World Book Night and St. George's Day

Okay, I missed the boat on this one. World Book Night is tonight.
(Read my blog entry about this here: http://notthenewyorktimesbookreview.blogspot.com/2012/01/back-in-saddle.html)

I missed the deadline for signing up to distribute books. The bookstore where I work is participating in World Book Night, providing books for people to distribute. We had boxes of books come into the store, and over the last week or so, people have come in to pick up the books they will distribute. They are free! What a wonderful event!

(I need to be more proactive next year and sign up earlier.)

In addition to World Book Night, today is also St. George's Day! In an earlier blog post, I describe this as my new favorite holiday
(You can read that blog post here: http://notthenewyorktimesbookreview.blogspot.com/2010/04/my-new-favorite-holiday.html)

I do love the idea of a holiday for giving a book to my beloved, not just any gift, but a BOOK.

This year I chose OLIVE KITTERIDGE. (And the reason I am writing this on St. George's Day but posting it after April 23 is so that a certain someone doesn't read about her St. George's Day present before she receives it!) I have not read it, and it's been selling steadily since it won the Pulitzer Prize in 2009. Since no book was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for fiction this year, it seemed fitting to choose a Pulitzer Prize winning book as my St. George's Day gift.

       

I've also heard that it's kind of dark. And maybe even depressing. But really well written. My certain someone does tend to like books that explore the darker aspects of humanity and life, so I'm hoping that this will be a good choice for her.

Did any of you receive a St. George's Day book? Or did you give one?

You can tell us about your St. George's Day right here on the blog by leaving a comment. You can also send email to us: 2of3Rs(AT)gmail(DOT)com. Thanks for stopping by the blog!

Back in the Saddle

Ahhhh...I am sitting in my favorite coffee shop (Longbottom Coffee Roasters in Hillsboro, Oregon). I love coming here, it's dedicated time for me to work on the blog, plus they have an amazing bumblebee latte (there's some delicious combination of honey and lavender in it).

It's been weeks and weeks since I've been here. The holidays at the bookstore have been incredibly hectic. It feels a little strange, as though I don't quite have the mentality to settle in. The only way to get back in the swing of things is to do it.

I've started brief drafts of blog entries, taken notes on what I want to write about, new customer events happen almost every day, it's a new year (shouldn't I be doing a "best books of 2011" or "books I'm looking forward to in 2012" post?); I'm a little overwhelmed and scattered thinking about what to write about.

Right now, though, it's really good to be here.

I have many things pulling to be written, but for now...IndieBound posted on the blog's facebook page (NOT the New York Times Book Review) about World Book Night...

http://www.us.worldbooknight.org/about-world-book-night/what-is-world-book-night

(And I apologize. There is a way to add a link on the blog post creation page, but it doesn't seem to work. So you'll have to cut and paste.)

I'd never heard of World Book Night before this morning and it sounds like a wonderful idea. It's interesting to me that World Book Night is on April 23. Not only is April 23 the birthdate of Shakespeare and the anniversary of the death of Cervantes, it is also St. George's Day, a holiday celebrated in Spain. It is a day on which you give your loved one a book and a rose. (J., the manager of my store and I commented a few years ago about St George's Day. We wondered why our bookstore wasn't all over this, a holiday specifically FOR giving books? It seemed like a pretty perfect opportunity to get people to buy more books.)

Maybe World Book Night is the next iteration of St George's Day, or a U.S. expression of it. In any case, it's a great idea, getting books into the hands of people who don't generally read all that much. I'm going to keep my eye on this event. I hope you'll check it out as well.

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Other bits and pieces...

I did sign up with Barnes and Noble's affiliate program. I haven't set up any links yet, but will very soon. (Thank you again, Observant Co-Worker, for reminding me to do this.)

The other day I posted on facebook that I sold my 100th copy of SCENT OF THE MISSING by Susannah Charleson at my bookstore! We'd been given a challenge, to select a book and try to handsell 100 copies of the title. I am the first in my store to make it to 100 - beating the next person by about 50 books! (not that I'm competitive). And it is pretty darn satisfying. Not only did I beat the challenge, but I know that (at least) 100 more people will be learning more about Search and Rescue. I am grateful to have had such an easy book to sell!

Some blog post ideas I am considering...

-more customer stories
-books I really liked in 2011 (I actually have a draft of this one started)
-books I'm reading right now
-other book reviewer/lover blogs
-next 100 handsell challenge pick

I really appreciate your comments and encouragement...either here on the blog or on the facebook page or by email: 2of3Rs(AT)gmail(DOT)com. Thank you for stopping by!