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After attending a weekend soccer tournament in LA, I was dying to get to a bookstore. There had been a really big Barnes & Noble next to the hotel, but I had no opportunity to sneak over to browse. So after driving over 2 hours home and making dinner, I jumped in the car again and drove 45 minutes to the nearest Barnes & Noble in SLO. Now, it’s not one of the bigger stores, but it was a bookstore nonetheless.
I grabbed a stack of picture books - old and new - and read through them, uninterrupted, peaceful. Of course, I selected most of the titles because of illustrations that appealed to me and a few others because of authors/illustrators. Unfortunately, they did not have the most recent Caldecott winners on the shelf. And, honestly, I found myself a little disappointed by several of the books I read. I won’t say that the stories were “bad.” There just seemed to be something missing, or they just fell flat in the end.
I've always enjoyed Karma Wilson’s "Bear" books, so I was interested to check out The Cow Loves Cookies. While I thought it would make a great storytime book, it seemed reminiscent of many other sweet humor featuring repetitive phrases - almost formulaic, now. So, although it was enjoyable, it was quite familiar. The illustrations and the concept for Children Make Terrible Pets grabbed my interest right away. It started out promising, but it really fizzled toward the end - this fun and clever idea deserved an equally creative conclusion. Instead, I found it rather uneventful - anti-climactic. On the other hand, I read some Caldecott winners from years past - the stories really stood apart. Zelinsky’s Rapunzel attempted to retell the original tale complete with the story’s unpleasant or tragic aspects - t
The holiday season must be here — otherwise, we are listening to Run-D.M.C.’s Christmas in Hollis for no good reason. (Other than the hell of it.)
Last night’s event with Skippy Dies author Paul Murray was, in a word, epic. Murray is impressively entertaining and well-spoken, and kept the crowd nodding and laughing throughout his reading and interview with Ed Champion. We’ve got a limited number of signed copies of both editions, so get ‘em while the getting’s good.
And then, of course, there’s this coming weekend’s Annual Holiday Open House to look forward to. The list of participating authors just keeps on growing, and we’re planning some fun goodies and surprises, so definitely stop by sometime Saturday and/or Sunday between noon and 4 p.m. (If you’re on the Facebook, you can RSVP!)
Let’s see, let’s see — oh, right, the gift guide! Let us make your shopping easier: just buy these books. And! We are now the exclusive source for signed and personalized books from local romance author and WORD favorite Sarah MacLean. You just try getting Stephanie and Jenn to shut up about her, go ahead. We dare ya.
As always, feel free to stop in and let us know your own gifty favorites, be it here in the comments, on Twitter, Facebook, or (GASP) in person. Happy holidays!
       
The holiday season has arrived! The gift guide will be appearing in your inbox this coming week — if you’re not already signed up, now’s a great time (we only send one email a month, pinky swear). And while our December events schedule is nowhere near as full as Novembers, it is equally awesome:
Sunday, December 5, at 7 p.m.: Paul Murray, Booker Prize-longlisted author of Skippy Dies, will make a very rare New York appearance at WORD in conversation with Edward Champion, host of the quirky radio program, The Bat Segundo Show. Expect the unexpected; Ed avoids routine questions wherever possible, so it should be an unforgettable interview. Murray will read and sign afterwards. Skippy Dies is one of Stephanie’s favorite books of the year (which is not something you should take lightly, because she is picky as all get-out), and Murray is from Ireland, so to say that we’re excited about this is a gross understatement.
Then, on Saturday and Sunday, December 11 and 12, from 12 p.m. – 4 p.m., we’re having our second annual Holiday Open House. What is this, you ask? Nothing less than some of our favorite authors coming to the store! They’ll be on hand recommending books, gift-wrapping, signing, and generally taking part in the holiday fun. We’ve got some plans in the works (more details soon!) but suffice it to say: a good time will be had by all.
       
Highlights from the past week:
- The fabulous ladies of Passion (Rachel Kramer Bussel, Monica Day, Emerald, and George Storey) along with historical romance author Sarah MacLean, kept the crowd laughing (and rapt) during their reading this past Thursday. I also had the best cupcake of my life, in celebration of Rachel’s birthday, thanks to the Kumquat Cupcakery.
- Local illustrator Lucy Ruth Cummins and author Shrill Travesty (The Taking Tree) proved to both be entertaining and talented. Mr. Travesty regaled us with some (unrepeatable) stories from the underbelly of the children’s book industry (NO SERIOUSLY), and Lucy did a speed drawing from crowd suggestions that is now proudly hanging on the wall of our basement.
- Last night, Greenpoint rooftop farmer Annie Novak interviewed author Katherine Leiner (Growing Roots) on the new faces of food activism. It was a great discussion about where our food comes from, who grows it, what we should be thinking about when we buy it, what we can do to keep our food supply sustainable and healthy, and so on. We highly recommend stopping by Eagle Street Rooftop Farm to get great food (and/or get your hands dirty); if you see Annie, tell her we say hi!
We’ve got more event awesome coming up; check out our event calendar for the full details. See you there!
       
I am so excited to be going to Greenley's books again this Saturday, this time for my book - In the Snow. Here is a fun activity you can do at home - build your own silly snowman!
So much has been going on, lots of exciting news... but not to share just yet... will keep you posted. In the meantime - enjoy these, and share with any teacher friends you may have. I am also now booking or school visits for 2011 - so email me today!
Hey, we know you have too many books. It’s a common problem around these parts. But you still want more books. Because books are fantastic. And also you love libraries. Whatever can you do?
You can attend our first-ever book swap this Saturday, 7/31, from noon to 4pm!
As part of the Greenpoint Business Association’s Last Saturdays of Summer promotion, we’ll be hosting a book swap outside (if weather permits; if not, we’ll take it into our basement). Here’s the deal:
- Bring up to five books
- Take up to five books
- Leave a suggested donation of $1 per book
All donated money will go directly to the Greenpoint Public Library, the better to help them when the re-open after their renovations are complete.
So spread the word! Especially amongst your friends with great book collections. If this one goes well, we will definitely have more in the future.
     
A bunch of you have written asking for chicken update pictures. Earlier this week, BH and I took a couple of the girls out to help us weed the flower beds.
 They are bug-eating machines.
 A man and his chicks.
Along with the garden (we've been eating the first peas this week) and the chickens, we've been busy in the Forest preparing for ALA and this fall's book tour. I'll post my ALA schedule early next week. I'm not sure when I'll have the tour details... certainly by August. I'll be on the road a LOT, so I will probably be showing up wherever you live. If you bring your chickens to my booksigning, I will pet them.
On Monday night, we enjoyed a special book event, courtesy of the river's end bookstore. Author Michael Perry is on tour promoting his new book, COOP, as well as his other titles.
 (His books make EXCELLENT Father's Day gifts, btw - funny and heartfelt.) Michael is a small-town guy, like us, and is interested in encouraging people to buy local and live sustainably. Instead of the standard booksigning, for his event the bookstore took over a new restaurant in Oswego - La Parrilla.
 The restaurant was chosen because of its commitment to buying from local farmers. Guests had to buy tickets ahead of time - cost of book was included in the price of the ticket, as well as dinner. The event sold out, we all enjoyed a very yummy dinner, and left with sore ribs from laughing so much because Michael Perry is a very funny guy.
Michael is posting on Shelf Awareness every day on his tour. His blog entry about Oswego gives his take on the evening.
 I'll be spending Father's Day with these two guys - my husband and my dad. I am in charge of deviled eggs and potato salad. They are in charge of the beer.
See you on Monday!
That’s right, this time next week you should be prettying up and getting ready for WORD’s Prom Night Literary Matchmaking Mixer!
To get in the mood, here’s a heartwarming story from our last matchmaking mixer, from an anonymous attendee:
“I went to WORD’s literary mixer in January expecting to find a bar full half full of females and half empty, but my friend had asked me to go along as her wingman and at worst I figured we would enjoy a drink and each other’s company, and maybe flirt with the bartender. Surprise: the place was packed with interesting females and males alike. I’d never been to a singles mixer before, and noticed immediately how easy it was to start conversations–after all, everybody was there to meet people, so one needed only make eye contact to initiate conversation. My friend exchanged numbers with three or four guys that night, and I with one, a boy who turned into a fun month-long fling, exactly what I wanted at the time. There was another guy I met that night, who I later kept running into in my neighborhood. Happy ending: we fell in love. As if WORD weren’t already the best bookstore in NYC….”
All together now: AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.
Want to prepare? There’s still time to submit your Worst Prom Story. Send it to info at wordbrooklyn dot com by Tuesday the 15th—the winner will be announced at the event.
Otherwise, we’ll see you in a week for drink specials, two guest authors (Virginia Vitzthum, My Blind Date Went Blind, and Erin Bradley, Every Rose Has Its Thorn), and, of course, romance. Facebook RSVP here (appreciated but not required).
     
First in a series-
I love bookstores. Period. Little crummy used bookstores. Big impersonal chain stores. Bookstores that specialize. Bookstores that cover all the bases. My idea of a perfect vacation is a a trip planned around a new city's great bookstores. But I don't have to travel far to my favorite bookstore of all. Politics & Prose, in northwest Washington, D.C is just a couple miles from my house. 
When I "met" Politics & Prose I'd never dreamed of writing a book. I was a young mother desperate for a way to entertain my toddler son while we waited for his sister to be dismissed from her kindergarten class down the street. We'd just moved to Washington, to a furnished apartment. All our furniture- and all our books- were in storage as we searched for a permanent place to live. Our house search continued for months, but when my son and I walked into the children's department of Politics & Prose we found our new home. But it wasn't a book that lured us in. It was butterflies. Bookselling legend Jewell Stoddard was tending a tree full of butterflies- okay milkweed branches covered with gorgeous bright green chrysalises. As we watched, one butterfly broke free, climbed onto his branch, and plumped his wings. Magic. Then when Jewell judged the newborn butterfly was ready she gently transferred him to my three-year-old's trembling finger. Together they took him outside and set him free to dip and flit across Connecticut Avenue. 
A scene worthy of a gorgeous picture book. Maybe my son's earliest memory. Definitely something I'll never forget. As my children grew older we spent more afternoons in the Politics & Prose children's department and I came to appreciate their expert recommendations of the very best children's books, both classics and new releases. In a city where everybody claims they're an expert on something, I soon realized the staff in the children's department at Poltiics and Prose- Dara La Porte, Gussie Lewis, Mary Alice Garber, Jewell, of course, and the rest of the staff are genuine, nationally recognized leaders in the field of children's lit. Then I became a school librarian and I learned what really sets Politics & Prose apart. Politics and Prose author appearances are simply unparalleled. Tip top authors flock to the store and everyone from Bill Clinton to Salman Rushdie have spoken at Politics & Prose. Book TV films here regularly. But who cares about adult book authors? To me, it's this store's children's author visits that are GENIUS. My friend Gussie Lewis makes all the arrangements, scheduling well known writers nearly every week. What's so special about that? Here's the thing- Every author, especially every children's author
This week we got a delightful email about the travels of one of our canvas WORD bags, and we just have to share. From Melissa:
“HI! I’m Melissa’s WORD bag. She was nice enough to bring me on vacation to Mexico. I didn’t have a passport, so she just smuggled me in her carry-on.
“While in Mexico, I learned how to make floral arrangements on the bed.
“I also sat on the porch and enjoyed the view.
“No, WORD bag! Don’t jump!! Don’t be sad that vacation is over, WORD bag!”
Thanks, Melissa! Want a WORD bag of your very own to take around the world on adventures? You can buy the canvas one here and our new oversized green jute bag here. And then make sure you send in photos of your bag having fun overseas!
     
 Photo by Flickr user Dan_DC.
So, you’ve probably heard by now: the G train isn’t going to be running AT ALL for the next four weekends. From 10:30pm Friday to 5am Monday, starting this weekend, no G going anywhere. Which, if you’re a Greenpointer, effectively strands you here, unless you feel like walking to the L (blegh), taking the brand-new B62 (double blegh) or taking the sure-to-be-on-time shuttle buses that will replace the G.
We know. We were depressed too. But then we just decided to make our little corner of Greenpoint more awesome than usual to compensate! For the next four weekends, we’re going to do something special every Saturday and give you some more good reasons to love spending the weekend in Greenpoint.
This weekend, here’s what we’re featuring:
—Bananagrams tournament Saturday afternoon! Bananagrams in the basement this Saturday, 1/16, starting at 3pm. One of the most loved games in Greenpoint, tournament-style! Come if you’re an expert or if you’ve never played, because it’s easy to learn and there’s enough luck involved that anybody can compete. Or just come for the banana-themed baked goods.
—Bananagrams discount! Saturday 1/16 and Sunday 1/17 only, 10% off your very own Bananagrams. You will not regret it, we promise.
—Stay-at-home book discount! All weekend, we’ll have a table of books worth staying home with: a few great novels, a few DIY and craft books, and so on. All books on the table will be 10% off.
—MetroCard raffle! All weekend, buy raffle tickets for $1 each to win a $20 MetroCard, which you’ll be able to use from your favorite neighborhood again someday, we’re sure. All proceeds from the raffle will go to the Greenpoint Food Pantry.
We’ve got more tricks up our collective sleeve for the next three weekends, but let us know if you have any ideas—we’d love to hear what else you’d like us to do.
     
Are you starting to feel it? The sun sets before 5pm. You have to wear a hat everywhere, even indoors a lot of the time. You are finding yourself wondering if August was really as bad as everybody said. It is that sad time of the year when ice cream loses its appeal. There is only one thing that can save us from the pits of despondency and vitamin D deficiency.
SOUP!
 Photo by flickr user Pabo76.
That’s right! Soup, soup of all kinds. Veggie, egg drop, chili, lentil, three bean, Italian meatball, tomato, borscht, chicken noodle, miso…obviously, I could go on for awhile. But I won’t, because even better than soup is when other people make it for you. And that’s why WORD is hosting:
THE GREENPOINT SOUP SWAP!
Next Saturday, January 23 is the fourth National Soup Swap Day, and we’re going to get Greenpoint in on the action. The concept of a soup swap is simple: you bring six one-quart containers of the same homemade soup, preferably one that freezes well. You leave with six different kinds of homemade soup made by other attendees. Easy as pie…er, soup!
The fun starts at 2pm on 1/23 in the WORD basement, and there’s only one requirement (aside from the bringing 6 quarts of soup part): you must, MUST RSVP to [email protected] by 1/22 in order to attend. So crack open your How to Cook Everything and RSVP today!
     
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OK. I’m loving this video! Steve, thank you for letting us know about the Books of Wonder window installation. We’ll follow you anywhere!