Market Block Books

Books to consider: Don't Shoot

2012-01-24T12:32:00.001-05:00

The President's Vampire by Christopher Farnsworth

2012-01-23T14:19:00.000-05:00

Benedict Arnold: Legacy Lost, A Ghost Story by Will Martin

2012-01-13T13:28:00.004-05:00

Benedict Arnold: Legacy Lost (a ghost story)
By Will Martin

Legacy Lost Publishing, Sept 2011
9780983930716
Paperback, $13.95

"Within this work of historical fiction, the author describes Arnold's struggles with George Washington, as well as friends and family, to remove the stain of treason from his name. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that Arnold did not act alone in his treasonous act. And it was none other than George Washington who, in his struggle for power and influence during the formation of a new Nation'"

Available at Market Block Books (518-328-0045) and The Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza (518-489-4761).

Tiny Homes: Simple Shelter By Lloyd Kahn

2012-01-07T13:51:00.003-05:00

Tiny Homes: Simple Shelter (Paperback)
By Lloyd Kahn
$24.95
9780936070520
Shelter Publications, 01/01/2012
228 Pages

From cobb houses, to palettes, to yurts, and even a capsule hotel! This book has an idea for just about any small lifestyle. We've been loving this book. Ready to build small?

New York Diaries edited by Teresa Carpenter

2012-01-03T12:09:00.001-05:00

Fraternity by Diane Barry

2012-01-03T12:08:00.000-05:00

Oh My Gods: A Modern Retelling of Greek and Roman Myths by Philip Freeman

2011-12-31T10:17:00.002-05:00

Oh My Gods: A Modern Retelling of Greek and Roman Myths (Hardcover)
By Philip Freeman
$27.00
9781451609974
Published: Simon & Schuster, 01/03/2012
368 Pages

Have there ever been stories to rival the myths about the creation of the universe and the wars among the earliest gods? Or about the Olympian gods themselves: powerful Zeus, king of the gods, possessed of a wandering eye; his wife, Hera, queen of marriage and childbirth, perpetually outraged by her husband’s many affairs; Poseidon, god of the sea, brother of Zeus; their other brother, Hades, god of the underworld; and all the other gods and goddesses—talented Apollo, beautiful Aphrodite, fierce Athena, swift Hermes, and many more. And the dauntless heroes Theseus and Hercules, the doomed lovers Hero and Leander or Orpheus and Eurydice, whose stories can still break our hearts. From the astonishing tales of the Argonauts to the immortal narrative of the Battle of Troy, these ancient myths have inspired writers from Shakespeare to J. K. Rowling.

Barrels and Drams: The History of Whisk(e)y in Jiggers and Shots By William M. Dowd

2011-12-16T15:13:00.005-05:00

William Dowd will be signing his new books at Market Block Books
Saturday, December 17 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
Barrels and Drams: The History of Whisk(e)y in Jiggers and Shots (Hardcover)
By William M. Dowd
$18.95
9781402778650
Sterling Epicure, 09/01/2011
232 Pages

William M. Dowd is editor and publisher of Dowd's Guides and the portfolio of Circle 7 sites. A veteran newspaper editor and columnist, he is also a competition judge and writer in the fields of food, drink and destinations. He is a contributing writer to online lifestyles sites Gayot.com and Examiner.com and writes his own bar blog: dowdbarblog.blogspot.com. He lives in the Troy area and was a writer for the Times-Union.

A Clear Mirror by Traktung Dudjom Lingpa

2011-12-13T10:54:00.001-05:00

The visionary autobiography of a Tibetan master.

The Leopard by Jo Nesbø

2011-12-13T10:52:00.001-05:00

Another big book from the hot Norwegian mystery writer. Just out today!

Window Readers Still Needed

2011-12-12T19:54:00.001-05:00

The Festival of Manliness

2011-12-09T19:43:00.000-05:00

I'm thinking I need to go to this! //Stanley

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

2011-12-09T16:37:00.002-05:00

His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass (Hardcover)
By Philip Pullman
$35.00
9780307957832
Everyman's Library, 12/06/2011
1144 Pages

Wow! This is an awesome edition. All three books in one handsome volume. Sure, it's a little pricey but that's the Everyman's Library edition.

The Half-Finished Heaven by Tomas Transtromer

2011-12-02T14:18:00.004-05:00

The Half-Finished Heaven: The Best Poems of Tomas Tranströmer (Paperback)
By Tomas Tranströmer, Robert Bly, translator
$15.00
9781555973513
Graywolf Press, 10/01/2001
122 Pages

Tomas Tranströmer is the winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Literature. And like all prize winners, the books go out of stock immediately, but we're happy to say the book is now available and now in stock here at Market Block Books.

Roses in Downtown Troy, NY in December?!

2011-12-01T12:26:00.000-05:00

It's Possible To Shop In Troy

2011-11-30T19:56:00.001-05:00

So? Is it? Hmmmm. I'm just NOT sure what to think of this.

Star Trek Book of Opposites

2011-11-30T08:54:00.002-05:00

Star Trek Book of Opposites (Board Book)
By David Borgenicht
$9.95
9781594745195
Quirk Books, 9/2011

Cheesy, campy, hilarious! Just like the original Star Trek series, you will love it. Your kids may not appreciate it as much as you do, but don't you get these kids books for yourself? Come on, admit it!

101 Things You Thought You Knew About The Titanic

2011-11-29T17:23:00.002-05:00

101 Things You Thought You Knew About the Titanic . . . but Didn't! (Paperback)
By Tim Maltin, Eloise Aston
$15.00
9780143119098
Penguin (Non-Classics), 11/29/2011
320 Pages

Get ready for the 100th anniversary of the Titanic's sinking. There'll be many more books as you can imagine. And let me say, there are some great ones coming, especially for the kids! In the meantime, this new book will get you started. All those facts you thought you knew, well, get ready to lose at Trivial Pursuit!

Charles Dickens Bicentenary

2011-11-29T17:13:00.003-05:00

Charles Dickens: The Dickens Bicentenary 1812-2012 (Hardcover)
By Lucinda Dickens Hawksley, The Charles Dickens Museum
$39.99
9781608870523
Published: Insight Editions, 12/01/2011
124 Pages

It may be only 124 pages but this is a pop-up book for adults, fans of Dickens. There are replicas of his letters, facsimiles of posters, programs from plays and more. The book is done in association with the Charles Dickens Museum, London.

Granta 117: Horror

2011-11-26T23:15:00.004-05:00

Granta 117: Horror (Paperback)
By John Freeman
$16.99

Contents:

False Blood
Will Self

Your Birthday Has Come and Gone
Paul Auster

Poem
D.A. Powell

Brass
Joy Williams

The Starveling
Don DeLillo

The Mission
Tom Bamforth

She Murdered Mortal He
Sarah Hall

A Garden of Illuminating Existence
Kanitta Meechubot

Deng’s Dogs
Santiago Roncagliolo

The Infamous Bengal Ming
Rajesh Parameswaran

The Ground Floor
Daniel Alarcón

Insatiable
Mark Doty

The Colonel’s Son
Roberto Bolaño

The Dune
Stephen King

Diem Perdidi
Julie Otsuka

I've always been a huge fan of Granta over the years. I'm a fan of short fiction even if it lacks its supporters these days. This latest issue includes some interesting writers on some scary ideas. Will Self always manages to push the envelop with his darkness and violence, while Mark Doty's eloquence can make you sit in awe over a well crafted sentence. Here are authors of amazing depth and breadth.

You owe it to yourself to (re)discover Granta. There's bound to be something in their pages to evoke a response. If not this issue, then past ones. You can browse BACK ISSUES to see if there's a subject that might speak to you.

About Granta Magazine

Granta magazine was founded in 1889 by students at Cambridge University as The Granta, a periodical of student politics, student badinage and student literary enterprise, named after the river that runs through the town. In this original incarnation it had a long and distinguished history, publishing the early work of many writers who later became well known, including A. A. Milne, Michael Frayn, Stevie Smith, Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath. During the 1970s, it ran into trouble – dwindling money, mounting apathy – from which it was rescued by a small group of postgraduates who successfully and surprisingly relaunched it as a magazine of new writing, with both writers and their audience drawn from the world beyond Cambridge.

Since 1979, the year of its rebirth, Granta has published many of the world’s finest writers tackling some of the world’s most important subjects, from intimate human experiences to the large public and political events that have shaped our lives. Its contributors have included Martin Amis, Julian Barnes, Saul Bellow, Peter Carey, Raymond Carver, Angela Carter, Bruce Chatwin, James Fenton, Richard Ford, Martha Gellhorn, Nadine Gordimer, Milan Kundera, Doris Lessing, Ian McEwan, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Jayne Anne Phillips, Salman Rushdie, George Steiner, Graham Swift, Paul Theroux, Edmund White, Jeanette Winterson and Tobias Wolff. Every issue since 1979 is still in print. In the pages of Granta, readers met for the first time the narrative prose of writers such as Bill Bryson, Romesh Gunesekera, Blake Morrison, Arundhati Roy and Zadie Smith; and have encountered events and topics as diverse as the fall of Saigon, the mythology of the Titanic, adultery, psychotherapy and Chinese cricket fighting.

Granta does not have a political or literary manifesto, but it does have a belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story’s supreme ability to describe, illuminate and make real. As the
Observer wrote of Granta: ‘In its blend of memoirs and photojournalism, and in its championing of contemporary realist fiction, Granta has its face pressed firmly against the window, determined to witness the world.’

I Am Half-Sick of Shadows By Alan Bradley

2011-11-25T16:13:00.004-05:00

I Am Half-Sick of Shadows: A Flavia de Luce Novel (Hardcover)
By Alan Bradley
$23.00
9780385344012
Published: Delacorte Press, 11/01/2011
320 Pages

Oh yes, she's back! That eleven year old, poison obsessed sleuth from 1950s England is in the thick of another murder! And this one has a bit of a Christmas theme to it. It's been a long time since I've read any mystery books, but this series (due to be six in all) is a delight to read. I enjoy this little girl showing up the police with her astute observations and then immediately being intimidated by her brutal older sisters. Alan Bradley writes a smart book here and the other three as well. He has clever references to literature, chemistry and the day-to-day life of a once wealthy family struggling to make ends meet. Oh yes, she's back and I'm always glad to see Miss Flavia de Luce!

The other characters are equally engaging, including Dogger, the handyman who comes to the rescue. And Gladys her bike even makes a regular appearance.

Latest Batch of CDs Have Arrived

2011-11-24T17:58:00.004-05:00

Every six weeks: SIX NEW CDs!

Andrea Bocelli: Concerto: One Night in Central Park

Lisa Hannigan: Passenger

Shelby Lynn: Reservation Road

She & Him: A Very She & Him Christmas

Note of Hope: A Celebration of Woody Guthrie

Tom Waits: Bad As Me

Being George Washington by Glenn Beck

2011-11-22T13:26:00.003-05:00

Being George Washington: The Indispensable Man, As You've Never Seen Him (Hardcover)
By Glenn Beck
$26.00
9781451659269
Threshold Editions, 11/22/2011
304 pages

Another Tuesday with a bunch of new titles to talk about. Here's the first of a group. Stay tuned as I try to load up the read before Thanksgiving. Fingers crossed!

The Holiday Gift Catalog is HERE!

2011-11-22T07:46:00.004-05:00

The 2011 Holiday Gift Catalog is in the store now.

Over 100 book ideas for gifts AND there's a coupon on the back cover. Stop by Market Block Books, The Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza or The Little Book House to get your copy. Or use the link above to browse the catalog online.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Collision Course by Joseph McCartin

2011-11-18T15:02:00.003-05:00

Collision Course: Ronald Reagan, the Air Traffic Controllers, and the Strike That Changed America (Hardcover)
By Joseph A. McCartin
$29.95
9780199836789
Oxford University Press, 10/01/2011
472 Pages

In August 1981, the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) called an illegal strike. The new president, Ronald Reagan, fired the strikers, establishing a reputation for both decisiveness and hostility to organized labor. As Joseph A. McCartin writes, the strike was the culmination of two decades of escalating conflict between controllers and the government that stemmed from the high-pressure nature of the job and the controllers' inability to negotiate with their employer over vital issues. PATCO's fall not only ushered in a long period of labor decline; it also served as a harbinger of the campaign against public sector unions that now roils American politics.

Joseph McCartin teaches labor history at Georgetown University and originally from Troy, NY.

National Book Award Winner

2011-11-17T16:25:00.004-05:00

And the winner is:
The Swerve: How the World Became Modern
by Stephen Greenblatt
9780393064476
W. W. Norton & Company, 09/01/2011
320 pages
$26.96

This is a brilliant story about a clever man who plucked a very old manuscript off a dusty shelf in a remote monastery, saw with excitement what he had discovered and ordered that it be copied. He was Poggio Bracciolini, the greatest book hunter of the Renaissance. His discovery, Lucretius' ancient poem On the Nature of Things, had been almost entirely lost to history for more than a thousand years. Its return to circulation changed the course of history. The poem's vision would shape the thought of Galileo and Freud, Darwin and Einstein, and- in the hands of Thomas Jefferson- leave its trace on the Declaration of Independence.

A brilliant book that's hard to put down once you start it!

Market Block Books and Book House video

2011-11-17T12:39:00.003-05:00

Check out this WONDERFUL VIDEO starring Susan Novotny.

The Facts of Winter By Paul Poissel

2011-11-16T17:15:00.002-05:00

The Facts of Winter (Paperback)
By Paul Poissel, Translated by Paul La Farge
9781936365449
McSweeney's Books, 11/01/2011
$13.00

Paris, Winter, 1881, dreams.

That's what this book is about. A collection of dreams by people in and around Paris. It's true, I have a lot of obsessions about Paris these days. And it's turning out to be lots of fun for me. And I think there a few folks out there who enjoy the idea of Paris even if they haven't been there. Give this one a try.
//Stanley

Mapping The Trail Of A Crime by Gordon Kerr

2011-11-15T15:28:00.003-05:00

Mapping the Trail of a Crime: How Experts Use Geographic Profiling to Solve the World's Most Notorious Cases (Paperback)
By Gordon Kerr
$19.95
9781606523285
Reader's Digest, 11/10/2011

You can follow the experts as they solve some of the world's most chilling crimes, using the latest science of geographic profiling. Join them as they seek the answers to some simple questions: What leads a killer and his victim to end up in the same place at the same time? What geographical patterns can be found when examining a case history? Focusing on these and other questions, Mapping the Trial of a Crime follows the investigations of:
1. Jeffrey Dahmer
2. The Night Stalker (Richard Ramirez)
3. The Beltway Snipers
and more.

Lots of maps, photos and packed with all the gory details! It's not my cup of tea but I know a lot of folks who enjoy these books. (You know who you are!)

Lucky Peach, Issue # 2

2011-11-14T13:53:00.004-05:00

Lucky Peach is a quarterly journal of food and writing, published by McSweeney’s.

It is a creation of David Chang, chef/owner of Momofuku, writer Peter Meehan, and Zero Point Zero Production—producers of the Emmy Award–winning Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.

You don't need to be a foodie to want to pick up and read this magazine. True to form, it's a product of McSweeney's and you know what that means? The unexpected. And in this case, fun! Hurry while the supply lasts!

Festival of Trees 2011

2011-11-11T15:04:00.000-05:00

Donations will be collected for Catholic Charities and pet supplies for Mohawk Hudson Humane Society.

Check out the website for more details.

The Conference of the Birds by Peter Sis

2011-11-09T20:54:00.003-05:00

The Conference of the Birds (Hardcover) By Peter Sis
$27.95
9781594203060
Penguin Press HC, The, 10/27/2011

Celebrated children's book author and illustrator Peter Sís creates his first book for adults, a beautiful and uplifting adaptation of the classic twelfth-century Sufi epic poem, The Conference of the Birds. In The Conference of the Birds Caldecott Honor-winning children's book author and illustrator Peter Sís breathes new life into this foundational Sufi poem, revealing its profound lessons.

There's something enticing about the art of Peter Sis. His children's books have been favorites. I loved his map of the NYC Subway in the shape of a whale with the commuter in the belly of it. And now he taps into a deeper, mystical story. It's a beautiful book, a perfect get... for yourself!

The Hare with Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal

2011-11-09T06:00:00.001-05:00

The Hare with Amber Eyes: A Hidden Inheritance (Paperback)
By Edmund de Waal
$16.00
ISBN-13: 9780312569372
Picador, 08/02/2011

This book has picked up some great attention. It's been on the bestseller list for a number of weeks. A renowned British potter, de Waal, inherits 264 netsuke (tiny Japanese carvings) from an uncle. This sets the author on a journey to find out where these pieces came from. It's a genaelogical trip to his ancestors from Odessa, through Vienna, Paris and finally Tokyo. The story is captivating and full of inspiration.

The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco

2011-11-08T14:10:00.002-05:00

The Prague Cemetery (Hardcover)
By Umberto Eco, Richard Dixon

Yes! Another amazing new release today. The fun just doesn't stop today!

December Window Sitters Wanted

2011-11-08T11:56:00.004-05:00

Yes! It's time to sign up for sitting in our window to read a book (or two) for the month of December. YOU be our window dressing. We're asking you to commit to an hour, bring a book (a real book) and maybe even dress festively.

There are a few "rules."
1. Bring a book (that means you don't get to pull one off the shelf, unless you want to buy one.).
2. Dress warmly (the window can be VERY cold) and festively if you like.
3. Children must be accompanied by an adult for the entire hour.
4. We ask you to promote the act of reading, therefore no signs, placards, ads.

Sound enticing?
Call us up and sign up for an appointment or stop by and we'll give you an appointment card.

(Pictured is last year's window sitter poster gal! Doesn't she look fabulous!)

Blabber Blabber Blabber: Volume 1 of Everything (Hardcover) By Lynda Barry

2011-11-08T11:43:00.002-05:00

Blabber Blabber Blabber: Volume 1 of Everything (Hardcover)
By Lynda Barry

Susan and I are huge fans of Lynda Barry. This one has some of her typically unpredictable humor. A bit autobiographical, a bit commentary, and a bit of everything! Babble for sure! Do you remember her comic strip "Ernie Pook?" I loved that stuff.

Have a look, you'll be blabbering yourself by the end.
//Stanley

11/22/63 by Stephen King

2011-11-08T11:30:00.001-05:00

11/22/63 (Hardcover)
By Stephen King

Can you keep up? I'm trying to post all these new titles today.

And So It Goes: Kurt Vonnegut: A Life

2011-11-08T11:25:00.003-05:00

And So It Goes: Kurt Vonnegut: A Life (Hardcover)
By Charles J. Shields

The Exegesis of Philip K Dick

2011-11-08T11:13:00.001-05:00

The Exegesis of Philip K. Dick (Hardcover)
By Philip K. Dick, edited by Pamela Jackson, Jonathan Lethem

All Philip K. Dick all the time. Ya gotta see this book to believe it! Impressive!

Catherine the Great by Robert Massie

2011-11-08T11:11:00.003-05:00

Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman (Hardcover)
By Robert K. Massie

Released today! Susan says: This biography read like a novel--it is hard to believe this story of a minor German princess turned Russian empress is factual, but it is.

Calling all Dorothy Dunnett fans!

2011-10-07T17:36:00.002-04:00

Calling all Dorothy Dunnett fans!

Saturday, October 15 is the first ever International Dorothy Dunnett Day--celebrate by toasting the 50th anniversary of the publication of Game of Kings, the first volume of her masterful Lymond Chronicles.

At 1:00 PM. local time, Dunnetteers all over the world will be raising a glass to their favorite historical novelist. Organized by the Dorothy Dunnett Society, events are being held all over the United States, from Boston tohttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif San Francisco and Texas, and internationally, too.

If you are interested in raising a glass to Dorothy, there is a local event planned
in Cherry Valley, New York. Please contact me for further information (Susan Taylor) at:

theothersusan AT gmail.com

Also, check out The Dorothy Dunnett Society to find out more about this beloved author.

Thanks for reading!

Susan

October EBook Madness ($3.99 sale!)

2011-10-01T06:20:00.004-04:00

From October 1 - 31 the following titles from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt will be on sale for $3.99 each!

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
The Apprentice by Jacques Pepin
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
Blindness by Jose Saramago
Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Just follow the title links below to download your ebook from our site.

Extremely Loud...	The Apprentice
The Name of the Rose	Blindness
Dairy Queen	Life As We Knew It

Please let us know if you have any questions with online ordering or ebook downloads. //Stanley

Help Us Help Our Neighboring Libraries

2011-09-28T21:23:00.002-04:00

Help us help our neighboring public libraries recover from Hurricane Irene!

The Schoharie Free Library and the Middleburgh Library in Schoharie County need your help to rebuild their recently damaged book collections. Schoharie Library lost the bottom three shelves throughout and Middleburgh lost the bottom one plus shelves due to Hurricane Irene damage.

Three local independent bookstores have established funds to help them purchase replacement titles. Your donations in any dollar amount will be greatly appreciated.

Please call with a credit card to donate:

Market Block Books in Troy, NY at 518-328-0045

The Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza in Albany, NY at 518-489-4761

The Open Door Bookstore in Schenectady, NY at 518-346-2719.

Or, stop by any of these stores in person to donate.

When She Woke by Hillary Jordan

2011-09-21T06:00:00.000-04:00

When She Woke (Hardcover)
By Hillary Jordan
$24.95
9781565126299
Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 10/01/2011
352 pages

A cross between The Scarlet Letter and The Handmaid's Tale, When She Woke takes place in a future in which Sanctity of Life laws have been enacted in about half of the United States, and sex offenders aren't merely required to sport a scarlet letter; their skin is dyed red to emphasize their shame. When Hannah, a young woman from a fundamentalist Christian community, is released into an abusive halfway house after she has been convicted of the crime of abortion, she decides to run away and attempt to make her own way in the wider world. Hannah's development from a sheltered and submissive second-class citizen to an independent, curious agent of her own choice is believable and moving. Hillary Jordan's vision of one possible outcome of today's culture wars is thoughtful and frightening--a real page-turner!

-Susan

Contemplation in a World of Action: A Merton Retreat for Peacemakers Sept. 9-11, 2011

2011-09-02T21:51:00.002-04:00

Contemplation in a World of Action
A Merton Retreat for Peacemakers
September 9-11, 2011

“. . . if you go into solitude with a silent heart, the silence of creation will speak louder than the tongues of men or angels.” Thomas Merton, No Man is an Island.

On the weekend after Labor Day this year we Americans, indeed the world, will take time to recall the tenth anniversary of one of the most shattering experiences in American history, the terrorist destruction of the World Trade Center, along with an attack on the Pentagon and a third attack foiled over a field in Pennsylvania. No doubt, on September 11, many will pause for a moment of silence.

I invite you to consider a pause of some 38 hours. Consider being part of a retreat experience that has proved for many, including myself, to be a life changing, life enhancing, experience. I will have the privilege for the 16th year of directing a retreat where the wisdom of Thomas Merton, monk, poet, contemplative and prophetic witness, will be our “Adirondack guide” to the heights and depths of silence and solitude amidst the awesome beauty of the wilderness in upstate N.Y.—“not to escape others but to learn how to love and serve them best.” (Merton)

The “Merton in the Mountains” contemplative retreat is for Catholic Workers and Franciscans, for social change activists and peacemakers, for caregivers and homemakers, for pastors and catechists, for teachers and parents, movers and shakers, for the doers in our churches and the world, at Pyramid Life Center in Paradox NY, from 5 Friday evening September 9-Sunday mid-day September 11, 2011. It is sponsored by the Thomas Merton Society of the Capital Region.

This retreat strives to continue in the tradition of Fr. Hugo’s Retreat, so beloved of Catholic Worker co-founder, Dorothy Day, in recognizing “the primacy of the spiritual” as fundamental to “the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy.” The retreat practices will include an introduction to the basics of lectio divina, the monastic method of prayerful reading of Scripture, expanded to include the practice of “reading,” with our five senses, God’s “word” in Creation. You will find something far greater in the woods than you will find in books. Stones and trees will teach you that which you will never learn from masters.”- Bernard of Clairvaux

While the retreat includes talks on Merton’s contemplative spirituality and intervals of common prayer, it is guided by Merton’s proposal of leaving retreatants extended silent periods, in his words, “without organized activity . . . and more time simply to get oneself back into one’s right mind . . . [E]ven for those who find silence and solitude oppressive: there is a certain value in just disciplining oneself to be ‘empty’ and to spend time doing nothing . . .”

“Our real journey in life is interior: it is a matter of growth, deepening, and of the ever greater surrender to the creative action of love and grace in our hearts. Never was it more necessary for us to respond to that action,” (Merton).

For information about registration or accommodations:

call 518-585-7545, e-mail monicaplc @ aol.com or visit www.pyramidlife.org

Go to Walt Chura's blog for further contact information.

“May God give you peace,” (Francis of Assisi)

A Special eBook Promotion from Random House

2011-09-01T10:45:00.004-04:00

Just click on the title links to see more details.
Offer is good from September 1-30.

Green for Life
by Victoria Boutenko, A. William Menzin
$3.99
North Atlantic Books

Shanghai Girls
by Lisa See
$3.99
Random House Publishing Group

I Just Want My Pants Back
By David Rosen
$1.99
Crown Publishing Group

Story Sisters
By Alice Hoffman
$1.99
Crown Publishing Group

All Over the Map
By Laura Fraser
$1.99
Crown Publishing Group

Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear: A Novel
by Katherine Weber
$1.99
Crown Publishing Group

Just click on the title links to see more details.
Offer is good from September 1-30.

2011-06-16T08:19:00.003-04:00

The Practical Pyromaniac: Build Fire Tornadoes, One-Candlepower Engines, Great Balls of Fire, and More Incendiary Devices By William Gurstelle (Paperback) $16.95
9781569767108
Chicago Review Press, 06/01/2011
224 pages

The Practical Pyromaniac combines science, history, and DIY pyrotechnics to explain humankind’s most useful and paradoxical tool: fire. William Gurstelle, author of the bestselling Backyard Ballistics and frequent contributor to Popular Mechanics and Make magazine, presents 25 projects with instructions, diagrams, photos, and links to video demonstrations that enable people of all ages (including young enthusiasts with proper supervision) to explore and safely play with fire.

From Franklin’s stove to Diesel’s engine, Gurstelle tells the explosive and fascinating tales of the great American and European pyromaniacs who scientifically revealed the mysteries of fire. Among them are hot-headed "Gunpowder" Joseph Priestley, who discovered oxygen, and Antoine Lavoisier, the father of chemistry who lost his head on the guillotine, as well as scientist and spy Count Rumford and dapper Humphrey Davy whose chemical discoveries and fiery inventions saved thousands of lives.

With The Practical Pyromaniac in hand readers can replicate these breakthrough scientists’ experiments and inventions, from the simply fascinating one-candle-power engine to the nearly magical fire piston and from a practical backpacker stove to an incredible tornado of fire.

The Wise Heart by Jack Kornfield

2011-06-14T08:24:00.004-04:00

The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology (Paperback)
By Jack Kornfield
$20.00
9780553382334
Bantam, 05/19/2009
448 pages

"When you have wisdom, contact with experience is like standing at the bottom of a ripe mango tree. We get to choose between the good and the rotten mangoes." -Jack Kornfield p. 59

This is another one of those Kornfield books that I have to savor, reading a little bit each day. I'm loving this book. It's like a great cup of tea that I sip and appreciate all the nuances it has to offer. I can't imagine rushing through this book. WISE is the key to this book, it's truly a book of wisdom with practical applications for all of us. Each chapter concludes with a practice to help with the content of the chapter you just read. Kornfield gives solid examples from real people and also draws from his own experiences as a monk in training in Asia.

-Stanley

A busy Saturday in Troy

2011-05-14T07:27:00.002-04:00

We have THREE events for you to consider today:

11AM: Mary and Carl McDaniel will talk about their new book Trail Magic: Creating a Positive Energy Home at Market Block Books.

12PM: Pitchapalooza will give you the opportunity to pitch your book idea to professionals in the book industry, with the possibility of getting to take your idea to an agent... at the Arts Center of the Capital Region.

1PM; Ray Andrews will be playing his baroque guitar for the enjoyment and inspiration of all at Market Block Books.

You need a bookstore today, don't you?

What's hot this week of 05/7/11

2011-05-07T17:09:00.001-04:00

	The Happy Mind: Seven Principles to Clear Your Head and Lift Your Heart (Paperback) By William R. Yoder $14.95
	Freeing Charles: The Struggle to Free a Slave on the Eve of the Civil War (Paperback) By Scott Christianson $24.95
	The Repurposed Library: 33 Craft Projects That Give Old Books New Life (Hardcover) By Lisa Occhipinti $24.95
	The Help (Paperback) By Kathryn Stockett $16.00
	Sacred Hearts (Paperback) By Sarah Dunant $15.00

Remember: most books are downloadable as EBOOKS. Just click on the title link and select the Google eBooks option.

The hottest titles for the week of 3/28

2011-03-29T21:36:00.007-04:00

	The Affair of the Veiled Murderess: An Antebellum Scandal and Mystery (Hardcover) By Jeanne Winston Adler A Troy, NY cold case gets a new look and a fresh treatment.
	I Don't Wish Nobody to Have a Life Like Mine: Tales of Kids in Adult Lockup (Paperback) By David Chura Chura's years of teaching English to teens in adult lock-up make for excellent reading for parents and teachers.
	Uprising (Paperback) By Margaret Peterson Haddix The 100th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Company just passed. A terrible disaster that changed working conditions for our nation is portrayed in this young adult novel.
	Memories, Poems and Essays by Don Jones.
IMAGE TO COME	Hidden (Paperback)By Tomas Mournian Gay teens sent off to psych hospitals by their parents to be "cured" find refuge in a safe house in San Francisco. The main character is a young Muslim teen whose dialogue is fresh and peppered with tension breaking humor.

Meet David Chura tonight 3/25/11

2011-03-25T09:30:00.005-04:00

Book-signing tonight: David Chura 7-8:30 PM

Parents and teachers shouldn't miss this event!

I Don’t Wish Nobody to Have a Life Like Mine: Tales of Kids in Adult Lockup is the chronicle of David Chura’s 10 years teaching teenagers incarcerated at an adult county jail in Westchester, NY. In a series of vivid portraits that read like short stories, Chura brings to life a generation of young people caught up in the streets and all that that life leads to. Jonathan Kozol calls this book “powerful…and beautifully done…rich with devastating narrative” while the Times Union wrote that “the book discovers in the prison labyrinth a metaphor of the confinements and refuges of the human spirit.”

I Don’t Wish Nobody to Have a Life Like Mine: Tales of Kids in Adult Lockup, a book accessible to a variety of grade levels, has been assigned reading in Freshman Literature classes in community colleges as well as the subject of various high school reading and writing projects. Whether students are at-risk themselves or are curious about a world and culture they see around them and that has touched their own lives through music, fashion, TV or movies, these stories with their insider’s view of urban culture and the world of jail easily capture students’ interest.

David Chura, born, raised and educated in the Capital District, has visited both high school and college classes to discuss his book. Discussion topics range from the writing process itself to the lives explored in these portraits to the important issues surrounding the juvenile and criminal justice systems.

His writings have appeared in such publications as The New York Times, Mother Jones, and Education Next. He is a frequent contributor to Huffington Post and Beacon Broadside. Visit his website at www.kidsinthesystem.wordpress.com.

The hottest (best) titles for the week of 3/14/11

2011-03-19T16:56:00.003-04:00

	Digital Dead End: Fighting for Social Justice in the Information Age (Hardcover) By Virginia Eubanks, $27.95 It's pretty cool to see Virginia's book make it to the #1 spot for the third week in a row!
	The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary (Mass Market Paperback) By Merriam-Webster, $7.50 It makes perfect sense that folks want this book. Some are even playing "scrabble" type games on their phones and devices. Nothing like a book to help you with electronics! Score one for paper!
	The Art of Racing in the Rain (Paperback) By Garth Stein, $14.99 This is a continued bestseller, popular with staff and customers alike. A dog story told from the point of view of the dog who's learning how to be human.
	The Affair of the Veiled Murderess: An Antebellum Scandal and Mystery (Hardcover) By Jeanne Winston Adler, $25.00 A cold case that's more than a century old gets some some new attention. It's exciting to see this book make it to the bestseller list before the author's event on 3/26/11. Will you be here?
	The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement (Hardcover) By David Brooks, $27.00 New York Times columnist and author, David Brooks gives us a look as who we are as social animals. The book is grabbing people's attention as evident by it's position on our bestseller list.

Time for hiking!!!

2011-03-18T16:06:00.007-04:00

"For anyone like me that wants to get into hiking, but needs to work up to the more strenuous hikes mentioned in many other guides, this is the book for you. Contains detailed directions to the trail-heads and parking areas, as well as trail mileage information, points of interest and lots of other useful information. Plus it's pocket sized and light enough to put in your pack." (Kurtis, re: Best Day Hikes: Albany)

	Best Easy Day Hikes Albany (Paperback) By Randi Minetor, $9.95
	Best Easy Day Hikes Hudson River Valley (Paperback) By Randi Minetor, $9.95
	Best Easy Day Hikes Adirondacks (Paperback) By Lisa Densmore, $9.95
	Best Easy Day Hikes Berkshires (Paperback) By Jim Bradley, $9.95

The links will take you to our webpages where you can get more information and order a copy to have shipped to you OR you can reserve one to pick up in the store. Just remember to choose the "outlet" and "pay in store" options.

Yann Martel's failed campaign

2011-03-14T07:48:00.004-04:00

(Marggie sent this along to me and I thought it was worthy to be shared again. You can click on the title of the article below if you want to go to the source webpage for this story. But it begs the question: who to help others achieve some kind of enlightenment? Especially those who are have power over us. --Stanley)

The author, the philistine PM and a crusade with no happy ending
By David Usborne
Wednesday, 2 February 2011

It may be one of the least likely (and wrong-headed) labours of literary love of our times. For nearly four years, Yann Martel, the acclaimed Canadian author of the Life of Pi, has been sending personally selected books to his Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, in the vague hope he might be enriched by them. Or at least read them.

The books – 100 of them each accompanied by a letter from Martel – arrived at the office of the Prime Minister in Ottawa like clockwork every other Monday. But yesterday, the Mann Booker Prize-winning novelist declared he was done. What he called his "little book club" with Harper was disbanded.

It was the thanklessness of the enterprise that apparently got to the writer who dispatched his 100th and last offering, Scorched by Wajdi Mouawad, this week. Mr Harper, a conservative who has led Canada since 2006, has not written once in return, although Martel did receive five three-line letters from the PM's staff over the years.

The quixotic attempt at education of a Prime Minister began after Martel and 49 other Canadian writers attended a 2007 event in Ottawa to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Canadian Council for the Arts. Although he was there too, Mr Harper barely acknowledged them, Martel's agent, Jackie Kaiser said yesterday. "He was very offended," she said. "Harper had already made clear he just isn't a reader."

That seems finally to have sunk in and Martel is turning his creative focus elsewhere, notably to a new book and to the welfare of his partner who is "heavy with second child".

"I can't understand how a man who seems never to read imaginative writing of any kind (novels, poetry, short stories, high-brow, middle-brow, low-brow, anything) can understand life, people, the world," he told The Independent last night. "I don't care if ordinary people read or not. It's not for me to say how people should live. But people who have power over me? I want them to read because their limited, impoverished dreams may become my nightmares."

Martel's unrequited adventures in literary largesse have all been recorded on a website called www.whatisstephenharperreading.ca. (Not much, apparently.) Thus, the rest of us can sample the books discarded by Canada's leader. The collection includes novels, poetry, biographies and plays and honours writers ranging from Albert Camus to Somerset Maugham, EB White, JM Coetzee and Douglas Copeland.

Lest Mr Harper be hurt by the sudden ending of the relationship, Martel goes to some length to explain in the letter accompanying the final book. "100 is enough," he tells the PM. "That's a lot of letters and books. And come to think of it, it's the same number of chapters as in my novel Life of Pi."

Extracts from the letters

No 1: The Death of Ivan Ilych (Leo Tolstoy)

"I know you're very busy, Mr Harper. We're all busy. Meditating monks in their cells are busy. That's adult life... It's a question of choice. And I suggest you choose, just for a few minutes every day, to readThe Death of Ivan Ilych."

No 3: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Agatha Christie)

"You might have noticed that I have been sending you used books. I have done this not to save on money, but to make a point... a used book, unlike a used car, hasn't lost any initial value. A good story rolls off the lot into the hands of its new reader as smoothly as the day it was written."

No 35: Under Milk Wood (Dylan Thomas – audio CD)

There's talk of an election this fall. That means a lot of travelling for you. I suggest you pack a few audiobooks for those long bus and airplane trips you will have to endure. My only advice is to avoid abridged versions. Otherwise, select as you please. Murder mysteries are particularly effective—as is poetry.

No 51: Julius Caesar (William Shakespeare)

SinceJulius Caesaris about power and politics, we might as well talk about power and politics... In Act III, Scene 3 ofCaesar,you will meet Cinna the poet. He is torn to pieces by the rabble, who mistake him for another Cinna, one of the conspirators. That is not the Canadian way. Here in Canada, at this time, it is the Canadian government that is attacking Cinna the poet. But perhaps I've misunderstood. You are an honourable man and you must know what you're doing.

No 100 Scorched (Wajdi Mouawad)

People who are too beholden to work become like erasers: as they move forward, they leave in their wake no trace of themselves. And so that has been the point of my fruitless book-gifting to you: to raise my voice against Canada becoming a nation of erasers.

©independent.co.uk

What's hot this week of 3/7/11

2011-03-12T17:37:00.006-05:00

	Digital Dead End: Fighting for Social Justice in the Information Age By Virginia Eubanks Local author and professor gives us a powerful piece of writing to challenge our notions of a technological utopia. Not everyone gets to participate in this "dream."
	101 Things I Learned in Architecture School By Matthew Frederick This continues to be a popular book for our store, a no-brainer, eh? And a pretty cool book!
	I Broke My Trunk! (An Elephant and Piggie Book) By Mo Willems The Elephant and Pigge books are a hit! They are funny, easy to read and ready to be acted out! Put on a play at home you're kids will remember for a lifetime.
	The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire By Jack Weatherford New in paperback, this book got some attention in hardcover and is now making a run for it in paper.
	100 Most Awesome Things On The Planet By Anna Claybourne Doesn't this book just speak for itself?

Hot books for the week of 2/28/11

2011-03-05T16:18:00.011-05:00

	1. Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss. This long-awaited follow up to The Name of the Wind: The Kingkiller Chronicle: Day One has blown off the shelves! Susan is a huge fan of this book, and she's not alone.
	2. The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman. Here's another staff favorite, thanks to Mary's enthusiasm this book is getting the attention of our customers.
	3. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. This is my (Stanley) favorite book for 2008 and I never get tired of recommending it. LOVE this book! And so does just about everyone else. This was our Number 1 book for 2009!
	4. Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix. This book recounts the store of the protest and fire at the Triangle Waist Company in New York City, which claimed the lives of 146 young immigrant workers. This year, 3/25/11, marks the 100th anniversary of the fire. FYI: The Labor-Religion Coalition of New York State is sponsoring a 40 hour fast to coincide with the anniversary.
	5. Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth. A smart and sassy and moral vampire (he was raised Catholic) is at the service of the President of the United States and the Constitution. I couldn't put this book down. Pure escapism at it's best. Not just a formulaic piece, it's got some substance to it. Yes, here it comes... something to sink your teeth into! (How could I resist.)

You can browse all these titles and more on our web pages. Just click on the title link to take you to our unified web pages (Market Block Books, Book House and The Little Book House). You can shop around and place orders for picking up in the store. Just choose the "outlet" where you want to pick the book up. Of course, not everything online is in the store but we can get most books.

Stanley

Life By Keith Richards

2011-02-23T06:13:00.004-05:00

Life
By Keith Richards, James Fox
Little, Brown and Company, 10/26/2010
Hardcover, 576 pages
9780316034388
$29.99

The Half Life of Keith Richard’s “Life”
There are books that have far more readers than their sales numbers would indicate: those “word of mouth” books that get passed on from reader to reader along with an insistent plea that “you’ve got to read this.” Keith Richard, the lead guitarist of the Rolling Stones and the premier survivor of the rock and roll lifestyle, has produced (i.e. written with the help of journalist James Fox) a classic autobiography titled “Life”. I bought this to give to my husband as a Christmas gift last December. He started reading it before the day was out, and soon finished it. I grabbed it and had it read by New Years Day. Its that good: an a confident, engaging voice, fascinating details from the get go, authoritative discussions of guitars, guitar music, guitar players, plus all the sex and drugs you’d expect from the man. My next-door neighbor stopped by, saw the book on the table, and he asked to borrow it, then his wife grabbed it from him. She just called me yesterday to say that our neighbor three doors down wanted to read it and then pass it on to her musician husband. That is six people within 2 months of purchase. “Life” has legs, as they say.
--Mary

Bookstore love!

2011-01-06T08:25:00.001-05:00

"Nothing will ever replace the experience of wandering haphazardly through a great bookstore, no matter how many algorithms are developed to find matches for our tastes. That's because not only is there no accounting for taste, there is no predicting it either."

--Dominique Browning, author of Slow Love: How I Lost My Job, Put On My Pajamas & Found Happiness

Christmas Carol reading cancelled

2010-12-16T08:27:00.001-05:00

Well, folks, it was a last minute thought, and we appreciate those folks willing to participate, but it looks like we won't do the full reading of Dickens' A Christmas Carol this year. But we are enthusiastic about attempting is next year with renewed vigor.

May you find light in these darkening days!
Stanley

"A Christmas Carol" marathon reading!

2010-12-08T21:14:00.001-05:00

So what do you think? I'd like to do a complete reading of Dicken's "A Christmas Carol" on Saturday, Dec 18, from 12-5PM.. or until we're done? Is anyone interested. We'd need about 10 readers. A mini-marathon! And I need your feedback pretty quickly. Well? Interested?

Comment with your email, or call me at the store.
Thanks,
Stanley

The Better World Shopping Guide: Every Dollar Makes a Difference By Ellis Jones

2010-12-06T13:28:00.004-05:00

The Better World Shopping Guide: Every Dollar Makes a Difference
By Ellis Jones
New Society Publishers, September, 2010
Paperback, 177pp
9780865716803
$9.95

From the publisher's webpage:

Many companies claim to be "good corporate citizens". So how does a responsible shopper separate the truly green from the greenwashers? Now in its third edition, The Better World Shopping Guide is the only comprehensive guide for socially and environmentally responsible consumers. This 100,000-copy bestseller rates every product on the shelf from A to F so you can quickly tell the "good guys" from the "bad guys" — turning your grocery list into a powerful tool to change the world.

Drawing on over 20 years of research, this completely revised and updated third edition includes over 45 sources of data, new product categories, a more accurate ranking system, additional business profiles and links to the latest online resources. Whether you're in the market for appliances or zucchini, The Better World Shopping Guide will help you find out which companies actually "walk the talk" when it comes to:

environmental sustainability
human rights
community involvement
animal protection
social justice.

Small enough to fit in a back pocket or handbag and organized in a user-friendly format, The Better World Shopping Guide will help you change the world as you shop!

Shop locally whenever possible.
-Stanley

(Reminder: All book links will take you to our stores' webpages (now unified) where you can place an order for in-store pick up or direct to home shipping.)

Today! George Wilson, fiddler 11:00 AM

2010-12-04T06:40:00.002-05:00

Local fiddler and clever guy, George Wilson will be playing his music at Market Block Books today. From 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM. George plays good old fashion fiddle tunes and tells a few stories along the way. A treat for all ages and a nice respite from the chaos of the holidays that are already bearing down on us. Come on in and enjoy the music.

What's hot this week?

2010-11-30T08:53:00.003-05:00

1. The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar jumps to the #1 spot!

2. The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnet comes in at #2.

3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth by Jeff Kinney continues to be a weekly bestseller since its release.

4.The Fall of South Bridge by Jimmy Badavino comes back to the bestseller list features a novel about the Mafia in Troy, NY.

5. The Search for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi makes another honorable appearance on the list.

You decorate our lives AND windows!

2010-11-29T11:10:00.002-05:00

It's that time of the year when we invite our customers to come and sit in the window for the month of December leading up to Christmas. The sign up come by the store and select a time(s). We have one hour slots to fill. Here are a few "rules" to remember:

-We want you reading a book, hardcover or paperback. (Not an electronic device, either.) Not writing in your journal, or knitting, but actually reading a book. We're a bookstore and we promote literacy, you get to be an ambassador for reading for the world that walks by.

-This is not a time to promote or advocate for any causes, promotions or issues. Just sit and read. How simple is that? An hour of your time to just be still and enjoy a good book.

-Please bring a book or your choosing or you may buy one in the store. But since we are not a library, so we prefer it if you do not take a book off the shelf. We want you to reflect your reading life in the window as well.

-Children are welcome to read, but they must be accompanied by an adult for the entire hour.

-The windows are very cold, so dress warmly and FESTIVELY!!! A blanket will be provided.

Come by and sign up. Call if you have any questions: 518.328.0045

Seasonal Greetings!!!

-Stanley

National Book Award Winners 2010

2010-11-18T06:47:00.002-05:00

Young People's Literature:
Mockingbird (Hardcover) By Kathryn Erskine

Poetry:
Lighthead (Paperback) By Terrance Hayes

Nonfiction:
Just Kids (Paperback) By Patti Smith

Fiction:
Lord of Misrule (Hardcover) By Jaimy Gordon

Old Path White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha By Thich Nhat Hanh

2010-11-09T08:03:00.004-05:00

Old Path White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha
By Thich Nhat Hanh, Nguyen Thi Hop (Illustrator); Mobi Ho (Translator)
Parallax Press, May 1991
Paperback, 600pp.

Sometimes you just have to wait for the right book to come to you. And the book arrives when you least expect it. I went on retreat in September and came home feeling a bit disoriented and dissatisfied by the retreat. But I didn't know what I needed to get grounded again. My daily meditation was fine but still something more was needed.

I had the thought that I needed to know more about the Buddha. It was when I looked up on my shelf and saw this book that had been sitting up there for nearly four years. I opened this book and found a wonderfully told story about Gautama Siddartha. I started by reading a chapter a day after my morning meditation. Each chapter felt like a continuation of my meditation. Over a week I found myself hungering for more and more of the story. I started reading four to five chapters a day but eventually slowed down to two chapters a day. This is not a fantastical tale of magic and miracles, but a lovely story of the people he met along the way. The book also has a didactic element of putting forth the teachings of Buddhism but it never feels preachy.

I hesitate to say this, but the book changed my life. But really, that's a simple statement. There were no flashes of lightning, no blazing insights, but a simple shift in awareness. And isn't that the kind of life change we need? I think so. But the thought that lingers with me most of all is that enlightenment is just a breath away.

Stanley

What are you doing on Friday

2010-10-27T16:57:00.004-04:00

It's TROY NIGHT OUT! And here are two things we'd like to offer for the evening.

Local author Louis Koury will be signing his new book House of Tormented Souls this Friday from 7:00 to 8:30 PM.

AND

Artist Lorraine Bowen has painted a group of book related pieces for our Walk Up Window Gallery (on the River Street side) which you can see 24 hours a day! I just LOVE these paintings!

We hope to see you!

At Home: A Short History of Private Life By Bill Bryson

2010-10-12T07:45:00.005-04:00

At Home: A Short History of Private Life
By Bill Bryson
Doubleday
Hardcover, 512pp.
9780767919388
October 5, 2010

What do Christopher Columbus, Thomas Chippendale, Queen Victoria have to do with your home? Well, nothing and everything! Bryson's newest book takes us on a room-by-room tour of the house and how it evolved into the place we now call home. This book is loaded with history, just like your house. Well, maybe you don't own any Chippendale furniture but we do owe our current furniture to his ingenuity. And you think you would even have a kitchen without the explorers who sought to bring spices from far off places. (Okay, maybe Columbus missed the mark!) The bottom line here: Bryson shows us how our lives are dependent upon history and therefore on one another! This is another piece of brilliant writing from Mr. Bryson. I was not disappointed and I suspect you will not be either. Just think, all this stuff happened BEFORE Martha Stewart! Unthinkable! And if you get the notion that it would be "fun" to live in Victorian times, think again. Most of us would be the suffering servants under the thumbs of the wealthy. Uh, wait! Nothing's really changed, has it? Except we have computers to make us think we're in control of our lives! And cars! Right?! And....? Of forget it! Let me get back to my book!

The How Not to Cookbook By Aleksandra Mir

2010-09-28T08:27:00.004-04:00

The How Not to Cookbook: Lessons Learned the Hard Way
By Aleksandra Mir
Rizzoli
Hardcover, 320pp.
9780847834990
September 14, 2010

Here it is, the book you need because you didn't (or wouldn't) listen to your mother's advice about cooking! This is basically a book of statements, with the more important statements in larger print, the smaller ones seem to be more logical. You can't really get a good sense of this book without picking it up. It is broken down into topics, types of food, etc. The minute I opened it up I saw how handy it would be. I'm a decent cook. At least I get compliments for some of the foods I prepare. But there are still things I need to learn. And since I like to read cookbooks as if they were good novels, this is the kind of book that appeals to me.

Swan by Mary Oliver

2010-09-25T10:35:00.003-04:00

Swan: Poems and Prose Poems
By Mary Oliver
Beacon Press
Hardcover, 96pp.
9780807068991
September 2010

I usually have a bit of anticipation when the Fall season comes around. It used to be that I couldn't wait for the new tv season to start. Then I was enthusiastic about the changing of the leaves and the coming of colder weather. But now that I'm "past a certain age" I find greater joy in the new books that arrive at the store this time of the year. And for me that often means I might expect to find the newest Mary Oliver collection. And this Autumn I'm not disappointed. Mary's (and, yes, I'm on a first name basis with her, even if she doesn't know me) poetry has been a source of consolation and inspiration for nearly twenty years. I read and breathe and feel my world soften. I don't know how you find comfort in the world, but for me this poetry gets me grounded. What does it take for you?

Yes, ONE MORE vampire book!

2010-09-21T14:27:00.002-04:00

Dick and Jane and Vampires
By Laura Marchesani; Tommy Hunt (Illustrator)
Grosset & Dunlap
Hardcover,
9780448455686, 144pp.
August 26, 2010
$9.99

I'll start by saying, NO! we are not selling this as a children's book! But then you don't want it for your kids, do you? This brings back the days of learning to read, minus the bats and vampires, of course. The book is wonderfully sinster and funny. And the vampire on the cover looks remarkably like George Hamilton! It's the perfect pumpkin stuffer for Halloween. (Yes, didn't you know you're supposed to give gits for Halloween? It's the new Christmas!) Come and check this baby out!

NPR Discovery Music

2010-08-24T07:34:00.009-04:00

The latest installment of CDs arrived this past week. Through the cooperation of Baker and Taylor, we have been carrying some of the latest music as featured on NPR shows. Each month we get a new shipment and so far they've proved to be quite successful. The latest roundup includes: Arcade Fire, Dr. John, Esperanza Spalding, John Mellencamp, The Marsalis Family and Steve Winwood.

American Caesars by Nigel Hamilton

2010-08-22T12:18:00.004-04:00

American Caesars
Lives of the Presidents from Franklin D. Roosevelt to George W. Bush by Nigel Hamilton
Yale University Press, Hardcover
9780300169287, 624pp.
September 2010

Here's a book that just showed up this week in the store and I'm eager to get a good look at it. I have nothing to offer in terms of insights but this is the quote from the book's Indiebound page:

"Modeled on one of the most famous histories of ancient Rome (The Twelve Caesars), Nigel Hamilton’s new book, American Caesars, looks afresh at the lives and careers of the twelve leaders of the American empire since World War II, from Franklin D. Roosevelt to George W. Bush."

Are you tempted?
-Stanley

This Just In: Allegra Goodman and James Salter

2010-07-03T13:28:00.005-04:00

New books are coming in all the time. And more than once a title, an author or a cover jumps out as us and we stop and say, "Did you see this new book?" We are small enough of a store that most of us touch or see all the new titles but when things get hopping we miss a book that arrived while I was in an appointment or Marggie was not working. But today we both spotted new books that we thought we would mention.

The Cookbook Collector a novel by Allegra Goodman got Marggie's attention. And I noticed that James Salter has a new book of stories called Dusk and Other Stories.

Discover NPR Songs

2010-06-21T13:44:00.009-04:00

This month we are happy to begin carrying the new display of CDs featured on NPR. Each month we will be getting a new group of CDs. But you have to act quickly. We will only have these in the store for a month at a time, making way for a new group. Here's the list available for the month of June.

	Audra Mae: Audre Mae is the great-grandniece of the late Judy Garland. Her grandmother turned her on to artists like Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton and Woody Guthrie while her grandfather introduced her to jazz.
	Beth Nielsen Chapman: Back To Love contains 11 studding new compositions that bring this acclaimed singer/songwriter full circle, back to the soul-deep songwriting style that made her famous and provided hits for herself and other artists.
	Bettye LaVette: Betty LaVette brings the British Invasion home to its American R&B roots on Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook. This album is a journey through the compositions by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, among others.
	Court Yard Hounds: Founding members of the Dixie Chicks, Martie Maguire and Emily Robinson form Court Yard Hounds, a new group that reflects their experience as working mothers, sisters, songwriters and musicians.
	Carole King and James Taylor: In November 2007, James Taylor, Carole King and members of their renowned original band The Section (Danny Kortchmar, Leland Sklar and Russell Kunkel) returned to the Troubador for a three-night run to celebrate the venue's 50th anniversary.
	Frank Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim: For the first time all the Sinatra/Jobim Reprise recordings are together in one package. Tracks 1-10 comprise "one of the most rewarding albums of the 60s" -All Music Guide. Tracks 12-18: first time available in 20 years.

Bestsellers for the week ending 12 June 2010

2010-06-15T08:06:00.007-04:00

	1. Tinkers by Paul Harding
	2. College and Eighth by Herbert Hyde
	3. The Nightingales of Troy by Alice Fulton
	4. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson [trade paperback]
	5. Lick Creek by Brad Kessler [We are selling the British edition, not the cover featured here.]

Discovery: Waking by Matthew Sanford

2010-06-13T09:34:00.004-04:00

Waking: A Memoir of Trauma and Transcendence
By Matthew Sanford
(Rodale Books, Paperback, 9781594868450, 272pp.)
June 2008

Every now and than I come upon a book that I wonder how I missed it. How did we not feature this book? And today is one of those awakenings. It's a Sunday morning, the air is chilled by the recent rain. I have no need to get up early, even though that's my body's rhythm. Today I chose to stay in bed, to linger in the coziness of a no place to go. As I lay there I thought I would return to sleep but I was no longer sleepy. I reached into my nightstand to listen to a podcast. No intentionality here, but a chance to catch up on the grow list of stories I like to hear. I decided to check into the collection of "Speaking of Faith" podcasts. (By the by, this webpage and podcast has some of the most amazing conversations!) It is Sunday and a taste for the Divine is always on my lips on Sundays. I listened to an amazing story of Matthew Sanford's experience of mind/body connection. Here is a man in a wheelchair since the age of 13 who is a yoga practitioner and making the most eloquent statements about how he lives in his body! And isn't that the most spiritual of acts? You'll think so if you listen to his story.

He's tapping into my biggest fear in my life: my body's betrayal. As I age and lose the flexibility and recuperative powers of youth I am afraid of losing even more. A stroke, a heart attack, an accident can instantly change my life. But when I hear this man speak I am suddenly awakened to a new reality, a new way of being in relationship with my body.

I don't even know if we have this book in stock yet. But I can assure you if we don't then we'll have it by the end of the week.

This one quote from his interview speaks to clearly to me and my fears: "Yoga is can travel through any body. It's not about the perfect pose.. it's a phenomenon that occurs at your mind's intent and your body's limits."

Aren't you the least bit curious?

Tattoos on the Heart by Father Greg Boyle

2010-06-09T06:00:00.001-04:00

Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion
By Gregory Boyle
(Free Press, Hardcover, 9781439153024, 240pp.)
March 2010

I am so moved by Father Greg Boyle's book Tattoos on the Heart that I want everyone to read it and pass it along. Father Boyle is a true hero for our time in the same realm as Paul Farmer and Greg Mortenson. He has dedicated his life to the "homies" of the worst hood in Los Angeles and has given hope to a community that has no reason to hope. In 1985 he began Homeboy Industries to provide jobs for young men and women who would never get hired by anyone else- kids in trouble from the moment they are born into totally disfunctional families, into a community that only knows violence, hatred and despair. Homeboy Industries includes a bakery and other food service as well as a division that produces silkscreening and embroidery. Job training, counseling and tutoring are also provided.

In the book Father Boyle tells stories of individuals and families that have crossed his path, some with very good outcomes, others with tragic outcomes and yet he never loses his faith in the value of each and every one of us and his hope that eventually good will prevail.

The stories are beautifully told and enhanced by literary or religious references that blew me away. Father Boyle is involved in the day to day operations of Homeboy Industries and seems to be personally engaged in the lives of all who work there and yet takes the time each day to restore his own equilibrium with spiritual reflection and reading. I'd say that's a lesson for all of us- that's the only way to survive.

Right now, because of the downturn in the economy, Homeboy Industries is going through hard times and has had to lay off most of its workforce. Proceeds from the book will be put into the business, so buying the book will help a very good cause; reading the book will improve your life. What are you waiting for?

Marggie

The Passage by Justin Cronin

2010-06-08T06:00:00.002-04:00

The Passage by Justin Cronin
2010-06
9780345504968
Hardcover $26.00

This is not just another post-apocalyptic novel! Take Stephen King's The Stand, season liberally with Jeanne DuPrau's City of Ember, salt to taste with George RR Martin's A Game of Thrones, and you come close to the astonishing achievement that is The Passage by Justin Cronin. When a secret government experiment goes horribly wrong, the remaining uninfected population must grapple with "virals," vampire-like creatures who thrive in the dark. When the batteries start to fail in the Colony and a stranger appears from elsewhere, a brave band of survivors sets out to find rescue, redemption, and maybe a new beginning for humanity.

BEA: Part 2

2010-05-28T14:48:00.000-04:00

The Celebration of Booksellers luncheon was a morale booster for me. I
know that bookstores (and libraries) play an important role one the
lives of the community. My life was greatly improved by my first
library card at the age of eight. And bookstores have long been my
preferred haunting places throughout my life. But this luncheon cut
into my chance to meet Garry Trudeau. I missed him my five minutes. Oh
well, there was plenty more waiting for me.

Granta discussion on sex writing.

The main reason for my attending this panel was the chance to hear
Mark Doty speak. It could have been a lecture on the study of flues
for binding books; and if it said Mark Doty would speak, then I had to
be there. Mark Doty is an AMAZING poet. Find his books and see how
masterful his use of language truly is. Dog lovers will want to pick
up a copy of DOG YEARS to see this man write with wisdom and passion.

But Mark didn't show. To his credit, Granta editor, John Freeman took
full responsibility for Mark's absence. Of the four expected panelists
Jennifer Egan and John Freeman adeptly held court. My I initial
disappointment was eased by the converstion between the two. Jennifer
discussed the inherent problems of writing about sex. The risks of
becoming pornographic, erotica or merely sex education are to be
avoided. Egan relates that she "stays located in the character's
perspective" rather writing about one's reaction to sex.

The discussion also pointed out the problem of writing about sex is
language. We stumble over the awkwardness of words. But Egan insisted
that we must "forget about language and deal with the character's
perspective.

Freeman made the statment that "there's a transaction to sex." (Hence
the cover art to Granta issues #110 -- their first issue dedicated to
sex. ISBN 9781905881161) That statement about transaction keeps
whirling about my brain.

Egan also commented that when you write about sex "you have to go at
things from a literal way, not directly."

Jennifer Egan's new book is VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD in which she
says therehis no sex. If she writes as well as she speaks then her
books will be worth the read.

Food Writing
The next panel discussion I attended was in the same room as the sex
talk. (go ahead and giggle). I apologize for not having the names of
all the panelists. My papers are at home and I'm writing this on the
plane to Louisville. But Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan of apartmenttherapy.com
and Melissa Clark of the New York Times were among those present.
The editor of Fine Cooking (Meg) was the moderator. The discussion
bounced around from the end of cookbooks to blogging to ipads to
recipe websites. It was a lively time and I left with a sense of a
world in transition. Would you use a computer in your kitchen instead
of a cookbook? Or an ipad? Food is important to me. I love to cook.
The preparation is half the fun. This talk just reassured menthat
there's plenty for me to explore. Online and in books.

The plan has landed and I'll end this here. Monday, when I'm back in
touch with the world I'll sum up my impressions of BEA.

Keep reading,
Stanley John Hadsell

BookExpo America Wrap-Up: part 1

2010-05-28T09:52:00.000-04:00

Live from a plane heading towardCharlotte, NC I figured I'd give you a summary of my BookExpo America (BEA) - the convention sponsored by the American Booksellers Association (ABA).

Day One: Day of Education 5/25
The day opened with a plenary session entitled "The Value of the Book" You can view this and many other sessions on Book-TV this weekend.

The discussion members included people from the publishing industry from the publishers to author Scott Turow. Like many book talks these days the buzz and fuss was all about e-books and what that means to the world of publishing. Accusations were hurled about, concerns over intellectual property and author rights. As one point it seems like it would get ugly. But in reality it was a lively discussion that resolved little and raised some questions. A good start for the days to come.

The main accusation that rsesonated with is was raidsed my Scott Turow who asked "why aren't the publishers paying better attention?" That in reference to the way e-books have gotten out of control with regard to publishers handling/distribution/pricing/etc.

My first workshop: 2010 Survey of Book-Buying Behavior
This was a discussion of a recent (4/10) online survey of the buying habits of Americans ages 18+. You can view the results at www.versoadvertising.com/beasurvey.

The interpretation of the survey was too detailed to write about here but take a look and see what you can extrapolate from the results. Ultimately I have an optimistic view of the survey even though an initial reading of it may appear bleak.

The second workshop I attended dealt with the more mundane ways of marketing a bookstore and creating buzz. It was a nuts and bolts practical session which gave me some resources for future store ideas. But it boils down to resources ans TIME is the greatest of these. But another aspect of this sessiondealt with a networking programming rolling out in Portland, OR called supportland.com. Very clever way of creating a nextwork of locally owned businesses. Again, this piece was complex but very creative: think of a loyalty card that is used everywhere and earns "frequent flyer" points toward goods/services. It's impressive!

Third workshop was on selling books online. This was least helpful since they were addressing the most basic of technical concerns and never got into the meat and potatoes of the issue for me. I won't bore you with the details of how bored I was.

Day Two (5/26)
I had to be at the convention center by 6:45AM to get tickets for two author signings: Cory Doctorow (new book For The Win) and Garry Teudeau (signing a lithograph from his latest Dooneabury book).

The exhibit hall opened today and I had my trusty BEA app for my iPod to maneuver my way through the maze of booths and mobs of people. I looked for familiar faces and ran into a few. I talked to two publishers who help me get some great ideas for the store. I even got a lecture from a person with a Blackberry who suggested that my iPod was MORE information than any one person really needed. She may be right but I'm not tethered to this device.

My first event of the day was the 10AM signing with Cory Doctorow who wrote Little Brother. His new book For The Win is about people in other countries who win points on video games for those of use who are to lazy to play the game. Like all his books there are strong techological themes and cautionary words about us being at the mercy of technology. While we waited in line a fierce crowd od reporters and cameramen were queueing up to swarm Sarah Ferguson. It looked there might be a brawls slat one point. But Cory arrived and he was friendly and engaging.

The second event on my schedule was a luncheon called "A Celebration of Bookselling" in which we were seated at tables with an author, his publisher rep and an ABA rep. There wasn't much time for table talk because the program began with a brief commercial from our sponsor and then stirring words of support and affirmation from authors who spoke of there regard for independent booksellers. Cory Doctorow, Abraham Verghese, Judith Viorst, Scott Westerfeld, Rebecca Stead, Kate DiCamillo were among those whose word bright tears to my eyes. I was choked up more than once.

[The plane is landing and I'll continue this in another posting.]

Stanley

BookExpo: Day 1: Recap

2010-05-26T07:04:00.002-04:00

Tuesday was Day of Education which meant spending the whole day in workshops. Some pretty informative, others a bit confusing, still others mind numbing. But really, the mind numbing comes from being in workshops all day. Absorbing content was the challenge. But it was good to see old friends and be a part of the big buzz that makes BEA.

My annual complaint: no free wifi. What is the world coming to? The Javits wants to charge $5/hour and $30/day. Robbery. I will scout the floor today for free wifi but for now my electronic hands are tied.

Here's what I did:

9AM Plenary Session "The Value of the Book" with a panel of experts including author Scott Turow at Author Guild president. The focus was all about E-books, which is the focus of everybody's attention. Something that has gotten everyone in a swivet. Nothing was truly resolved by the conversation, but it DID get the conversation started.

10AM Verso's survey results on the buying habits of customers. This one was the true gem and full of so much data that I'll have to create a special entry on this topic.

LUNCH on the street, fancy bodega still. Salad heaven!

1PM Learning to create webpages, events etc using the Indie brand. The true upshot of this workshop was to let me know there are some good folks to go to for troubleshooting. The content of this workshop wasn't what I need for now but will point me in the right direction.

2PM E-commerce. Groan. I wanted so much more from this workshop but got way too much nitpicky questions from the attendants and not enough content.

After the day I went with a friend to see the latest production of Hair. What a treat! I felt fresh, invigorating and timely! Some of the singers were a bit too loud for their own good (ala American Idol) but the experience was lots of fun with a powerful final scene.

Then, to bed. I had to be at the convention center to get tickets for two author signings I wanted to attend and scored both tickets. Sweet.

Keep reading,
Stanley

On the road, today: New York City

2010-05-24T16:53:00.004-04:00

I'm out of the store this week and will be reporting again from BookExpo America in New York City. This means I have some limitations to posting online since I typically will be using my ipod to send out posts. Limitations resulting from spotty or no WiFi means the posts may not get through until I find a connection. How lame, yes, but we just have to adjust.

First adjustment of the week: Bestsellers...

Adult:

1. 61 Hours by Lee Child
2. Freeing Charles: The Struggle to Free a Slave on the Eve of the Civil War by Scott Christianson
3. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
4. Writing What You Know: Realia by Marion Roach Smith
5. The Roots of Desire: The Myth, Meaning, and Sexual Power of Red Hair by Marion Roach

Children:

1. Firehouse by Mark Teague
2. Wish I Might by Coleen Paratore

Bestsellers for the week ending 15 May 2010

2010-05-19T08:31:00.006-04:00

	1. Writing What You Know: Realia by Marion Roach Smith
	2. Tinkers by Paul Harding
	3. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Lardon
	4. Spandex and Black Boots by Kathe Kokolias
	5. Women, Food and God by Geneen Roth

Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth

2010-05-18T07:58:00.004-04:00

Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth
Putnam Adult
Hardcover,
9780399156359
May 18, 2010

I know, I know, I know!!!! Not another vampire book, right!? Isn't that what you're thinking? Okay, be that way! Turn your nose up and stop reading this piece. Go ahead, walk away. If you don't want a little fun in your reading then this book is not for you. But for the rest of you who stick around let me say how happy I am that this book is finally released. Yes, I'll admit it, I loved this book. I was a doubter like most of us who think there can't be one more vampire book on the shelf. (BTW, Why aren't there vampire bookstores yet?!) But this one held my interest.

Imagine what an episode of West Wing might have been like if Anne Rice had been one of the writers. I'm talking old-school Anne Rice when Interview With A Vampire was a fresh and powerful new book back in the mid-80s! That book was so dark I needed Prozac to finish it! But this book is not that dark. Okay, it's got some heavy moments in it but the behind-the-scenes of the White House is inventive and the criminals in this story are not the kind who simply want to blow up buildings. No, that's what the "good guys" do.

But this book keep me engaged and sometimes even smirking at the wise cracks of Cade, a vampire with morals. Hey, for a vampire that's a neat trick. And he's obliged to defend the President and the U.S. Constitution. I doubt if you'll be bored with this story and the irony of it's plot line. Somehow, vampires and politicians truly belong together. As do a handful of demons and scary creatures from the underworld. How did this guy get so clever about the inner workings of Washington? Creativity at its best!

Read and enjoy!

bestsellers for the week ending 8 May 2010

2010-05-13T07:14:00.006-04:00

	1. College and Eighth by Herbert Hyde (TBM) Herbert Hyde reflects on his experiences of growing up poor in a Troy neighborhood that now exists only in the memories of the former residents.
	2. South of Broad by Pat Conroy (Dial Press) Leopold Bloom King has been raised in a family shattered—and shadowed—by tragedy. Lonely and adrift, he searches for something to sustain him and finds it among a tightly knit group of high school outsiders.
	3. Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo (Algonquin Books) The only thing certain about a journey is that it has a beginning and an end--for you never know what may happen along the way.
	4. Troy's Little Italy by Mike Esposito (Arcadia) Well researched photo essay book of our own Little Italy here in Troy, NY.
	5. Pocket Ref by Thomas Glover (Sequoia Publishing) The reference book to beat all reference books; lists of all kinds you can't imagine packed into a book that will fit in your shirt pocket.

Gene Damm Booksigning: Saturday 5/8/10

2010-05-07T17:01:00.002-04:00

A Chinese Folk Tale and Other Stories
by Gene Damm
Illustrated by Carol Coogan and Randy Rumpf
9781935534143
Paperback, $20.00
(The Troy Book Makers)

Gene will be signing his book at Market Block Books on Saturday, May 8 from 12-2PM.

Planet Barbecue by Steve Raichlen

2010-05-07T07:13:00.003-04:00

Planet Barbecue! 309 Recipes, 60 Countries
By Steven Raichlen
(Workman Publishing, Paperback, 9780761148012, 656pp.)
$22.95
May 2010

Planet BBQ continues the author's series of wonderfully instructive grilling
books. I think this one in particular may be my new all time favorite
cookbook...period. The recipes are easy to follow, incredibly varied, and
provide useful substitutions for hard to find ingredients. Then there are
the little stories and pictures about the recipes and their originators that
really set this book apart. Great tips for "flexitarians" and even folks
completely new to grilling. Seasoned (forgive the pun) grill masters will enjoy
the unique challenges many of these recipes offer.

Bestsellers for the week ending 1 May 2010

2010-05-03T06:00:00.001-04:00

	1. The Girl Who Played with Fire By Stieg Larsson (Vintage Books) A crusading journalist joins forces with a 24-year-old pierced and tattooed genius hacker to investigate the whereabouts of a woman missing from one of the wealthiest families in Sweden.
	2. A Short Guide to a Happy Life By Anna Quindlen (Random House) The title sums up the purpose of this elegant essay for all readers and becomes the perfect gift for anyone on the verge of living their lives.
	3. College and Eighth by Herbert Hyde Herbert Hyde reflects on his experiences of growing up poor in a Troy neighborhood that now exists only in the memories of the former residents.
	4. The School of Essential Ingredients By Erica Bauermeister (Berkley) A cooking school is the setting for a group of people who learn more about life than just transforming food into meals.
	5. Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself: A Road Trip with David Foster Wallace By David Lipsky (Broadway) A powerful portrait of David Foster Wallace as revealed in a five day road trip.

Bestsellers for the week ending 24 April 2010

2010-04-26T06:59:00.007-04:00

	1. Stoner by John Williams (New York Review of Books) Driven ever deeper within himself, Stoner rediscovers the stoic silence of his forebears and confronts an essential solitude. John Williams's luminous and deeply moving novel is a work of quiet perfection.
	2. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (Random House) Olive Kitteridge offers profound insights into the human condition--its conflicts, tragedies, and joys. Strout constructs her stories with rich irony and moments of genuine surprise and intense emotion.
	3. Troy: Then and Now by Don Rittner (Arcadia Publishing) Founded by the Dutch Vanderheyden family in 1787, Troy is one of the most historic cities in the United States.
	4. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (Vintage Books) A crusading journalist joins forces with a 24-year-old pierced and tattooed genius hacker to investigate the whereabouts of a woman missing from one of the wealthiest families in Sweden.
	5. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (Vintage Books) An enthralling family saga of Africa and America, fathers and sons, doctors and patients, exile and home.

Bestsellers for the week ending 10 April 2010

2010-04-12T06:00:00.001-04:00

1. Writing What You Know: Realia by Marion Roach Smith (A handbook to help you write about your experiences from the woman who has helped many write their own stories.)

2. The Help by Kathryn Stockett (A novel set in Jackson, Mississippi during the time of the Civil Rights Movement in which several maids reveal what it was like working for white employers.)

3. Something Missing by Matthew Dicks (An obsessive burglar gets intimately involved in the lives of his "clients.")

4. Stoner by John Williams (The life of an English professor is eloquently laid out in this beautiful novel.)

5. Meditation for Beginners by Jack Kornfield (Something for everyone here! Beginning to meditate, we can all benefit.)

Writing What You Know: Realia by Marion Roach Smith

2010-04-08T06:37:00.003-04:00

Writing What You Know: Realia
by Marion Roach Smith
2010/01 - Paperback
A Sister Project
9781935534020
$12.95

"Writing What You Know: Realia is the essential, eccentric guidebook for anyone telling their own story--in print or on a blog. Stop treading water in writing exercises or hiding behind "writer's block," and learn to write memoir with intent, starting today. Marion Roach Smith's disarmingly frank but wildly fun tactics will teach you how."

Marion Roach Smith, co-founder of TheSisterProject.com, has taught a sold-out class called "Writing What You Know" since 1998. She is the author of The Roots of Desire: The Myth, Meaning and Sexual Power of Red Hair (Bloomsbury, 2005); co-author with Michael Baden, M.D., of Dead Reckoning (Simon and Schuster, 2001); and author of Another Name for Madness (Houghton Mifflin, Pocket Books, 1986). She is a former staff member of The New York Times and has written for The New York Times Magazine, Martha Stewart Living, Prevention, New York Daily News, Vogue, Newsday, Good Housekeeping, Discover and The Los Angeles Times. Marion has been a commentator on National Public Radio's All Things Considered, and writes and records daily and weekly spots on Martha Stewart Living Radio, Sirius 112/XM 157.

The book is available at Market Block Books.

Lake Shore Limited by Sue Miller

2010-04-06T06:00:00.001-04:00

I always look forward to a new Sue Miller novel, but this one exceeded my expectations. Told in the alternating voices of four characters (a woman, her male friend, her dead brother's old girlfriend, and an actor in the girlfriend's newest play), The Lake Shore Limited illuminates how personal history can color and distort your interpretation of the emotions and motivations of others, no matter how close you are to them. The titular play within a novel provides a rich backdrop to character development. A most satisfying read!

The Lake Shore Limited by Sue Miller
2010-04 - Hardcover
Knopf Publishing Group
9780307264213
$25.95

Susan

Bestsellers for the week ending 3 April 2010

2010-04-05T21:16:00.000-04:00

1. Writing What You Know: Realia by Marion Roach Smith

2. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

3. Industrial archeology in Troy, Waterford, Cohoes, Green Island, and Watervliet by John Waite

4. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

5. Birds in Fall by Brad Kessler

Bestsellers for the week ending 27 March 2010

2010-03-31T16:53:00.006-04:00

1. Freeing Charles by Scott Christianson (University of Illinois Press) The truestory of Charles Nalle's struggle for freedom in Troy, NY on the verge of the Civil War.

2. Food Rules by Michael Pollan (Penguin) Pollan spells out concisely what it takes for us to eat wisely and sustainably.

3. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (Vintage Crime) Captivating Swedish mystery that keeps you guessing to the very end.

4. Stoner by John Williams (NYRB Classics) This artistic novel tracks the life of an English professors career in the Midwest.

5. Troy's Little Italy by Michael Esposito (Arcadia) Well researched photo essay book of our own Little Italy here in Troy, NY.

Bestsellers for the week ending 20 March 2010

2010-03-22T06:00:00.000-04:00

1. The Lost City of Z by David Grann (Random House) A gripping tale of a Victorian explorer's attempts to find the fabled city of El Dorado.

2. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (Puffin) We know this story well, don't go chasing rabbits down holes.

3. The Big Short by Michael Lewis (W. W. Norton) A dark account of how our economy went off track.

4. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer (Dial Press) An author's search for a new book idea takes her to the island of Guernsey and reveals the history of their occupation by the Germans.

5. The Book of Hours by Thomas Merton, edited by Kathleen Deignan (Ave Maria Press) A breviary of sorts elegantly composed from the writings of the monk Thomas Merton.

Freeing Charles by Scott Christianson on C-Span 2 Book TV

2010-03-18T06:36:00.004-04:00

Freeing Charles: The Struggle to Free a Slave on the Eve of the Civil War by Scott Christianson
2010-01 - Paperback
University of Illinois Press
9780252076886
$24.95

The program about Scott Christianson's book Freeing Charles will be broadcast on C-Span2 Book TV this coming weekend on Saturday, March 20, 1 pm (ET) and Sunday March 21, 5 am (ET). It runs for 1 hr 35 mins. The program is his book signing at The Sanctuary for Independent Media.

Scott will be doing a signing in Watervliet on May 1. Stay tuned for details.

Bestsellers for the week ending 13 March 2010

2010-03-15T06:00:00.001-04:00

1. Lent and Holy Week: Bridges to Contemplative Living with Thomas Merton. Edited by Jonathan Montaldo and Robert G. Toth (Ave Maria Press) It doesn't get any better than a Lenten meditation book by Thomas Merton!

2. The Book of Hours by Thomas Merton. Edited by Kathleen Deignan (Ave Maria Press) This is a prayer book (breviary, if you please) using the words of Merton as hymns, psalms, prayers and more. Brilliantly edited making Merton's writings so accessible.

3. In The Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer Fleming. (Minotaur Books) The first in a series of murder mysteries set in the Adirondacks with a woman priest as the detective here along with the town sheriff. Very popular!

4. Saving Troy by William Patrick (SUNY Press) The author spent a year riding with the firefighters and EMTs of Troy, but it's about all the people who risk their lives to keep our cities safe.

5. Thunder of Captains by Dan Lynch (Three Lakes Publishing) Historical fiction set during the Revolutionary War in Upstate New York featuring Gentleman Johnny Burgoyne, Benedict Arnold and Benjamin Franklin.

Bestsellers for the week ending 6 March 2010

2010-03-09T10:42:00.003-05:00

1. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (Random House)

2. Troy Then and Now by Don Rittner (Arcadia)

3. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See (Random House)

4. Lenten Labyrinth by Edward Hays (Ave Maria Press)

5. Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann (Random House)