29 Questions

I had the most fun at work I've had in a good long while last Tuesday when Stephanie and I selected the questions for the 29 Questions game to be played this Saturday the 15th. Last week the marketing team brainstormed questions about store history, literary history, the quirky personalities and authors who've been connected with the store. Then we threw the idea out to the staff and they came up with more great history. Stephanie and I parsed through the lists to collect the best of the best to entertain, enlighten and maybe even momentarily stump players.

"What are the questions?" you ask. Well I can't tell you that, sillies. But I'll share a few questions that didn't make the cut to whet your appetite:

1. What publications used to call Sam Wellers Book Store on a weekly basis to get our rankings of bestsellers (we use computers now)?
2. Which of the following three factors is most likely to cause a first edition to become valuable? Age. Influence. Rarity.
3. What five other businesses share the David Keith Building with Wellers?
4. What is the name of the revolutionary national program for restoring local economies that was created by booksellers?
5. What is kept in the vault at Wellers?

"Why should I come play 29 Questions at your store this Saturday the 15th?" you ask. Because there will be cake. But also because when you answer our 29 Questions, you are entered into a drawing to win a store gift certificate for $80, $48, or $29. And what can be better than that? Especially if there's cake.

Planning our anniversary celebration this year has been a strange and delicate process indeed. Between the state of the economy, our intention to move from this location, and Sam's death, putting on an outrageous party, as we have in previous years, seemed a bit - well, unseemly. However, 80 years of bookselling is a notable feat and worthy of commemoration.

So there will be no grand party this year. But there will be festivities. On Saturday, August 15th, we will be celebrating all day long. There will be treats in store throughout the day. There will be balloons. There will be a fun contest, and there will be a sale.

Play 29 Questions with us - we added nine questions since the store was founded in 1929 - and you'll be entered into a drawing with a chance to win one of three gift certificates worth $80, $48, or $29. Our game of 29 Questions doesn't involve standing around and asking the staff whether Ernest Hemmingway was animal, vegetable or mineral. Instead, you'll be answering printed questions on a sheet of paper utilizing your knowledge of books, the store, and our cast of characters. Additionally, you'll probably be exploring the store to find those answers. Think of it as an intellectual treasure hunt, perhaps an archeological one too.

And of course it wouldn't be an anniversary celebration without that sale. We'll be selling all used books for 29% off on August 15th. Most Rare books will also be discounted 29 percent. Selected new books will also be discounted 29%, most notably, picks from our Staff Recommendation shelves. On those shelves lie the books that our knowledgeable and quirky booksellers treasure. They're the titles that have entertained us, enriched us, even changed our lives. Perhaps one of them will change your life, too.

Finally, the videos from our Moving History Project (http://www.samwellers.com/pdf/the_moving_history.pdf) will launch on Youtube on August 15. There are some fine memories from excellent customers and friends. Be sure to check it out.

So come in and say hello. Explore the store and eat some cake. Talk to the staffers you know and love; meet the ones you don't. An 80-year anniversary only comes around once.

Dos Oestes pics are up

Dos Oestes "Two Wests," works by Brittany Ann Edmiston and Ben Kilbourne. This has proved to be one of my favorite shows yet. Thanks to the artists for their amazing work. Check out our flickr page, but come down to the bookstore to really see them. Excepting one of Kilbourne's pieces that is NFS, and two of his that sold at opening, all works are for sale at reasonable prices. Contact us for availability and pricing .

DISPATCHES FROM THE HARDBOILED BOOK CLUB

We met on Tuesday, the 28^th of July to chat about Jess Walter's Citizen Vince. Jess Walter agreed to call in the bookstore and answer any questions we may have had. He was very nice and generous with his time. His spoke like one of his characters might: clipped, succinct, also meandering (providing conversational fodder later for our bookgroup).

The format for this kind of thing errs on the informal side, we all write down questions and I draw them out of a hat or bag. When a question is drawn the asker asks the author. This goes on for several questions (between 3 and 5) and usually last 15 – 20 minutes. Walter's early writing career was grounded in journalism, and he told us how this cemented in him the need for the exact word; leaving no words to waste. Fortunately for us, he elaborated with his answers, and painted a vivid picture for the group on his process. He talked about why he chose to write a book in the eighties and what this generation may be able to gleam from the Reagan/Carter race. We also asked him about some themes represented in Citizen Vince, like starting over, or being a good bad guy, or a bad good guy. He answered all of our questions fairly, and was a very funny guy.

He also gave us a thumbs up on the next selection for bookclub: Gun, with Occasional Music, by Jonathan Lethem. Meet here, at Sam Weller's lower level August 25th, at 6:30 PM.

COMIC CON 2009

The Players:

me, Jennifer - the comic book/graphic novel buyer for Sam Weller's Bookstore.

Zatanna - also me, with my new black hair, dressed in costume (cosplay). Etinu dlrow eht fo sdraziw!

Comic Con - the largest comic book convention in North America, happening for the last 40 years in SanDiego. It's an epic four-day event.
me + "the con" = special

The Props:

Top Shelf, Dark Horse, Fantagraphics all had great graphic novels at their booths. (Weller's stocks many titles.)

There were major book publishers pushing upcoming fall titles. Noteworthy: The Magicians by Lev Grossman. Read it, devoured it, loved it. Scary, fantastical magic for adults & teens. It comes out August 11 from Penguin. (Weller's will have it.)

Century Guild. Fine art dealer specializing in Art Nouveau. The most elegant booth. Gorgeous Mucha prints. Epic absinthe posters.

Steampunks. Followers were abundant! Essentially, steampunk is the idea of industrializing/mechanizing the Victorian era. An ideal of modern science mixed with romance and novelty, it feels unprocessed as everything is done by individuals. The comic The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is an excellent example. One of my favorite webcomics Monster Commute had a booth - follow them to realize the creative world of steampunk.
Uglydolls! So squishable & ugly they're cute! My favorite has been discontinued - forget his name, but he had chest hair. (Sam Weller's is getting new dolls!)


The Play:

Exposition:

I attended Comic Con for five straight years (reveling solo in my girlish nerdom) until 2006, when suddenly being nerdy wasn't so passé. That last year was overwhelming (x12). The aisles were extremely crowded - I was run over by baby-strollers on Sunday. A good chunk of floor space (the convention center is enormous!) was devoted to manga/anime and video games (both are fine hobbies, but not my cup of tea). I experienced overkill of free schwag, panels and film premieres in Hall H ...the ominous Hall H. These downsides accompanied more of the wonderful: artist alley, indie press island, comics for a dollar! Also, the coolest film presentation ever held in Hall H: the panel for King Kong: Adrien Brody, Naomi Watts, Jack Black - followed by a half hour performance by TENACIOUS D!! The Serenity panel was also pretty hilarious, too.


Climax:

After a two year hiatus (I opted for Europe instead!) I returned to Comic Con this last weekend.

Still enormous and overcrowded (over 126, 000 attendees!!) the con did not seem so overwhelming to me this round. The secret? Doing the opposite of what I'd done the previous years: I didn't spend every hour of every day ogling awesome stuff. My friend Spidey & I walked through once and bought only a few tantalizing comics. There was too much to choose from, so I didn't. (I'm sure I'll regret later not having picked up more books or art.) I saw lots of people dressed as Watchmen or manga/anime characters or steampunks or Princess Leia, but didn't bother taking pictures. You can view a few cosplayers (including Zatanna!) from this great photographer Tim Wong.

I only sat at three panels: Harry Potter fandom and another for the Fables series. (Bill Willingham is delightful!) The other panel was a discussion between clever James Cameron and Peter Jackson (producer District 9) who is adorably scruffy and brilliant.

In the evenings I ate delicious dinners with friends and went out to parties. Eoin Colfer is another delightful author. (He's written the newest of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series! October 10!) I fawned over Edward James Olmos (of BSG - swoon!). I met (& frightened) Matt Selman, a Simpsons writer and witty guy. Where was Seth Green?!!


Denouement:

It's certainly an experience to be had for book lovers. Comics aren't only for kids.

Bring on the nerds and their thick rimmed-glasses . . .

Hardboiled Book Club: Citizen Vince

Sam Wellers Bookstore's Hardboiled Book Club meets tonight, Tuesday July 28 at 6:30 p.m. in the fabulous Wellers basement.

Citizen Vince author Jess Walter will join our meeting via speaker phone to discuss our latest selection. This is your chance to ask anything you ever wanted to know about Jess Walter but were afraid to ask. Well not everything....

Lit Knit -- Knitting in WellerWorld

Tonight, July 22 at 5:30, will be the first meeting of the new knitting group at Wellers, Knit Lit.

Why would you want to come in to knit at 5:30 on a Wednesday?

• Because you'll spend an hour relaxing with knitting and conversation instead of driving home in rush hour traffic.
  
• Because you'll meet the cool Weller-istas who knit and other downtown knitting types.
• Because you'll get to show off your favorite knitting project to people who'll appreciate it.
• Because you'll get to talk books, knitting or other, with people who love books as much as you do.
• Because we welcome crocheters too.
  

Lit Knit will meet at the dining table on the lower level on the second and fourth Wednesdays of every month. You really should come and knit/crochet with us.

http://www.samwellers.com/pdf/lit-knit_launch_on.pdf