March 26, 2010

Report from the Northwest...and Headed to Carolina...

For years, I have heard that Seattle and Portland are wonderful book towns --- and the past 10 days have confirmed this for me. I spent last Friday touring downtown Seattle, where I was lucky enough to experience Elliott Bay Books in its location in the Pioneer Square neighborhood before they begin their move next week to Capitol Hill, where they will reopen by April 14th. I loved the atmosphere in the store, which really had a “if these walls could talk” kind of feel to it. The creaking steps, the bookshelves that held well-culled selections, and the board where author appearances were announced all told such a rich bookish story. The café there has a fabulous menu, and I learned that, although the store is moving, the café will remain there as well as in a new location at the new store.

For the record, I had no idea where either location was until last week, but thanks to my friend Lourdes’s tour, I now have a real perspective on Seattle. We walked downtown for about three hours (ah, the hills) where Lourdes pointed out many details that only a native would know, and then we drove all over the outer neighborhoods that I was reminded were STILL Seattle. At one point, at Pike Place Market, I looked up and saw someone coming towards me who I recognized. It was none other than Mimi Hynd from The Needle Lady yarn shop in Charlottesville; she had recognized me by my sweater! We joked that, though neither of us were attending the Virginia Festival of the Book that weekend in Charlottesville, we still were getting to catch up. Such is my world!

Saturday we took the ferry out to Bainbridge Island, where I got some terrific pictures of the skyline of Seattle and then got to grab a cup of tea with Kristin Hannah and talk with her about the recent success of WINTER GARDEN. Then I met up with Eileen Zimmerman Nicol, one of our reviewers, for lunch. It was wonderful to catch up with Kristin and finally get to meet Eileen, both giving me the kind of moments I wanted from this trip.

I also spent time in the bookstore there, Eagle Harbor Books, where again I got to talk about my favorite books and learn about some others that were seeing success there. I then walked across the street and bought some wonderful Japanese yarn called Puppy Love from a store called Churchmouse Yarns & Teas, as well as three huge "basketball size" balls of yarn. There was more than one yarn shop where yarn and tea were paired this trip, making me wonder why I do not see that in more places. We headed up the coast to Port Townsend, where there were a number of bookstores that included used bookstores and those for collector editions. While we were short on time to shop them, I was impressed to see the number of bookstores per square mile in every place we visited. I did find some wonderful Indian sari yarn that I had to have. Books and yarn are my souvenirs from these trips. I will look up at my shelves and remember what I bought where, and when I look in my closet, the sweaters, tank tops and scarves always tell a story of my travels.

All too soon I left Seattle and flew down to Portland. There as planned, I got down to see my old friend Elinor, and we had a memorable visit. She walked me through her apartment where I saw photos of her and her children through the years, as well as her many awards for volunteer service. There is no one I know who is more giving like this than Elinor! Through the years she has touched so many people, including me. She shared the books she has been reviewing and so many other mementoes. We then went to dinner with her daughter Bev and went out to her son Merritt’s house; I had never met Bev or Merritt before, though I had heard about them through the years. As I was leaving, she joked that I should not take 39 years to see her again as she is now 89. Though she IS planning to hang around that long. Very funny moment that put some real levity on my leaving. I got notes from so many readers who loved hearing the story of how we had been friends all these years; it really is a special friendship.

I had time to tour Portland and do some meetings before the library conference started on Wednesday. I got out to Milwaukee to see the folks at Dark Horse Comics, who have wonderful streetfront offices. Mike Richardson, who owns the company, used to shop in a comic store on the corner where their offices now sit. Loved that story. I spent that afternoon touring yarn shops and made a few treks to FedEx to ship out “my finds.”

I spent Tuesday at a conference day about graphic novels where I was thrilled that three librarians referenced GraphicNovelReporter.com as a great resource. Considering that site has been around for just about 15 months now, that made my day. That evening I made a pilgrimage over to Powell’s, where the shopping experience is even more special than I would have thought. I love a bookstore that has a printed directory lest you get lost shopping. For those of you who may never get to Portland to experience Powell’s, this virtual tour may give you an idea of the experience. I got back there Thursday afternoon to explore it further (yes, I needed the extra time), and in getting the lay of the land I saw that each format of a book is shelved together --- new, paperback and used --- so the customer can decide which to buy. I like this model.

Wednesday started with Nancy Pearl moderating a series of booktalks from four publishers where titles for summer and fall were discussed. I was scribbling notes making lists of what I want us to cover. From there I met up with Kate Ayers, another of our reviewers. We zipped off to lunch at the Cadillac Café in her bright yellow Smart Car, which was a blast to ride in. We picked up in what felt like midsentence, and though we had never met before, we talked books and authors for hours. I yarn shopped some more with Amy Alessio, who, besides being a knitter and a terrific YA librarian, also has an amazing collection of vintage cookbooks and has created a series of Vintage Cookbook programs that you can read more about here. While we were shopping, she was ordering a caramel cake for her book talk about foods to pair with THE HELP book discussions, which sounds like it will be a great event. After spending time on the exhibit floor, I raced to dinner with a group of librarians and their author guests organized by the fabulous Robin Beerbower.

Thursday was more events at the convention center, including a breakfast with speakers who included Lisa Grunwald (THE IRRESISTIBLE HENRY HOUSE), Leila Meacham (ROSES), Mary Roach (PACKING FOR MARS: The Curious Science of Life in the Void), Mahbod Seraji (ROOFTOPS OF TEHRAN), Phillip Margolin (SUPREME JUSTICE), Kristin Hannah (WINTER GARDEN) and Mary Alice Monroe (LAST LIGHT OVER CAROLINA). Lots more meetings and panels, and then there was the audiobooks dinner with Chelsea Cain, Marcia Muller, Judy Kaye (who reads Sue Grafton's books) and Sue Grafton. Each speaker was terrific, but Sue was really over-the-top funny.

Friday morning is a mystery author panel that I reorganized my schedule to catch, and then I am running for the plane, so there will be a report on that next week.

One thing that has been suffering this trip has been my reading time. While there was time in Seattle to finish Anna Quindlen’s EVERY LAST ONE, which was hauntingly wonderful, coming out April 13th, and THE THINGS A BROTHER KNOWS by Dana Reinhardt, which is a brilliant YA novel coming in September, work/touring/meetings and an annoying but necessary thing called sleep got in the way. I am completely frustrated that I have now read page three of Scott Turow’s upcoming book, INNOCENT (out May 4th), 10 times without having time to get to page four.

That WILL be remedied next week at the beach as I head to the Outer Banks. That said, the past 10 days flew by way too quickly, and I already am plotting a return trip to the Northwest; there still is so much that I want to see here! For almost the entire time the weather was spectacular, and the cities both shone even on rainy days. I have a number of pictures to be downloaded and will have a photo gallery up with some highlights from the trip next week. As always, you can keep up with our daily Facebook postings in this weekly roundup, and become a fan here.

Here's wishing our Jewish friends Happy Passover...and to all of you who, like me, are indulging in Spring Break, enjoy this time kicking back. Thanks, as always, to our amazing staff who kept the train on schedule as I spent time a few times zones away. I tip my hat to them. Have a great week.

Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)

 

YOU CAN’T STOP ME, the latest thriller from Max Allan Collins, follows a small-town sheriff turned private eye/reality show host in search of a serial killer who wants to be caught on national television. In this interview with Bookreporter.com’s Joe Hartlaub, Collins explains which real-life figure his protagonist, J.C. Harrow, is partly modeled after, and names some of the famous criminals of the past century who have sparked his interest while researching this novel. He also discusses his collaborative work with co-writer Matthew Clemens, as well as his wife, Barbara Collins, and mentions a few of his favorite projects from his prolific writing career.

YOU CAN’T STOP ME by Max Allan Collins and Matthew Clemens (Thriller)
Small-town sheriff J.C. Harrow made headlines when he apprehended a would-be presidential assassin --- only to come home that night and find his wife and son brutally murdered. This tragic twist of fate launched his career as the host of reality TV’s smash-hit, "Crime Seen!" But while media star Harrow tracks down dangerous criminals coast to coast, a killer with a twisted agenda is making his own bloody path to fame. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

-Click here to read a review of YOU CAN'T STOP ME.
-Click here to read an excerpt from YOU CAN'T STOP ME.
-Click here to read Max Allan Collins's bio.
-Click here to read Matthew Clemens's bio.
-Click here to read critical praise for YOU CAN'T STOP ME.
-Visit Max Allan Collins's official website, www.MaxAllanCollins.com.
-Click here to see our finished copy winners.
 

Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: Gayle Lynds, Author of THE BOOK OF SPIES

CAUGHT by Harlan Coben (Thriller)
Harlan Coben’s latest novel tells the story of a missing girl, the community stunned by her loss, the predator who may have taken her, and the reporter who suddenly realizes she can’t trust her own instincts about this story --- or the motives of the people around her. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

-Click here to read an excerpt from CAUGHT.
 

Now in Stores: SHATTERED by Karen Robards

SHATTERED by Karen Robards (Romantic Suspense)
When Lisa Grant comes across the cold case file of a missing family while working at the County DA's office, she never dreams that a long-lost connection to them will threaten her life and bring her the greatest love she's ever known, all at the same time. Reviewed by Amie Taylor.

-Click here to read an excerpt from SHATTERED.
-Visit Karen Robards’s official website, www.KarenRobards.com.
 

Now in Stores: MATTERHORN by Karl Marlantes

MATTERHORN: A Novel of the Vietnam War by Karl Marlantes (Historical Fiction)
Written over the course of 30 years by a highly decorated Vietnam veteran, MATTERHORN is the timeless story of a young Marine lieutenant, Waino Mellas, and his comrades in Bravo Company, who are dropped into the mountain jungle of Vietnam as boys and forced to fight their way into manhood.

-Click here to read an excerpt from MATTERHORN.
-Click here to watch an interview with Karl Marlantes.
 

THE THINGS THEY CARRIED: Twentieth Anniversary Edition by Tim O'Brien (Historical Fiction)
THE THINGS THEY CARRIED, which burst onto the literary scene 20 years ago, is a groundbreaking meditation on war, memory, imagination and the redemptive power of storytelling. The novel depicts the men of Alpha Company: Jimmy Cross, Henry Dobbins, Rat Kiley, Mitchell Sanders, Norman Bowker, Kiowa, and the character Tim O'Brien, who has survived his tour in Vietnam to become a father and writer at the age of 43.

-Click here to read a review of THE THINGS THEY CARRIED.
-Click here to see the reading group guide for THE THINGS THEY CARRIED.
 

Now in Stores: THE MAPPING OF LOVE AND DEATH by Jacqueline Winspear

In the latest installment of Jacqueline Winspear’s New York Times bestselling mystery series, Maisie Dobbs must unravel a case of wartime love and death --- an investigation that leads her to a long-hidden affair between a young cartographer and a mysterious nurse. Reviewed by Jennifer McCord.

KNOWN TO EVIL: A Leonid McGill Mystery by Walter Mosley (Mystery)
Walter Mosley brings back Leonid McGill in this second novel about the crooked New York private eye struggling to go straight. McGill is hired by a powerful, shadowy political fixer to check up on a mysterious young woman and walks in on a double murder for which he just might end up taking the fall. Reviewed by Tom Callahan.

-Click here to read an excerpt from KNOWN TO EVIL.
 

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Those participants who are within our age criteria will be able to complete this online survey, which is expected to take no more than 5 minutes. The survey will be open through Thursday, April 1st at 11:59PM ET. Participants who complete the survey will have the opportunity to enter a random drawing to be eligible for a prize.