FRIDAY THE 13TH!
VALENTINE’S DAY!
Somehow it seems fitting to have them side-by-side!!!
On a Personal Note:
To all the friends of the bookshop-
A few months ago JB announced we were cancelling the Jayne Ann Krentz signing because one of our employee family had a serious medical situation. Well, it was me. When I had my annual physical my doctor discovered a heart murmur. It turned out that I had aortic aneurysm that needed heart surgery, so, January 6th, I went under the knife. I now have a brand new aorta and valve. I plan on being back at work next month and can't wait.
I want to thank all of you who sent so many well wishes and prayers. I hope to see you in the shop real soon.
~ Adele
Sales! Sale! Sale! Continues!!
Because we’re such sweethearts, we’re having a sale on all of our books listed on Biblio.com 20% off on all books $20 and over! Sale starts Sat, Feb 7th and ends Sat, Feb 21st, with Valentine’s Day smack in the center of it. Be Aware – this is valid only through Biblio.com and the sale is not applicable for sales in the shop.
But don’t think there’s nothing going on for you who come in the shop: Fridays and Saturdays in Feb, Fran and Amber will be allowing you to Roll the Dice Discount to get a discount on your entire cost of books. Possible discounts range from 1% to 20% (these are special dice you see). The discount does not apply to sales tax or to shipping.
AND, on Valentine’s Day itself, we’ll be having another Blind Date With A Book – that perfect date that will surprise and (we hope!) delight you, and there are no calories involved! That’s not until Saturday, the 14th, though, so start planning for it now!
Used Books In!
Another week of used books – big runs of Edward S. Aarons and Carter Brown paperbacks, Edward Marston, PC Doherty and a variety of other historical mysteries in hardcover. Let us know if you’re looking for something. Maybe we have it!
Rest In Peace:
You may not have heard of Tony Hayes, but his knowledge of Shakespeare combined with his talent for investigative journalism have been well received. The first two volumes of his series,The Killing Way and The Divine Sacrifice, have been released to critical acclaim.The Stolen Bride and The Beloved Dead are also part of this series. He also wrote the Who's Who Dunit Series that includes Murder on the Twelfth Night and Murder in the Latin Quarter, as well as the non-series novel The Trouble with Patriots.
For more on Tony’s life, Janet Rudolph has the scoop.
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 occasions –like Valentine’s Day!
Links of Interest:
Stranger Than Pulp Fiction: Meet Bob Nygaard, America’s Psychic-Crime Fighter
Sir Ian McKellen on his latest movie role, playing the retired and aging Sherlock Holmes
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, meeting The Baker Street Irregulars, and his debut novelMycroft Holmes
At the Museum of London – The City That Sherlock Holmes Knew
Even in prison, ‘Whitey’ Bulger is pushing boundaries
Picasso’s Handyman Accused of Stealing £50 Art Horde
British secret agent James Bond soon will be very busy in Canada, thanks to unusual law
Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb: By the Book
And, finally: Who Will Miss Jon Stewart the Most?Book Publicists!
While we specialize in mystery and crime books, we can order virtually any new book that you might want, no matter what its topic.
New Signings(with authors who will be visiting the shop):
Sat., April 11, noon -Mary Daheim signs The Alpine Zen (Ballantine hc, $26.00). In the final installment of the Emma Lord series, the town of Alpine is beset by odd occurrences. A young woman named Ren comes to look for the mother who abandoned her and promptly collapses. There’s someone stalking various residents. Other strange things begin to happen and this young woman seems to be at the center of them all. In paper,Clam Wake (Mar., Avon, 7.99).
Signed Copies to Reserve (the authors will not be here for a formal signing or we’ll be getting the copies from other sources):
Erik Larson, Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania (Mar., Crown hc, $28.00). With new access to archives, the Seattle writer provides us with the story of the doomed liner from both sides – the political, social, intelligence, and people involved – and shows what really took place and why what the world thinks it knows about the tragedy is not the full story.
[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!]
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.
Cara Black, Mar 2
Glen Erik Hamilton, Mar 3
C.S. Harris, Mar 7
Leslie Budewitz, Mar 10
Timothy Williams, Mar 18
Jacqueline Winspear, Mar 24
J.A. Jance, Mar 27
Kate Dyer-Seeley, April 18
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!
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Word of the Week:
Grease (v): From c.1300, from grease (n.). Sense of "ply with bribe or protection money" is 1520s, from notion of grease the wheels "make things run smoothly" (mid-15th C.).To grease (someone's) palm is from 1580s. Expression greased lightning, representing something that goes very fast, is American English, by 1832. (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.
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We have two Tumblr blogs, in addition to our regular shop blog:
Hardboiled, maintained by JB – pulp covers, film noir and other images of crime and mystery, and
Reviews and Events – just what it sounds like!
What We've Been Reading:
Amber Recommends:
Michelle Knudsen - Evil Librarian (hb, Candlewick, $16.99)
Summary: Annie has fallen for the new school librarian. The head over heels kind of love, the problem is the librarian seems to be encouraging these feelings. Which obviously is completely inappropriate no matter how hot he is! Cynthia Rothschild (Annie’s best friend and nicknamed Cyn) finds the entire situation creepy, she tries to tell Annie it is a really bad idea to pursue a teacher but Annie is beyond listening. She is completely under his spell.
Literally.
Review: In many ways this book reminds me of the early episodes of Buffy The Vampire Slayer (TV show with Sarah Michelle Gellar not the movie with Luke Perry). Similar to Buffy, Cyn has to figure out pretty quick how to juggle friendship, school (both homework & the musical), home life and demon slaying activities without letting a ball hit the ground. In addition Cyn has a best friend who isn’t as happy with her life and her role as a “good girl” as she seems to be. Who subsequently allows herself to be blinded by the promises and glamours of the demon librarian. Then there Cyn’s crush who may or may not know of her existence and who may or may not want Cyn to fight the demon in their midsts. The pièce de résistance which suggests Buffy to me is the central location of our baddie - the library. Which provided the major research and rally point for Buffy & the gang all through their high school career (man how I loathed that phrase while in high school, it makes sense now…..does that mean I am growing up? Things to ponder…) In the Evil Librarian the location flips allegiances and as the title indicates is the nexus of the evil propagating its way through the student body.
What distinguishes this book from Buffy is Cyn’s love of musical theater and her management of her high school’s production of Sweeney Todd. I cannot tell you exactly how the author has woven this musical into the narrative - spoilers you know. What I can say is this musical provides the perfect accent for this story allowing the book to become something special. A piece of advice…you do need to be at least passingly familiar with Sweeney Todd in order to get the absolute most out of this book - my suggestion rent the Johnny Depp version from a few years back (seeing a live performance would be the best, but in a pinch the movie will do!).
The fact that this book reminded me of Buffy is a good thing! While the elements of the slayer were present (for me at least), the author did a great job of making this story her own. Which is why I enjoyed reading it and look forward to the sequel. My one critique is I think it was a hair heavy handed when dealing with Cyn’s school crush (or perhaps reading the angst over said crush hit to close to home in my memories from high school), but this is a seriously minor item which clears itself up by the end of the book. Other than the one small flaw this book was fun to read and would be perfect for any girl who loves musicals, kicking butt and/or demon hunting!
I would place this book at around the 12 - 15 reader age range.
On This Date:
Feb 16, 1822 - Francis Galton was born in Birmingham, England. A polymath, he worked in many fields. In 1892, he published a book on fingerprints that explained the statistical uniqueness of fingerprints, identified common patterns, and laid out the classification system still used
Feb 16, 1878 - "Big Jim" Colossimo, one of the early mob bosses, was born in Colosimi, Calabria
Feb 16, 1909 - pulp illustrator George Gross was born in Brooklyn
Feb 16, 1926 - director John Schlesinger was born in London -Marathon Man and others
Feb 16, 1928 - Shaun Lloyd McCarthy was born in Sussex and will gain fame writing espionage novels as Desmond Cory
Feb 16, 1929 - US premiere ofThe Canary Murder Case, the first adaptation with William Powell as Philo Vance
Feb 17, 1888 - Ronald Knox was born in Kibworthy, Leicestershire – mystery writer and founding member of The Detection Club
Feb 17 - a big day for writers: Lawrence Blochman (1900, San Diego), Ellston Trevor (aka Adam Hall 1920 Bromley, Kent), Margaret Truman (1924 Independence, MO) and Ruth Rendell (1930 South Woodford, Essex); and Hollywood: Hal Holbrook (1925 Cleveland), Jim Brown (1936 St. Simons, GA), Rene Russo (1954 beautiful downtown Burbank) and Denise Richards (1971 Downer's Grove,IL)
Feb 17, 1944 - Robert Siodmak'sPhantom Lady premiered, adapted from the Cornell
Woolrich novel
Feb 17, 19XX - local author Robert Dugoni entered the world Happy Birthday, Bob!
Feb 17, 1970 - the family of Green Beret Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald was massacred in their Fort Bragg home
Feb 18, 1904 - the great pulp illustrator Rafael de Soto was born in Aguadilla, PR
Feb 18, 1915 - Frank James died a peaceful death at the age of 72 in Clay County, MO
Feb 18 - another big day for writers: Len Deighton (1929, London), George Pelecanos (1957, DC), and Edgar-winner Richard Rosen (1949, Chicago); and for Hollywood: Jack Palance (1919, born Volodymyr Palahniuk in Hazle Township, PA), George Kennedy (1925, NYC), John Travolta (1954, Englewood, NJ); and a certain personification of evil - Gary Ridgeway, the Green River Killer, (1950)
Feb 18, 1982 - Ngaio Marsh died
Feb 18, 1983 - the Wah Mee Massacre, in which 13 were gunned down in this robbery of an illegal Seattle Gambling club
Feb 19, 1807 - Aaron Burr was arrested for treason. He was later acquitted
Feb 19, 1859 - Congressman Dan Sickles was found not guilty of murder by reason of temporary insanity - its first use in US court history. (The man he shot, his young wife's lover, was the son of Francis Scott Key and one of his defense attorneys was Edwin Stanton, soon to be Lincoln's Secretary of War. Sickles would become a Union General and lose part of his leg at Gettysburg after leading his men to slaughter.)
Feb 19 -a big day for Hollywood births: the urbane Louis Calhern (1895, Brooklyn), hard-boiled and gruff-voiced Lee Marvin and film noir femme fatale Ann Savage (1921, NYC and Columbia SC), director John Frankenheimer (1930, Queens), Jeff Daniels (1956, Athens, GA), Benicio del Toro (1967, Santurce, PR) and Ray Winstone (1957, London)
Feb 19, 1923 - Patricia Moyes was born in Dublin
Feb 19, 1926 - the irreplaceable - two-time Edgar-award winner - Ross Thomas was born in Oklahoma City
Feb 19, 1963 - the author who is perhaps single-handedly responsible for the massive turn toward Urban Fantasy (after Anne Rice) - Laurell K. Hamilton – was born in Heber Springs, AR
Feb 19, 1941 - Stephen Dobyns was born in Orange, NJ
Feb 19, 1986 - pilot and drug smuggler Barry Seal was riddled with bullets while sitting in his car in Baton Rouge. In his wallet was found the private phone number of George H. Bush
Feb 20 - Harold Adams was born (1923, Clark, SD), Kenn Davis (1932, Salinas, CA), William Bayer (1939, Cleveland) and Bill Knox (1928, Glasgow)
Feb 20, 1927 - Sidney Poitier was born in Miami
Feb 20, 1939 - William Bayer was born in Cleveland
Feb 20, 1941 - writer of murky morality mysteries Alan Furst was born in NYC
Feb 20, 1968 - "Columbo" first aired
And Have a Relaxing and Book
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