He’ll be signing copies of his latest book “Patrick Demarchelier” at the Clic Gallery from 6:30 to 7:30 pm.

This book features over 400 of his most famous color and black and white pictures. From fashion photographs published in Vogue, Vanity Fair and Harper’s Bazaar to his work with celebrities and Princess Diana, this book beautifully  regroups his complete career.

source: http://www.miragebookmark.ch/images/bookstore-el-ateneo.jpg

KEVIN SWEET | PARTNERSHIP INSURANCE
“我認為無疑地，隨著電子消費模式的創新和普及，許多讀者開始選擇更方便的線上購書或閱讀服務。但是我認為書局仍然會繼續存在，因為很多人還是為了書本的氣息和觸感，怦然心動!”

STEVE STRAKER | CARTLIDGE MORLAND
“書店還是有它不可替代的特質。人們還是會一直被書局的特殊氛圍所吸引。但是我必須承認，如果我想買一本書的話，我比較喜歡先在網上搜尋。”
HOWARD GENDLER | NAVIGANT CONSULTING
“書局絕對不會消失的!雖然Kindle有它支持的族群，但是也有很多像我這種只愛去書局買書的讀者!”

改編自CITY VIEWS: IS THERE A FUTURE FOR BOOK SHOPS? by Alyssa Wolice

http://www.cityam.com/news-and-analysis/7gwhqhgkww.html

Ok, ok, I know you’re probably tired of hearing about the bookstore. But I have actual news to share!

In response to a recent question on UAF’s grapevine, Robert Holden said that books will be returning to the brick-and-mortar store on campus! The change is for spring semester, so this must be one of the changes that Chancellor Brian Rogers alluded to at his open forum a few weeks ago. In response to a question about the bookstore’s retail offerings, Holden wrote, “In January Follett will bring a portion of the core textbooks on campus, providing additional opportunities for students purchasing textbooks.”

Holden is the Associate Director of Auxiliary and Business Services, so he’s a pretty reputable source on this. If he says books are coming back, I’ll believe him. What’s left to be seen is what books are considered “core” and how the change will pan out.

I really don’t know how other bloggers have the time to blog regularly. I work full-time (around 40 hours a week) but it’s the kind of work that I don’t take home with me. I don’t have any kids or pets to take care of. I try to see my boyfriend as much as possible but that works out to about twice a week since we don’t live near each other. I maybe throw in one night a week where I hang out with other friends during the week. I don’t really have a “full schedule” like some other people.

And yet I still find it hard to take the time to blog. Maybe it’s because I like to sleep. Maybe it’s because I’m interested in a lot of tv shows and I spend a lot of time freeing up space on my DVR. Maybe it’s because I’m a little obsessed with a Facebook application called “FarmVille”. Maybe it’s because I like to focus on one thing at a time, especially when I’m writing. Maybe it’s because my schedule changes from day-to-day and therefore I can’t get into a daily routine. Maybe it’s because I like my “alone-time” where I just veg out and relax.

I don’t know how bloggers with two jobs or multiple small children can blog regularly but I certainly bow down to them. I will try to be more consistent on writing posts in the future though.

Today’s silver lining: Even though I have to work overtime this week, I found out that I don’t work at the bookstore on Black Friday! Woo-hoo!

The Presque Isle B. Dalton bookstore will be closing its doors on January 16th 2010. B. Dalton employee Ken Oliver said, “I was told that all of the B. Dalton stores will be closing, not just ours. Even the million dollar makers will be shutting their doors.” Chain owner Barnes and Noble  Inc. will be closing it’s 50 remaining stores by the end of January according to GlobeGazette.com.

A concerned customer of the Presque Isle B. Dalton said, “This is one of my favorite stores, it will be greatly missed. I’m just worried about the impact it will have on the Aroostook Centre Mall.”

Barnes and Noble Inc. is interested in consumer feedback and any reports from customers who want to keep the stores open are being heard. Make sure to call their service number 1-800-962-6177 and let your voice be heard. You may also want to contact their Media Contact: Mary Ellen Keating Senior Vice President Corporate Communications Barnes & Noble, Inc. (212) 633-3323 mkeating@bn.com.

Join our discussion board on the closing of the Presque Isle B. Dalton on Facebook.

Thank you, Mieko, for sharing this with me.

10) Hatchards in London

Although the bookshop of Cambridge University is technically the oldest bookshop in Britain, Hatchards of Piccadilly, which has been trading since 1797, is definitely the most aristocratic. Not only does it boast three royal warrants, meaning it supplies books to Her Majesty, it has counted Disraeli, Wilde and Byron among its regulars. Today it retains the spirit of days past, with an interior described by one follower as “reminiscent of being inside a rambling old house, with six floors of small rooms all linked together curling around a central staircase.”

9) Keibunsya in Kyoto

If you love bookshops even where you can’t read the language, thenKeibunsya in Kyoto needs to be on your list too. Some say it’s the lighting, others the well-proportioned panels around the walls. Or perhaps it’s the little galleries embedded in the bookshelves. Most agree it’s just the quiet dignity of the place that’s hard to beat. Lots of pretty Japanese art books to marvel at and a few English language ones as well.

8. El Péndulo in Mexico

The Polanco branch of Pendulo in Mexico City has long been known as one of the best ways to beat the heat in the largest city in the world. Although it only has a small English language section, its open architecture populated with several trees makes for an excellent afternoon’s escape. In honesty, as popular for its excellent cafe as it is its books.

7) Posada in Brussels

Located in a dear old house near St Magdalen’s church in Brussels,Posada Books is as famous for its pretty interior as it is for its collection of new and second-hand art books. Has a remarkable collection of exhibition catalogues, which goes back to the beginning of the last century, and holds occasional exhibitions too.

6) Scarthin’s in the Peak District

Of course, others might prefer the altogether more earthy beauty of a shop like Scarthin Books in the Peak District. Scarthin’s has been selling new and second-hand books since the mid-1970s. It has rooms full of new and old books, a delightful café and what can best be described as a small exhibition of curiosities on the first floor. It is a bookshop so beloved, that it advertises local guest and farmhouses on its websites where devotees can stay overnight.

5) Borders in Glasgow

The might of the Michigan-based megastore may make a lot of independent booksellers fearful, but few book lovers can fail to be beguiled by the neo-classical architecture of its behemoth Glasgow branch. Originally designed by Archibald Elliot in 1827 for the Royal Bank, Borders has occupied a prime spot on Royal Exchange Square since the millennium and won over many of the city’s book lovers. People reading on the steps outside have become as much a feature of Glasgow as the traffic cone on the head of Wellington’s statue. Well, almost. Would have been higher on my list if the aesthetic magnificence of the building had in any way been matched by the interior.

4) Secret Headquarters comic bookstore in Los Angeles

A mere profiterole to the fabulous layer cakes of Porto and Buenos Aires, but the Secret Headquarters more than holds its own. Nestled in the creative cluster of Silver Lake, just east of Hollywood, this boutique store offers a sophisticated alternative to most of its rivals and has a reputation for being one of the neatest, friendliest comic stores anywhere. Canadian science fiction author Cory Doctorow rates it as thefinest in the world.

3) Livraria Lello in Porto

Proving that purpose-built bookshops can be every bit as beautiful as converted buildings, the divine Livraria Lello in Porto has been selling books in the most salubrious of settings since 1881. Featuring astaircase to heaven and beautifully intricate wooden panels and columns (see for yourself with these gorgeous 360-degree views), stained glass ceilings and books – lots of lovely books.

2) El Ateneo in Buenos Aires

All the world’s a page at El Ateneo, a bookshop converted from an old theatre in downtown Buenos Aires. As you can see from this photomontage the El Ateneo has retained its former splendour, with high painted ceiling, original balconies and ornate carvings intact. Even the crimson stage curtains remain part of the show. Comfy chairs are scattered throughout, the stage is utilised as a reading area and café, and even better, the former theatre boxes are used as tiny reading rooms.

1) Boekhandel Selexyz Dominicanen in Maastricht

What does a city do with an 800-year-old church with no congregation? Well, it could make like the Dutch and convert it into a temple of books. The old Dominican church in Maastricht was being used for bicycle storage not long ago, but thanks to a radical refurbishment by Dutch architects Merkx + Girod it has been turned into what could possibly be the most beautiful bookshop of all time. The Boekhandel Selexyz Dominicanen, which opened just before Christmas, retains the character and charm of the old church, while being fitted with a minimalist and modern interior design that overcomes any suggestion of fustiness. From the images you can find on the web you can see that it is abookshop made in heaven.

This article was taken from:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/jan/11/bestukbookshops

________________________________

Speak! English Salon/スピーク英会話サロン
http://web.me.com/josephcamcinnis
福岡市中央区大名１－１２－３６

She sat across from me
Behind the travel section
On the second floor of the bookstore,
Her hair still wet from the shower.
I wanted to walk over and tell her
How sexy I thought
Girls with wet hair are,
Or ask her if she’d like to go downstairs
And get to know each other
Over overpriced scones
And macchiato,
Or…
Have her put her Cosmo down
And close her eyes,
Embracing the goose bumps
The flirty, grainy sound my pencil induces
As it continuously slides
Across the page.
I’ll have her imagine
Intimate tropical islands
I’m writing about,
Where we dissect Dickinson
In a tiny, bamboo cabana
Surreptitiously serenaded
By the staccato
Of an impromptu August rain.
Picture us holding hands
Walking along cobblestone streets
In rich European towns
Whose names we can’t pronounce.
Feel my caring finger
Wipe the mustard
From the corner of her mouth,
Because one can’t go to Coney Island
Without visiting Nathan’s.
She sat across from me
Behind the travel section
On the second floor of the bookstore,
Her hair still wet from the shower.
I wanted to walk over…
I wanted to walk over.

(Originally published here)

You suck.

Well, it’s true. All writers suck at some point in their careers. Even your hero, that literary genius who composed sonnets in his crib and gave a stream-of-consciousness book report on Atlas Shrugged for his third grade book report; he sucked. If you don’t believe me and he’s still alive, sneak into his house one night, gently wake him up, and ask him.

While you’re waiting for the cops to pick you up, I think you’ll discover that compared to his current work, he’ll say that third grade book report sucked. Sucking isn’t the problem, it’s the degree of suck. All writers start with some degree of talent. Some have an ocean’s worth, some have a drop. But that talent has to developed, has to be worked.

A writer with a drop of talent, who writes, workshops, and continues to grow, will have fifty times the success of a literary genius who sits on his butt and waits for opportunities to show up at his door. It’s a combination of work, talent, and sheer stubbornness.

Don’t believe me?

I can prove it. Go to your local bookstore or library and look through the paperback novels. Now stay away from your favorite authors. Just randomly pull ten books off the shelf that you’ve never read or heard of. At least one of those books will be utter crap or at least as good as the crap you write.

You know what the difference is between you and this published author is?

And no it’s not blackmail photos of someone at Random House, it’s commitment. Most writers get rejected. Expect to be rejected. Think of yourself as girl with the neck boil and the lazy eye who wants a date to the prom. If you don’t have a guilty cousin doing you a favor, you’re going to have to ask more than one boy. You’ll get hurt, you’ll cry a bit.

But eventually you’ll figure out that a turtleneck sweater, a pair of tinted glasses, and a push-up bra gets you what you what you want. It’s the same with writing.

It won’t be easy.

You’ll have to work hard to improve your writing flaws, learn to enhance what’s already good and minimize what isn’t.

But it’s not impossible.

Will you get a five book deal and get to tell your current boss to suck it? Probably not. But can you get published? Probably yes.

But are you stubborn enough to keep at it?

Because that’s what it’ll take, sheer stupid stubbornness.

I can do that, can you?

Remember when you suck, Koontz, King, Steinbeck, Hemingway, Rowling, Whitman, Austin sucked too and you read their books, right? Right.

Be proud.

Keep sucking.

I know I will.

~ Tirz

Busboys & Poets (the original location on 14th) here in DC used to have a trash ball machine next to the bathrooms.  And my kids and I were customers.  Maybe we were the only ones… perhaps that was the problem.

But I loved it.

The idea was that you could pay a quarter and get one of those cool, hermetically sealed capsules with a piece of trash in it.   That’s it.  Not convinced?  Well, I always figured the money went to something good, since the machine took up valuable real estate in the middle of an activism-focused bookstore.  I doubt the owners’ kids were getting Gucci loafers with the proceeds.

And here’s the other cool thing: sometimes the trash was, well, not so trashy.  Perhaps 1 out of 9,734,242 times you might get a dollar in your trash ball.  Or a homemade, hand-written fortune or message, or an actual comic out of a Bazooka gum wrapper (but alas, not the gum, which had long ago been chewed up and stuck to someone’s shoe out on U Street).

The possibility was the thrilling part.  Sort of like Las Vegas, only cheaper.

And I always felt virtuous buying trash.  Because just think about it… the trash would have been in a landfill otherwise, or it would have been litter.  Never mind that it became one of those after I had the thrill of paying for it and then opening the case with my teeth.  It’s the idea.

Well, maybe you “had to be there.”  And if you had, my beloved trash ball machine still might be there too.

In last Tuesday’s edition of The Scroll, Brigham Young University Idaho’s student newspaper, there was a letter to the editor which challenged the bookstore’s love affair with Glenn Beck.  The argument made by the author was that the bookstore’s promotion of Beck violated the school’s overly militant stance on political neutrality, which is rooted in avoiding all partisan contention.  The student requested that books by liberal authors get the same representation in the bookstore as those written by radical right wing authors.

Although I agree with the sentiment shared by this student, I have a bit of a different stance.  I believe Glenn Beck should be banned from BYU-I’s bookstore.  It is obvious that Glenn Beck’s career is creating contention.  Beck achieves this by acting in an unchristian manner which goes against the mission of BYU-I.

BYU-I’s learning model is centered on Jesus Christ, an attempt to welcome the spirit on campus.  The school strives for this through their honor code which is by far the most comprehensive and strict of all four of the LDS colleges.  That being said, why in the world would such an institution promote the contentious figure of Glenn Beck?  Below is a short list of the un-christian rhetoric which Beck propogates.

• November 14, 2006 - Beck asks the first ever Muslim congressman to prove that he is not working for the enemy.
• August 10, 2006 - In alarmist style, threatens Muslims who have “sat on [their] frickin’ hands” and have not been opposing “bad muslims” with internment camps.
• August 15, 2006 – Mocks Muslim heritage by stating Wal-Mart theifs were “[t]hree guys with names I could never pronounce, basically Mohammed, Mustafa, Abdul, something like that.”
• March 20, 2006 - “Are we this stupid, are we as dumb as Nigeria?”
• April 6, 2006 - The indians “have found something that can be more profitable than casinos, and that’s abortion clinics.” Also, shows cultural insensitivity toward the history of Native Americans.
• July 28, 2009 - Beck calls President Obama a racist.  Resulting in the loss of approximately 80 advertisers.
• October 16, 2009 – Compares Fox New’s “persecution” from the White House to Jewish Holocaust victims.
• November 12, 2009 - While discussing protecting oneself against a government conspiracy on gold prices, Beck states that we need to think like a “German Jew in 1934.” 
• November 16, 2009 – Beck uses a disgusting analogy which places the opponents of Health Care reform as Roman Polanski’s 14 year old rape victim screaming “no, no, help me.”
• November 19, 2009 - Beck states that the “people in New York” are being “raped by” their “government.”

After seeing the divisive nature of Beck’s speech, can one sincerely believe that this is the sort of message we want associated with our “Temples of Learning” here at the “Disciple Training Center.”  This is not a matter of political correctness, it is a matter of religious adherence.

Announcing the New and Improved EFII Bookstore!

I’m happy to announce that the EFII Bookstore has returned.

The new version of the store features a more comprehensive selection of hand-picked books covering topics such as Business, Figure Drawing, Digital Painting, and Children’s Book Illustration, all categorized to help you find what you’re looking for.

You can access the bookstore via the link in the sidebar, or the Shop Page, where you can also get to the EFII Zazzle Store.

By purchasing books through the EFII Bookstore, you’ll also be helping Escape From Illustration Island to be one of the best Illustration Resource websites online.  I’ll do my best to keep the bookstore up to date with useful and relevant reference books that fit your needs.  Know of a great book that’s not in the store? Send a recommendation to illustrationisland@gmail.com.

Thanks for supporting Escape From Illustration Island.

Thomas James

Do you think your child’s teacher, mentor, grandparent, or doctor could benefit from reading more about autism? Not sure which book would suite their needs best? We’ve got the perfect gift, ASNC Bookstore Gift Certificates! Give them a gift certificate this holiday season and let them choose an autism title from our website: www.autismbookstore.com

An ASNC Bookstore gift certificate makes a great gift for birthdays, holidays, teacher appreciation day, grandparents’ appreciation day and many other special occasions happening throughout the year. In fact, a gift certificate makes the perfect gift for anyone who loves someone with autism no matter the occasion.

The ASNC Bookstore supplies nearly 600 outstanding and award-winning resources on a wide variety of topics related to autism, and we provide personalized service by telephone (1-800-442-2762) or email (books@autismsociety-nc.org).

I hope you have a great holiday season!

~Melanie Adams-Borgen, ASNC Bookstore Manager

I asked that question during a week of live #litchat on Twitter when I guest hosted this spring. Here are highlights from three hours of conversation with 40 readers, writers, travelers, expats, Third Culture Kids and emigrees weighing in from around the globe. The unattributed comments are my own.

WHAT’S EXPAT LIT?

The interpretation of another culture by someone of our own. — M. Dominique Benoit

An expat writer draws on a collective cultural consciousness to talk about a different locale. An outsider’s view from the inside: when it’s good, it’s the best of both worlds.

A thoughtful expat will question and analyze his own cultural biases. The reader can do this vicariously. — Deborah Davidson

EXPAT LIT COMES OF AGE

So many globetrotters, so many identity issues when home keeps changing. — Jennifer Eaton Gokmen

EXPAT LIT VS. TRAVELOGUE

Travel may open your eyes but does not change your identity. Expatriation sure does! — Emmanuelle Archer

Expat lit is not travel literature since writing about life from outside a homeland does not mean writing from a state of travel. We’re coping with extended life in a foreign culture, navigating subtleties, adapting to find harmony. Personal assimilation/identity issues dominate expat writing, and filter their world. If travel writing is a chance to travel vicariously, expat lit is a chance to live abroad vicariously.

FEMALE VS. MALE WRITERS

Female expat writers do more with identity and assimilation, I find. — Nassim Assefi

EMIGREE/IMMIGRANT VS. EXPAT

If the subject is primarily your homeland and you live abroad as an emigree, that’s emigree lit. If you’re living outside your home culture writing about where you are, and even the rest of the world, that’s expat lit. 

THIRD CULTURE KID VS. EXPAT

Third Culture Kid lit has more multi-faceted identity issues versus the writer who becomes an expat as an adult. The adult expat writer already has an established identity that gets challenged as adult. TCK has been challenged with identity all his life. — J. Gokmen

TCK often means not knowing where home is. Citizenship or nationality become irrelevant. TCK lit can be the epitome of expat lit, a “twice-removed” look at the culture. — E. Archer

AUTHORS, TITLES MENTIONED (travel, expat, TCK, emigree literature, historical and contemporary)

Adam Gopnik – Paris to the Moon//Anthony Burgess – Malay Trilogy//Bill Bryson//Carla Grissman – Dinner of Herbs//Chris Stewart – Driving Over Lemons//Christopher Isherwood//David Sedaris – Nuit of the Living Dead//Ernest Hemingway – Death in the Afternoon//Firoozeh Dumas – Funny in Farsi//Freya Stark//Gertrude Stein and the Lost Generation//Henry Miller//Isabella Bird//Jamie Zeppa – Beyond the Sky and Earth: A Journey into Bhutan//Karen Blixen//Lawrence Durrell – Alexandria Quartet//A. J. Leibling – Between Meals: An Appetite For Paris//Malcolm Lowry//Marlena De Blasi – A Thousand Days in Tuscany//Mary Blume – A French Affair//Mary Lee Settle – Turkish Reflections//Milan Kundera//Peter Mayles – French Lessons//Pico Iyer//Sarah McDonald – Holy Cow//Sarah Turnbull – Almost French//Somerset Maugham – Far Eastern Tales//Stanley Karnow – Paris in the Fifties//Tahir Shah – The Caliph’s House//Tales from the Expat Harem//Three Cups of Tea//Vladimir Nabokov//William Dalrymple

Does expat lit deserve its own genre? Which writers and titles do you consider expat lit, or why not?

MSNBC’s Nora O’Donnell unsuccessfully tries her best to convince supporters of Sarah Palin that she really was for the bailout, before she was against it. SMDH

Philly Liars Club authors!

Once again, the Philly Liars Club is throwing a Truth Tour party to raise awareness of independent bookstores, and this one is just in time for the holidays!  This bash, “Liars Tell the Truth about Wellington Square Bookshop,” is at the bookstore, located in the Eagleville development at 543 Wellington Square, in Exton on Saturday, December 5^th from noon-2 p.m. The festivities are free and open to the public, and include goodies, our famed Truth or Lie trivia game, and prizes including autographed book bags and signed books.  Plus candy canes…

Here are the Liars who will be there: Bram Stoker award winner Jonathan Maberry (Patient Zero, St. Martin’s), fantasy author Gregory Frost (Shadowbridge, and Lord Tophet, Del Rey/Random House), young adult author Marie Lamba…me… (What I Meant…, Random House), contemporary novelist Kelly Simmons (Standing Still, Washington Square Press/Simon and Schuster), debut crime novelist Dennis Tafoya (Dope Thief, St. Martin’s), historical author Keith Strunk (Prallsville Mills and Stockton, Arcadia Publishing Images of America Series), mystery author Merry Jones (The Borrowed and Blue Murders, Minotaur Books), mystery author Jon McGoran who writes as D.H. Dublin (Freezer Burn, Berkley Books), and social media marketing consultant, writer and lecturer Don Lafferty.

And, once again, our mission is clear: Support indendent bookstores!  We hate seeing online retailers and big chain bookstores squeeze out indies all over the country.  Can you imagine your town without any bookstore at all? Well, it’s happening everywhere.  So this holiday season, we are asking everyone to do gift shopping at your wonderful local indie!   They are special and unique.

Cozy seating at Wellington Square Bookshop

As soon as you step into Wellington Square Bookshop, you know it’s unique.  Maybe it’s the fountain, or the tin ceilings, or the pillars that look like they’ve been taken from an ancient Indian palace. The store, which was originally located a few doors down in an 800 sq ft space, just relocated to its current location this past August. It now occupies a 3700 sq ft space, and includes an elegant gourmet coffee shop with goodies from Delightful Desserts of West Chester.

And of course there are the books: new titles, used titles, first editions and rare books. “We are definitely NOT a Barnes and Noble,” says Jolie Miao, who works at the store. The shop refuses to carry Oprah’s book club picks or Twilight, but here you will find many a treasured titled you won’t easily find elsewhere. They also offer free book appraisal services to anyone who asks. In addition, the store carries gift items including candles, book lights, notebooks and packaged coffees. And for the undecided holiday shopper, there are gift cards.

Great coffees and snacks...I taste-tested 'em to be sure

The differences from the chain bookstores run deeper than the store’s beautiful architecture and eclectic selection of books. “We are chill people and we like to have fun,” says Miao.  “We all read voraciously in our free time, and love to discuss books over a cup of coffee with a customer! As an independent bookstore, we really can get to know our customers.” This all translates into great service. They can personally recommend books to people, and have been known to call customers when that new book from a favorite author finally arrives or gets announced in a press release. “We love to meet bookies who share our passion,” Miao says.  “We’re truly in it for the books first.”

The community is starting to notice, and is taking part in events at the store including author signings, a weekly story time, and two book clubs.  The bookstore also welcomes outside book clubs to hold their meetings in the shop. And to sweeten the deal, Wellington Square Bookshop will even give these clubs free coffee and pastries, along with 20% off their club’s book purchases.

“This store is a gem,” says author Dennis Tafoya, who urges people to think of independent bookstores first before going to that online retailer or chain store. “By shopping at independents for your holiday purchases, you’ll help ensure that unique stores like Wellington Square Bookshop will be here for us for years to come.”

Remember, we all can make a huge difference here.  Browse at all of those little shops.  Visit their online sites and order that way.  Buy indie bookstore gift cards.  Make a difference!

"Do you have a loyalty card?"

Okay, I may or may-not be a part-time bookseller for the company described in this article  by the Guardian (which should really know better, especially when it sells a lot of its books). I admit it. Therefore, this article explaining why my company is supposedly destroying an industry does not make much sense to me.

While I could actually go through every point and bore everyone around with a slightly-above-average knowledge of the publishing world (thanks to theBookseller website), I just have 4 points.

1. How difficult is it to explain to someone that a book only costs £8.99 if you have already spent £10 in store?

2. Why pick on Waterstones? Apart from it striking me that you could tweak this article to complain about Amazon (who, lets face it, is the biggest thing to happen to books in probably twenty years), Borders, Barnes and Noble or dear old W. H Smith, I can’t help but wonder if it is because they happen to be the most recognisable bookstore after the loss of Ottakers.

Is it just because…

3. You, Sir, are a ‘potential customer’ (that being an euphemism for the words I won’t use) who is just narked that he could not go into a bookstore and read something without buying it. How dare a bookshop not sell Tacitus, and instead have shelf space for other books that people may want to read? Okay, so selling Dan Brown or even Katie Price may somehow be like a comedown for you (as though I should criticise someone for something they willingly want to read and instead tell them to read Dickens), but the fact is that if you only had a bookshop that sold Ancient Greek History and was ‘like an Edwardian Library’, you would go out of business. Everyone has the write to read what they want, and does not deserve to be intimidated by an environment just because you want to buy Frankie Boyle’s new biography. I would rather work in a large, friendly environment that had a good variety of books, than an environment that alienated people.

4. Why didn’t you ask a member of staff to find it for you? Had it occurred to you that it might have already been sold (because you hadn’t read it beforehand)? Or was under a display table? Or was being ordered? Don’t you also realise that shops around the country may sell slightly different books to relate to local interests? Next time, I suggest you have a quick chat, and I’m sure we could find something for you.

However, I do agree-it would be nice to have lots more chairs.

Clay Shirky posted today an interesting ramble around the plight of local bookstores. Here’s his most telling point.

The local bookstore creates all kinds of value for its community, whether its hosting community bulletin boards, putting rocking chairs in the kids section, hosting book readings… value separate from its existence as a transactional warehouse for books.

Combined with the most familiar point about bookstores – that Amazon is in many ways a superior transactional warehouse – this frames the all-too-familiar problem for bookstores. It also sees Clay on his way to suggesting ways of monetizing the actual value created by bookstores.

In other bookish news, I actually went into my local bookstore and bought a couple of books. One of them was Ivy & Bean Break the Fossil Record (Ivy & Bean, Book 3). We bought the first Ivy and Bean book for Maddie on the recommendation of one of the store owners. She’s loving the series. Max also got a book, and likes to play in the kids’ area of the store. So good for Village Books.

Yes I did just link to Amazon in the middle of a paragraph praising a local bookstore. I also paid with an Amazon credit card. Perhaps I’m not the best champion of local bookstores.

Neil Gaiman is certainly a better champion than me, as you can see from his account of judging the Graveyard Book Halloween Party Contest. Perhaps bookstores need more parties.

On any given saturday afternoon, you can find me at RAS.

A simple concrete space  that, over the years, has become the go to place for all creative minds.Often copied but never reproduced RAS is the original Barcelona design bookstore.

With the symphony of chaos outside- once inside its door RAS, feels like a decompression chamber.  A temple dedicated to those with on a hunt for trends and inspiration. Sitting quietly on Doctor Dou Street, the shop  is unique due to its vast collection of magazines, design books and an art/ lecture space in the back. Just a few steps from the MACBA and CCCB, it has become upper Raval’s  epicenter of art and culture in an area that up until a few years ago, was the sort of place that you avoided at all costs.  With countless books to choose from Ras will make a believer out of anyone.

RAS BCN

C/Doctor Dou 10- Barcelona  _ Tues-Sat 11am-9pm_93.412.71.99

Nanotechnology News | Nanotechnology Information » Oakland …
Oakland Community College is offering a number of scholarship opportunities for this program. For information, contact Phil Crockett at (248) 232-4196 or pdcrocke@oaklandcc.edu …

Events Calendar – Softball hosts Oakland Community College
Softball hosts Oakland Community College. Softball hosts Oakland Community College. Sunday, October 4, 2009 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM. Softball hosts Oakland Community College. Category: Sporting Event. Location: WSU Softball Field …

Oakland Community College
The largest construction project of college has started by Oakland Community College. As we know that, this college has become one of the largest colleges in.

Sustainability not a sure thing – The UConn Daily Campus | CT …
Debra Rowe, a professor of sustainable energy and behavioral sciences at Oakland Community College in Michigan, said in a speech Thursday night that the only way to ensure a sustainable future for the planet is through radical changes …

Oakland gives locals a look at citywide rezoning plan – Oakland …
The Saturday morning community meeting at Peralta was a chance for Oakland’s Community and Economic Development Agency (CEDA) to unveil to local residents the first proposals for rezoning some key city residential districts and …

Passion 2010: 12000+ College Students Headed to Atlanta in January
Northwest Missouri State University Northwest-Shoals Community College Northwestern College Northwestern State University Northwestern University Northwood University Nova Scotia Community College (Canada) NSU Oakland Community College …

November 9-15 Oakland Political & Community Events « Living in the O
Edie Irons is the communications director for the Institute for College Access and Success. She’ll be talking about funding for higher education here in California and what impact California’s decisions are having on students. … Learn about and discuss proposed zoning changes for Oakland’s residential neighborhoods and commercial corridors! Planning staff will be hosting its third round of Community Workshops. This workshop will be held from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the …

Oakland Community College
Michigan community colleges are challenging four-year universities for the right to offer bachelor’s degrees, and if they succeed, would join more than a dozen states across the country that already allow such degrees.

How can I find a bus route to Oakland Community College?
Oakland. Caitlin B asked: Hey,. I live in the Detroit Area (Of Michigan) and I was wondering if anyone could give me a detailed bus-route to the Oakland Community College of Southfield. My starting point, to keep it simple and not give …

distances in California… can u help me?
i am thinking of withdrawing my algebra class this semester at community college because the professor is some old retired man that should not still be teaching, he is impatient and rude and i dont understand 1/2 of what he says and i am way behind in my work. any way, i know of an algerbra professor that everyone says is the best, and im thinking of withdrawing from this class and then retaking it w/ the better professor next semester. after i get my associate of science i plan on transferring to a local university, oakland university or michigan state, so my question is, will this withdrawing and retaking of the class look bad and have any ill effects on being accepted??

withdrawn class on transcript?
I go to school at a community college in Oakland, CA. I turned in all the necessary documents for my financial aid at school and filled out my FAFSA online in March 2008. But I still haven’t gotten my financial aid for the Fall 2008 or the Spring 2009 semesters. The faculty says its because of a software switch and theres problems. But even still, I talked to my financial aid counselor and he said that my app was processed and I should receive a check in December 2008. Its almost the end of January and I haven’t gotten it. I asked my counselor and he said its because the “system did not generate out my check” OK…. so wtf?? I need the finaid, I’ve been waiting since Sept 2008!! I’m so sick an tired of going to the Cashier and asking if my check is there and she says No. NOW, THEY ARE SAYING THAT THE STATE HAS NO MORE MONEY TO ISSUE CHECKS, SO THEY ARE GOING TO GIVE OUT IOUS. Is this even legal??? I heard about the IOUs for the tax returns, but now, its cutting into MY education, so is there any possibility of filing a lawsuit? Like a class lawsuit, representing for the other 2,000 people at my school who also have not received their checks yet?

Can I file a lawsuit against my school for not issuing financial aid?
next year. what classes should i take if i want to be a police officer or county sherifs deputy? and if i live in san leandro, california – which is 15 minutes away from oakland, is it possible to work for the oakland police department if hired?

im 17, a senior in high school. i’m going to a community college?
I am from the state of Michigan around the Detroit area and I have came across some news that a movie or television studio is coming here. I am a theater major at Oakland Community College and I am looking about going into film and television. What is the name of the studio and where is it going to be locate at? I am hoping that studio will be locate in Detroit. Which I think it is great area for it. Any info will do. Thank you

What is the news on a movie or television studio in the state of Michigan?
With all the searching have done I might move to hollywood. I am studying theater at Oakland Community college along with a another Major. I am wondering which part is safe? I have found a decent condo in hollywood. Condo is locate on 7024 Hollywood Boulevard | Hollywood CA 90028, but I am wondering about the area any info and advice well do. Please Help

Which part of Hollywood is safe?
I’m a senior in high school in Oakland right now and I’m trying to get into UC Berkeley, but I don’t know I’ll be able to get into UC Berkeley. My 10-11th grade GPA is around a 3.50,weighted. I played football in my junior year, and i was playing this year until i was injured. I’m in Leadership class this year, and in total, I had three Honors classes in my junior year and am currently taking three AP classes. In total, when I graduate from high, I’ll have finished six semesters of AP classes and six semesters of HP classes. I also took a college level Mandarin class at a community college and got a B on it. This summer, I had a summer internship working at EBMUD, a water company for the bay area. I want to major in business or health. I want to go to a college close to Oakland. I also want my college to be lively and big, sort of like a city or urban type of college. I also want a college that has a good health or business program. Will I be able to get into UC Berkeley?And my SAT score was 1640.

What are my chances of getting into a good college?
Whats main/big differences? I’m a senior in high school in Michigan and planning to go to collage. My two points of view are community college is much cheaper and I could just get my prerequisites done then transfer to a university. At same time I could go to a university ange the whole “college experience”, and that’s not saying just partying but living on my own sort of, and the whole package. Living on school. My gpa is 3.3-3.4 and I have a 23 on my ACT, im going to re-take it and I feel i could do better. University would be: Central, Grand Valley, State, Western, Or Oakland University Community College is Oakland Community College

Community College Vs. University College? ?
whats up everyone, i just finished my general eds at merrit community college in oakland ca, and plan on transfering to a state college next fall. My major is criminal justice and my top two shcools that im choosing between are sf state and cal state east bay. I was just wondering if anyone out there knew which of the two shools im thinkin about goin to, has a better criminal justice program. Thanks!

San Francisco State or Cal State East Bay?
what is a better school WSU or OU when transferring from a community college as a business major. WHEN GETTING A JOB AFTER COLLEGE, WHAT SCHOOL WILL LOOK BETTER ON A RESUME?

What is a better school for a business major, Wayne State University (michigan) or Oakland University(michigan?
i go to Oakland Community College in Michigan and i don’t think that i got a school e-mail. i already started classes so is it to late to get one. if not how do i get one?