I officially became an aunt at 12:06 am on July 28th, 2009, and I was thrilled beyond words. The only sad part of this situation is that little Autumn Malia, and her family, live in Hawaii. Not a bad place to visit, and I am already planning a trip to meet her. After the happiness somewhat subsided, I was on a mission to make my niece become a lover of books, just like her aunt. Not having children of my own, I am going to try my hardest to give this little one the gift of the written word.
Some of the books that I had waiting for her, before she even entered the world, were some of the children classics. Books I had growing up, that I believed help to shape my childhood, and my life. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendek, Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss, The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss, are just some of the books that were waiting as anxiously as I was for Autumn. All those books are pretty vulnerable to little baby hands, seeing as how they are paper, but Aunt Teresa was prepared for that as well. Working at Anthology, I was able to hit the children’s section and find tons of lovely board books, that are impervious to baby hands. Some of these book that I grabbed we books that I had growing up, but many were “new” books to me. I was lucky enough to find Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, and the new books to me, The Feelings Book by Todd Parr and Underwear Do’s & Don’ts by Todd Parr.
As I boxed them to send to her, I also sent a long letter to my brother and sister-in-law with strict instructions to read to her everyday. I know that she won’t really know what is going on, at least for the first few months of her life when she is being read to, but soon she will begin to understand.
Then, I can sit back, and watch her grow up with all the wonderful worlds that books provide to people, big and small. It has been a very long time since I read any children’s books, so any of you that have recommendations or suggestions I am all ears! Hope to see you at the store :)

Judging a City’s ‘Level of Coolness’ by its Bookshops

“A good way to judge whether a city has the desired level of ‘coolness’ is to look at its bookshops. If there is more than one bookshop selling books in foreign languages on an extensive range of topics, from cookery to philosophy, if one can find what one is looking for there and, furthermore, if one is allowed to stroll through the books while having a sip of coffee from the bookshop’s café, it is an ultimate plus for the intellectual outlook of the city, enticing for anyone considering moving to that city. Bookshops, with their design, their smell, their location and their staff are among the important visitor’s attractions of a city, although not many people think about bookshops as ‘places to visit.'”-From Today’s Zaman, an English-language newspaper in Turkey.

I love books. This is a simple statement with a lot of meaning behind it. Books drive my life forward in a way that nothing else can. I work in an independent bookstore, I am a literature major, I am even getting ready to apply to graduate school so I can get my masters in library science. All the things that are important in my life are driven by books. Why? Because books are fantastic, beautiful, majestic, exciting, lovely, magical, compelling, and so very much more.

These are a few of my favorite things ….

I love old hardcover books with gilded spines, marbled endpapers, lovely lettering, beautiful line drawings, musty smelling pages, places where the binding and pages are worn because of loving caresses. I love tall, majestic books, with rough edged paper, pages that are smooth to the touch, bold lettering that indicates the beginning of the chapter. Large, old picture books, with beautiful colors and fading, because the reader could not bare to stop loving it. I love when you can see where the book sat on its shelf, near its contemporaries, it sat there so long because it was well loved. I love when I pick up a book that has been well loved because I know that I will love it and treasure it just as much as its previous owner. I love when a book that is obviously old has not been touched because I can worship it for its majestic pages. I love when you can close your eyes and feel the bumps from a book that was read and re-read because its contents are so wonderful. I love when I can sit down in a crowded room and be totally grounded by the words on the page. I love it when I cry because the writing is just so beautiful that you cannot stand the feeling that it has produced. I love it when I cry because I cannot find one of my best book friends. I love to let go of a book and share its glory with others. I love the smell of new books, the crisp smell that reminds me of sun warmed fall leaves. I love book cases where the contents are organized by size, shape, and color. I love coming home and realizing that my books are waiting for me to caress them once again. I love that I can stack books and make pillars that will hold me up when nothing else does.

I love books. Its very simple. There is nothing better.

Happy reading!

There is a place inside every books store and every library that I can’t wait to explore. The section in which young minds find magic, hope, adventure and the answer to the most important question: You are not alone.

The Children’s Books. I adore this section most of all because it is the most influential, the most colorful and the most passionate, in my opinion. Where else do you find the literature that will make, break or change the future? Children are what will keep this Earth turning and bring forth new ideas inspired from the past and present to the future.

From books like Matilda by Ronald Dahl to Green Angel by Alice Hoffman, I believe that the very ideals and essences of these pages influence in such a way that is to inspire any child to soar and believe in something bigger than themselves and also how to teach their hearts to grow in love and respect for all as well as themselves. There is a depth there that no adult can touch, a world that is all there own.

Some begin with classics like Black Beauty, others with the very early picture-learning books by the ingenius Dr. Seuss. Whatever introduction to the great and magical world of books (Mine was the Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine. :O) ) there will be that ONE book or that ONE series that will mold and frame their lives forever. Those are the books I am interested in reading, studying and experiencing most of all. May our children experience the most precious and essential conclusions for life to be fully, happily and completely lived: To feel known, understood and strong in a world that is created by and only for them. That is where true growth breathes and lives!

Upon entering the book store I go through a sort of shedding experience. The moment I pull the door open my nostrils are filled with the glorious smell of coffee. Books and coffee, a most perfect marriage in my opinion. The stresses and concerns I had only a moment before are whisked away in the invisible aroma swirls that dance through the entire store. It only gets better. I am greeted with a “Hello” and a smile from my friend who also happens to be my co-worker. It never fails to occur to me that I work at a wonderful independent bookstore. Working at Anthology has answered a life long question of mine. Who reads this stuff?

Since I don’t read Romance, Western or Sci-Fi novels I’ve often wondered about the people who do read these genres. There is an obvious demand as these sections hold large real estate in the store and the books that reside in these sections proudly sport creased spines. These are sure signs of loved books. In general, I don’t read too much mass market paperbacks. Yet the Nora Roberts section is in constant rotation. Being a bookseller has put faces behind the question of “Who reads this stuff?” The people who purchase these genres are lively people who seem to have a common goal in their reading experiences. That common goal is to get away in a book. A ‘mindless read’ before setting off to the land of sleep. Maybe a working day only allows access to only 5 to 10 minutes of spare time. A work of quick fiction can accommodate such a time slot.

By nature I am an analytical thinker. I keep a journal of every book I read in case I come across a quote I like or a word I don’t know. I take notes. Sometimes they are just blurbs and sometimes they are philosophical thoughts. Over the years reading a book just for fun has become a foreign concept to me. I feel that I must be learning something or it’s not worth it to read. Working at the bookstore is changing this attitude. I find that most people rather enjoy talking about what they are reading and some are even thrilled. When talking to customers about what they are reading I, politely and in a non intrusive way, ask why they are reading what they are reading. The answer is pretty much the same each time, “to get away.” I also get recommendations and my “To Read” list is constantly growing.

My co-workers and the Anthology customers I meet inspire me to read that book that will allow me “to get away” without having to take notes in my Moleskine journal. Now, I just need to decide what that book might be.

For myself, summer is an excellent time to get out, enjoy the weather, and the long hours of sunshine. My days fill up fast with activities such as hiking, walking the dogs, gardening (although I must admit my garden is looking a little sad, it is my first year for trying my green thumb :), and riding bikes. After spending many hours in the sun, I find that when I finally head home I am exhausted; which makes it hard to read anything. Being an avid reader, I am constantly disappointed in myself when I fall asleep reading a book that I wanted to read in the first place. Well, my friends, I think I have found a solution to that problem.
Currently, I am reading The Best American Short Stories 2008 edited by Salman Rushdie & Heidi Pitlor. In this collection of twenty short stories, there are such authors as the recognizable T.C. Boyle, and Allegra Goodman; as well as some author whose first published work are included in this book. This is an excellent book, to randomly pick up and read from, being the longest story in the book is only about 30 pages. Great for me to read before I head off to Dreamland :)
Although, I do not normally read short stories, I am finding that I am really enjoying this collection. My favorite story, thus far, has to be The Year of Silence by Kevin Brockmeier; that chronicles a city’s year of self-imposed silence. Utterly amazing ending; truly a universal message. A.M. Homes’ May We Be Forgiven, was so disturbing and shocking that I am still trying to decide if I am glad I read it or not.
On top of being a treasure of short stories, this particular book has been selected to be the Anthology Reader’s Circle July book. For any of you out there looking for a laid back, low key book club, that meets once a month, feel free to stop by and check Anthology Reader’s Circle out. Recently, we have added an evening book club for those of you that can not make it in the mornings. In July, discussing this particular book, the Circle will meet on Wednesday, July 15th at 6pm, and on Thursday, July 16th at 10am. We love meeting new people, and feel free to read all the stories in this book, or just the ones that “call” to you.
Whether or not you make it to the book club, this is an amazing summer read, that gives you the freedom to enjoy all that summer has to offer. Happy Summer, and Happy Reading!