The last of the Steve Hely rants, I promise!

Even though How I Became A Famous Novelist isn't released until July 1st, we received our copies today. I snatched it out of Ross's hands, ecstatic to be holding the final version in my hands, and immediately smelled it. That's right, I smelled the book. And for the record, it smelled AMAZING!

-Whitney

In which Wally uses more exclamation points than are really neccessary

Hi-ho, Wally here! The bosses just left with their kids for a much-deserved, week-long vacation. So we, the staff, have been left here unsupervised. Naturally, that means we are having a party, a book release party! Local author Laura Bingham will be here to share her new book: Alvor. It's a fun children's novel that I really enjoyed reading, there are fairies and butterflies and a great set of twins. You should come meet a great new author, and pick up a signed copy of her book on Friday the 26th @7 pm.

As if that weren't enough awesome, there's more!!! Saturday the 27th we are having a sale, The Cats Are Away Sale! We get to decide what books will be on sale, so come by Saturday to find out what we've chosen. It's bound to be fun and somewhat ridiculous, as most great things are.



If you're worried because you have nothing to wear to such amazing events, have no fear! We have the gear!!! We just got in fabulous new Rediscovered Bookshop t-shirts that say: "Read Freely." The gorgeous Whitney was kind enough to model one for us. How can you say 'no' to a beautiful creature like that? So, come see us! That's all for now, Wally out!

Amendment to my author soul mate blog

I got home from my vacation about a week ago, very excited to be back in Boise, but most especially excited to be going to back to work. As I walked in the door of the bookshop everyone reflected my excitement, magnifying my feelings. But once I got back to my locker and retrieved what was posted to it, I just about died! While I was gone Steve Hely (yes, of How I Became A Famous Novelist fame!) had written me a brief note. In it he let me know that some "wag" had written a bit of false information about him on Wikipedia. While I'm not entirely sure how to amend information on Wikipedia, I know how to on here; Steve Hely let me know that he did not, in fact, attend MCI-Concord. It appears that since he wrote me, someone has corrected that bit of information, and Wikipedia is now up to date.
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-Whitney

The Purpose and Pleasure of Re-reading Books

I have a print of one of my favorite paintings, Flaming June by Frederic Leighton, hanging on my bedroom wall. I have lived in many different places, but that picture is a staple, it is always hanging in my room wherever I go. My favorite things in life are like that, I can appreciate and experience them over and over again with undiminished enthusiasm.

There are many books that fit into this category. I'm just never not in the mood for some books. But the book that's been on my mind lately is Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. As our Classics You Forgot to Read book club is gearing up for another of Twain's works (A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court), I am reminded of just how much I love that book.

When I first read it I was in 6th grade and my Language arts class read it as an assignment. Back then it was just a great adventure story and a classic, but not much more.

Then I moved to another district and had to read it again in 8th grade. At that point I was a little older, a little more attuned to writing devices, and the story unfolded for me. I reveled in Twain's colloquial voice and bold humor. Studying how well this adventure story was written made me a better writer.

Then testing requirements changed and I read it yet again for AP Language in 11th grade. At this point I knew quite a bit about writing, I knew quite a bit about US history, and I was already very familiar with Mr. Huck Finn and Jim. Because of my previous enjoyment and analysis of Twain, the nuances of his prose and social commentary simply came alive.

I can't wait to read A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, with any luck at all it will make me love Twain even more!

~Wally

Historical Fiction for the Summer

I rememeber the summer after fifth grade being the summer that I discovered historical fiction and became fascinated with England's kings and queens. That passion has never really left, and I still make time for a few historical fiction titles every year.

The first author I got to know was Nora Lofts, and recently The King's Pleasure (a novel of Katharine of Aragon) has been reprinted. If you missed her books, this is one of my favorites, and it's here at the shop.

Another past favorite is The First Princess of Wales by Karen Harper. This book tells the story of Joan of Kent and her marriage to Edward during the 14th century. Full of intrigue and a good love story, this is another one for a summer day. She's recently published a new hardcover, Mistress Shakespeare, which I haven't read yet, but looks like a fun companion for a Shakespeare festival summer.

- Laura

So, we've fallen behind on blog posts...

I just wanted to let everyone know, after many requests from our insistent customers, that we now have a twitter account. Make sure to check us out at the link below!

http://twitter.com/RDBooks

-Whitney