"Good decisions club. Be a member." - Sydney, to Logan

Introducing: Gabriel

GABRIEL

Gabriel the Snail is happy. He's really happy. He loves surprises, plays hide-and-seek with little kids by ducking into and out of his shell, doesn't mind explaining why he sniffs things with his antennae or what makes him a "gastropod," and even keeps a sense of humor about occasionally ending up in the French regional cookbooks section.

He's also one of the most famous puppets at the Haunted. He gave an interview for local access television last year while helping out at the Iowa City Book Festival and has been known to make guest appearances at coffee shop poetry slams, the kids' table at family dinners, pride parades, and other colorful events. He does a really weird impersonation of Kermit the Frog for extra giggles - and Gabriel is all about giggles. His laugh spreads like a yawn, overtaking whole crowds and leaving them watering at the eyes and sighing joyfully.

Seriously, though, Gabriel's best day ever was the day his little cousins came to live with us. Dan, Mike, and Cass love it when Gabriel gets out their favorite toys - four strips of cloth in four different colors - and they all tie the strips on like headbands and pretend to be pizza-snarfing, unconventional weapon-wielding turtles. Personally, I don't get it, but their routine never fails to leave people in stitches, especially if they can get NICO the rat to put on RALPH's bathrobe and act like a more cynical version of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Kids these days, right? But I can't help laughing with them, even if I don't understand. Because they are just so incredibly happy, and the world needs more of that.

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All Haunted Bookshop puppet profiles reflect the personal ideas and opinions of the Haunted Bookshop crew exclusively and, while the pictures of the puppets are copyright Folkmanis, Inc., none of these profiles are sponsored, endorsed, encouraged, or approved by Folkmanis, Inc.; they are strictly for the amusement of regular bookshop guests who have come to know how Haunted crew develop characters for puppets.

PEN / Faulkner 2011

17 March, the PEN / Faulkner award for Fiction was announced with Deborah Eisenberg winning for The Collected Stories of Deborah Eisenberg. Eisenberg was previously known for her collection of stories Twilight of the Superheroes.

The Annual A-List Contest Has Begun

Folks, please vote for your favorite independently, locally owned businesses on KCRG's A-List site this year. We particularly recommend any of the indie bookshops, The Cat Clinic of Iowa City, Home Ec, Oasis, Hamburg Inn, Motley Cow, r.s.v.p. - good neighbors all, and invaluable parts of our community.

First Officer's Log No 32: Big Changes In Store

Happy spring, Iowa City and book lovers galore. The sun is shining, the snow is all gone, and the spring cleaning has begun, which means we at the Haunted Bookshop have a bunch of new stock to share with our regulars, including a massive amount of Loeb Classical Library editions, quite a few gorgeous new art books, lots of fictions, mystery and science-fiction, and a whole host of other subjects.

We're also planning a big move.

Our friends at Real Records have decided to close down their storefront, so we will be taking it over, and gaining even more room. Big changes are in store for the store, with the children's sections and art room to make some drastic moves, as well as our work area, which will occupy the center of the front room, giving us better ways to serve you as both buyers and sellers. We have big plans courtesy of our Captain Nialle, and I suspect an adventure awaits us as we orchestrate our move.

If you'd care to volunteer to help us out, we'll be posting info on Facebook when we need people, and we'll keep you posted here on our trusty blog. Make sure to check in regularly. We're looking forward to the changes.

More New Inventory!

We have a treat for you today!

Yesterday and today have brought in several Loeb Classical Library volumes, including works by Homer, Virgil, Herodotus, Xenophon, Plutarch, Ovid... oh I could go on and on (and there may have been excessive excitement on my part upon seeing some of these... but I admit nothing). We got the Big Ones of classical history, both green / Greek works and red / Roman works.

The Loeb editions are dual text, with Greek and English facing in the green books, and Latin and English facing in the reds. These will not last long (Nialle and a few others have already snatched the ones they wanted), so come visit us and check out the beautiful books.

I admit, I've never seen so many Loebs at one time. Nialle says it's unlikely we'll see this many again anytime soon. So come on in and check them out.

New Inventory!

Spring Break is upon us. Need something new to read? Lots and lots of new books have arrived in the past week.

We have a heaping piles of new Judaica, some gorgeous International Collector's Editions in literature and science, oversized art books including some beautiful (and rare) collections of Picasso and Van Gogh, and, fresh today, lots of near-new graphic novels, including favorites by giants like Alan Moore and Frank Miller.

"I live for the indignant yo-yo face!" - Ali

Daily Iowan Article 2: E-Books, with Nialle Interview

Check out today's Daily Iowan article about e-books and small independent bookstores, featuring an interview with our very own Nialle.

"I want them to make a teeny tiny dinosaur. Birds are too far removed. I want a theropod."
- Anna, first thing in the morning