Here at the bookstore, we all feel fortunate to get regular visits from Robert Miller – he has gifted us prints over the years and shares his work in progress and talks about the trials and tribulations of getting a work to his desired finished product.  He is fun and an inspiration to us, and we feel like we know many of his works quite well.  So it was especially fun to hear the visitors, especially other artsits, at Robert’s reception last Saturday.  Why do we love Mist on Marsh Lake so much?  Oh yeah, it is  his use of gray values and the exceptional reflections in the water, so hard to do in pencil…  It was also fun to hear him discuss the locations and processes with such animation and enthusiasm, not that he ever lacks either, but in his words, “it recharged his batteries”.   Many guests echoed our feeling, that we can’t wait to see more work.  Thanks Bob, you recharge our batteries too.

Only a week to go before we can all celebrate the arrival of Robert Miller’s fine prints to East Side Books!  Please mark your calendars and plan on joining us September 29 for an Open House and Artist’s Reception between 5:00 and 9:00.  We will be enjoying live music by Greg Smith, and lots of chocolate treats, our friend Bob’s favorite!  Prints will be available for the drawings currently on display at East Side Books, plus additional works will be here to admire, and we hope, order prints available in the near future.

If you are unable to attend, sorry for your bad luck, but please let us put you on a contact list for future Robert Miller art news.

It seems that knowing what a person loves to read opens a little window directly to his or her heart.  It is always a joy to set aside a book knowing just the person who will love it, but it was a particular thrill to find one for our beloved customer, Lil Knower.  Of course it wasn’t hard to see Lil’s heart, she shared it openly and freely, and with an exuberance that is rare and refreshing.  Lil loved cookbooks, as many people do, but she particularly loved the vintage treasures that show another time in history, another cook’s treasured notes, another window to another culture.  She was a kindred spirit who would take a cookbook home just because “I don’t think I have anything on Czech cooking”.  Her room sized collection would do a university library  proud.  Best of all, she used her cookbooks, with delicious results that she loved to share.  There are many things I do not know about her, but many important things I do know from the books she loved and conversations held while choosing her favorite cookbooks as well as the mysteries and spiritual topics she favored.

Lil loved her family fiercely and intensely, but had plenty left over for the stray souls she gathered in under her wing.  Her passing this week leaves many people with a hole in their life, including all of us here at the bookstore.  We will miss her deeply.  I know her memory is best honored by trying to emulate her warmth and caring towards others, but I also know I will remember her when I try making corn pudding, or taste molasses cookies, see a Swedish dinner menu, or price another tattered cookbook stuffed with notes and handwritten recipes.

While writing this, I remembered I had set aside a cookbook for Lil before I heard she was ill.  This is the one I had saved. Rest in Peace Lil.

NEWS FLASH!  Those of us who get to enjoy Robert Miller’s artworks on the walls at the store every day are terribly excited; the plan to sell prints of some of Robert Miller’s popular pencil drawings is well under way!  We expect to have prints available within the next two weeks!  Keep watching, because we are also planning a special reception for our friend and beloved artist Bob towards the end of the month…

Robert Miller is a long time Bishop resident who has spent countless hours hiking the Sierra, although he says he still feels like a Floridian.  Most of his career has been as an architect in South Florida, Southern California and Bishop, and the precision, scale and detail of his art reflects that training.  He has also worked as a paperboy, aircraft maintenance during World War II, gym trainer, golf club designer and many other diverse tasks.  His artwork includes  pastel, sculpture, stained glass, and the most prolific work in pencil and charcoal.  Many Bishop residents will recognize him from the hours he spends daily sketching and drawing outdoors, especially in front of his favorite tree subjects or mountain views.

The works will be high quality giclee  prints sized 11×14, and protected in archival film.  If you would like to preorder copies of any of the works displayed here in the store, let us know right away. 

Watch for more news, coming soon! 

Some Time-Life Series have, without question, exceeded their useful life.  Even the argument that “kids can use them for reports” is no longer true, and if you still think so, stop.  I certainly have had to.  A huge exception is the Old West series, with their faux tooled leather covers and gorgeous photos, reproductions of great artworks and new illustrations, this series is informative and beautiful.  It is a 26 book series, and we now have all of the titles, even the hard to find copies of  The Alaskans, The Women and The End and the Myth.  Many families have copies of The Cowboys and The Gunfighters, I think these were the introductory editions for the subscription book club, but there are so many more!

The Time-Life editors are masters of readable history, and if you have any interest at all in Western history, you are going to want to come fill in your set or discover them for yourself.  From railroads, to the Spanish American War, ranchers to loggers, these are fascinating.

Another batch of our brand new PBS/BBC and Family movies are here!  Why not start stocking up for Christmas gifts, or get ready for those longer evenings of movie watching coming soon…. Here are the titles available this time:  Hachi, A Dog’s Tale starring Richard Gere and Joan Allen; Agatha Christie’s Poirot Season 1 and Season 2; Doc Martin Series 2 starring Martin Clunes;  Framed, a story of Art and Love, starring Trevor Eve and Eve Myles; Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Rodrick Rules; The Best of Caillou, Caillou Goes Back to School (with 12 adventures!); The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss, The Cat’s Musical Tales; Chuggington – It’s Training Time!; Any Human Heart starring Jim Broadbent, Matthew McFadyen and Sam Claflin;  Leap Frog’s Learn to Read at the Storybook Factory  and Julia Child’s French Classics, 6 episodes of the French Chef from the 1960’s. There should be something fun for everyone to watch, come in and see!  Please remember that store credit can not be used for new items.