Sea Swept and Fancy Free

I just finished a phenomenal book this week. It doesn't come out 'til September. Boy and howdy I can't get it outta my head. It's like, definitely one I think about when I should be concentrating real hard on conversations people are having at my face. And I don't feel it's super fair to talk about it yet since I can't share my galley with all of Brookline. BUT. Come September, there will be a great hootin' and a-hollerin'.

Suffice it to say, the novel takes place on a tiny island and the whole thing is beautifully sea swept. So sea swept, that since I pounded through it on my weekend (and did little else) my head feels a bit like sea water has washed everything away and I want to run away and build a little sea shanty and smoke a pipe.

There have been a lot of books like this one, playing with the same myths and whatnot. But this one worked for me where others didn't because the setting was so strong. I discovered in reading this that setting is a big difference for me, and that there are so many books I should like, but the setting isn't as concretely drawn and therefore less transporting for me. And I do ever-so-much love being transported.

So since I don't want to leave the ocean, you get to look at all these cool books we have in the UBC right now that will take you right there.

First up: Sailing Alone Around the World, being the account of a Boston sea captain Joshua Slocum who in 1859 took off on the first solo around-the-world sea voyage and lived to memoir it. It's like a longer, epic-er Old Man and the Sea but with PICTURES.

Next up we have a National Geographic coffee table book entitled Mystery of the Ancient Seafarers which is all about ancient civilizations that grew up near oceans and how it affected their culture, economy, cuisine, etc. Great full-color illustrations, and a unique, overlooked take on the big civilizations that we usually only learn about through war and sexual intrigue.

And last but certainly not least, a novel. Gentle readers, I'm real tempted to buy this myself because it's exactly what I'm in the mood for, but since the new Guy Delisle came out this week I'm leaving it on the shelf for you. I'm so magnanimous. We, the Drowned by Carsten Jensen is a Danish sea epic that is fairly new to paperback and we have a real fancy copy in the UBC for a mere $9. It moves from the 19th century through the second World War, from Denmark to Hawaii, and all over elsewhere. And it starts with the line: "Many years ago there lived a man called Laurids Madsen, who went up to heaven and came down again, thanks to his boots." Yeah, that's right. Run, don't walk to snatch this up.

Thanks for reading, landlubbers!

"Sleepwalk With Me" Sneak Peak feat. Ira Glass, a small bribe between booksellers, and a theater full of nerds.

"We need to move to a city with fewer nerds." I say to Ashley, doing my best to ignore the cold chill in the air as we stand in the tail end of the serpentine line of ticket holders that curls around the block next to the Somerville theater."What if the theater burns down and there are no more nerds left in Boston?" Ashley replies. I had not considered that, but of course, now, it's all I can think of.

Our story really begins last Sunday, when Ashley called me in an old-fashioned honest to god tizzy while I was working up a storm (read: sitting at a table with my friends and spending too much money on cool stuff) at the Abstraks table at the Boston Comicon. I hate talking on the phone and Ashley knows it, so when I picked up she let me know, up front, that it was an emergency, that the Boston Independent Film Festival was kicking off on Wednesday night with a screening of Mike Birbiglia's new film, "Sleepwalk With Me" named after and based off his one-man show, with a Q&A session afterwards with the film's co-writer and co-producer, Ira Glass. I'm a huge comedy nerd and I dabble in NPR nerdism, so I was willing to sell my soul to go to this movie. Thankfully, all it took was a little bartering with Dana to move my Wednesday shift up a few hours so I could get out in time. Instead of a soul, I promised a blog post, and here I am, delivering.

Despite the fact that Ashley may have just doomed us all to hideous, melty death via an ultimate tragedy jinx, the line began to move shortly thereafter. I have not been to the Somerville theater very many times in my life; it's kind of a mixture of the Coolidge and the Wilbur theaters, with the ground floor being your standard popcorn, draft beers, and the various ephemera of movie theaters across this great nation. You pass through this familiarly loud, ever so slightly sticky-floored layer and make it upwards to the balcony. The theater on the inside is a little more opulent; a painted ceiling, all the trappings of vintage art deco. I'm impressed by the delicate moldings coupled with a comfortable seat, one that doesn't induce vertigo (I'm looking at you,Wilbur.) or the cramping of knees for those of us over 5'9. Marita joins us, mentioning that she watched my Rachel Dratch introduction (as she read from her new book, "Girl Walks Into a Bar..."  at the Coolidge via Booksmith nigh a fortnight ago) on youtube and that yes, I did indeed come off as nervous as I thought I did. However, since my performance did not include projectile vomiting or tears of any variety, it is concluded that clearly, I was not as visibly nervous as I felt. I am abused for having to work through the rest of the film festival, and I remind these two Northeastern grads that some of us are still plugging through our 6th year of college and don't need to be berated for it, thanks. New Ivy league jerks. Note to self: get dumber friends.

"Sleepwalk With Me" walks a delicate line between a real, sincere and gratifying narrative about a complicated situation, that situation being balancing a floundering long-term relationship with a budding career and dangerous sleepwalking disorder (you know, tale as old as time). Just when I thought the film was going to veer off in the direction of saccharine rom-com territory, Birbiglia pulled it back into the realm of the relatable. Ignoring your anxiety about your relationship, over-eating, not taking care of yourself and pushing yourself to your physical limits are all present in the script, and I can see myself in those shortcomings about as clearly as I can the sky in a crystalline pool. I also found it appealing that the movie is based off a true story, the story of Mike Birbiglia and his once-girlfriend, "Abby". Also, I am no hard-hitting film critic; I like a happy ending, and I'm not ashamed to say it, and this movie definitely delivered that. It may have had a greater (or lesser, frankly I can't tell) impact on me had I not already been very familiar with "Sleepwalk With Me" the album, which I considered to be a comedy album but I suppose you could call it a one-man show if that's what we're calling comedy albums now. I'm not trying to be catty, but what has stand up ever been but a one-person show? Can stand up not also contain truth? Sorry, soap box, sorry.

It became very clear, however, during the Q and A with Ira Glass, that the crowd predominantly consisted of NPR nerds, and not comedy nerds, or even hybrids like myself. Most of the questions issued from the audience were based on This American Life or The Moth, both of which Birbiglia has been featured on. Even the questions from the woman interviewing Ira where radio-centric, which makes sense; Birbiglia wasn't present, Ira Glass was, and what are you going to ask Ira Glass about if not radio? In the end I was not disappointed by the experience,  just surprised. I admit, my interest was piqued when I told people I was going to see "Sleepwalk With Me" and they knew what I was talking about. Birbiglia is not an unknown comic in the Boston area, but stand-up comedy is a weird circle of media. Either you are in the know or you're not, relegated to the Dane Cooks of the industry, or that guy who does the saucy puppets. There's nothing wrong with that, but that's why I was caught off guard when people responded to my claim that I was going to see "Sleepwalk With Me". I think Ira Glass' star power (and boy howdy do I love that I live in a community wherein THAT is a thing) drove the publicity for this film, and through that, a lot of NPR nerds definitely got exposed to what can happen when you refer to comedy as a One-Man Show (that is, you can get a narrative that is part comedy, part tragedy, part sincere reenactment of How Things Are) and I can't complain about that. I mean, I'll try, lord knows, I'll try...

Also, if you are somebody who has enjoyed my blog posts in the past and has been wondering where all the nasty sarcasm with the obvious grammatical errors of this blog disappeared to, the answer is, number 1, that I am trying so desperately to finish my undergraduate studies and get out of my state-financed hell hole that I can barely fill my lungs with air that my torso won't hit some stupid assignment that I don't have time for. In addition to that, in the area of things that Actually Matter, I am working on another project for the store that I am currently referring to as "Supa-Secret Project X", even though our events director Evan has repeatedly asked me not to. "Quit being so mysteriously weird" he says. "Please take off that cape before you host the author talk tonight" he says. "Please stop bugging my office, reading my emails, and referring to me as the 'loose end'" he says. That Evan. So uptight.

Anyway, suffice to say, I'm cookin' up something real good, ya'll, and I'm super excited and as soon as everything stops being so horrible re: state funded hell hole, I'm going to do some great stuff. In the meantime, deep love and kisses to you all, don't forget that Mike Birbiglia has also written a book called "Sleepwalk With Me", that is available in our humor section. He is a very funny man and if you like very funny things, you should come on down to the store and talk to me, because I know stuff, man. The things I know. Hooboy. Knock your socks off. Crazy.

Exes and Ohs,

Zozophone.

Creating a Feast

The most common question coming out of children's mouths is "why?"  And, it's a logical question.  If no one ever asked why, we really wouldn't know very much.  Why is a question I often wonder if not enough adults ask, especially when it comes to what's in the food we eat.  It's important to know what fuels our energy and brains.  So, I love it when books incorporate how food makes it to our tables -- before cargo-loads, boxes, and plastic get involved. 

How Did that Get in my Lunchbox? The Story of Food (ages 4-12), by Chris Butterworth, is a wonderful non-fiction book for young readers that emphasizes food does not grow in stores, contrary to what some urban school children perceive.  Butterworth takes you through the process of how bread is mixed, where apples are picked, how cheese is made, and so much more!  There are undertones of appreciation for food and the people who produce it, as well as what kinds of foods are better for you.  The most common comment customers give this award winning book is "beautiful" and "informative" and "exquisite."

Now, on to a new release: Minette's Feast: The Delicious Story of Julia Child and Her Cat (ages 3-8), by Susanna Reich, beautifully illustrated and completely cat!  Before Minette comes along, it is clear that Julia's life revolves around food.  But no matter what amazing meals and smells are cooking up around Julia's apartment, this cat only prefers mice and birds.  So, what does this book have to do with where food comes from?  I mean, yes, Julia Child was a brilliant chef, but her food came from the markets.  But Minette?  She hunted.  And that's how food is often acquired.  Gruesome? To many, yes.  But it is a fact of life just as hunting -- and foraging for berries and honey -- is in Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series (ages 6-12), Elizabeth George Speare's The Sign of the Beaver (ages 8-12) and Gary Paulsen's Hatchet (ages 10-14).  For one to live, something else must die.

I don't know if it's because we are situated in New England or what, but there are quite a few books that illustrate what goes into pancakes and how maple syrup is extracted from trees.  Tomie DePoala's Pancakes for Breakfast (ages 3-7) and Tyler Florence's Tyler Makes Pancakes (ages 4-7) both take a journey to get the eggs from the hen, the milk and butter from cows, and the maple syrup from the maple farm.  All is mixed and fried up, delivering smiles all around.  (Kate Messner's Sugar and Ice is a great read for older readers -- 10-14 -- that partially takes place on a running maple syrup farm.)

Knowing what goes into your food and all of the work that it went through makes you appreciate it so much more!

What Will It Be, Boston: Books or Burritos?

Not long ago I was walking up Tremont Street past the Boloco on the corner—you know, the one full of Emerson undergrads and suits escaped from the state house for a stroll across the Common—when I noticed a plaque situated to the left of the glass door. Edgar Allan Poe, I learned, was born near this spot, on Carver Street in 1809.

 Now, I’m not entirely against a chain that provides a "summer" burrito all year long. Those diced mangos embedded inside have gotten me through more than one long, cold New England winter. But as I perused the plaque outside Boloco’s door, I couldn’t help thinking that perhaps the site where one of America’s great literary lights came into being deserved a little more recognition. I don’t know exactly what I wanted. Maybe the chain would consider naming this particular branch Poeloco, or, in the least, serve a "Tell Tale Taco."

In 1827, Poe’s plaque informed me as the smell of sizzling beef lured me toward the door, Poe published his first book, Tamerlane and other Poems, at "a shop on the corner of Washington and State Streets." That shop on the corner, I knew, was the Old Corner Bookstore. I also knew that if I were to walk across the Common to the corner of Washington and School Streets, I would no longer find a bookstore. There would be a plaque—and there would be more burritos. The Old Corner Bookstore is now a Chipotle.

One might expect the author whose most famous word is ”Nevermore” and who died an obscure and lonely death in the back streets of Baltimore to slip into obscurity. But the Old Corner Bookstore was at the heart of America’s early literary scene, run by James T. Fields and William Davis Ticknor, prominent nineteenth-century booksellers who published not only Poe, but Hawthorne, Lowell, Longfellow (yes, it would make a great burrito name, but I’m serious now), even Emerson and Thoreau.

Now we eat tacos there?

Booksmith thanks you for your loyal patronage to our bookstore and reminds you that there are no less than two Anna’s Taquerias and a Boca Grande within walking distance of the store. Boston doesn’t need more consumer-driven chains, but we could use a few more literary sites—past and present—places that are more than plaques, spaces where we can feed on something more satisfying than any burrito, the sustenance of a vibrant literary community.

Adults Only

Where I grew up in Idaho, you had to show your ID and prove that you were of sound mind and body to buy dry ice. Yup. 18+ only to buy dry ice in Idaho. There are lots of great things you have to flash ID for: cigarettes, booze, "GRAPHIC" novels, and now, selling books to us in the UBC.


This is standard practice for most buyback situations but we've been renegades for a while. But now we're toeing the line. And you must, too, if you wanna swim with the big fishes. Or something. Anyway all that matters is that we're going to need photo ID when you sell us your used books starting 25 April. Thanks in advance for helping us out on this.

Other used book news: we got a lot of great Modern Library giant books: complete Henry James short stories, Thirty Famous one-act plays, that we are mylaring right now. Some great poetry, gobs of comics and lots of great contemporary fiction including this book The Line by Olga Grushin that looks really cool. And the pictured vintage paperback of Jane Eyre with a great cover. Come by and see! There's beautiful weather about! Don't be caught in the park or on the beach by a fancy member of the gender of your romantic preference WITHOUT a book to make you look like the smart AND attractive catch that you are.

Thanks for reading!

Awesome Advice for Impressing Your Date

Everyone wants to impress that special someone when having them over for a date. But in the world of dating, everything is a challenge, and the slightest awkward moment could ruin your entire evening. Well, worry not! For I am here with some more of the Card & Gift Room's awesome items along with a step-by-step guide to having an evening you nor your date will likely forget.

Step 1: Dress Up for the Occasion

Whether or not you're a naturally good-looking individual (like myself), you'll want to add some flair to your attire if you want your date to really notice you. It is a proven fact that facial hair makes anyone, male or female, look incredibly distinguished and attractive. Instead of going through the hassle of trying to grow an awesome moustache or beard yourself, buy one! Stick on a moustache (in attractive styles such as Artist and Hipster) or blow up your own beard. Worried about those awkward moments when you gaze into each other's eyes? Try the Anime Eyes glasses to give your date something interesting to look at. And for  footwear, consider the Mop Slippers; everyone wants a date that can multi-task!

Step 2: Appetizers

You don't want your date to starve while they wait for dinner; it makes you look like a poor host. Whet your special someone's appetite with some bacon! Everyone loves bacon, and now you can enjoy it in a multitude of formats. Hang a bacon air freshener in your car to make an instant impression when you pick up your date; offer them some Bacon Gumballs or Gummy Bacon (Warning: Gummy Bacon is actually strawberry flavored) as a snack, or Bacon Toothpicks or Bacon Floss for a tasty way to get whatever that is out of your teeth. For chapped lips or the occasional boo-boo, there's bacon for that, too. By the time dinner actually comes, your date will be ravenous.

Step 3: Meal Preparation

It is always a good idea to impress your date with a home-cooked meal. The way to someone's heart is through their stomach, after all! If all that bacon didn't already win their heart, some of these impressive cooking accessories certainly will help. Show your date you take cooking seriously with the OCD Chef cutting board, which allows you to cut precise measurements of vegetables for the absolutely perfect dish. The Batter Finger spatula is a great tool for baking, and it doubles for an awesome "pull my finger" gag. Worried about burning your hand on a hot pan handle? Cover it with a silicone Banana Handle for maximum protection and potassium. If you plan to enjoy a bottle of wine, make sure to keep it fresh with one of our unique bottle toppers: Pickles, plungers, or bananas; there's something for everyone! Don't forget these whimsical oven mitts that make you look like an adorable animal has eaten your hand.

Step 4: Go with a Theme

Theme parties are not just for kids. A good theme will show your date that you have class and pay attention to detail. Here at Booksmith we happen to have some themed items set up for you, to save you the hassle of collecting them yourself! Russian Matryoshkas and Babushkas are adorable little dolls that your date will love. Put them in your kitchen as nesting Store-M Tupperware, M-Spoons measuring spoons, M-Cups measuring cups and Salt-M S&P shakers. If your date wants to freshen up in the bathroom, provide them with Babushka manicure sets, tweezers or matchbox emery boards. Their beady little eyes will make your date feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Step 5: Keep it Clean

Throughout your evening, you will want to show your special someone that you care about your personal hygiene. Your hands touch everything and spread germs everywhere! Protect yourself and your date with Handerpants, underpants for your hands. These attractive, stylish gloves will certainly make an impression--plus, they'll keep your date from noticing how sweaty your palms are when you touch. After dinner, don't let the entertainment end! Using these Dish Play rubber gloves, you can put on a show for yourself and your date while getting those dishes clean. Your skills at drama and puppetry will surely make them swoon.

 Well, that's about all the advice I can give you. With these tools at your disposal, you'll barely need to do a thing to make your special someone fall for you in no time. Your quest for romance is now complete!

You're welcome.

Headed Toward Icy Waters

100 years and 3 days ago, a gripping headline began making its way around the world.  The Titanic, the unsinkable ship, had been hit and over one thousand people had died.

Though there are many books on the Titanic for all ages, here are some interesting ones for younger readers.

DK Story of the Titanic introduces you to people who were on board and various phases of the ship's construction.  Along with a few I Spy games, this book talks you through what happened and precisely when. (ages 8+)

882 1/2 Amazing Answers to Your Questions about the Titanic is named after the length of the boat.  From cover to cover, there are logical and random questions you may have never thought  to ask.  For instance, is it true the fourth funnel was a fake?  Why was the Titanic carrying dragon's blood?  Is it true that there was a murder on the ship?  And, what was served for the first lunch on the Titanic? (ages 8-14)

Usborne Titanic Sticker Book is an interactive way of learning about this historical event.  Each sticker is paired with a small bit of information about the Titanic. (ages 6-8)

Build Your Own Titanic is certainly a one of a kind learning book.  After you read up on some history of the Titanic, you can build your own out of cardboard.  All pieces are pre-cut and the final model is 53 inches in length. (ages 8+)


Come on in and browse our adult history section or children's display to learn more about this tragic history in the Atlantic and how are lives are different today because of it.

"Tragedy is a tool for the living to gain wisdom — not a guide by which to live."
        - Robert Kennedy