All posts by Diane

Haunted Bookstore – the School of Wizardry 2016 in Review

October 28, 2016EventsDiane

We had a great time and a great turnout at our annual Ghost Story Open House! Darling little folks in costume and superior medium aged helpers made it an excellent event. Thank you to staff Courtney, Jackie, Susan, and Lindsey and helpers Naya, Ella, Madison, Erin, Mini, and Elan the Jawa for making it happen and getting into the Hogwarts spirit! I’m sorry I did not have better photography for this event, but it looks spookier this way….

Aubrey and Tinker Belle Sarah

The Owlery

Not sure what happened to this Muggle, Courtney is always happy!

Yes, it is a Jawa.

Jackie and her superhero minions

Little Aubrey in the Halloween spirit, ready for stories.

Gypsy Erin telling fairy fortunes.

Another sweet family.

Mary Poppins and some non- London friends.

Best owl ever! Pretty sweet Griffindor costume too!

Mini refereeing for miniature Quidditch.

Cutie pie showing his owl craft.

Could be studying at Hogwarts.

Witches and wizards.

What is a group of mermaids called – a school? I’d definitely call them cute!

Susan and her nephew Batman.

Two ghosts haunting the front porch – yikes!

Potion making graduate.

Chuck and the mermaid playing quidditch. Not something you see everyday.

My job has been usurped! Read on girls!

Ella and Madison’s excellent crafting table. Owls and Potion making.

Hogwarts style, magical pumpkins and floating candles. If only we had star lights on the ceiling…

Queen of potions

Ella helping with owl crafting.

Magical Potions ready for spells.

2016 Annual Ghost Story Open House – Wizardry & Magic!

October 21, 2016EventsDiane

Our annual Halloween Open House will be October 27, from 5:30 to 8:00. Of course the focus is on reading seasonal spooky stories (I save the spookiest for later), but we have lots of other fun too!

This year the store is transfiguring into the Hogwarts Library… with a Potions class, the Owlery, The Leaky Cauldron, Fortune telling, Miniature Quidditch, and more! Plenty of magic for witches, wizards and muggles of all ages. Some special Leaky Cauldron drinks will be a very small price, everything else is free! Please come listen to some stories and have some fun for the season.

Memorial Gathering Planned for Robert Miller

September 12, 2016UncategorizedDiane

bob miller 1 To cover all of my contact bases, I just wanted to let all of Robert “Bob” Miller’s friends know that his family has scheduled a memorial gathering for Sunday, September 18 at 2:00. Location will be at Izaak Walton Park, West Line Street Bishop.

This will be an informal potluck get together, a time to share memories and stories over good food. Please bring a dish to share if possible and your own drink. (The park doesn’t allow alcohol). Utensils will be provided. Izaak Walton Park is the beautiful, tree filled County Park on Bishop Creek, just west of Manor Market on West Line.

His family is coming from Oregon, California, Florida and Nevada to celebrate Bob’s remarkable life in the community and mountains he loved so well. They wish to meet his friends and fellow artists here in Bishop, so please attend if possible. If you cannot attend, please keep Bob in your thoughts on that afternoon with us.

Contact Diane at the store if you have any questions – 760-873-6882, or cell, 760-937-7317.

Our artist Bob Miller grabbing some of his favorite molasses cookies.

Bon Voyage to BUHS 2016 Grads

June 6, 2016UncategorizedDiane

Well saying thanks and so long to this year’s crop of students who have been a part of the store is certainly bittersweet. Yes, my baby Katie is graduating!

First let me thank two others who have volunteered (or been conscripted) with such enthusiasm for special events. We are sure going to miss Katrina Biehl and Joe Morgan!

The Three Buccaneers! Katie, Katrina and Joe. Thanks for the help!

Joe, an avid hunter and hiker I gather, and also a phenomenal photographer, is off to study at the University of Idaho next fall. He makes a great pirate, so I’m sure becoming a Vandal won’t be too hard! After getting to know him as Katie’s friend and classmate, I had to laugh to find out I’ve known his grandma since buying the store! Good luck and thanks Joe.

Katrina, also an avid hunter and adventurer, is headed to University of Nevada Reno. She has been a big part of the past four years in our house, and clearly made her share of party crews! We appreciate your cheerful help and sense of humor Katrina. Don’t be a stranger, and best of luck to you!

Well some carnies are cuter than others! These two were a big help, and clearly enthusiastic.

Outlaws of the worst sort, but helpful nonetheless. Thanks Katie and Katrina!

And our Katie….what can I say? We bought East Side Books when she was seven, so she has grown up with and in the store. She’s read through more than one shelf, and been a part of every event and party as well as moving to the new digs. It hasn’t always been her favorite activity, but she is used to being part of our family businesses and knows how much we rely on her and her brothers. As trade off, she always had plenty to read, gets to taste test the ice cream, and she’s a great tractor driver! Yes we will miss her next year in so many ways!

Katie is headed to Washington State University to study Organic Agriculture Systems and Basic Medical Science. She is interested in studying how food is grown affects health, and possibly watching some fun Pac 12 football games. Congratulations Katie!

Which brings to mind another matter, I am going to be short of party help in the near future…if you know young people who might be interested, please let me know! Since the parties are free community literacy events open to the public, they have successfully been used as community service hours when needed.

Revisit the Leprechaun Party, 2016

April 15, 2016EventsDiane

So much fun to celebrate our Leprechauns and magical little people ON St. Patrick’s Day this year! It was a green day in every direction. Here are some of our favorites.

A family ready for stories

Leprechaun treats

Carissa and Jackie helping create pipe cleaner leprechauns

Susan hands out clues to treasure seekers

Another cute family ready for stories

Shamrock hopscotch

Jumping the clovers is a new concept

Got it!

The magical goat

Lucky horsehoe toss

Colton looking festive?

Found that treasure!

A busy crafter.

Well!

Jake is the lucky one!

The lit back door sign looks so good!

Blake found his treasure!

Music Galore!

March 14, 2016Latest FindsDiane

Jill has been busy sorting and buying used CDs for us the past few days. Here’s her note on the great new selection!

We recently acquired a good selection of music CDs for those who still use this format for music enjoyment. There are a variety of artists represented, from classic rock/pop groups to blues artists to more edgy alt-rock. Some of the artists available are:

The Bangles – Glitter Years: Rarities & Gems
Fleetwood Mac – The Dance
The Best of Cowboy Junkies
Michael Jackson – Thriller
Eurythmics – Ultimate Collection
Tori Amos – Professional Widow
Buffalo Springfield – Last Time Around
T Bone Burnett – Twenty Twenty: The Essential
Tom Petty – Full Moon Fever
Simon & Garfunkel – Bookends
George Thorogood & the Destroyers – The Best of
The Rolling Stones – Jump Back: The Best of
Cheech Y Chong – Los Cochinos
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts – pure and simple
Toots & the Maytals – The Very Best of
The Pretenders
Frank Zappa – Strictly Commercial: The Best of
Tracy Chapman
Sting – Brand New Day
Natalie Merchant – Tigerlily
Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs – God Willin’ & the Creek Don’t Rise
Kate Bush – The Sensual World
Jefferson Airplane – The Worst of
John Lennon – Imagine
John Lennon – Acoustic
Big Brother & the Holding Company – Cheap Thrills
The Monkees
One Love Tribute to Bob Marley
Dixie Chicks – Wide Open Spaces
Robbie Robertson – From the Underworld of Redboy
Bonnie Raitt – Nick of Time
Bonnie Raitt – Luck of the Draw
Saffire-the Uppity Blues Women – Old, New, Borrowed, & Blue
Frank Sinatra – His Great Performances 1953-1960Come in and check out the music.

We have some great classic vinyl for sale too! And don’t forget books about musicians and music groups or genres.

First Bob Miller Memorial Scholarship Applications at BUHS

March 11, 2016EventsDiane

Bob Miller’s family has generously set up a Memorial Scholarship for a Bishop High senior pursuing an education in the arts. The application will be available through the BUHS Guidance Office with the local scholarships, and due on April 15. The award will be $1,000. Seniors, if you haven’t already done so, please contact the Guidance Office for an application.

I always admire individuals who are disciplined independent students, learning languages, skills, or philosophy through their own research and organized reading. Bob was certainly my ultimate role model, from his own high school days challenging his English teachers who hadn’t read the classics as he had, to organizing the architect licensing school, to his last days ordering books from me on metallurgy so he could understand silver plating. Honoring Bob’s phenomenal dedication to self education as well as his joy in mentoring young artists, the application states:

Bob did not have a college degree but he was extremely well educated through his lifelong, self education on many topics. Consequently, our ideal recipient would be a more independent pursuer of their education…one who steps out of the box, who may or may not have the highest grades, but is strongly self motivated.

I know that the recipient will be blessed by this legacy from Bob and his family, and I am grateful for their effort. Remember that proceeds from the sale of his art will continue to help this scholarship fund.

Leprechaun Party & Storytime on St. Patty’s Day for 2016

March 2, 2016UncategorizedDiane

It is easy to remember, we will be celebrating with the Leprechauns on St. Patrick’s Day for 2016! Range & River’s annual Leprechaun Party & Storytime will be on March 17, from 5:30 to 8:00.

This is an Open House event, with games, crafts, treats and stories throughout the evening. Each child will also be able to search for the leprechaun’s treasure too, and toss some lucky coins into the Fairy Well. It is always a fun and magical evening!

As Neil Gaiman has so eloquently said, we believe that kids will be readers if they see reading as a pleasurable activity. Never mind school, grades or homework, reading great stories is fun and we don’t want the next generation to miss out! Their little imaginations grow and flourish when they live the stories in their own minds, and (science here) synapse connections are made that help them be higher level thinkers and problem solvers as they grow. Even Albert Einstein said that if you want your children to be geniuses, read them fairy tales! So, bring the little ones in your life to hear stories and enjoy some leprechaun magic with us!

Here are some memories from years past to get you in the right frame of mind

A tall leprechaun

Leprechaun Party

Leprechaun Party toadstool treats

Great help for Leprechaun party

My favorite.

Fairy cakes in one hand and treasure in the other – perfect!

Yes she found her treasure!

She’s in kindergarten now, but she’ll be reading the clues on her own before you know it!

The essential Fairy Dust ingredient.

Some more Fairy House magic in photographs

A great contemporary read aloud – The Leprechaun’s Gold

2016 Romance Cover Winner – The Ranchiest Takes the Prize!

March 2, 2016Contest/SurveyDiane

The Annual Romance Cover Contest is always fun – we thoroughly enjoy the comments from customers, and in the case of the Adkins’ family, the “conversation bubbles” inspired by these spectacular and (I think) funny covers. I can still be surprised by the voting, and I certainly was this year with my “pink dress” themed choices! The top choice was Stubborn as A Mule from the Back to the Ranch series. I was focused on the horsey looking “mule”, clearly Harlequin did not have a great batch of stock mule photos to use for inspiration, but others liked the title, the intense look on the heroine’s face, the scenery, the “local angle, and more than anything else, the fact that both were clothed! Geez!

Crimson Obsession was the runner up, certainly a more traditional bodice ripper, or in this case zipper ripper I guess. One of the drawing winners was pleased to accept this volume as part of their prize too! The 1950’s scandalous covered classic, Tess of the D’Urbervilles was the third place winner. My favorite, the sword wielding heroine in Seduced by a Spy, sadly, came in last. Oh well.

The gift certificate drawing winners were Julie Nellis and Ken Hooper. Thanks for playing everyone! I have some great Sci Fi covers just waiting in the wings ready for another contest…..

Announcing the 2016 Romance Cover Contestants!

February 3, 2016Contest/SurveyDiane

We have some doozies to choose from this year!

Our annual Romance Cover Contest is here. All you have to do is pick your “favorite” cover from the five selections we’ve set aside for the year. We’ll tally the results at the end of February so everyone can appreciate the twisted tastes of your neighbors, plus we’ll draw a lucky entry to win a $25 gift certificate! You can enter online with an email or comment below too! One vote per day is the only stipulation.

It is always hard to select five from the many entertaining cover art examples, so this year we opted for the pink dress choices. Well four pink dresses and one pink plaid shirt. Here they are…

#1: Seduced By A Spy ( Andrea Pickens, 2008) Her pink dress is clearly about to hit the floor, so it won’t be hiding that big sword any more! The heroine needs to eliminate the wicked Russian assassin/spy, but I guess we can assume that doesn’t happen…

#2: Tess of the D’Urbervilles (Thomas Hardy, 1952 Cardinal edition) Now here is a literary classic with an extra lurid, 1950’s cover, including the pink dress notice. Plus bare feet. “the classic novel of a woman’s unwilling fall from virtue.”

#3 Ripe for Seduction (Isobel Carr, 2012) This is one of a “Ripe for…” Trilogy, so yes, I did pick this for the title, and the pink dress. Poor Lady Olivia has to deal with an indecent offer from the incorrigible Roland Devere, and you can see where that led. This may be the steamiest book of the batch, (judging by the back cover), but of course you don’t have to read the book!

#4 Stubborn as a Mule (Roz Denny, 1993) First let me say, that I’m glad to hear that stubborn is considered romantic! Second, check out that crazy looking mule! Or Mulho, as one customer already suggested! This tale takes place in the Sierra town, Jessup, California, and yes the young woman is the mule rancher – maybe it is a local story after all.

#5 Crimson Obsession (Deana James, 1988) Admire please, this young heroine’s pink hair matches her pink dress, and will hopefully stay on longer! These 80’s covers with the bright color and holograms were just over the top! And what is going on with his mask? You know you want to find out!