Along with the move – or due to the move – there are a couple of shop fixtures with which we need to part: the street-scene sculpture, and our antique desk. Photos, details and prices are on our blog. Now’s your chance to own a significant chunk of the shop’s history, lighten the load of the move, and fund the lunacy.
No Newzine on Friday Aug 29th
Rest In Peace
Cheryl Kneale was a long-time customer who supported us from our early days. She and her husband, John, helped us with our first move and, though he’s just lost the love of his life, John says he hopes to help us move back. She’d been ill for some time but we hoped against hope that she’d live for years yet. Didn’t work out that way.
Cheryl was born in late November just after WWII in Kenosha, WI. She spent her working life as a librarian at different levels (they brought rolling carts to the move in 2005 and they were VERY useful), and her free time in the needle arts and reading voraciously.
Cheryl died on August 2nd.
Bon voyage!
Robin Williams was born in Chicago on July 21, 1951. We can spend pages and days talking about all that he did, the magnitude of his creativity and genius (an overused but apt word in this case), and the breadth of his talent. Over the last few days you’ve heard and seen much of it shown over and over.
Due to our specialty, we’ll cite two of his movies, both crime stories, in which he played the villain: Insomnia (2002) set in Alaska with Al Pacino and Hilary Swank, directed by Christopher Nolan; and One Hour Photo (also 2002) with Connie Nielsen, directed by Mark Romanek.
He was only 63. He took his own life.
At times like this, the human language is inadequate to express the feelings we have.
Lauren Bacall was born Betty Jo Perske in The Bronx on Sept 16, 1924. After her parents divorced when she was when she was five, she took her a form of her mother’s maiden name: Weinstein-Bacal.
Acting lessons, time as an usher and modeling lead to a small role on Broadway and praise from Bette Davis. The wife of director Howard Hawks saw one of her modeling photos and urged him to find her a role in a movie called To Have and Have Not – and that launched her into fame, stardom and Humphrey Bogart. Key Largo, The Big Sleep, Dark Passage, Harper, Murder on the Orient Express are just some of the mystery and crime-related movies she appeared in.
She was always graceful and alluring and early on perfected the “Bacall look”.
She died from a massive stroke on Aug 12th at the age of 89.
"You know you don't have to act with me, Steve. You don't have to say anything and you don't have to do anything. Not a thing. Oh, maybe just whistle. You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow.”
Rest In Peace and thanks
Gift Certificates:
They’re available in Whatever Denomination You Want; They Don’t Expire; You can Order Them by Phone, e-mail or through the Website, and we can Mail them directly to the Recipient if you’d like. Perfect for all sorts of occassions.
A new series has started on TNT called “Legends”. It’s based on the spy thriller by that same title by Robert Littell and stars Sean Bean. A ‘legend’ is a spycraft term for an identity taken by the agent as a different and complete person. Premiere episode was this past Wed. Check your local listings.
Links of Interest:
Alexander McCall Smith is working on the libretto for a new opera about Anthony Blunt and the Cambridge Spies
NPR’s “Crime and the City” series continued with M.L. Longworth and her series of whodunnits set in Aix-en-Provence
French film director Luc Besson: “You Can’t Imagine How Many People Ask Me for a Leon Sequel”
While we specialize in mystery and crime books, we can order virtually any new book that you might want, no matter what its topic.
Signed Copies to Reserve (the authors will not be here for a formal signing or we’ll be getting the copies from other sources):
[Quantities of signed copies for these books will be very limited. Reserving ahead of time – such as in next few days – is HIGHLY recommended. For the most part, we’ll be ordering only enough for those who reserve. You don’t have to pay until you pick it up or we mail it. Ask us to hold a copy for you!]
Lee Child, Personal (Sept., Delacorte hc, $28.00). Reacher! He moves around, he knocks heads, he goes to Europe, he tries to stop something bad from happening – it’s a REACHER!
Michael Connelly, The Burning Room (Nov., Little Brown hc, $28.00). 19th Harry Bosch novel. He deals with an inverted cold case. The victim has just died from a gunshot suffered long ago. There is little evidence left from the time of the shooting. Where to start the investigation?
Walter Mosley, Rose Gold (Sept., Doubleday hc, $25.95). It is the radical 60s and a black power revolutionary cell has kidnapped the daughter of an arms manufacturer, Rosemany Goldsmith. If they don’t get what they want, Rose Gold will die. The authorities come to Easy Rawlins to be an intermediary.
Louise Penny, The Long Way Home (Aug., Minotaur hc, $27.99). Now retired in Three Pines, former Chief Inspector of Homicide with the Sûreté du Québec, Armand Gamache is settling into the peaceful life that he’d barely imagined. A neighbor, Clara, comes to him for help. Her artist husband, Peter, has failed to show up for the first anniversary of their separation, something they’d planned. Unable to refuse, Gamache joins up with his former second-in-command, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, and Myrna Landers, and journeys back into the depth of Québec, and the soul of Peter Morrow, a man desperate to recapture his fame.
See the calendar of all currently-scheduled events on our website. The website calendar contains plot synopses. At the bottom of it is the updated, complete list of signed copies that we’ll be getting from other sources. Click Here.
Martin Limón, Aug 19
Chelsea Cain, Aug 20
Kelli Stanley, Aug 21
Jayne Castle, Aug 26
James Ellroy, Sept 12
Peter May, Sept 12
Neil Low, Sept 20
Yasmine Galenorn, Oct 4
Hank Phillippi Ryan, Oct 10
Urban Waite, Oct 21
John Connolly, Nov 10
Fuminori Nakamura, Nov 12
Pamela Christie, Jan 17
And there are always more on the way!
Remember, too, that while it is always fun to come in and meet the author in person, that isn’t always possible. So reserve a signed copy to be mailed to you or for you to pick up later. Those who reserve in advance get the copies in the best condition!
Wish List
Our website has a Wish List capability. If folks want to know what you’d like for a given holiday or birthday, it is easy to point people to our website. Amber has put together a dandy blog post explaining it and how it works.
Word of the Week
trick (n.) From the early 15th C., "a cheat, a mean ruse," from Old North French trique "trick, deceit, treachery, cheating," from trikier "to deceive, to cheat," variant of Old French trichier "to cheat, trick, deceive," of uncertain origin, probably from Vulgar Latin *triccare, from Latin tricari "be evasive, shuffle," from tricæ "trifles, nonsense, a tangle of difficulties," of unknown origin.
Meaning "a roguish prank" is recorded from 1580s; sense of "the art of doing something" is first attested 1610s. Meaning "prostitute's client" is first attested 1915; earlier it was U.S. slang for "a robbery" (1865). To do the trick "accomplish one's purpose" is from 1812; to miss a trick "fail to take advantage of opportunity" is from 1889; from 1872 in reference to playing the card-game of whist, which might be the original literal sense. Trick-or-treat is recorded from 1942. Trick question is from 1907. (thanks to etymonline.com)
You can browse our collectable and hard-to-find books, as well as signed copies from earlier author events, on Biblio.com. You do not have to place an order through them, especially if you’re a long-time customer and we have your ordering info. Just email us to order.
What We’ve Been Reading
Amber Recommends:
Amber’s project for 2014: My 52 Weeks of Agatha Christie. Here’s her explanation.
This Week: Problems, Perfumes and The Flu
JB Recommends:
Granted, I’m not very objective about Martin Limón’s books. I’m a fan and I think they’re great. George and Ernie are great detectives and spending time with them is always time well spent. But his latest, The Iron Sickle (Soho hc, $26.95), is an impressive step up.
As the book starts, a Korean man has walked into the claims office of the 8th Army and killed the official in charge with a metal sickle. It is a shocking and gory crime. It’s complicated by concerns that it might be a North Korean attack, something to unsettle the South and the US. The series is set a little over 20 years after the “end” of the Korean War and the possibility of the cold war there going hot is on everyone’s minds. But our Army CID cops, George Sueño and Ernie Bascom are at first told to stay away from the crime even though they and we know they’re best suited for the investigation. So we know they’ll investigate anyway – and it is a hummer of an investigation.
I don’t know how much the plot is based on history – I’ll have to quiz Martin – but the plot turns on war crimes during the 50s and a secret file that holds the report. Needless to say, secrets are meant to stay secrets. They’re politically explosive and people are willing to kill to expose them or keep them secret.
Martin has brought back two of his great secondary characters: Korean National Police investigator Mr. Kill and the mysterious, deadly and lovely Major Rhee of the Korean Army, a woman George distrusts as much as he trusts Mr. Kill.
The Iron Sickle is a lively story full of richly-drawn actors moving through a landscape of complicated and, at times, conflicting objectives. Past and present, American and Korean, civilians and soldiers, political and police – as always, Martin’s books are a rich mix of people clashing in an atmosphere rife with the potential for trouble. A ideal setting for a terrific series of books.
We have three Tumblr blogs, in addition to our regular shop blog:
Books and Decay, maintained by Amber– interesting photos with literary quotes to match
Hardboiled, maintained by JB – pulp covers, film noir and other images of crime and mystery
On This Date
Aug 17, 1907 – not really a mystery deal but the oldest, continually working farmers’ market in the US opened – Seattle’s Pike Place Market
Aug 17, 1924 – Peter Chambers was born in London. One writer said “his private eye books…are as American as bourbon on the rocks.”
Aug 17, 1943 – Robert De Niro was born in NYC. No more details needed…
Aug 17 – Happy Early Birthday to Seattle Times mystery reviewer Adam Woog!
Aug 18, 1910 – David Dodge, future author of It Takes a Thief, was born in Berkley, CA
Aug 18, 1922 – filmmaker and crime writer Alain Robbe-Grillet was born in Brest
Aug 18 – a Big Day for Hollywood: Roman Polanski (1933, Paris), Robert Redford (1936, Santa Monica), Edward Norton and Christian Slater (1969, Boston and NYC respectively)
Aug 18, 1932 – cozy writer Blaize Clement was born in Fink, TX
Aug 18, 1934 – future prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi was born in Hibbing, MN
Aug 19, 1940 – future Bond Girl and Mensa Member Jill St. John was born in LA
Aug 19, 1965 - future “Closer” Kyra Sedgwick was born in NYC
Aug 20, 1890 – Howard Phillips Lovecraft – creator of weird fiction and his Cthulhu Mythos, was born in Providence
Aug 20, 1927 – what is considered to be Hollywood’s first true Gangster movie, Josef von Sternberg’s Underworld premiered. Script by Ben Hecht
Aug 20, 1935 – Francis Selwyn was born in Brighton
Aug 20, 1942 – future composer, musician and actor Isaac Hayes was born in Covington, TN
Aug 20, 1951 – future bestselling author and Seattle-area resident Greg Bear was born in San Diego
Aug 20, 1961 – veterinarian and thriller writer James Rollins was born in Chicago
Aug 21, 1863 – Quantrill’s Raid on Lawrence, KS – slaughter for slaughter’s sake
Aug 21, 1891 – George Clarence “Bugs” Moran was born in St. Paul. It was his guys gunned down on Feb 14th by Capone’s heavies. He is credited with developing the technique of spraying a rival’s headquarters with machine gun fire – what we now call the ‘drive-by shooting’
Aug 21 – authors born: M.M. Kaye (1908, Simla, India), Robert L. Fish (1912, Cleveland), John Malcolm (1936, Lancashire), and Lindsey Davis (1949, Birmingham, England)
Aug 21, 1911 – da Vinci’s Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre. It was feared lost forever but is recovered two years later in the car trunk of a former employee who thought it should be returned to Italy
Aug 21, 1911 - William Anthony Parker White is born in Oakland. Mid-century, he’ll become one of the most influential critics of mystery fiction under the name Anthony Boucher. He wrote mysteries in addition to reviewing them and the largest, annual mystery convention is named in his honor – Bouchercon
Aug 21, 1912 – two-time Edgar winner Robert L. Fish – aka Robert L. Pike – was born in Cleveland
Aug 21, 1939 – future Mod Squad member Clarence Williams III was born in NYC
Aug 21, 1940 – Trotsky murdered in Mexico City
Aug 21, 1971 – a true dame – and Edgar winner – Megan Abbott was born in Warren, MI
Aug 21, 1968 – Antonio Lo Bianco and Barbara Locci become the first victims of ‘The Monster of Florence’
Aug 22, 1925 – one-time Avenger and Bond-Babe Honor Blackman was born in London
Aug 22, 1920 – the prolific and influential Ray Bradbury was born in Waukegan, IL
And Have a Relaxing and Book-Filled Weekend!
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