SQUIRRELS
Monday, December 31, 2007
Harriett

I saw a black squirrel this morning in my yard!  Cool!  There's a large enclave of black squirrels in Kent, so perhaps this one voyaged up from Kent.  (There are also black squirrel communities in Iowa City and Washington DC and of course Canada, but I digress.) 

I also saw a squirrel Nutkin on my way to work today -- a healthy grey squirrel missing its tail.  Maybe the black squirrel got it. 

EDWARD BURTYNSKY
December 30, 2007
Harriett

One of the hits this holiday season in my own household are the photography books of Edward Burtynsky.  I know of three:  China, Quarries, and Manufactured Landscapes, which corresponds with the film of the same name.  The film aired at last year's Cleveland International Film Festival, and made Joe Morganstern's Top Ten list in The Wall Street Journal.  The images are intense, surreal, mind boggling, and, alas, real. 

LUCHITA'S
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Harriett

Luchita's will close at Shaker Square at the end of this month.  Very sad indeed.  Of course, in Coral Company's continual quest for an entirely upscale-edible square, two more restaurants are scheduled to open in 2008 (bringing the total to 13 eateries, 5 services, 3 arts & antiques, 2 chainstores, and measely 2 retail stores).  So, we go drink a toast to our favorite restaurant on the Square in their last days.  Buenos suerte a Luchita's. 

Also fond farewells to La Tortilla Feliz in Tremont, one of the best and most authentic central American restaurants I know.  Double sigh.

FAMILY OUTING
Friday, December 28, 2007
Harriett

That's the family at a Christmas outing on the shores of Lake Erie, with thousands of seagulls congregating.  Brisk, sunny, and nice.  We also visited the Rockefeller Greenhouse, which was wonderful, and open, on Christmas day.  Tons of poinsettias!!  Mother (Brenda) took the photographs, and so of course is missing from the portrait. 

CHRISTMAS GOOD NEWS
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Harriett

Ah, Christmas was good.  Loganberry fleece sweatshirts all 'round, and books, candy, and socks.  What more can a girl ask for? 

Top it off with the fact that mother's laptop computer survived a glass of wine on Christmas evening.  Don't ask me why it was drinking, I guess it got into the holiday spirit.  Mother isn't surprised that it survived, of course.  But the rest of us are!

'TWAS THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS
December 26, 2007
By Ned Crabb in The Wall Street Journal

The following instructions, coffee-stained and torn, were found in a box amid a jumble of tools and mechanical parts on the sidewalk outside a Manhattan apartment building along with discarded trees and other holiday trash. Just visible inside the box was a gift tag that read "Merry Christmas to Johnny. Love, Mom and Dad."

Congratulations! You are the lucky owner of the Model ZVZ156 Vangplotz High-Digenation Wide-Scringe Framulator, Series 7000, with fernillated quick-response Worzel and 20,000 zurlebytes of scringe-view quorms. Follow these simple instructions and soon you will enjoy untold hours of pleasure.

IMPORTANT: Begin by lifting out the plune-wrapped section marked "Lithinode Distrillitor" and refer to the blue-colored picrochit-regulator intensity chart on the side. If the chart has the fuchsia-colored code BRZ3434, your unit requires an AC4(x2z3) power influrger. Extract the influrger pack from the distrillitor's surge-protection splange and check the code. If you have an AC5(x3z4) influrger instead of an AC4(x2z3) model, or if the intensity chart is colored burnt orange instead of blue, then call your local Vangplotz "Speedy Geek" home service provider at 1-800-UONHOLD. (WARNING: If the intensity chart is colored silver with pink stripes, then your distrillitor must be activated in person by a Vangplotz lithinode technician within 48 to 72 hours. Vangplotz service centers are conveniently located in the Yellow Dog, Ala., industrial campus and the six-story Grendel Mall-City in Frozen Badger, N.D.)

Next, lift out the tray marked "Tools" and check the inclusions against the following list:

One 7¾-inch extenulator
Two packages of ¾-inch fribbets
Four packages of 1½-inch fribbets
One six-jointed revolving spangler
One Spurgel-head grommel
Six fandles
One swigel-headed flonge
One multi-pronged grallup
One soft-COR elasticized squiller

Unpack the main components: Scringe, MO-DOR qualblanz scrambler, disk-o-later insertion whindler, zagenator, gridger board, Wooflang biceptor, varnicle inhibitor, Worzel.

Remove plune-wrapping from the scringe. Using the 7¾-inch extenulator, calibrate the number of inches spanning the scringe-gripper aperture on the MO-DOR scrambler. The ZVZ156 scringe must have a 14-inch aperture to successfully interflex with the MO-DOR picrochits. If the aperture exceeds 14 inches, insert and turn the soft-COR elasticized squiller. Upon completion proceed to:

STEP 1:
First, insert the lithinode distrillitor pack into the scringe under the panel marked Varnicle Reflexelator Chamber. A flinged graffler at the bottom of the chamber will connect the distrillitor to the varnicle. Next, lower the scringe into the MO-DOR scringe-gripper aperture using the swigel-headed flonge to secure it onto the varnicle nodes, which conduct 20-zilihurtz magnifiers to the varnicles. Use the multipronged grallup to secure the pink wooplers to the orange varnicle nodes and the four triple-pronged green wires to the varnicle inhibitor. WARNING: Even one woopler-varnicle node misconnection will cause xurls to disrupt the scringe-view quorms once the framulator is plugged in.

STEP 2:
On the gridger board, align the zagenator, whindler and biceptor units 2.725 inches apart, calibrating the distance with the extenulator. Place the gridger board on top of the units and secure with 1½-inch fribbets using the revolving spangler. Stabilize the units by installing fandles using 1½-inch fribbets.

Go carefully; this is a narrow space: Attach the Spurgel-head grommel onto the wronchle prong of the multi-pronged grallup and position it directly over a fribbet.

Next, extend the revolving spangler to the fourth joint, attach the bludgger head and release the sping-grip. With your left hand, carefully lower the spangler and clamp the sping-grip around the grommel handle while turning the spangler speed valve to "rapid" with your right, and pressing the oscillator button with your other hand.

THIS CONCLUDES PART 1

LOGANBERRY'S TOP TWELVE
Friday, December 21, 2007
Harriett

Christmas is almost here, and the flocks and hoardes have dwindled, while the customer service needs have increased.  Happens every year about this time.  But I have just a few moments to reflect on some the best sellers at Loganberry this month.  Mind you, we're not a typical new bookstore with skids of pop titles, but a few of these we were counting on, and had multiples available.  These are not necessarily in order. 

1.  Gallop! by Rufus Butler Seder
Outselling all of the Robert Sabuda pop-ups this year is a simple little book featuring "scanimation" movement that delights young and old alike with its old-timey works in a modern techno package and cheap pricetag.  Customers tend to buy this in quantity, and we've now run out twice. 
2.  The Twelve Terrors of Christmas  by John Updike and illustrated by Edward Gorey 
The sweet-and-sour reprint of this sells for $9.95, but we sold out already.  We have the original actually, for a bit more... 
3.  The Elf on the Shelf by Carol Aebersold, Chanda Bell and Coe Steinwart 
This self-published, self-promoted and self-distributed book is hard to get your hands on if you don't go directly to the authors.  Luckily, I did, and sold half the case to a friend who's giving them to everyone she knows this year. We've got one left. 
4.  The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
No doubt the movie helps, but so does my display, discount, and free poster deal. 
5.  How to Traumatize Your Children by Knock-Knock
Knock-Knock is a card and game company really, but they put out a small series of "self-hurt" books, of which this title is a surprise hit. 
6.  Cartographia: Mapping Civilizations by Vincent Virga
The coffee table hit of the season.  A customer actually called and asked if I would "match Amazon's price."  Perhaps she didn't know that Amazon was out-of-stock at any price. (We are now too).
7.  The Four Seasons of Mary Azarian by Lilias Hart and Mary Azarian 
We've had this wonderful retrspective of Vermont woodcut artist Mary Azarian several times, and now we have the paperback edition at a remaindered price, which makes it pretty much irresistible. 
8.  The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn Iggulden, Hal Iggulden as well as The Daring Book for Girls by Andrea Buchanan
These books are actually not related, but they do sell side-by-side and even as pairs
9.  Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert 
I'm not sure it ever got to the shelf, several times.
10.  The All-of-a-Kind Family series by Sydney Taylor
Was there recent publicity on this old classic?  We have a tribute page on the series under out Most Requested Books, but I haven't seen a rush on them like this for quite a while.
11.  The Bob Dylan Scrapbook 1956-1966  by Robert Santelli
We should have bought more Dylan and less Beatles at CIROBE.  Damn, I knew that. 
12.  The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
A perfect little stocking stuffer, now that it's back in stock.

MOST SOUGHT AFTER, 2007
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Harriett

It's the end of the year, and year-end lists are abounding everywhere. Bookfinder.com just published their Top Ten most sought-after out-of-print books for 2007, and we smile as we recognize some of these book searches over the past year.  We also have at least two of these in stock -- 20% ain't bad for a hot-demand hard-to-find list like this.

1. Once a Runner (1978) by John L. Parker, Jr.
     The cult classic distance running novel; the long-awaited sequel, Again to Carthage, was released in November
2. Football Scouting Methods (1962) by Steve Belichick
     Legendary college football scout’s playbook, used by coaches and players to develop winning game plans
3. Sex (1992) by Madonna
    The pop icon’s controversial book of erotic photos
4. Promise Me Tomorrow (1984) by Nora Roberts
     An early novel that the bestselling romance novelist refuses to reprint, describing it as “mediocre”
5. The Lion’s Paw (1946) by Robb White
     A children’s adventure story about two orphans who travel around Florida in a boat
6. The Principles of Knitting (1988) by June Hemmons Hiatt
    An indispensable resource on hand knitting
7. Raven: The Untold Story of the Reverend Jim Jones and His People (1982) by Tim Reiterman
    Chronicles the inner workings which allowed the Peoples Temple to flourish
8. Aran Knitting (1997) by Alice Starmore
     History and how-to about the Irish knitting technique
9. One Way Up (1964) by John F. Straubel
     The story of of helicopters and vertically rising aircraft
10. Dear and Glorious Physician (1959) by Taylor Caldwell
      A novel based on the life of Saint Luke

BOOKSTORE CLOSINGS
Monday, December 17, 2007
Ellie

It's sad to see a bookstore close.  The Book Baron of Anaheim, California, an institution of 20,000 square feet, 500,000 used and rare books, and 27 years in the business, is closing this month with a fire sale.  And Loome Antiquarian Books of Stillwater, MN is closing this month too, also with a giant sale and promotional YouTube video  to bring in the droves.  The video ("the books act out their favorite literary death scenes") is funny, clever, and sad, all simultaneously.  I've been there. I burned a book at the end of Coventry Books. C'est La Vie.

BOOK REC:  DANGEROUS BOOK FOR BOYS
Saturday, December 15, 2007

Title: The Dangerous Book for Boys
Authors:  Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden
Reviewer:  Audrey  [Loganberry's first employee]

Have you seen The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden? It came out a few months ago and stirred up a little bit of controversy, but it contains stuff that Every Boy Should Know and is packaged as an old-fashioned Book About Being a Boy. Tying knots, making secret ink and paper airplanes, knowing the rules of soccer and about the Battle of Gettysburg and the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and about amazing and daring explorers and their feats--this is a cool thing. The book is cataloged as YA in my library, but I think any sharp 10-to-14-year-old would like it. It's not smarmy, it's just cool. And it's good to have a Navajo Code Talker's Alphabet Table, or a basic introduction to Shakespeare, or directions on building a go-kart or on finding direction with a watch, or any of these things, in a handy reference volume. Get one and check it out!

[Harriett's note:  there is also a Daring Book for Girls, and a parody called Dangerous Book for Dogs.]

THE TALES OF BEEDLE THE BARD
Friday, December 14, 2007
Harriett

J.K. Rowling has done it again, this time in a posh Sotheby's auction as a fundraiser for her charity, the Children's Voice.  Seven handwritten and hand-illustrated copies of The Tales of Beedle the Bard exist, and this is the only one written with the intent of sale.  The production is lavish (hand-bound morocco leather studded with silver designs), the hype immense, and the price tag...  outlandish? amazing?  Well, it was estimated by Sotheby's at £50,000.  It sold for £1,950,000 (that's approximately £2 million or €3 million or $4 million US). 

And the winner?  Um...  Amazon.com.  They already have it featured on their website, but under the conditions of sale, they cannot reprint or sell the stories featured therein.  Don't worry, they promise pictures, detailed reviews, and tours...

WORD OF THE DAY: FOLDEROL
Friday, December 14, 2007
Harriett

This is taken shamelessly off the Merriam-Webster word-a-day email list, because it's just perfect folderol malarkey. 

folderol \FAHL-duh-rahl\  noun
     1 : a useless ornament or accessory : trifle
     2 : nonsense

Example sentence:
     Cherie dismissed the tabloid article as useless folderol.

Did you know?
Hogwash. Claptrap. Hooey. Drivel. Malarkey. English is rife with words that mean "nonsense," and "folderol" is one of the many. Though not the most common of the words for nonsense, it's been around since 1820 and is still heard today. "Folderol" comes from "fol-de-rol" (or "fal-de-ral"), which used to be a nonsense refrain in songs, much like "tra-la-la." The oldest recorded instance of someone "singing folderol" occurs in Irish dramatist George Farquhar’s 1701 play Sir Harry Wildair, in which a character sings, "Fal, al, deral!" 

STUMPER MAGICIAN UPDATE
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Harriett

I have now sent out 33 free books to Stumper Magicians, those wonderful people who help solve the Stump the Bookseller entries.  New on the gift registry this year was a "crusty old tome," which has proven very popular.  My hospital shelf has room on it again, hoorah!

Now if I could just bring all the Stumper Magicians to Loganberry, I could treat them to a concert by Gene's Jazz Hot, like tonight's, and wouldn't that be fun?  But, alas, that is where the virtual and local communities differ.  Both are nice, but they are not the same.  Still, if you ever come to Cleveland, do make some time to hang out in the bookstore and come to some of our special events.  Better yet, if you live here, come see what wonders lie in your own backyard.  (Am I preaching to the choir again?  Sorry.) 

IN MEMORIAM: JANE RULE
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Harriett

Ellie from Strong Bindery came in all upset over the news that Jane Rule has died.  End of an era.  Jane Rule made big waves in her day, and is largely lost in regonition in these more accepting times.  Her 1964 lesbian romance Desert of the Heart became a classic, and later a film.  After all, there was a happy ending!  Her nonfiction work Lesbian Images is considered a landmark.  Literature, and society, has indeed been altered by the pioneers like Jane Rule, who broke all the rules.  Rest in well-deserved and long-sought peace. 

SALUTATIONS 
Friday, December 7, 2007
Brenda

I just read Salutations, and found it very touching and wonderful. Maybe that's because I had forgotten just how great those illustrations are, and how lovely the prose reads, and how much I loved that book.  I wonder if people who either never read it, or don't remember or love it, will like it as much.  I think even the reduced version is a treasure. 

Salutations!  Wit and Wisdom from Charlotte's Web, from E.B. White and Garth Williams.  Hardcover.  Originally $9.95, now $2.99

This, and more, are featured on our Holiday Catalog.  Check it out. 

STUMPER MAGICIANS
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Harriett

It's that time again!  For all you wonderful Stumper Magicians out there, it's thanksgiving time -- I mean, Solstice, Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa - or just plain holiday -- thanks time.  And of course that means free books.  Just fill in the form, choose what interests you, and we'll mail you a present.  Many thanks for helping out with the endless stream of Stump the Bookseller entries and from people seeking their childhood memories everywhere.  Paz. 

IN MEMORIAM: ELIZABETH HARDWICK
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Harriett

Elizabeth Hardwick, the critic, essayist, fiction writer and co-founder of The New York Review of Books died on December 2nd.  Among her published works are The Ghostly Lover, Sleepless Nights, The Simple Truth, A View of My Own: Essays in Literature and Society, Seduction and Betrayal: Women and Literature, Bartleby in Manhattan and Other Essays, Sight Readings: American Fiction, and Herman Melville. 

She was married and divorced to poet Robert Lowell, with whom she had a daughter, Harriet Lowell.  Her career as a teacher, writer, and essayist was well respected, and as her reputation grew, she was invited to sit on a remarkable collection of literary prize committees, including the National Book Awards, National Book Critics Circle, the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the Whiting Writers’ Awards, as well as the Pulitzer Prize in fiction.  She herself received awards from the Guggenheim and Rockefeller Foundations, an honorary degree from Smith College, and was a member of the American Academy of Arts & Letters.  An impressive literary life.