All posts by Melissa

A Few Minutes of Poetry

Events

Every April since 1996, those with a love a poetry have banded together to remind the rest of us that we also have a love for this short form of expression.  To celebrate this year’s National Poetry Month, I encourage you to take a moment out of your busy day and the watch two poetry performances posted below. I guarantee that you will be changed afterwards because that is what poetry does. It makes us experience the world in a whole new way.

If you have never seen a performance by the poet Rives, you are in for a treat. His poetry has been described as “extremely clever, creative, and intellectually alive.” He is part poet, part storyteller, and when you watch him, you can’t help but be ignited by his energy.

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/rives_controls_the_internet.html

A good friend from college sent me the link to this TedTalk performance by two-time U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins. Collins is known for his wit and dry sense of humor, and what seem like simple observations, become deeply profound insights in the hands of Collins. Be sure to watch to the end so you don’t miss the reading of his poem entitled “To My Favorite 17-Year-Old Girl.”

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/billy_collins_everyday_moments_caught_in_time.html

Inspired to explore more poetry?  You are in luck because East Side Books is hosting a Poetry and Popcorn Party this Saturday, April 28 from 5:00-7:00. Bring your favorite poems to share or just come to listen. All ages welcomed. Refreshments served. Questions? Call 760-873-6882.

Become Self-Educated

Uncategorized

In the early 1900’s, Harvard President Charles W. Eliot stated that a liberal education could be obtained by spending fifteen minutes a day reading from a collection of books that would fit on a five-foot bookshelf. Publisher P.F. Collier and Son took Eliot at his word, and asked him to compile the volumes of literature necessary to create a five-foot liberal education library. Eliot did, and the result was the wonderful Harvard Classics.

First published in 1909, the Harvard Classics are a fifty-one volume set. Each book is approximately 400 to 450 pages, and texts, such as The Odyssey by Homer or His Autobiography by Ben Franklin, are reprinted in their entirety.

P.F. Collier and Son sold over 350,000 sets in the twenty years that they were available. Says East Side owner, Diane Doonan, “The Harvard Classics were a new concept and became very popular. Everyone wanted to be self-educated.”

Along the same lines of the Harvard Classics, we have volumes of Will and Ariel Durant’s eleven-book series The Story of Civilization. The first volume, Our Oriental Heritage, was published in 1935. The remaining volumes were penned over a span of forty years. Although The Story of Civilization was intended to be an overview of Western history, the series ends with The Age of Napoleon due to the death of the Durants.

Both the Harvard Classics volumes and The Story of Civilization series are much sought after these days, and are often used for homeschool curriculum. We have individual volumes of Harvard Classics available for around $6.00 each. They are located along the top of the shelves in our Literature section. Please ask for assistance. We also have a complete set of Harvard Classics that will be sold as a whole. If interested, please speak with one of our staff.  We have many of the books in The Story of Civilization series available as well, and these are located on top of the Psychology section in the Non-Fiction room.

Come browse these classical series and enhance your reading resume today.

Staff Pick: The Girls from Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow

Book Reviews

In the book, The Girls from Ames, author Jeffrey Zaslow tells the true story of a forty-year friendship between eleven childhood friends who grew up in Ames, Iowa. It is especially interesting for me to see this book on our New Used Non-Fiction table as I grew up in Ames and graduated from high school just a few years after these women.  In fact, Jane, who is one of the women featured, was the older sister of a junior high friend of mine.  Another reminder of what a small world this is, which is part of Zaslow’s message.  No matter how far apart their lives led them, these eleven women maintained a solid bond of enduring friendship and support for one another. Inspiring. Available for $7.00.

Peoples Book Club

Book Reviews

You have probably never heard of the novels The Home Place by Fred Gipson or Party Line and Out on a Limb by Louise Baker.  They were one of the many books published in the 40s and 50s exclusively for The Peoples Book Club. Featuring mostly romances and historical fiction, The Peoples Book Club was a popular reading program that mailed members a new book each month.

East Side Books owner Diane Doonan has a soft spot for the Peoples Book Club books, not because of the riveting plot lines, but because of the brightly illustrated covers and the colorful endpapers (the pages attached to the covers and the first page.)  If you are intrigued by the book artwork produced during the 40s and 50s, The Peoples Book Club books are a must for your collection. East Side Books has several shelves of these wonderful vintage editions, and most are priced around $6.00.

Please ask our friendly staff for assistance finding the Peoples Book Club collection located on a bookcase at the end of the “M” section of Literature across from the Biography section.

Staff Pick: The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff

Book Reviews

Critics call The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff a “big book” in reference to its heft (507 pages) and the weighty subject matter, polygamy and the Mormon Church. With tremendous skill, Ebershoff weaves a story of love and mystery within the history and creates an unforgettable tale. Come down to East Side Books and grab your copy of this New York Times bestseller today.

Staff Pick: Shelter for the Spirit by Victoria Moran

Book Reviews

If I had to describe Victoria Moran’s book Shelter for the Spirit: How to Make Your Home a Haven in a Hectic World in one word, I would say it is “soothing.”  It is one of the most soothing books I have ever read.  After finishing Shelter for the Spirit, I ordered several copies for friends and family. Their most common response to Moran’s book: “life-changing.”  If you want to find out why, come and pick up our copy of Shelter for the Spirit off the New Used Non-Fiction table today. Available in hardback for $6.00.

Staff Pick: Matched by Ally Condie

Book Reviews

If you are one of the millions who was turned on to the Young Adult genre after reading The Hunger Games trilogy, you might want to pop down to East Side Books and pick up our gently used copy of Matched by Ally Condie. Condie received raved reviews from readers and critics alike for her tale of the totalitarian society that pairs each person with their perfect match. But what happens if you love otherwise and choose to rebel?  Pick up a copy of Matched today and find out! A steal at $5.00.

Books to Renew Your Faith

Book Reviews

In his book, How God Changes Your Brain, neuroscientist Andrew Newberg writes that the best way to exercise your brain is to practice faith. Faith develops optimism and reduces the stress-eliciting cortisol levels in your body. Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, who was held in a Nazi concentration for five years, said that faith was the single most important thing that kept a survivor alive. “If a prisoner lost faith in the future, he was doomed, because the will to live seldom returned.”

People find their faith in all kinds of places and in all sorts of ways. One source of faith for many is their relationship with God or their church. East Side Books has an extensive Christian section that may offer inspiration and hope for those looking to renew or strengthen their spirituality.

East Side’s Christian collection is so extensive that it is divided into a number of different categories such as Christian Theology, Prayer/Devotionals, Saints, and Life of Christ to name a few. We also have Bibles available.

There are a number of books by popular Christian leaders shelved under the category of Christian Living. We have a title by Desmond Tutu called No Future WIthout Forgiveness as well as a number of titles by former President Jimmy Carter. Also on the shelf is Billy Graham’s book Peace with God, and several copies of Conversations with God: An Uncommon Dialogue by Neale Donald Walsch.

Sometimes it helps to learn about your own faith by reading about the faith journey of others. In the category of Christian/Biography we have a number of interesting Christian memoirs by such diverse writers as Rick Warren and Mary McCarthy. Anne Lamott in her book Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith puts a humorously yet poignant spin on her day-to-day struggles with faith. Tony Hendra has written an intriguing bestseller entitled Father Joe: The Man Who Saved My Soul.


I have found a number of helpful titles on the shelves containing the categories of Christian Women, Christian Parenting, and Christian Relationship. One of my favorite reads was Mitten Strings for God by Katrina Kenison. Wise and honest, Kenison even shares a number of recipes with her readers. I am intrigued by the book entitled Power of a Positive Mom by Karol Ladd. I also want to check out Sisters Singing: Blessings, Prayers, Art, Songs, Poetry & Sacred Stories by Women.


Our Christian Literature section is housed separately in the Literary room next to the Poetry shelves.  We have a number of titles by popular Christian writers such as Beverley Lewis, Karen Kingsbury, Neta Jackson, and Tracie Peterson.  We also have a large selection of novels by Dr. Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins who authored the bestselling Left Behind series.

We all can use a little faith-boosting now and then, and I encourage you to browse our large Christian section and see what kind of inspiration you can find.  If you need any assistance, please ask one of our staff.  We are always happy to help.

Staff Pick: Sherman Alexie

Book Reviews

Even if you happened to miss last year’s Community Reads visit by author Sherman Alexie, it isn’t too late to pick up a copy of his award-winning book The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Besides having a great title, this powerful book artfully tells the journey of a Native American boy as he straddles life on the reservation and enrollment at a primarily white high school. We have several very gently used copies of The Absolutely True Diary of  Part-Time Indian on our front table. This book appeals to both young adult and adult readers.

We also have copies available of 127 Hours by Aron Ralston, the current Community Reads book. Ralston is the young climber who, after several days spent trapped between a boulder and rock wall, severed his own arm. Please contact the Inyo Council for the Arts for more information regarding the ongoing Community Reads events.

Staff Pick: To Be Sung Underwater by Tom McNeal

Book Reviews,

When my friend Mary showed up at my doorstep with a copy of To Be Sung Underwater by Tom McNeal clutched to her chest and told me I HAD to read it, I was skeptical. Who was this Tom McNeal? I’d never heard of him, and I read A LOT.  But Mary has a fine eye for excellent writing, so I promised to give McNeal a try.

Let’s just say that before I’d even finished To Be Sung Underwater, I was searching online to see what other books McNeal had written. His writing is beautiful and fresh, and the storyline unpredictable to the very last page.  A love story.  A story of growing up and growing away. A story of finding yourself again.

We have two new copies of To Be Sung Underwater on our front table. If you want a great read by the best author you’ve never heard of, come on down to East Side Books today.