By: Jennifer E. Morris,
on 2/22/2010
Happy New Year! Yesterday we went to Chinatown to see the lion dancers and I brought my new camera along to try it out. 
After Chinatown we ended up at the Museum of Science. I was quite happy with how my camera did taking photos of the Van De Graaff generator.
By: Roger Sutton,
on 1/15/2010
Just a reminder--if you are at the ALA conference this weekend do stop by the Horn Book booth, #1564. I'll be there on Saturday, pretty much all day, and Sunday afternoon. We are giving away copies of the January-February issue of the Magazine, and on Saturday I'll be conducting the following "Five Questions for . . ." interviews:
11:00 a.m. Kristin Cashore
12:00 p.m. Mitali Perkins
2:00 p.m. Lois Lowry
3:00 p.m. M.T. Anderson
Hope to see you there!
I am off to Boston to attend ALA's midwinter conference, where I am a member of 2 ALSC Grant Committees. I am looking forward to doing some good work, seeing some long lost colleagues, and checking out this fine city for the first time.
Hopefully there will be some intriguing ARCs to pick up along the way.
See you there?
By: Beth,
on 11/10/2009
Midwinter is rapidly approaching. Those of us who already live in Boston don’t have much to do besides feel smug about how much we’re saving on airfare, but for folks coming in from out of town–particularly if it’s your first time in our fair city–no doubt the questions have already started. Is there anything to do on the waterfront? What’s the best way to get around the city? Where have all the R’s gone, and what is this “chowdah” you speak of?
First, no, there isn’t a spectacular amount on the waterfront, particularly not in January, which has a tendency to be frigid in these parts. There is the Institute of Contemporary Art, though, and the convention center isn’t far from the Harpoon Brewery or the Channel Cafe, a lovely restaurant tucked in amongst some art galleries on Summer Street. (Vegetarians rejoice: their house-made veggie burger is like a samosa on a bun. Heavenly.)
If you want to venture out into the other parts of the city (and you should!) your best bet is the MBTA. If you’re staying three days or more I’d actually recommend a 7-day pass, which at $15 will pay for itself pretty quickly–you’ll get unlimited rides on the subway, local buses, the inner-harbor ferry, and the inner zone of the commuter rail, versus $2 a ride on the subway if you just buy a paper ticket. (iPhone users: there’s an app for that.)
Renting a car in Boston doesn’t make much sense (our drivers aren’t actually that bad–they’re just used to the bizarre, misleading, or non-existent street signage, and you’re not), and taxis can be pricey–though they’re pretty much your only option when the subway stops running (which is, for the record, before the bars close).
Fanueil Hall/Government Center
Relevant T stops: Government Center (green line), State (orange)
If you want to be Touristy McTouristpants, start here. You can see (but don’t fight) City Hall, grab some authentic Boston baked beans at Durgin Park, or sit down at that bar that inspired Cheers. (Actually, that bar’s on Beacon Street… but the replica is in Fanueil Hall.)
Chinatown/Downtown/Theatre District
Relevant T stops: Chinatown (orange), Downtown Crossing (orange/red), Park (red/green), Boylston (green)
Looking for amazing dim sum? Head to Chinatown, where you’ll find a plethora of Chinese bakeries. For Sunday brunch definitely check out Empire Garden (or Emperor’s Garden, depending on which sign you read), a restaurant inside a restored theater that seats the whole neighborhood. Head downtown for shopping, Boston Common and the public gardens, and the biggest multiplex in town. If you’re more interested in Blue Man Group or taking in some theater, head to the theater district and don’t miss Jacob Wirth for your pre-show dining.
Cambridge
Relevant T stops: Kendall, Central, Harvard, Porter, Davis (all red)
Cambridge is actually pretty sprawling, and the spots you should hit depend on your mood. Want to see an independent film or hang out with the MIT crowd? Head to Kendell, home of Cambridge Brewing Company and the Kendell Square Cinema. More interested in live music and a plethora of bars? Stop at Central for venues like The Middle East and TT The Bear’s. Hoping to dramatically re-enact scenes from Good Will Hunting? Head to Harvard Square, where you can either try to blend in with the undergraduate population (Noch’s, The Kong, Charlie’s) or avoid them somewhat (Darwin’s, Grendel’s, Brattle Theater).
Often overlooked are the more Somerville-y ends of town. Head to Davis for Kickass Cupcakes. Inman Square, a short walk from Central, is home to great food and bars, including Punjabi Dhaba and Bukowski’s.
The North End
Relevant T Stop: Haymarket (orange)
You’ll do a bit of walking, but the amazing Italian food–the streets are packed with everything from fine dining to tiny mom & pop places–is well worth the wait. You can also plan on some laughs at Improv Asylum before you head over to Mike’s Pastry for more cannoli than you should probably eat.
The South End
Relevant T stop: Back Bay (orange, commuter rail)
A short walk from Back Bay brings you to some fantastic dining (check out Sibling Rivalry or Hamersley’s Bistro if you don’t believe me), as well as the Boston Center for the Arts.
Jamaica Plain (JP)
Relevant T stops: Jackson, Stonybrook, Green, Forest Hills (all orange)
Want to tour the Sam Adams Brewery? Check. Looking for a plethora of edible options, from amazing sandwiches at City Feed to fine dining at Ten Tables? Check. Care to visit a beautiful and historic cemetery, get a sweet tattoo, or just get some really good ice cream? Check, check and check.
For more Boston ideas, don’t forget to check the YALSA wiki. And other Boston folks–speak up! What did I forget? (Aside from the aquarium, and where to find good chowdah–last week’s Heroes episode would have us believe it’s only at Legal Sea Foods, but I know you have opinions.)
By: Kara Schaff Dean,
on 7/25/2009
In anticipation of Jim Rice's induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame tomorrow (that's me and him on the right, circa 2004!) I've pulled Gold Dust, by Chris Lynch, out of my "to read" pile. The term 'Gold Dust' is a reference to Jim Rice and Fred Lynn, who were called up as rookies to the Red Sox in 1975 and were referred to as the "Gold Dust Twins" due to their remarkable, untouchable talent.
By: Roger Sutton,
on 4/6/2009
Another duckling disappears.
By: Roger Sutton,
on 1/21/2009
But the Horn Book, Inc. has a new owner. See details on our website.
By: Roger Sutton,
on 12/17/2008
Childlit has been debating historical accuracy in fiction--what's dramatic license and what's a betrayal, basically. It makes me think of the many romances of stage, screen and text where Elizabeth R and Mary, Queen of Scots excitingly rail at each other, when in real life they never met.
It’s funny - when I was packing up our 20,000 books and all of the
associated detritus that collected along with them over the past five
years, I swore that had to be the worst part of the move. Before that,
when I was pulling down pink plywood, plastering over holes, sheet rocking
and painting, I pretty much figured that was the worst part. It should
surprise no one then, given my track record, that the worst part is the
interminable unboxing and reshelving of books. Adding to the
unpleasantness is the fact that we’ve decided to rationalize (that’s a
euphemism for make some vague sense out of) our internet cataloging
system. This brings me, somewhat obliquely, to my first bits of advice:
1 - Make sure your system of arranging books that you sell online makes
sense and is scalable (not in the arranging them in the form of a ziggurat
sense, but in the functions well under large numbers sense) ; it’s going
to be a pain to fix five years down the line
(you’ll notice that much of this “advice” is of the “I climbed a water
tower and fell off and now travel high schools telling kids not to climb
water towers” variety).
2 - Don’t put a box of books in your basement unless you’re pretty sure
you want to carry them back upstairs, load them into a truck and move them
across town. Also, don’t put 200 of these in your basement.
3 - Be organized in your move - stack sections together and in the order
you’d like to use them. I actually thought of this one beforehand, but
I’m constitutionally incapable of this level of organization - if you can
do it though, your present self will owe your past self a debt of
gratitude (as a friend of mine likes to say).
All of which adds up to the fact, some may say obvious fact, that moving
something as heavy as a used bookstore should not be done without the best
of reasons. Ours were complicated - rising rents, static foot traffic
(static at a bad level - the U.S. obsession with growth has made static a
bad word when it could be lovely. Why does no one ever say statically
good?), and a commercial district that has begun to favor restaurants.
Now, I love restaurants as much as the next guy who can’t afford to go to
them very often, but a certain percentage of restaurants in a commercial
district is pretty much a death knell for traditional retail. The hours
are just too different for them to work together - it’s possible all those
mom and pop shops should just be open from 5 PM - 12 PM, who knows. I’ve
worked in too many restaurants though - those hours will really mess with
your head.
So with rents and changing dynamics, it was time to go - luckily we
actually learned a few things since our first opening.
Don’t settle for two many “this should be ok”s when choosing a space. If
you leave yourself enough time to look, you should be able to find the
right space (this goes for opening the first time as well, of course).
Our first shop was a good size but had too many strangely shaped spaces
and quirks that we were paying for - we also were about 200 feet from
where we needed to be and when those pedantic jackasses say that the three
most important concerns in retail are location, location, location,
they’re not JUST being annoying.
Try not to cut too many corners - this can be difficult when working on a
shoestring budget, but try to do things properly or not do them at all.
Half-assing a few things here and there (e.g. buying an area rug to
disguise an ugly floor instead of replacing the floor) is appropriate,
but, at least for me, these half measures get a grip on you after a while
and start being too obvious - eventually the enterprise takes on the dull
sheen of half-assedness. If you think the color of your walls is ok,
paint them the color you really want, you won’t regret it (joyfully, the
pink walls at our new store left me no half option on this one).
And oh yeah, lift with your legs.
Here’s a few pictures as order begins to emerge from the chaos:
Aisle one of internet books in the basement. We enlisted the help of
local street urchins to shelve the books.
Aisle 2. Anyone looking to purchase 500 slightly used boxes?
Street urchins are also useful for book cataloging.
Not so much for the hauling of heavy boxes as my brother apparently notices.
This last is from our moving fundraiser. This, which I must admit I was
skeptical about, turned out great. We had a bunch of silent auctions,
collected donated items from local friendly businesses (and gave them
great advertising - or tried), local urchins ran a hot dog cart, and we
had a keg of beer and a band (pictured - if you have kids at your party,
get a guy with a pink suit, they went nuts). All of our intensive studies
show that customers purchase at least 30% more when drinking.
– Pazzo Books 4268 Washington St. Roslindale, MA 02131 pazzobooks.com 617-323-2919
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By: Roger Sutton,
on 5/13/2008
Missed Connections: leaving Stony Brook station around 6:00 PM yesterday. Me, tall middle-aged man in a bowtie listening to iPod. You, medium-height young woman reading the Horn Book.
Any authors out there ever similarly catch a reader unawares?
By: Jessamyn West,
on 2/26/2008
So after Bernie Margolis has his contract “un-renewed” the mayor of Boston is looking at seizing control of the moneys that make up the Boston Public Library’s trusts. This means that to spend money from the BPL trusts, the library has to get approval for each specific expenditure from City Hall. Margolis, still at work and annoyed at his ouster has ordered his staff to not send overdue fines collected to the city as was the usual procedure. It’s not totally clear from the article what the ordering of events is. At least one donor is thinking of asking for her money back.
Under current practice, the library trustees approve formation of the trust funds and transfer custody of the funds to City Hall. City Hall then forwards trust proceeds - dividends and other returns on investments - in a lump sum annually to the library.
Library trustees decide what to spend the money on, in accordance with donors’ instructions, and library staff members cut the checks. Library staff members also reconcile the books and file annual reports and tax returns for the board of trustees, which is operated as an independent, nonprofit corporation.
Signori, the city’s collector-treasurer, said her office will no longer be giving the library lump sums. Instead, she said, the trustees will now have to submit invoices to City Hall for processing and payment. If Signori or her staff members believe the expenses do not match donors’ intent or if there is another problem, she says she will raise an issue with trustees.
[thanks kate]
By: Sarah Darer Littman,
on 2/10/2008
The kids and I spent the weekend chez ![[info]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
the_webmeister up in Beantown. Saw the 3D Sun film at the Museum of Science, which was fascinating. Then we took the kids to the Planetarium to see the Laser Magic show. That was a huge success with everyone - now I want to take the kids back to see Laser Beatles and Pink Floyd and U2 and Led Zeppelin - in other words, all my favorite high school bands.
Now I knew The Webmeister was a techno-geek, but what I didn't know was that he's been holding out on me all this time - he actually has a laser thingie (I'll let him tell you the technical term in the comments) of his very own. So when we got home, he let Daughter play with it. I got to choose the CD - and of course I chose the greatest and potentially most laser-friendly album of all time, Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. Daughter has a bright future as a Laserist - she did a fantastic job creating effects.
Unfortunately The Webmeister is (or should I say "was") in possession of another, more unsavory form of technology. The Dark Side of Technology, one might say. I shall explain.
As a children's book author, I probably shouldn't admit this in a public forum, but I have a history of Furbicide. Many years ago, my former mother-in-law gave my children the most annoying evil toy ever invented - The Furby. Not just one Furby. One for Each Child. I hated the freaking things. They would start talking at the most bizarre and inappropriate times, and you had to go through some elaborate ritual to make the @$#&& things go to sleep.
One night the Furbies started talking at 1am and I'd had it. I wanted to take the batteries out but couldn't find the screwdriver. (It was 1am, after all.) So in an Anthony Perkins-esque move, I took a large kitchen knife and (cue the Psycho shower scene music) stabbed the Furbies until they were silent.
They ended up buried at the bottom of the kitchen garbage bag, never to be heard from again.
But alas...this weekend the kids were going through the Webmeister's basket of dog toys and what should they find at the bottom - yep, one of those F-words. Number 2 of Reasons NOT to Love the Webmeister (a much shorter list than the reasons TO love the Webmeister): he put batteries in the damn thing.
When we were leaving his house this afternoon, I went to put my laptop in my briefcase, and what did I find in it...The Furby. I put it back on his shelf. I got into the car and what was on my seat? The Furby. I told the Webmeister to take it back.
Then, after we left TWM's house, I stopped at Dunkin' Donuts to caffienate myself for the journey home. I opened my bag to pay and this is what I saw:
AAAAAAAAAH! My son, laughing hysterically, told me that the Furby was haunting me for murdering his relatives all those years ago.
We get home, I put on a load of laundry, go up to my room, turn on the light and:
DOUBLE AAAAAAAAAH!
Will Sarah Ever Escape The Curse of the Furby? Stay tuned....
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By: Roger Sutton,
on 11/10/2007
I realized a forty-year-old dream last night when we went to see a community theater production of Hair. The Rent of its day--although far more transgressive--Hair was the Big Thing for little show-tune freaks, given even more appeal by the fact that we had to listen to the record (which was all we knew of the show, since we certainly wouldn't be allowed to see it. Nudes!) out of earshot of our parents. I remember clandestinely (I thought) listening to my older sister's recording and my mother overhearing "Happy Birthday Abie Baby" ("emanci-motherfuckin'-pator of the slaves") and pitching a fit. Has High School Musical ever occasioned such perfect drama?
Growing up in Boston added allure, too, as, when the show came to town in 1970, it was promptly shut down and banned for a month until the Supreme Court allowed it to reopen. I remember faking illness to stay home from school one day because the cast was going to perform on some local TV talk show. How ironic that "America's oldest community theater" (the Footlight Club opened in 1877) would be presenting it thirty-some years later without fuss, obscenities and (discreetly lit) nudity intact.
I didn't get half of the sex jokes back then, and certainly didn't recognize just how druggie it was--my exposure to illegal substances was then limited to the "awareness tablets" that a cop had brought into our junior high and lit in front of the classroom to demonstrate what marijuana smelled like so we would know when to blow the whistle on a party, I guess. Last night, at fifty-one, I had little patience with the show's loosey-goosey free-range dialogue that was supposed to convey the inspiration of drugs and wondered how anyone could have ever heard it as meaningful or even sincere.
But to think of drugs as "mind-expanding" is even more taboo today than in 1968, as is the show's gleeful employment of racial epithets. Forget getting banned in Boston; can it play in L.A.?
What I mostly thought last night, sentimentally and dolefully, is that now I'm the parents and, really, so is the show. I'm betting the sweet kids on stage were as bemused by the LBJ jokes they were spouting as I had been by "Sodomy."
By: Sarah Darer Littman,
on 10/12/2007
Wow. I can’t believe it’s already this weekend (well, almost) and I haven’t even blogged about last weekend. Work, political activities and kids (well, kid – my daughter was away at Nature’s Classroom all week, the lucky thing) have really taken away from my blogging time.
So the kids were with their dad last weekend for the first time since the end of July, so I got to go up to Boston and visit the Webmeister.
What with it being a bank holiday weekend, a journey that normally takes me 3 hours max took me FIVE, which ended up being rather stressful since we had theater tickets for 8pm. I left CT at 3, thinking I’d have plenty of time to toodle up to Boston, change clothes, relax and drive to the theater together. As it turned out, I arrived drove straight to the theater and arrived with about five minutes to spare.
It was a rather fun Boston Center for the Arts production of “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”, which I haven’t seen in yonks, and thoroughly enjoyed.
Afterwards, we walked past the Mills Gallery on the way to dinner. It had an installation by British artist Martin Creed called “The Lights Going On and Off”, which is apparently one of Creed’s most well known works, for which he received the Turner Prize in 2001.
Basically the entire gallery was painted white, with a little white sofa and table in one of the windows. And…you guessed it – the lights kept turning on and off every few minutes. As we stood in front of the windows watching a man walked by and expressed my opinion perfectly – “What a load of cr*p!”
Ok, I’ll admit that I don’t “get” all modern art. But I was practically rolling on the pavement laughing when I read the explanation of the work on the gallery door:
The title is descriptive – in the work the lights go on and off, like someone flipping a switch, repeatedly and at set time intervals. Using the existing track lights in the Mills, it will fill the entire 2200 sq. foot space for an installation that is pointedly spare and quietly provocative, with a touch of humor and wonder at the role of inspiration in the creative process. Ultimately, The Lights Going On and Off is an experiential art viewing event, one that is both challenging and poetic.
By: Roger Sutton,
on 6/17/2007
I'm just back from a run; it was hot and my legs felt like they were encased in molasses. But about halfway through I came upon a great scene: a family of geese crossing the Jamaica Way. I hate geese, but this gaggle of two adults and seven young ones was inspiring. The grownups led the way, pausing at the curb to let a few fast-moving cars by, then sauntering, leisurely but with a definite aim, across the street while each of the four lanes of cars stopped in turn. (This is Boston, where nobody is sentimental about geese, and in no way was the entire flow of traffic going to stop for them.) If you know that street, you'll know how dangerous it can be to drive, much less cross. My hat's off to the Sunday drivers!
I have a story about Boston ducklings, too, and I'll put up the link to that tomorrow.
By: Sophie Brookover,
on 3/10/2007
Boston lead singer Brad Delp has died unexpectedly at age 55. Boston is one of those bands whose sound was ubiquitous during my teen years thanks to classic rock radio stations (they're still mainstays of the one classic rock station left in Philly, actually), and no less a rock god than Kurt Cobain saw fit to rip off the churning riff of "More Than A Feeling" for "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Still, I'm sad to say I never knew Delp's name -- or indeed the names of any member of Boston -- until today. Although I heard them everywhere, all the time, they were not the kind of band that inspired slavish fandom in me, and yet, I know every word to their big singles.
I'm sure there are legions of Boston fans who are really & truly gutted by this news (don't get me wrong, I'm saddened, but not to the degree that tears are welling up), and they are the ones we should cater to. Haul out your Boston CDs and display them with his obituary. While you're at it, why not put together a display of CDs by other critically reviled, sometimes geographically named 70s bands of Boston's ilk? Here's a list to get you started:
I'm sure I'm forgetting some. Commenters, fill in the blanks!
Meanwhile, here's Boston's All Music profile.
By: Roger Sutton,
on 2/13/2007
. . . a "children's lit. guide to Boston." She'll be visiting from Australia next month and wants to know what children's-book places she should try and see. I don't get out much, but of course you can't miss the ducklings, and while you're there you can see the original address of the Horn Book at 270 Boylston Street. Some excellent contemporary bookshops for boys and girls include The Children's Book Shop in Brookline Village and the Curious George store in Harvard Square.
J.L. Bell at Boston 1775 could probably be called upon to point out some of the more historical connections; I'm personally grateful to the Freedom Trail for the time I got lost on the way to work and it led me right to the Horn Book's (former) door.
Moving a bit further afield, don't miss the Little Women stronghold in Concord, and I would urge a day trip to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst--catch up with dear, demented Emily while you're there.
Thank you so much, Roger. What fun!