Been busy--

I haven't forgotten this blog but I've been busy and preoccupied and have not had time to do anything. There was the Propane Battle at home (I'll try to write about that on the SageBeasties blog soon), the holidays and family, and at the store--lots of work to do.
I've had people coming to sell books to the store and I have bought some of those. It takes a bit of time to go through these and then get them ready for the shelf here. I am also in the midst of the shelf shift in the novels which is progressing slowly.
I have some quick book reviews to write for here and perhaps one or two longer articles for Associated Content. I just need to make the time to do that. At least, when I get home today, I will have heat in my house for the first time in about 1 1/2 weeks, and that will be much more conducive for sitting at the computer and writing. So do keep coming back.

Quick Book Review

See previous post for my rant on the trade paperbacks. One came in last week; it had a picture of a Labrador Retriever dog on the cover, so of course I looked it over and decided to take it home to read, which I did this weekend.
This book is Lost and Found, Jacqueline Sheehan. I found the book to be a good read with interesting characters, one of which is the dog on the cover. All the people are believable, interesting and, while sometimes annoying in some ways, are people who are enjoyable to get to know--just like real life. All the characters, animal and human, are dealing with what life has dealt them and trying to live to their fullest.
I am not going to say anything about the plot, as that needs to unfold for each reader. It is a very smooth plot that unrolls in a most believable manner.
This book is one of those little, unexpected treasures that sometimes graces our lives.

Moving Books from One Place to Another Place

I'm moving books in the store again. The Novels section is too packed and I have already culled out a lot of non-sellers and more culling is not really the answer now. So, I got to looking around and thinking. Generally, moving books is not a simple thing as books elsewhere must be moved to make the necessary changes to move the books first planned to be moved. Hmmm, the children's books could be consolidated in a more efficient manner to open up a shelf. Then what could go on that shelf that would help the novels. How about...nah...what about this other.... nope... what if... yeah, that works.
Rearrange some of the children's books and open up that shelf as the first step, then move the foreign language books over to that shelf as well as the magic books, which opens up three shelves on the red-cloth table. Ah-ha, looking good now. Then move the trade paperbacks out of the novels onto the newly opened shelves under the red cloth section (which has mostly memoirs). And a brief pause here to tout the trade paperbacks. There are some excellent books published in this format. Many of these titles never are published as the mass market sized books. Yes, their new price is expensive, but they are only $5 in the store and you can use your trade-in credt on them to save another $2.50. If you were to take a real look at these books, you would find something worth reading, really.
Now with the trade paperbacks moved, comes the shelf shifting to make more space on each shelf. Shelf shifting is an art and takes some time to do. Meanwhile, in the back room, the Louis L'Amour duplicates need to be stored differently then they are. And the L'Amour books on the shelf need restocking. Thinking, pondering, then the action--redo the dups while restocking the shelf and open up space for novel duplicates that are on the floor under the novels shelves, then move some novels down to the floor. The ones on the floor will be one that rarely are browsed but sometimes asked for; they need to be kept in the store, but not taking up prime shelf space. They will get moved down to where there were duplicates which are now in the back room where the A'mour dups were.
It got done on Saturday, taking some longer then planned since the L'Amour on the shelf were in awful order. Looks like customers picked them up, read the back cover and then put them back randomly (yeah, blame the mess on the customers!). But it did get done--L'Amour restocked and the dups different and open space to move novel dups to.
Tuesday--back to the shelf shifting of the novels.
Just another day in the book store.

Some Cat Books

The store has a nice selection of books about cats. These are some of them.

The Mind of the Cat by Gary Brodsky. From the dust jacket flap--"This book will bring you new insights into the complex personality of the mysterious, magnificent cat. Learn about the human-like emotions a cat feels and how it expresses them. Discover the many messages a cat conveys through purring. Understand the touching reason why cats "cruelly" play with their prey. You will discover how complex the cat is--at once aloof and dependent, domesticated and wild, wise and self-sufficient yet eternally juvenile. Enter and understand the exciting, no longer secret world of your cat."

How to Live with a Neurotic Cat, by Stephen Baker. From the dust jacket flap--"A recent census taken among cats shows that approximately 100% are neurotic. Of course cats are neurotic. As a human being, you have everything they want and refuse to share. You take up too much room in the bed, keep thge best food for yourself, don't offer them a seat at the ta le, and control the remote for the TV."

The Secret of Cooking for Cats, by Martin A. Gardner. "A witty and thoroughly detailed cookbook for people who truly love their cats."

The New Natural Cat, a complete guide for finicky owners, by Anitra Frazier. "Extremely practical, covers common and mundane problems in a unique way."

Catwatching, Why cats purr and everything else you ever wanted to know. by Desmond Morris

The Cat Owner's Problem Solver, practical and expert advice on caring for cats, by John & Caroline Bower.

Coddle Your Cat, how to pamper your kitty in style--practical projects to prove you care by Eve Devereux.

Historical Biographies

These are a few historical biographies that are currently in the store. They are easy reading, despite being nonfiction, and interesting.

Bonnie Prince Charlie by Carolly Erickson.
The Wives of Henry VIII, by Antonia Fraser
Marie Antoinette by Antonia Fraser
Charles the First by John Bowle
The First Elizabeth by Carolly Erickson
Eleanor of Aquitaine by Alison Weir

Two More Book Reviews

Associated Content finally got the rest of my articles published. Just click on the link in the top of the side bar to the right where it says "My Articles." There are two more book reviews.

Someone just brought me about 12 large boxes of books to look through for purchase for the store. I am so glad that he left them here rather then waiting on me to check them. I have no idea what is in there; hope it is some good surprises. I've been plodding through the boxes of mostly Civil War books that came in couple of weeks ago. Since there is no space for more Civil War books, I have those under the front counter for now. I am mulling over some ideas for rearranging shelves to make room.

Some Interesting Memoirs Currently in the Store

I’ve read all these books and enjoyed each one.

Honeymoon with My Brother, by Franz Wisner. Shortly before his wedding, the bride backed out and so Franz took his brother on the honeymoon. They then decided on a world wide tour. An interesting book with a different look at the various places they went. I started out not liking Franz much, but liked him much more as I continued through the book.

Garlic and Sapphires Comfort Me With Apples, by Ruth Reichl. Foodies know who she is. I did not but enjoyed the books a lot. She was Food Critic for the New York Times when these were written and the books tell of her adventures as a food critic. Who knew such interesting things happen when reviewing a restaurant?

Ecology of a Cracker Childhood, by Janisse Ray. The author grew up in a junkyard along U. S. Highway 1. From her isolated childhood grew a passion to save the nearly vanished longleaf pine ecosystem that once covered the South. She grew up poor but gained intangible riches along the way. A fascinating book.

She Got Up Off The Couch, by Haven Kimmel. You would think that a childhood in a small Midwest town would be less then an interesting read, but you would be wrong. This book tells of her mother’s battle to be more then a couch potato and her efforts to go to collage and get a master’s degree and then to become a teacher. It is also the story of Kimmel’s own coming of age.

West with the Night, by Beryl Markham. The classic east Africa story, beautifully written. Is it all the truth?—does it matter? It is the truth as written by this woman who was one of the early women fliers, as well as horse-lover and child of a plantation owner. Lyrical and engaging, it will be hard to put down.

Horse Books, Part 2

The Morgan Horse, Jeanne Mellin. 1961. The original printing of this classic. Lots of photos. A good reference for the breeder & owner.

For the Good of the Horse, by Mary Wanless. An excellent guide to complementary therapies for the horse as well as topics such as dentistry, gait analysis, nutrition, saddle fit, and more.

The Nature of the Horse, by Margaret Cabell Self. 1974 by the classic author of horse books. Subtitle is "The origin, instinctive behavior, patterns, physical, mental and emotional attributes of the horse and how these affect the way we ride, train and handle him." A must read.

The Complete Book of the Quarter Horse, by Nelson Nye. Nye is better known for his western fiction, but does a good job of writing about the Quarter Horse. Written in 1964, there is much good history here.

Fern Michaels' The Sisterhood Series

Do a cut and paste and read my review here--
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1255084/book_reviewfern_michaels_sisterhood.html?cat=38
OR
click on the "My Articles" icon at top of side bar to the right.

Egypt Books

Currently, the store has a nice selection of books about Egypt. Please email (addy in side bar) for details on book conditions & prices.

--Dictionary of Egyptology, Brockhampton Reference. “a concise and informative A-Z of the dynasties, kings and queens, historic sites and archaeological objects of ancient Egypt, from the beginning of its civilization to its overturn by the Romans.”
--Wrapped for Eternity, the story of the Egyptian mummy, by Mildred Mastin Pace. “Here are the fascinating details of how the mummies were made, discovered, and used”
--The Search for the Gold of Tutankhamen, by Arnold C. Brackman. The Search—The Find—The Curse.
--Life Under the Pharaohs, by Leonard Cottrell. Illustrated. “How did the Ancient Egyptians live—those builders of colossal tombs and temples whose rich civilization reached such peaks of achievement over 3000 years ago?”
--The Culture of Ancient Egypt, by John A. Wilson. “a rich and interpretive biography of one of the greatest cultural periods in human experience.”
--Egypt of the Pharaohs, by Sir Alan Gardiner. A history of Egypt from the earliest times to the conquest of Alexander the Great in 332 BC.
--Egypt Before the Pharaohs, by Michael Hoffman. The story of the great archaeological discoveries of the last century that have given us our first coherent picture of the life and culture of prehistoric Egypt.
--Cleopatra by Emil Ludwig. “A masterful recreation of the life and times of antiquity’s greatest queen, whole love affairs with Caesar and Mark Antony changed the course of history.”
--Tutankhamun and the Valley of the Kings, by Otto Neubert. The story of King Tut’s Egypt.
--Ramses II, the Pharaoh and his Time. From a traveling exhibit.
--Ancient Egypt, 3000 years of splendor, by Warner Hutchinson. Many photos and drawings.
--What Life was Like on the banks of the Nile, Egypt 3053 BC to 30 BC. “chronicles the lifestyles and customs, the skills and technologies, the passions and beliefs of the men and women”
--The Pyramids and Sphinx. “traces the epic course of Egyptian civilization, from the first primitive settlements along the Nile to the triumphant era of the Old Kingdom pyramid builders.”
--Treasures of Tutankhamun. From exhibit.
--Daily Life in Ancient Egypt.
--The Treasures of Tutankhamun, by I. E. S. Edwards.
--Riddles of the Sphinx, by Paul Jordan. “tells the full story of the Great Sphinx of Giza”
--Conversations with Mummies, new light on the lives of ancient Egyptians, by Rosalie David & Rick Archbold.
--Secrets of the Great Pyramid, by Peter Tompkins.
--The American Discovery of Ancient Egypt.
--Pyramid by David Macaulay
--Egypt: Land of the Pharaohs.

Yikes!--More Books. Where to Put Them?

So, I answer the ringing store phone to hear about “a large bookcase of occult books I need to get rid of.” Further conversation makes it all sound worth my time to go take a look and a time is set. I load up my car with boxes and go. Yep, it sure is a large bookcase and it is surely packed with books—Edgar Cayce, meditation, reincarnation, yoga, Ernest Holmes, ESP, paranormal of all sorts, and other misc. No picking and choosing, I had to take them all. Eight large boxes later my car’s trunk and back seat are full of books and I head home. The books are currently in my tack room/book room. I have done a rough sort and weeded out the ones I can’t use for the store and they are in a box in the carport waiting to go away. It was during the rough sort that I realized that there is no room in the store for all these books. Oh-Oh….now what? Well, I have an idea or two to get some of them here but I really need to sort through the four large boxes in the back room of the store first and those books also have no place to go. Guess things are going to get interesting around here once again as I move books around to make some space for the new arrivals. Who needs gym membership? I just move boxes of books from one place to another!