Books & Mags – Page 16 – The Bookshop Blog

Reverend William D. Campbell 1924-2013

April 14, 2022June 7, 2013 by Jas Faulkner

by Jas Faulkner

The daily email feed from one of the local papers had two links to stories that showed the city’s religious past and present passing each other in ways that could be seen as fitting, if not entirely ironic.

The first headline, listed as a top story: Southern Baptists Shrink For Sixth Straight Year.

The second, which was tabbed under “City News” : Rev. Will D. Campbell Dies At 88.

The declining Southern Baptist Convention (or whatever it’s calling itself these days) might have elicited a sage nod from Reverend Campbell, followed by a pithy, decidedly un-PC observation about the state of the Southern Baptist church. Campbell was nominally a Baptist who was equal parts Jiminy Cricket and a tenacious gadfly towards the conservative religious establishment.

Old Theme Parties–Part 2–The Weirder Ideas

June 4, 2013 by Diane Plumley

Continuing theme parties—For those who go down the shore and give parties–I know plenty of you must, ha, the Abington Party Book by Ethel Owen has a gala set up for you. The beginning of the invitation suggested goes like this: In the days of our childhood gone by For the sea and sand we … Read more

Kitty Genovese’s Attack in Novel Form

June 23, 2013June 4, 2013 by Diane Plumley

Anyone who has lived in New York City knows the name Kitty Genovese. Even if not living in 1964 during the fatal attack on Ms. Genovese, the legend is strong. If not familiar with this horrible murder, Ms. Genovese departed her train and began walking the 100 yards to her Kew Gardens apartment. Kew Gardens … Read more

No 1 Ladies Detective Agency Books in Order

June 13, 2013June 1, 2013 by Branch Adams

Many of our readers love reading entire collections of certain series, I happen to be going through Patrick O’Brian’s terrific sea tales at the moment, so we offer a convenient list for them. Today is on Alexander McCall Smith’s series – The No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, as usual in order. [Also: James Patterson’s Books … Read more

Romance Novel Disguised as Victorian Spiritualism

May 28, 2013 by Diane Plumley

Because I have a fascination with people who fake talking to the dead, or actually believe they talk to the dead, I went to Lily Dale, and Camp Chesterfield, two hotbeds of spiritualism. The first was a lively, forgive the pun, place, the other seemingly dead and buried. I’ve sought books that have a theme … Read more

Old Is New Again Party Themes and Ideas

May 28, 2013 by Diane Plumley

Parties with a central theme have been making a comeback, assuming they ever went away. I don’t remember birthday parties as a child having a big bash mentality of a particular Disney character, or something like Sponge Bob Squarepants paper plates, streamers and prizes. I, myself, had very few parties. My upper crusty pals did … Read more

The Parachute Murder

May 28, 2013 by Diane Plumley

The Parachute Murder–Lebbeus Mitchell 1933 I know, you’re thinking, oh that Lebbeus Mitchell! The one who wrote a single mystery and then either stopped writing, or readers politely declined buying the book. I was bummed to learn that no where on the internet was an image of the dust jacket that once covered the boards. … Read more

Typography: From Metal Bits To Bytes

June 23, 2013May 17, 2013 by Jas Faulkner

by Jas Faulkner

It all started with one of those thrift store finds that moves you to dust off and rekindle an old interest. I was there to do my biweekly stuffed animal grab for Niklas Lidstrom -aka- Destructo the Wonder Shih Tzu when I saw they had cobbled together roughly fifty dollars worth of calligraphy supplies into a ziploc bag and with the asking price of five dollars.

This is probably a good place to hit the pause button and admit that I’m a big old typography nerd. It was a love of letters and alphabets of all kinds that pushed me to major in graphic design at one point in my overlong undergraduate career. I am still a sucker for typography books and, like any good bibliophile, mourn my 80s’ era spiral-bound typo stylebook.