Blackout! An Overly Dramatic Retelling

The incessant whirring of rechargeable flashlights will forever sound like the beginning of the apocalypse to me. Anna and Liz were in the Giftsmith when the blackout hit, and Anna immediately went to a display and grabbed rechargeable flashlights in the shape of ducks, tigers, and owls.* They gathered an armful and looked for their compatriots, distributing animals at will, issuing the instruction of 'Keep squeezing!'

Customers fled (and by fled I mean a few of them kind of hung out and kept browsing, using their phones as flashlights). Ric, the ever glorious Ric, kept things calm. He and Liz directed traffic and cleared the store in no time. I was downstairs putting everything away after a really great event with Box Brown, and as the store plunged into darkness I thanked Box, wherever he was (upstairs, actually), for having a shorter presentation. If it were ten or so minutes longer we would have been plunged into darkness together, reaching out to hold onto the closest Andre the Giant fan or comics aficionado until the emergency lights came on.

After the store was cleared, we stood around the registers, rechargeable flashlights whirring. Sandra's rechargeable flashlight was a tiger, the best animal out of the three. Katie was briefly locked out as she was changing the event board outside. I realized I had lost my key, which set me off on a long journey of sadness and whirring, culminating in Katie finding my key because she knows the event space like the back of her hand, and because she was no longer stranded on the sidewalks of Brookline.

We banded together. We used our animal flashlights to illuminate the manager's binder with instructions for what to do during a blackout. Liz called NStar and had the proud title of being 'the first to report an outage.' We made a whirring train of light into the Booksmith back rooms, we checked plugs, turned lights off, and Ric briefly scared everyone by claiming someone was still huddled in a corner of the UBC. 

We survived. The store is open today, shiny, bright, and fully operational, to the point where I could film this handy instructional video starring Anna:

*We actually have easily accessible flashlights, but Anna was shrouded in darkness and could only focus on the rechargeables. I think the blackout was made better for it, and now several booksellers can answer the question, "Do you sell flashlights?" 

Bookstore Tourism: Tokyo Edition

Still recovering from massive jet lag accrued over my recent flight over the International Date Line, I was reading Murakami's Sputnik Sweetheart as I tried to lull myself to sleep at something resembling a decent hour. It's still hard to get to bed on time, and harder still to wake up in the morning and feel alert during the day, but since the time change between Brookline and Tokyo is (only) 13 hours, according to Wikipedia I only have 5 more days to recover from the jet lag. I should be right as rain just in time for my birthday! Anyway, back to the Murakami. At the beginning of chapter 6, the narrator says: "The day the letter arrived, I'd gone out to Shinjuku for the first time in quite a while, picked up a couple of new books at the Kinokuniya bookstore, and taken in a Luc Besson movie." While in Tokyo, I stayed in Shinjuku, and visited this very Kinokuniya, with it's staggering 8 stories of books.

There were tons of bookstores in Tokyo, and even a neighborhood of used bookstores near the major universities. The reading culture in Tokyo is alive and well, with many of the passengers on the clean, efficient Tokyo subway lines reading paperback books carefully covered in leather, canvas, fabric and even tidy paper book covers. The displays in many of the stores were gorgeous and vibrant, twisted stacks to the ceilings, beautiful piles wrapped around the bookshelves, and book design is beautiful there, with many of the books in similar trim sizes, with a sewn in bookmark in the popular-sized paperbacks. There's even a magazine devoted to the art of book design and illustration!

Kinokuniya was a little special for me because even though it's technically a chain, the only others I've visited were in Seattle and New York, two cities near and dear to my heart. I bought a copy of Alice in Wonderland in Japanese at the Seattle location, with a cool slipcase, and in New York I bought Finn Family Moomintroll in Japanese complete with illustrations. In Shinjuku, I loaded up on cute magazines with bunnies and stunning Japanese architecture magazines, and even rode the elevator with a real live attendant decked out in lace gloves and hat. I was on the hunt for a particular book and having trouble with the organization at one point (it didn't seem entirely alphabetical, even knowing the Japanese alphabet), and when I asked for help, the very kind and gracious bookseller bowed, ran to the computer, looked at me, excused himself and apologized profusely, dashed past me and returned with a Japanese to English dictionary and pointed at a word. "Not in stock." They have a single word for that! I thanked him, bought my treasures, which the cashier placed elegantly in the bag, taped shut, bowed and thanked me.

All of this was a microcosm of my stay in Japan, orderly, elegant, everyone takes such care with details and politeness I felt so welcome and happy and impressed and overwhelmed and soothed all at the same time I had a hard time leaving. So how about it kids, who's coming with me to set up Booksmith Tokyo?

A Life in Books

Last week a man came down with about 8 boxes of books. As my colleague and I pored over them, the boxes quickly began to tell a story. All of the books, boxes and boxes of books were clearly one person's collection. There were classics of world literature and gobs and gobs of politics, history and cultural studies, mostly leftist, with copious amounts of highlighting inside. Every book had been read all the way through: possibly twice as there were two colors of highlighting in many of them. We don't buy books with highlighting so we unfortunately passed on many of them. But it was fascinating to see a whole life through someone's books, someone who obviously cared deeply about reading to be bothered to actually read this many, and on top of that to put together a picture of the person behind the highlighter through the bookmarks therein. A "progressive book-of-the-month club" membership receipt, a residuals invoice from NBC from acting in two episodes of a television show, and all the Booksmith bookmarks. Booksmith bookmarks going back decades. A devoted and loyal shopper, I only found one bookmark from another book store, Harvard in the 90s, another independent.

The man who brought the books in brought them in haphazard boxes, falling apart. He didn't seem to care too much about the money he got for them. A quick Google search revealed that the original owner of the books had passed away. In the last box of books, I found a Dover Thrift Edition of Brothers Karamazov. It was highlighted until about a third of the way through and then it stopped. Had he read it before? Was it the last book he started? Did he give up, opting for some non-fiction instead? This guy read more than I did and it is basically my job. It was heartbreaking and fascinating to see so laid bare the life of a reader. This few hours of work in my week led me to hope his friends and family are recovering from their grief. I'm sure they all miss long, deep conversations about books and politics. And it made me grateful for all of our lifelong, super-loyal, white-hot-bright customers. Thanks for reading.

Holicraze

It's the time of year when us booksellers are bustling about non-stop, answering the phone in the back, grabbing the book to put on hold, and helping about 15 customers along the way to the register and then jumping in to help at the register for a quick sec that turns into an hour, then going in the back to call a pile of special orders, running downstairs to shrink wrap a pile of books, run out front to wrap a pile of presents, lather, rinse, repeat. It's crazybusy, hectic and we're ravenously hungry for empty carbs and sugar at all points of the day. BRING IT ON, BROOKLINE! We're hand-selling machines; we've got awesome ideas for everything and we're running on way too much coffee!

But the crowds definitely mean one thing...all the great books we have are flyin' outta here. So come get 'em while they're hot.

First of all, if you are shopping for your boyfriend or any human being that loved legos as a kid, snatch up a copy of Building Stories by Chris Ware. This box is a deconstructed graphic novel that you can build into a neighborhood block; then peak into the building's windows like a voyeur and follow the story there, and in the myriad pamphlets included. The print run of this magic puzzle box is out, and because of it's unique structure the next print won't be out until January. One of our dynamo booksellers wheeled and dealed all over town to get us some extra copies, but they're flying off the shelves so nab one now while you can. Perfect gift for all kinds of interesting people; readers or no.

We just got a huge shipment of even more gift wrap; really great paper and bags made out of beautiful materials recycled and otherwise with adorable designs. Be the envy under the tree this year!

Hanukkah is winding down, so be sure to snatch up some awesome platters from the Card and Gift room and pile in those latkes while it's still socially acceptable to do so! Also, how many Hanukkah rubber duckies do you have? THAT IS NOT ENOUGH COME GET MORE RUN DON'T WALK.

Come say hi! Bring us donuts! We'll lead you to the perfect gifts for you and yours! Love you, Brookline!

Hey, I'm Jamie. My heartstrings are easily pulled.

For my first blog post, I was going to tell you about starting my day by flipping through My Ideal Bookshelf,  ZooBorns the Next Generation (in my head, ZooBorns TNG), and My Bookstore, but then the following occurred:

A man rushed into the bookstore, and within five minutes he was up at the register with a book in hand. He gave me The New Father by Armin Brott.  I looked at his wrist and saw a plastic ID bracelet decorated with teddy bears and ducks, and realized what this all was. I asked if he had come straight from the hospital, which he had, and if it was a boy or a girl.  It was a boy, and I congratulated him. He was clearly elated and excited, and he flew out of the bookstore as quickly as he had come in.

I want to put this out there, in case he ever stumbles upon this blog: I'm glad we were here to offer you the right book for your growing family, and I hope we get to see your baby as he grows up.   Congratulations again, and thank you for reminding me about my favorite part of bookselling: connecting the right person to the right book and knowing they're about to have a lovely future with one another.

costumes. social responsibility.

Correct! It is Halloween. Halloween even here, at the Boooosmith (yardy har har).

It's getting pretty spooky here. Dana flew in this morning, and I haven't been able to make eye contact with her yet. As for myself, I'm not sure which is scarier, my "half dead" costume or the mess at my desk. Sigh. Either way

I've got candy.

at the register.

Apparently it is for customers, and not for me...so help me out and come take it from my line of vision.

Have a happy Halloween- either a quiet night encouraging carbohydrate solicitation , getting dressed up as a promiscuous version of whatever (kitty, nurse, cave woman, fireman, gynecologist) and getting humiliatingly sloppy, or just the usual blood-letting in your local graveyard.

I'm still at the register.

I'm not complaining, just making a general observation. A fella came in to see if we sold Kindle cases. I bought some facial toner. I ate some crackers...so that was a lot of excitement. In a few minutes I'm going to drag what's left of me to the front register and handle some books, interact with some cool people. After two hours I will walk 2 miles home and read some poetry by Nick Flynn. http://www.brooklinebooksmith-shop.com/search/apachesolr_search/nick+flynn+some+ether. I will probably watch a psychological horror movie with my fella, and eat leftover something. I will have a small glass of some type of Korean rice vodka that was a lovely gift from a family friend. I will pet my cat; remember childhood knee injuries, forget to call my grandparents, regret eating those crackers, wash my face, floss (maybe), crawl into bed and read more Per Petterson. http://images.indiebound.com/835/343/9780312343835.jpg

Reading is a safe telenovella... Engaged escapism... Associative dissociation.

one year :)

The life of a bookseller is like a magnetic poetry set. I know the day will involve words, but which ones and in what order has always yet to be arranged. No phrase (or day) is identical. It keeps things interesting that way.

I have been a bookseller for about four years now, and one year ago today I began working at the Booksmith. When I worked at Hearthside Books in Alaska, I could never really answer what I wanted to do after I completed my Masters in Children's Writing at Simmons College. What did I want to do at the time besides write children's books? Stay in the bookstore. But is that what some one with a Master's degree should do? NO, people would say. You should do something more worthwhile with your talents. But the minute I stepped back into the book store life here, after one year in the publishing industry, it was like coming home. Unlike many other jobs out there, I literally use my degree every day. And, it's so amazing to hear customers telling others, "She gives great recommendations for kids' books. Ask her."

Book selling is not a lazy job nor is it standing behind a cash register all day. My brain is constantly working with shelving books into a giant Tetris puzzle (more commonly known as the shelves that have a specific order to them), speaking with customers and unraveling the mystery about which book they saw on display two months ago about animals... (it was the Chicken Thief), what book would be good for a reluctant reader who is trapped in the world of television, what book would be challenging for a ten year old who can read a 200 page book in one sitting, and much more. Of course there are days when I'd rather hide in a box in the back and read, especially when overly demanding persons come in, when it's so loud in the kids' section I want to go ask for ear plugs, or when my allergies invade my insides, but alas.... Though, I am well stocked in books -- new and old -- for when I am not on the clock.

Over this past year, I've also been exploring the world of book buying. Learning from our fabulous book buyers and publisher reps has been an amazing experience. It's always an interesting puzzle to be constantly thinking: would our customers enjoy this? A few books don't make it and are returned to the publisher to seek out a home elsewhere. Others turn into favorites and it's a marathon just to keep them on the shelves.

Do I love my job? Absolutely! The best part? Introducing new books to readers, kids telling me about their favorite books, and customers asking for me because I gave a friend of a friend the perfect recommendation -- it's the appreciation there and presenting something that is highly worthwhile.

Do You Want Your Booksellers Reading at the Register?

Is it a requirement that booksellers wear glasses? Kind of. Is it a requirement that boys that work at Trader Joe's wear carabiners with keys on them? Most assuredly. There are some stereotypes that are offensively true. The point I'd like to raise is one of great contention, and the mere fact that I hesitated to even bring it up is proof of its divisiveness... reading, while working at the cash register. Is it okay? Why or why not...

When you walk into a bookstore, you expect the booksellers to be, well,...hyper literate. This quality takes a good deal of time to develop. If you are working at the register, and there aren't many customers around, and everything had been straightened and stocked...is it ok to read? Would you be put off if you saw an employee reading on the job? Or would you see it as on the job training/ or product placement?

I personally have mixed feelings on the issue. If I saw someone reading at a coffee shop, and they didn't look up to acknowledge my presence as a paying customer, I would be miffed. I would feel neglected...but I would also be curious as to what the are reading. Now let's say we have the same scenario, but this time we are in a bookstore...if the reader/employee in question looked up and acknowledged me as a customer, I would be fine with them reading at the register. I would think to myself, what a wonderful job they have! I wonder what they are reading? As surely it must be good, I mean they work here and have the pick of the litter! They practice what they preach!

I am honestly curious as to what you think as a customer, is it beneficial to have booksellers reading on the job? (while at the register)

Healthworks in Cool-kids Corner?

Can it be true? The wealthy-women-only gym maybe taking over the space occupied by our long standing and victoriously defeated foe, Barnes and Noble?

I'm feeling such a strange mix of emotions. Currently I have an underutilized "student" membership at the Healthworks across from BU. I moved, and traveling there truly sucks, but if the rumors are real and I could workout before or after work right here in Coolidge Corner, well....let's just say there would be no fear of bathing me with a stick on a rag...

What would that experience be like? Working out next to customers? If you know me , you know that I am very into sustainable community living, and the shop indie/local ideals...but I do have boundaries.

I've been working in Coolidge Corner for 6 years, and my customers still do a double-take when they see me out of context. For example...sometimes when I am shopping at CVS, or grabbing a coffee I'll run into a customer who I can tell is struggling to place me....and usually they think I work wherever it is we happen to be standing...I have even fitted some folks for bras at Lady Grace even though I do not , nor have I ever worked there...because service workers all kinda look the same...and I don't like to disappoint......(i kid) my point is....

If I'm at the gym, will you be asking me for advice on proper free-weight techniques? (I could actual give it but still) And will I want to see my community lounging in the sauna?

This begs the question....how much is too much community? Privacy and convenience are at odds here, and this Healthworks possibility is really giving me some anxiety. I'd love to know your thoughts. How much living should you do near your job? How close am I to living in a commune?

Will you make fun of me if I slip during step-aerobics?

part of the reason I'm here

My father had visitation with me every other weekend. He would take me for breakfast at a greasy spoon diner, and then maybe bowling...and then finally (and mostly always) before he dropped me back off at my mother's, he would bring me to a bookstore and let me pick out whatever I wanted...as long as I promised that I would (and could) read all of what I brought home.

This was the one huge splurge I was allowed; and I felt it a moral obligation to read the books my father purchased for me with his hard earned money...

I have seen some fathers with their daughters in the store, and sometimes I can tell the pairs on borrowed time...we know our own...

There's a way to stay with someone when you read a book that they recommend, buy for you, or borrow...there is something in the handling of the object, and the object's internal energy that keeps; and ties all involved histories together.

And to lighten the mood, I offer this...

Last One Standing

Sorry not to have updated last week--I've begun my buying for the summer which means I've been busier than usual. Of course it also means there's more that I want to tell you all about what's exciting coming up. I'm not sure how I'll do it, but I'll try!

I haven't made mention of it (partly because I'm never happy to see anyone losing jobs or storefronts closing, partly because I'd like to spend my time focused on us more than our competition) but recently the Barnes and Noble down the street from us shut their doors. Dana, our fearless general manager and co-owner, wrote a little something about it for Shelf Awareness that you can read here (scroll to the bottom).

In other news I was able to read Temple Grandin's Animals Make Us Human in time for our event last week (As suspected, I was working the register during her talk. I would insert a Debbie Downer wah-wah here but the popularity of the event meant we were piping audio through the whole store for those who couldn't fit downstairs so all was good. ). The book was wonderful and insightful and heartbreaking and, sadly, totally confirmed that my lifestyle is in no way conducive to owning a dog. I'm very glad that I get to pet all the dogs that come into our store and feed them biscuits or I would go crazy from doggy deprivation.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines!

Oh my god, how did it become November? The past 48 hours has seen the store turned into a winter wonderland.

(As you can see my camera phone is really top quality. Guess you'll just have to come in to the store if you want to see all the decorations actually in focus)

One More Thing...

I didn't get to go to BEA this year (Book Expo, the book world's huge trade show/carnival) as it was in California which was a bit of a bummer. I'm pretty much over it at this point but there is one thing I am still regretting...I missed out on a private party/concert by Prince. AT HIS HOUSE!!!

I saved my invitation just the same.

Shop Talk

For the back page of the upcoming New York Times Book Review Leanne Shapton (former bookseller and author of Was She Pretty) drew sketches of booksellers at independent bookstores around New York City and asked them the following questions: "Have you ever kicked anyone out? Do you correct customers' pronunciation? What's the strangest thing anyone has left behind?"

In the hopes of having Ms. Shapton come to Brookline to sketch me I have taken it upon myself to answer her questions in advance.

Have you ever kicked anyone out? No. But my fear of doing so is exactly why I never wanted to become a manager. I have asked people who use their outside-voices while on their cell phones to please keep it quiet. The nasty-look versus embarrassed-grimace response is about 1:1.

Do you correct customers' pronunciation? No, but I put try to put them out of their misery as soon as I realize they're looking for books by J.M. Coetzee (by the way, it's kind of like this: cut-TSEE-uh). I do always smile bigger when I'm at the register and ask someone how they are and they reply with "well" rather than "good."

What's the strangest thing anyone has left behind? I can't think of anything really good at the moment but I can say that I haven't had to purchase an umbrella since I started working in a bookstore. Helpful hint if you get caught in the rain: ask at a bookstore if there are any spare umbrellas in the lost and found--it's a good bet you'll get lucky.

And to make this more interesting, my most awkward customer interaction (of late): I recently had a very odd exchange with a customer when I was at the register. She came up to me and gushed, "Has anyone ever told you you look just like Anne Frank? You look just like Anne Frank!" Er, no. But thank you?

On a pretty unrelated note:
This week's NYTBR reviews The Drunkard's Walk by George Johnson. Cool. Extra-cool? The illustrations for the review are by Jessica Hagy!

Brookline Booksmith In the News

We've gotten some awfully great press lately and I just wanted to share how exciting it is to everyone here. We think we're awfully cool (well, I'm not so cool, but the store is!), so it's nifty when others agree! Read on...

** April's Boston magazine lists "The 61 New Best Things About Boston." Coming it at #36 is the poet Charles Coe, who kindly tips his hat to Brookline Booksmith and McIntyre and Moore as two of the best things in Boston. Thanks Mr. Coe!

**April's Lola magazine features Hannah Richards, founder of The Colored Pencil Project. They asked her to list the ten things in Boston she can't live without. Number one? Killing time at Brookine Booksmith! Ms. Richards made our day when she said "I love everything about it--the creaky floors [note--glad someone likes 'em...], the sales in front, the staff." Aww, thanks. We love you too!

**Boston.com listed "25 Things to Do in Boston for Under $25" and coming in at #13 is attend a book reading at the Booksmith or the Harvard Book Store, our friends across the river. Cool!

**And last, but not least, just as Alie was recently featured in the Boston Globe's Book Reviews for her "Pick of the Week," this past Sunday was Dana's turn in the sun. She recommended Mudbound by Hillary Jordan. You can read what she said here (just scroll to the bottom).

Not too shabby, my friends, not too shabby. (By the way, I'm grinning like a fool.)

Secrets of Bored Booksellers

So, as much as we are usually busy helping customers (as well as shelving, sorting, ordering books, returning books, recommending books, dusting the shelves, etc.), there are the very occasional times (mostly during blizzards and major sporting events) when we may have a moment to wonder what we should do with ourselves. I have a bookseller friend who takes those moments to construct the funniest damn Venn diagrams you've ever seen.

I can't wait to show him Jessica Hagy's new book Indexed. It's a HILARIOUS little compilation of graphs and diagrams that have been amusing me for days (and has me checking out Ms. Hagy's blog for more!). Some of my favorites:

The intersection of organ, monkey, and scared little kid? Medical miracle or street performance.
Big jewelry, cane, and fur coat? Rich old woman or pimp.

And finally...
Father, son, and ghost? The worst camping trip ever.

Winter Institute--Part Three

A number of publishers were hosting dinners on Friday night, I attended the Harper Collins dinner hosted by the indefatigable Carl Lennertz. Before we left for Louisville he wrote those of us attending the dinner to ask if we had any authors we were especially keen to sit near--I requested to be near E. Lockhart (I figured anyone who wrote such books as Fly on the Wall and The Boy Book --books I know would have been my favorite books in the world if they were around when I was 13--would be a fun dinner companion), and was glad to see that my wish was granted!

In addition to Ms. Lockhart I was seated near Elizabeth Bluemle, one of the most fun people you'll ever spend time with, and wonderful booksellers from Wild Rumpus in Minneapolis and Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville, IL, both bookstores I've heard so many great things about and been wanting to visit for the longest time. This is the first time I've gotten to go to an author dinner with booksellers who focus on children and young adults, and it was a really fun change of pace.

Saturday's breakfast was without a speaker, instead it was an opportunity to chat with other booksellers about what you're reading--a great chance for me to practice my handselling skills!

After breakfast I went to a panel on the business of publishing. It focused on the P&L, or the Profit and Loss Statement, which is the set of numbers publishers run to figure out how to make a title profitable, taking into account the expenses--production costs, author costs, operating expenses, etc. I actually found it quite fascinating. As someone who is just learning what the difference is between gross and net, margins and profits, it was a very helpful crash-course in business practices and great insight into the minds of publishers and how they make decisions about book design and print run quantities based on their P&Ls (because God knows I wonder what they're thinking often enough--even a bit of clarity can be helpful!).

Another set of publisher rep picks followed, and then it was on to lunch with a panel of experts on the national movement towards shopping independent and local--Bill McKibben, author of Deep Economy (a previous staff pick of Dana's), Stacy Mitchell, author of Big-Box Swindle, and Michael Shuman, author of The Small-Mart Revolution. All were incredibly upbeat about the direction of independent businesses, particularly in areas where they have been able to band together as independent business alliances (such as nearby Cambridge Local First or Local First Vermont). They observed that it has often been bookstores that have led the way in forming such alliances and that we should, as centers of ideas and culture, continue to do so--in fact, in the words of Mr. McKibben, it is our "moral obligation."

The post-lunch session can be deadly, but I actually had the most fun at a session at "Consumer Behavior Revealed--The Dating Game." This could be because they, in fact, took an unsuspecting volunteer from the audience and had her play the Dating Game! The point was to learn about what motivates consumers in their decision making processes. The fact is that books can be purchased everywhere--why do people choose one place over another (and, of course, how can we get people to choose to buy their books with us)? We reviewed Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs and looked at how psychological, situational, social, and commercial influences can affect consumer choices.

Dear lord, it's time for me to go and I'm still not done talking about Winter Institute! Well, one more post tomorrow should do it--until then...

Winter Institute--Part Two

After lunch was a choice of more panels, I went to one on inventory management (a fairly dry and boring topic to blog about, but critical for buyers) and one for prospective bookstore owners with a panel of folks who have opened their stores in the past eighteen months. I'm not planning on opening my own store anytime soon, but I was curious to hear what these folks had experienced.

There was an opportunity to go to a rep picks session after that, but I was a little tired of sitting and being talked to so I decided to take a break and start blogging before it all got away from me. I brought my computer down to the second floor, as that's where the free wi-fi can be found, but I ended up doing more talking with others than blogging at that point. I'm so glad I got to meet Michele Filgate, the events coordinator at RiverRun Bookstore, and we spent the better part of an hour talking books. We actually were talking with a librarian--in a nice bit of book confluence, it turns out that there is a conference for SLA, the Special Libraries Association happening at the same hotel at the same time! I kind of feel bad for the librarians---I wonder if they know that just one floor above them is an entire room of galleys for the taking (We actually snuck our librarian friend into the author reception happening so she could meet Augusten Burroughs as he is her favorite author!)

As you may have surmised from the last sentence, there was a wonderful author reception/signing for the big evening event. My swag: The new collection of short stories from Tobias Wolff, Our Story Begins (another cat out of the bag--he's coming to the store later in the spring! Yippee! I don't know that I've ever blogged about it, but Old School was my favorite book the year it came out, and it remains a favorite. If you haven't read it, you must! There are so many reasons why you MUST read it--a killer coming-of-age story is one, but another is his portrayal of classic literary figures--Robert Frost, Ayn Rand, and Ernest Hemingway. He writes these characters just as I would have imagined them to be. I could go on and on (which I did, embarrassingly enough, when I met him last night...sigh), so instead I'll move on.

I also got Mary Roach's new book, Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex, which I'm eager to read. I've never read Stiff or Spook, but I've always meant to read her as I know there are lots of folks at the store (both employees and customers) who lover her and, hey, this book's got a topic I can totally get behind (oh, and by-the-by, I have a feeling she'll be coming to our store too! I tell you, Brian is ah-mazing). For the boys at the store I got a copy of Mr. Burrough's new memoir about his father, A Wolf at the Table. I'm not sure who will get it yet--I know that Carl and Chris and, one other person, I think, have his books on their Essential Reads lists, so I might just have to have a sudden-death Rock Paper Scissors tournament.

Finally, for my mom, I picked up a copy of Pocketful of History: Four Hundred Years of America One State Quarter at a Time by James Noles. It takes each state quarter and uses the iconography to talk about state history. As my mom is an avid state quarter collector (and middle school teacher) I thought she would really like it for herself and her students. By the way, in case you were wondering, she's collecting those state quarters for her future grandchildren. And she's not just collecting one set, but two. But no pressure. Sheesh, mom, thanks! I guess, though, it's better than the mom of a friend who, while we were in high school and college, would collect Disney VHS tapes when they came out for a limited time so that her future grandkids would have them. I wonder what she has done with them now that I don't know that they even still manufacture VHS players? Anyways, sorry for that digression...

It's almost time for lunch, so I think I'll sign of for now but more later about my dinner with E. Lockhart and all of today's highlights!

Winter Institute--Part One

Yesterday's travel day went off without a hitch. I had a direct flight to Louisville, and shared it with a bunch of faces I recognized from other New England bookstores. I would guess, in fact, that of the approximately 30 people on board (it was one of those little 48 seaters), at least half were en route to Winter Institute. It meant that I payed even more attention than usual to what the people around me were reading while we were waiting for takeoff.

I had a bit of downtime after checking-in, and then headed over to the Muhammad Ali Center for the opening reception. I know how important networking is, and I know I'm supposed to use the opportunities presented to me to meet other booksellers and develop connections and all that good business practices stuff, but I have to say that I was just blown away with the museum and its exhibits, and spent most of my time exploring the Center. I'm not a boxing fan, but his is a fascinating story and I was completely intrigued.

This morning we had breakfast at 8:00, followed by a presentation by Danny Meyer, the owner of Union Square Cafe and Grammercy Tavern and all those other top-ranked Zagat's restaurants, based on his book Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business. I really took to heart his point that our emphasis should not necessarily be on being the best at what we do, but being our customers' favorite. THAT is success.

I know that we can't possibly stock every book that every customer wishes we did. We can't be open every hour, give every discount, or utilize every new technology. And it kills me sometimes. But there are customers, all the time, who tell me when I'm at the register that we're their favorite bookstore. I don't think I've ever really listened to them the way I should. After listening to Mr. Meyer this morning it makes me want to really pay attention to those compliments and take them to heart as much as I do the complaints (why is it so easy to remember every complaint and dismiss every compliment?). What are we doing right for these customers? How can we do it for even more people? And how can we build on those strengths?

Mr. Meyer argues that to become a favorite you have to provide more than service-you have to provide hospitality. What's the difference? Service is a one-size-fits-all method of fulfilling expectations, while hospitality is a dialogue, a one-on-one method that makes someone feel heard and recognized.

Following breakfast was a choice of a number of panel sessions, I chose to go to one on handselling, which was a perfect segue from the topics Mr. Meyer was discussing as it is the art of putting the right book in the hand of each customer who comes into your store. I am still at the apprentice stage of handselling, but if you want to know what great handselling is then ask for Lisa or Paul when you come into the store. Listening to them recommend books, it makes it impossible to not want to drop everything and immediately read whatever it is they suggest. I dare you.

Then it was off to lunch where our speaker was Gary Hirshberg, the C.E.O. of Stonyfield Farm. I have to admit that I wasn't expecting much, but his presentation was AMAZING. Like, really, truly, moved me amazing. He believes that business and the environment don't necessarily have to be at odds--in fact, doing the right thing for the environment can actually be profitable for the bottom line as well as profitable for world. And he puts his money where his mouth is. He writes about it in his book Stirring It Up: How to Make Money and Save the World, which I don't think I ever would have read without hearing him speak and now can't wait to start. Mr. Hirshberg's dedication to doing the right thing isn't a front, or good P.R., but is a way of life for him that I think not only inspired me but a lot of other booksellers in the audience. I think there might be a movement coming in the publishing and bookselling community where we really look at the industry and exernality (this is a new concept I learned today at lunch) and environmental economic effects.

(By the way, a very cool and informative website is for Climate Counts, a non-profit started by the Stonyfield Farm people that makes it easy to make consumer decisions based on company environmental policies. Check it out!)

Well kids, it is midnight, and time for me to head to sleep. But I'll try to get up a bit early to write more while it's all still fresh in my head...