will join us for Night on the Town, November 13, 2009 at 7 pm at Anthology. Her books, bio and other information may be found at http://www.lauraresau.com This is the perfect opportunity to bring your pre-teen and teen readers, to meet an accomplished writer who understands and relates well to the young adult reader. A child who reads will be an adult who reads, and always be a life-long learner. Plan to have a light dinner out on the town in one of our fine restaurants in Loveland, then join us at 7 pm to meet Laura Resau.
Happy reading!
Bridget
How many booksellers does it take to put in a light bulb?
Imagine it…one lady holding the light screen, two other ladies moving a metal books display and yet another lady picking up all the books that fall from that display. Now imagine this happening three times within a 10 minute period! A normal situation at Anthology Book Company. It is a good thing light bulbs don’t burn out everyday! :) We are so lucky to have a team of great girls who have different talents (and heights)! Without even one of us, especially Greth (the tallest of us all), the job would have never been as sufficient nor hilarious. And we are so blessed to have a boss that isn’t above helping put in a light bulb! Thanks Steph!
A day working behind the book counters is never boring. There will always be at LEAST one customer that will make (or break) your day, a book or 3 you find that you never knew you were looking for, but KNOW that you were meant to read it, and then of course, there is always the chai at the Coffee Tree. I never tire of that. :) You can’t beat being a bookseller. But it would be nice if the light bulb would quit going out ( and if other light bulbs wouldn’t follow the example).
hehehe
Jazz and Monsters
What a great event last night! Thank you to everyone who came out on a blustery April night to hear local author Bhanu Kapil read from her book, Incubation: A Space for Monsters. The evening began with live jazz music performed by the Ron Holleman Trio — quite a treat to hear such talented musicians from the comfort of our very own bookstore! Bhanu’s reading was intense and lyrical, her brilliant voice drew me in to our warm and cozy place only to have my breath taken away by her narrative. She was lovely and gracious as usual, her presence helped to center us all in the moment — a warm and crowded push of bodies squeezed into the cafe, seeking refuge from the cold, a strong voice rising above our collective hush …
For those of you who couldn’t make it, please enjoy the photos. Both of Bhanu’s books(Vertical Interrogation of Strangers, and Incubation: A Space for Monsters) are available now at Anthology.
