The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards is the top-selling
fiction title at Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston, Texas, and it appears
on the store's bestseller list (for the week ending October 13) because
of an unusual form of handselling. "I call it bibliotherapy," says Blue
Willow Bookshop owner Valerie Koehler, who is regularly invited to
speak at book clubs in the Houston area. She offers suggestions and
talks about what other clubs are reading, which has earned her the
moniker "the book talk lady."
Koehler has books on hand to sell at each gathering, which range from
groups of friends to a sorority alumni association to the middle school
faculty ensemble that last week selected The Memory Keeper's Daughter
as its inaugural read. (Edwards appeared at the store for a signing in
August.) This initiative, which Koehler likened to a literary version
of a Tupperware party, "has been a wonderful thing for us," she said.
"It's a captive audience. These women are there, they're having fun,
they're talking with each other, and they're selling each other books
if they've read them before."
Koehler cited the store's top two categories as children's picture
books and contemporary fiction, with a significant portion of the
latter being purchased by book clubs. In addition to hosting two
in-store groups (called the "Coffee Cake Book Club" and the "Tough
Broads Out at Night Book Club"), Blue Willow Bookshop has 35 area book
clubs registered at the store. The clubs' reading selections are
featured on a display table, which has proven to be a popular promotion
even for those who aren't in reading groups. "We have lots of customers
who just shop that table," said Koehler, and it includes the store's
current bestsellers Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See, March by Geraldine Brooks, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen and Devil in the White City by Erik Larson.
The second bestselling fiction title on the store's list is The Covenant
by Naomi Ragen, a suspense novel set in Jerusalem. The store has
several registered Jewish book clubs, and "this one has been making the
rounds quite a bit," said Koehler. "It has been popular this past year."
At No. 10 is Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale, which was
included on the staff picks shelf for the month of September and has
also benefited from being in the store's displays of Book Sense
Bestsellers and Book Sense Picks--all of which are located next to the
cash register. "I think we will continue to sell it through Christmas
very easily," said Koehler, "and certainly the
national play it has been getting has not hurt." She envisions an even
bigger hit with the paperback edition of The Thirteenth Tale,
which she is looking forward to handselling to the reading groups she
visits. "It will certainly end up on our book club table," she added.
One Blue Willow Bookshop customer in particular is responsible for the appearance of Elaine Pagels' The Gnostic Gospels
in the No. 2 spot. Pagels recently spoke at Rice University in
conjunction with the Houston Archaeological Society. "The woman who
runs the society is a good customer and asked us to sell the books,"
said Koehler, who has additional offsite venues lined up for the fall
and is looking to expand this segment of the store's business.
Another offsite event resulted in stellar sales for Art of the Cross by Mary Emmerling, host of the Country at Home series on HGTV and creative director of Country Home
magazine, and the book holds the No. 1 position on this week's list.
Koehler was approached by publisher Gibbs Smith about selling copies of
the full-color, hardcover book during Emmerling's signing at the
Original Round Top Antiques Fair in Round Top, Texas. The Blue Willow
Bookshop staff "is very excited" about the book, said Koehler, and it's
a contender for inclusion in the store's holiday newsletter. "It's a
beautiful book, and it's the right price at $19.95," she commented. "It's not
religious, but it could be conceived as somewhat of a spiritual book."
Another book that Koehler expects to keep selling through the holidays is the No. 9 title, I Feel Bad about My Neck
by Nora Ephron. She attributed the book's success in part to the
author's "witty sense of humor." Also, "it's a nice 'girlfriend book'
to give to women of a certain age. And many of us are that age and
therefore can relate," she added with a laugh. Another holiday favorite
Koehler is anticipating is Erik Larson's Thunderstruck, which is on sale next week. "It's definitely going to be on our new holiday newsletter list," Koehler said.
Blue Willow Bookshop's holiday newsletter--available in both print and
online versions--is a favorite with the staff (who choose the books)
and customers, Koehler said. "We really work hard to pick a great
selection." Two years ago the theme was "Twelve Books of Christmas,"
while last year it was a "Wish List" showcasing books the staff members
themselves wanted to unwrap. This year's theme has yet to be decided,
but it seems fitting for the store to celebrate the holidays by
commemorating a major milestone: October 2006 marks Blue Willow
Bookshop's 10th anniversary.--Shannon McKenna
Blue Willow Bookshop bestsellers during the week ended October 13:
1. Art of the Cross by Mary Emmerling, photography by Jim Arndt (Gibbs Smith, $19.95, 1423601157)
2. The Gnostic Gospels: A Startling Account of the Meaning of Jesus
and the Origin of Christianity Based on Gnostic Gospels and Other
Secret Texts by Elaine Pagels (Random House, $19.95, 0394502787)
3. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards (Penguin, $14, 0143037145)
4. The Covenant by Naomi Ragen (St. Martin's Griffin, $12.95, 0312335067)
5. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (Random House Trade Paperbacks, $13.95, 0812968069)
6. March
by Geraldine Brooks (Penguin, $14,
0143036661)
7. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (Algonquin, $23.95, 1565124995)
8. Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson (Vintage, $14.95, 0375725601)
9. I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman by Nora Ephron (Knopf, $19.95, 0307264556)
10. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (Atria, $26, 0743298020)