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!
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.
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).
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!
That’s right, it’s time for nerds who love basketball to rejoice, because the WORD basketball league has returned! We’re starting the season a bit earlier this year, with pre-season kicking off in April, so the start-up meetings are pretty soon.
As with last year, we will require the following from those who would like to play: 4 out of 5 answers correct on a relatively simple test of your literary knowledge, a self-assessment of your basketball skills, a list of requested teammates (if you have one), and a signed waiver. So you’ll need to come to one of the following meetings to take care of all of that:
Monday, March 15 at 7pm
Wednesday, March 17 at 7pm
Both meetings will be held in the basement of WORD. It is REQUIRED that you attend one of these two meetings if you want to play.
If you’d like to be involved, but have no interest in physical activity, that is fine! We definitely need people to help behind the scenes. In particular, we might need another ref and we definitely need people to help with keeping score and time. Also, one of our employees would like to start a nerd cheerleading squad. So if you’d like to join up without actually playing, just email stephanie at wordbrooklyn dot com.
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!
Thanks so much to everyone who came out last night! Pictures to come on our Flickr shortly. For now, just imagine our basement full of beautiful people laughing and smiling.
Without further ado, our four winning six-word writing memoir entries:
“Landlady still refuses prose for rent.” — Mikki Halpin
“Erotica: What’s another word for ‘penis?’” — Grace Bello
“Procrastinating on novel? Start a blog!” — Jake Roren
“Write without inhibition, edit rigorously, repeat.” — Erin McInnis
Is one of those entries yours? If so, email [email protected] toot sweet to claim your prize. Thanks to everyone who entered!
A funny thing happened when we put this book on the counter.
“Hahaha,” a customer would say, looking at the cover. “Hahahaha, it’s true! Hitchhikers are obsolete. Oh yeah, same thing with lickable stamps. Ha! Yeah, I haven’t gotten lost since I got my iPhone. And also…”
And then, always the same fateful pause.
“Wait!” the same customer would say, voice turning from amused to saddened. “Cursive writing is nor obsolete! I still write in cursive everyday! None of my friends do, but…”
This happened so many times that we lost count. Except insert writing letters, film, smoking, bald spots, books, arcades, and hyphenated last names for cursive writing in that last bit. The book is hilarious! And then, suddenly, not so funny. People feel compelled to defend their favorite obsolete things!
(In particular, we’ve noticed an astonishing number of customers who, under their breath, notify us that phone sex is most certainly NOT obsolete, thank you very much, and in fact it was alive and well in their apartment just two weeks previous. Which, wow, alrighty!)
Anyway, this has been so much fun for us that we decided to make an event out of it. A debating event! You’ll have the chance to defend your rapidly-obsolescing item in front of a crowd, and maybe even save it from extinction.
You can speak out in defense of:
–keeping plans (and making dates)
–niche publications
–photobooths
–thesauruses
–privacy
–dying of old age
–body hair
Or any of the other items in the encyclopedia! Just drop by the store to look through, RSVP on Facebook, or email [email protected] to save your spot (and your item). You can also get inspiration from the tumblr page for the book. See you there…unless maybe really fun book events are already obsolete?
In honor of October being Adopt-A-Dog Month, on Saturday, October 24 at 7 pm,
Unleash: Brooklyn and WORD will host an evening featuring Nevin Martell, author of the newly released book, Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and His Revolutionary Comic Strip.
Nevin Martell traces the life and career of the extraordinary, influential, and intensely private man behind Calvin and Hobbes. With input from a wide range of artists and writers (including Dave Barry, Harvey Pekar, Jonathan Lethem, and Brad Bird) as well as some of Watterson’s closest friends and professional colleagues, this is as close as we’re ever likely to get to one of America’s most ingenious and intriguing figures – and a fascinating detective story, at the same time.
Join us at Unleash - Brooklyn’s 7,000 square foot eco-friendly loft offering one of the most spacious daycare and boarding facilities for cats and dogs in New York City. RSVP for the event here on Facebook.
Unleash is home to District Dog, a natural and organic shop for food, treats, toys and accessories; Dog Habitat, a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating abandoned and unwanted dogs; and training classes are offered by Denise Herman from Empire of the Dog. Later this year, Unleash: Brooklyn will be home to a holistic veterinary clinic.
Come celebrate the friendship between mankind and their furry friends while learning about the elusive creator of one of the most beloved comic strips of all time. Looking for Calvin and Hobbes is an affectionate and revealing book about uncovering the story behind this most uncommon trio – a man, a boy and his tiger.
Last night, we hosted author Rebecca Stead and her editor, Wendy Lamb for the latest installment in our YA NOT? series (a literary salon for not-so-young adults). They have the sort of editor-author relationship that makes us feel good about being in the book industry. This business is all about relationships, in many ways—our relationship with our customers, an author’s relationship with hir readers, and so on—but it all starts with the author and the editor. As they discussed quite a bit last night, every editor approaches each author a bit differently. And the approach that Wendy and Rebecca have taken together is, much like Rebecca’s books, magical and impressive.
Some highlights from their conversation last night:
—Rebecca talked about this TED talk with author Elizabeth Gilbert about inspiration, and mentioned an ancient idea that inspiration is a matter of “catching the serpent.” You have to reach up to grab it, and if you get its tail, you can reel it back in and make something with it, but if you miss it, it’s gone forever.
—Wendy, on how authors are like dogs: “Some authors are work dogs. They just keep working and working and working on a book until you just want to take it away from them before they mess it up. And other authors are like companion dogs. They need you to sit next to them and call them to see how they’re doing.” And Rebecca? Well, Wendy said she’s a lovely combination of the two.
—Rebecca, on why she writes for kids: “I love that children are still at a point where they are thinking about the big questions of life and trying to figure things out. They’re not jaded yet. I don’t think it would be possible for me to write for a jaded reader. I guess I can write for kids and adults having a mid-life crisis: people who are open to thinking about big ideas and wondering about life.”
—The best mail Rebecca has gotten in response to her latest book, When You Reach Me, is regarding a small idea in the book that she didn’t think most people would notice. She discusses the idea of a veil, that we all walk around with this invisible veil in front of our faces and go about our day, but every once in awhile it lifts up, and suddenly we can see the bigger picture, see the connections, and feel some peace about the way things are. ”A surprising number of kids are writing to me to tell me how much they identify with that idea. Which I think is very encouraging!”
Those are just a few snippets from last night’s conversation, which we loved almost (almost!) as much as we adore When You Reach Me and First Light. What about other folks who came out in the blustery rain? What was your favorite part?
Greg stares forlornly out the front door of WORD, waiting for someone to take him home.
There’s only 6 days left until Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days comes out, and we’re celebrating with a contest for teachers and librarians!
The publisher sent us that great big cardboard Greg in the picture and, while we love him, he is just a little too big for our store. We’ll keep him around this week while we prepare for the latest book in his series, but then he needs a good home where he will be properly appreciated. Do you think your school or library might be that place?
Then email us and tell us why! That’s right, it’s that easy to get this totally awesome display for yourself. Just email info (at) wordbrooklyn (dot) com and tell us why your school or library is the best home for Greg. The staff of WORD will pick our favorite.
We’ll announce our winner (and one runner-up, who will get a Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days T-shirt) next Monday, October 12, when the book comes out. So get to thinking about why Greg should go home with you and let us know ASAP…
We know you love our staff picks in the store (how else can we explain Cloud Atlas’s two-year streak on the WORD bestseller list?), but did you know that sometimes our staff picks go beyond our doors?
Kelly’s, above, is for Hothouse Flower and the Nine Flowers of Desire by Margot Berwin, a book she loved so much that the author is coming to read and sign at our Hot and Wicked Botanical Book Night this Tuesday! You can find this review in July’s Indie Next List in any independent bookstore in the country.
And Stephanie’s blurb for When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead is featured on a cardboard display made by the publisher to go next to the book. Good thing, too, since it’s her choice for the best middle grade novel of the year!
Convinced? Drop by the store to get your copies today! Actually, for Hothouse Flower, wait until Tuesday, that way you can meet the author. We’re so proud of these blurbs that the books will be in stock for quite some time, though in the case of When You Reach Me, the sooner, the better—we have a limited number of signed bookplates for copies purchased here. And as always, if you’re too far away to make it in, just email [email protected] and we’ll be happy to ship either or both out to you!
Finish out your week with a smile—read this delightful missive from Katherine Arathoon, member of The Elements of Style!
“When I first agreed to join a dodgeball team (don’t worry, it’s just a quick tangent), I thought I was signing up for kickball. ‘Sure, that sounds like fun,’ I said, forking over a hefty enrollment fee, and forgot about it. It was only 2 days before our first game that I remembered that dodgeball is actually two teams actively trying to pelt each other in the face with hard rubber balls. In an instant I was transported back to those terror-filled sessions in my elementary school days, and I called my roommate, Sanam, in a panic, shrieking, “I’ve just remembered what dodgeball is! I don’t want to play any more!” Accustomed to my histrionics, Sanam calmly informed me it was too late to get my fee back and I was damned well going to play. So play I did, and it turned out it was actually pretty fun. Teams were more evenly matched, now that everyone’s pituitary glands have for the most part leveled off, and there was beer after every game. Can’t argue with that!
“So, when the Mediabistro blurb popped up recommending Literary Basketball, I was intrigued. Sure, I’d hated basketball in high school gym, but if a girl like me can learn to tolerate dodgeball, she can do anything. Plus, the challenge of answering ‘literary questions’ in order to qualify was irresistible. I answered the questions, a handful of friends joined in as well, and one short introduction meeting later I was on the white team.
“The name picking began. We were team White, so early options included The Eebees, The Mocha Dicks, Charlotte’s Web of Domination, Great White Taupe, The Invisible Jam, and Midnight’s Children But With Basketball. However, several clear winners emerged from the fray, and after pushing Comma Sutra out of the way with deft aplomb, The Elements Of Style reigned supreme as our name of choice. The Strunks became unofficial team nickname, and ‘Sucks to your ass-mar!’ is our (as yet still unused in battle) team slogan.
“It was during this discussion that our noble team captain, Mark, came up with the brilliant plan of creating team t-shirts and using punctuation symbols instead of numbers on the back. There was a furious scramble to claim interrobang, and a question arose that remains unanswered to this day: does a dollar sign count as a punctuation mark? (In the end, cool factor won out over questionable verisimilitude on that particular issue.)
“So now we were named and marked, and ready for action. By this point I’d had enough fun and nerdiness that I scarcely cared about the looming first game. Sanam–now $anam–explained the basic rules to me on subway ride over, and I figured I was prepared enough.
“Two things I hadn’t anticipated:
“1) Basketball requires a lot of running. Like, a LOT of running. Fortunately we had a good showing of teammates that first game, because there was a steady rotation of subbing-out-before-my-heart-explodes. Some of us were a little hung over from the previous night’s adventures; some of us were just woefully out of shape. Safe to say, by game’s end most of us looked like teammate Mike in this picture.
“2) Despite the dramatic amounts of running, basketball is a lot of fun. Who knew? Much to my surprise, I was enjoying myself. And I was occasionally good at defense, which, for a total beginner, was very pleasing indeed.
“Most of all, my teammates proved to be just as awesome on-court as off; encouraging, hilarious, and in some instances enthusiastically clad in short-shorts. From ampersand to ellipses, from asterisk to exclamation point, I couldn’t ask for a better group. Week after week we have thundered up and down the court with great dexterity, generally taking a triumphant second-place in every game we play, and once even winning!
“(Here are two pictures of me with a few of my most magnificent Strunks, wearing the badass t-shirts that Ben made.)
“So, many, many thanks to WORD for organizing such a lovely literary league that has attracted such perspicacious people; I know where I’ll be doing my Christmas book shopping this year. And the basketball experience as a whole has reminded me not just to try out new things, but to re-visit old things as well. After all, if I find I now like dodgeball and love basketball, who knows: maybe it’s time to take another stab at Trigonometry?
Yours truly,
The Em Dash
(Katherine Arathoon)”
Wow, if you didn’t make it to Sarah Magid’s event for her cookbook Organic and Chic, you missed out in a big way! The basement was packed and for the first time in WORD history, we sold every copy of the book in the store. We suspect the delicious mini-cupcakes and other goodies had something to do with it, but the main attraction was the incredible book, which you just have to see to believe. We’re out of stock for the next couple days, but you can bet we’ll have it here again soon for you to check out.
Here’s a few photos of the treats Sarah brought:
Thanks, Sarah! And thanks to everyone who made it out to make this event such an incredible success!
It’s a little crazy here today because it’s Buy Indie Day! We’ve been selling our favorite books to Greenpoint customers and Twitter customers alike. Want to join in the fun? Drop by any time today, email [email protected], or call 718 383 0096! You can also find an independent bookstore near you by using IndieBound’s great search function.
And don’t forget, it’s not just independent bookstores that deserve love. Celebrate your favorite indie video rental place, restaurant, hardware store, bike shop, tattoo parlor, florist, grocery store, chocolatier, thrift store, or clothing boutique by paying them a visit today! Feel free to let us know in comments about your favorite indie businesses, we’d love to hear about them.
Hey, you! Yeah, you, the one with the addiction to cute cards. You know you have a problem. You buy boxes of cards, but then only use half of them. You hoard cards because they’re cute with the excuse, “well, I’ll want to use it for so-and-so’s birthday next year.” But then you forget that you bought it because you have so many cards socked away. You’ve made public promises not to buy any more stationery until you use what you already have, but that doesn’t stop you, oh no. It just means you sneak the new stationery home in the bottom of your bag.
We understand, and we’re here to help.
We’re probably part of the problem. Normally, we’re pushers of letterpress, and cute cards, and cards with rude stick figure characters, and some that bloom into wildflowers when planted. Cards with the skyline of Manhattan, with ice cream sandwiches, with fangs, with owls, with curse words, with WTF and OMG on the front. How can you resist? You can’t, unfortunately (for you).
But not this Sunday. This Sunday, we want to make your life easier with our first ever STATIONERY SWAP!
It’s easy. Bring the stationery that you’ve fallen out of love with, the half-used boxes, the cards that you can’t remember why you bought them anymore. Come down to our basement between noon and 3pm. Leave your castaways and look through those of fellow addicts. A simple way to rejuvenate your collection without spending a dime!
If you want to drop off unwanted cards for the swap but can’t make it on Sunday, feel free to drop them by the store anytime we’re open this week. Otherwise, see you Sunday!
Over the weekend, you may have heard something about a controversy over recent changes to Amazon’s ranking system that are primarily affecting books with sexual content, and especially books with GLBT content, by removing their rankings and thus impacting their visibility on the site. More information is easy to find, as the internet has basically exploded about the whole thing.
Though it’s not clear yet what’s happened, here at WORD, we wanted to take this opportunity to assure our customers that the problem of books with “adult content” not being ranked is not endemic across the book industry. In the interests of transparency, our bestseller list is calculated as follows:
1. On first day of new month, run sales report for previous month.
2. Type top ten bestselling titles on a list.
3. Print out list on yellow paper.
(Possible glitch: the manager forgets how to count. If this happens, we’ll be the first people to let you know.)
As you can see, it is a simple process and any book can be a part. We invite customers to test this assertion by buying dozens of copies of whichever adult title they like best to drive it to the top of our bestseller list. No one would be more amused than we by an April bestseller list composed of gay erotica and perennial bestseller Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell.
This should clarify our position nicely, but if you have any other questions, you are welcome to email us at [email protected], call at 718 383 0096 (no extension, no phone tree, and definitely no hold music), or for direct human contact, visit us in person at 126 Franklin Street.
“Few places are as undeniably valuable in the artistic life of a community than great independent bookshops. For an individual, they can provide a refuge; for a community, they provide a meeting place for like-minded people; and for the wider population, they provide an alternative source of information to the mass market chain bookstores. . . . The chain stores and the Internet are winning the price war, but still, the spirit of resistance fights on. It is a fight in which our future literary culture may rest. The removal of these shops would damage the opportunities for upcoming writers and make our cities a little more lifeless.”–Alan Perkins in Seven Magazine, writing about City Lights Books, San Francisco, Calif., and Shakespeare & Company, Paris, France
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It’s a bit too far away (from the Netherlands), but I love the idea!
[...] THIS WEEKEND: Book Swap Many of the people reading this are probably aware that yours truly loves to read. In fact, it has become a bit of a problem: my house is overflowing with books! I am also a big fan of anything that benefits our local library. For these reasons (and more) I feel compelled to pass along that tomorrow, July 31st, Word Books will be having a book swap! Here’s the 411 per their web site: [...]