Diary of a small town sensation: how the Wimpy Kid author built his dream bookshop

Growing up, Jeff Kinney discovered Tolkien, comics and computers at his local bookshop. When it closed he was bereft – would opening his own as an adult help to right that wrong?Author Jacqueline Woodson recently spoke about books being either mirrors or windows. Mirrors for seeing ourselves, and windows for seeing into other worlds. Growing up, I enjoyed both types of books, from the realistic contemporary fiction of Judy Blume to the epic fantasy of JRR Tolkien. I had access to books by these and every author in between courtesy of a bookstore a short drive from my house. I didn’t understand my privilege then, but I’ve come to understand it better over time.In the short time that it was open, I developed interests that would shape my career. I grew up at the advent of personal computing, and the books I read helped me along a path to becoming a programmer. I also developed a deep appreciation for comics, thanks to an expansive humour section at the bookstore. Those comic collections helped to prepare me for my dream career as a cartoonist. Had we not had a bookstore nearby during my formative years, I would have grown up to be a completely different person.We’ve had several romances develop from first dates in the cafe, and one couple is getting married this autumn Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2019-10-05 09:00:40 UTC ]

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The Book Industry Charitable Foundation Has Never Been Busier Helping Bookstores

Last August, I wrote about the Book Industry Charitable Foundation, or “Binc,” a Michigan-based non-profit created to support booksellers who have fallen on hard times. If a bookseller winds up in the hospital or a bookstore has a flood, Binc can step in and pay their bills, no questions asked... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-05-29 08:48:18 UTC ]
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Full Circle Bookstore: A Palace of Minds, by Yousef Khanfar

Cultural Cross Sections Yousef Khanfar Photo by James L.W / Unsplash In January, Full Circle Bookstore was named one of five finalists for Publishers Weekly’s Bookstore of the Year. Palestinian photographer Yousef Khanfar offers the following... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2020-05-28 13:17:54 UTC ]
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WORD Bookstore and Authors Team Up for Charity

All this week WORD Bookstores in Brooklyn and New Jersey will donate 10% of the purchase prices of books by a rotating group of authors to a different charity each day. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-05-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
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BookExpo 2020: In Full Blume

To help mark the 50th anniversary of Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, Judy Blume will present tonight at BookExpo Online's Children’s Book & Author Dinner. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-05-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Denver's BookBar Switches Up Business Model

Denver's BookBar bookstore is marking its seventh anniversary by changing its business model to provide services beyond retail, such as a literary imprint, BookBar Press, and a writers-in-residence program. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-05-26 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The Reading Habits of Ernest Hemingway and Gertrude Stein

Parisian bookstore and lending library Shakespeare and Company is digitizing decades of its records, revealing the reading habits of its famous patrons. The post The Reading Habits of Ernest Hemingway and Gertrude Stein appeared first on The Millions. Continue reading at The Millions

[ The Millions | 2020-05-22 20:30:26 UTC ]
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Reading the Eccentric Italian Writer Who Tried to Cover Up His Fascism

On May 21st at 7:30 pm. EST Community Bookstore is hosting a virtual conversation about Curzio Malaparte’s Diary of a Foreigner in Paris between writer Gary Indiana and NYRB Classics editor Edwin Frank. You can register for free and learn more here. * Curzio Malaparte is a phrasemaker before... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-05-20 08:48:48 UTC ]
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Macmillan Launches Indie Bookstore Assistance Program

Macmillan Publishers will issue promotional terms intended to help independent bookstores recover from what it calls "the significant and calamitous impacts of Covid-19 on the channel." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-05-20 04:00:00 UTC ]
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A Virtual Evening with Emma Straub and Judy Blume

Emma Straub and her husband own Books Are Magic, an independent bookstore in Brooklyn, New York. Four years ago, Judy Blume and her husband, George Cooper, longing for a bookstore in Key West where they live, founded the independent, non-profit Books & Books @ The Studios. Tonight, the two... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-05-18 21:00:58 UTC ]
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Weird, Funny, Delicious Books Wanted: A Conversation with Emma Ramadan, by Veronica Esposito

Interviews Veronica Esposito Emma Ramadan is a literary translator based in Providence, Rhode Island, where she is the co-owner of Riffraff, a bookstore and bar. She is the recipient of an NEA Translation Fellowship, a PEN/Heim grant, and a Fulbright... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2020-05-18 18:20:27 UTC ]
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Your Week in Virtual Book Events, May 18 to 24

Virtual Author Series: Emma Straub and Judy Blume Monday, May 18, 7pm EDT Books & Books and the Miami Book Fair present Emma Straub and Judy Blume in celebration of Straub’s new novel All Adults Here. The authors and booksellers will discuss the delights and challenges of their craft, the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-05-18 16:01:57 UTC ]
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HBG Launches Indie Bookstore Assistance Program

Hachette Book Group is launching a new program to assist in the reopening of independent bookstores. The program is intended to help stores recover from the impact of Covid-19 on their businesses, as well as to aid them in reopening. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-05-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Time for Nerd Jeopardy! (A Literary Trivia Game Show)

Ryan Chapman hosts Nerd Jeopardy, the online literary game show. Tonight Ryan is joined by Kristen Arnett, author of Mostly Dead Things, and Katie Whittemore, translator of Sara Mesa’s Four by Four. This week’s indie bookstore spotlight is on Magers & Quinn. Sign up for next week, May 20,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-05-15 15:43:54 UTC ]
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For Bookstore Owners, Reopening Holds Promise and Peril

Across the United States, booksellers are wrestling with how to safely open their stores. Some are racing ahead. Others feel it’s too risky. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-05-13 19:46:47 UTC ]
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Sheltering: Amy Jo Burns Talks Moonshine and Snake-Handling

On this episode of Sheltering, Maris Kreizman speaks with Amy Jo Burns about her new novel, Shiner. Burns talks about loosely basing a character off her grandmother, the possible legalization of moonshine, and the skill of snake-handling. Her favorite local bookstore is Labyrinth Books; please... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-05-12 19:00:18 UTC ]
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Letter From a Bookstore Turning Five During a Pandemic

May 2nd, 2020 Happy birthday to us. Little City Books opened May 2nd, 2015, a stunning spring day [click here for an account of that day, on this website]. It was Independent Bookstore Day. It was our city’s annual art and music festival. And it was the Kentucky Derby (I only remember that... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-05-12 08:48:42 UTC ]
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This new database shows the reading habits of major 20th-century authors.

When Sylvia Beach, the New Jersey native who published Ulysses and opened Paris’ Shakespeare and Co. (“the most famous bookstore in the world”), died in 1962, Princeton University purchased and catalogued her papers. This trove of materials reveals, among other things, the reading preferences of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-05-08 19:46:30 UTC ]
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The Most Popular Books In Libraries, January–March 2020

These were the most popular books in libraries to kick off 2020. What have you read? Missed? Want to pick up from your library or bookstore next? Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-05-08 10:32:36 UTC ]
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Oregon Coast Bookstore Gives Away Thousands of Books: Critical Linking, May 8, 2020

An awesome daily roundup of the most interesting bookish links from around the web! Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-05-08 10:30:26 UTC ]
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Lookout Books Partners With Indies to Provide Virtual Backgrounds

Lookout Books, a teaching press housed at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, is partnering with indies to provide students and others with virtual bookstore backgrounds to maintain confidentiality during video calls. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-05-06 04:00:00 UTC ]
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