Bookstores - Dinosaurs or Here to stay?

It seems that many people fear for the continuing existence of bookstores. Over the last few months I have read about the struggle many bookstores are facing, and in fact, know of two local stores that are no longer in business.  I was shocked when I dropped in the mall a couple of weeks back and realized that there was no longer a bookstore there. I remember when there would always be one, if not two, bookstores in any mall.

Why the closings? When the question is asked, many talk about the economy, disposable income, and online bookstores as some of the problems faced by today's book retailers. One problem is  online stores have less overhead, can stock more titles without worrying about shelf space, they don't charge taxes, and many are now offering services such as no shipping fees. In order to stay in business bookstores are feeling a need to compete.

What got me to thinking about this? This article about a bookstore in England that thinks it has found a way to compete... at least with the problem of out of print or sold out books. They have installed a machine that prints out a book for you, cover and all, in the time it takes to brew a cappuccino! The techno geek in me was fascinated by this attempt to be competitive.

While the techno geek in me was going WOW!, the part of me who loves books wasn't so sure. See, I don't buy my books from online stores, and still trek down to the local bookstores on a regular basis. I may read about and decide I want a book based on recommendations, both online and from friends in the solid world, but I still go to the bookstore to buy it. Why? Because half the fun of going to buy new books is the experience of wandering thru the store and coming across a book that you might not have discovered if it hadn't caught your eye. Checking out the Just Arrived Shelves, wandering in the sections for other genres than the ones you normally read, picking up a book that the title or cover has caught your attention and opening it up and reading a little to see if it catches your interest... I've discovered many the treasure in an author or book that I wouldn't have ever found  if I was just shopping online.

Would I still read/buy books if I could only order them? Yes. Would I miss being surrounded by books and wandering around amidst them to see if I might find a hidden jewel? Oh Yes! I don't see Bookstores being replaced, but I do see them changing to reflect new technology. A machine than can print off a book not in stock  on demand, a place to download an e-book to your reader instead of buying a hardcopy, having people working in your store that love books and are ready to recommend something you might like? Definitely. But, not to have the opportunity to pick up, touch, and see books... I think that the world would be a little less bright if that happened.

Opinions? Thoughts? Do you order all of your books online? Do you go to the local bookstore? A little of each? While I have no problem buying a book online, I would not be happy if that was my only choice.

Quest the First --Book 2

For my second book -- New Moon by Stephenie Meyer 

 

 

This is the second book in the Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer. I was late coming to this series, but since I enjoyed the first book, was looking forward to dipping back into this world. In the first book, there were hints that the local Indian tribe knew about Vampires in general and Edward's family in particular. In this book, due to circumstances that cause a separation of Bella from Edward, we get to discover more about the why and how of this knowledge.

This book is mostly about Jacob and Bella, and the growing friendship between them. I liked the character of Jacob that we met briefly in Twilight and enjoyed learning more about him. With Jacob we now have the third leg in what is to become a triangle.

Mild spoilers alert:

Edward left Bella to protect her, but she seems to be a magnet for the supernatural. First there is Jacob and the newly forming Werewolf pack, followed by the return of a the female vampire from the first book... who's reason for reappearing is to seek her revenge against Bella for the death of her mate in Twilight! After Bella commits what appears to be suicide, Alice returns. With the help of Alice, Bella travels to Italy and an encounter with the Volturi, the reining 'royals' of the vampire world, to save Edward.

All in all this was an enjoyable romp in a well thought out world. There were enough twists and turns to keep you interested and reading right along. I look forward to the third book to be released in paperback.

Want to join in the Once Upon a Time III Chalenge, stop in over at Stainless Steel Droppings and you too can play along!

One Project Finished... Another Started!

First, the finished project:

I completed this afghan a little over a week ago, and it has already found a wonderful new home. This was a 'scrap' afghan made out of some yarn I had left over from some project I had abandoned (or maybe never started). The blue, burgundy, and off-white were in my stash. I added the green because I thought it need an additional color. I was really pleased with the end result, especially since a couple of people (read the hubs and my friend who has claimed the afghan) didn't think the colors were going to go well together. Both of them were surprised and delighted with the finished project.

Here are a couple of more shots that give you a better look at the pattern and the colors:

This is a great pattern to work with in the summer. Because it is done in strips, it is very portable. The strips are also cooler to work on since you don't end up with the whole afghan sitting across your lap making your legs sweaty.. well, except for when you are putting all of the strips together! It is also a simple pattern that doesn't require carrying around a pattern.

I've already started a new project to keep my hands busy.  It is going to be the same basic pattern, but with a really soft yarn called Simply Soft Eco. It is a yarn put out by Caron that is partly made out of..... recycled water bottles! Really! I feel so.... Green! I chose to use 4 colors and soft white for this project.

 

The four colors will be the centers and the soft white will be the accent/connecting color. I thought they would make a very bright 'springy' colored afghan. What are you all doing to stay busy this summer?

 

Book The First

Quest the First, Book 1! Club Dead by Charlaine Harris.

I actually finished Club Dead on Monday, but we had a lot of running around to do on Tuesday and Wednesday, so this is my first chance to give a quick review. In fact, I'm well on my way to reading my second book for the Quest!

I liked this book, and I like this series. This series has been around for a while, but the idea of a southern vampires just didn't do anything for me... and for some reason the name Sookie made me even more sure I didn't want to read this. LOL! Still, after HBO picked it up for a series and I kept seeing good reviews of the different books in the series, I decided to at least give the first book a try, and to my surprise, I really liked it.

Club Dead is the third book in the Sookie Stackhouse series (or the Southern Vampire Mysteries as they are also called), and I find myself more interested in the characters as the series progresses. Charlaine Harris has taken a barmaid in the deep south and given her a 'gift' and then added a mixed bag of supernaturals for Sookie to stumble across and pal around with. One of the advantages of coming to a series late is that I don't have to wait months or years for the next book in the series to become available. There are currently 9 published books in the series and this is only number 3. Woo Hoo!

Club Dead finds Sookie facing life without her Vampire boyfriend Bill. After being a little cold to Sookie, Bill turns up missing. Seems he has an old flame who may not be the nicest person in the world. Bill's Boss Eric asks for Sookie's help locating Bill using her 'gift' of being able to read 'normal' humans minds. With the help of some otherworldly friends, a little  luck, meeting some Vampire 'royalty', and maybe an Elvis sighting or two, Sookie locates Bill. But, should she rescue him or sharpen up a stake for him herself? You'll have to read this to find out.

As I stated earlier, I really liked this book and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it as a fun read. It works as a stand-alone book, but it is better if read as part of the series. While you would understand the story without any other background, knowing the players and their history together makes it an even more enjoyable read. The first two books in the series are Dead until Dark and Living Dead in Dallas. If you decide to try this series, I also enjoyed both of them as well.

If you want to join in the Challenge, pop over to Stainless Steel Droppings to see how it all works. Come on, join us, you know you want to!

A Challenge

To my chagrin I have to admit that I have always had a problem being a consistent blogger. Some people post a couple times a day or several times a week, but it always seems that if/when I get on a good blogging roll, real life would jump up and pop me up the side of the head. All of last year would be a good example of this phenomenon. Still, I love my little slice of cyberspace and, with the return of warm weather to my world,  I find myself looking around here and  thinking  about dusting off the (figurative) debris and seeing if I can be a little more consistent this year.

One of the things I would like to do is to participate more in some of the things happening around and about the blogging sphere. Last year I enjoyed reading everyone's posts about the Once Upon a Time II Challenge. Most of my reading is Sci-fi/Fantasy, and I found a lot of books that I added to my TBR pile from last years challenge reviews. This year I want to join in and play along!

Carl from Stainless Steel Droppings offers up the Once Upon a Time III Challenge. This challenge will include reading books from the categories of  fantasy, fairy tale, folklore, and mythology. And, it just so happens that I have been reading and have in my TBR pile several books that fit neatly into these categories. I plan to participate in:

In Carl's words:

This is really as simple as the name implies. It means you are participating, but not committing yourself to any specific number of books. All reading is a journey, perhaps none more so than reading fantastical fiction. By signing up for The Journey you are agreeing to at least read one book within one of the four categories during March 21st to June 20th period. Just one book. If you choose to read more, fantastic! If not, then we have still had the pleasure of your company during this three month reading journey and hopefully you have read a great book, met some interesting people, and enjoyed the various activities that occur during the challenge. It has always been of utmost importance to me that the challenges that I host be all about experiencing enjoyable literature and sharing it with others. I want you to participate. Hence, The Journey.

Read at least 5 books that fit somewhere within the Once Upon a Time III criteria. They might all be fantasy, or folklore, or fairy tales, or mythology…or your five books might be a combination from the four genres.

I had just begun reading Club Dead by Charlaine Harris the day before I saw the challenge go up. Sitting on the sidelines I have New Moon by Stephanie Meyer, and InkHeart by Cornelia Funke. I also noticed that the newest Dresden book has arrived at my local bookstore. I don't think finding 5 books in these categories to read will be a problem! I don't usually do book reviews here, but I think this will be fun, and I look forward to reading everyone else's reviews.

To join in the Challenge, stop over at Stainless Steel Droppings. To see a list of the reviews as they come in check out the dedicated Once Upon a Time III blog.

Come on, join in.... You know you want to.

Still Amused...

Back in December I linked you to the story of Otto the Octopus. I was amused with his antics and offered up the story for your amusement.

Today I give you a new story of Octopus intelligence, curiosity, and mischievousness. This time it happened at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium and involves their female two-spotted octopus.

Seems little missy was feeling in need of some excitement, so she created some. The story can be found here at National Geographic News. The Aquarium itself also released a press release about the incident, and you can see the CNN Video here. There is also an entry in the official aquarium blog. Oh, and one more link, this is a set of pictures on Flickr where you can see her a little better and appreciate just how pretty she is. They are copyrighted, so I am just linking to them. Enjoy!

These Ironworkers Rock!

I saw this story on Neatorama and thought it was so cool I just had to share it with my friends here.

It seems that a bunch of Ironworkers in Boston are giving a special treat to children who are receiving treatment for cancer at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The Ironworkers are erecting the new Yawkey Center for Cancer care just across the way from the Institute. The children write their names on pieces of paper and tape them to a window for the Ironworkers to see. They, in turn, paint the children's names in bright colors on beams which are then hoisted into place.

This is not the first time Ironworkers have done something like this. They also did it in 1996 when the Smith Research Labs were built.

It is a simple thing. But, for the youngsters who press their noses to the glass each day to watch as new names are added, it is a few moments of joy. Over the last month they have painted more than 100 names on the building, and they have even put a likeness of SpongeBob SquarePants on their crane.

"Look out the window," Souza said, as she held Kristen in her arms. "There's your name up there. There's your name, Kristen." The girl, bald from her treatments, smiled shyly.

It has become a beloved ritual at Dana-Farber: Every day, children who come to the clinic write their names on sheets of paper and tape them to the windows of the walkway for ironworkers to see. And, every day, the ironworkers paint the names onto I-beams and hoist them into place as they add floors to the new 14-story Yawkey Center for Cancer Care.

Read the entire story here.