What's New?

There are some really great books being released this winter.  Need a good read to banish the winter blahs?  Take a look at these:

Nonfiction 

Eisenhower in War and Peace by Jean Edward Smith - Lots of buzz around this book by the author of the critically acclaimed FDR!

American Way of Eating: Undercover at Walmart, Applebees, Farm Fields and the Dinner Table by Tracie McMillan - An investigative look at the way that many people eat in this country.

That Woman: The Life of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor by Anne Sebba - I can't wait to read about this fascinating and controversial woman.

Mad Women: The Other Side of Life on Madison Avenue in the 60s and Beyond  by Jane Maas - Jane was an Open Book customer for many years.  I am looking forward to this insider's view of the advertising business.  Released on February 28th.

Fiction and Mystery

The House I Loved by Tatiana de Rosnay - This is the eagerly awaited book by the author of Sarah's Key.

I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella - What better escape than funny, well-written chick lit?

Defending Jacob by William Landay - This is a character driven mystery by an award winning author.  Lee Child gives it a thumbs up!

Also, these fiction books were recently released in paperback:

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson - No explanation needed for this one!

Next to Love by Ellen Feldman - I loved this work of historical fiction which focuses on a Post-WWII small town in Massachusetts. (Ooops....this book will be in paperback in May!)

Are you wondering what I did with all those books that were left after I closed the store? Well they came home to live with me for the time being.  As much as I love books, having several thousand in my dining room and living room is a little crazy.  I have listed a number of them on Half.com, the book site for eBay.  If you are interested in seeing what I have,  visit my store at:

http://shops.half.ebay.com/beachbookz_W0QQmZbooksQQ_trksidZp2684


Hope you are finding a lazy day or two to catch up on your reading.  Keep those pages turning!

A Little Bookstore Story

I will admit to a little nostalgia about the good old days of The Open Book.  Instead of a book review today, I thought I would share a little story I wrote last summer.....

I own an independent bookstore.  When you look through the windows you can see shelves filled with books, pictures on the wall, a coffee machine in the corner. You will see people browsing through books and employees behind the cash register.  It may appear to be just another business, engaged in commerce, buying and selling.  You might think that you could exchange the books for shoes or dish towels and that business would continue as usual.  You would be wrong.

The people that work at The Open Book are just a little different.  These are not the teens that apply to be lifeguards or mother’s helpers.  My employees tend to be creative, intelligent and quirky. Instead of popping the pink bubble wrap wrapped around the book shipments, they may decide to create an impromptu fashion show featuring the latest in packing material couture. Plays are rehearsed, employees sit in the window reading, someone wanders outside in a tall yellow hat and cries “Boooooks…Books for sale”.  It is a magical place and also a little strange.

Booksellers often suffer from insomnia.  We wonder where the money will come from to pay the publishers. We fret over the future. One early morning, about 3am, I decided to drive to the store to get some work done. As I pulled into a parking space in the front of the store I noticed a light in the children’s section at the back.  When I turned the key and opened the door, I heard reggae music.

I thought about getting back in my car and driving to the police station to report a break-in. But then Rory walked out of the bathroom in flannel pajama pants and a paint stained t-shirt. “Hey” he said. Robby walked out of the bathroom in a similar outfit. “What are you doing here so late?”  I walked to the rear of the store and saw sleeping bags laid out on the squishy alphabet tiles of the children’s section. There was an empty pizza box and some soda cans sitting on the toy trunk. “What the hell are you guys doing?” I asked quietly. 

“Do you remember when I asked you if we could paint the bathroom about a month ago?” said Robby. “We decided that tonight was a good night to do that. It’s almost done.  Do you want to see?”

The bathroom had been a really ugly shade of green.  The paint was peeling and it needed fixing up. It would have been nice to have a little more warning, but this was good.  Robby and Rory were taking initiative to fix up the store.

“Don’t worry, we got a really good deal on all the colors.  And the gold hardly cost anything at all. You are going to pay us back for supplies?” Rory had paint on his face and a slightly shiny tinge to his hair.

The gold? I took a breath and entered the tiny bathroom.  One wall was a perfect imitation of a Mondrian painting, all primary reds, yellows and blues. Straight lines and color blocks stood stark against the white wall.  Another wall was painted in Jackson Pollack style, spattered with crazy colors and wild patterns.  The sink was a casualty, green, pink and black speckled over the rust stains. “Look up, look up” said Robby.  The old tin ceiling looked like the dome of a capitol building.  They had taken gold leaf and rubbed it on so the old tiles gleamed.

I took it all in and felt an odd little bit of joy. “You guys, this is the most beautiful bathroom I have ever seen. Lets get some rest before it’s time to open.”  They got into their sleeping bags, I turned off the lights and curled up in the comfortable chair.  Sleep was not so hard to come by.

Rowing to Tomorrow

Rogers Rosenblatt was a good friend to The Open Book.  He patiently endured our unusual book signings and made an effort to stop by to personalize books and to just say hello.  Roger and his wife, Ginny were always charming and very welcome visitors to the store.

From Rules for Aging, to Lapham Rising and last year's, Unless it Moves The Human Heart, I have enjoyed and taken something different from each of Roger's books. His wicked humor and deft use of language come through whether he is offering nonfiction, essays, fiction or memoir.

Roger Rosenblatt's latest book, Kayak Morning, was released recently. This small volume is not always easy to read.  You may need to approach it with both a dictionary and a handkerchief, but it is worth your time, your attention and your emotions.

A few years after the death of his daughter, Rosenblatt is dealing with anger, pain and the giant hole left in his life by the absence of his Amy.  He takes to the creek in a kayak, not, I think, to find solace, but to find a little space to reflect on the world in its changed form.

The setting is familiar: Quogue, Hampton Bays and Southampton.  Rosenblatt writes of driving the LIE and the streets of a Sunday-quiet Quogue.  But he is living in another world as well, a world that is both missing a piece and filled with a pain that does not seem to abate with time.

Kayak Morning is lovely and heartrending and so very smart.  It is both a meditation and a lament.  This book is a celebration of the beauty of words and a comment on the way that life can knock you down and sit on you.  To me, Kayak Morning serves as an acknowledgement that even when faced with the impossible and unthinkable, the world keeps turning, the creek keeps flowing and there are moments that make life worth living.

Keep those pages turning........

Coming Soon From Jodi Picoult

At the end of February last year, Jessica and I were madly trying to plan for a visit from Jodi Picoult.  Although Jodi had done book signings at  the store twice before in the early 2000s, this was something completely different.  In the ten years since her last visit, Jodi had become wildly popular and a hosting a "Jodi Picoult Event" was akin to putting on a rock concert. No more setting up a little table with flowers on it in the back of the store.....we had to rent a venue!  We sold over 300 tickets and had a wonderful time celebrating the publication of Sing You Home. Jodi was warm and charming, Ellen Wilber sang beautifully and the sunlight sparkled on the ocean as we enjoyed a special morning in Westhampton Beach. 

In a few weeks,  Lone Wolf, Jodi Picoult's new book will be released. I was lucky enough to read an advance copy and I loved the story, the setting and the characters; the Picoult magic is clearly in evidence in this new book.  As always, the plot revolves around a difficult issue that many have faced: who has the right to make end of life decisions and how do you determine the wishes of someone who cannot communicate with you?

Luke Warren has spent his adult life trying to understand the behavior of wolves.  His passion for the subject leads him to try to become part of a pack, learning the proper behavior, avoiding alcohol and other "human" smells that might unsettle the wolves, embedding himself in a pack for long periods of time.  Luke's dedication to the wolves, sometimes to the detriment of his family, has left him divorced from his wife and estranged from his son, Edward.  Only his teenage daughter, Cara, shares his interest in the wolves and, after her mother's remarriage, his home.

Luke and Cara are in an automobile accident that leaves Luke in a coma.  His son, Edward, the only adult next-of-kin, returns from a self-imposed exile in Thailand to make the necessary decisions about Luke's care.   Edward and Cara do not agree about what Luke would want and fireworks ensue.  I do not want to give away any more of the story.  There are secrets, family history, legal complications and medical issues that come into play, making the pages fly by.

Picoult employs different points of view, adding depth and layers to the story.  I especially enjoyed learning about the behavior of wolves; their loyalties and survival behaviors are fascinating.  As always, I gained new knowledge and enjoyed a fast-paced and fascinating read!

If you haven't tried a Jodi Picoult novel, pick one up today.  And keep those pages turning.......

Upstairs, Downstairs and all Around the Mansion

Yes, I know that the Super Bowl is on television right now.  I know that football fans wait for this all year and that the rest of us watch for the ads.  But tonight, the only television that I am interested in is Downton Abbey, the wonderful Julian Fellowes series on PBS.  When it comes down to a choice of watching large men pound each other (even if they are New Yorkers) and entering into the lives of the British aristocracy and their servants during World War I, I will choose Maggie Smith as the sharp-tongued matriarch every time.

The popularity of this series has revived an interest in the world that Upstairs/Downstairs revealed to us way back in the 1970s.  Apparently the people who watch this type of show tend to be big readers, so the desire for books on this subject is growing quickly.  Today's  New York Times Book Review featured several nonfiction books for fans of this show, so I thought I would add to the list with some of my favorite fiction choices:

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear.  This is the first in a wonderful series of mysteries.  Maisie is a housemaid in a great manor house who is found reading books in the library by her mistress, Lady Compton, who sees potential in Maisie.  After being given an Oxford education, Maisie goes to France to act as a nurse during World War I.  After the war she becomes a detective under the tutelage of Maurice Blanche.  This book deftly describes the place of Maisie as a young woman who is not quite "Upstairs", but is no longer "Downstairs".  This is a series worth investigating.

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro takes place immediately before and during World War II.  This subtle and wrenching novel tells of a butler, Stevens, who has served his employer for 30 years.  Proper behavior, standards and responsibility are the focus of his life, leaving no room for human emotions.  As Stevens looks back on his career and his icily proper relationship with the housekeeper, Miss Kenton, he comes to some bitter realizations about his life.

The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin. This novel tells the story of the extremely wealthy Cora Cash who, at the turn of the century,  travels with her mother to Europe in search of a titled husband.  When she finds one and becomes the Duchess of Wareham, her troubles begin.  She doesn't understand the rules of English society and finds herself mocked and embroiled in scandals and deceit.  This story would make the perfect plot for Downton Abbey; you will not be able to put it down.

OK, OK.....just for you Giants fans.  Take a look at a little book called, 100 Things Giants Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die by Dave Buscema.  Have I read it?  Um, no....but give me a little credit for trying here.

Whether you are reading about English aristocrats or enormous football players, keep those pages turning.....

World Book Night

This is the first year that World Book Night will be celebrated in the United States.  The organizers are looking for 50,000 people to go out in their communities and share books with strangers or anyone who will benefit from a great book.   The books are being provided by the publishers and will be distributed to readers by volunteers.. 

I know how much reading means to the people who visited The Open Book.  Volunteer for this exciting new event.  For more information go to The World Book Night Website http://www.us.worldbooknight.org/

Why April 23rd?  Both Shakespeare and Cervantes died on April 23rd.  In honor of those writers, UNESCO has declared that date the International Day of the Book. It may just be my new favorite holiday!

Keep those pages turning (and encourage others to turn some pages too!)