Janwillem van de Wetering - RIP

One of our SOHO Press authors passed away on July 4th. Janwillem van de Wetering had a very interesting life - from joining a South African motorcycle gang to attempting to become a Buddhist monk in Kyoto, to being a policeman in Amsterdam, his life experiences informed his writing. His gentle Zen-like humor made his mysteries a quirky joy.

NPR's Fresh Air just re-ran his interview as a memoriam.
Lauretta

Book to Movie news!

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, by Avi, and on a number of summer reading lists, is being directed by Danny DeVito! Saoirse Ronan (of Atonement and City of Ember fame), Pierce Brosnan and Morgan Freeman have all been cast and shooting starts in September.

Lauretta

Larry McMurtry - a minor mystery solved

I had noticed Larry's McMurtry's memoir, Books, just came out and I was reading up on it in BookPage. He was a bookseller! In 1970, Larry and a partner bought up the stock of a D.C. bookstore called Lowdermilks and used it to open their own Booked Up. Booked Up stayed in Georgetown for 32 years before moving to Archer City, Texas.

A bookseller!
No wonder!

You see, I vividly remember Larry McMurtry accepting his Oscar for the Brokeback Mountain screenplay. He gave a wonderful and unexpected shout out to the booksellers of the world and it really warmed my heart. If you want to read the exact quote, Bibliophile Bullpen kept track of it.

This memoir covers a lot of the details surrounding running a used bookstore so it may be a lot of fun for the used book fans.

You go, Larry!
Lauretta

Tea with Louis Diggs + Folk Music this Saturday

This Saturday, July 19th, we have 2 events:

Tea with an Author, 3-5pm
Join Baltimore author Louis Diggs for tea and munchies and discussion. Louis is a noted historian specializing in African Americans living in Baltimore County.

"Holding onto Their Heritage" focuses on the communities of Bond Avenue in Reisterstown and Piney Grove in Boring. "Our Struggles" covers a variety of Baltimore County African American communities, notably including Belltown along Featherbed Lane in Owings Mills. "Surviving in America" documents the history of Randallstown, among other towns. Many of Louis' books will be available for purchase. For more information, visit www.louisdiggs.com


Music at the Bookstore, 6-9pm
Celtic/Folk musician Steve Haug is back! Tea and cookies will also be available.

Collecting the books of LOST

This is a little bizarre, but hey, if it gets people reading, it can't be that bad:
The crew of LOST (the TV series) has collected all the books read by the cast in the episodes and then posted them on the Lost Book Club. There are some interesting choices - many of which we have in the shop.

Lauretta

Wine Tasting for Adults + CSI for Kids this weekend

This weekend will be busy!

Friday the 11th, we have a Wine @ the Bookstore 6-9pm. Our wine is provided by Vino 100 though they cannot be with us tonight. Tea and hot drinks will be available for those who choose not to drink wine.

Saturday the 12th, we'll have a CSI seminar for kids - 11am-1pm. Join T.J. Perkins, author of several middle-school mystery novels for an exploration of Crime Scene Investigation tactics. It's science but it's FUN.

Cozy Mysteries - new and old

We just received a selection of newly-published and old-favorite "cozy mysteries" and one of my regulars asked, "Just what IS a 'cozy mystery'?" There seems to be no OFFICIAL definition but many know a cozy when they read one - so I'll give you my personal definition:

1) Amateur detective - may or may not be partnered with a pro. For example, Agatha Christie's Miss Marple often consulted with the police on her cases but Nancy Atherton's Aunt Dimity doesn't.

2) Very little gory detail - either in crime scenes or sex.

3) Often has a theme such as catering (Diane Mott Davidson), crafting (Mary Ellen Hughes), and bookstores (Carolyn Hart and lately Lorna Barrett).

Make sense to you? Who are YOUR favorites?

Meanwhile - allow me to point out an old friend and a soon-to-be-new-friend.

Old: Aunt Dimity's Death by Nancy Atherton is the start of a delightful, British-themed mystery series. We meet Lori Shepherd who is going through a tough time - divorced, temporarily-employed, and almost broke. She is contacted by a very traditional law firm who confirms her identity with a long list questions - then, out of the blue, asks her about a childhood story about 'Aunt Dimity.' Lori was under the impression that Aunt Dimity was a made-up character in her mother's stories. Now Lori finds out that Dimity was an old chum of her mother's from her days in London during World War II. Dimity's estate has a request/task for Lori - and amongst the papers, Lori uncovers a mystery. The writing is smooth, the plot is charming, and a wee bit sad...this is an altogether delightful mystery.

New: Lorna Barrett sets her Murder is Binding in a New Hampshire town that boasts a whole block of used bookstores. Tricia Miles is getting her used-and-collectible mystery bookstore up and running and trying to settle in with the local and fellow booksellers when two events rock her world. Her city-slicker-shopaholic sister drops in for a surprise visit and she finds the cookbook store owner dead of a knife in the back, literally. Now Tricia is the prime suspect and no one except her staff and her sister are willing to help. This story has a decent number of twists and turns and is quite satisfying.