Thursday, December 14, 2006

Where Did The Time Go?

Ahh! I was all set to have a semi-leisurely morning. Got up, washed my dishes from last night, made some coffee and sat down to blog…when my mom called.

(She wants “that book on nonviolent dog training.”)

Okay, cool. Phone call over. Read some articles, look at the time and—What the? How is it eight already? I was gonna blog! Prove that the Christmas season and sucked me into a whirlpool of tinsel never to be heard from again!

I don’t know why I’m surprised. Time has been sorely lacking this week because the big-wigs are coming through and the store(s) (secondary business included) must look looooovely, dahling. Which is funny, because keeping any store looking pristine during Christmas requires a pact with the dark side and a whole battalion of elves.

(And while I’m willing to get down with my own evil I refuse to wear pointed ears and a fur trimmed hat. I have some dignity.)

So here’s the book word as far as I’ve been told:

When Richard Powers is interviewed, people listen…and like. The Echo Maker has become very popular.

The true Omnivore’s Dilemma is whether or not to buy one copy or two of the Pollan book for the foodies in their lives.

Roz Chast is the name on many a comic-lover’s lips, but I cannot get the book into the store because my supplier tells me they are out at the publisher. Is this true Bloomsbury? ‘Cause you’re killing me here because only some of my customers will take the Best American Comics 2006 as an alternative.

If you read, even a little bit, chances are you will get a Barak Obama book for Christmas from someone you know (at least if you live in my town).

There’s a whole lot more like this, but I have to make with the showering, dressing and makeup putting on-ing so that I won’t scare the world. So ta-tah for now. Just remember: if there is even one sticker left on a book from a previous sale, a customer will not only find it, but use it to haggle over the price of their purchase. Doesn’t matter if it is buried behind eight other books or up in overstock, it’s like they have a nose for these things. Somehow I forget this every year.

Please add any and all book news of note (to you and/or the rest of the world) in the comments if you feel the need. Share the insanity.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm giving two copies of Omnivore's Dilemma this holiday, one to a foodie, one to a non-foodie. They both expressed interest when I told them about it as I was reading it.

Why would corporate bigwigs pick the holidays as a time to tour the premises? All my local bookstores are insanely business and pretty much a wreck from Thanksgiving to New Years day, despite regular clean ups by the staff. Are these people to whom books are merely widgets, without any actual retail experience? Or just people with a mean and sadistic streak who like to watch the staff scramble?

jgodsey said...

the problem with Omnivore's Dilemma is that it does for real food what Fast Food Nation does for fake food - it makes you pause before every decision. Do you really Want to buy that ground beef?