The Book Shopper

Book Shopping in the News

The New York Times ran an article earlier this week about the moral dilemma of buying books dirt cheap on the internet. See Bargain Hunting, And Feeling Sheepish About It. One note of interest is that the writer David Streitfeld interviewed Andy Ross, the former owner of Cody’s Books. As you may recall, Cody’s Books was one of the bookstores featured in the documentary Paperback Dreams. (See the November 29th posting.)

Peter Selgin

I just finished reading Peter Selgin’s collection of short stories Drowning Lessons, winner of the Flannery O’ Connor Award from UGA press. I picked up the book a couple of months ago when Mr. Selgin was here for a reading at Wordsmiths along with a fellow O'Connor winner (Andrew Porter for The Theory of Light and Matter).  My friend Denise and I knew of Mr. Selgin because he was the writing teacher of a friend who lives in New York.

The End of Arts & Books

Today the Atlanta Journal-Constitution changed the name of its Arts & Books section to Arts & Leisure. See explanation. I have no major problem with the elimination of the antiquated sounding “B-word,” however, in the same section of today’s paper  you can read an interesting feature article about novels of the new South  (as opposed to the lovable crusty ol' South) which ends with a quote from novelist Marc Fitten  who says that Atlanta has everything it takes to be a literary town “except now maybe what we need is an audience."

The Christopher Moore Tour

The popular Christopher Moore will be at Wordsmiths in Decatur on February 23_^rd. Not that I am a big reader of Moore, but a good friend of mine from Knoxville is a rabid fan and I wonder if he’ll take the opportunity to prove his loyalty (note the hint of a personal challenge here). To see more about the tour in general and what to expect at Moore’s  readings check out the tour page on his web site. What a brutal schedule.

`Tis the Week Before Christmas

 'Tis a bit of a down time for book events and understandably so, as people prepare for the holiday season. However last Saturday (13_^th), I did hear Kenny Leon’s energetic recitation of that tired ol’ poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas." Mr. Leon, the founding director of the True Colors Theatre Company,  hosted the Third Annual Holiday Jazz Vespers at the Rialto Center for the Arts. The Reverend Dwight Andrews led the holiday event, directing a jazz ensemble and chorus featuring appearances by jazz vocalists Kathleen Bertrand and Alexandra Jackson. Mr. Leon’s performance was joyful and uplifting, but still took second place to the gospel-stompdown version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”

Sarah Vowell

I just finished reading humorist and social commentator Sarah Vowell’s Assassination Vacation. I picked up a copy at her reading at the Carter Presidential Library & Museum on October 27^th when Vowell was in town promoting her latest book The Wordy Shipmates about the influence of the Puritans in New England. Because I had several disparate thoughts as I read the book, I decided to parse my commentary accordingly.

Thought 1 – Sarah Vowell at the Carter Presidential Library

I skipped dinner and arrived almost an hour early at the Carter Center since it promised to be a big crowd. By seven o’clock the Carter Center had filled to near capacity and Vowell walked briskly on stage to a warm reception. She’s not a tall woman and her head barely cleared the lectern.

Vowell -- with her squeaky thin voice and comedic timing -- made the expected witty asides, but the burden of turning Puritan personalities such as Roger Williams, Anne Hutchinson and John Winthrop into riveting stories may have been too much even for Vowell, at least on that particular night.  It takes a lot of effort and background information to connect Puritans to our current political and social climate even to someone like myself who has a better-than-average knowledge of American history. Moreover, Vowell seemed tired. More than once she mentioned that the rigors of the book tour was taking its toll and said that doing readings was “at odds with her personality.”  

During the meandering question and answer period that followed (like many authors she probably feels the responsibility to answer all questions thoroughly), I debated whether to ask Vowell if she was familiar with another book that examines the influence of the Puritans on modern times: David E. Shi’s The Simple Life: Plain Living and High Thinking in American Culture. (1985). But on that night, hunger trumped curiosity and I exited the building rather than wait in line to get my book signed and ask my question. I left without feeling any buzz — just empathy for Vowell for what must have been a long night on stage.

To Ted or Not to Ted

I am still debating whether to go and see Ted Turner at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library on December 10th, as he stumps for his new book, Call Me Ted. Putting my tasteless questions about Jane Fonda aside, I am curious enough to ask him about his decision to put the Atlanta Braves’ home games on local television, which, if I recall correctly, was quite a break from broadcasting traditions at that time. Mr. Turner’s reasoning was that if you saw people at the local ball park having fun, you would be inclined to go and do the same. This is similar to the reasoning behind this blog – if I show you that there is more to book readings and lectures than just sitting and listening to someone read, then you might be more likely to attend and engage, and we will all enjoy a growing Atlanta-Decatur book scene, which is kind of my goal. Of course, if I do go, ask the question, and then Mr. Turner says, “No, you have it all wrong,” then where am I?

Obama the Bookseller

During the panel discussion following Paperback Dreams (see posting below), Outwrite's Philip Rafshoon remarked (maybe tongue-in-cheek, maybe optimistically) that the election of Barack Obama could have a positive effect for independent booksellers. At the time he said this I thought to myself, “Boy, everyone sure has a lot of expectations for Obama.” But who is to say this isn't so? Check out the Associated Press’ story from the 59th annual National Book Awards where much of the buzz centered around Obama. Not only is the President-elect an author of books himself, but books such as Doris Kearns Goodwin’s A Team of Rivals about the Lincoln cabinet (did I loan my copy to my mother?) have enjoyed a surge in popularity as well.