Black Bear Blog

SATURDAY!!!!

The Boone Mall is the place to be this Saturday. First of all, our store has been chosen by the Watauga Democrats for the March Cash Mob! It will start at 11 a.m. and we are really looking forward to it. NOTE: The High Country Press reported that we have a free-standing coffee bar, which hasn't been true for a long time. BUT we will have free coffee and extra staff on hand to get you through the checkout lines quickly. Y'all come!

After our store, the cash mob is headed to Tucker's for lunch. This is a great way to support two local businesses and have a lot of fun in the process.

After lunch at Tuckers, you can head back to the store to meet Jane Wood, an award winning (Mom's Choice) children's author from Florida. She will be signing her books in front of the store.

Also on Saturday, the mall will be hosting the Boy Scouts' annual Pine Wood Derby at center court. AND the Easter Bunny will be there to have his picture taken with your child. The mall is pretty much THE place to be this Saturday. 

Please note that we have stocked up on World War Z, American Sniper, The Host, One Second After, The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Lean In (current hot sellers) and we have filled in the missing books in all our kids' series. We are ready for you!

 

Big Spring Books - Pre-Order Now!

Spring: Warm weather, flowers blooming and great new books!

The spring book list is full of big names. If you want to make sure you have the hot new book on the day it comes out, just call us and pre-order. You will get 20% off of your book and you won't have to worry about it selling out. 

Here's a preview of what is going to be in our store soon:

Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls - Who else but David Sedaris could come up with that title? Release date is April 23rd. 

Life After Life - Scottish writer Kate Atkinson has written a novel that sounds not unlike the movie Groundhog Day. Keep living until you get it right. Release date April 2nd.

Whiskey Beach - Nora Roberts. Release date April 16th.

Starting Now (A Blossom Street Novel) - Debbie Macomber. Release date April 2nd.

Tapestry of Fortunes - Elizabeth Berg. Release date April 9th. 

Z (A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald) - Therese Fowler. Release date March 26th.

Daddy's Gone a Hunting - Mary Higgins Clark. Release date April 9th.

 

For history buffs:

Those Angry Days: Roosevelt, Lindbergh and America's Fight Over World War II, 1939-1941 - Lynne Olson. Release date March 26th.

The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914 - Christopher Clark. Release date March 19th.

The Men Who Lost America: British Leadership, the American Revolution and the Fate of the Empire - Andrew Jackson O'Shaughnessy. Release date June 4th.

Stay tuned for children's spring releases and more.

 

 

We're back! Mostly. We're still ironing out some kinks in our files, but you can order online again. Stay tuned for an update.

Francie Hall Signing!

"Just in time for Christmas, Francie Hall will be at our store to sign her books, Appalachian ABC and Appalachian Christms ABC. These books make great gifts and they are hot sellers every Christmas. Come meet Francie on Tuesday, December 18th. She'll be here from 1-4 pm. She'll also be here on the 20th from 1-4 pm. 

Here is a description of the Christmas book: 

"Laced throughout the litany of letters in this celebratory alphabet book is the meaning of Christmas with an Appalachian twist. Exploring the whimsy and worship of Yuletide in the mountains, each letter captures a glimpse of the traditions, food, and frolicking shared by family and friends. Incorporating a legend about the animals around the manger, a program with angels announcing God's glory, and choirs softly singing carols, this A-to-Z book for all ages will become a new Christmas tradition for families who gather around the tree each December."

Great Gift Idea

If you have a John Lennon fan on your Christmas list, we have a perfect gift for you. The John Lennon Letters, edited by Beatles' biographer Hunter Davies, is a gorgeous book, done in a palette of beiges, sepia tones, whites and other subtle colors. The pages are thick and it's a hefty book that looks as if it cost a lot more than it did. ($24.00 with our 20% discount.) 

The earliest letter is dated 1951 and the oldest is dated 1980. Not just letters, everything from grocery lists to memos and the equivalent of "Post-It" notes. Sure to fascinate any John Lennon fan. Frankly, I'm not a John Lennon fan -- I was a Paul girl -- and I still found the book really interesting. One disclaimer: language warning. John was sometimes a potty mouth.

This book allowed me to scratch two names off of my list. Maybe it can help you with yours.

The Boss is on the Way!

This will be THE Christmas gift for the Springsteen fans on your holiday list. Today it the release date, but it will be delayed getting to the store because of (the irony is breathtaking) a hurricane named "Sandy" that just destroyed the Jersey Shore. (Is there any doubt that Bruce will be doing a huge fundraiser for the devastated area?)

Here is a good (and thorough) review.

We're hoping to have the book on our shelves by the weekend. 

BIG SALE THIS WEEKEND!!!

Starting tomorrow morning (Friday, Oct. 19th) we are having a big used book sale. For every used book you buy, you get a second one at half price! The sale will last all weekend. Come check it out!

Pre-Order "The Mark of Athena"

Rick Riordan's new book, The Mark of Athena, is due to be released on October 2nd. If you pre-order and pay for it, we will give you a 25% discount. (The same is true for the new Bill O'Reilly book, Killing Kennedy, due to be released the same day.) 

The Mark of Athena is the third book in a series. To learn more about Rick Riordan and his novels, here is his website.

This is a young adult series, but like The Hunger Games, it will appeal to anyone who enjoys the genre.

Another Christmas Gift Idea

Do you have anyone on your list who is a fan of "The Exorcist?" We will be selling the 40th anniversary edition this Christmas. (You can order it now and beat the rush.) Here is an interview with William Peter (Bill) Blatty about the book.

Bill Blatty happens to be a friend of mine. He read my novel, Dark Debts, and sent me a "fan" email, and after that we had brunch on a Sunday and have remained friends ever since. Therefore, we will be offering the chance to win an autographed edition of this book. Stay tuned for details.

Welcome Back Tony

Tony Danza can write. Who knew? Here's the Kirkus review of his new best seller:

Danza, who graduated college with a degree in history education, took to the classroom with cameras in tow for a year at Philly's Northeast High. Readers may have caught the juicier parts on A&E's short-lived reality show, Teach, but Danza was determined to present a full account of his experiences at the head of the class. His passionate, engaging memoir, I'd Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had: My Year as a Rookie Teacher at Northeast High, recounts it all—warts and tears included—in his self-deprecating, humorous voice. 

More Trivia: When I first moved to L.A. in 1978, I semi-dated Tony's younger brother, Matty. (I say semi-dated because we really just sort of hung out together.) Judging by what I heard from Matty, Tony does indeed need to apologize to every teacher he ever had. And his mother.  My favorite story from those days is the time Matty and I ran into Tony at the Sav-On drug store on Laurel Canyon Blvd. Tony had just been kicked out of his apartment by his girlfriend, so he was stocking up on things for his new apartment. I remember him complaining about the lamp selection. I pointed out that since he was currently starring in a red hot television show (Taxi), perhaps he might want to buy his lamps at an actual lamp store. He laughed as if the idea was ridiculous and put a couple of ugly lamps into his shopping cart. 

I whole-heartedly recommend this book. It's surprisingly well written (give or take the occasional misplaced preposition) and it's a lovely story told charmingly.