Jamie's Summer 2014

This summer has gone by in a flash. Maybe it was the reappearance of the polar vortex, reducing the nights I fell asleep with my face pressed against my a/c unit dramatically. Maybe it was because I started being excited about summer at the end of April. Maybe it was actually a short summer.

A lot of things squeezed themselves into this summer. I had a week-long vacation. My events team and I won Boston Magazine's Best of Boston 2014 Best Reading Series. I discovered the joy of having an undercut when it is humid outside. I lost my office key at least 20 times. I bought a bird from the JFK Presidential Library and Museum gift shop. Garrison Keillor rubbed my hair. I read at least 30, if not 40 books this summer. I discovered how wonderful Elizabeth Gilbert is. I went to the beach. I planned our fall event calendar. I had a good time.

I'll end this with my submission for the Booksmith Staff Talent Show. I wrote a sestina about spatial reasoning and filmed myself in my parents' backyard in the Southwest. It was 107 degrees outside, and I would have done more takes if I thought I could survive any longer. My siblings helped out by showing off their skills (my sister is especially brilliant at it but not when she's trying really hard not to laugh), and poetic magic was born. Enjoy.

Shut up and listen, and other bookselling tips from an almost-alum

Friends, you have no idea how much fun I've had blathering at you about kids' books every other week. But two weeks from now, I'll be settling into a new job at The Horn Book. Only a venue for even more blathering about kids' books would get me to leave the Booksmith, where I've learned so much and gotten to know so many people worth knowing. In my parting post, I thought I'd share some advice for current and future booksellers.

Shut up and listen. When I started, I thought "being helpful" meant "letting information pour from my mouth as fast as possible." Sorry, customers who encountered me in my first few months. If I had paused when you said, "I'm looking for a gift for an eight-year-old," you would probably have told me more, whether it was "she loves funny books" or "I don't really know him, but I remember loving poetry around that age, so maybe that would work." We would've arrived at a better gift, and probably faster.

Be ready to switch gears. You might find yourself discussing The Hunger Games and Moo, Baa, La La La! in the same breath. You also might find your day going from sleepy to crazy in the time it takes the door to swing open and the phone to ring (simultaneously, of course).

Language barriers aren't immovable. Most people will get the gist of, and appreciate, a friendly "Finding everything okay?" And here, at least, books are physical objects that you can show people. One thing I've noticed, very anecdotally: "How many years?" makes more sense than "How old is (s)he?" to speakers of a lot of languages.

When in doubt, handsell like Clarissa. This involves jumping up and down, hugging the book, and declaring, "GAAAAH! THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD! SO GOOOOOOOOD!" It works.

Or literally handsell, like Amy. This involves getting a tattoo on your forearm of a quote from the book you'd like to recommend.  (In Amy's case, the book is Where Things Come Back, by John Corey Whaley.) 

Twitter likes puns. The store's social media platform is a great place to mistweet the English language.


Know whom to ask.  You're probably surrounded by experts in every niche of the book industry. Getting to know people's tastes, including but not limited to the sections they run, gives you access to a wealth of information.

Know how to figure it out for yourself. That perfect person to ask won't always be available. Pay attention to what you're ringing up a lot. Pay attention at rep nights. Pay attention to back room conversations. Try to know what the bestsellers are, and know that everything can be Googled, including "If you liked [bestselling title]."

Do not get emotionally involved with the eight-by-eight spinner.  Pouring your heart and soul into the organization of the Barbie, Thomas, Spiderman, Spongebob, Caillou, Clifford, Dora, Disney, Pixar, Batman, Superman, Power Rangers, and Scooby-Doo books will only result in heartbreak.

Wear comfortable clothes on Tuesdays, especially in fall and spring.  There will be new releases. You may find yourself building cardboard displays, destroying old ones, and bringing huge quantities of overstock up and down ladders.

If you attend a store event, hang out until the end of the signing line. A bunch of us got to chat with Rainbow Rowell and David Levithan. We're totes besties now. No biggie.

Don't let fall stress you out. People may be a little on edge as they prepare for The Holiday Season. You may find yourself thinking, "If we're stressed now, what will The Actual Season be like?" But once The Season starts (November), bookselling gets a lot more fun. Oh, it's busy and exhausting. But for the most part, everyone's in a sugar-fueled good mood as they push their favorite books out the door. And if you're lucky, you might even have a boss who hires a masseuse for her aching employees!

Try to eat something besides sugar in November and December.

When award season nears, don't shrink-wrap anything eligible for a Caldecott. If it wins, you'll want to put it up on display, and customers will want to check inside to see if you have a first printing.

Pay attention to the larger book community. You might just get clued into something like the #WeNeedDiverseBooks movement or its bookselling-specific baby, the Great Greene Challenge. 

Pay attention to your own community. Local schools play a major role in our kids' section, particularly when summer reading lists come out. If you suddenly get two or three requests for a title that's not normally a bestseller, ask if there's a school reading it or discussing it or putting on a play about it. If there is, get more copies as fast as you can.

Shop local. Dude, you get a discount. 

Always offer help, unless it's July and the customer is searching for Waldo.

Get to know your coworkers. They are awesome.

Stay in touch with departing coworkers. This is more a request than a tip.

Thank you, Booksmith, and thank you, Brookline.

What Makes a Book Worth Waiting For?

Hullo!

Three exciting new books in the kids section!

1. The Princess Who Had No Kingdom by Ursula Jones and Sarah Gibb
I do have such a soft spot for these two. It feels like a traditional fairytale but set with Gibb's beautiful combination of detailed images and silhouette art.

2. Eye of Minds (Paperback) by James Dashner
Dashner's follow-up series to The Maze Runner's first book is out in paperback. As soon as you've ripped through Runner, grab this one.


3.The Young World by Chris Weitz
A dystopian set after a strange illness has wiped out most of the human race. This has been dubbed "Good. A quick read" by Clarissa.

It sometimes happens in the world of books that we have to wait for the next in the series (I mean, that usually happens, unless you're one of those people with remarkable self control who can wait on a series until the whole thing is out. If you are, I applaud you). It's a fact of life. Writing books takes time. Editing books takes time. Printing books takes time. It's unfortunate, but here we are. Honestly, I think a little anticipation is a good thing.

But sometimes, oh sometimes, it takes a little longer for the next book to come out. It can be for any number of reasons. Authors are people they need breaks, things come up, life is rough. I mean, we can't begrudge them the fact that they're human, and honestly, they don't owe us anything. That being said, that often only makes the waiting slightly more bearable.

One year between books is manageable, I mean look at all of the work that goes into the whole book process! A year and a half is do-able, WORK! Two is a bit rough. More than that is sometimes physically painful. I still get it, I want all of my favorite authors to be happy and to take breaks and release the book that they want to release.
Still, the waiting part is rough.

As a couple of my favorite series draw to a close this year I've been wondering what gives a book staying power like that? What is it about a series that keeps us eagerly awaiting the next book for THREE YEARS? How often do we have to wait three years for anything? We're not used to that. Would we wait three years between episodes of a tv show (if it is Sherlock the answer is 'yes')? But when it's a new book in a series that we love we will wait almost endless amounts of time as long as we can, one day, have it in our hands.

I've read series that I've enjoyed but when the next one comes out, even a year later, thought, 'ehhh, I'll get there eventually.' But there are other books I wait and wait and wait and almost resort to Twitter stalking the author and still need to read them immediately. What makes them different?

I'm completely willing to believe that it's different for each book like this. Books are different, that makes sense. But I can't quite figure out what it is about them. When I break down things that I love about them, I often find that they have similarities to other books that I've loved but didn't need to read right away.

Maybe it's a magical combination of everything lining up just right. Perhaps it's the anticipation (though, I don't think so, I've lost interest in series that I like but make me wait too long). Is it just a need to find out what happens?  But there's something about certain series that stick. That make waiting years between books so so worth it.

Harry Potter was worth it.

On the 14 the final book in Stephanie Perkins' Anna-Lola-Isla companion series (Isla and the Happily Ever After) is out. I'm so so lucky to have been able to read it early and guys it is so worth the wait.

In November the last book in Michelle Hodkin's Mara Dyer trilogy is out (The Retribution of Mara Dyer). I haven't read this one yet but it's been about two and a half years since Evolution came out and I will wait more years if I have to. I still can't get that series out of my head.


I can't quite figure out what it is about certain books that give them this staying power. I've changed as a person since I read the first in these series but I am just as eagerly awaiting these books as I was when they were first announced.

What do you think it is? What makes you hold on to a series so long?
-Amy

I came in for one thing.

written for last week's Staff Talent Show

The store is stuffed with mounds of merch.

The people come, and oh, they search.

A Scrabble mug. A picture frame.

That book. You know, by what’s-her-name.

They come with varied goals in mind,

exceeded by the things they find.

Who knew how many pins they’d need?

Who knew how much they had to read?

Who knew a ring could tell their mood?

Who knew their mood was “wanting food.

Yes, cookies. Yes, the kind by Tate’s.”

They need a planner, for their dates

are filling fast. They’re busy bees.

They’d best relax. They need some teas

to drink while watching Game of Thrones,

a show that frustrates with unknowns…

unless they cheat and read ahead.

But who has time for weddings red?

They’d better get a magazine.

And just because they’re past eighteen

can’t mean the grownup books are urgent.

Look! John Green! And look! Divergent!

Look! Nostalgia! Goodnight Moon!

Isn’t someone’s kid due soon?

Trees that gave and trains that could.

Those books were their childhood.

Wimpy kids and half-blood gods.

Boston books? What stunning odds!

A spinner sorted, slot by slot.

(I hope and dream. It’s all I’ve got.)

There’s Parenting and Health and Psych

and travel guides by train or bike.

That bargain book may not last long.

To pass it up would just be wrong.

And who could skip the plates and bowls?

Not those with culinary goals

that match the cookbooks perfectly—

the kosher to the gluten-free.

Five months till Christmas! None to waste!

Find books for every reading taste,

though friends can be persnickety.

Who won’t inhale the Picketty?

Knausgaard wrote about his struggle.

Rowling wrote about a muggle.

Stacks of Books We Love, and each

might be useful for the beach.

Almost out, but wait, there’s more!

Stairs reveal another floor.

All the books they’ve meant to read,

used! A worthy deal indeed.

And while they soothe their reader-shame,

they spot a favorite author’s name.

She’s coming on a looming eve!

Yeah, they’ll come back. Or just not leave.

But—sigh—the rest of life awaits.

They must ascend. (And buy more Tate’s.

And mini-books. And chocolate bars.

And bags for schlepping to their cars.)

They think, “I might as well. I’m here.”

Impulsive? Sure. But they are dear

to we who fill the waiting shelves.

They never need explain themselves.

So let your basket overflow.

‘Cause would we ever judge you? NO!

Weekly Bestsellers July 14th - July 20th

Hardcovers

1) The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness - Last Friday, we were one of the stops on Deborah Harkness' summer tour for the third book in The All Souls Trilogy. In a feat of spatial reasoning, we managed to fit about 200 *very* excited fans in our Used Book Cellar, and Ms. Harkness lovingly took her time with each one of them during the signing. The series follows historian Diana Bishop and vampire scientist Matthew Clairmont and their discoveries into the world of magic. You can read an excerpt from the first book here.

2) The Hundred-Year House by Rebecca Makkai - At my previous bookstore job, over at Titcomb's Bookshop on Cape Cod, my eager galley grabbing hands found a copy of Rebecca Makkai's first novel, The Borrower, about a librarian who inadvertently ends up kidnapping a willing boy. I loved Ms. Makkai's style - charming and witty, serious but not without fun - and I recommended it for the Indie Next List. Her second book is a historical novel about a rambling estate that once served as an artists' colony, which she actually began while taking a break from writing The Borrower.

3) Euphoria by Lily King - Lily King has a beautiful writing desk in Yarmouth, Maine where she writes the first draft of her novel by hand in a spiral notebook. Which is kind of incredible when you think about the fact that novel she's writing - set in New Guinea nearly 100 years ago - probably doesn't resemble coastal Maine in the least. She talks about writing and spaces over at The Boston Globe.

4) The Heist by Daniel Silva - Daniel Silva, one of the masters of international spy fiction, just released his latest: The Heist brings art restorer-assassin-spy Gabriel Allon to Venice, and then all over Europe, to track down a missing painting - Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence by Carvaggio.

5) Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?: A Memoir by Roz Chast - I had way too much fun looking through Roz Chast's website to find a cartoon of hers to share with you. This one was the first to make me laugh out loud and then go aww.

6) The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith - Good news for you Galbraith fans - it looks like the author plans on hanging out with detective Cormoran Strike for a long time.

Paperbacks

1) The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri - Last fall, Jhumpa Lahiri read from The Lowland at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. This is from my introduction: Beginning in Calcutta in the 1960s during the Naxalite movement, the story begins with two young brothers. Their paths diverge when the rebellious Udayan decides to join the Naxals and secretly marry the quiet, complicated Gauri while his brother, Subhash, moves to Rhode Island to pursue his studies. I hesitate to describe this novel in full because to do so undermines the experience of meeting these characters and following them through decades of their lives as they stumble to connect with one another, as they find solace in landscapes, as they make profound, questionable decisions. On my second reading of The Lowland I found myself slowing down to appreciate the descriptions of place, the stunning detailed moments of daily life. This is a beautiful, meditative novel, expansive in scope yet truly intimate. It is one of her finest works of fiction yet.

2) The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown - This time last year, Janet Maslin at The New York Times selected The Boys in the Boat as that summer's Unbroken - an absorbing story of endurance set against a volatile historical backdrop. The Boys In the Boat just came out in paperback and by the end of the weekend we had one lonely copy left in the store.

3) The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert - Elizabeth Gilbert exquisitely talks about her novel in less than three and a half minutes.

4) My Struggle: Book 1 by Karl Ove Knausgaard - They ask over at Slate.com: would My Struggle still be as popular if it was written by a woman?

5) I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou - Though the mass market edition has been the best seller, we have a couple of bargain book copies of a hardcover reprint with the original 1969 cover.

6) The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout - I don't know if a character like Olive in Elizabeth Strout's Pulitzer Prize winning novel Olive Kitteridge could ever be duplicated, but Ms. Strout is also a master at getting at the underbelly of relationships between neighbors and friends and in-laws. The Burgess Boys is the story of two brothers who return to their Maine hometown after many years away. One of my favorite reviewers, Ron Charles over at The Washington Post, says this novel is even more impressive.

7) The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith -  An advance copy of The Cuckoo's Calling is selling at eBay for around $2000. But you can get the book from us for $18. I'd say that's a bargain.

I Have...Strange Taste in Picture Books

Three exciting new books!

1. She's Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick
The new book by the last year's Printz winner. With all of the amazing hype it's been getting I can't wait to start it!

2. Slaves of Socorro by John Flanagan
The newest Brotherband Chronicles book is here!

3. Scarecrow's Wedding by Julia Donaldson
Kind of an odd one for the season but you can never go wrong with Donaldson and Scheffer.

There's a picture book coming out next month from Henry Holt that I have fallen madly in love with. This book is called Little Elliot, Big City and it's by Mike Curato. It's about a little spotted elephant who loves cupcakes and everyone in the store is tired of listening to me wax poetic about it.

I love this book. So. Hard.

After the third or so person rolled their eyes at me I wondered what it was about the book that I loved so much. Generally speaking, I'm not prone to loving things purely on the basis of their being cute. I'm not really the cutesy type. But this book! THIS BOOK!

Is it that he's a spotted elephant like my favorite misfit toy? Is it that he appreciates a good miniature cake much like myself? Is it that he's a little on the short side as well? Is it the soft sweetness of the illustrations?

I'm not really sure but I really love it and I can't wait to sell the dickens out of it when it's finally released on the 26th of next month (I know it's a ways off but don't despair, I will remind you (did that sound too sinister?)).

But, naturally, that got me thinking about what other picture books I love and what it is that I like. Generally, my picture book tastes tend to be a little off the beaten path. So, here are my ten favorite picture books and why I like them (at least as far as I can figure out).

1. The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by William Joyce
I am a sucker for anything William Joyce and this is what started it, well sort of. The (Academy Award Winning) short film version was my introduction. It's an amazing story about the power of books and how you can grow with them and how important it is to remember your own. It's beautiful. It was instantly one of my favorite books in general, not just of the picture variety.

2. Virginia Wolf by Kyo Maclear and Isabelle Arsenault
I adore this story of two sisters and one's quest to cheer the other. I have sisters there's something so honest and wonderful about the relationship between the two of them.

3. Oliver and His Alligator by Paul Schmid
I appreciate anyone who has a little anxiety about new social situations. But I also appreciate anyone who would be willing to feed people to an alligator. It's more sweet than dark, I promise.

4. The 11th Hour by Graeme Base
Even if we ignore the fact that the art is elaborate and gorgeous this was a picture book that I found when I was older and fell madly and wildly in love with. It's a mystery story that even once I knew the answers I was still going through to find things that Base hid in the illustrations.

5. Masquerade by Kit Williams
This might be cheating because this book is out of print (though we've gotten it in more than once in the UBC). It's another mystery/puzzle book with stunning illustrations but this mystery coincides with something that was hidden in the real world. It's been long since found but it's still a beautiful book (It's also sort of a personal mystery since no one in my family remembers it and I can't figure out from where I know it).

6. Flotsam by David Weisner
This one is wordless but it's so cool! I'm not sure how to describe it. It's just awesome.It has this awesome the world is bigger than you know sort of thing going on.

7. Flora's Very Windy Day by Jeanne Birdsall
This is another sibling book. It so perfectly sums up sibling relationships. Also, Matt Phelan's illustrations are wonderful.

8. Here Comes Destructosaurus by Aaron Reynolds
I appreciate, as I think many middle siblings do, having the chance to yell at someone. I don't get to do this enough and this book, while just being fun, gives me the chance to do that. Don't worry, you yell at Destructosaurus and then get put in your place...and then get to yell a little bit more.

9. It's an Orange Aardvark by Michael Hall.
I laughed so hard reading this one. It's filled with little holes and it gets progressively more ridiculous. I picked it up expecting it to just be a general color primer. It surprised me and I enjoyed that. I also have a grand appreciation for the ridiculous.

10. Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney
We'll have this one again around the holidays but I love this one. It's just so perfectly what it was like waiting for Christmas. A little bit silly, super-unnecessarily high strung. And Mom (Dad could always do it too) makes everything better. I also love the oil-on-canvas look at the illustrations.

Okay...so maybe some of them are cute... But they're all awesome. I have a few other favorites that we don't have in the store (YET). These are ten you should definitely check out!

-Amy

This Week in Events - July 22-27

This week in Events! 

Tuesday, July 22 at 7pm

LIQUOR
Lesley and David Solmonson

Twelve Bottle Bar

The husband-and-wife team behind 12bottlebar.com visit with their informative and passionate new book.  They show you how to create a versatile home bar with only twelve bottles: seven hard liquors, one liqueur, two vermouths, and two bitters, which can make over 200 delicious cocktails. This event is co-sponsored by El Dorado Rum, and there will be drinks at the event! 

Wednesday, July 23 at 7pm

FICTION

Celeste Ng and Jennifer de Leon

Everything I Never Told You and Wise Latinas: Writers on Higher Education

    Unquestionably Marilyn and James Lee’s favorite child, Lydia is meant to be the embodiment of her parents’ dreams—popular at school and a future career as a doctor, not a homemaker. When her dead, waterlogged body is found at the local lake, the Lee family falls apart. James, consumed by guilt, Marilyn, bent on revenge, Nathan, certain neighborhood bad boy Jack is involved, and Hannah, the youngest, who realizes things the others do not. As loss and grief intertwine, dragging the family down, Ng writes with a merciless beauty, portraying humanity at its most vulnerable. Here's a review from The Boston Globe. 

    In Wise Latinas: Writers on Higher Education, Jennifer de Leon has put together an anthology of essays representing the Latina experience in academia. The essays range from dealing with traditional cultural expectations, to navigating the gap between American and Latina cultures, to embracing the change that college inevitably invokes. de Leon provides a platform for Latina writers to share their personal experiences in this rich collection. Here's a great review from Kirkus. 

Thursday, July 24 at 7pm

FICTION and MEMOIR

Edan Lepucki and Joanna Rakoff

California and My Salinger Year

    Dan Chaon calls Edan Lepucki’s California “a wholly original take on the postapocalypse genre,” and he is so, so right. Cal and Frida, living in a shack in the wilderness after the apocalypse has wiped away the only world they have ever known, survive by seeking solace through the other. Their life—hard but their own—is turned upside down when Frida discovers she is pregnant. Unsure of their ability to raise a child in the wilderness, the couple seek out the nearest settlement, finding themselves in a guarded and paranoid community—one that provides ostensible security but has dangers of its own. Does this book sound familiar? Stephen Colbert has taken this book under his wing, and it's the current pick for Reblog Book Club, Tumblr's official book club. 

    In Joanna Rakoff’s My Salinger Year, she recounts the year she spent as an assistant at J.D. Salinger’s literary agency, contemplating her dreams to become a poet. In this love letter to books, youth, and New York, she writes of romance and realism, of learning how to come into her own as well as figuring out who she wants to be and navigating the world on her own terms. Here's a review from the New York Times' Sunday Book Review.

Friday, July 25 at 7pm

FUN TIMES

Booksmith Staff Talent Show

Join us for our annual Booksmith Staff Talent Show where we show off our talents, literary and otherwise. Booksellers let their hair down and a fun time is had by all. 

Sunday, July 27 at 10:30am

Children's Storytime

Do you love picture books? Join us in our children’s section as our fine children’s team reads stories aloud every third Saturday and last Sunday of the month.

As always, if you would like a signed copy of a book but cannot make an event, call us at 617-566-6660 or order online and put 'signed copy' in the comments field.