2012 PEN/Faulkner Award

Julie Otsuka, author of When the Emperor Was Divine, has been awarded the 2012 PEN/Faulkner award for fiction for her latest novel, The Buddha In the Attic, previously a finalist for the National Book Award.

First Officer's Log No 43: Out of Hibernation

Greetings, fellow bibliophiles. I realize that we're into the second week of February 2012 here, but we at The Haunted Bookshop are still alive and kicking. Winter has been mild and reasonably friendly to us, though we are into something of a temporary quiet season, but we are still buying, selling, and trading books, and still running around with puppets and acting in our general silly fashions.

We are in something of a weird winter-to-spring transition, with cool temperatures, but some nice sunshine to break through the gray days.

We've recently been stocking up on literature and mystery, as well as quite a bit of Japanese and Russian history. We came into a fantastic selection of business and business-management books a few weeks back, covering topics like kaizen and Sigma Six management styles. They are in beautiful condition, some nearly new. There is also a huge amount of evolutionary biology for the science lovers in our little town.

So, if you are out and about and find you need a warm place to curl up for awhile with a book and a cat, we have our two friendly fluffy friends and some nice cozy chairs.

We look forward to seeing you!

Until next time, fellow bibliophiles.

This Is Why We Have No LEGOs...

"Give me 15 minutes and some imagination and I'll build you a LEGO manitou!" - Ali, after Nialle mentioned wanting a LEGO archetype set

First Officer's Log No 42: Holidays Around the Corner

The Haunted Bookshop has stocked up on some new items, for your reading and having fun pleasure.

Nialle just ordered a whole bunch of brand new games, so we have some old favorites like Scrabble and Parcheesi, and new hits like Apples to Apples, Settlers of Cataan, and Carcasonne. For the people in your life who love the Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot series (and if you've ever been present in-shop when a game is going on, you know the hilarity that can result), we now have Munchkin, by Steve Jackson Games, illustrated by the one and only Jon Kovalic (if you are unfamiliar with his comic strip Dork Tower, then you owe it to yourself to click the link and indulge in some silly, geeky humor).


W e have one brand new puppet in stock, a very cute puppy dog, who makes a great compliment to the orange tabby kitten puppet. Personally, I like the puppy more; it's the perfect size for smaller kids just learning the puppets, and great for adults, like me, who have small hands. It's cute, and, if you make it shake, its ears make rattling noises. There are tiny beads in the ears of a lot of the puppets now, like the large floppy rabbit, and most of the dogs. That way, when you make the dogs shake (as real dogs do when wet), their ears flop. It makes them even more fun. The puppets also make good stand ins for teddy bears, if you've got some (little or big) kids to buy gifts for. And who doesn't like a teddy bear*?

* or a rabbit, or a dog, or a cat, or a ferret**...

** the ferret is my personal favorite of all the puppets.

National Book Award Winners 2011

The National Book Awards were announced last night. Here are your winners:

Fiction: Jesmyn Ward, Salvage the Bones

Nonfiction: Stephen Greenblatt, The Swerve: How the World Became Modern

Poetry: Nikky Finney, Head Off & Split

Young People's Literature: Thanhha Lai, Inside Out and Back Again

First Officer's Log No 41: Ideal Wintry Mix

We experienced our first taste of winter in our little city yesterday morning, with the not-entirely-unexpected rain mixed with wet flaky snow. It was warm enough that the white stuff didn't stick, but that didn't stop me from thinking about how winter in Iowa tends to bring out everyone's inner bibliophile. There are several local coffee shops in Iowa City who have artificial fireplaces inside, and cozy chairs scattered throughout, comfortable enough to curl up with a book and a good cup of coffee, and just let the world go by.

While the Bookshop doesn't have a fireplace (flames + books = bad), we do have comfy chairs, and two fuzzy purring machines (also known as cats) who are happy to serve as warm reading companions. Sometimes, in fact, they are the ones seeking heat, and sometimes customers get a furry companion who really just wants to share the customer's warmth. Whatever it is, cats, winter, and books just go together.

During the winter, if you stop into the shop, or just wander past at night, you'll see the cats curled up in their beds (of which there are four scattered about), or even occupying the lap of an unsuspecting customer (or Nialle, if she's at the desk. You will likely see Logan instigating his own form of occupation). They love to curl up with customers, or burrow under the few blankets in the shop, or even just find the tallest shelf and doze off.

My ideal wintry day? Come in to work, make sure there's tea at hand, and, while elbow deep in books, find a cat who wants warmth, and attention. They are quite helpful this time of year, and that's partially what makes them such great companions to have around.

They're also just the right size to curl up with as you're reading a book. The purrfect (sorry) reading buddy.

Until next time fellow bibliophiles.

First Officer's Log No 40: The Spooky Season

Halloween is upon us once again. The Spooky Season, All Hallow's Eve, Trick or Treat Night, and all that jazz. I don't have four weeks worth of spooky stories to share with you this year, but I do have four spooky books that I think everyone should read, especially around this time of year.

The spooky classics are always in fashion. Doesn't matter the time of year, the class, or the busy schedule, there's always time for a good, old fashioned ghost or horror story.

I stumbled upon a copy of Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde the other day and couldn't help thinking that it's one of those classic stories that everyone knows, but doesn't get talked about nearly as much as, say, Dracula. Jekyll and Hyde is the classic 'good vs evil' tale, a murder mystery, and a story about the proper friendships between good men, and how they disintegrate. It's ultimately a tragedy, but it maintains its ability to unnerve and spook, even 125 years later.

Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera is primarily known for the musical based upon the text. I read recently that the musical is actually more famous than the novel, originally published between 1909 and 1910. The thing is, it's a great scary story, one that has a "ghost", a beautiful woman, the man who loves her, the opulence and splendor of the opera world, and the terrible, truly awful things that the "ghost", the Phantom, does to get what he wants. He's one of the greatest villains in literature, and one of the great monsters of film. The musical makes him fluffy and almost sympathetic; the novel shows you a man capable of horrible things, who takes pleasure in doing them, and ensures that others will suffer as he has suffered, regardless of the cost.

Oscar Wilde's The Portrait of Dorian Gray is a story that looks at the horrors that a man can unleash upon the world, and the price he must pay to redeem such a life, even if that life is beyond redemption. Dorian Gray is one of those novels that can speak to every decade since its initial publication, in 1890. It speaks to decadence, to immersion in the pleasures of the self, the ultimate in selfish desires. Dorian, himself, is a man who lives life to the fullest, but at the cost of many others' happiness. Wilde created a story that can be twisted to the decade, can speak to the pursuit of "happiness" in each decade, and perhaps even speak to the horrors of every day life, regardless of the time when one is reading it. In our time, perhaps it speaks to love of technology, love of the small pleasures, the lack of commitment to living, the fear of suffering because others make all the decisions... Dorian Gray speaks on many levels. It's why it's still one of my favorite books.

Last, I'd pick a real classic: Beowulf. I know, I know, you're looking at me, and thinking 'really, really?' Consider though: the monsters, Grendel and his Mother, are described vividly. The monsters are as much a part of the tale as Beowulf, himself, is. The monsters have a presence, and they are remembered. It's an old story, a classic story, and I think that the monsters have something to do with it. Consider it the next time you need a truly great monster story.

So there you have it! Four classic scary stories, with ghosts, ghouls, monsters, and abominations, all ready for you to curl up in a warm blanket, to get lost in their tales. Definitely sounds like my idea of a great holiday.

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Until next time, fellow bibliophiles.

Man Booker Award 2011

Julian Barnes was just announced as the winner of the 2011 Man Booker Prize, proving that the fourth time is the charm (look at the smile on his face!). Barnes has been nominated three times previously, and won for his novel The Sense of an Ending.