Book(ed) Passage

Quotes About Life from a Little Man Wearing a Bow Tie

2013-05-31T15:09:00.001-07:00

I was in the parking lot at Book Passage in Corte Madera early Wednesday morning. I dropped my son off at school and was sitting in my car waiting to go into a yoga class. As I ate my son’s toast crust, I could see Mt. Tam in my rear view mirror, tall and beautiful.

Twelve hours earlier I had been in the same parking lot trying to find a parking space. Every space was taken and there was a long line for the complimentary valet. The lot at the DMV was full next door. I could see people pouring in from neighboring streets. Eventually, with the help of an older man directing me, I parked parallel beside a dumpster.

People were flooding in– like sticks bouncing along a gentle stream. They were already smiling and David Sedaris hadn’t even begun to speak.

David Sedaris was going to read from his new book Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls at Book Passage at 7 PM. We parted seas and came, hundreds of us, from school, from work, from home.

I’d heard David Sedaris read his work once before at Berkeley Rep. I was in the front row and was surprised at what a small man he was – his insights and humor were so big.

I decided that he was the kid who figured out how to spray paint the walls with, “I WAS HERE!” But instead, he added, “I was here and this is what I saw…. This is what I noticed….” And because he was quirky and bright and honest and very, very funny, we stopped and noticed too– absurdities, contradictions and moments of humanness.

Inside the store, we made conversation with each other while we waited for the reading to begin. When you’re body to body with strangers it seems polite to introduce yourself. Where are you from? What book of his is your favorite? What do you think is a good book to read?

Every seat was taken. A few children sat on parent’s laps. I was in the standing room only section that spilled into every aisle and poured out through the main door. We buzzed, the room buzzed, the store staff buzzed.

Hundreds of people hugged their new book anticipating his stories, eager to get his signature. There were over 500 people there.

Kelly Corrigan who wrote Lift and The Middle Place was the perfect warm up band, getting the crowd laughing and ready with an introduction. After listing David Sedaris’s stunning accomplishments, Kelly said, “And now, I’d like to introduce to you two-time college drop out, David Sedaris.” We cheered.

And David who was sweet waved to us, smiled and then began reading. Of course he delivered, weaving stories about feeding a kookaburra that took us forward and back in time in a way that rocked us with laughter. We might as well have been swaying to the music.

David Sedaris reads during his event
at Book Passage on May 21, 2013.

He gave us stories and quotes about life. As an audience, we were connected with quiet sounds of recognition, with big laughs we shared and in sighs we felt. For such a little man wearing a bow tie and a funny jacket he told us he got in LA the other day, he had very, very long arms. What I mean by this is that he held all of us– captive, laughing, standing, body to body. And in his arms, we let go of our worries for an hour and enjoyed his storytelling. In some odd way, we saw ourselves in his life and he mirrored back to us the same. As a result, I think we each felt a little taller and a little more beautiful.

When I left, people were still in line. And David was still talking to each person who handed him a book. I watched people as they left the store. As they strolled to their cars, there was an ease to conversation, a gentleness to the walk, a surrender to this crazy thing we call life. And everyone looked softer. Maybe it was because the lighting was dim and gentle, but I don’t think so. I think it was because when that little man with the bow tie finished reading, finished taking questions, he said, “I am happy to sign your book and I’ll stay here as long as it takes. If I’m here after midnight, it’s fine with me.” With those words, his “I was here and I notice and I see,” was expanded. The writing he wrote on the wall said, “I was here and I notice and I see you.” For such a funny guy, his last line felt like a prayer.

This blog appears courtesy of Kathleen Buckstaff. It originally appeared on her blog at www.kathleenbuckstaff.com. Kathleen is the author of The Tiffany Box: A Memoir.

GUEST BLOG: Josh Hanagarne, Author of The World's Strongest Librarian

2013-05-17T16:29:00.001-07:00

Hey there, fans of Book Passage!

I’ve been tasked with bringing you a list of spring/summer reading recommendations. I’m all too happy to do so. Relieved, even. This might surprise you, but even though I’m a librarian, I don’t get to talk about books at work very often. Most people just don’t ask, they just want to be escorted to the Internet, which breaks my bookish heart.

I’d guess that 80% of what I read is either recommended to me by other bookworms, or it just happens to cross my desk at the library. I never know what I’m going to find. It’s kind of how I feel when I’m browsing an out-of-the-way bookshop and I head down the next aisle.

If a book looks remotely interesting, I grab it. I definitely have my favorite authors, genres, and subjects, but my constant exposure to unfamiliar books means, happily, that I read outside of my comfort zone quite often.

I tend to think in stories, and the more stories I read, and the broader the scopes and subjects of the stories, the more connections I can make. A mind that can is familiar with a greater variety of subjects is going to be more adaptable.

Now then--you wouldn’t be on this website if you weren’t a fellow book nut, so I’ll try and reward your curiosity with the latest and greatest books that have jumped out at me.
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The Boys In The Boat: Nine Americans And Their Epic Quest For Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown

Before this book, I didn’t have any stories or ideas tied to rowing.

In fact, before reading The Boys In The Boat, if you’d asked me, “What’s less interesting than competitive rowing?” I would have said, “Nothing! What else can we talk about?” But I had similar thoughts about horse racing before reading Seabiscuit, about running the mile before reading The Perfect Mile, about running in general before reading Bowerman And The Men Of Oregon, and about the history of Formula 1 racing before reading The Limit.

But of course, these books were great not because of the sports they profiled, but because of the people involved.

Not only is Brown’s book interesting, It’s thrilling, and he’s a fantastic writer. The people in the story are a pleasure to know. I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a book about sports and competition this much. If you like stories about scrappy underdogs beating the odds, this is the book for you.

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The Ocean At The End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Someone recently asked me what the best part of being a debut author with an upcoming book. “Getting a sneak peek at Neil Gaiman’s new book,” I said immediately. And truer words have never passed my lips.

If I’d read The Ocean At The End of the Lane as a child, I don’t know if I ever would have recovered. This book contains what might be the most terrifying scene I can think of for a young boy. When you get to the bathtub scene, you’ll know what I’m talking about. My favorite thing about Gaiman is that he tells stories of impossibly strange worlds, while hinting at worlds behind the stories that are more unusual yet. Ocean is a masterpiece of potent, concise thrills.

This is Neil Gaiman, so...you’re probably going to read it no matter what the story is. But okay, the plot: A young boy unleashes a creature from another world and gets into a world of trouble. That might sound like a story that could have come from any writer, but if you know Neil, you can guess that it’s not.
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The Never List by Koethi Zahn

I read The Never List in one night and stayed up too late doing so. In the early pages, two women are abducted. They awaken in a cellar, shackled to the walls with two other women. Three years later, our narrator escapes. The story picks up years after that and involves her abductor’s potential parole, the letters he is sending to her and his other victims, and a cult that would have fit right into a season of Dexter. The Never List reminds me of Chelsea Cain but not as gruesome, and Gillian Flynn without the sick humor. If you can have fun with an ugly, nasty story, check this out. You know who you are.
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Gulp by Mary Roach

In her inimitable style, Roach has previously tackled the cadaver, the soul, sex, and everything you wanted to know about space travel but were afraid to ask. With Gulp, she goes down the hatch. This book contains just about everything you’d never want to know about what’s happening inside of you. It’s fascinating, disgusting, and as Roach fans will already know, hilarious. My only complaint? I can’t believe she took this internal tour and never even mentioned the tapeworm.

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I could go on and on and on, but now I’d like to turn it over to you. I’d be grateful if you’d head over to my blog or send me a Tweet. Let me know what you’ve read and loved lately!

See Josh Hanagarne discuss his book The World's Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette's, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family ($26.00) with librarian Shereen Ash at the Fairfax library on Tuesday, May 21 at 7:00pm. Click here for more details.

World Book Night 2013

2013-05-01T16:18:00.000-07:00

Recently, Book Passage and some of our customers took part in World Book Night (WBN). Each year, thirty books are chosen by an independent panel of librarians and booksellers. The authors of the books waive their royalties and the publishers agree to pay the costs of producing the specially-printed WBN U.S. editions. Bookstores and libraries sign up to be community host locations for the volunteer book givers.

Givers apply to hand out twenty copies of a book in their community, pick up their books from their local store or library, and on April 23rd give their books to people who, for one reason or another, don’t normally have access to printed books. Many of us at Book Passage were also givers. Between the members of the public who picked up books and Book Passage employees, we gave away more than 1,200 books. Among other locations, books were given out at the San Francisco Jail and to Homeward Bound of Marin, a shelter that transitions homeless people from the streets to permanent homes. We can’t share all the great stories, but here a few:

“The World Book Night event was fantastic,” said Krista Pelletier, program coordinator for Meals on Wheels. “All of the clients sincerely enjoyed receiving the books and give a warm hearted thank you. Almost all of the seniors in our program are homebound, so receiving books to ignite their imagination is incredibly important.”

Patrons at the Ferry Building Book Passage browse free books on World Book Night

Janel Feierabend of our Corte Madera store gave away copies of La Casa en Mango Street at the Pickleweed Community Center in the Canal area of San Rafael. “The title and author were ideal for the recipients,” said Janel. “Sandra Cisneros is well received among the Spanish-speaking population all across the world, and the book isn’t too thick or intimidating. Please tell the publishers involved that it brought such joy to the recipients at Pickleweed! Within minutes, those who were waiting for children and had nothing to do became involved in the story. At one point, it looked like a giant book club with readers’ noses in the books, already smitten. I hope they didn’t forget about their kids!

“I also met two gentlemen from Guatemala who had been meeting with others regarding a future statue of a historic figure in Guatemalan history. Two hours later, I had learned a lot about their country, and they had asked about books at Book Passage. One of them pulled out his cell phone and showed to me a photo he had taken with Isabel Allende years ago at Book Passage! The other had just returned from Washington, DC and had met senators and White House staff. Both of them noted the huge importance of reading and education. It was quite an enriching experience for me! I’ll do it again next year—same spot.”

Kate Larson of our Corte Madera store gave away books at the Oakland Charter Academy, an East Oakland charter school that is “bare bones,” says Kate—“the kind of school where the teachers purchase classroom supplies with their own money; basic stuff like pencils, staples, paperclips, etc. Anyway, they don't have a library so maybe this could be the start.” Kate donated copies of The Worst Hard Times to the school, and a history teacher at the school was “thrilled and grateful to get copies for his American history class. For the first time I will be able to assign a summer reading book and not have to worry about paying for copies myself.”

Book Passage Ferry Building employee Cheryl McKeon had this to say. “At the CUESA Farmers' Market, The Language of Flowers was very well-received. . . . late that evening I had four books left from our distribution and offered them at a local BART station. ‘No, thanks, I don't read . . . but did you say Tina Fey? Yes, in that case!’ Can't wait for 4/23/14!”

Amen to that!

"Shadow on the Crown" Comes to TV

2013-04-26T13:00:00.000-07:00

A book launch party for Patricia Bracewell's debut novel, Shadow on the Crown (reviewed here) was held at Book Passage on the day the book was released, February 7, 2013.

Travel writer and Book(ed) Passage contributing blogger Dick Jordan's TV special, "Making Book - The Book Launch," filmed during that event, aired on MarinTV (Comcast Channel 26 in Marin) during April. The final broadcast will be on Monday, April 29 at 8:30 am.

The film is now available for viewing on YouTube by those who missed the broadcast or who don’t have access to Comcast’s cable channels in Marin.

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Shadow on the Crown can be purchased in hardcover or as a Kobo e-book through the Book Passage Website.
(From time to time travel writer Dick Jordan posts book reviews under the “Armchair Travel” and “Book Review” sections of his online travel magazine, Tales Told From The Road. His last post to the Book(ed) Passage blog was his review of “Shadow on the Crown.” Dick is a member of the National Book Critics Circle. When Dick isn’t traveling, you can usually find him hanging out with other members of Left Coast Writers at the Book Passage in Corte Madera on the first Monday evening of each month, or working on production of TV shows atthe Community Media Center of Marin in San Rafael.)

Check Out the Newest Issue of the Mill Valley Literary Review

2013-03-18T15:04:00.001-07:00

The Mill Valley Literary Review, a literary e-Zine published by J. Macon King, released a special spring women's issue on March 15, 2013.

Features in this issue include:

Interview with rock n' roll mystery writer Deborah Grabien
Interview with "Bond Grrl" Sandy Shepard
Conversation with debut novelist Barbara Davies Hubbard
Announcement of the Winter Short Story Contest winner
Poems by jazz pianist great Don Alberts
Poems by Maggie Morley
Reviews of The Paris Wife, T.C. Boyle's The Women, and Robin Sloan's Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore
"Great Women of the 20th Century": Dorothy Parker, Patricia Highsmith, Isadora Duncan, Clare Booth Luce
Pacific Sun reporter Jill Kramer debuts her family court novel
"The Literary Latté": grab a latté, get comfy, and let out Literary Latté of choice writing stimulate your intellect and emotions.
A fresh new webzine look with streaming video of Beat at the Sweet Poetry night

Founder and Executive Editor J. Macon King of the Mill Valley Literary Review is a published writer of short stories, columns and articles. He has given invited poetry readings at the Mill Valley Book Depot and won numerous short story awards from the Marin Independent Journal. Drawing on his experience working at San Francisco's Magic Theater, King revived the now 52 year old, beloved Rhubarb Revue community theater, producing, directing and writing stage productions for several seasons.

The Short Story is Alive and Well

2013-02-08T15:49:00.003-08:00

In the past months, patrons have flocked to Book Passage to listen to their favorite authors read. We’ve had an incredible lineup of writers and some of our most outstanding events lately have been by authors introducing their short story collections.

Personally, I’m thrilled that the short story is thriving right here - right now.

Publishers and literary agents are often cautious when it comes to publishing a short story collection: “It’s difficult to sell short stories – let us know when you have a novel.” I’ve heard this truism stated many times. It drives me nuts when I hear this because a great short story can be as powerful and lasting as a novel. A short story is its own kind of vehicle. It’s a pearl inside of a gritty oyster. Ann Pachett says that if a novel was a map of a country, a short story is the bright silver pin that marks the crossroads. Many of the greatest writers of the 20^th century were (and are) short story writers.

At Natalie Serber’s reading of her debut story collection, Shout Her Lovely Name, I asked her how difficult it was to get an agent to represent her short story collection. She said that after she published the title story in a respected literary journal, she had three agents contact her. The first two agents asked, “Do you have a novel?” The third agent surprised her by asking, “Do you have any more short stories?” Natalie sold Shout Her Lovely Name and also secured a second book deal. If you haven’t read Natalie Serber’s work yet, be prepared to discover a great new storyteller.

Author Natalie Serber discusses Shout Her Lovely Name at Book Passage.

The stellar list of short story authors who have come to Book Passage in recent months speaks well for the sometimes undervalued genre. Take for example the beautifully crafted and unforgettable stories of Ron Hansen. Ron Hansen (the author of ten books of fiction) discussed his new and selected stories from She Loves Me Not. Hansen brilliantly weaves each of his stories and flawed characters through the landscape of the Midwest – primarily Nebraska. Many writers are linking their stories with either recurring characters or by setting them in a specific place, which ultimately gives continuity to a collection.

Author Mark Maynard, came to the store in January with his debut collection of linked stories titled Grind. Each story is set in Reno and captures a range of both hopeful and down-on-their-luck characters who linger in “The Biggest Little City” too long. Maynard drops us into the parched Reno landscape and startles us with his measured prose. We sold every copy of Mark Maynard’s Grind at his Saturday night reading.

A week later, Louise Aronson came to Book Passage with “A History of the Present Illness.” Aronson, a medical doctor and professor of medicine at UCSF introduced us to her debut collection of 16 elegant and original stories about doctors, patients and their families. All of the stories are set in the neighborhoods, hospitals and nursing homes right here in San Francisco. On a Sunday afternoon, we were adding rows of chairs to accommodate the audience as Louise Aronson eloquently shared her stories.

Book Passage chose “A History of the Present Illness” as our ‘First Edition Pick’ for the month of January. This is an honor given to an emerging author that we feel has a promising writing career ahead of them. Several of our first edition picks went on to win the Pulitzer Prize – Paul Harding’s Tinkers and Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.

Speaking of Junot Diaz - when he came to Book Passage in the fall, the store was filled to capacity with fans of his brilliant prose. “This is How You Lose Her” is indeed a series of linked short stories. Several of those stories were first published in The New Yorker. Diaz talked to a riveted audience at Book Passage about everything from the struggles of writing to cultural stereotypes and politics.

Author Junot Diaz at Book Passage in September 2012.

Book Passage also recently hosted Luis Jaramillo with his prize-winning collection of short stories titled The Doctor’s Wife. Colin Winnette brought us his beautifully bound collection of short prose titled Animal Collection. Pam Houston will be in conversation with Joshua Mohr in April. In the spring, Peter Orner will grace us with the release of his newest book of stories. And Karen Russell, author of Swamplandia! will introduce her dazzling new collection of short stories (Vampires in the Lemon Grove) on February 27^tth.

This brings us to George Saunders and The Tenth of December. This fourth collection has earned him a stunning review in the NY Times. “The best book you will read all year” kind of review. Here’s a critic that really gets the lasting power of the short story and I have to admit, I have fallen in love with the intensity, beauty and brevity of Saunders stories. He’s a “writer’s writer.” A generous spirit who can masterfully work humor and heartbreak into a single sentence.

On the Seventh of February, over 200 fans of Saunders came to hear him speak at the Ferry Building in San Francisco. The audience was rapt, hushed as he spoke – savoring each sentence of wisdom. He talked about his process as a writer and how he once longed to be Hemingway but quickly learned that the desire to imitate another writer never works. Advice he gives to his students? “You can’t hide from yourself.”

I asked George Saunders to sign my copy of The Tenth of December. And then I asked him if he would sign my arm - in black Sharpie. It just felt like it was the right thing to do since I couldn’t hide my self and the admiration I have for this writer’s work.

Author George Saunders prepares to sign the arm of Book Passage bookseller Melissa Cistaro

If you love the short story form – I promise there is no shortage of incredible new stories out there. If you haven’t given the short story a real chance yet, take a look at some of these books or come listen to these talented short story writers at our Book Passage events. I promise - you won’t be disappointed. And if you write short stories, keep writing them – because there is a fierce hunger for them in our world.

Melissa Cistaro is a Bookseller and Event Host at Book Passage

“Shadow on the Crown”: 11th Century Intrigue

2013-02-06T12:00:00.000-08:00

By Dick Jordan
It’s November, 1001 A.D., and the recent death of his wife has left the King of England between a hard place and rock.

He won’t be lacking “female companionship.” After all, he is the king. No woman of his realm would dare decline an invitation to come into his bedchamber for a nightcap.

While he’d be content remaining a bachelor—at least for the immediate future—his advisors are pressing him to remarry, and to do so soon.

As Patricia Bracewell’s debut novel, Shadow on the Crown, begins to unfold its 11th century tale of love, lust, intrigue, and treachery, we find the king on the horns of a dilemma.

He could marry an English nobleman’s daughter, cementing a relationship that could help him solidify control over the princes upon whose allegiance he depends. She’s a comely, but power-mad and evil-minded bitch.

Or he could wed a foreigner, the sister of the Duke of Normandy, and in doing so, gain a political ally against the warring Danes who periodically land on England’s shores to pillage and rape his kingdom. But that could alienate him from many of his subjects.

Which should he choose to be his new wife? And should she be merely a royal concubine, or given the title and powers of a queen?

And what of the sons of his first marriage? Should one of them inherit his throne, or will that honor go to a male offspring of his new bride?
The Historical Novel Society raises these questions about historical fiction:

“When does ‘contemporary’ end, and ‘historical’ begin? What about novels that are part historical, part contemporary? And how much distortion of history will we allow before a book becomes more fantasy than historical?”

The HNS says that

“To be deemed historical (in our sense), a novel must have been written at least fifty years after the events described, or have been written by someone who was not alive at the time of those events (who therefore approaches them only by research).”

By that standard, Shadow on the Crown clearly is a “historical novel.” The book was written ten centuries after the events it describes occurred, and its writing involved a great deal of historical research. The novel’s main characters were real people, although little is known about the lives of some of them.

But to me, it’s better described as a “historical thriller” because it features elements of the “thriller” genre, such as constant uncertainty and danger that the protagonist must confront and conquer.

A few months ago, a major U.S. publisher sent me a review copy of an “period piece” novel set in England. I picked it up, started reading, and put it down. I picked it up, I put it down.

I picked it up one last time, and then I put it down forever, after reading only a chapter or two. It was just so boring. There was no tension, no suspense, and no rhythm to the writing.

Shadow on the Crown is a reader’s curse. The storyline, full of advances and retreats, heading first in a seemingly obvious direction, then veering off toward a different place altogether, keeps you guessing. All I wanted to do was read it through in a single, all-night session.

When I saw the two and half page glossy of archaic English words that followed the “cast of characters,” I thought construing the dialogue and narrative would be a mind-boggling task. Not so. Those words are judiciously scattered, like sprinkles on a freshly-iced cake, throughout the book, adding flavor without slowing the pace of reading one bit.

How good is this novel? In my mind, it’s good enough to be dramatized on PBS “Masterpiece Classic,” or made into a major motion picture.

But how does the story turn out? Ah, you want me to be a “spoiler,” don’t you?

Sorry, I decline. You’ll just have to buy Shadow on the Crown to satisfy your curiosity, as I did mine.

But a word of warning: This book is just the first in a trilogy. So plan on spending many anxious moments waiting for the next book to come out, just as I will.
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Sales of Shadow on the Crown officially kicks off tomorrow, Thursday, February 7, 2013. At 7 pm that evening, Dick Jordan, will film the Shadow on the Crown book launch event at the Book Passage bookstore in Corte Madera, California for CMCM.tv.

Shadow on the Crown can be purchased in hardcover or as a Kobo e-book through the Book Passage Website. Author Patricia Bracewell and her publisher kindly provided Dick Jordan with an advance review copy of the book.

(From time to time travel writer Dick Jordan posts book reviews under the “Armchair Travel” and “Book Review” sections of his online travel magazine, Tales Told From The Road. His last post to the Book(ed) Passage blog was “Books to Give Travelers This Holiday Season.” Dick is a member of the National Book Critics Circle. When Dick isn’t traveling, you can usually find him hanging out with other members of Left Coast Writers at the Book Passage in Corte Madera on the first Monday evening of each month.)

An Unexpected Pleasure: Bilbo Baggins on the Big Screen

2013-01-18T16:37:00.003-08:00

At home, my mother pours glasses of wine for the family. We all pause midway through cooking dinner and, raising our glasses solemnly, give the toast we’ve been giving for years: “To the Shire.”

We’ve always been a Tolkien family. In fourth grade, my mother ordered a boxed set of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy for me. She read The Hobbit to me, and I remember begging for one more chapter each night. Every moment still stands out vividly in my mind: Bilbo seeing the goblins come through the opening at the back of the cave, Gollum and his ring, the treacherous spiders and brackish water of Mirkwood, the dwarves riding in the barrels down the river, and the great dragon Smaug speaking with Bilbo about a goblet.

To a child, such a tale was almost unimaginable in its grandeur and scope. The moment my mum closed the back cover of my now-battered paperback, I was in bed with my flashlight under the covers, opening back up to the front and rediscovering the whole adventure again.

I read the trilogy as well, and I loved it for its own merits, but somehow Frodo and his companions failed to capture the attention of my nine-year-old self. In fact, upon opening The Fellowship of the Ring and discovering that Bilbo was old and would be replaced by Frodo, I closed the book and refused to read it for a year. I have since fallen deeply in love with that chapter of Middle Earth’s history, but at the time my love for Bilbo Baggins and his companions were such that no one else could replace them.

You can imagine my joy when Peter Jackson, who had done such justice to the trilogy, declared that he would actually be making a film version of The Hobbit. I followed filming avidly, watching each production video released by the crew over the months leading up to the release. I went to the midnight premiere, and the moment that music started up and the Shire appeared I flashed back to the same childlike wonder with which I had first read, “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” I was lost to the real world for the following several hours.

Now, for those of you who remember The Hobbit as fondly as I do, the movie might not have resonated in the same way. Peter Jackson’s decision to make one book into three movies has necessitated some filler material. The filler material is rich and full and all comes from Tolkien’s other writings about Middle Earth, but it still does not originate from The Hobbit.

My memories of Gandalf in the book, for example, mostly involve his occasionally disappearing for stretches of time (most notably when he left the company just before Mirkwood, after which everything very rapidly went pear-shaped). The dwarves and Bilbo often dismissed these absences as some sort of wizard business, and therefore much less important than their own quest, and so while Tolkien makes mentions of the Necromancer and evil rising in the east, the reader is never quite clear on what exactly Gandalf is doing. The film adaptation seeks to fix that.

Quite a few of the “filler” scenes serve as foreshadowing for The Lord of the Rings; we even have a cameo from the Witchking of Angmar, leader of the Nazgul and notably taken down much later by Éowyn in The Return of the King. There is much talk among the wizards and elves of evil and what may come in the near future. All of this is put in for the viewer, particularly the viewer already familiar with the trilogy. These scenes, combined with various flashbacks to historical battles and such, give the viewer an episodic feeling that certainly takes one or two views to settle into.

Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit

Once you accept the episodic quality of the first half of The Hobbit: There and Back Again, you can fully appreciate the art of the film as a whole. Every single character is depicted lovingly by both the actors and the script. Thirteen dwarves can be quite difficult to keep straight, but each actor’s adoration for his character shines through, with the result that each dwarf feels utterly familiar by the end of their first gathering in Bag End.

Martin Freeman’s depiction of Bilbo Baggins, in contrast, has that familiarity within the first two minutes of his screen time. The moment his expressive face takes in Gandalf looming over him, the audience is fully won over. I found that my fondness for Bilbo Baggins washed over me again in a wave, and I was as enamored of the character from those opening scenes as I had been fourteen years ago. I don’t want to spoil the ending of this segment for those unfamiliar with the story, but Bilbo’s declaration of loyalty to the dwarves’ quest – a wholehearted vow given as a simple statement in the way only a hobbit can manage – speaks to something everyone can understand: the desire and love for a home, a place we belong.

I cannot speak to the treatment of the whole book, because of course only a third of it has been released in theatres thus far. However, I can say that the film adaptation of The Hobbit has the same warmth of heart and strength of character that Tolkien’s book did, and as I watched it I felt that familiar feeling wash over me: I felt that I was home.

Post by Esme Rabin, Book Passage Classes Coordinator

A Request for Assistance after Newtown

2012-12-18T16:51:00.001-08:00

Hi everybody,

Please pardon the interruption. I'm taking a break from writing crime novels today to ask for help from my fellow writers, publishing professionals, bookstore owners, members of the literary and entertainment communities, lawyers, colleagues and friends in light of the horrific events in Newtown on Friday.

As many of you are aware, on July 1, 1993, at 3:00 PM, I was sitting in my office at the Pettit & Martin law firm on the 36th floor of the 101 California Street office tower in downtown San Francisco. I was informed by my secretary that a man had entered our building and was shooting people on the 34th floor. Eighteen minutes later, eight people were dead, including the crazed gunman who had murdered several of my colleagues, neighbors and friends with an assault rifle. I got lucky--I got behind a locked door along with a dozen of my colleagues, and the gunman didn't come our way. The events at 101 California are as incomprehensible to me today as the they were almost twenty years ago.

And now the victims are kids.

I can't begin to express my profound sorrow over the unspeakable losses in Newtown. I have a pretty good idea of what things will be like in Newtown for the next few weeks, months and years. There will be funerals. There will be mourning. The community will band together. There will be an outpouring of support and love. The media attention will dissipate in a few days, but there will be ramifications to individuals and families for many years. I've listened to the arguments about gun control for almost two decades, and here's where I come down. Civilians don't need assault weapons. Civilians don't need ammunition clips holding dozens of rounds. We don't need to arm teachers, college students, shopkeepers at malls or lawyers who work in office buildings. We need to do more than acknowledge that gun control is a complicated problem. We need to decide what sort of country we are. We need to act to stop the carnage--or at least we need to try. Until we do, there will be more Newtowns, more Columbines, more Virginia Techs, more Auroras, and more 101 Californias. We send our representatives to Washington to do more than score petty political points in the 24-hour news cycle--we send them to govern. We need to hold them accountable--and we need to hold ourselves accountable. We need to join together to support sensible gun laws. We also need to take greater steps to improve our country's mental health services.

What can we do? I hope you will join me in supporting Senator Feinstein's proposal to reintroduce the Assault Weapons Ban in January. In addition, I hope you will get consider joining the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, which was formed here in San Francisco by attorneys at the Pettit & Martin firm after the massacre at 101 California. If you are able, I hope you will consider making a donation or helping in any way that you can. For more information, please go to http://smartgunlaws.org/.

I would appreciate it if you would help us spread the word by forwarding this message to your family, friends and colleagues.

This isn't going to be easy, but we owe it to our kids to try. Thanks very much for your help.

Sheldon

Sheldon Siegel

New York Times Best Selling Author

of the Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez Novels

mailto:sheldon@sheldonsiegel.com

http://www.sheldonsiegel.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sheldon-Siegel/351001625991

Books to Give Travelers This Holiday Season

2012-12-18T10:27:00.000-08:00

By Dick Jordan

So, you’re saying to yourself: “OMG! Christmas is just a week away and my shopping’s not done!”

Not to worry.

Here are ten books from my own library of travel writing that you can be happy giving as gifts to your favorite travelers this holiday season.

Just click a book’s title to order it directly from Book Passage. Some may be available in hardcover, paperback, and e-book editions.

Road Fever (Tim Cahill). Legendary travel writer Tim Cahill takes you on the ultimate road trip, beginning near the tip of South America, and ending at the end of the road in the Arctic. Along the way, Tim and professional endurance driver Garry Sowerby encountered “engine trouble in Patagonia. Sadistic troopers in Peru. Document hell in Colombia. Ice slick roads in Alaska.” And those are just a few of the misadventures that befell them during their 15,000 mile journey.

Travel As A Political Act (Rick Steves). Noted for his European travel shows on PBS, the American who took us to Europe where even Arthur Frommer may not have gone before, “explains how to travel more thoughtfully—to any destination. He shares a series of field reports from Europe, Central America, Asia, and the Middle East to show how his travels have shaped his politics and broadened his perspective.”

Lights, Camera…Travel! (Andrew McCarthy, Don George, editors). Andrew McCarthy was a Hollywood actor (Pretty in Pink); now he’s a contributing editor to National Geographic Traveler, and has been on the faculty of the Book Passage Travel Writers & Photographers Conference.

Don George is c0-chair of that conference, and a long-time freelance travel writer and editor. Together they’ve assembled a collection of over thirty stories told by Alec Baldwin, Malcolm McDonald, Brooke Shields, and others.
Here’s Andrew and George in conversation:

The Practical Nomad: How To Travel Around the World (Edward Hasbrouck). Want to tell you boss to take your job and, well, give it to someone else, so you can become a vagabond and wander the planet? In the preface, travel writer Edward Hasbrouck says: “If you’ve ever dreamed of a trip around the world, this book is for you. It’s a unique, comprehensive, ‘how-to’ handbook of advice and tips for independent, on-your-own travel anywhere in the world.”

Maya Roads: One Woman’s Journey Among the People of the Rainforest (Mary Jo McConahay). If the world would indeed come to and end on December 21, 2012, it would make little sense to give this book to someone as a Christmas gift. But trust me, we’re not all going to disappear next week.

McConahay drew on her three decades of traveling, living and working in Central America to tell this tale of the Mayans, past and present.

North to The Night (Alvah Simon). Does living on a 36’ sailboat, frozen in the ice above the Artic Circle during winter with only a pussy cat for company sound like a fun vacation? Regardless of your answer to that question, you’ll enjoy reading Alvah Simon’s voyage of discovery.

Looking For Alaska (Peter Jenkins). If Simon’s trip sounds a bit over the top, opt for a tamer adventure and pack up the family, relocate to Alaska, and replicate Peter Jenkin’s odyssey, learning how the residents of the 49th state cope with living far from the rest of their fellow Americans down in the “Lower 48.”

Snake Lake (Jeff Greenwald). As long as you’re thinking about heading far from the madding crowd in urban America, why not go to Kathmandu, especially if its country, Nepal, is in the throes of a revolution against its ruling monarchy? But this book isn’t just about war, there’s a love element, too.

From Beirut To Jerusalem (Thomas L. Friedman). Nepal isn’t the only place on the plane where people have been up in arms against each other. The Wall Street Journal called Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Friedman’s book “a sparkling intellectual guidebook…an engrossing journey not to be missed.”

A Vineyard in Tuscany: A Wine Lover’s Dream (Ferenc Máté). Yorkers Ferenc and his wife, Candace, buy a 13th-century friary, renovate their centuries-old abode, plant a vineyard, and end up making top-notch wine. I have spent a lot time in the “wine country” north of San Francisco, which is often compared to Tuscany—one of my favorite travel all-time destinations. So following in the Mátés footsteps is something I could drink to!

Need more suggestions for holiday gift books? Have a “personal shopper” at the Book Passage bookstore help you out.

And the Book Passage “Aunt Lydia Book Club” (aka the “Aunt Lydia Book Club),” makes giving the gifts that keep on giving—books much easier. Here’s how it works:

Register for the Aunt Lydia Book Club.
Add the gift recipient’s name, age, and contact information.
Indicate how often you’d like a gift book to be sent.
Set the length of the book club membership.
List the book categories or genres desired, such as armchair travel, biography, or politics.
Provide more information about the reader to help the store pick the right books to send.
Add any personal message you’d like included each time with complimentary gift card.

If you’d need more information, or would like to talk to a Book Passage “personal shopper,” call Book Passage at (415) 927-0960, ext. 227, or email club director Mary Benham at mbenham@bookpassage.com.

(From time to time travel writer Dick Jordan posts book reviews under the “Armchair Travel” and “Book Review” sections of his online travel magazine, Tales Told From The Road. His last post to the Book(ed) Passage blog was A "Serious" & "Trashy" Summer Reading List. Dick is a member of the National Book Critics Circle. When Dick isn’t traveling, you can usually find him hanging out with other members of Left Coast Writers at the Book Passage in Corte Madera on the first Monday evening of each month.)

What I Learned at Book Passage

2012-12-04T15:09:00.000-08:00

Since I left college 7,000 years ago I've often longed to go back and attend the classes I missed out on or didn't pay attention to due to an overriding desire to master the art of Frisbee. I've wished I had more time to sit in a cafe with some well-read, friendly people, discussing modern literature, history, science, art, and current events. I've wanted to learn a new language, or to discover some new interest, like cooking, or Italian—or finally get a handle on modern poetry.

Now I work at Book Passage, a store that features fascinating author events every day. Some are great novelists; others, prominent activists, historians, journalists, and biographers. Some of the world’s top chefs have spoken (and cooked) for us. There are renowned children’s authors, doctors, psychologists, naturalists, celebrities, artists . . . the list is endless.

Included among the people Book Passage has hosted in just the last few months are Junot Diaz, Ina Garten, Naomi Wolf, Martin Amis, Michael Chabon, Salmon Rushdie, Louise Erdrich, J. R. Moehringer, Isabel Allende, Barbara Kingsolver, Simon Winchester, Jon Meachum, David Brooks, Anne Lamott, Harold Kushner, Emma Donahue, Hubert Keller, Captain Sully, Gavin Newson, Cecil Williams, and Dav Pilkey, creator of the Captain Underpants books.

The vast majority of these occasions are free; we certainly want you to buy a book, and so does the author. I would urge you to do so, because you will be supporting authors, bookstores, publishers, and the written word, which is good for everyone. But in most cases there is no requirement that you buy a book; you can just listen.

And then there are Book Passage's classes: sitting in my office I often overhear people learning Spanish, French, or Italian. I am beginning to pick up a smattering of various languages just by being in the vicinity of our many wonderful teachers. (“Buenos días, mademoiselle! Come stai?”) People take classes at Book Passage to discover a career, to learn new parenting strategies, to explore their spiritual side, for tips on traveling the world, and to become better writers and get published.

In addition to the writing classes, each summer Book Passage has three extraordinary writing conferences: one for travel writers and photographers, one for mystery writers, and one for children’s book writers and illustrators. These conferences feature top publishing editors, agents, and authors. They are chock full of information for any writer seeking to get published. Often the pros say they learn as much as they impart, and many important relationships have begun in those very special few days at Book Passage.

The author events, classes, and our three writers conferences are the most noticeable ways one can learn at Book Passage. But I learn the most from my colleagues. From the newest bookseller to the most seasoned, these folks know and love books, and they are happy to share their passion and knowledge with you. I often find myself standing with a group at the counter, engaged in discussions about an author, book, or subject that is in the air. These interactions keep me in the know in a way that sitting alone at home with a computer screen can never do.

Every day at Book Passage authors, teachers, booksellers, and book lovers mix together, engaging and stimulating their minds. But the stars of the show—silently lining the walls and shelves—are the books themselves. Whether you come to Book Passage for an event, class, or conference, to sit with your book group in the café, or just want to sit in a cozy chair by a window and read, I guarantee you this: your mind and your spirit will be fed. See you soon.

Sam Barry is the marketing director at Book Passage. Email him at sbarry@bookpassage.com.

An evening with Ina Garten

2012-11-18T07:59:00.001-08:00

(l to r) Moira Forbes, Marissa Mayer, Ina Garten

On November 14th, Book Passage hosted an event featuring Ina Garten in conversation with new Yahoo Director/CEO and foodie/Ina fan, Marissa Mayer. The evening was part of Dominican University’s leadership lecture series, and the 850 seats at Angelico Hall were sold out.

Alas for Marissa Mayer, she hit the ugliest of weeknight traffic, trying to get north to us from San Francisco, and had not made it by the start time of 7pm.

Luckily for all of us, an amazing woman stepped in to interview Ina, and she did it splendidly. I don’t know how or why she happened to be there, but our stand-in was Moira Forbes, publisher of ForbesWoman and 4th generation in that publishing family. With such an expert journalist asking the questions, we got an amazing evening of discussion between some danged smart and accomplished women. Marissa finally fought through, and joined us about halfway into our evening.

We started WAY back with Ina’s college years, when husband Jeffrey (they were married even then) told her she would never be happy unless she got out and did something truly interesting, stimulating, and special with her life. Her first interest was science, and skipping lightly over those years, she wound up as an advisor to the White House on nuclear policy. But what she was REALLY enjoying about Washington, was hosting dinners and parties full of interesting people.

Reading the newspaper one day, she spotted an ad for a food shop in The Hamptons that was up for sale, and switched roads completely. She had no formal cooking training, and knew absolutely nothing about running a business, and in the first days of the shop, repeatedly decided it was the dumbest thing she’d ever done in her life. But she loved being in charge, “I’m not a good employee, so being in charge suited me much better!” and the sense that she was hosting a party, every day. She credits the success of the Barefoot Contessa with its hospitality —the idea that every customer who came in was a guest at the party, and it was a delight to host them.

After several years, when the work began feeling too repetitive to her, and with the store doing well, she sold it to the manager and chef on its staff, and waited for the next thing to come along. Her life, she says, is a pattern of things coming along to her, rather than Ina wracking her brain to think of some new scheme of work. She has a genius for knowing which opportunities to grab.

“It is terrifying to walk away from something and change your life. But I don’t back down from being terrified. You can’t stand at the edge of the pond just staring down at it. You have to jump in.”

It was Jeffrey who suggested the first cookbook, because Barefoot Contessa customers frequently asked for recipes. She wrote a proposal and sent it to an agent. The book would have just 75 entries—she dislikes enormous all-inclusive cooking tomes—and contain some of the best recipes she had developed at Barefoot Contessa, beautifully photographed. It was accepted, and Ina had a publisher and an advance, but she was sure she’d have to return it, so she banked it in a separate account to sit and wait to be returned.

“I wrote the cookbook I wanted to have myself. I like simple food; cookbooks by restaurant chefs can be complicated. What you want on a weeknight at home or for a dinner with friends is just a good meal, with great ingredients, that is simple to prepare and full of layers of good flavors. One thing that always interests me is a traditional recipe with a twist, which comes out better than you can imagine that dish.”

Holding the first copy of that first cookbook, she says, is still the greatest moment of her life.

The next terrifying opportunity to come knocking was television, and the Food Network came knocking several times before she accepted what she thought of as their crazy idea, and began filming the show. It still shocks her that the show is such a success, but it delights her as well. And she has never seen a single one of her shows. “I think if I ever saw it, I'd never do another episode."

Knowing what my cooking group went through to produce our two cookbooks, I’m especially impressed with Ina’s description of how she produces hers. She personally works on and tests each recipe, sometimes as many as 75 times, until she is satisfied with it. Many recipes have not made it past her development and testing; it took her 3 or 4 cookbooks before she was willing to publish her ginger cookies.

Next, she gives it to a friend or employee (she has a very small company and group of employees), and watches them shop for the ingredients. It amazed her, the possibilities for misunderstanding on this step, and led to very specific ingredient instructions, and more than one measure for some ingredients (size of a vegetable, or a package volume as well as its weight, for instance).

And then she watches more than one person cook the recipe, down to their choices of cooking tools, pots, pans, and the like. How their kitchen is organized, type of oven they use. All of this testing plays into how she writes the final recipe.

As someone who has used her cookbooks for years, I can testify that every recipe has always worked perfectly for me, and comes out looking like a million. And I have told customer after customer at Book Passage exactly that, oodles of times now. And now we know WHY they work so well.

“I'm interested in flavor, texture, delicious, appealing, comfort, relaxed. My ‘brand,’ everything I do, is true to me; I'm a very simple person,” she told us.

“When you cook, everybody shows up. It's about more than the food. It’s community; I love the warm responses of people who learn to cook with my books or show. It is so very satisfying for me.”

So what is success, to Ina Garten?
“I get up in the morning and get to do what I love to do. I walk from the house to the barn where my cooking kitchen is; that’s my commute.” Jeffrey (Dean of the business school at Yale), who drives from the Hamptons to New Haven to work, sometimes calls to jokingly compare commutes with her.

Marissa Mayer gave us probably the most amusing moment of the night, an account of what she witnessed on the night she first met Ina Garten just a few years ago. At a dinner honoring Gayle King (of CBS news), the celebrated best friend of King, Oprah Winfrey, was just entering the room to join the honoree. Coincidentally entering a few yards behind her was Ina Garten. Mayer witnessed an extremely excited woman elbowing Oprah Winfrey aside to get to Garten, exclaiming, “Oh, Ina, Ina, I’m so excited that YOU’RE here!”

What's next for Ina Garten? “I never plan for the future. I just want to be stimulated and happy. I’ll let the next idea come along to me-- people are always bringing ideas to me. Though I'm probably not going to endorse the garden fertilizer that someone recently proposed...”

The discussion finished with Q&A from the audience about a variety of cooking questions and the newest book, Foolproof. I have already browsed it cover to cover, and I’m definitely making the mushroom bread pudding for Thanksgiving.

Dapper legend Tom Wolfe swings by Ferry Building store

2012-11-06T16:34:00.001-08:00

On Thursday, November 1 Tom Wolfe made an appearance at Book Passage in the Ferry Building to sign copies of his new, blockbuster novel, Back to Blood. Owner Elaine Petrocelli and store managers Calvin Crosby and Ama Wertz were on hand to talk to this great American author and style maven; Calvin, in particular, was thrilled to note that his flashy striped socks were very similar to Wolfe’s.

A limited number of signed first edition copies of Back to Blood are available at both Book Passage locations, but you'd better hurry--they're going fast!

Italian Perfection? SPQR Book Launch & Lunch

2012-10-29T16:04:00.000-07:00

October 29, 2012

Ah, it was good day to be in San Francisco. I know reader, you may leap to the stunning seven game streak that lead the Giants to their World Series triumph last night as the cause of my gratified reflection, but you’d only be partially right.

While I savored sweet victory another flavor from the day competed for richness, namely, Matthew Accarrino’s lamb ragu.

Celebrating the launch of SPQR: Modern Italian Food and Wine, Book Passage patrons and Bay Area foodies gathered with sommelier superstar Shelley Lindgren and recently Michelin Star anointed chef Matthew Accarrino for a spectacular fall Cooks With Books lunch. Balancing elegant execution with deep tradition, the two shaped a meal expressing that exquisite polarity of Italian cooking and wine: the rustic and the refined.

Autumn sunlight poured through the generous skylights of A16, splashing over the open kitchen and the long family-style table set for us. While being welcomed with a glass of Ferrari Brut Rose (red currant nose, and surprisingly dry), I watched as Chef Chris made the pasta for dinner service, feeding delicate sheets of hazelnut colored dough through the maker, gathering and weighing the strands, each bunch placed carefully aside, and then repeated.

It is this quality of careful attention and ease that permeates both of Shelley’s restaurants. Everything is done with the utmost quality but also a graceful naturalness. It is something I think of as very Italian, there is a right way to do something, so relax and do it.

Which brings us to lunch. Opening with chopped chicken livers, brought to buttery smoothness with crème fraîche and tempered with Marsala wine, topped with a wine gelatina and dollop of carrot marmellata.

Smeared on thick slices of grilled bread, the rooty sweetness of the carrot and near-foie richness of the liver came into perfect harmony, washed with a sip of J. Hofstatter 2006 ‘Koblenhof’ Gewürztraminer, yeasty and spicy with the right cut of sweetness.

Next a dish inspired from the picnics of Accarrino’s childhood, Erbazzone Torta with braised greens and dill crema fresca. The torta was simultaneously light and hearty, the salty gravity of the pastry, greens, egg, and cheese balanced with the springy freshness of the greens and dill, and well paired with a Queciabella ‘Mongrana’ Chianti Classico.

Between each course Shelley would illuminate the wine, its region, production, history, and peculiarities. The velvety and highly aromatic Damiano Ciolli, Olevano Cesanese 2009 (pictured above) from the volcanic hills of Lazio and a 5^th generation winemaking family was the standout. Medium bodied with a floral and earthy nose, met with leather, clay, and cooked cherry in the mouth, it has the complexity and depth one associates more readily with the big Barolos to the north, not to mention exquisitely complementing…

The Ragu! Braised lamb that pulls into buttery strings in a velvety ragu served with pillow-light semolina gnocci and grated over with Pecorino Pepato. I cannot do justice here to the exquisite satisfaction of this dish.

The entire table was in awe of the lightness of the gnocci. Matthew explained it came from a technique he learned while working for Thomas Keller. The batter of the gnocci has no potato, but rather cheese, egg and semolina, and is piped through a pastry bag and cut into pieces directly over boiling water. When met with skepticism on the home chef’s chances for recreation he reassured the table, “that’s how it comes out, no tricks, every time.” As one who has suffered the humiliation and texture of overly dense gnocci, this “trick” alone is worth the price of the book.

The lunch closed with a passion fruit panna cotta, zinging sweet and served with thin chewy coconut macaroons. Matched with a glass of the delicately bubbly La Spinetta ‘Biancospino’ Moscato d’Asti 2001, sweet and acid it reflected well the zesty fruitiness of the dessert.

Have I piqued your appetite? Not to worry, as Shelley promised over her shoulder on her way to refill a glass “It’s all in the book.”

~Avram Kosasky

Community

2012-10-06T13:26:00.000-07:00

I’ve been coming to Book Passage for many years. Often I came for the author events; sometimes the author was my brother Dave Barry, which meant Event Director Karen West would ask my late wife Kathi Kamen Goldmark and me to do the introduction. We, in turn, felt compelled to come up with ever-more absurd things to say (or sing) about Dave as the years went by, until finally we reached the point where even he felt it was time to get serious (not really).

I’ve played in bands at Book Passage; I’ve participated in terrific writer’s classes and conferences; I’ve enjoyed lunch, coffee, and wine with friends in the café; I’ve been the author presenting a book; and (oh yeah) I’ve browsed the shelves, looking for a good read. The staff is terrific. They are knowledgeable and friendly; I guarantee you’ll find the book(s) for you.

Now I am Book Passage’s marketing director, which means I just called myself terrific in the last paragraph. (That’s marketing.) It also means I am here a lot, which is apparently what people expect of you when you have a job, and I am struck by what a remarkable place this really is. I know, I know—you’re thinking “He’s the marketing director—they pay him to be enthusiastic.” That’s true. But it’s also true that Book Passage is an oasis of culture and kindness in a world that is in dire need of those qualities.

My office is near the young adult and children’s book section of the store. (Do you think the owners, Elaine and Bill Petrocelli, and General Manager Calvin Crosby are trying to tell me something?) Every day I hear parents reading to children and children reading to parents from books selected by our renowned children’s book buyer Susan Kunhardt; I hear teens talking about what they’re reading. I hear animated discussions in language and art classes. This place is alive. It is civilized. It is a community center for readers, writers, artists, artisans, for families, for people young and old. It is a place that cultivates and celebrates the best in human nature.

If you haven’t been here lately, come on by. If you’re a parent, bring your kids to Story Time with Christopher Smith. There’s no charge for most author events, but maybe you’ll decide to buy a book. Maybe you’re an aspiring writer who needs to get in the mix or some constructive feedback. Maybe you'd like to join one of the many book clubs. Maybe you’ll start your own. Our Signed First Editions Book Club has a record of picking future award-winners: one was Junot Diaz's The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, and another was Paul Taylor's Tinkers, each of which were awarded the Pulitzer Prize. Members of the Signed First Editions Club are reading tomorrow's classics today and filling their bookshelves with potential collector's items.

Whatever your reason for coming to Book Passage, you will probably discover something unexpected. That’s the joy of this place. And while you’re here, say hello. Tell me what you’re reading, or writing. See you soon.

Sam Barry

Bookman's Bookstore Video Launches Banned Book Week

2012-10-01T16:11:00.000-07:00

Bookman's Bookstore, with four locations across Arizona, is celebrating the beginning of National Banned Books Week (Sept. 30 - Oct. 6) with an incredible video featuring local customers and staff reading a single line from a banned or challenged book.

The American Library Association defines the importance of Banned Books Week on their website:

Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Typically held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community –- librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types –- in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Banned Books Week, being celebrated in part with the second annual Virtual Read-Out, wherein bookstores and readers are encouraged to create videos proclaiming the virtues of the freedom to read. Bookman's video was made in conjunction with the Virtual Read-Out project.

Watch the video below and learn how to make your own contribution to Banned Books Week here!

J. K. Rowling's The Casual Vacancy Checks In to Book Passage

2012-09-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

Book Passage is stocking up on miniature soaps and pillow mints as we welcome the release of J. K. Rowling's first adult novel, The Casual Vacancy. Rowling, known the world over as the creator of the Harry Potter series, has returned to the written word with a story about a town called Pagford, where an empty city council seat reveals the unsettling truth behind a seemingly idyllic English village.

To celebrate the release of The Casual Vacancy, Book Passage is hosting a book release breakfast on Thursday, September 27, from 8am to 10am. Customers that come to pick up a copy of the book during those hours will be treated to orange juice, mimosas, coffee and a selection of pastries. Preorder your copy today and come join us on Thursday!

While J. K. Rowling's only US appearance on behalf of her new book will take place in New York, Book Passage is thrilled to be able to host a live webcast of her event! Billed as an onstage conversation with critically acclaimed author Ann Patchett, Book Passage will be screening the event as it happens on Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 5:00pm. This webcast won't be available to stream publicly, so come down early and grab a seat! Click here to learn more about our J. K. Rowling webcast.

More reading: click here to read a fantastic article in this week's issue of The New Yorker profiling Ms. Rowling's take on writing a "realist novel for adults."

Andrew McCarthy Brings The Longest Way Home to Book Passage

2012-09-24T16:20:00.000-07:00

Having previously visited Book Passage in conjunction with our annual Travel Writers & Photographers Conference, we are very excited to welcome back author/actor/director Andrew McCarthy as he talks about his new memoir, The Longest Way Home: One Man's Quest for the Courage to Settle Down. This revealing and insightful story tells of how travel helped him become the man he wanted to be. Andrew will be joined by travel writer and Travel Writing Conference chair Don George on Thursday, September 27 at 7pm to discuss The Longest Way Home.

The San Jose Mercury recently spoke with Andrew about his new book. To read the entire article, please click here. Below is an excerpt of the interview, conducted by Jessica Yadegaran:

Q. You started acting at 19. When did you start writing?

A. I started writing when I started traveling about 10 years ago. I kept a journal and found the writing in it embarrassing and lame. So instead, since I'm an actor, I started writing down scenes from my travels. I found that it stabilized me and kept me grounded.

Q. Is that how you got into travel writing?

A. One day in Saigon, a young guy on a scooter offered to show me around, so I climbed on the back of his bike. I wrote down what happened the day we spent together, and it seemed to capture the essence of my experience in Saigon in a way my journal couldn't. I did that for years, until one day I met the editor of National Geographic Traveler magazine and asked him to give me a shot.

Q. Where did the idea for this book come from?

A. I was sitting in the back of a cab on my way to the airport going to Patagonia. My fiancee and I had just decided to get married, and I was so sad to be leaving her, I was practically in tears, but I was also thrilled to be going. I was like, "What is the deal with this?" On the road I took this issue to explore instead of a book.

The Longest Way Home was published by Free Press on September 18. Reviews have been extremely positive, including author Cheryl Strayed's (Wild, Tiny Beautiful Things) review for The New York Times. Read the full review here and an excerpt below:

McCarthy’s at his best when he’s describing his feeling of being at home in foreign worlds. His prose shines with intelligence and intimacy when he’s elucidating the challenges of hiking in the dense jungle of a Costa Rican national park or the pleasures of wandering in a Peruvian market: “The small stalls, one after the next, are lined with different herbs in bags or bottles. There are wooden bowls filled with roots and twigs. There’s abuta bark, for menstrual cramps; the vine of una del gato, for cancer; . . . the aphrodisiac maca root, to be boiled and made into tea. ‘Muy efectivo,’ the creased woman on a stool beside the display assures me.” In these solitary scenes, he lets the reader walk so closely beside him we feel as if we’re walking through that market and jungle too.

Don't miss what is sure to an incredible evening of discussion and reflection with Andrew McCarthy! Join us Thursday, September 27 at 7pm in Corte Madera, and be sure to order your copy of The Longest Way Home.

Book Passage Heads to Telegraph Avenue

2012-09-21T10:23:00.003-07:00

Book Passage may be across the bay, but we feel like we’re smack dab in the middle of Telegraph Avenue these days. That’s because Pulitzer winner (and Book Passage favorite) Michael Chabon’s newest novel, Telegraph Avenue, hit our shelves this month.

To celebrate its publication, Mr. Chabon and his wife, author Ayelet Waldman, have offered to match any donations made to the Scholarmatch website through Thursday, September 25. Simply enter the code “BROKELAND2012” when making a donation. By donating you will not only be helping students achieve their dreams of going to college, you’ll also be entered to win a one-of-a-kind Telegraph Avenue 8-Track mixed tape and player. Click here to learn more and submit your donation.

And if that’s not enough musical inspiration for a book about a record store, Book Passage is also jamming to the incredible Telegraph Avenue Spotify playlist. Featuring tracks like “Trespasser” by Bad Medicine and “No Thing On Me” by Curtis Mayfield, this collection of tunes is the soundtrack of choice for reading your new copy of Telegraph Avenue. You can access the playlist by clicking here or listening to the tracks embedded below (please note: you open the playlist externally, you must have Spotify, which can be downloaded for free here).

Finally, Mr. Chabon may make his home in Berkeley, but we asked him to brave the bridge and give us a taste of Telegraph Avenue here in Corte Madera. Mr. Chabon will read, answer questions and sign books at our Corte Madera location on Monday, September 24. To learn more about reserving a seat for this event, click here. To request a signed copy of Telegraph Avenue, buy a copy from Book Passage and be sure to note your autograph preference in the comments field.

And remember, books are like vinyl: they never die.

Book Passage Awaits the Return of Captain Underpants!

2012-09-17T11:00:00.000-07:00

We have spent many moons staring out at the night sky, looking up in hopes of seeing a glimpse of red cape or a brief flash of starch white briefs. Now, finally, ten years removed from his last public tour, superstar children's author and Captain Underpants creator Dav Pilkey visits Book Passage on Oct. 23!

Publisher's Weekly ran a profile on an event Mr. Pilkey recent held in Lincolnshire, Ill., where 500 fans were treated to Captain Underpants book trailers, trivia videos, scrapbook drawings and of course, the chance to get their books signed.

Bay Area fans will have a chance to get in on the fun next month, when Mr. Pilkey visits Book Passage in Corte Madera in conjunction with the release of Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Return of Tippy Tinkletrousers ($9.99).

A Dav Pilkey fan in Lincolnshire, Ill.
(photo courtesy of PW)

In this ninth epic novel of the Captain Underpants saga, Dav Pilkey takes readers back in time to the carefree days of kindergarten, when the worst thing George and Harold had to face was NOT evil mad scientists or alien cafeteria ladies but a sixth-grade bully named Kipper Krupp.

Book Passage is delighted to be hosting Mr. Pilkey for a 6pm signing on Oct. 23. To learn more about the event and to order your copy of Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Return of Tippy Tinkletrousers, click here. Until then, we'll be watching the stars, waiting for a chance to witness our favorite pantsless superhero.

The Week Ahead at Book Passage

2012-08-25T13:00:00.000-07:00

Among Bay Area bookstores, Book Passage in Corte Madera has one of the most active schedules going of author events, readings, classes and other literary happenings. In fact, it’s not uncommon for more than one or two author talks to take place at the store on just about any given day. Additionally, many of these events have a local connection. Looking at the week, here are two great events readers won’t want to miss.

Gerald and Janice Haslam discuss In Thought and Action: The Enigmatic Life of S.I. Hayakawa
-- Sunday, August 26 at 1:00 pm

At this not-to-be-missed event, Gerald and Janice Haslam discuss In Thought and Action: The Enigmatic Life of S.I. Hayakawa (University of Nebraska Press), a detailed and synaptically stimulating biography of the one-time Mill Valley resident and eminent linguist, semanticist, writer, professor, President of San Francisco State University, United States Senator, and believe-it-or-not organizer the Anti-Digit Dialing League. If you remember Hayakawa (1906-1992) and his days as a controversial and colorful public figure, then you want to miss what promises to be a fascinating event.

“In Thought and Action: The Enigmatic Life of S. I. Hayakawa traces the fascinating life of an iconic American writer, teacher, politician, and family man. In the process, authors Gerald W. Haslam and Janice E. Haslam tell us a lot about the culture wars of the 20th century—and of American identity itself.”— Jonah Raskin, Sonoma State University professor and author of American Scream: Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl” and the Making of the Beat Generation

Gerald W. Haslam, a former student of Hayakawa, is a professor emeritus of English at Sonoma State University and the author and editor of numerous books, including Workin’ Man Blues: Country Music in California and the seminal anthology Many Californias: Literature from the Golden State. Janice E. Haslam is the coauthor, with her husband, of the fiction collection Manuel and the Madman and An Instructor's Guide to Many Californias.

Gregg Hurwitz reads from his new thriller The Survivor
-- Monday, August 27 at 7:00 pm

Gregg Hurwitz, the #1 international bestselling author of You’re Next, unleashes his most accomplished, compelling thriller yet, The Survivor (St. Martin's Press). It's a roller coaster ride of a read populated by masked gunmen, an escaped killer, Russian mobsters and the threat of losing everything. The Survivor is guaranteed to grab readers by the throat and not relinquish its grip.

Gregg Hurwitz is the author of twelve novels. His books have been nominated for numerous awards, shortlisted for best novel of the year by International Thriller Writers, nominated for CWA's Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, chosen as feature selections for all four major literary book clubs, honored as Book Sense Picks, and translated into twenty languages. He's currently developing his Tim Rackley series for TNT/Sony. He is a producer and writer for television and films and has written characters ranging from Wolverine to Batman for both Marvel and DC comics. Originally from the Bay Area, he now lives in Los Angeles.

Robert Hass talks about What Light Can Do: Essays on Art, Imagination, and the Natural World
-- Tuesday, August 28 at 7:00 pm

Pulitzer Prize-winner and former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Hass talks about What Light Can Do: Essays on Art, Imagination, and the Natural World (Ecco Press), a wide-ranging collection of considerations on topics including writers (ranging from Jack London to Allen Ginsberg); the art of photography; California, and much else. At this very special event, Robert Hass will be introduced by poet Giovanni Singleton.

Robert Hass' books of poetry include Time and Materials, for which he received the Pulitzer Prize in 2007 and the National Book Award in 2008; Sun Under Wood, for which he received the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1996; Human Wishes; Praise, for which he received the William Carlos Williams Award in 1979; and Field Guide, which was selected by Stanley Kunitz for the Yale Younger Poets Series.

Hass, who teaches at the University of California in Berkeley, has also worked with Czeslaw Milosz to translate a dozen volumes of the Nobel Prize winner's poetry. While his translations of the Japanese haiku masters have been collected in The Essential Haiku: Versions of Basho, Buson, and Issa. Hass' other books of essays include Twentieth Century Pleasures: Prose on Poetry, which received the National Book Critics Circle Award for criticism in 1984, and Now and Then: The Poet's Choice Columns, 1997-2000. From 1995 to 1997 Hass served as poet laureate of the United States.

MORE INFO: Unless otherwise noted, all events take place at Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., in Corte Madera. Call (415) 927-0960 or visit www.bookpassage.com for details.

The Week Ahead at Book Passage

2012-08-18T12:56:00.000-07:00

Fault Lines Poetry Reading
-- Sunday, August 19 at 4:00 pm

Marin County poet Terri Glass hosts the first Bay area reading of Fault Lines, a new West Coast journal which includes work from 70 poets from British Columbia to San Francisco. Among those participating in this special event are editor Tony Pfannenstiel and Bay Area contributors Samuel Iniguez, Trina Drotar, Lenore Wilson, Suzanne Brooks, and Patrick Cahill.

Fault Lines is a journal of West Coast poetry. Terri Glass is a poet and writer who has been teaching poetry writing in the Bay Area for twenty years. She studied poetry writing at the University of Washington and Portland State University, and mentored with the Pulitzer Prize winning poet William Stafford. Glass currently coordinates the Marin program for California Poets in the School and served as their statewide director from 2008-11.

Selden Edwards reads from The Lost Prince
-- Monday, August 20 at 7:00 pm

Selden Edwards reads from The Lost Prince (Dutton), a sequel to his beloved, more than 30-years-in-the-making, New York Times bestselling novel, The Little Book. Like its predecessor, Edward’s magical new work is an irresistible triumph of the imagination, and a story of love capable of bridging unfathomable distances.

Pat Conroy, the bestselling author of The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini, said this: “I loved Selden Edwards’s first novel The Little Book and told everyone I knew about it. I just read his second novel The Lost Prince and think that Mr. Edwards has written his finest work so far. Once again, Selden Edwards demonstrates his mastery in blending together philosophy and art with the help of wonderful characters you fall in love with. The Lost Prince is a terrific second novel.”

Selden Edwards began writing The Little Book as a young English teacher in 1974, and continued to layer and refine the manuscript until its completion in 2007. It was his first novel. He spent his career as headmaster at several independent schools across the country.

Susan Kirsch and Jane Mellor Poetry Reading
-- Saturday, August 25 at 1:00 pm

Poets Susan Kirsch and Jane Mellor read from their recent books. Kirsch will read from Simply Go*D - Praise Poems Celebrating The Divine In Daily Life (Lulu.com). And Mellor will read from Delicate Availability: Prose and Poetry (FriesenPress). Each is an evocation and a celebration of life through poetry. Susan Kirsch was raised in the Midwest. Jane Mellor was raised in the Bay Area.

MORE INFO: Unless otherwise noted, all events take place at Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., in Corte Madera. Call (415) 927-0960 or visit www.bookpassage.com for details.

The Week Ahead at Book Passage

2012-08-11T14:13:00.000-07:00

Jennie Fields reads from her new novel, The Age of Desire (Pamela Dorman Books), a sparkling glimpse into the life of Edith Wharton and the scandalous love affair that threatened her closest friendship. Wharton’s real letters and intimate diary entries are woven throughout this richly nuanced novel, which takes us on a vivid journey through the Gilded Age.

Jennie Fields received an MA in creative writing from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop and is the author of the novels Lily Beach, Crossing Brooklyn Ferry, and The Middle Ages. An Illinois native, she spent twenty-five years as an advertising creative director in New York and currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

Laura Lippman reads from her new novel And When She Was Good
-- Friday, August 17 at 7:00 pm

Laura Lippman reads from her new novel, And When She Was Good (William Morrow), the gripping, intensely emotional story of a suburban madam, a convicted murderer whose sentence is about to be overturned, and the child they will both do anything to keep. Lippman has been described as “a writing powerhouse.” Here’s why.

Laura Lippman grew up in Baltimore and returned to her hometown in 1989 to work as a journalist. After writing seven books while still a full-time reporter, she left the Baltimore Sun to focus on fiction. She is the author of eleven Tess Monaghan books, five stand-alone novels, and one short story collection. Praised as “a writing powerhouse” (USA Today) and “among the select group of novelists who have invigorated the crime fiction arena with smart, innovative, and exciting work” (George Pelecanos), this New York Times bestselling author is constantly sending reviewers back to their thesauruses in search of new and greater accolades. Her new stand-alone novel, And When She Was Good, reinforces the fact that she stands among today’s bestselling elite—including Kate Atkinson, Tana French, Jodi Picoult, and Harlan Coben (who raves, “I love her books!”). Lippman has already won virtually every prize the mystery genre has to offer—the Edgar®, Anthony, Agatha, and Nero Wolfe Awards, to name but a few.

Literary Luncheon with Gail Tsukiyama
-- Saturday, August 18 at 12:00 noon

Join Book Passage for lunch as Gail Tsukiyama celebrates the publication of her new novel, A Hundred Flowers (St. Martin's Press), a powerful story centering on the misfortunes which befall a family at the start of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. With this new work, Tsukiyama once again brings us a powerfully moving story of ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances with grace and courage.

The year is 1957, and Chairman Mao has declared a new openness in society: “Let a hundred flowers bloom; let a hundred schools of thought contend.” Many intellectuals fear it is only a trick, and Kai Ying’s husband, a teacher named Sheng, has promised not to jeopardize their safety or that of their young son, Tao. One July morning, just before his sixth birthday, Tao watches helplessly as his Father is dragged away and sent off to a labor camp for “reeducation” after writing a letter criticizing the Communist Party.

Gail Tsukiyama is the bestselling author of six previous novels, including The Street of a Thousand Blossoms, Women of the Silk and The Samurai’s Garden, as well as the recipient of the Academy of American Poets Award and the PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award. She lives in El Cerrito. Book Passage hosts literary luncheons with celebrated authors at its Marin store. These events are catered by Insalata’s Restaurant of San Anselmo.

MORE INFO: Unless otherwise noted, all events take place at Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., in Corte Madera. Call (415) 927-0960 or visit www.bookpassage.com for details.

Maria Semple’s Where'd You Go, Bernadette - autographed 1st edition copies available

2012-08-09T15:29:00.000-07:00

Maria Semple’s Where'd You Go, Bernadette is really good. And, it's taking the country by storm. And, we have autographed 1st edition copies. If you haven't already ordered a copy (by clicking on the link above and noting "signed 1st" in the comments field), then why not?

The book has already received a RAVE review from Janet Maslin in the New York Times, who began her critique by noting the books' “free-range hilarity!”

And in the Los Angeles Times, Carolyn Kellogg stated "She has written a fantastic, funny novel. Its affecting characters, not-necessarily-nice humor and surprising plot twists make this novel
an enchanting ride."

Oh, and Jonathan Franzen said, "The characters in Where'd You Go, Bernadette may be in real emotional pain, but Semple has the wit and perspective and imagination to make their story hilarious. I tore through this book with heedless pleasure."

Similarly, Kate Atkinson said "Where'd You Go, Bernadette is fresh and funny and accomplished, but the best thing about it was that I never had any idea what was going to happen next. It was a wild ride..."

So, just who is Maria Semple? Her first novel, This One is Mine, was set in Los Angeles, where she also wrote for television shows including Arrested Development, Mad About You, and Ellen. She escaped from Los Angeles and lives with her family in Seattle, where this,
her second novel, takes place.

If you haven't already ordered a copy of Maria Semple’s Where'd You Go, Bernadette, then why not?
We at Book Passage love it!

Starts Thursday: Book Passage Travel Writers and Photographers Conference

2012-08-08T01:30:00.000-07:00

The Premier Conference in the World for Travel Writers and Photographers!

August 9-12, 2012 - Corte Madera, CA

The Book Passage Travel Writers & Photographers Conference has an extraordinary, international reputation among publishers, editors, and writers. Now in its 21st year, this four-day Conference offers an array of writing and photography workshops in the morning, a full afternoon of panels and discussions, and evening faculty presentations. There are optional, working field trips to explore the resources of the Bay Area. The faculty includes publishers, magazine editors, photographers, travel essayists, food writers, restauranteurs, guidebook writers, and more. There are hours of informal interaction between faculty and participants during lunch and in discussions that often last late into the evening.
More info at http://www.bookpassage.com/travel-writers-photographers-conference

This year's participants will spend four event-filled days in beautiful Northern California writing, workshopping, networking, and perfecting their craft with an internationally acclaimed faculty featuring prize-winning journalists, authors and photographers including Susan Orlean (staff writer at The New Yorker and author of The Orchid Thief, Rin Tin Tin); Andrew McCarthy (Actor, director, and Lowell Thomas Award-winning travel writer); Spud Hilton (Travel Editor of the San Francisco Chronicle); Pauline Frommer (internationally syndicated travel expert and host of The Travel Show with her father Arthur Frommer).
View the complete faculty list >>