All posts by trav

At the heart of it all, I’m a fan. A fan of books and bookstores. A fan of fiction and non-fiction. A fan of authors and publishers. And most of all I’m a fan of great conversations sparked by books. All that to say - I really need more bookshelves.

Book Sale – Irondale

There is a used-book sale this Saturday, September 29th at the Whistle Stop Festival in Irondale. The book sale runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is being held by the Friends of the Irondale Library group. They plan on having a booth set up in front of the library (which is about a block from the railroad tracks). They also will have more tables with books for sale set up inside the library.

Irondale Library Booksale Banner

I think this might be a great quick little stop this weekend. Especially if you can get there early enough before the tables are picked through. I have not heard any information on prices. But if they stick with what they usually charge you will be looking at 50 cents to $2 per book. Have a good weekend!

Stephen King Universe Flowchart

These kinds of things are always fun… check out this flowchart to the Universe of Stephen King books. I had no idea that so many elements and references threaded through his books. These kinds of easter eggs are exactly what fans like. You can go see the original post (and future updates) over on Gillian’s blog or click the image below to see the huge flowchart/info-graphic:

King Flow chart

 

Homewood Library Used-Book Sale

Grab your helmets and elbow pads, it’s time for the annual Friends Blockbuster Used Book Sale in Homewood! This is always a good sale, with mountains of used-books stacked all around a large room at the Homewood Public Library. There is a special prview night on Friday, August 10th from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. but this pre-event is for Friends of the Library members (it’s $5 for an individual membership and $10 for a family. PDF form to join.) only.

The doors do open to the public on the weekend though:

  • Saturday, August 11th from 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
  • Sunday, August 12th from 2:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

It’s always a good well curated sale and it’s always crowded. Prices usually fall in the $1-$4 range. Though it’s not uncommon to find 50 cent books in the kids sections. While all the good finds go early in the sale, it’s also fun towards the end of the sales as they often start offering “Fill a grocery sack for $5” kind of deals.

Some Remarks by Neal Stephenson

Here’s one I haven’t read yet (it comes out August 7th, William Morrow/Harper Collins), but I’m pretty excited about it. Some Remarks: Essays and Other Writing is a collection of pieces by Neal Stephenson. Much of Stephenson’s new book is non-fiction, but I’ve heard there a couple of short stories as well. In the book Stephenson talks about his geek travels where he travels to far off places just to witness the installation of fiber optic internet connections in some remote pocket of Asia. He also tries to make a case for “modern Jedi knights”, chats metaphysics and technology/freedom vs. the Chinese. So it’s all over the place. Should be fun!

Neal_Stephenson_New_Book

If this book is as detailed and accessible as his fiction, I know it’s one I am going to enjoy.

Anything new coming out that you’re looking forward to?