Shopping and Name-Dropping

It is that time of year again, the time for holiday gift shopping.  Unlike many locations, Booknotes chose not to do anything special for 'Black Friday' this year.  We prefer to keep regular store hours that day.  Also, we weren't finished with decorating the store yet.  We always seem to take longer than necessary to finish up.  Someone, not the author, always seems to take their time in doing their part of the work.  Anyway, we aren't running an actual sale either.  However, we might be able to offer some special discounts on some of our products.  Furthermore, many of our books are already discounted: books of the month (currently cooking), older titles, special subjects.  We were hoping to have a big event by the end of the year, but this is looking unlikely at this time.  Adrianna Trigianni just published her latest title, Tony's Wife, but we won't be able to have her return by the end of the year, at least at this time.  We should have some signed book plates to apply to your copy. though.  Oh, the person who always messes up the decorating might be mentioned in the book's acknowledgements.  We have yet to independently confirm this though.  More on it when we can.  See you again in two weeks.

How to Read Greatly in America

It was recently announced on the PBS program, The Great American Read, the results of a months long poll. The winning book of that poll was To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.  Time to get personal.  I have never read the book.  Oh, I have tried a few time, but I could never get into it.  There was just something a little too poignant about it.  Maybe I tried to read it at a time that I really wasn't into such deep thoughts.  I don't know.  All I know is that no one has been in asking about it, or any the other top choices.  We handed out dozens of free bookmarks to customers and browsers.  When we got a second batch of bookmarks, we even left some at a local library, mostly just to get rid of some of the excess.  For some reason, no one around here was that interested.  In all honesty, neither was I.  While I had many of the books and series that made the final selection list, I just wasn't able to keep up with the hype.  In a previous post, I even mentioned my trepidations about this entire project.  It didn't really help out here.  Just too many people don't do book stores anymore.  At least this one.  I don't know.  Maybe it is just my own feelings clouding the issue.  Things have been going not as good lately.  Sorry about the depressing turn.  Hopefully, the next post will be more upbeat.  See you in two weeks.