Why I don't want Borders to close...

Here's my latest post at Beyond the Trestle.  It's a couple days late so sort of a rush-write, but I trust it will make sense.

http://www.beyondthetrestle.com/content/well-be-better-borders

Buy Local Book Club

As some of you already know, some of us Athenians are working together to create an Athens Buy Local initiative.  Our Facebook page already has well over one thousand fans, which bodes very well for our city's future. There will be a formal launch of the program this year.  As a new small business owner (and child of parents who've had a small business for over 30 years), it's both invigorating and heartwarming to see so much support for our independent-minded, eclectic community.

Recently I posted a link (on Facebook) to the American Booksellers Association's Indie Local First Reading List, a collection of books about "making and keeping local communities vibrant." I asked fans of Avid Bookshop and fans of Buy Local Athens if they'd be interested in participating in a book club focused on buying and sourcing locally.  The response was immediate and strong, so here I am to share with you a few books for us to choose from.   Vote below in the comments section or via email. (I'm sure there'll be some debate and discussion on the Buy Local Facebook page and the Avid Bookshop Facebook page as well.  Worry not--I'll find a way to combine all this feedback in order to pick the book most people wanted to read.)

We'll plan to meet in mid-March to discuss the book together at some locally-owned, independent business (to be chosen later).

Here are three books to choose from.  Click on the titles for more information, courtesy of Indiebound.org. Let me know which one you're most interested in! Voting deadline is Friday, January 15th.

1. The Better World Handbook (2007 edition) by Ellis Jones, Ross Haenfler, and Brett Johnson
2. The Great Neighborhood Book by Jay Walljasper and Benjamin Fried
3. Deep Economy: The Wealth of Economies and the Durable Future by Bill McKibben 

5 of my favorite reads of 2009

I've read a little more than 60 books this year, and there wasn't a truly bad one in the bunch.  (My adoration for Mary Tyler Moore prevents me from talking too negatively about her most recent autobiographical adventure, a book I really wanted to love.)

Despite having liked the vast majority of books I read in 2009, there are a handful that definitely stand out.  Below, in no particular order, are some favorite 2009 reads.  (Note:  just because I read them in '09 doesn't necessarily mean they were published in '09.)  Click on any title for a full synopsis of the book, courtesy of Indiebound.org.

Mudbound by Hillary Jordan

I found this book profoundly moving and very well-written.  Jordan does an excellent job of showing us how circumstances shape us (and how sometimes we turn into versions of ourselves we'd never, ever suspect). I highly recommend this to anyone 16+.







The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

At this year's Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance trade show, I went to a panel called "Got Us Shaking in Our Boots" to hear a handful of authors speak about their haunting fictional creations.  As someone who reads very little mystery and horror, I thought it important to attend this session--I wanted to become more educated for my own benefit but also to better work with Avid customers who like this genre.  To my pleasant surprise, I was blown away by Carrie Ryan's work.  I recommend it for people 13+ who have enjoyed Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, Cormac McCarthy's The Road, and (dare I say it?) Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series.

Oh!: A Mystery of "Mono No Aware" by Todd Shimoda

While at the Chin Music Press booth at Book Expo America this year, my partner in crime and I had the opportunity to meet the intelligent and amiable Todd Shimoda.  Jim and he got along swimmingly, and before I knew it we both had autographed copies of Shimoda's book in our hands.  And what a beautiful book it is! The people of Chin Music Press pride themselves on high-quality, appealing design.  (Check out their site for more examples of their work.)  The content is as compelling as the book's look.  Shimoda's story is sparse in some places, rich with detail and emotion in others.  I could say I recommend it to those interested in Japanese culture and those moved by the beauty of sadness.  But if I were to say that, I'd sound more than a bit silly and maybe even pretty snobby--but I'd be telling the truth.  This is a book I might never have read had I encountered it in any other way--but I'm so glad I met the author and decided to give it a chance.  I just loved it.


The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
I picked this up for a friend while shopping at Bound to Be Read Books and ended up reading it myself first.  (That's excusable, right?  I mean, I don't dog-ear pages or crack the spines open more than two inches!)  Months later, I had the pleasure of sitting in at Bound to Be Read's monthly book club meeting and had a fun time discussing this novel with other readers.  It's very funny in parts, but there exists also a nearly overwhelming sadness to the plotline.  There are hand-drawnsketches throughout the book, and these bring levity to some of the seriousness of the story.  I recommend it for mature kids and adults (14+).




The Great Neighborhood Book by Jay Walliasper

I picked this up while browsing the shelves at Urban Think! Bookstore in Orlando, Florida earlier this month.  As someone really interested in my own neighborhood's well-being (and as the secretary of Athens's new-ish Buy Local initiative), I thought that this book would make a useful purchase.  To my surprise, I gobbled it up within a day, scribbling feverishly in the margins and underlining ideas that would work well in Athens.  If you're wanting to learn ways to make your neighborhood feel more homey, to make your neighborhood safe, to make your neighborhood more of the place you dream of, this is the book for you.  I've already recommended it to several like-minded friends in town--won't you give it a shot as well?





Many of you already shared your favorite 2009 reads on our Facebook page, but I know there are more of you out there!  Feel free to use the comments section below to tell us what you loved best this year.

Join the IndieBound movement & get a prize!

You've heard me talk about IndieBound before.  It's a way for independent businesses (notably bookstores) to network with one another.  It's a way for traveling customers to easily search for indie stores wherever they may roam.  But did you know it's also a great tool for communicating with other community members?  Learn about friends' recommendations, events at your local bookstore(s), what the bestselling titles are at independent bookstores, and more, more, more.

Here's a bonus for those of you reading the blog.  Join the IndieBound movement (it's cost- and spam-free!), befriend Avid Bookshop, and get a prize!  Three of you will be randomly chosen to receive a free ARC (advanced reading copy) of a book I have in stock, and every person that enters will get a wee treat.

After you befriend Avid Bookshop on IndieBound, leave a quick comment here to let me know you've done so--then you'll be entered in the contest.  And if you're on Facebook or Twitter and share this message, you get an extra entry!

So what are you waiting for?  Since this blog doesn't have a huge readership (yet!), you have a very good chance of winning a free book--as if the wee treat and an IndieBound profile weren't enough!

Here's just a handful of Athens businesses that are already on IndieBound & need more fans.
1000Faces Coffee
Jackson Street Books
Bizarro-Wuxtry record store
The National restaurant
Athens Cine bar, cafe, & arthouse theatre
Schoolkids Records
Harry's Pig Shop restaurant
Vision Video (Homewood Hills location)
Kingpins Bowl & Brew




Winners will be picked on Sunday, November 8, so please don't hesitate!

The randomly chosen winners are as follows:
Margo (randomwalk), Lindsay (lindzsmile), & Lauren (laurengallaspy).  A few of you participated without leaving a formal comment, but don't worry--I made sure to include everyone! Thanks so much.

Declaration of Indiebound

Some of you have heard of IndieBound before, but still more of you have not. IndieBound is a program launched in 2008 to help bring together independent businesses and those who love them: bookstores, readers, independent business alliances, locally-owned shops, etc., etc. It has been met with great success, and Avid Bookshop will be proud to post the Declaration of IndieBound as well as the well-crafted IndieBound signs in the store.

This is of particular interest to me, as I'm the newly-appointed secretary of the yet-to-be-named Buy Local Athens program that is being launched. I'm really interested in sustainability and shopping local first, so IndieBound is right up my alley.

Take a look at the website to see if you can find any favorite IndieBound shops near you! Joining IndieBound as an individual is a fun way to explore independent shops you might never have heard of before.

In the meantime, watch the video below to watch some well-known (at least in our world!) indie booksellers reading the Declaration of IndieBound aloud.

What do YOU love most about bookstores?

What are some of your favorite things about bookstores? What do independents have that chains don't have? What do non-indie chains have that indies lack? (Don't be afraid to talk about the glorious wide aisles at Barnes & Noble--though I may not shop there nowadays, I certainly have spent my weight in gold there!)

Do you have a very favorite bookshop? Any treasured bookstore, past or present, that felt like home? Please share your stories here and let us over here at Avid find out what you value most in a bookstore shopping experience. We'll be using your feedback to help create our store--it is, after all, for the neighborhood and community, and finding out what you want will help us make Avid Bookshop a success.