Black Bear Blog

BIG SUMMER BOOKS!

Customers have been asking, "What are the Big Beach Books this year?" That's a tough question to answer. To me, Gone Girl was the perfect beach book. But my sister took The Brothers Karamazov to the beach. (I'm convinced that everyone around her thought she was nuts.) So "big beach book" is highly subjective. We're going to do a display of various types of beach books. (One side of the table for people like my sister; one side for people like me.) Meanwhile, here's the rundown on what the publishers are promoting as big summer reads.

Joyland by Stephen King. I don't think this brief book will take up more than a day or two of your vacation, but it has been flying off the shelves. (Partly because it is not being released as an e-book. God bless you, Stephen King!) And word-of-mouth is very good. When Stephen King is good, he is hard to beat.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. Another book that won't take up a lot of room in your suitcase, but it's Neil Gaiman's first adult book since 2005. Need we say more?

The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes. This could be this year's Gone Girl, if people are not put off by the science fiction. Synopsis: Time traveling serial killer. Reviews have been breathless. From Entertainment Weekly: "A grisly crime thriller meets sci-fi action meets historical fiction in a wildly inventive summer page-turner." The only problem with The Shining Girls as "big summer book" is that it is on back-order at all our sources and it was just released yesterday. So you'd better come nab a copy while we have it. This might turn out to be a "big fall book" because no one can get their hands on it this summer.

The Summer Girls by Mary Alice Monroe, The Last Original Wife by Dorothea Benton Frank and A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams are all going for the non-subtle approach -- their covers feature sand and beach umbrellas. For people who want a big beach book that screams BIG BEACH BOOK! 

Not so obvious big summer read: The World of the End by Ofir Touche Gafla, which will be released on June 25th. Kirkus says: “A weird and effective blend of adventure/fantasy, whodunit and romance….  Simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking, handled with sublime assurance, astonishingly inventive, funny and totally fascinating.” This is the first English translation of the novel, which was originally released in 2004.

If none of the above appeals to you, we also have a very large selection of paperback bestsellers. Remember all those books about which you said, "I'll wait till it comes out in paperback?" They're out in paperback. Here's a list:

The End of the World Book Club by Will Schawalbe

Carry the One by Carol Anshaw

  The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

Beautiful Ruins (great beach book) by Jess Walter

The Dog Stars by Peter Heller

The Ballad of Tom Dooley by Sharyn McCrumb

The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers

Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple

The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

...

And many more!

Let us know what you're reading this summer, so we can pass along more suggestions. And come see us, so we can find the perfect summer book for you. If you're weird like my sister, you can check out our fantastic literature section. We do have a lot of big fat Russian novels where every third character is named Dimitri.

 

 

 

SUMMER NEWS

There is something for everyone at Black Bear right now! We have almost finished restocking the store and should be done by July 4th. We have added a lot of new titles in the Science and History sections, and, of course, we have all the hot new beach reads.

We have been working on the summer book lists for the area schools. We have all of the Battle of the Books books (except for the ones that are on back-order) and we will be displaying them front and center all summer. We have ordered all of the books on the Watauga High School summer list. We have stocked the Grace Academy book list. If you have a book list from one of the other schools, please drop one off or email it to us, and we'll make sure those are stocked, too.

Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane arrived yesterday. Stephen King's Joyland has been flying off the shelves, and we are hearing good things about it. Also popular are the "New in Paperback" books, like Beautiful Ruins, Carry the One, Tell the Wolves I'm Home,The Snow Child and more. Also, Sharyn McCrumb's The Ballad of Tom Dooley is now out in paperback and at a bargain price!

If you are here on vacation, books are a great way to keep the kids from getting restless during our rainy spells. Our knowledgeable staff will help you find a book that is right for your child. We carry over 60 different series for kids in all age ranges.

If we don't have a book that you're looking for, we will give you a 15% discount for ordering it, if you prepay, or a 10% discount if you pay when you pick it up. We always give a 20% discount on hard cover best-sellers and a 10% discount on paperback best sellers. 

Come stock up for rainy days, for the beach, or just because. Books and summer go together!

WELCOME SUMMER RESIDENTS!

Welcome summer people! Since the beginning of June, we've noticed that the store is livelier and books are flying off the shelves. We're so glad that you're here and glad to see that you still love books!

We have some exciting summer signings that we'll be telling you about soon. Meanwhile, come check out all the changes we've made since last summer. We have some new sections and we now have an official "hall of used books." (Ask about our used book trade program, it might be just what you need.) 

We've been reading all winter so we can make good recommendations to you. New hard cover books are all 20% off and paperback best sellers are 10% off. (We take a lot of liberty with that "best seller" heading. Basically, we have a lot of trade paperbacks that we want to recommend and sell to you at a discount.) 

Our children's section has grown and we now stock over 60 different series, as well as all the classic "stand alones." We have recommendatios for boys and girls of all age groups, and we love helping you find a new series -- just what your summer needs!

Our yarn section has grown in size and we are fully stocked and ready for knitters, and we've got some new ideas for summer projects. We've also added a spinning section and spinning classes!

Sorry, I know that's a lot of exclamation points, but we're really happy with our current incarnation and excited about sharing it all with you. And, as always, we have a highly knowledge and friendly staff, just waiting to help you out.

Y'all come see us!

The only thing worse than Ingram's website is Baker & Taylor's website.

Battle of the Books - Middle School

 

2013-2014 Middle School Books!

We will have punch cards and prizes for middle school Battle of the Books students, too. Every time you buy a BOB middle school book from us, we will punch your card. Ten or more punches wins a small prize. The prize for getting the entire card punched in middle school will be a $15.00 gift certificate.

Here are the books:

 Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez

The Underneath by Kathi Appelt

Iron Thunder: The Battle Between the Monitor and the Merrimac by Avi

The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Island of the Unknowns: A Mystery by Benedict Carey

That Summer by Sarah Dessen

Gym Candy by Carl Deuker

Forged by Fire by Sharon M. Draper

Under a War-Torn Sky by Laura Elliott

The Brooklyn Nine by Alan Gratz

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse

Red Scarf Girl by Ji-Li Jiang

Heaven by Angela Johnson

Cracker! The Best Dog in Vietnam by Cynthia Kadohata

Schooled by Gordon Korman

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Legend by Marie Lu

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Ghosts in the Fog by Samantha Seiple

Bomb: the Race to Build and Steal the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

The Land by Mildred D. Taylor

Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage 

Crow by Barbara Wright

Seeking EXCELLENT Booksellers

We are starting to interview people for positions that will be available as soon as business picks up. (That might be July, so if you need an immediate job, this is not it.) As you can tell from our current staff, we have very high standards. Frankly, a book store cannot remain in business in this economy without extremely knowledgeable booksellers and Nordstrom-style customer service. Over the years, we have learned what it takes to be a successful bookseller at our store. There are subjective, intangible things that have to do with the atmospher of the store -- what we hope to project to customers, the chemistry between booksellers, etc. But there are a lot of tangilbles, and here they are:

(1) A passion for books. "I enjoy reading" is not enough. We need someone who feels wounded every time someone sings the praises of their kindle. A Black Bear bookseller cares about covers and deckled pages and limited editions. In other words, you need to care about the book itself, not just the words inside.

(2) A wide knowledge of books. We need you to be knowledgeable in more than one genre. Also, you must have a better than passing knowledge of the classics. This is a college town and we sell a lot of literature. Our customers expect our booksellers to be well-educated in the classics of all genres.

(3) You cannot be an introvert. At least, you cannot be a quiet introvert. This job takes a lot of interacting with a very ecclectic customer base. You have to like to talk to people.

(4)  You must have a strong asthetic sense. The owner (that would be me) is a fanatic about how the store looks, so you must have enough of a design sense to know when the store looks good and when it doesn't, and know how to fix it when it doesn't. You also must be able to put a display together.

(5) We prefer college students or college graduates. This job requires such a wide range of knowledge, we need well-educated booksellers. Of course, if you are self-educated and have the required range of knowledge, that's fine, too.

(6) You don't have to be beautiful, but you must be presentable. I can't believe how many people come to a job interview in clothes that look like they were pulled out of the laundry pile. We have a dress code and we are particular about how you look when representing our store.

(7) If you know computers, knitting or graphic design, please mention it. You get extra credit for those.

(8) If you have experience as a bookseller and all of the above applies to you, run don't walk.

Hope that is helpful! You can leave your resumes at the store or email them to [email protected]. Please include a cover letter that addresses the above list.

Thanks and may the odds be ever in your favor.

BATTLE OF THE BOOKS!

 

The 2013-2014 Battle of the Books elementary list is out and the books will be in our store before the weekend. We will have "refrigerator ready" copies of the list for parents and students. We will also have book marks that will serve as punch cards. Every time your student buys a BOB book from us, we will punch their card. Ten or more punches wins a small prize. Get the entire card punched and win a very nice student book log. (See below.)

Don't forget to stop by this weekend to pick up your list and your punch card! Also, we will be starting a Battle of the Books Book Club soon. If you (or your child) are interested in participating, please sign the BOB email list at the store.)

Here is the 2013-2014 list:

A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs

Greetings from Nowhere by Barbara O'Connor

The Homework Machine by Dan Gutman

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

Jake by Audrey Couloumbis

Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George

Love, Ruby Lavender by Deborah Wiles

Savvy by Ingrid Law

Smells Like a Dog by Suzanne Selfors

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

The Trouble with Chickens by Doreen Cronin

Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George

Ungifted by Gordon Korman

Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen

The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin

Zora and Me by Victoria Bond

This year's prize for punching all eighteen elementary books: 

The Bookworm Journal. Every time you and your child finish a story, fill out a journal entry with the title, author and rating of the book. Then, tear off the perforated corner of each page to see the bookworm “eat” his way through t he journal. 

Stay tuned for similar news about the 2013-2014 high school list.

Spring Book List - Dates!

The following books are available for pre-order. Check the links if you'd like to know more about a book or an author. We will be giving a 20% discount on any hard cover pre-order, and 25% discount on selected titles. Current 25% off titles are: Inferno, The Ocean at the End of the Lane and Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls.

BOOK	AUTHOR	RELEASE DATE
Tapestry of Fortunes	Elizabeth Berg	April 9th
Tea Rex	Molly Idle	April 9th
Daddy’s Gone a-Hunting	Mary Higgins Clark	April 9th
Whiskey Beach	Nora Roberts	April 16th
My Beloved Brontosaurus	Brian Switek	April 16th
Fly Away	Kristin Hannah	April 23rd
Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls	David Sedaris	April 23rd
The Golem and the Jinni	Helen Wecker	April 23rd
Frozen in Time	Mitchell Zuckoff	April 23rd
Fancy Nancy	Jane O’Connor	April 23rd
That is Not a Good Idea	Mo Willems	April 23rd
How to Train Your Dragon	Cressida Crowell	April 30th
Red Moon	Benjamin Percy	May 7th
The Constellation of Vital Phenomena	Anthony Marra	May 7th
A Delicate Truth	John La Carre	May 7th
Inferno	Dan Brown	May 14th
The Son	Philip Meyer	May 28th
You Are One of Them	Elliott Holt	May 30th
The Men Who Lost America	Andrew Jackson O’Shaunessy	June 3rd
Big Brother	Lionel Shriver	June 4th
Joyland	Stephen King	June 4th
The Yonahhlossee Riding Camp for Girls	Anton DiSclafani	June 4th
The Time Between	Karen White	June 4th
Entwined w/You	Sylvia Day	June 4th
The Ocean at the End of the Lane	Neil Gaiman	June 18th
Pete the Cat	James Dean	June 25th
Mistress	James Patterson	August 5th
The Girls of August	Anne Rivers Siddons	August 6th

Another Book Set in the High Country!

One of the most highly anticipated early summer reads is "The Yonahlossee Riding Club for Girls" by Anton DiSclafani. Here's a description, taken from the website whose name dare not be mentioned.

It is 1930, the midst of the Great Depression. After her mysterious role in a family tragedy, passionate, strong-willed Thea Atwell, age fifteen, has been cast out of her Florida home, exiled to an equestrienne boarding school for Southern debutantes. High in the Blue Ridge Mountains, with its complex social strata ordered by money, beauty, and girls’ friendships, the Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls is a far remove from the free-roaming, dreamlike childhood Thea shared with her twin brother on their family’s citrus farm—a world now partially shattered. As Thea grapples with her responsibility for the events of the past year that led her here, she finds herself enmeshed in a new order, one that will change her sense of what is possible for herself, her family, her country.

Weaving provocatively between home and school, the narrative powerfully unfurls the true story behind Thea’s expulsion from her family, but it isn’t long before the mystery of her past is rivaled by the question of how it will shape her future. Part scandalous love story, part heartbreaking family drama, The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls is an immersive, transporting page-turner—a vivid, propulsive novel about sex, love, family, money, class, home, and horses, all set against the ominous threat of the Depression—and the major debut of an important new writer.

*As with all of our spring/summer books, you will receive a 20% discount if you pre-order and pay upfront.

 

 

A World Turned Over

I just finished reading "A World Turned Over" by Lorian Hemingway, who is one of the 12 grandchildren of Ernest Hemingway. She has definitely inherited his talent, although their styles could not be more different. The book is a memoir about the F-5 tornado that destroyed her hometown of Jackson, Mississippi in 1966. The first half of the book describes the tornado so vividly, I felt like I had survived it myself. The second half deals with her return to the town 30 years later to interview survivors. I didn't think the second half could be as riveting as the first, but I was wrong.

I am a self-confessed disaster junkie, and have been all my life. I don't know why. Scots have a genetic morbid streak, so I blame my ancestors. At any rate, a book like A World Turned Over is my idea of a good time. It will be living on my Staff Picks shelf as soon as I can make my way back down Clarks Creek Road!