We received the following note from a customer yesterday. (Dear Customer, One for the ages. Thank you!)

Dear Awesomest Bookstore in the World, Do you know how awesome you really are?  If you were a dog, I would let you sleep on my bed and I would sleep on the floor.  I would have you cloned so that the world could be full of dogs like you.  I would love you while you were alive, then I would bring you to an expert taxidermist to have you mounted on a pedestal so you could be with me ever in death. Then I would leave money in my will so you would be dusted regularly.  That’s how awesome you are!  Never change!

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In this, the centennial year of the most celebrated — and romanticized — shipwreck in history, brace yourself for more books about the fateful night of April 14, 1912 and the largest vessel in the world’s chance encounter with an iceberg. Who knew, on that deathly cold and calm night in the North Atlantic, that an event was unfolding that would one day instigate a great drama at Downton Abbey, both upstairs and downstairs? Who knew that Leonardo DiCaprio would board the fabled ship a promising young actor and plunge to the depths a superstar?

Who envisioned a traveling show called  Titanic: The Bodies that featured photographs of cadavers, as if we needed further evidence that an era that doted on good manners had been eradicated by one that thrives on bad taste?

We are tentatively planning a panel discussion in April at the Northshire on the subject with, among others, Katherine Howe, the author of a new novel titled The House of Velvet and Glass, in which the Titanic figures prominently.

There has been a recent book about J. Bruce Ismay, the Chairman of the Board of the White Star Line, whose survival prompted many unflattering remarks about his character or lack thereof. Voyagers of the Titanic by Richard Davenport-Hines will be launched in March. Also due in March is Gilded Lives by Hugh Brewster. The book focuses on the liner’s First-Class passengers, who individually seem to stir more interest in readers and who collectively enjoyed a much higher survival rate on the ship itself.

These books will join a deluge (notice the clever allusions yet?) of other examinations of just about every aspect of the tragedy. There have been books that concentrate on the building of the ship, the food that was served, the crew, the media reports after the disaster, the heroic band, the pets on board, the origin of the iceberg, the “mystery ship” in the vicinity, the steel used in her construction, the mistakes in navigation, the recovery of the dead, and the rapidly deteriorating condition of the wreck. There was even one that purported that the ship involved wasn’t really the Titanic or, more accurately, wasn’t the real Titanic. Honest.

You would think that, in 100 years time, someone would have expounded on what happened to the only intact parts of the Titanic that were still floating on April 15th.

A friend of mine sent me a clipping from a New Jersey paper. The article was about an antique shop in a mall that showcases what may or may not be a lifeboat from the Titanic. It is in dreadful condition, having been exposed to the elements for most of its life. It was constructed in 1909 for Harland and Wolff, the builders of the giant liner, but no evidence — other than a marked similarity — irrefutably ties it to Titanic. If it is, indeed, a Titanic boat (and I seriously doubt that it is), it is the only one still in existence as far as I know.

Titanic carried 14 conventional lifeboats, 4 collapsible boats, and 2 wooden

Collapsible B: One boat that didn't make it back.

cutters. They had a total capacity of 1,178 people (only 705 survived the sinking). The rescue ship, Carpathia, transported 13 of the boats back to New York, where they were photographed floating beside Pier 59 a few days later. White Star quickly had the nameplates removed from them and, as Walter Lord noted in A Night to Remember, they subsequently “disappeared into history.” None of the four collapsibles were recovered and it is likely that all of the boats left adrift on the open ocean were destroyed by other ships as potential hazards to navigation.

If the night of April 14/15 was fated to be one to remember, it was a  night that White Star wished fervently to forget. There were legal reasons that made the boats important to the company, however. According to maritime law, anyone wishing to bring suit against the company was only entitled to benefits amounting to the litigant’s share of the current value of the vessel involved. That meant that thousands of people would have to divide the value of 13 lifeboats between them.

After the lawsuits were settled, it is likely that the boats were discreetly incorporated onto other ships. Lifeboat accommodation was very much on the public’s mind after the Titanic. The shipping line irrevocably associated with one of the century’s most momentous disasters adopted its chairman’s approach to the subject of their crowning achievement’s maiden voyage. Bruce Ismay never uttered the word “titanic” in public again, presumably even when he was referring to other big things.

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The winter weather: cold, gray, slushy. The winter food: warm, comfy, slurpy. The books: fulfilling, delicious, an eyeful.

A pinch of this; a dash of that and you have soup in Pinch and Dash Make Soup by Michael J. Daley. Pinch is hungry. His soup pot empty. All he has in his refrigerator is a potato, some spinach and a bit of cheese. Dash is a great cook. But his soup pot is filled with “Skinny Soup”: soup with not much in it! Together these friends combine their ingredients, talents and tastes to make soup. But more than a dash of trouble ensues!  A feast for your eyes (the illustrations of Thomas F. Yezerski hold a few surprises of their own) this story of friendship, working together and great soup is perfect for story time held before, after or during dinner, lunch or breakfast! Also, a gem for your reader ages 5 to 7.

If soup isn’t your thing and pizza is try, Killer Pizza: The Slice. This is the second course to Greg Taylor’s Killer Pizza. Four months after learning the local pizza joint, Killer Pizza, is a cover for a Monster hunting organization, our heroes Toby, Annabel and Strobe find themselves trying to protect a beautiful, unusual 14-year-old girl, Calanthe. Who also happens to be a member of a tribe of monsters with snake-like talents, extreme strength and some very dangerous traditions! Thinking getting her into the Monster Protection Program will be easy, little do they realized the dangers Calanthe (and they) are really in! Guaranteed to keep you warm as you laugh and catch your breath in this hot piece of literature for ages 12 up.

The way to spice up a blah winter is to have a tasty book or two or ten. After all haven’t I always said, “Devour a good book?” You can find these and other goodies on the shelves of the Northshire Bookstore!

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Check out our  Author Events this Week (and a few beyond). Then check this: The John Steinbeck Award was just announced, previous recipients included Joan Baez, Bruce Springsteen, Arthur Miller, Studs Terkel and Garrison Keillor. The 2o12 winner? None other that our March 31st guest Rachel Maddow (the third woman to receive the prestigious award and the first recipient under the age of 40!!).

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My three favorite books under ten dollars right now have to do with farm animals. Know Your Cows, Know Your Chickens, and Know Your Pigs are great little, full-color guides to several dozen breeds per critter. Being part owner of nine hens and one rooster, I know all I care to about our birds. Feed them, let them out, collect the eggs. If you are one of those people (and there are many) who want to know a little bit more, say as much as you can fit in your pocket or purse, Know Your Chickens is for you. The bovine version has sold even better than the poultry while the pigs have kind of wallowed. Coming soon: Know Your Donkeys and Mules.

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we delivered this built in bench about a week and half ago, and though it looks pretty simple now that it’s done, there were a lot of things to think about and consider as we put it together …
we had an inspiration photo and overall dimensions, but no angles which, since you can’t tell much by sitting on a drawing, encourage us to make a full size mdf mockup, complete with foam and batting.it took an hour or two, but was well worth it and allowed us to debate the incline of both the seat and the back cushions …
from there it was on to the cad drawings, which gave us dimensions and an actual plan to work from. the little recessed base was interesting and gave the piece a little more of a ‘furniture’ look but added a few complications to the construction process start up … lots of little offsets and surface plane differences to create shadows …

plywood carcase designbut once the structure was defined by the plywood carcase, it was a little more straightforward as we added the layers.moving along here, about to add the ends and top rail …
a little oil primer and paint ..

a test fit on the cushions by local upholsterer, isaiah mccauliffe, and we were out the door. in the top picture above, the carpenters will cut the baseboard and fit the bench top to the wall when the clients’ table arrives, for the complete built in look .. nice house …

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Estimates varied, but consensus seems to be around 800 people… The line went through kids, down through the cafe, through the middle level, down through the old part of the store and out the door. Here is a picture of the end of the line around 6:30…  Many happy kids and many new faces!

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click image for book info

…and her recommendations rock.

Listen here to find out why this book was an ‘instant hit’ with her.

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Even a man who is pure of heart and says his prayers at night
Can become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the moon is full and bright.

The eyes should be blue. Like Paul Newman's.

Except in The Wolf Gift.

There were a lot of things that I didn’t like about Anne Rice’s new novel. What I particularly disliked was her chronic disregard for the rules and regulations of wolf lore. I know that Ms. Rice is a justly celebrated author, but that doesn’t mean she can completely jettison the guidelines that existed in the Sacred Werewolf Handbook long before Lon Chaney, Jr. was born. Rice may have given vampires a new lease on life, but her spin on lycanthropes is more loony than lupus.

Imagine, rendering the moon impotent! Pronouncing that shining orb in the night sky irrelevant in a story about a werewolf is like saying that Russia was inconsequential to Doctor Zhivago.

The main character in the novel is a golden boy aptly named Reuben Golding. He is one of those people whom God has smiled upon, like Mitt Romney’s sons. His brother, Jim, is a priest, his mother is a surgeon, and his girlfriend is an ambitious lawyer with the district attorney’s office. Reuben’s father is a professor, whose retiring demeanor acts as a counterbalance to the commanding personalities of the rest of the clan. Dad writes a new poem to  be read on Thanksgiving every year when all the family gathers at the house in San Francisco, where the view from every window is — need I state this? — breathtaking.

Reuben drives a — need I state this? — Porche. He has a job as a journalist with a major newspaper in the city and his writing promises to cast a shadow over Tom Wolfe’s career. He is criminally attractive to women, but doesn’t think that his handsome features are all that important. The belief, of course, is a tacit admission that he is quite aware of his matinee idol good looks. The “aw shucks” modesty is only admirable in a disingenuous sort of way.

He wears Brooks Brothers, watches Joseph Losey films, and uses words like “sanguine” in casual conversations. Need I state that I hated him?

On a trip up the coast to an isolated estate, Reuben is attacked by some kind of animal and begins to experience alarming changes in his physiognomy and a distinct heightening of his sensory perceptions. Ms. Rice coyly avoids using the word “werewolf” until page 72 and one constantly gets the impression that she would really rather be writing about cultured, aristocratic vampires in New Orleans, whose lust for blood is far more civilized.

Whereas poor Larry Talbot was a slave to his lycanthropic tendencies, Reuben learns to master them. Given the fact that the transformation is like an extended orgasm, that probably takes a lot of self-discipline. In order to further differentiate her hero from the salivating creatures that prowled through the old Universal horror movies, Rice dubs him “Man Wolf,” a subtle riff on “wolf man” that she must feel imparts more dignity to the character, I’m not sure why. It is also sadly indicative of the bargain basement level of originality at work here.

Reuben is essentially good in both of his incarnations. He’s a crime-busting Superman with hair instead of tights. It might be a unique take on the traditional werewolf story, but it requires sacrifices that render Reuben nearly as boring after his transformations as he was before. The author is placed in the uncomfortable position of sanitizing all of his kills with the rather pedestrian excuse that the victims deserved it and only Jim’s priestly voice to caution his brother that tearing people limb from limb considerably lessens their capacity for self-redemption. (Murky beams from the author’s Jesus period pierce the coastal fog.)

Ms. Rice asks a lot of her reader. We have to try and suppress a laugh imagining Reuben the Werewolf driving his Porche with the obvious problem of grasping the steering wheel with those slippery claws (I’m not  making this up). Most fantastically, however, we are asked to imagine that a smart and sophisticated woman finds the beast so damn attractive that she immediately allows him to carry her off to bed where they can pant over and under each other for hours. She is less impressed with Reuben the Hunk, but who could really blame her?

If I sound too much the rigid purist, I don’t really mean to. Stephen King’s wolf in Silver Bullet became more ferocious as the moon grew fuller. That was an acceptable deviation. An author is always free to tinker with conventions, but Ms. Rice fairly tramples them to accommodate a convoluted plot that is hardly ever worth the effort.

The Wolf Gift is strictly for die hard fans of the author. Anyone else with a hankering to spend some time with a nice monster should probably opt for watching An American Werewolf in London.

The Wolf Gift will be published in February, 2012 by Knopf.

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