Funny and Pointed Response to Library of Congress About E-books

The quote is from the head librarian at the Library of Congress, so you’d think he’d be a bit smarter than his statement. The  statement was found on: http://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=1385#m11415 A response to the preposterous statement is sharp, witty, and on the money: http://julieandrews.livejournal.com/100569.html

An Essential Component of a Bookshop

Liking your customers. OK, if not entirely in love, then at least tolerating their reading habits and purchases, and doing it while seeming to like the customers. Why is this simple thing so essential, and for some, so hard to accomplish? It’s essential for economic reasons. You buy books for the store. You need to … Read more

Thanking My Lucky Stars I Was a Baby Boomer Student

When I read something like the following article I found on Banned Books Week , I realize how darn lucky I was growing up in a world that hadn’t yet discovered political correctness, school book censorship by parents, and banned books because of outside interference. I just don’t understand parents who believe they need to shield their children … Read more

Extremely Important Info for Canadian Booksellers

On Qull and  Quire an open letter by the CEO of Macmillan publishers regarding the bankruptcy of their Canadian distributer was posted. Booksellers should take note–it may affect their deliveries of anything shipped from this publishing house. Here’s then link: http://www.quillandquire.com/blog/index.php/2011/02/04/open-letter-from-macmillan-ceo-john-sargent-to-canadian-booksellers/

The Best Books Of All Time

I asked myself, what does that mean? The best books of all time? Best fiction? Best nonfiction? Both? From what time frame–the beginning of time–do cave drawings count? Books–are plays included, how about poems, religious tomes, children’s books, what languages, the questions were endless, with no definitive answer. The lists I saw ranged from strict … Read more

Booksellers Owe Their Customers The Postman’s Rings

Ever wonder what the The Postman Always Rings Twice means? It has nothing to do with character or plot within the classic crime novel. James Cain worked out a system with his mailman. If he rang once, this means the envelope was thick, probably full of a contract and advance from a publisher. If the … Read more

DEJA VIEW– Murder Gives a Lovely Light

Deja View A new section on the blog–Reviews of old titles, many from the Golden Age Of Crime Fiction.To find a copy of this or any other of the Deja View books–your local used bookstore is a great place to start. (The Murder In Retrospect is the icon for this group of posts) Murder Gives a Lovely … Read more

Wonderfully Humorous Look At The Writer's Dilemma-What Are You Working On?

From the National Post by Andrew Pyper.http://arts.nationalpost.com/2011/02/03/andrew-pyper-what-are-you-working-on/Have you ever asked your favorite author what he or she was working on at the moment? If so, you’ll be interested to know the question is a quagmire of thoughts within the author’s mind. Read the article for a enlightening look at an writers’s response. The link to … Read more