<!-- START BOOK ROW --> MIDWEST BOOKSELLERS CHOICE AWARDS - 2015 WINNERS ADULT FICTION Dear Committee Members Julie Schumacher [Anchor Books] 9780345807335, $14.95 Buy Now ADULT NONFICTION Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography Laura Ingalls Wilder Edited by Pamela Smith Hill [SD State

Dead Hot Mama

Schools out and students are lining up their summer plans. Research finds that children who do not read over the summer may lose up to three month of reading progress.  That's why it is so important to encourage your children to pick up a few books during these hot months. To help encourage high school students to find a book of their choice, Teach.com has compiled a list of 101 books to kick off

Lately there have been many inspiring stories about what a community would do to save their independent bookstore. I am wondering how far you would go to save yours. I don’t mean by pledging to purchase five more books this year , although in reality that is a great idea! I’m thinking more along the lines of the Klondike Bar commercials, only book or bookstore related. So, let's see how creative

If you love your man as much as he loves the Packers, we just received the perfect Valentine's Day gift! Stop in and pick up a copy or order online while supplies last!

In the final quarter of 2010 I slipped a bit on keeping up with the blog.  Now it is a new year with a chance to start fresh.  So, for 2011 my goal is to write humorous and witty blog posts about the things that interest you the most each and every Friday.  They will be so brilliant you will eagerly anticipate each new post and share with all of your friends. Not today, of course.  Today I have

This morning I came across this recent Harris Pole showing that mystery, crime and thriller novels are the genre most read. No surprise here. This did cause me to wonder how BayShore Books LLC resembled what this pole reflects, so I thought I’d spend a few minutes looking at what sells here. Granted, I will have to accept quite a large margin for error. For instance, the poll includes those who

Banned Books Week is coming to an end. It was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. More than a thousand books have been challenged since 1982. Think it doesn't happen where you live? Think again! Check out this map of challenges in the US from 2007-2010.Out of 460 challenges reported to the Office of Intellectual

Today we have a special treat. We asked the author who will be visiting us tomorrow, Deb Baker aka Hannah Reed, if she would like to be a guest blogger . Q. I haven't started my blog yet for today so if you have something written that you would like to send I would be happy to have you on as a "guest blogger". A. I don't have time to do a guest post. I'm signing today in Oshkosh and doing store

We had an exciting week at BayShore Books! Let me tell you about how this all got started first. Months ago I received a phone call from Roger Rapoport, who published a book called Waterwalk by Steven Faulkner. He found my blog about the book and the author’s visit to BayShore Books about two years ago and wanted to know if he could use the information to market the movie version he was producing

There is a business in town that only allows one student in the store at a time. No exceptions. That is their policy and whether we agree or disagree they know what is best for their company and have the right to make that decision. My business does not have this policy. It would be very difficult to encourage students to read more for pleasure if I didn’t allow them in their local independent

I’m always excited to discover great reads from new authors. In May I found such a book and was eager to write my review. This past week I received an email from the author thanking me for the review and asking me to post it on Amazon. I was shocked to say the least!After taking a deep breath I reminded myself that this is her first book and she may not be aware of how offensive this request is

One week ago today I became a grandma. I know what you are thinking – I’m waaaaaaaay too young to be a grandmother and you would be right. My first born is on the verge of passing me up in age. Packing baby and new mommy up to come home from the hospital after an extended stay we all felt a little apprehensive. It’s been a few years since we had a baby in the house. The hospital did what they

Looking around the store I can’t help noticing all the reviews haphazardly taped on shelf edges. These little slips of paper seem to really help customers make their selections, but they are also a big help to me.I can’t tell you how many people have asked if I read every book in the store. I wish! I love to read or I wouldn’t be in this business. New books come out every week so there is no way

Those of you who receive our monthly newsletter have probably stopped in by now to pick up your free copy of IOU: New Writing on Money. If you don’t receive the newsletter, What are you waiting for? Sign up on this blog or on our website. Concord Free Press is experimenting with “generosity based publishing” and they are taking us, along with other independent bookstores, along for the ride.

Memorial Day is the kickoff to the long awaited summer! Finally many of us can put away the textbooks and required reading and choose books just for fun. During the summer no excuse is needed to pick up some light reading. Now there is no need to read Moby Dick when you would much rather read the latest James Patterson mystery or Debbie Macomber romance.This is a difficult time to be a bookstore

This should be required reading for every eighth grade girl!Can you guess which book a customer was talking about when she made this statement?Let me give you a clue. It is a children’s book. Much like Oh, the Places You'll Go! is a great graduation gift. Many children’s books find a niche with a completely different age group than was initially intended. Some children’s books are given as gifts

“What are you reading?”Sometimes what should be such a simple question is so difficult to answer. More often than not what I am reading has absolutely nothing to do with what I would like to be reading.There is a pile of books by authors and publishers that I offered to read and review, foolishly thinking I could fit this into my schedule. There is another pile customers have been inquiring about

Each year our local elementary school held a family fun night. This year the parent teacher organization has decided to put the focus on reading, so it has become Family Reading Night. This is a welcome change, especially after reading this article about how less than half of children aged nine to 14 read fiction more than once a month.The goal is to focus on award winning titles such as

Do you have plans for this very important weekend?You do know what this weekend is, don’t you?That’s right – Sturgeon spearing starts on Saturday! I’ve never actually tried it, but these monsters are fascinating. People of the Sturgeon tells the unique history of this ancient fish in central Wisconsin. The photos are fantastic!I’m sure you realize that this weekend is also Valentine’s Day. If you

“I can’t believe you don’t have it in stock!”When I hear that phrase a little piece of me curls into a ball. Knowing what is popular and what customers are looking for is my job and I do it to the best of my ability, but the sad truth is, I am human and sometimes mistakes are made. Or are they?Each time someone complains about having to order a title they were hoping to pick up today, I have to

This week I had two new customers visit the shop. We are Facebook friends and just had to check out the store, they explained. That was an ah-ha moment for me. Social networking actually does work! Sure, I’ve received orders through Facebook and MySpace, but were these from new customers or regulars who just found another convenient way to order? This was the first time I was told straight out

Many people from all walks of life visit bookstores for many different reasons. In a small town bookstore it is easy to identify the different types that walk through the doors.We have those in a hurry. They walk in, grab or order what they want and walk out.Others have no idea what they want, but feel fortunate to have an independent bookseller to help them. These are the customers who are

The hustle and bustle of the holidays are over, the inventory is complete, in another week or two I should have everything completed that I didn’t have time to touch over the past two months. Whew! Soon I will be able to get back to what I love most, reading! Not that I ever stopped completely. I don’t think that’s possible. Reading is like breathing to me. I feel like I haven’t gotten through