The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane: On sale today!

I have been waiting to put this book on the shelves - it is one I really enjoyed. What makes it an even better read is knowing that Katherine Howe is actually a descendant of Elizabeth Howe, one of the Salem residents accused of witchcraft in the 1600's.

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane is the number one IndieNext pick for June.

“Connie Goodwin should be writing her Ph.D. dissertation. Instead, her mother has asked her to handle the sale of Connie's grandmother's abandoned home near Salem, Massachusetts. While cleaning up the years of dust and cobwebs, Connie makes discoveries that lead her back to the world of the Salem witch trials. Howe does a superb job at combining modern day language with the 17th century voices, pulling you even deeper into a story of mystery and witches. Marvelous and terrifying at the same time. I loved it!”
—Annie Philbrick, Bank Square Books, Mystic, CT

We all know a lot about the revolutionary era in American history but I for one tend to ignore everything that came before or at least fail to think of the early and pre-colonial period as a separate time.


For anyone who has ever had an interest in the Salem witchcraft trials this book is for you. Anyone who likes historical fiction will find this a hard book to put down. Mystery lovers, this book will also satisfy your need for a crime-solving plot line.

The author takes an original look at the witch trials, and in the day of vampire and zombies, her approach is not as far-fetched as what it would have been several years ago.

What if there actually are witches? Is anyone with psychic powers a witch? This novel will have you asking new questions about our whole notion of witchcraft.

But most of all it is just a great story.


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More Summer Read Picks

Summer is a great time for reading and there are any number of places to go for good book recommendations. I will try to link to some of the more interesting lists as the summer progresses. Thanks to Shelf Awareness for this link:

NPR's On Point with Tom Ashbrook featured "Summer reads '09," with recommendations from Liesl Schillinger of the New York Times Book Review, Laurie Hertzel of the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Jamil Zaidi, manager at the Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle, Wash.

Jamil's picks:

• The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet by Reif Larson
• The Way Through Doors by Jesse Ball
• Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell
• The Dark Side of Love by Rafik Schami
• The Given Day by Dennis Lehane
• Wonderful World by Javier Calvo
• The Housekeeper & The Professor by Yoko Ogawa
• The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
• Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
• The Secret Speech by Tom Rob Smith
• The Dark Volume by Gordon Dahlquist
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
• Drood by Dan Simmons
• Wanting by Richard Flanagan
• The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl

I am going to put a couple of these on my To Be Read list for the summer and I concur with his recommendation for several others -- Beat the Reaper, The Angel's Game, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for starters.

Local Bestsellers

As a member of the American Bookseller's Association and affiliated with Indiebound.org I send a weekly report that lists my bestselling titles for the previous week. It is a little intimidating to think that my small number of sales end up being reported along with all the "big guys" like BookPeople in Austin or The Tattered Cover in Denver.

But for those of you who are interested in knowing what is selling on our little sandbar - here is the list for the week ending June 8.

2 - Forgotten Man by Amity Shlaes
2 - The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
2 - New Moon by Stephanie Meyer
2 - The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
2 - Corduroy Goes to the Beach
2 - A Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
2 - Good Friends Are Hard to Find
2 - Buddha and the Terrorist by Safish Kumar
2 - A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrich

Bestselling books for the month of May:

11 - Beach Wisdom
7 - Sandcastles Made Simple by Lucinda Wierenga
5 - Sweetness At the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
5 - Divine Matrix by Gregg Braden
5 - Good Friends are Hard to Find
5 - Mexican Enough by Stephanie Griest

Playreaders Anonymous Meets Again

If you enjoy theatre and have ever thought about impersonating someone else for a little while the Playreaders Anonymous group is the place for you.

Monday evening, Joann Evans will again lead a group of interested people into the exciting world of transformation which takes place when an actor or actress portrays characters developed by the finest playwrights.

She says in an email:

The Playreaders Anonymous group meets next Monday night, June 8th, 7:00 p.m. at Paragraphs Book Store. We'll finish Blithe Spirit and spend some time rereading sections for a little more "characterization". I'll also sign out some advance reading copies of the summer melodrama and the next playreaders selection.

The group has only met once before and anyone is welcome. There is no prerequisite or ongoing commitment so just come and join us for an entertaining evening. We will look forward to seeing you.

Forget the Tie - Buy a Book

• It can change someone's life
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• It can make someone laugh
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• It's a thoughtful gift
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• A personal gift
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• It's a gift of escape, fun, romance, adventure
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• It's easy to find
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• And you can never have too many
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• One-stop shopping — your bookstore has the right gift for everyone on your list
  

Mystery Bestsellers

The following were the bestselling titles at member bookstores of the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association during April:

Hardcovers

1. Borderline by Nevada Barr (Putnam)
2. Look Again by Lisa Scottoline (St. Martin's)
3. Long Lost by Harlan Coben (Dutton)
4. Just Take My Heart by Mary Higgins Clark (Simon & Schuster)
5. Fatally Flaky by Diane Mott Davidson (Morrow)
5. Wormwood by Susan Wittig Albert (Berkley)
7. Manna from Hades by Carola Dunn (St. Martin's)
8. About Time by Donna Leon (Atlantic Monthly)
9. The Language of Bees by Laurie R. King (Bantam)
10. Tea Time for the Traditionally Built by Alexander McCall Smith (Pantheon)
10. Dante's Numbers by David Hewson (Delacorte)
10. Life Sentences by Laura Lippman (Morrow)

Softcover

1. The Girl of His Dreams by Donna Leon (Penguin)
2. Winter Study by Nevada Barr (Berkley)
3. Nightshade by Susan Wittig Albert (Berkley)
4. A Date You Can't Refuse by Harley Jane Kozak (Broadway)
5. Death Walked In by Carolyn Hart (Avon)
6. Murder of a Royal Pain by Denise Swanson (Obsidian)
7. Buckingham Palace Gardens by Anne Perry (Ballantine)
8. Cheating at Solitaire by Jane Haddam (St. Martin's)
9. Grand Cayman Scam by Randy Wayne White (Signet)
9. Missing by Karin Alvetgen (Felony & Mayhem)

[Many thanks to the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association! and Shelf Awareness]

Paragraphs has most of these title in stock so if you are looking for a good whodunit to read on the beach or on the deck at Parrot Eyes stop by and let me make a recommendation.

The Shellebration Continues

Tonight the Turtle Days activities will continue with the Annual Lighting of the Tiki Torches on the bay side of the Island.

Nancy Marsden invites everyone to come and help us welcome the beginning of summer.

Join the flotilla of kayaks as they paddle down the bay lighting tiki torches on the way. Non-motorized vessels will be launching from Parrot Eyes. Meet at 6:00 p.m.

Meet the flotilla at the bay endings and celebrate the turtles and the beginning of Summer.

Turtle Days Shellabration with the Kings and Queens of Sargassum will follow at Mooncussers (205 Palm St.) Hula dancers, island drummers and the Saturn Street Strummers will perform.

Personally, the bookends and I will watch the parade from my street end bench on Cora Lee and then wander on down to Mooncussers and join the party. Hope to see you there.

For the non-Islanders check out the SouthPadre Network (see sidebar). One of the many live cams should catch some of the fun.

Oh and I want to remind anyone who doesn't have a Turtle Ball ticket, stop by Paragraphs today and pick one up. The turtles will thank you.

Time for an Update

Yes, it has been awhile and I found out today that a few lonely souls out there in cyber land do actually drop in on this blog to find some current information, so it is time for me to get back in the writing mode.

Paragraphs has been a busy place the last few weeks. We had a good turnout for the Poetry Festival and I think everyone enjoyed themselves.


This week we had the first meeting of the new Anonymous Play Readers group and JoAnn provided the background information as members took turns reading from Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward.


The Turtle Tea is a benefit event for Sea Turtle Inc. held during Turtle Days - which honors the nesting season of the endangered sea turtles - and Paragraphs was honored to host today's tea. Attendees were treated to a proper English tea served in lovely china cups and an assortment of tasty treats. Residents brought plant cuttings which added to the atmosphere and as part of the plant swap gave everyone a chance to add a little something new to their landscape. Many thanks to Nancy Marsden for putting this together and to The Beach Service for the use of their chairs.

I hope this summarizes what I have been up to the last month and I will be more diligent in the days to come.

Rio Grande Valley International Poetry Festival comes to SPI

I am really excited about Paragraphs being asked to provide a venue on the Island, for this year's Poetry Festival. On April 25, at noon, we will have several poets here to read their work and guests will have the opportunity to meet and mingle with the featured artists. Refreshments will be provided and there will be anthologies, t-shirts and other items available for purchase.

The following is an e-mail I received from RGV Arts:

The Rio Grande Valley International Poetry Festival (VIPF) continues its second year to celebrate National Poetry Month from Apr. 23—26, 2009, with readings, workshops, and slam contests in venues across the Rio Grande Valley—all free and open to the public. This year’s festival features more than 40 poets in total, with 35 registered poets. Featured poets are Larry D. Thomas, poet laureate of Texas (2008), Amalia Ortiz, a La Feria native who supports herself through poetry readings across the country. Amalia has thrice appeared on HBO’s Russell Simmons presents “Def Poetry Jam. Also featured is Nephtalí De León, noted Chicano muralist and writer. The poets will be conducting readings in schools on Friday, Apr 24, then in coffee shops, libraries, museums, cultural centers, bookstores, and art galleries Valleywide and even in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, on Saturday, Apr, 25.

As far as we know we’re the only poetry festival anywhere with concurrent readings in two countries. -- festival founder Daniel Garcia Ordaz

On Friday evening, Apr. 24, there will be a youth poetry slam (recitation contest) as well as readings by college and university students, followed by the adult poetry slam—all at South Texas College (Pecan Campus) in McAllen. Music will be provided during a brief intermission by Pulse.

Poetry is a much practiced yet little celebrated literary genre. It’s in our lullabies, our sad goodbyes, our booty-calls, our bathroom stalls. It’s everywhere. Poetry is a rich and accessible form, but it’s often dismissed as too childish or way too deep, as if poetry isn’t what holds together our favorite songs, our favorite commercials, our favorite speeches. -- Garcia Ordaz

VIPF kicks off on Thursday, Apr. 23, 2009, at the McAllen Chamber of Commerce conference room with an anthology release party. Poets included in the collection will be on hand to read some of the selected entries in Boundless 2009, the anthology of the festival.

Unlike most poetry festivals, we solicit and accept submissions from all poets regardless of whether or not they registered to read at the festival. Poetry is not only for and by dead white men or young angry Chicanos; one of the goals of the festival is to be inclusive. While not every entry received was selected for publication, we are extremely proud of the caliber of the poems, which speak for themselves. -- Garcia Ordaz

Public and private venues have come forward as hosts. Aside from the McAllen Chamber of Commerce and South Texas College (Pecan and Mid-Valley campuses), other venues include Jitterz Coffee Bar (Mission), Galeria 409 (Brownsville), Paragraphs On Padre Boulevard (South Padre Island), Donna Hooks Fletcher Museum (Donna), and Museo Casamata (Matamoros).

We’re stimulating the economy here. We have poets traveling from Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, New Mexico, and northern Mexico, so the festival is already having a positive economic impact on the Valley. We’ll be spending money here—for food, lodging, and transportation. The McAllen Chamber of Commerce understands the business of art, which is why they’re our main sponsor. -- Garcia Ordaz

Boundless 2009 includes poems by poets from around Texas and other parts of the U.S. and even poems by an American living in London

We’re giving a voice to the often ignored and a stage to largely unknown word artists. We’re building international brotherhood and celebrating diverse cultures. Aside from giving poets a chance to ply their trade, sell books and merchandise, we’re also giving the audience free cultural programming. -- Garcia Ordaz

The festival’s grand finale will be the third annual Poetry Pachanga—the event that started it all in 2007 at UT-Pan American. The Pachanga, which follows a private dinner for poets only, is where all registered poets will take the stage, together for the first time. Doors open to the public at 7 p.m. at the Narciso Martínez Cultural Arts Center, with music by Incohero at 7:30 p.m., followed by the Poetry Pachanga. “Borderline,” artwork by Celeste De Luna, will also be on display.

Anyone who has pre-determined thoughts about poetry will find that this is not simply a festival by and for angry young Latinos—although we have some of those. Our festival poets are a broad amalgamation of very diverse poets presenting verses about love, lust, lemons, life—and everything in between. We have professors and pachucos, housewives and hoodlums, silly and serious poets coming together to teach, entertain, and make you think or even pee in your pants. -- Garcia Ordaz

VIPF 2009 is a program of Art That Heals, Inc., and with major funding from the McAllen Chamber of Commerce and also sponsored by South Texas College, the Narciso Martínez Cultural Arts Center and El Zarape Press.

National Poetry Month

Inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, National Poetry Month is now held every April, when publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, schools and poets around the country band together to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture. Thousands of businesses and non-profit organizations participate through readings, festivals, book displays, workshops, and other events.

What is National Poetry Month? FAQ

"When I was in college, poetry was radical; there were giant readings. It was just so exciting; we had books of poetry everywhere. It a part of the culture. I want to bring that back. I want to give people a feeling of excitement. I want to give people a sense of confidence. I want to encourage people to go to the library and browse. Go to a bookstore and browse. Now, who goes to the poetry section of a bookstore? That’s why it’s so good to have National Poetry Month in April, because nobody goes to the poetry section, unless you know what you’re looking for."
—Camille Paglia, interview in the Boston Phoenix

National Poetry Month Events. Click on the calendar to view National Poetry Month events throughout the country and submit to promote your event—any time of the year.


In honor of National Poetry Month, Paragraphs will have a new poem each day for anyone who comes into the store. So stop by and pick up your copy today.