November 6, 2012 – The Bookshop Blog

It’s not enough that 24 hour news stations have little armies of a single point of view, there are talking heads that ‘write’ full of sound and fury, signifying nothing and are paid to do so. These so called political pundits make it their life’s work to polarize as many US citizens as possible. Are they really zealots for a cause? Does Ann Coulter, Russ Limbaugh, Keith Obermann, Bill O’Reilly believe their scorching opinions disguised as facts? Or have they hit upon a way to aggrandize themselves, inflate their already bursting egos, and revel in what they believe is power? It seems as though every month a new title on either political side is released blasting one individual or party for the demise of the democracy we as Americans believe have ‘inalienable rights’ to. And, people pay money to buy them. In droves. I understand that the amount of books sold of one egomaniac only represents a small portion of the entire population–but apparently those portions control the rest of us–or so these pundits like us to believe. And I do believe. I do believe that there is a segment of every country on earth, whose common sense and ability to stand on their own principals and ideals and not be swayed by the loudest most outrageous of talkers, exists.

Daniel Wallace arrived at Circle City Books Saturday afternoon and kept an audience spellbound with an artful reading of the first chapter of his new book, The Kings and Queens of Roam. Wallace’s appearance as the chief feature of our Grand Opening was a complete sensation for several reasons. First of all, if an author has a distinctive voice, and Wallace does, he can suffuse a reading with the inflection and tone the story requires. Second, he has a gift for inviting an audience into his world and making it feel welcome. And third, his writing, wry and ironic, smoothly unfolding in bold, picturesque sentences, sparkles when read aloud. The result was an audience eager for more but facing a six-month wait until the book is finally released. When it comes out this spring, it will likely catch the slipstream of the new musical adaptation of “Big Fish” that hits Broadway in May. I was loaned Wallace’s galley and though I haven’t finished it, I’ve read enough to know I won’t be the only reader enthralled by it.

Otherwise, the success of our opening was mostly due to my wife, Virginia, who organized the whole day. She solicited local businesses that generously contributed 25 door prizes, and is still notifying the winners. She ordered 20 new copies of “Big Fish” for the signing, but on Thursday it seemed impossible that they would arrive on time. Because of the hurricane, the shipping center in New Jersey was shut down Tuesday and Wednesday, though UPS wasn’t picking up in New Jersey anyway. But, somehow, the books made good time on Thursday and arrived here Friday. In the end, everyone who wanted one got a signed book.

The Rube At The Carnival of Politics

Walls & Wallaces: Author Reading and a New Mural