Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs

Another of the Urban Fantasies I got for the store last week that I took home to read first, this book is a good read, moving fast & with interesting characters. I have a sequel to this at home to read yet and have high expectations for it.

Skinwalker by Faith Hunter

Last week, I was able to get a bag of Urban Fantasy/Dark Fantasy books for the store. Some of them are taking a detour home with me so I can read them first. I just finished Skinwalker by Faith Hunter. Author of the Rogue Mage series, this is Hunter's first Jane Yellowrock novel and it is a very good book. While there are vampires, the main character is not a vampire, and what she is exactly is explored as the story unfolds. I highly recommend this book.

Shelf Shift of Classics & More is DONE

I finally finished up the major shelf shift last week. It all looks so much better now and there is space for everything.
The Self Help books were moved to the front of the store to make space for the rest of the moving. The Large Print books were moved over & have more room now.
The Sea stories were then moved and given more space and much better order.
The War stories have more space also.
Then came the biggest move in number of books--the Classics and the Semi-Classics/Oldies but Goodies.

Now on to the shelf shifting of the novels.

Bastard out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison

This is a powerfully haunting book of 1950's & 1960's south from the viewpoint of the young girl in whose voice the book speaks. It is not a pretty book with a happy ending, but one that will grab up the reader and will continue to stay in the reader's mind.

Christian Fiction

On Wednesday I bought a bunch of Christian fiction for the store. Many are in sets of 3 to 5. They are in good condition.

A Few Books New to the Store

I was able to purchase some books new to the store recently. One batch was some nice fairy tale & folklore books, including Grimm's, Arabian folk tales, Jewish folk tales, and another good fairy tale book.
Some recent releases of fiction also has been showing up, mostly romantic novels, but a few adventure/suspense also.
A couple of beautiful Italian cooking books have found their way to the shelves.
There are other books, scattered through the store.

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

This huge book kept my interest all the way through although it was at times too intense to read much at a sitting. The vampires in this book are purely evil with no redeeming features at all. But they are very compelling. The history and travelogue of Eastern Europe is fascinating and compelling in its own right. The ending is complex and not what it first appears to be. The characters are well-drawn and interesting.
This is a book well worth reading.

Shifting & Improving

The shifting of the one aisle continues. I've moved the Self-Help books to a new place and also the supernatural/UFO/etc books. They are in better order and easier to deal with now. With the space freed up by moving those, I moved the Large Print and gave them more room. Then I moved the humor books. After that, I started on the War & Sea books, giving them more space and better organization. I've moved the Sea books, the Vietnam books, and the Civil War paperbacks. On Tuesday I'll start on the War books, followed by the semi-Classics/Oldies-but-goodies and the Classics.

Moving books--again

The self-help books got moved this morning as were the supernatural/UFO books. I also moved the Large Print books over a section and was able to have more space for them. Now I am moving the War & Sea books to have better spacing. Then I'll get to the classics and almost-classics/oldies books to give them more space.

Shelf Shift

The shelf shift slowly rumbles along. The Nora Roberts/JD Robb section has been done & is in much better order then previously. I started the shift at the end of the alphabet and am now into the "P's".

One Job Done!

I finished getting the new-to-the-store Sci Fi & Fantasy onto the shelves. Well, not all of them on the shelves. The shelves are full with no room for shifting. So some authors are residing in boxes on the floor. Not the best answer, but will do for now. With luck, enough books will sell that I can move them onto the shelves or they will sell from the boxes and I won't have to do a thing.

Sickened by Julie Gregory

The subtitle is "The True Story of a Lost Childhood". From the back cover--"From early childhood, Julie Gregory was continually x-rayed, medicated and operated on in the vain pursuit of an illness that was created in her mother's mind: Munchausen by Proxy, the world's most hidden and dangerous form of child abuse."
The book is as horrifying as one might imagine. But it is also a triumph of the human spirit and one woman's redemption. It is not an easy read, but is a compelling read.

Sci Fi & Fantasy new to the store

Earlier this week, I bought a lot of books new to the store and am slowly getting them up on the shelves. Some of the authors are:
Marion Zimmer Bradley --(just a few)
David Farland--4 of them
Terry Brooks--stacks
Piers Anthony--stacks
Robert Asprin--lots
Dave Duncan--lots
Sharon Green--lots
Tanya Huff--lots
John D. Chancie--6 or so
Vonda McIntyre--some
and a few of some others

The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein

I do not want to tell anything about this story as the reader needs to go into this book not knowing what to expect. I liked the book from the first paragraph, even when it got difficult in the last 1/3; and then, the ending was wonderful.
From the back cover--"A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope--a captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life...as only a dog could tell it."
From the front cover--"This old soul of a dog has much to teach us about being human. I loved this book.--Sara Gruen, author of Water for Elephants."
I highly recommend this book. There is not a copy in the store as I am keeping this copy for myself so that I can read it again and again.
Get this book and read it.

The Novels Shelf Shift Begins

And it creeps slowly along...
As I often seem to do, I am starting at the end of the alphabet because that is where I moved other books and freed up some shelves to move the novels onto. Good thing I can alphabetize backwards as well as forwards. I am weeding out old books that have not sold in a long time, like years. This gives more space for the keepers and allows me to better utilized the space. I am also revamping the duplicates of the novels also to make it easier to shelve and restock.
The never-ending work of a bookstore--

Acheron, by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Finally, the book that answers all the questions about the Dark Hunters series. Who is Ash? What is Ash? Just how did the whole thing start? All these and more are explained in this book. As always, the story is very well-written and moves briskly along. The author's humor is also apparent as usual. Released last year, the store now has one copy available.

A Bookstore Threw Up in My Carport

I bought a lot of books from a woman who was selling off what was left of a family member's store. I had to send my two handymen with a truck to get them all. This is not all of them. At this point, I had already taken one stuffed-full car load of books I could not use for the store down to charity and another car load to the store where they reside in the back room for now waiting to be processed. Another load is in my storage area in the dutch barn. This is the last of the lot. The small stack of boxes nearest the camera will go to the store eventually. The large stack will go off to charity when one of my handymen gets their truck back on the road (each of them has a non-functioning truck right now).
The small business owner NEVER truly has a day off, even when staying at home that day.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the books move to the shelves

The 5 million, 348 thousand, 561 books (or some number like that) are slowly moving onto the shelves. Some that I put out last week, have already sold. The record was To Kill A Mockingbird; it took only 1/2 hour from shelving to sales. Now the store has no copies of that book, again. Arthur Miller's The Crucible took about 5 hours to sell and now that is out of stock again. You gotta love the Honors English class; they come to buy good classics. A very scholarly Bible commentary that I bought last week and got on the shelf late yesterday just sold (at a bit short of noon today). Fast turnover is good. But it is also good when a book that has been here for years, finally sells.

Sci Fi & Fantasy books

Finally, I have completed the shelf shift necessary to get the new-to-the-store Sci Fi and Fantasy books up off the floor and onto shelves. I had box loads of both and had to do a major shift to get them all up. Some are old books and some are more recent releases. It was good to get such a major haul of these books.

New Paranormal Section

I have moved books around again and created a paranormal section for fans of that genre. It includes Anne Rice, Sherilyn Kenyon, Christine Feehan, and all others who write Paranormal Romantic Suspense or Paranormal Mystery (like Charlene Harris) or any other form of Paranormal Fiction.

More Books New to the Store

And more books, and more books, and lots more books and I just bought more.
I think the word has gone out that the "Fool" at Curt's Books is buying all sorts of books. I have had more offers of books in the past 3 weeks then in the rest of the year all together. I have bought a lot and sent a lot back out the door. These are in all different categories. There has been lots of fiction and lots of non-fiction also.
Buying them is the easy part. I can do that quickly. The hard work then comes to price them and get them on the shelves or on display. That takes a lot more time. But it does get done eventually.

Gotta have inventory to keep the customers happy!

Beauty & Wonder, The Wild Gardens of California by Ron Mackie

The author grew up in the Sierra Madre area of So. Calif. in the 1920's & 30's and got to really know natural California. This delightful and lyrical little book recounts his life in various zones of California.

Finished--at last

The shelf shift and weeding of the Adventure/Suspense books is finally done! Whew.
I weeded out all the old books no one was buying anymore, gave the section some new space, rearranged the duplicates to have them in a more logical manner, made the shelves much neater, and generally improved the entire thing.
Now, on to all the other big projects I have planned.

New Air Conditioner!

The store had a new AC installed yesterday. The new one is quite an improvement as it puts out cooler air and more of it. This was an expensive deal but will pay off in time.

The Shack by Wm. Paul Young

Last year, I started to get requests for this book, but never had a copy in the store. Finally, late last week, a copy came in and I side-tracked it home to read first. I wanted to see what the book was about and why all the hoop-la about it.
I had no idea what the book was about until I read the blurb on the back, which said, in part, "...In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant, The Shack wrestles with the timeless question :Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain? The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You'll want everyone you know to read this book!"

Well, I was not astounded or transformed and I don't need everyone to read this book. However, I do recommend it as an interesting and thought-provoking read. It stays within the Christian tradition but definitely bends the paradigm. Whatever religion or spirituality you may be, this book is worth your time.

Civil War Books

The store has a really nice selection of Civil War books available. Many are coffee table sized with excellent photographs. There are also many fiction books too.

Some New Arrivals

One of my favorite book scouts was in this morning. I got from him a large selection of Sylvia Browne books. From a different source, I have a bunch of "New Age" books that are now out on the shelf. There are a lot of Edgar Cayce books in that group.

Some new titles of Sci/Fi & Fantasy in the store

These are not new releases but are new to the store. I was able to buy 4 big bags of books last week. They are now all shelved. I had to do a shelf shift to get them all up there. Now that the dust has settled, here is a quick list.
13 Anne McCaffrey titles
8 Dennis L. McKiernan titles
7 Mercedes Lackey titles
10 Piers Anthony titles
5 David Eddings titles
13 Raymond E Feist
5 Brian Jacques
2 Andre Norton
3 Katherine Kurtz
3 Karen Miller
1 Christopher Rowly
3 Marion Zimmer Bradley
1 L E Modesitt Jr

Two Books by Julia Quinn

Author Julia Quinn has been around for awhile, writing entertaining books of historical fiction. As many authors are now doing, she writes books that each base the story on different characters who are related in some manner. Usually these books do not need to be read in order, but Quinn has two that really really need to be read not only in order, but one right after the other.
The first book is The Lost Duke of Wyndham and the second is Mr. Cavendish, I Presume. Both cover the exact same time period with the same characters. However they are told from the point of view of different people and it makes for quite entertaining reading. Both have a good sense of humor and sense of the absurd.
For a fun reading time, get both of these.

Dan Brown's Angels & Demons

I have just been told that a movie based on this book will be coming out shortly. So, if you have not read this book and want to before the movie happens, come get one here. The store has many copies.

Westerns in the store, including Parker's Appaloosa

I finished revamping the westerns the other day. They have a bit more room now so the shelves are not so crowded and easier to pull books off to look at. Then, someone brought in a large bag of westerns by William Johnstone which I bought. They are mostly one or the other of his Mountain Man series--the First Mountain Man, the Mountain Man, the Last Mountain Man. I got those up promptly and some have sold already. His books are so popular that it is hard to keep a good selection of them on the shelf.
There are many other good authors, such as Elmer Kelton, Ralph Compton, Matt Braun, Ralph Cotton, Luke Short, Terry C. Johnston, McCarthy, Henry, and so many more whose names I can't recall right now.
There are several copies of Robert Parker's Appaloosa in the store now. Over the weekend, courtesy of Netflix, I watched the movie made from that book. WOW--they stuck closely to Parker's book and dialogue and did an excellent job. Not only did I enjoy the movie, but I also enjoyed the special features that talked of making the movie. And as a horse person, I was happy to see that they did the horses and the tack very well, sticking to period tack. I recommend both the book and the movie.

Metal Working & Knife Making books

These were just purchased for the store yesterday.
Knife making:
How to Make Knives
Ed Fowler's Knife Talk, the art & science of knifemaking
The Wonder of Knife Making

Metal Working:
Oxyfuel Gas Welding
How to Forge Weld on a Blacksmith's Anvil for those who have Diligently Tried and Failed
Building a Gas Fired Crucible Furnace
Blacksmithing for the Home Craftsman
Soldering and Brazing
Metalwork for Craftsmen
Copper Work
How to Build a Forge
Hardening, Tempering, Annealing and forging of steel

New Books on Jewelry Making in the store

I just purchased these this morning. They are:
Designing with Wire
Wild Wire
Making Silver Chains
Wrapped Wire Attire
Fun with Wire
The Design and Creation of Jewelry
Wonderful Wire Works
Hot and Wired
Jewelry, Two Books in One

All are in very good condition.

Paperbacks New to the Store

On Saturday, I was able to buy a bunch of paperbacks that have never been in the store. They are not new releases, but are new to the store. Rather then put them on the shelf and have them disappear into the other books, they are in a box on the front counter. Some are by authors new to me and some are by familiar authors but somehow that certain title has eluded the store until now.

Short Review--The Roosevelt Women

I was able to get this book for the store when I was getting a group of Large Print books. I sidetracked it home to read first. Of course, the Roosevelt women that first come to mind would have to be Eleanor, Alice and perhaps Sara Delano, Franklin's mother. But there were other women who contributed, not only to the sprawling Roosevelt family, but to national affairs. Martha Bulloch married Theodore Sr. and birthed not only Theodore Jr. but two strong daughters, Anna and Corinne. Corinne's daughter Corinne is also in this book. Edith Carow, Theodore's second wife, is in this book as is her only daughter Ethel.
This complex and large family is interesting in its own right but also interesting are the times that formed the background and set the stage for each member. The book is easy to read, catching the reader's attention and holding interest on every page.
I recommend this book.

Some New-to-the-Store Wicca & Pagan books

Just bought them yesterday and they will soon be on the shelf in the Spirituality section. These are in good shape and look interesting.

A Few Local History Books

Currently in the store are the following Local History books--
Redlands--Our Town by Frank E. Moore
San Bernardino Mountain Trails by John W. Robinson
The Way to Arrowhead Springs by Richard D. Thompson
The Friendliest Valley by Viloet Tapper & Nellie Lolmaugh (history of San Jacinto Valley)
SanBernardino County, Land of Contrasts
Sun City, California, The First 30 Years, June 1962-June 1992
The Story of Mission Santa Ysabel

World War 2 Books--and a story

Last Friday, I took a drive to the west side of town to look at some books. I bought two big boxes of mostly WW2 books. There are some very good ones in this group. The seller also had some crossword puzzle dictionaries and some small books of crossword puzzles.
Chatting with the seller, she told me a wonderful story of herself. Her recently passed husband had been her high school sweetheart. But after high school, the went their separate ways and were married for over 50 years to other people. Then, after both their spouses had passed on, they met at a high school reunion and got back together. They had 8 years together before he passed on.
I do have fun buying books for the store.

Large Print Books

The store has a good selection of Large Print books, including many Readers Digest editions with three books in one. Yesterday, I was able to purchase nearly 30 more Large Print for the store. Many are recent releases. After I write this, I will be stamping them for the store and then will have them out on the shelf.

Cane River by Lalita Tademy

Based on facts, this novel takes place on a Creole plantation on the banks of Louisiana's Cane River and follows four generations of women from slavery to freedom. Starting before the Civil War, the book goes into the early years of the twentieth century. The book is both lush and stark--the lush land of Louisiana and the starkness of life there for blacks. It is a book that sweeps up the reader while taking the reader to a not-so-far-away place and time.

Quick Review--The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

I read this book last year, brought it to the store where it sold and has just now come back. This is a memoir about an interesting childhood. From the back cover, a reviewer for the New York Times Book Review says "Memoirs are our modern fairy tales...The autobiographer is faced with the daunting challenge of attempting to understand, forgive, and even love the witch...Readers will marvel at the intelligence and resilience of the Walls kids." It is a marvelous book, full of wonderment--the readers wonder at the parents' total lack of reality, at the way the children manage to not just survive but to thrive, and when the book is finished, at the tribute to the human spirit.

Quick Review--The Chinchilla Farm by Judith Freeman

This is a Trade Paperback fiction which came into the store a while back and got sidetracked to my house so I could read it. I finished it the other day and thoroughly enjoyed this book. On the back cover, one reviewer is quoted as saying "Elegant and unexpected..." and this book truly is that. The way it moves along, the interesting people found along the way, all this and more delights. Another reviewer says "Purely, simply, beautiful." That really does sum it up. Another reviewer said "Under the plain honesty and generosity of Judith Freeman's writing is a delicate and impressive artistic strength. I read The Chinchilla Farm right through as a fascinating story, but... it lingers in my mind as a true journey through the desert of the West and of the Soul." YES! It is fiction, but it is true. It is about the west and it is about each person who reads it.

Ray Hunt

This really has nothing to do with the book store.
The great horseman Ray Hunt has passed on.
I never met him in person, only saw him on a few videos and read his book. But as many have, I have benefited from his teachings. Of far more importance, my horses and the horses of many others have benefited from his teachings for his work taught the human to better understand the horse and to be able to effectively communicate with the horse.
Ride on Ray--may your light shine on forever.

Quick Review--Falling Leaves by Adeline Yen Mah

The subtitle of this book is "The Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter". Born in 1937, her life coincides with a tumultuous time in Chinese history and her own history was shaped by the larger Chinese events. The book is well written and moves along swiftly introducing the many interesting characters of the author's life. If you like reading about Chinese history as personally seen and also like a good memoir, this is a book to read.
It is currently in the store with the other memoirs.

The Miss Zukas Mysteries

This is a pleasant series of mysteries by Jo Dereske. Miss Zukas is a librarian in a small city in Washington state. As with any good mystery, the main enjoyment of the book is not finding out "who dun it" as the journey of getting there. Miss Zukas is an interesting person to know and she has an interesting cast of characters around her. The description of the city and the climate are also enjoyable.
I picked up one book and at first was not that enthralled by the character, but she grew on me enough that I read the next book and then two more. It does help to read these in order, but not strictly necessary. For anyone who wants a pleasant, enertaining easy reading mystery, I do recommend these.

New (to the store) Spirituality Books Out on the Shelves

I have just finished processing some new-to-the-store spiritual books. They range from a bunch from Unity to some on the spiritual aspects of Yoga, to meditation, and some other misc. topics. This is quite an interesting batch of books. They are on the shelves with the other spiritual books.

Twilight by Stephanie Meyers

This is one hot series. For months people have been asking for it but none have come into the store as people are holding on to their copies. Finally, last week, a copy of the first of the series, Twilight, showed up. I sidetracked it home to read.
It is written for "Young Adults" but many adults have been reading it. Over the years, I have read many Young Adult books and enjoyed them. This was not one of those. I felt that the author panders to teenage girls rather then writing a good story. There are holes in the plot and the book is just tedious. It is enlivened by the occasional flash of humor, but the humor is too little to save the book. It does not stand up well as either a paranormal romance or a good teen book.
In any case, it is already out of the store, bought by someone who probably won't be bringing it back.

The store rolls along...

without me. I've had a horrible flu that started last Friday and today is the first day I have felt able to sit at the computer for a few minutes. I should be back next week.

New Spirituality Books in Store

A box load of spirituality books were bought for the store this morning. Most of them went onto the Spirituality shelves but some fit better in self-help and a few are in the window. Later, another box load of various books were purchased for the store. Those are sitting on the floor waiting to be priced and shelved which probably won't happen until Friday. Once this is written, it is back to processing some paperback fiction that just came in, some of it for the Newer rack in front. It is always happy to get books new to the store.

Another Good Paranormal Novel

Zen and the Art of Vampires by Katie MacAlister. This is a newer release and an author new to me. This book has a wacked sense of humor, good action, and the plot moves right along. I'll be looking for more of her books.

Some More New Titles

The store just received some new titles. They are paperback historical romances. There are two contemporary romances, a Sheryl Woods and a Luanne Rice. All of these are at the front of the store.

Shannon Drake, author of Historical Romance

Shannon Drake has written a lot of books. I've read two of them. The first one I read was OK, but nothing special. The second one is pretty good. Set in the early 1700's, the heroine is not only a pirate, but the captain of a pirate ship. This is definitely something different. The book has lots of action and adventure and moves right along. Based on this book, I will probably read some others of hers. Shannon Drake is the pen name for Heather Graham Pozzessere, whose books I have not read.
This is one of the books in a group of newly released historical romances that came into the store the week before last. They are on the "Newer Used Books" rack up front. Shannon Drake's older books are shelved with the Novels.

Window Reflections

Recommendation--Victoria Alexander

Alexander writes good historical romances. Yeah, there is more detailed sex then I prefer but I am real good at skimming those parts. What, for me, is the strength of her books is the sense of humor, well-drawn characters, good plots that move briskly along, and easy readability. I have not read all her books, but have read a bunch and have just finished The Perfect Wife, which may be her best one. It has more adventure then her other books and takes the characters to Egypt for much of that adventure. So if you enjoy a good historical romance, give this author a try.

New Articles Up

My three recently written articles have been published on Ass. Con. and are available by the link in the right sidebar that says "My Articles". Just click on that. There is a book review along with a classic movie review and a horse related article.

Recommendation--Midnight's Daughter by Karen Chance

A customer brought in some new books for credit late last week. There was a Paranormal Adventure book by an author I had not seen before and since the book looked interesting I took it home to read. This is one of the best Paranormal books I have read. It has a wry, sideways humor throughout the book, lots of action, good characters, interesting situations, and is overall a very good read. It does not have page after page of descriptive sex, which is a good thing. Some of the characters are sexy, but the reader does not have to drag through pages of plot stopping detail. I truly enjoyed this book.
The author has two other books, both with a different main character. I hope that those two and any others she writes in the future will show up at the store. I'll have this book in the store Tuesday.

Some Classic Old Mystery Writers

I haven't read any of these, so can not comment on them. However, these are all authors who were popular in their day and still are looked for from time to time. In the store, they are all grouped together in their own place.
J. D. Carr, M. Allingham, C. Dickson, P. Dickinson, C. Dexter, J. Creasey, A. Cross, M. Eberhart,and N. Freeling.
The store also has a bunch of Ross MacDonald, a few Raymond Chandler and a lot of John D. MacDonald. John D. MacDonald was the author of the popular Travis McGee series, of which I read every one (and have my own private collection at home) and plan to read again some day. If you have never read one, give it a try.

Recommendation

Many of the store customers know that I love Robert Parker's Spenser series. I have recommended these to many and have my own collection of all his books. I have read two of the Sunny Randall books and liked them OK, but much prefer the Spenser series. The repartee between Spenser and Hawk is the consistent highlight of each book in the series. At a customer's urging, I have just read one of Parker's westerns. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Think Spenser and Hawk in the Old West, and you will have the gist of the book. The one I read is Resolution and I now have a copy of Appaloosa to read. The store has only one copy of Appaloosa on the shelf right now but hopefully more of his westerns will show up at some point.
Yep, if you like the Spenser series, you will like the westerns.

Quick Review

Malkeh and Her Children a novel by Marjorie Edelson. "She strove to sustain her courageous Jewish family, even as their lives and traditions were threatened by the perils of the Russian Revolution."
I have read many books dealing with the Jews in East Europe and Russia and the Jewish immigrant experience but this is one of the best I have read. The characters are all believable and of interest. The details of their lives are richly explored and made real to us now, so far away in both time and experience. The richness of their spiritual life, the poverty of their physical world, the pogroms, the move to America and so much more is brought to life in a vivid manner. The book is wide-ranging as the different children's lives take them to China, to the cities of Russia, and finally to western America.
I highly recommend this book.

One thing leads to another

Over the weekend I pulled books from the storage at home to restock the shelves in the store. When I got to the mysteries, I realized that section needed major re-vamping. I decided to cull out the old books that do not sell anymore to make room for all the newer books. As I was doing this, I saw that I would be able to have more space on each shelf and shift the books over to make room for the Adventure/Suspense books which are badly in need of more space. I also was working through the duplicates stored in the store and put them on the shelves as needed, so this was a complex project.
As I write this now, I have culled the culls and have started the shift. Once the mysteries are shifted, then I can shift the Adv/Sus books over. Somewhere in all the craziness I need to also fix up the culls so I can sell them as "cheapies" at 4 for $1.
I am definitely keeping busy. Now, back to moving books.

Misc. Books available

Just a list of some misc. available books--
The Path of the Masters bu Radja Soami Satsang Beas. From the dust jacket "This book is a comprehensive statement of SantMat, the teachings of the great spiritual Masters. After living with such a Master for almost seven years, the author gives an outline of Surat Shabd Yoga, the Yoga of the Audible Life Stream, which is the scientific system through which the Masters attain the highest degree of spiritual development.

Low-Stress Computing, using awareness to avoid RSI, a Feldenkrais Perspective by Ralph Strauch. This little book is a preliminary edition of his later longer book. This book covers "Reducing Behavioral Stress". I went through the Feldenkrais training to become a practicioner and can vouch for the value of this book.

The Tiwo of North Australia by CWM Hart & Arnold R Pilling. This book is in a series of Case Studies in cultural anthropology.

Granta magazine, No. 12--"The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones" by Stanley Booth. There are other selections by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Jayne Anne Phillips, Gunter Grass and others.

The Colt .45 Automatic, a shop manual by Jerry Kuhnhausen.

More Boxes of Books

My favorite book seller was in yesterday and I bought books from him. He brings nice books in all subjects and this time I got some good coffee table style books and lots of other good stuff. I hope to get it priced and out on display today.
Also yesterday, a customer who comes every few months arrived with her boxes of books brought in for credit. She always has some she got here and some from other places. As always, there are some good books in these boxes. I am taking a short break from sorting and pricing these right now to write this.
Then there are the many boxes of books in the back room waiting for me.
The end result is a lot of books new to the store are going out on the shelves over the next days and weeks.

Some Curiosities

Some Curiosities

Just a few of the wide variety of books available. Ask for price, condition, any other details.

The Life of Samuel Johnson with selections from the writings of Johnson, edited with an introduction and notes by Homer K. Underwood, A.M., Head of the Department of English in the High School, Passaic, New Jersey. Book by Thomas Babington Macaulay. Printed in New York by Charles E. Merrill Company, 1911. An interesting little book. The first part is about Macaulay and includes a Bibliography. The rest of the book is Macaulay’s writings on Samuel Johnson. It is one of Merrill’s English texts of the masterpieces of English Literature.

Taquisara by F. Marion Crawford, in two volumes, published by The Macmillan Co. in New York, 1897. A novel that looks intriguing.

Gong Hee Fot Choy Dream Book with Prophecy Numerology and Planetary Tour Guide, revised and enlarged edition, Margarete Ward with excerpts from my book prophecy.An interesting little booklet with Chinese philosophy, a discussion of how the author met her Chinese teacher, and then the major part of the book titled “The Meaning of Your Dream” with various subjects in alphabetical order.

Lafayette, Friend of America, published by John Hancock LI Co. copyright 1928. this pamphlet is a short history of Lafayette’s part in the American revolution.

Thud, by Terry Pratchett, hardback, 2005. If you like Terry Pratchett, you really like him. If not, oh well.

Conspicuous California Plants, with notes of their garden uses by Ralph D. Cornell with illustrations by the author & drawings by Elizabeth Lewis. San Pasqual Press, Pasadena CA, 1938. A classic book for the horticulturist. Contents include chapters on the Sequoias, Madrone, Oaks, Sycamores, Cottonwoods, Pines, Rhuses, Manzanitas, Toyons, Yuccas, and so much more. A must-have book for anyone who is interested in the California native species.

Three Quick Reviews--2 novels & 1 memoir

Rebecca’s Tale by Sally Beauman
I have not read du Maurier’s Rebecca nor seen any of the movies based on that novel, so I cannot say how faithfully this book takes the characters from the novel. However, I was fully entranced by this book from the very first paragraph and remained so throughout. This book takes place in 1951, twenty years since the death of Rebecca, the first wife of Maxim de Winter. One of the characters in this book had asked Rebecca “who are you?” and this book is an answer to that question. Who is Rebecca is looked at through the thoughts and eyes of several characters, each bringing their own perspective to the question. In the end, the reader must decide that question each for their own self. It is a complex novel with complex characters and complex questions, creating an enthralling and difficult to put down story.

Sarah, by Margueritte Harmon Bro
The author lived from 1894-1977, and the book starts in the early 1900’s and continues into the mid 1920’s. Most of the book is set in a town in Minnesota and it follows the life of Sarah from age 12 onwards as she grows and learns. She must make difficult decisions about her life and learn to follow her own true self. The novel does a good job of creating this time and place for today’s readers. All the characters ring true in this richly detailed book.

A Year by the Sea, by Joan Anderson
The subtitle is “Thought of an Unfinished Woman” and this memoir details one year of the author’s life as she explores the meaning of being unfinished and how to return to her authentic self and to bring life back to her marriage. At the start of the book, I was somewhat disappointed, but then the narrative caught me up and I found much to enjoy and ponder in these pages.

All three of these books are currently in the store, available as trade paperbacks. Sally Beauman has also written other novels and they are in the store as mass market paperbacks.