Sadly Larry Portzline, who founded bookstore tourism, has given up
his idea of visiting more than 200 bookstores in all 50 states next
spring (Shelf Awareness,
June 27, 2007) and has taken down his bookstore tourism
website--apparently because of a lack of funding. See Jessica Stockton
Bagnulo's Written Nerd blog for more information.
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"Don't tell Dawn and Eric Hart that times are bad for independent booksellers," cautioned the Florida Times-Union
in its profile of the owners of Book Bonanza, Orange Park, Fla., who
have "carved out a niche in Northeast Florida as the only local company
that specializes in school book fairs."
The article noted that
the Harts tailor their book fairs to individual schools: "They handpick
each book, making sure the selection takes into account the school's
economics and any special requests from teachers. They make restock
runs on call, driving to and from their storefront on College Drive.
The flexibility and willingness to customize--part of a wider trend in
independent bookselling--is winning over school librarians throughout
the region."
"It's so exciting to hear the kids say, 'Book fair! Book fair!'" said Dawn.
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How do you find the perfect book for a child? The San Marcos Daily Record
offered eight tips, several of which pointed readers toward bookshops.
Number seven: "Take your older children to the bookstore with you and
give them the freedom to pick for themselves from the apropriate
section, without judgment on their selections."
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More book gift lists:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution suggested that its readers "say 'ho ho ho' in a healthy way with books."
And both Orlando Sentinel and the Washington Times offer gift guides for comic books.
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Next March, Borders will open a
23,071-sq.-ft. store at Westfield Plaza Bonita at the intersection of
Sweetwater Road and Plaza Bonita Road in National City, Calif., just
south of San Diego.
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Is your favorite children's book character a lawbreaker? The Guardian
explored the bad behavior readers have come to love in characters like
Paddington Bear, Alice and Tigger; and the possible effect on these
"treasured characters of children's literature and television, if
forced to conform to modern law."
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Kenny Brechner of
Devaney, Doak and Garrett Booksellers, Farmington, Me., and Vicky
Uminowicz of Titcomb's Bookshop, East Sandwich, Mass., have been named
co-chairs of the 2008 New England Children's Booksellers Advisory
Council. According to the Lewiston Sun Journal,
"Brechner said he has gotten so much out of the council's work that
this new position will only increase his ability to be a better
children's bookseller."
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In her recent review of Scouts in Bondage (Shelf Awareness,
December 7, 2007), Marilyn Dahl puzzled over the word "tossa," a word
she and the rest of us didn't recognize, wondering if this were a
Britishism. Merry White, adult services librarian at the Park City
Library, Park City, Utah, comes to the rescue. White explains: "I had
heard the expression 'tosser' on a BBC program and wondered about it
too, so of course I did some looking up Apparently it means an idiotic,
incompetent, or worthless person--something to be tossed aside, I
guess."
We thank Merry White, who is the opposite of a tossa.
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Ani Chamichian has become U.S. sales director for U.K. publisher Frances Lincoln, which is distributed here by PGW. Chamichian has worked in sales and marketing for publishers in San Francisco, Calif., for most of her career, and most recently has been a consultant.