I have mentioned before how jealous I am of those living in the U.K. because they have access to The Guardian in its hard copy format. It is possibly the best book paper in the world and easily surpasses anything I’ve seen here in the U.S.

This week they look at what makes a successful independent bookseller: “The Best Sellers”.

It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of independent bookstores. I will patronize the national chains when I’m looking for something I know the smaller shops in my area won’t have (crossword puzzle books for Gramma, for instance), but if I’m buying a book for myself, it’s not going to be at a huge mega-bookstore.

Looking for quality independents in the D.C. area?

Olsson’s is a local chain with two stores in D.C. and three in Virginia (including one at National Airport). I’ve not visited their Courthouse location, but I can recommend without hesitation, any of their three other stand-alone stores. Dupont lacks a cafe, but you’re not missing it in that neighborhood. Over the last few years they have expanded from just selling books, cds, and dvds to include renting out art house/BBC movies and series. And they offer a free membership that nets you discounts over time.

Politics and Prose is what you envision when you envision a local bookshop — or what it would be if it regularly appeared on Book TV on C-Span2. It feels cosy, even if it has expanded over the years. New books and an area for readings are located upstairs and the downstairs is devoted to remainders, a great kids’ section, and a tasty coffeeshop.

You couldn’t go wrong with either one.

Via Bookish.

It’s not that I mean to gloat. Really. But I am doing a little happy dance today because I have tickets to a charity author’s night in August at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

Who am I going to see?

Why, Stephen King, John Irving, and … J.K. Rowling.

Yes, that’s right. I will be in the same room with the author of Harry Potter!

::shiver::

Rudi can attest that while I am hardly nonplussed by musicians and politicians and other luminaries, that a few years ago when I met Laurent de Brunhoff, author of the later Babar books, that I just about melted into the floor and blathered something ridiculous while starting at him adoringly.

Having bought the tickets does entitle me to submit a question for each of the authors, so if you have anything you’ve been dying to ask any of them, leave it in the comments.

Now if you don’t normally troll my blogroll for additional reading material, you can be forgiven (for now) for overlooking one of the best comics out there — “Unshelved.” Created by two guys from the Seattle area, the comic focuses on the goings-on at a fictitious library. The main character is Dewey, the slacker young adult librarian who’d rather be curled up in the corner with his graphic novels than answering some of the inane questions you get when you’re perceived to be “an authority.” His world is shared by his coworkers, the library patrons, his cranky grandmother, and the school-teacher/volleyball player who is in love with — and frustrated by — him.

I met Bill (who draws the strip) more than three years ago when we were both stuck in the corner of a conference exhibition hall that time (and librarians) had forgotten. Bill and I tried to encourage the crowd to actually come down the rest of the aisle to see the ten booths past the post office. Admittedly, his comic strip may have been more of a draw than my health books and I may have ridden his coat tails to get my books into people’s hands…

Since then, Gene, Bill, and I usually manage to find one night during the conferences we all attend to have dinner. They are witty and quick and I usually feel rather dull in their presence, like Julia Roberts’ kid sister with braces might feel. Even if I do have to have them re-explain the new Battlestar Galactica series to me every time I see them, it is always a pleasure to spend a little time with them and their entourage of comics and graphic novel folks.

Today the Seattle Times covers the comic and gives you a hint of Bill and Gene’s personalities. Check out the article if you want, but definitely read the comic strip. You can even have it delivered free to your inbox every day. They’re more reliable than your paper carrier and the comic never gets wet if a freak rainstorm shows up between its delivery and your chance to pick it up. And their apparel is a great way to start up random conversations with people. My two t-shirts have started conversations with everyone from a random librarian on the Metro to the actors who play Maria on Sesame Street and Mr. McFeeley on Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.

The beginning of each month offers a chance to look back into the reading piles and new acquisitions of the past month.

I can’t believe I only read five books this month. I have no excuses. Clearly I’ve been slacking off. But I really couldn’t even tell you with what. Those were:
(more…)

Happy April Fool’s Day! Despite today’s date, I swear that this huge, long list of books is no joke.

Attending library conventions has already proven dangerous to my bookshelves, but it’s even worse when I drive there and don’t have to figure out how to fit my new acquisitions into my suitcase. Fifteen new books came home with me. That number doesn’t include those that came home with Rudi, nor those that stayed with Sam and Alexis as gifts. (more…)

While I was away in Boston amassing the latest additions to my book collection (about which you’ll read more later this week), the Washington Post was apparently peeking into my windows and offered up an article about the difficulty bibliophiles have in storing all their tomes.

When we lived in Connecticut (in a three-bedroom apartment), I had plenty of space for all my beloved books — 8 bookshelves around the house. But now that I live in the tiny Burrow, I’m reduced to four bookshelves (most of them small). And piles. And piles. I’ve taken over little spaces around the house — precious shelf space in the kitchen, a half-shelf in the bedroom — but I admit that far too many reside in piles. And that trend is likely to continue unless I come up with a brainstorm.

And we won’t even talk about the boxes and boxes that live in my parents’ attic in Connecticut. (Thanks Mum and Dad!) One of these days I’m going to have to inventory the collection to reduce the frustration I feel when the bookclub pulls up a selection I own (and have read) and I can’t figure out which state the book lives in.

I admit to being a Peeping Tom when it comes to bookshelves. I live in a ritzy part of town, and in several homes I pass on my walk between the Metro and the Burrow, they have floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lining their whole living room. I covetously drool from the sidewalk, knowing that I cannot afford a half million dollar townhouse just because of their bookshelves. But if they throw in a claw foot tub, a wood-burning fireplace, and a tiny space for a garden, I’ll find the money…

(Via Mental multivitamin.)