“This little book is a lus(h)cious tour through the Lost Generation. This newly-compiled collection features previously unpublished stories with all manner of characters: musicians, artists, debutantes, street urchins, and, of course, booze. Please read responsibly.”—King’s Books, Tacoma. Buy On Booze from your local indie.
“I enjoyed this personalized biography of Georgia O’Keeffe, which is more an examination of the artist as outsider than of her outsider art. Told in an entertaining style, the book takes us back to the making of this icon and gives us a glimpse of just how difficult it was for O’Keeffe to forge her identity and art in an era when women had limited options in life. Karbo’s style is light and humorous, if a bit gossipy, but she manages to flesh O’Keeffe out in a new way that makes for fun reading.”–Penny, The Literary Duck, Eugene. Buy How Georgia Became O’Keefe from your local indie.
Here’s a big thanks to the 28 authors who sent us holiday gift lists for our inaugural 28 Authors, 28 Variations on a List series, which wrapped up yesterday. Authors, your lists were generous and often funny and full of ideas that showed off your bookselling acumen. You sent us searching for books we’d never seen before, books we’ve now added to our own lists. You told us about about your book-giving traditions, last-minute shopping strategies and had interesting things to say about the book business. You sent us childhood photos, cross-recommended each other’s books and talked about your favorite independent bookstores, from Fireside Books in Palmer, Alaska to Chapter One Book Store in Hamilton, Montana.
A few stats, facts and honors:
Number of books recommended: 191
Most recommended book: Vanessa Vaselka’s Zazen, which was listed by authors on Day 12, Day 14, Day 15 and Day 22 (more…)
“I read this book clear through the night, nearly hurt myself laughing, and didn’t stop until the sun came up. If Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde had a steampunk baby, this book would be that baby. Evil robots, swearing rabbits, mischief, disguises and more!”—Wally, Rediscovered Bookshop, Boise. Buy All Men of Genius from Rediscovered Bookshop.
“A cookbook usually doesn’t make me laugh out loud, but this one did. Part cookbook and part memoir, it tells the often funny stories of the author’s quest to find out which is better—store bought or homemade. Reese tries to answer the question: Is going the homemade route worth the trouble and expense? I didn’t agree with everything the author said—I’ve tried to make marshmallows—but I enjoyed reading every word of this funny, informative and inspiring book. And I can’t wait to try some more recipes—especially the ricotta cheese, the English muffins and Skippy’s Apricot Cake.—Alison, Eagle Harbor Book Company, Bainbridge Island. Buy Make the Bread, Buy the Butter from Eagle Harbor Book Company.
(Editor’s Note: We’re re-posting this interview with veteran Bainbridge Island bookseller Mary Gleysteen on the occasion of her retirement from Eagle Harbor Book Company. The store’s staff posted a tribute and farewell to her here and we talked with some other unhappy people here.)
Mary Gleysteen says it was reading Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison in the early 1980′s that convinced her to switch careers from law to books. She’s been a bookseller ever since. Gleysteen first worked at Edmonds Bookshop and then at both Edmonds and Eagle Harbor Book Company on Bainbridge Island for one crazy year in 1989, and then settled in at Eagle Harbor for good in 1991.
“Jean Patrick loved to run and dreamed of an Olympic track medal to bring together the Hutu majority and his Tutsi minority in Rwanda. His Hutu coach believed in the dream; the President shook his hand. Running the Rift builds toward the horrific, swift and all-encompassing genocide, unimaginable sadistic carnage gainst hundreds of thousands of Rwandan natives. If Jean Patrick escapes, will there be anything or anyone left to bring the refugee home again? Bellwether prize winner Naomi Benaron weaves reality and fiction into a mesmerizing novel you won’t forget. The food, the smells, the sights of everyday life, the laughter of family, the passions, the fears. Amazing and powerful.” —Becky, Vintage Books, Vancouver, WA. Pre-order Running the Rift (out in January) from Vintage Books.
photo by Autumn de Wilde
Days 27 & 28. For the grand finale of 28 Authors, 28 Variations on a List, we’re pleased to present the author/illustrator and life team Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis, whose collaboration Wildwood has been hailed as both beautiful to behold and to read. Wildwood has been number one on the NW Independent Bestseller List for children for most of the holiday season. Meloy and Ellis cemented their relationship with NW indies when they agreed at Book Expo America last spring to let them use art from Wildwood for the 2011 Holiday Books guide.
Meloy is the singer and songwriter for the band The Decemberists, where he says he channels “all of his weird ideas into weird songs.” This is his first novel. Ellis is the acclaimed illustrator of several books for children, including The Composer is Dead, Dillweed’s Revenge and The Mysterious Benedict Society. Meloy and Ellis live with their son, Hank, in Portland, quite near the Impassable Wilderness.
Here, they collaborated on Colin and Carson’s Big Book Recommendations, Holiday Edition, 2011, with links to their favorite indie store in the Northwest, Powell’s. (more…)
“Whenever someone asks what I would eat for the rest of my life, if I could eat only one thing, I shout: Sushi! Because I. Love. Sushi. I love to make it, I love very, very much to eat it, and I also love to look at it; done well, it is art. This book relays Shiro Kashiba’s story, beginning in Japan, coming to the states, opening a sushi shop in Seattle. How he exposed Seattleites to the riches of their shores in the form of sushi, and began a more local sushi movement. And! Sushi recipes and tips and bright illustrations! What a package!”—Sarah N., Grass Roots Books & Music, Corvallis. Buy Shiro from Grass Roots Books & Music.
