Category Archives: Birmingham

Upcoming Author Events

Here is a quick list of some author signings in the Birmingham-area over the next few days. Let me know if I missed anything cool. We’re lucky to have so many events around town.

Tuesday, May 2nd – Lisa Dahl at noon at Gus Mayer/Summit signing The Elixir of Life Cookbook

Saturday, May 5th – Bernice King at 2 PM at Books-A-Million/Brookwood Mall signing Desert Rose: The Life and Legacy of Coretta Scott King

Saturday, May 5th – Charles D. Cole at 1 PM at Little Professor signing Strategies for Success in Law School & Beyond

Tuesday, May 8th – Dolores Hydock at 4 PM at The Alabama Booksmith signing In Her Own Fashion

Thursday, May 17th – Ron Tanner at 6 PM at Little Professor signing From Animal House to Our House: A Love Story

Friday, May 18th – Sarah Frances Hardy at 3:30 PM at Little Professor signing Puzzled by Pink

Saturday, May 19th – Jim Douglass at 11 AM at Little Professor signing Gandhi and the Unspeakable: His Final Experiment With Truth

A Great Weekend for Local Book People

This weekend is shaping up to be an amazingly busy and book filled, with three great annual events happening:

  1. The 9th Annual Alabama Book Festival, down in Montgomery is on Saturday, April 21st from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
  2. Also on Saturday, April 21st is the Birmingham Reads – Brookwood Celebration at Brookwood Mall from 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
  3. Running the full weekend is the third annual Used-Book Sale at St. Francis of Assisi. I have no clue as to how the pickings will be this year, but I’m told that there will be tons of books again. They have a $5 wine/cheese “get in first to buy/preview party” Friday night. The sale continues Saturday, 21st from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sunday, April 22nd from 1 p.m.-5 p.m. They also have a silent auction planned for some signed first editions.

Phew. I have no idea how much I’ll be able to squeeze into this weekend. I hope you get to make it out and about though.

Homewood Library Used-Book Store

Here is a quick photo tour of the used-book store that is maintained by the Homewood Library’s Friends of the Library Group. It’s located downstairs at the Homewood Library and is open:

  • Monday-Friday 10:00 a.m.-4 p.m.
  • Saturday 10:00 a.m.-2 p.m.

 

This is by far the best library bookstore to visit if you are looking for magazines. They have shelves and shelves of magazines that I’ve never heard of, plus all of the big popular ones. If magazines and journals are your thing – THIS is the shop you have to visit. Magazines cost ten cents each.

The whole used-bookstore is pretty big, divided among three rooms, with a so-so turnover in the Fiction shelves. Most everything is discarded library books. Though finding donated copies (with no library stickers or stamps) isn’t uncommon. I have seen First Edition books priced at $5 and they do keep a 50 cent table, which is always worth glancing through when you’re at the library.

The first thing to do when you arrive is look down just inside the door. There is a cardboard box there with Free Stuff in it. It’s usually just magazines, maps, photos, etc. but you may find something there. Also, in the magazine room, there is another bookshelf unit and another box with free books and magazines for the taking.

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New CEO at Books-A-Million

While overall revenue and sales are down, from the previous year, Books-A-Million’s CEO Clyde Anderson is stepping aside. Starting March 13, 2012, the CEO seat will be filled by Terry Finley. Finley will add the job to his current duties. So his title will now be CEO/President/COO. That’s quite a business card!

Books-A-Million is based in Birmingham. They closed 21 stores and opened 41 new stores in the past year, giving them a total of 256 stores in 31 states.