The annual Bookish Ball

This Saturday is Harvard Square's annual Bookish Ball, celebrating the neighborhood's many bookstores. Travel between the bookstores, enjoying events and special sales, getting your "passport" stamped at each location to enter a raffle at the end of the day. Curious George will be offering a 15% discount off the entire purchase of passport holders, with our weekly story-time taking place at noon.

Event Wrap up: The Last Train

It was a busy weekend for Harvard Square: the square's centennial celebrations, the Harvard vs Yale game, and for our part of Folk Music Month, Gordon Titcomb and Wendell Minor signed copies of their new picture book, The Last Train.


Both author and illustrator talked about their creative process: Minor about his intense research into the train engineer, conductor, and fireman's life, as well as his hunt for train memorabilia; Titcomb told us how their book editor wanted him to add more verses to his song to meet a picture book's 32 page length. Fans of Titcomb's music were also pleased to hear the original song, especially when a friend with a mandolin (I wish I had caught his name!) joined the group. It was a great experience for kids and adults alike - maybe even more so for the adult music fans! We even had a few celebrities drop by! Anita Silvey, whose latest book, Henry Knox: Bookseller, Soldier, Patriot, was illustrated by Minor, signed a few of her books and posed for photographs with Minor, Titcomb and fans. I also caught up with the fabulously well informed and friendly Nan Sorenson, the fabulous assistant executive director of New England Independent Booksellers Association. All in all, it was a very fun, celebrity-packed, musical day here at Curious George!

During the holiday season we are halting author events and story time, but we will resume store events in January.

Booksellers and bloggers with a sense of humor...(Come sit by me!)

As Curious George is a member of New England Independent Booksellers Association ("NEIBA", and its children's division, NECBA), I am privy to daily e-mails that share reviews, customer queries, and the like from the always informative, frequently hilarious children's booksellers of the region. (Hello friends!)

My current favorite find from NEIBA-friends is the Most Overused Children's Book Plots from Parent Dish. For anyone who has ever spent even a single evening with a preschooler, this humorous list is certainly refreshing...and on target. I'm sure we could all come up a few more story lines we could live without reading again at bedtime. (This goes for grown up books as well as picture books!). But I will admit, I wouldn't mind taking a look at I Love You Like Snuggleblossoms, Baby Poison Dart Frog...


Just look at him! Now, just imagine that title illustrated by Jarrett Krosoczka or Christopher Wormell... (tee hee hee)

Now accepting entries for the annual Art and Writing Contest!

Our annual Just for Kids Art and Writing Contest is here, so break out your pens, pencils, markers, paints, typewriters, or word processors and start working on your masterpieces! You may enter one or both contests in your age group.

The art contest categories are
ages 5-7 ages 8-10 ages 11-13
Illustrate a scene from your favorite poem, short story, fairy tale, or book. Please be sure to label your artwork with the title and author of the work you've chosen to illustrate.

The writing contest categories are
ages 5-7 ages 8-10 ages 11-13
Write an original short story, poem, or essay (three pages maximum).

Pick up an entry form at the register, or print one from the blog. All entries must be postmarked or turned in to the store by May 14. Results will be announced on our blogs (Notes from the Hut and Curious George's Art and Writing Contests) on May 15. Winners will be notified by mail.

Prize-winning work (1st, 2nd, and 3rd places, plus honorable mentions) will be posted online, and winning art will be displayed in the store's Yellow Hat Gallery through the summer. 1st place through 3rd winners will receive store gift certificates!

No purchase is necessary. All kids ages 5-13 are eligible, except relatives of Curious George employees. Please enter each contest only once; children submitting multiple entries in either contest will be disqualified. Children should enter only their own work.

To print, right click and select "open link in new window." When the new window opens, select "print" under your browser's file menu.

Now that you know all the rules, put on your thinking cap and get started! Good luck to all our entrants!

Candlewick CHIRPs!

Staff fave (and Cambridge-based) publisher Candlewick Press just launched a program to show their appreciation for indie booksellers! Candlewick's Handselling Indie Recognition Program, or CHIRP for short, rewards indies with sneak peak books they're especially proud of in the upcoming season. They also encourage booksellers with tips for stronger handselling and cute CHIRP-printed shelftalkers for staff picks.

We're frequently complimented by customers on the thoughtfulness and knowledge of our staff members when recommending books. We're so happy to hear that Candlewick -- whom we love -- thinks these are valuable traits as well!

Gracious Grace Lin Part Deux (plus bonus Gracious Julia Denos!)

Over the summer, in honor of Grace Lin's novel Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, we asked her both to visit the store for a signing and to do a guest post for Notes from the Hut. Grace is a fabulous guest in person and in print, and it's been so fun to work with her!

Recently she turned the tables, though, and asked to interview us for several blogs she writes for! Eek! After some initial shyness, Rachel, Michelle, new blogger Natasha (yay!) and I got pretty excited to talk (er... write) about our bookselling lives. I'll cut-and-paste the interview for your reading convenience, but be sure to check out The Enchanted Inkpot and Blue Rose Girls blogs for their general awesomeness (and their readers' wicked nice comments about us!). And THEN, our beloved Julia Denos linked and gave us love as well! Compliments from these talented and generous ladies definitely brightens these gloomy days. ♥

Indie Interview: Curious George Books and Toys, posted by Grace Lin

Many a long years ago (okay, maybe not that long) I worked at the Curious George Goes to Wordsworth Bookstore in Cambridge, MA and it changed my life. So when the store recently interviewed me, I thought the least I could do is return the favor.

So, as a part of the Enchanted Inkpot's Indie Interview Series, I bring you Curious George Bookseller Extraordinaries: Katie, Michelle, Natasha and Rachel!


1) Can you tell us a little bit about how you got into bookselling, and about your bookstore?

Michelle: I’ve always loved books – as we all say! I’ve wanted to be a writer, or somehow involved in the book world, since I was in middle school. I had a wonderful opportunity to intern at Houghton in college, and it was fascinating (and a bit overwhelming!) to see how many steps there are in the process of getting books from a writer’s typewriter to a bookstore. But my favorite part about reading books was missing from this kind of office experience: the talking about books, the passing along of a much-loved, dog-eared copy, and that amazing feeling when you’ve connected the right book with the right person. This store is constantly supplying me with that opportunity, from my colleagues to parents and kids themselves sharing their recommendations and their reactions to my own recommendations.

Since we are a small, local, independent operation, we really strive for that personal approach: we really know our books, and we want every kid, student, grown-up, whoever, who comes in here to find that book that they cannot put down even for dinner. I can’t describe that feeling when someone comes back to us and says, “That was just what I wanted! What’s next?” The same goes for our toy selection; our buyers have children themselves and we wouldn’t carry something that they wouldn’t give to their own kids. We want people to come here for toys they remember from their own childhood, to pass on that joy they remember from say, a classic Fisher Price telephone, or a giant shark stunt kite on a perfect March day. We love our books, our games, definitely -- there's not a day goes by that one of us isn’t buying something for ourselves -- but we love those kids running down our stairs yelling, “THIS IS SO COOL!” just as much.

2) How do you view your role as an independent bookseller? What do you find most rewarding about your job? What is most challenging?

Rachel: I think indie bookselling is all about personality and personalization. I talk to a lot of customers who really value our recommendations, whether they live in the area or just stop in once a year when they’re visiting relatives in Boston. My job as an indie staffer is to keep a library in my head of what’s new, what’s classic, what’s good, and what’s on the shelf, so that when someone comes in asking what my favorite new picture book is or what to give to a sporty 13-year-old girl, I can find them something they’ll be really happy with. That’s my favorite part -- when someone comes in knowing who they want to buy for but not really knowing what to get, and I can find just what they’re looking for. On the flip side, sometimes it’s hard to make just the right suggestion to customers who don’t know who they’re buying for. Gender and approximate age are good starting points, but I always feel like I could find the perfect thing if I just knew more. I even practiced my handselling skills on my family last Christmas, and even the most book-phobic of them really enjoyed what I picked out.


3) How can readers and authors work with and support independent booksellers?

Natasha: Readers can always stop by or read our blog to see what’s going on in the store. New events like book clubs, signings, readings, and parties (especially with the holidays coming up) are always going on. If you have read a great book, tell the bookseller! It’s always nice to hear from customers what they love, so we can recommend favorites to similar readers. We just set up a “Kid Pick” review board for kids to let us know what they think of books they’ve been reading. Authors can always drop a line on their blogs or websites to grab their books at a favorite local, independent place. They can keep in contact with stores when they have the time to participate in signings, events, or even just to ensure that booksellers have their books. We love it when authors stop by and sign whatever we have on the shelves!

Readers and authors alike can always help independent bookstores the same way: word of mouth. If you love us, tell your friends! If you think of a book you love, tell your friends to pick it up here! If someone you know needs to find an awesome gift, send them here!

Katie: We have a lot of scheduled author events, with a signing and usually an activity, where kids get to interact with their favorite author or illustrator. Readings, drawing activities, discussions, writing workshops – really, any way that an author or illustrator can reach out to their audience, at the venue of a local independent bookstore, benefits everybody! As Natasha mentioned, we also love to have authors and illustrators just drop in to say hi and sign stock. We’re all book lovers as well as booksellers, so the staff tends to get flustered and fangirly about these visits! But it’s also a great opportunity for me as event coordinator to broach the idea of an event or guest blog spot with that person.

If authors sell their books from their websites, they can put a link on their site to IndieBound rather than a chain online bookseller. Independent stores register with IndieBound, so customers can order online directly from their local indie bookstore with the same convenience of other online shopping.

4) Can you tell us about a few of your recent favorite YA or MG fantasy books?

Rachel: There are so many! Ash by Malinda Lo is excellent, as is The Good Neighbors graphic novel series by Holly Black (the second installment just came out). There’s also the Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness (The Knife of Never Letting Go is in paperback now and The Ask and the Answer just arrived in hardcover), which are more sci-fi than fantasy, but exceptionally good reading. For the middle grade set, I really love The Night Tourist by Katherine Marsh and Savvy by Ingrid Law.

Katie: I tend to read a lot of supernatural romance and “creature feature” YA fantasy! Shiver by Maggie Steifvater has an unusual take on werewolves. Not only is the romance in that one compelling (I have such a crush on Sam!), but the plot is nail-bitingly suspenseful. Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments trilogy is a great series about demons and angels. Right now I’m in the middle of The Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead, and I’m hooked. Blood Promise, the fourth in the series, came out earlier this month. I’m probably the world’s biggest Neil Gaiman fan, so I’m constantly recommending his books for middle grade through adult. Odd and the Frost Giants will be here soon!

Some other titles on my looooong to-read list are Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, The Swan Kingdom by Zoe Marriott (a MG “Wild Swans” retelling), and the third in Nancy Farmer’s Sea of Trolls trilogy, The Islands of the Blessed.

5) What's the most memorable experience you've had bookselling?

Katie: Other than some "kids say the darndest things!" moments and authors/illustrators dropping in to chat, a lot of bookselling is pretty episodic. A customer asks a question, you pull together your resources -- the store's inventory, your coworkers' brilliant brains, quick online research, and most importantly, your own internal database of awesome books -- to try to answer that question to the best of your ability and give the customer as many good options as you can, and hope that they will find something that is just what they're hoping for. Then there's another question! But when you can find someone "just what they're hoping for," the feeling is memorable even if the actual incident doesn't stay with you that long. We have many loyal customers who have been on the other side of that experience, and who keep coming back to us for that reason. And we enjoy the challenge of the unusual question. Often the booksellers are learning from each other and discovering new favorites, right along with our customers!

Just as we have learned from you! Thank you, ladies!

And there we are, in all our goofy glory. Thanks to Grace for the Q&A, and both Grace and Julia for their support! We miss you around the Hut!

Reading Romp

We've been having loads of great authors and events at the store lately, and I hope you can come to the next few we've got lined up (pssst, Alex Beard this Friday!) - but this Sunday, we're branching out and taking on Boston!

You can find a table of our most popular and classic books and two of our booksellers (myself and our book buyer, Donna) at Reach Out and Read's 6th Annual Read & Romp on Sunday from 10:30 am to 2 pm at the Seaport Hotel Ballroom.

Reach Out and Read believes - as we do - that kids develop physically and emotionally in tandem. Therefore, they give books to children, and talk to parents about reading together, at doctor's offices around the country.

This Sunday's Read and Romp will feature crafts, activities, and music, with visits from friends like Clifford the Big Red Dog (and his friend/author, Norman Bridwell!) and early reader pals Frog and Toad. You can still buy tickets online or by phone, so we hope to see you there!

It's raining cats and.... drum-playing cows?

Hot on the heels of the Jarrett Krosozcka event and our Graveyard Book-themed Halloween party, we have not one but three events coming up in the next few weeks! Our handy-dandy sidebar has the short version, but you want all the juicy details, right?

Saturday, November 7 at 1pm -- yes, that's THIS SATURDAY -- First Lieutenant David Falvey will be visiting to talk about his experiences in Iraq and sign his book Letters to a Soldier, a collection of his correspondence with a New Jersey fourth grade class. He'll be bringing along photos from the period of his deployment and some super-cool equipment. This is an event not to miss for the awesome gadget factor, but much more importantly for the insight it will give into the lives of our troops and how we can help them in this difficult time. Get a preview here at Wicked Local.

Next Friday, November 13 at 1pm, author/illustrator Alex Beard is coming to lead a drawing activity and sign his new picture book, The Jungle Grapevine. If you haven't already seen this hilarious comedy of errors for the preschool set, make sure to peruse it -- and his incredible puzzles downstairs in the chapter book room -- prior to the event so you can "ooh" and "ahh" properly at the event!

Finally, on December 12 at 1pm, right smack in the full swing of holiday shopping season, author/illustrator Cynthia von Buhler will read from and sign her new picture book, But Who Will Bell the Cats? This fresh retelling of a traditional tale is done in a beautifully surreal multimedia style, unlike anything you've seen before.

I just discovered this nifty "add video" feature in Blogger (stop rolling your eyes; it's not nice), so here's a video from Jarrett's visit -- relive the glory, or see what you missed!


Hope to see you here for these great events -- and in the meantime, be sure to keep reviewing your favorite books on our Curious Kid Pick review board (located in the chapter book room) so we know who else you'd like to write, draw, chat, and scaream "E-I-E-I-O!" with. (I'm looking at you, Jarrett!)

On books, balls, and baked goods. And more books.

Don't forget: this Saturday, September 12, is our Bookish Ball celebration! The event will begin at 2pm and go all afternoon, with a projected ending time of 6pm. However, we may be too busy monkeying around to stop on time! We have barrels of fun planned, including (drum roll, please)...

-- a signing by Matt Tavares, author/illustrator of the picture books Zachary's Ball, Oliver's Game, and Mudball. He's also the illustrator of Iron Hans, Lady Liberty: A Biography, and the brand-new The Gingerbread Pirates. He'll be here at 2.

-- a signing and reading by Steve Kluger, author of novels My Most Excellent Year, Last Days of Summer, and Almost Like Falling in Love. He's a self-proclaimed Boston-phile and Red Sox fan! He'll be here at 3.

-- a creative writing workshop and signing by Jo Knowles, author of YA novels Lessons from a Dead Girl and the new Jumping Off Swings. (She's my latest book crush!) She'll be here at 4.

-- acoustic performances by singer/songwriter Charlie Hope throughout the afternoon. Her albums include I'm Me! A Collection of Songs for Children and World of Dreams: Soothing Songs and Lullabies.

-- a book-making workshop

-- cookie decorating

-- and of course, all our great books and toys, recommended to you by our knowledgable staff! We may be a little squeezed on Saturday with all the festivities going on, but we'll have a fun, busy day with something for everyone!

Gracious Grace Lin

One of our favorite author/illustrators (and CG alum!), Grace Lin, recently visited the store to do a signing for her new novel Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Not only is she a fantastic artist and storyteller, she's a great guest as well! Grace brought cookies she had made herself and drew a cute bunny in each book she signed. We'd love to have her back for her next book (an early reader about twins called Ling and Ting, out in March), but until then we have a guest post with lots of goodies from Grace!
(photo credit: Alexandre Ferron)

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is very folk and fairy tale inspired. What were some of your favorite tales growing up?
I loved folktales and fairy tales as a child. I loved the classics, “East of the Sun, West of the Moon,” “The Light Princess,” and "The Wizard of Oz" -- all with gorgeous illustrations, which I devoured and gazed at in awe! They were my inspiration to become a children's book illustrator as well as this book. My mother gave my first book of Chinese folktales as a child and I was, at first, disappointed. Used to lush illustrations and descriptions of my favorites, the Asian books were plainly translated with simple black and white line drawings. They seemed an inadequate comparison. However, slowly I discovered the stories had their own magic and I learned to love them as well.

And many years later, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon came into existence. It’s an homage to the folktales and fairy tales I read in my youth, it is a mixture of Asian fairy tales and North American classics. Not a traditional retelling of stories from either cultures, it is a mix -- like me, Asian-American. Hopefully, it is full of the magic from both that will satisfy readers everywhere!


You've now written and illustrated three novels and fourteen picture books. Which comes easier to you, the words or the pictures -- or are they intertwined?
For Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, the character of Minli came to me from a painting. But the actual narrative, plot, and setting of the book began as words. Even when I work on picture books, the writing or the stories come first. I think that is because in art school we were trained that way, we were given a story or words first and then had to illustrate them -- never the reverse, creating an image and then writing a story around that. Perhaps, that is why after all this time I am starting to view myself as an author first, instead of an illustrator.

You have also illustrated several picture books with text by other authors. How is the process of creating images for these stories different from illustrating your own? Is there a story or circumstance where you would consider having someone else illustrate your work?
Illustrating other authors' writing is challenging. In some ways it's great because usually it forces me to stretch artistically. But in other ways it is stressful because it's forcing someone else's vision into my own. These days I only like to illustrate someone else's story if it is something different from what I already write. It's possible that someone else could illustrate my writing, I know that for textbook editions of "The Ugly Vegetables" they hired another illustrator instead of using mine. But, in general, I prefer to do both.

Do you have any artistic role models or mentors? What about protegees?
I don't have any specific role models or mentors, but I've always relied on my Blue Rose Girls friends for support and encouragement. As for protegees--if you know anyone who wants to be mine, I'm taking applications! Ha ha.

What was the inspiration for "small graces," your monthly art auction for the Foundation of Children's Books?
Guilt!

Many people don't realize that authors and illustrators of children's books support themselves by doing paid school visits. I am one of those authors. I do a lot of school visits and I am so grateful and honored that schools invite me. But, as I said, a great portion of my income depends on the fees I receive from these visits. AND, my most natural state is introverted--there are only so many visits I can do in a year without stammering incoherently. I'm kind of like a jar of marbles--every visit I do I am less one marble until I am empty. So, I can't give away my marbles for free. So if a school asks me to visit for free, I usually must decline. And I feel bad.

Because it isn't fair that the only schools that get authors to visit are the ones that can afford to. Every visit I do, I can see the excitement in the students. But it also isn't fair to ask the author (the usually financially-strapped author) to do it for free either.

So I decided to start "small graces," where I auction off one original painting a month to benefit the Foundation of Children's Books. The Foundation funds school visit programs for low-income schools. So, schools that usually can't afford an author to visit get one, and the author doesn't have to suffer financially either.


Supporting the Foundation is win-win for everyone. Students of all incomes get wonderful programs and fellow authors are able to make a living to keep creating books, and I alleviate my guilt! Isn't that great? Please bid on a painting and support the project.

And finally -- what was your favorite part of working at Curious George? (Read Grace's post, "The Bookstore that Changed My Life"!)
I miss seeing all the new books. I've always thought that working there was a better education in children's books than art school. When you see all the new books every season and what sells, you really get a feel for what connects with readers. When I worked there, it was constantly inspiring and humbling. But I admit I was a horrible bookseller, I constantly got in trouble for reading the books instead of helping customers!

Grace is a very active and entertaining blogger, so make sure to visit the Where the Mountain Meets the Moon book site or her blog, Grace Notes, for news, exclusive art, contests, fortune cookie wisdom, and even recipes! Right now you can enter a photo of yourself with Where the Mountain Meets the Moon into Grace's photo contest for a chance to win a gift certificate to her online store! (I'm going to enter in hopes of winning a way-too-adorable dim sum dumpling onesie for a friend's baby... There's a ton of gorgeous WtMMtM items, too!)

Thanks so much to Grace for her post -- and for all the lovely art and videos! (It's out most interactive guest post yet!) We can't wait to have her back to visit again.

Do, do do, do do, do do... summer readin'

Ah, summer. Time for sprinklers and sparklers and, of course, summer reading lists. Whether you're already gearing up for fall classes (eek -- say it ain't so!) or just loungin' poolside, now's a great time to break out those lists.

Your local library will be a hotspot of reading activity over the summer, with reading lists, incentive programs, activities, and events to keep kiddos bookishly busy. The Cambridge Public Library has a Summer Reading Program for kids of all ages. The Brookline Public Library, where I volunteer one day a week, has both a kid's program called Starship Adventure and a Teen Summer "Express Yourself" program -- which I'm excited to help with! Hello Cupcake decorating? Hello, I am so there.

The BPL has a compilation of local schools' reading lists posted on their website, which is downloadable as a PDF for your printing convenience. If you or your kiddo were a little less than punctual returning books last summer -- and believe me, as someone who averages 30-40 items checked out at once from my library, I don't judge -- you may be worried about returning to the library this year. Luckily, last fall the BPL forgave all debt owed in fines by kids, up through high school seniors! If you've been a stellar patron since then (or if you've been avoiding the library with chagrin), you're good to go.

I know it's hard to return a library book on time when it's become a favorite, or when you just haven't gotten to it yet but you know you'll love it once you do. Then it's a perfect time to come into your local independent children's bookstore (nudge nudge) and take those titles home with you! Whether you're looking for a title from a school or library reading list, an old favorite you're replacing because it went back to the library or got read to pieces, or something new and exciting for beach reading (or by-flashlight summer storm reading), we're happy to help you find it.

We're also working on some reading programs of our own, including book clubs and kid reviews. PLEASE feel free to give us suggestions here, at our Facebook page, in the store, or by carrier Pigeon. (Be sure to outfit him with aviator cap, scarf, and ginormous goggles for those giant peepers before sending him on a mission, though -- safety first!) You can also email us a link to your child's summer reading list.

We want to know what kinds of activities and events you want to see at Curious George!

Post like the WIND!

Just a few quick notes you need NOW:

The latest Kids' Next Indie Bound list is out! See what our fellow independent booksellers have selected as the best and brightest of the most recent books for all age groups infant to teen.

Bloggeratta Rachel, in her alter-ego as an ABC (Association of Booksellers for Children) techie goddess girl, has been preparing for an auction of original art by children's book illustrators. Jerry Pinkney, Kevin Henkes, Steve Jenkins, Brian Selznick, Betsy Levin, and the soon-to-be-signing-here Grace Lin, among many others, have contributed swoontastic art to help make the world a better place for children's booksellers. Our lucky blogger-in-arms will be at Book Expo America in NYC this weekend, hobnobbing with fabulous authors, illustrators, editors, agents, and publishers. Shelftalker is tempting me to brave the four-hour trip on the FungWah bus and and sneak into the event.

More on the afore-mentioned signing:
A reminder that THIS SUNDAY, MAY 31, at 12 pm, author SONYA SONES will be here to present her first picture book, Violet and Winston, illustrated by Chris Rashka. Ms. Sones will also be signing her acclaimed YA novels What My Mother Doesn't Know and What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know.

NEXT SUNDAY, JUNE 7, at 1 pm, author/illustrator GRACE LIN will present her newest middle-grade novel, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, and sign a selection of her large body of picture books and novels.

Make sure you check our blog or Facebook for details and reminders -- you won't want to miss either of these events!

A hodge podge of art, adventure, vampires, and pleas for love...(just a day in the life)

We are pleased to bring you the incredible masterpieces that took the cake in our art and writing contests! Pop on over to our very own contest blog and peruse the stories, poems, essays, paintings and drawings as you like.

While you're surfing around on the interwebs, be sure to vote for us as Best Boston Bookstore for Nickelodeon's Parents' Picks! Pretty please!

In other exciting news, we have all the latest installments of your favorite series in, so stock up on your summer reading! Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series wraps up with book number 5, The Last Olympian (or does it?). Michael Scott continues the Secrets of Nicholas Flamel in Sorceress, and D.J. MacHale's Pendragon ends with the tenth volume, Soldiers of Halla. At least there are the prequel books, Travelers: Before the War, to aid in the weaning process there. Now that these series are coming to a close, what new books do you think will take their place as the most sought after adventure tales?

When it comes to sought after books, we couldn't leave out the immortal teen vampire and zombie fantasies. Fellow bloggette Katie has written some great posts with suggestions for what next to sink your teeth into, but every week seems to bring in even more! Catherine Jinks puts a spin on the vamp camp with The Reformed Vampire Support Group, about vampires trying to control their urges and assimilate into society even while a suspiciously vampy murder hits the town. Our third bloggette Rachel, has this to say of another new title, The Forest of Hands and Teeth, by Carrie Ryan: "Mary has always lived in the village, where the Sisterhood makes the rules and the Guardians watch the borders. When the Unconsecrated invade, infecting anyone they can catch, Mary must defy what she’s been taught to escape and find the truth. You won’t be able to put this gripping read down!"

Of course, we do have plenty more choices than action adventure or vampire romance in our chapter books, so if those genres aren't your cup of tea for summer reading, come see what else we have!

I'm resisting the urge to say "nyah nyah nyah nyah"

Rainy Saturdays are good for catching up on unfinished blog business!

Here's an article forwarded by blog alumna Bethany (and yes, we're still trying to get her back) on independent bookstores in the Boston area giving the big guys a run for their money. Yay!