Maine Coast Book Shop Blog

Melissa Sweet

2008-06-06T13:58:00.002-04:00

Sunday, June 8^th the Maine Coast Book Shop Goes To The Dogs to Benefit the Lincoln County Animal Shelter and to celebrate the release of local author Melissa Sweet's wonderful new book, "Tupelo Rides the Rails". From 11am to 1pm there will treats for dogs, activities for children, and information on adopting pets from the shelter. Marcie Bronstein will be here to sign her charming new book of photographs of dogs, "I'll Wait in the Car", and local photographer, Erin Wallace, will be take a portrait of you and your dog. Ten Percent of all sales of animal books will be go to support the work of the LCAS.

June Event

2008-05-22T15:04:00.005-04:00

The Maine Coast Book Shop is hosting an exciting line up of events in June to kick off our Summer Celebration of Books. On Saturday June 7^th , Buddhist monk and author Jaed Coffin will discuss and sign his new book, "A Chant to Soothe Wild Elephants", from 1pm until 3pm. In this affecting and colorful memoir, Coffin relates tales from his childhood and the complications that arise from being the offspring of an interracial couple in the late 1970s. Coffin's father was a U.S. soldier who met his mother in Taiwan during the Vietnam War. Not long after they venture to America to start a new life, Coffin's parents separated and he and his younger sister, moved to Brunswick Maine with their mother.

Coffin was taken back to his mother's Taiwanese village several times during his childhood, and, on one occasion, encountered an elderly Buddhist priest who claimed the boy should come and live as a monk. Years later as a university student, he returned to the village to become a monk in the hopes of finding himself and his true identity. He meditated and learned prayers and chants, but often found himself alone in his room, sleeping on the floor next to his Buddha statue until he begans to question whether he wass meant for the life of a monk. In heartfelt prose, Coffin beautifully captures his journey, both geographical and internal.

2008-05-08T09:33:00.003-04:00

"The Garden Primer" is a wonderful book for Mother's Day. Barbara Damrosch of Blue Hill has completely revised her classic gardening guide and made it 100% organic. This remarkable book is the one gardening book everyone should have. I love her philosophy of gardening. She says that "Good gardening is simple, really. You just have to learn to think like a plant". She makes gardening that simple and down to earth.

2008-05-08T09:22:00.002-04:00

Michael Kodas will be at the Skidompha Library this Saturday, May 10th at 10pm, to read from his fascinating and terrifying book, "High Crimes". Michael will present slides of his many ascents of Everest, and dramatic stories of how the once sacred mountain is being exploited. Please join us for this enthralling event.

2008-05-06T14:16:00.004-04:00

The new Stephanie Meyer book, "The Host" is here now. This is not part of the Twilight series, but a new adult novel that is based on an alien invasion. The plot is just about as ridiculous as the Twilight series is, but just as enjoyable as well. If you liked her other books, then this one is one you will just have to read. It is appropriate for young adults to read, even though it is being marketed to adults. I read it in one night!

2008-05-04T10:26:00.004-04:00

We have a new fantastic bird book in stock. This is like the larger bird book that has calls for North American birds. This one is specific to Eastern and Central America and has more than one call for each bird! There are three different calls for a loon alone! It is a slightly smaller size, with an even better price point than the larger one. This retails for 24.95 and would make the perfect gift for any birder in your family. We have already sold seven copies of the book already, out of the twenty in total that we have on hand. I'm not sure how much longer it will stay on hand with the way it is currently selling. Once a customer sees the book and listens to the calls, they immediately buy it. I'm going to guess that we will run out and the publisher will need to reprint this book. That happened with the North American bird call book and it took us a while to get it back in after our initial order. This is a must have bird book for the summer.

2008-05-03T13:37:00.002-04:00

We had our meeting of Los Libros last night, which is a young adult book club. It was quite a nice discussion over the "Kite Runner". I had a fun time discussing the different aspects of the book and how much everyone hated Amir as a character. He was so self-absorbed that I honestly couldn't believe it. I guess I said that many times, because Seth from the Cafe made fun of me later by trying to mimic me saying it. I am disappointed that I won't be able to stay and be part of the group, but they have decided to continue without me. This is the best thing I could hope for in the situation. They have picked their next book, which is going to be "Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs."

This is one of my favorite books on pop-culture. I think it is probably Klosterman's best book that he has written. Of course it is the only book of his that I have read so far, but it is just that amazing. You can't top something that great, no matter how many times you try.

2008-05-02T16:13:00.003-04:00

Last night I read the Kite Runner for the book group that I will be leading in the cafe tonight. Actually in a few minutes. The story is amazing. I kind of feel like I have joined the rest of American society by finally reading it. I read Hosseini's second novel and loved it. A Thousand Splendid Suns focuses on the experience of being a woman in Afghanistan, while The Kite Runner focused on being a male in Afghanistan and the pressures that were associated with it. I highly encourage anyone that hasn't read either one of them to read both!

Bookshop in the Lincoln County News

2008-05-01T09:35:00.002-04:00

I hope that you all have read the Lincoln County News this week, but just in case you haven't, the bookshop has an article about sharing our sales from the Midcoast Sustainable Energy Expo with the Morris Farm in Wiscasset. In the picture above is Bo Gallup from the Morris Farm on the right and me passing the check to him on the left. I was reading the paper this week and found it hilarious how many other people were in this exact pose throughout the paper. If you missed this article, you can read it online here:
http://www.mainelincolncountynews.com/index.cfm?ID=31922

2008-04-25T16:13:00.003-04:00

We just got this book in. It is amazing, but only if you find tiny crocheted zombies and robots amazing. It makes me wish that I could actually crochet, so I could make one of these adorable creatures. I am reminded of my friend Sarah, who crochets little animal finger puppets and names them after people that she knows. If you have a hip and crafty person in your family or one of your friends, this would make an amazing gift for them.

2008-04-24T10:07:00.002-04:00

Things have been a little slow at the bookshop, but I can't blame people for wanting to be outside with weather as great as it has been. Barnaby has been dealing with a sidewalk issue this entire week. For some reason we are getting marks and lines imprinted onto the new sidewalk. If someone leans back in one of the outside cafe chairs it goes right into the sidewalk. This is not something that should be happening and Barnaby is trying to resolve this issue.
I hope that everyone has read this weeks Lincoln County News. There is a nice write up about the Midcoast Sustainable Energy Expo with some nice pictures as well. I may happen to be in one of them.

Expo Update

2008-04-20T12:44:00.002-04:00

I'm going to go ahead and claim that the Energy Expo this weekend was a success. We had a lot of people come to our booth and chat to us about how great the bookshop is. They were impressed with the selection of books on sustainability that we had. Friday was sort of slow business wise at the booth, but Saturday picked up with the addition of two authors.

Bridget Besaw didn't manage to make it back on Saturday, but we did sell two copies of her book. Hannah Holmes is quite an interesting lady and she inspires me, due only to the trivial fact that we both went to the same college. If she can be doing what she loves to do, then so can I. I love books on science writing and it was quite interesting talking to someone who writes them.

Trudy Chambers Price was a joy as always. I really do miss working with her, but every time that I see her now is so exciting. We sold eight copies of her book and seven of Hannah's.

This is a picture of Trudy speaking to my best guy friend Joel. Joel bought a copy of "The Cows are Out" for one of his friends who is just getting into dairy farming.

If you didn't go to the Midcoast Sustainable Energy Expo, it's worth going to next year. I went up to the guy who was selling electric cars and asked him how well they drove in the snow. They unfortunately only go 25 miles an hour, but he said that next summer they will be coming out with a model that will go 80. He also said that there were no complaints about driving in the snow, but I don't know if I believe him on that one. There was also a booth that was selling local organic food. I never made it over there, due to low funds at the time, but everything looked really tasty.

Expo

2008-04-20T09:20:00.002-04:00

2008-04-17T12:06:00.002-04:00

One of the nicest things about either giving a book to someone or loaning it to them is the fact that they someday might turn around and loan you a book. One of the boys (Ben to be specific) from the bookshop's young adult book club just came in to loan me a copy of Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. This was one of the books that we had in the list for options that the club might pick to read for the month. Instead we decided on The Kite Runner. Now I get to read it! I have so many books at home that I should be reading, however I'm also in a book rut at the moment. I'm re-reading High Crimes by Michael Kodas, since he will be at the library on May 10th. Besides that one book there isn't anything else I really want to read at my house! It's a shame to be surrounded by piles of books and not know which one to pick up. Now I don't have to bother making that difficult choice.

Another reminder, tomorrow is the Midcoast Sustainable Energy Expo at the YMCA. Please go! It's free to get in and we are going to have a table packed full of books on sustainability. We even have some great books for kids. On Saturday we will be having a couple of authors at our table, so come back if you came on Friday!

2008-04-15T09:40:00.005-04:00

This week Sandy and I will be preparing for the Midcoast Sustainability Energy Expo, which takes place this Friday and Saturday at the YMCA in Damariscotta. We will have a table that is filled with books on sustainability for everyone from the expert to the little kids who will be beginning their sustainable lifestyles. It has been really great seeing all the books come in that Sandy and I have put on order over the past few weeks. Our "Sustainable Living" section is overflowing at the moment. We also have an exciting addition to our author lineup, Bridget Besaw.

She will be signing at our table from 11am-1pm.

Bump in the road

2008-04-10T10:48:00.002-04:00

Well, there is a slight change in our Midcoast Sustainable Energy Expo plan. Jeff Wells will not be in attendance and we will have another author in his place. Sandy sent me an email about who it is, but I'll wait to announce it on here until he and I finalize the plans on Tuesday. We do still have copies of Jeff's book here at the bookshop and hopefully he will be coming for an event that we will hold at the library. I'm looking forward to the expo due to the vast amount of information I'm sure will be available there. I am currently doing a project with a group at my college that is focusing on what it means to be a green business. I am reading Stirring it Up by Gary Hirschberg in order to get a better understanding of a business that is environmentally sustainable and also profitable.

2008-04-05T10:46:00.002-04:00

Last night I had the first meeting of the bookshops young adult book club. A name was decided upon, Los Libros, and we have selected our first book pick, which is "Kite Runner". I'm quite excited about this, because all of the book groups in the area are currently an older based group. Hopefully this will grab a younger group of readers and make them excited about reading. I'm lucky with the group of people that gathered, many of them are already excited about reading and reading the types of books that I'm also interested in. I've been meaning to get around to reading "Kite Runner" for a while and now I'm forced to! It's just so hard to read a book that is already out and popular, while there are so many advance reading copies that I can read for free!

"Nothing ever happens in Florence on a Sunday morning..."

2008-04-04T12:56:00.004-04:00

Douglas Preston was at the Skidompha Library yesterday speaking about his upcoming non-fiction book, "The Monster of Florence". It is the story of a serial killer in Italy and how after researching the story, Douglas becomes intertwined with the story, along with a local journalist who has been covering the crimes from the beginning. This was the first book of his that I have read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm a non-fiction gal myself and I love a good crime story. The monster is the Italian master of horrific scenes of terror and Douglas is a master at story telling in recounting the crimes. I tried to take some pictures of the event, but I kept paying more attention to every detail that Douglas was saying. The entire event was interesting, this being the second Chats with Champions that I have attended and each one seems to get better. I'm glad that I get to sit there through the event and then justify being there by selling books. It's a nice excuse to listen to intelligent people talking about fascinating experiences in their life. The only thing I like about the pictures that I took at this event are how dark they are. I think it represents how dark the topic was.

2008-03-31T09:45:00.002-04:00

The Ladybug Girl book in this picture has done a wonderful thing. I read it just the other day at my neighbors house and it is absolutely adorable. We sold out of all six of our copies in less than a week. I think that has a lot to say about what a great book this is for kids. The pictures in it are amazing, perhaps even at times overshadowing the text. Ladybug Girl is a little girl who is left along to bide her time as she pleases and comes across some great adventures while doing so. She can do absolutely anything, as small as she is, which she reaffirms throughout her tale. Ladybug girl is one of Laurie's staff picks for this month. To see more of her staff picks, visit our website: www.mainecoastbookshop.com.
She certainly does have a knack for picking great children's literature.

2008-03-30T11:28:00.003-04:00

It's funny how once a dog sees that you are down on their level and want to take a picture of them, they rush right in to sniff out what is happening. My own dog does the same thing, making it very difficult to take a picture of ol' Woofie. In this picture Teddy is rushing in to say hi to me, while Cooper is being slightly pushed to the side. It was a dog convention in the bookshop yesterday, with Raymond in here and also a surprise appearance from Blueberry. I had never seen Blueberry before, but he is a puppy that looks a lot like Fly (Sandy's dog who is in the Photo Gallery). We also had a golden retriever and a black lab. I think I might have lost count of all the dogs that we had in here, but every one of them got along. Sometimes not all the dogs in here get along, but one can't expect every dog to like every other dog. It's not like every person likes every single other person they meet. We fortunately do not bite or growl at each other when we do come along someone who is disagreeable to us.

2008-03-27T15:11:00.004-04:00

Barnaby and I went up on the roof today to check out the area for the webcam. I think my legs have finally stopped being like Jello after such a daring feat. We had to climb two ladders in order to get to the top of the building. It was slightly frightening, but I tried to appear as if I had taken it in stride. I'd post a picture of the view, but I don't want to spoil Barnaby's web cam shot.

2008-03-22T10:46:00.003-04:00

One of my favorite reasons that I work in the bookshop is this:

All the doggy love that comes into the store. You can tell how much Jack's owner loves him in this picture. Jack came in last night and was particularly brave by exploring each section of the bookshop. Normally he stays right next to his owner, but last night he was all over the place! It was great. I've decided that the best dogs that come into the bookshop are the ones that are rescue dogs/adopted dogs. Jack is a rescue dog and he is just so happy. I love how excited dogs get when they come into the bookshop too. It's great to see the excitement carry over to another animal.

2008-03-21T17:04:00.003-04:00

Tupelo Rides the Rails has officially made his first stop at the Maine Coast Book Shop today!!! It is very exciting whenever our local author Melissa Sweet has a new book out. It is extra special this time because there is a very special shout out to our very own Sandy Vogels in the acknowledgment section. I don't want to ruin it for anyone, so you really should just come in, buy it and then read the entire book. It is currently featured in the staff picks section of the bookshop.
Melissa Sweet is really a talented illustrator and author. We are having a signing with her here in June. It is going to be a big celebration of dogs day at the bookshop. She will also be at the Nobleboro school in April with the bookshop there supplying books for sale.

Nancy Harmon Jenkins

2008-03-20T15:19:00.003-04:00

Today the bookshop was at the library supporting the Chats with Champions with cookbooks by Nancy Harmon Jenkins. Nancy put on a talk that included many slides of the lovely Mediterranean areas that she has visited. It was kind of hard to sit there and listen to her talk, because all of the wonderful food items that she was describing started to make my stomach growl. I came back from the event starving.

If you wanted to come to this event and missed it, we do have many signed copies of Nancy's newest cookbook, Cucina Del Sole. She said that the title means cuisines of the sun. Cuisine is plural, because that area has so many different cuisines. I learned so much about wheat and pasta that I can now have amazing dinner conversation solely based on those two topics. The slide show that she had was a nice backup to what she was saying. To be able to see how women in that part of the globe make pasta was quite fascinating. They roll the dough out so thin that you can read the newspaper through it. Imagine the skill it takes to work with such a delicate medium.
The next Chat with Champions will occur April 3rd and the speaker will be Douglas Preston. He will be discussing his upcoming book, "The Monster of Florence." Chats with Champions starts at 9:30am in the Skidompha Library's meeting hall.

2008-03-16T14:26:00.004-04:00

There is a really good explanation of the differences between a mass market paperback and a trade paperback book in the New York Times book review section today.
To read article click here
I highly suggest reading it if you have any questions in regards to the differences between the two paperback formats. I even learned some interesting paperback facts that I was previously unaware of. I have talked to many non-booksellers about the difference between a mass market paperback and a trade paperback and there is always confusion even after the conversation is over. Granted, I'm not the best at explaining things, but this also happens to be a confusing differentiation for the non-book business individual.