A Bookseller Recommends

Be Ready When the Sh*t Goes Down by Forrest Griffin and Erich Krauss

Let's be honest. I love working at Barnes & Noble. I could be cashiering or I could be in the kids department, but no matter where I am, I'm always exposed to books I may have never otherwise considered.

That's actually not the case here. Haha. I'd already read Got Fight? and knew it was only a matter of time before this book came out. Lucky me, I was in the receiving room and opened up the very box containing the new copies. I immediately put one aside. While it wasn't quite as funny as Got Fight?, it was still pretty amusing. The cover itself is enough to get you to laugh. My dad thinks that Forrest has been hit in the head one too many times by now, and he's probably right. You'll learn how to survive the apocalypse, start your own religion/cult, and build your own eutopia. My favorite parts have to be the random stories about Forrest and a few of his acquintances, one in particular regarding his wife's attempt to teach him a lesson about leaving the doors unlocked at night. So if you want to know how to survive when the sh*t goes down, well, there are better books, but we all know which one you're going to pick.

Read the Epinions review here!


Notes from the playlist: "Hell Yeah" by Rev Theory

Posted by Nicole at Sunday, August 29, 2010 0 comments  

Labels: humor

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

It's my 100th Post! Whoo hoo!

I say "newcomers" because generally if you are a fantasy reader, you've taken on The Hobbit. If not, you need to get your stuff together.

The Hobbit actually was intended to be a children's book, but it's grown into much more than that now. I still remember being a little kid and listening raptly as my dad read this book to us. Dwarves that sing and battle trolls. A hobbit with a magic ring who has to escape from a create that keeps calling it his "precious." Men and elves. Escaping in wine barrels. And a huge dragon named Smaug with one, single weakness. It's exciting and fun whether you're an adult or a kid. So if you ever intend to read The Lord of the Rings, to see the movie of this when it comes out, or just want to jump into Middle Earth, here is your ticket. Please enjoy the ride.


Notes from the playlist: "The Return of the King" by Howard Shore

Posted by Nicole at Wednesday, August 25, 2010 0 comments  

Labels: fantasy, fiction, my shelf

I Spy School Days by Jean Marzollo and Walter Wick

Notes from the playlist: "The Harvest" by Bill Whelan

Posted by Nicole at Saturday, August 21, 2010 0 comments  

Labels: children's books, my shelf, picture books

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Winner of the Newbery Medal, I decided now was a fine time to see what landed this book that honor.

To be perfectly honest, I still don't know. I guess it's just that it's well-written.

It was interesting, but it lacked a lot of oomf. I'm a fan of Neil, so I was a bit disappointed. There are plenty of neat things in this book, but it seems to lack in a lot of things, or at least it feels like it does. Instead of having some stucture, it's more like "A Day in the Life of Bod Owens" only with a lot of different days. You're basically just following him around while he does stuff. He doesn't even really have a central goal like most protagonists do. I guess it might be "Leave the graveyard someday," but even then that doesn't ever really present itself that strongly. I feel pretty certain even if I were a kid reading this I'd be kind of disappointed in what I found. Interesting, different, and I'm sure some kids might enjoy it, but after Coraline and Mirrormask, I'm not sold. At least it has illustrations by Dave McKean in it.

Read the Epinions review here!


Notes from the playlist: "Peter Gunn" by Henry Mancini

Posted by Nicole at Tuesday, August 17, 2010 1 comments  

Labels: fiction, newbery winners, young readers

The Soup Bible by Debra Mayhew

I have a semi-love/hate relationship with the Bargain section of the store. I'm not a fan of it because I can never find anything (ok, I do, but it always seems to take forever). Yet at the same time, I've found a number of complete and utter gems in this section. Almost makes me wonder if I should add a "bargain" label for this blog so you can find them easier.

I'd seen The Soup Bible a few years before, and lamented at the time that I didn't have the money to spare on such a fantastic-looking book. Later when I found it again, I promptly snatched it up. I love soup. Soup makes my tummy happy. Anyone I know could tell you that. And the soups in this book? While some of them may take some time to make, they're tasty and heavens, the pictures are gorgeous. There are over 200 recipes, and for people who love to see the recipe in its finished form (I know I do!), you'll get all sorts of excited over these pictures. They're simply stunning. Each soup gives you step-by-step instructions, as well as plenty of information beforehand about stocks, garnishes, and more. Pure soup goodness.


Notes from the playlist: "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" by The Righteous Brothers

Posted by Nicole at Friday, August 13, 2010 0 comments  

Labels: bargain, cookbooks, my shelf, nonfiction

Birds of Missouri by Stan Tekiela

I'd tried to work at B&N in Illinois. I managed to finally do it after we moved to Pennsylvania. I got lucky and continued to work there once we moved to Missouri.

Notes from the playlist: "Horsey" by Hem

Posted by Nicole at Monday, August 09, 2010 0 comments  

Labels: animals, birds, field guides, nonfiction

Tarra & Bella by Carol Buckley

Notes from the playlist: "Sway" by Michael Bublé

Posted by Nicole at Thursday, August 05, 2010 0 comments  

Labels: animals, children's books, nonfiction, picture books

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I remember when this book came out. In hardcover. Two years ago. It's still in hardcover, even though the paperback is finally here. Normally in the book world, that just doesn't happen. Typically it's 6 months to a year, then it comes out in paperback. But when a book is good--as in, selling well--the publishers wait longer. Harry Potter. 13 Reasons Why. I decided I really needed to read this book when 1.) I realized it was still in hardcover, 2.) such a fuss was being made over the final book coming out, and 3.) even my managers were discussing it with excitement. So? Let's just say when I started on this book, at 1:30 am I had to force myself to stop and was 2/3 through it. If the book weren't broken up into 3 parts and I hadn't hit that third break, I might not have.

People killing each other Gladiator style is not new. Even teens being forced to kill each other is not new (Battle Royale by Koushun Takami). But Collins takes it to a different level. The whole reason behind the Hunger Games is scary and intriguing. The world she paints is a post-apocalyptic one done up in creepy Big Brother style with fake freedom and amazing advances. What's more, Collins is a good writer. You can see everything without a ton of description being shoved in your face. This is the story of Katniss, a girl who is pitted against 23 other kids, and only one can be left standing. It's about survival, politics, unrequited love, strategy, and more survival. Looks like I'll be reading the second one, Catching Fire, very soon. I hope the Capitol falls in the future...

Notes from the playlist: "Lyin' Eyes" by the Eagles

Posted by Nicole at Sunday, August 01, 2010 0 comments  

Labels: fiction, science fiction, teens