Our world looks a little different now

One of the best parts of our jobs is hanging out with booksellers. We spend most of our days in bookstores, which is heaven, but it's really the people that make the stores. I like to say that we talk about books all day to people who love to talk about books. So it's no wonder that our bookstores and the people that work there become our friends as well as our customers. This week brings mixed news about some of our friends.

You may remember our post this summer about the tragic fire that swept through Bunch of Grapes Bookstore in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. I was touched by so many of you that posted in the comments and on your own blogs about the bookstores that you hold dear. Well, this week heralded some wonderful news for our friends on Martha's Vineyard: Bunch of Grapes has a new owner and the store will reopen in the same location sometime this spring. To top it off, they are going to have a temporary location open in time for holiday shopping. They have even started a blog, to document the rebuilding process, and it's a fun and informative read. Thank you to Susan at Edgartown Books for telling me about the Bunch of Grapes blog -- I know that everyone is excited to once again have two great bookstores on the island.

On a sad note, this week also marks the announcement of the closing of the Jeffrey Amherst Bookshop in Amherst, Massachusetts. The store, which opened in 1937, had a wonderful mix of general books, academic titles, and anything and everything related to Emily Dickinson. I will miss my visits to the store and talking books with Marie, the buyer, and the rest of the staff.

The next time you're in your local bookstore, just stop for a moment and take a look around. Imagine how it would be to sit down and talk books with the staff for an hour or two -- to share details about the books you love, and to hear from them what has them excited. If you do this, you'll get a tiny glimpse into what our lives are like almost every day. Pretty cool, huh?

Don't Read Alone: How to Find a Book Discussion Group

This is part 2 of a continuing series about Book Discussion Groups. Future posts will look at ways to make your book group successful, reading group resources, and loads of book recommendations for use in your book group, along with anything else we can come up with. Click here to read Part 1: 5 Reasons to Join a Book Discussion Group.

It may seem that everyone you know is in a book discussion group. Or, perhaps no one you know is in a book discussion group. In either case, if you want to join a group yourself, it may prove to be more difficult than it would readily appear. Below are some ways to find groups to join.

1. Ask your friends and acquaintances. You may not know anyone who is in a reading group, but chances are that your friends or family might know just the perfect group for you to join. If your friend is in a reading group but does not offer to have you join, please don't be offended. The group may be full, or the members so comfortable with each other that they may not want a new member, no matter how wonderful she may be.
   
   
2. See if your local bookstore has a reading group. Local bookstores are usually the hub of a community's reading activity, and a natural place to find a book group. Many stores host groups that meet in the store. Typically, the groups are open to all who want to attend, and they are traditionally moderated by a bookstore staff member. Some stores have many groups, with varied focus. For instance, The Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley, MA features a literary fiction group, a mystery book group, and a group that they call "Sundays with Shakespeare." Bookstores may also know of reading groups that meet locally that might be looking for new members.
   
   
3. Check your local library. Libraries are another great place to find reading groups. Your local librarian will know about groups that meet at the library, and possibly other groups that meet locally as well. My local library has a bulletin board where I often see reading groups advertising for new members, or people posting that they are looking for a group to join. Some libraries hire professional group leaders -- these are often professors from local universities, and the discussions are well organized. Other library groups may be informal, with the library providing the meeting space and possibly a staff member to moderate.
   
   
4. Try Meetup.com for groups in your local area. A quick search for "book club" in my area found several pages of groups. In fact, I am currently a member of a book group that I found out about through Meetup, and it's been fantastic. Once you've found a group or two that sound interesting, you can contact the group leader for more information. Most groups seem to meet at public spaces (we meet at a Panera restaurant) so there's pretty low risk in attending a new group.
   
   
5. Search Readerscircle.org. Readerscircle is a site serving the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand with listings for local groups, author events, and phone chats. You can search for a book group by zip code, and there is also a comprehensive listing of independent bookstores by state.
   
   
6. Join an online book group. If you can't find a local book group that you like, or if your schedule doesn't allow you to commit to a regular meeting time, consider online book discussion groups. The three major book-related social networking sites, Goodreads, Librarything, and Shelfari, all host hundreds of groups dedicated to discussing books. Some groups operate like a formal book group, with the selection of a monthly choice and perhaps a moderator. Others are more free-form: you read the book on your own schedule and discuss it when and if you want to. One of my favorite groups on Goodreads is Constant Reader, which is a welcoming and friendly group that has existed for a very long time. They host several formal monthly book discussions, including classics, short stories and poetry as well as general fiction and nonfiction.

It may take a bit of work, along with trial and error, to find the perfect book group to fit your needs and schedule. But once you've found that group, you will hopefully find a group of people that can inspire you to think about books in a new way, and to enjoy books that you may not have wanted to read. The initial investment in time needed to find the group can pay large dividends later. I hope that some of these ideas work for you.

If you belong to a book group, how did you find out about the group? Do you know of other online resources to find book groups? Please share in the comments, and come back for Part 3 of this series, coming soon.

photo credit: Jonno259 via Flickr

Books on the Nightstand Podcast, Episode #16 - Very Scary!

Books on the Nightstand, Episode 16 (23:33)

(You can listen by using the player above. If you're using Internet Explorer, click twice to listen. If your browser does not support javascript, you won't see the player; click the link below the player to listen, or right-click to download the episode. If you are receiving this post by email and cannot see the player at the bottom of the message, please visit http://www.booksonthenightstand.com to listen)

While this is not a Halloween episode, we take advantage of the season to talk horror. The horror category has evolved from the types of books that we read as teenagers, and in fact many books that would be considered "horror" can now be found in the general fiction section at your local bookstore.

We tell you about 5 books that can be considered "the new horror," including two that we've blogged about in the past.

And as always, two new books that we can't wait for you to read. Michael tells you about The Alcoholic by Jonathan Ames, while I go on about Doomed Queens by Kris Waldherr. Doomed Queens is a very visual book, and just listening to me talk about it does not give you a sense of the experience. Here's a fun and short video to give you a taste of the tone and the artwork:

photo credit:Jay Heaviside __________________________

We encourage you to write down or print out the title information and shop at your local bookstore. Titles link to LibraryThing, a social networking site that allows you to catalog your home library. LibraryThing also links to various online purchasing options. Here are the books from this post:

Poe's Children edited by Peter Straub, Doubleday hardcover

The Ruins by Scott Smith, Vintage trade paperback

Infected by Scott Sigler, Three Rivers Press trade paperback

World War Z by Max Brooks, Three Rivers Press trade paperback

Don't Look Now by Daphne DuMaurier, New York Review Books trade paperback

Doomed Queens by Kris Waldherr, Broadway Books trade paperback

The Alcoholic by Jonathan Ames, Vertigo hardcover

(all information is for the U.S. editions).

Just One More Book!!

A few weeks ago, Ann and I did a podcast on kid's books. We got lots of great responses including requests for more recommendations for children's books and more books for younger kids. We definitely plan to regularly revisit children's books, but in the meantime, I've just discovered a great podcast that's all about kids books.

Just One More Book!! started in July of 2006 and they post episodes three times a week! (I have no idea how they manage to do that!). Each episode is recorded in their favorite local coffee shop. I admit, I found the background noise distracting for the first minute or so, but it quickly became part of the ambience and I felt like I was there in that coffee shop listening to a couple of friends chat about books! Their shows include review episodes similar to what Ann and I do, but they also have interviews with authors and illustrators. Just One More Book!! is a great resource, one that I'm still exploring and one that I urge you to check out!

One of the aforementioned author/illustrator interviews that I listened to was with Bob Staake. I picked this one to listen to because my three-year-old is in love with a few of his books. The Red Lemon is a book we've read at least once a week since it came out. My toddler loves the bright pictures and I love the bouncy rhymes. His new book, The Donut Chef, just came out and I can happily say it's as much fun as The Red Lemon!

Another writer/illustrator we're fans of, is Mo Willems. If you have kids and have not read the Knuffle Bunny books, go get them right now! We recently borrowed Edwina, The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct, from the library. We're going to have to go buy this one because we love it!

Any picture book recommendations you'd like to share with us? Leave a comment below!

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We encourage you to write down or print out the title information and shop at your local bookstore. Titles link to LibraryThing, a social networking site that allows you to catalog your home library. LibraryThing also links to various online purchasing options. Here are the books from this post:

The Red Lemon by Bob Staake, Golden Books hardcover
The Donut Chef by Bob Staake, Golden Books hardcover
Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems, Hyperion hardcover
Knuffle Bunny, Too by Mo Willems, Hyperion hardcover
Edwina, The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct, by Mo Willems, Hyperion hardcover

(all information is for the U.S. editions).

Links on the Nightstand - 10.17.08

I've been collecting book related links, some from other book blogs I follow, some I've found on my own, and my Delicious account is getting a little full. Here, then are some fun book-related links for your perusal:

David Barnet at The Guardian has compiled a list of the books he'd most like to read, but here's the catch: all of his choices are books that don't exist in real life. They're all books that are referred to in other books, often written by the real books' protagonists. Confused yet? I have to agree with Mr. Barnet that it would be wonderful to read TS Garp's The Pension Grillparzer!

If you're the kind of person that judges a book by its cover (and aren't we all?), then I really think you'll enjoy the Caustic Cover Critic. He often reviews series of books, including these Geoff Grandfield covers for Raymond Chandler. I'm a sucker for a series with a unified look.

This final link is not for the faint of literary heart. Dark Roasted Blend has collected, in one place, many ways artists have used books in their art. Often, this means utterly destroying the books, but each result is unique and fascinating. I especially love the book autopsies by Brian Dettmer, including this image. You can see more of his work here.

note: apologies to any bloggers from whom I may have gotten these links. I forgot to keep track so I could link back to the original source, but I'll do that from now on!

Not Your Ordinary Bookstores

A few weeks ago, Michael wrote about a site that featured photos of some amazing libraries.

I figure it's time to give bookstores their due.

Josh, who is a bookseller, photographer, and friend of Books on the Nightstand, pointed out a website called Most Interesting Bookstores of the World. I can't speak for the selection or the service, but these stores are worth a visit for their aesthetics, if nothing else. It's worth the time to click through.

I admit to feeling a bit claustrophobic just looking at the interior photo of Paris' famed Shakespeare & Co., but I would still go out of my way to visit.

Do you know of any bookstores that have particularly interesting architecture, features, or "character"? Let us know in the comments so that we can add them to our list of stores to visit someday.

photo credit: stukinha via flickr

The Right Book Price for this Economy?

It's clear that most of us are trying to spend less these days. In the name of charity and good will, a new publisher has taken the price of a book all the way down to nothing. You heard me right: zero dollars and zero cents.

Concord Free Press has published their first book Give + Take and you can get it free, either by requesting it through their website or by picking it up in one of several bookstores that are giving it away. Why are they doing this? Here's their reason, taken from their website

We’re dedicated to a different kind of publishing, one that connects readers and their communities in new ways. We’re interested in expanding the definition of publishing and re-invigorating the book, which isn’t dead yet, by the way.

No matter who published them or how good they are, most books go on a familiar trajectory—new, used, shelved permanently, dusty. Ours keep going from hand to hand, generating donations along the way. Readers are generally good people. We give them a chance to get great books for free—and make contributions to organizations and individuals right in their own community, wherever that may be.

I like this idea. It takes the book and makes into a real social object. We all pass along books, if we remember to. Now, we can pass them along with a purpose. Instead of spending money on a book, give a donation, whatever you can afford, to a local charity. When you pass the book along, encourage your friend to do the same. Each book has been numbered and you can go to the website, enter your name, book number and donation info. That way, the publisher can track how much each book generates in donations.

I'm all for trying new things in the publishing industry. Who can say for sure whether this will work or not? Regardless, I think it's a wonderful and noble concept and it is going to get my support. Your thoughts?

 

Special thanks to the folks at The Concord Bookshop for telling me about this book and publisher!
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Thoughtful Books for Tough Times

It's been a trying and stressful couple of weeks for many people, and reading the newspaper just seems to add to the anxiety.  I'm headed off for a weekend in Maine, where I will have no television, no internet, and only my family, a couple of books, and my knitting.  I realize that I'm very lucky. For those of you who can't get away from it all, I offer you these books, as an alternative to hitting the Oreos.

Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gibert

Have you ever noticed that the thing you think will make you the most happy is somewhat of a letdown when you finally get it? Or that something you dread turns out to be actually less terrible than you anticipated?  Daniel Gilbert, a professor of psychology at Harvard University, looks at the reasons that we are so terrible at predicting what will make us happy. This is easily one of the best nonfiction books I've read in years, and though it is not likely to make you a happier person in general, will both inform and entertain you as learn a little bit about how our predictions about our happiness are almost always wrong.  The book is a lot of fun, as evidenced by Gilbert's appearance on The Colbert Report. Take a minute to watch the segment, if you'd like to learn a bit more about the book, and have some laughs at the same time.

Finding Beauty in a Broken World by Terry Tempest Williams

Williams is primarily known as a nature writer, and I had never read her prior to this book. When I opened the book, I had no idea what to expect, but I was quickly captivated by her lovely language and gorgeous writing style. The book opens in Ravenna, Italy, where Williams is taking a class in the art of mosaic. There, she learns that beauty can be created from the broken. We follow this metaphor from the artisans of Italy to the prairie dogs of Utah, who are on the verge of extinction, and then to a village in Rwanda, where she joins the survivors of the 1994 genocide to build a memorial that inspires healing and social change.  Thoughtful and uplifting, this book is a stunningly beautiful read, and was a book that forced me to slow down, breathe deeply, and think about the good things that often come from sadness.

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

This is without a doubt one of the funniest books I have ever read. It's not hyperbole -- this is a book that makes you laugh out loud, and causes you to read passages aloud to family and friends. Bryson, returning to his native United States after spending 20 years abroad, decides to hike the 2,100 mile Appalachian Trail as a way of reconnecting with America. It matters not that Bryson is an out-of-shape 40-something couch potato who has very limited hiking experience. Accompanying Bryson on this trip is his longtime friend Katz, an overweight, ex-alcoholic whose primary provisions for the trip are Snickers bars and nail clippers. The pair's run-ins with people and creatures of all types provide much of the comedy, but the book is also a love story to nature and a plea to preserve the wild spaces of the country. If you can't take a vacation, A Walk in the Woods is about as close as you can come to getting away through the pages of a book.

Give us Your Recommendations

What book(s) do you recommend for tough times? Do you prefer escapist reading, or do you prefer to confront your worries head on? Please tell us in the comments.

Oh, and you can have an Oreo, if you promise to eat one for me.

image credit: Jill Greenseth via Flickr

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We encourage you to write down or print out the title information and shop at your local bookstore. Titles link to LibraryThing, a social networking site that allows you to catalog your home library. LibraryThing also links to various online purchasing options. Here are the books from this post:

Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert, Vintage trade paperback
Finding Beauty in a Broken World by Terry Tempest Williams, Pantheon hardcover
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson, Broadway trade paperback

(all information is for the U.S. editions).

Books on the Nightstand Podcast, Episode #15: Is the Book Always Better?

Books on the Nightstand, Episode 15 (21:03)

(You can listen by using the player above. If you're using Internet Explorer, click twice to listen. If your browser does not support javascript, you won't see the player; click the link below the player to listen, or right-click to download the episode. If you are receiving this post by email and cannot see the player at the bottom of the message, please visit http://www.booksonthenightstand.com to listen)

Picking up on a topic Ann wrote about in a previous blog post, we're discussing books vs. movies. Are the books always better? Entertainment Weekly seems to think so!

Next, we talk about four novels that either are, or will be, movies, including The Road and Revolutionary Road. Check out this New York Times article about the making of the movie version of The Road. Also, you can watch the trailer for Revolutionary Road here.

Two other links on this topic:

• Vintage Books and Anchor Books Facebook Page - Vintage and Anchor have many movie-tie-ins out now and more coming out. Their Facebook page is a great way to keep up to date on all of them, plus all of the other great Vintage/Anchor titles.
• Roxanne Coady, owner of RJ Julia Booksellers has written a column with her take on three book-based-movies out this fall.

As usual, we finish the episode with two books we can't wait for you to read, including The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti. Here's a video of Hannah, describing the book and its genesis.

photo credit:Jay Heaviside
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We encourage you to write down or print out the title information and shop at your local bookstore. Titles link to LibraryThing, a social networking site that allows you to catalog your home library. LibraryThing also links to various online purchasing options. Here are the books from this post:

House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III, Vintage trade paperback

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides, Grand Central trade paperback

The Road by Cormac McCarthy, Vintage trade paperback

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates, Vintage trade paperback

I See You Everywhere by Julia Glass, Pantheon hardcover

The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti, Dial Press hardcover

(all information is for the U.S. editions).

Pixelated - A Virtual Book Conference

Today's post is something new. I'd really like your feedback on this: do you like it? Should we do more of this from time to time?

Inspired by two of my favorite bloggers, Mitch Joel and Chris Brogan, both of whom blog about social media and interactive marketing, we present you with Pixelated: A Virtual Book Conference. Mitch had the idea to present a virtual conference through videos that are available online, and Chris had the idea to spread the idea further among the blog world. You can "attend" this conference from your desk or living room softa, at your convenience, watching all of the videos at once, or in dribs and drabs.

I've always thought that there should be a huge book conference with author panels and publishers and sessions that would appeal to the general book reader who is not in the publishing industry. So this is my attempt to bring one to you here on our blog. Some of these videos are quite short, and others are an hour long. These are some of my favorite books right now, and I hope you enjoy this peek into the authors' worlds.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is one of those books that I can't stop thinking (or talking) about. Sadly, author Stieg Larsson died shortly after the novel was first published in Sweden. Here, Sonny Mehta, publisher of Knopf, talks about the book. (00:04:06)



Richard Russo on his latest novel, Bridge of Sighs, which has just been published in paperback. Bridge of Sighs was my favorite book of 2008. (00:11:21)



Dexter Filkins, author of The Forever War, tells us about his experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq, and about his incredible book. This is one of my current favorites, and I spoke about it on Books on the Nightstand podcast episode #13 (01:05:33)



Michael Greenberg talks about being a writer, and about Hurry Down Sunshine, a memoir of his daughter Sally's "crackup" at the age of 15. Heartbreaking and poignant, the video gives you an unvarnished look at a family dealing with mental illness. (00:04:58)



As our nation discusses and obsesses about politics, author Stephen Carter brings us Palace Council, a novel about politics in another time. (00:01:40)



One of the most unusual novels published this year is The Gone-Away World, by Nick Harkaway. It is unusual not just in terms of content, but it is one of the most unique book jackets I've ever seen or felt. Those of you in the United States must take a look at the book in a bookstore. Nick, the son of novelist John LeCarre, talks here about making the transition from film scriptwriter to novelist. (00:02:00)



So what do you think? Would you like to see more of these "virtual conferences?" Would you like more videos, longer ones, shorter ones? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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We encourage you to write down or print out the title information and shop at your local bookstore. Wherever possible, titles link to LibraryThing, a social networking site that allows you to catalog your home library. LibraryThing also links to various online purchasing options. Here are the books from this post:

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, Knopf hardcover

Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo, Vintage trade paperback

The Forever War by Dexter Filkins, Knopf hardcover

Hurry Down Sunshine by Michael Greenberg, The Other Press hardcover

Palace Council by Stephen L. Carter, Knopf hardcover

The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway, Knopf hardcover

(all information is the U.S. editions)