Andrew Shaffer is back with Hope Rides Again, starring your favorite detective duo Barack Obama and Joseph R. Biden. Obama loses his cell phone, Biden tries to do some sleuthing. There is an attempted kidnapping (or two), and Biden comes off as trying to work out lines for his campaign speeches, which is probably done …
This week, booksellers from around the country with a specific interest in children’s books gathered in New Orleans for the American Booksellers Association’s annual Children’s Institute, an annual educational conference that was hosted last year in Portland. I attended in my role as children’s book buyer for Queen Anne Book Company in Seattle, but I …
“Tired of the same old dystopian YA literature? Then this may be the perfect book for you! Rather than resorting to the usual trappings of oppressive governments and desolate wastelands, Neal Shusterman presents a future where disease, war, old age, and even death have been eliminated. The only uncertainty in life comes from the Scythes— …
Last year, I attended the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association’s annual tradeshow on behalf of Girl Friday. I moderated a panel on building book communities and sat on a second panel about reading and influencing. Last year was my first time at the conference and I was amazed by the sense of community. Here were folks …
If some usual faces are missing from behind the counter at your local bookstore today and this weekend, it may be that they’re attending the annual trade show and education conference of the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association, happening now in Portland. I took the train down from Seattle yesterday for the board meeting. (I found …
To honor the late beloved author Ivan Doig, Riverhead Books and independent bookstores around the Northwest are planning Ivan Doig Day celebrations to coincide with the publication of his upcoming novel Last Bus to Wisdom. The book is due out on August 18 and so far, according to Riverhead publicist Glory Plata, nine stores are …
Tom Luce from Powell’s Books was named Bookseller of the Year by the Romance Writers of America (RWA). Tom has been the Powell’s romance buyer for many years and beforehand was a buyer at Borders, where his nickname was “Doctor Love.” Tom was instrumental in the creation of Powell’s “Mutual Attraction” program which launched this year. Avon …
I sit back and read the announcement’s first paragraph, that whole thing about If Not for This being “crowned.” I reread that, all royalty. But then I get to the killer line, the Jurassic-scale fly in the ointment; “…we would like each winner to choose his or her favorite PNBA member bookstore…” Seriously? One? I …
“There hasn’t been an edgy book, like American Psycho, for decades. People don’t want to be associated with something politically incorrect because the backlash is so immediate online. They play safer because of that.” —Chuck Palahniuk This set of a dozen selfie statements from theguardian.com is probably the best encapsulation of the man and the …
The odd marriage of tattoo art and science is brought together in this beautiful collection written by acclaimed science writer Carl Zimmer. Professionals, students and science nerds alike share their body art showcasing their passion in the sciences: chemistry, astronomy, biology and mathematics to name just a handful of disciplines represented in this fascinating and …
