April 7, 2009
This week we'll be highlighting some new features, and even passing on a bit of good news! It's been quite some time since any of you have seen our beloved friend to the left in a bookstore. As you may know the McCloskey estate has been gridlocked in negotiations with McCloskey's long time publisher, Penguin, over the terms of their agreement, and Blueberries For Sal has been off the market for well over a year. Good news was finally announced yesterday that the two sides had worked things out and Sal should be back on our shelves shortly! We have a great slate of Author appearances lined up for April and May, including Kathryn Miles, Benrd Heinrich, and local author Luann Yetter. You'll find all the calendar marking type information on our Events Page. Another new feature worth giving a spin around the block is an Advanced Search option on our online book database. This new feature is just the tip of the iceberg, as our search engine is itself undergoing an exciting new upgrade which should launch next week. Finally, since conversation and community are at the heart of everything we do, and what makes Independent Bookselling so rewarding, we've set up a Weekly Top 2 Comment Area on our facebook page to give you a chance to share comments and thoughts on any book related issues or topics. To get things started let's take a moment to discuss something that's been in the news of late: ebooks. On the one hand, it's easy to predict dire things of new technology, Robert Burton's fears that the printing press spelled the end of the world seem more charming than real in retrospect. Yet isn't the impulse to write all about permanence, about preserving something intrinsic about ourselves. Memories distort and fade, our identities shift and alter, writing and loving books satisfies the need to preserve, to make something tangible and above all immutable, a permanence which is otherwise beyond our reach. Digital books are inherently mutable. Do you agree that the nature of our relationship to books, and to other readers, is linked to this concept of immutability? Here they are! Our weekly picks for the two best: two hardcover, two paperback, and two children's books. The very best new arrivals to leap out of the box and onto our shelves this week. Call or email us if you want more information on any of these titles, or to have us hold you a copy. Or stop in and check them out in person. We'd love to see you. Thanks as always for sharing your reading with us!
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