Fresh Blood (no, this isn’t about Stephenie Meyer)
There’s a fresh face at R.J. Julia’s. Lily Bartels is our new store manager, & we get the impression she’s as happy to be here as we are happy to have her. Formerly a bookseller at The Open Door in Schenectady, she’s mastered the gamut of managing: people, books, inventory – but insists that, even more than poring over spreadsheets, she really loves to share her passion for her favorite books on the sales floor.
I’m ecstatic to be back in a bookstore, and not just any independent bookstore, but R.J. Julia’s – it’s amazing.
I hope you’ll come in and introduce yourself, but until then, here is a little Q & A to help you get acquainted.
Are you good with plants? My oldest plant, named Bertrand, is 41-years-old.
How did you celebrate your 50th birthday? As a present to myself I changed my name to Lily; no, I won’t tell you what I 
changed it from.
Favorite concert: The latest Springsteen – I’ve seen him 15 or 20 times, & he always gets better.
Favorite word: Zimbabwe – sounds and feels wonderful coming off the tongue.
Is there a Mr. Bartels? Yes, I first noticed him 38 years ago at college, because he was the guy with the longest hair on campus. He used to work for a wine distributor, so two things we’ve always had lots of in our lives have been books and champagne.
Pet Peeve: People who are proud of their ignorance.
We’ll see you in the store soon!
4 comments September 18, 2009
One Bookseller’s (& Mom’s) Perspective
My son left yesterday for his second deployment to Iraq. I thought, after the last one two years ago, that I could not face another – and I was right. But, being a good bookseller, I sought some solace in reading and finding out. And After the Prophet has helped to at least put some perspective on the words and pre-conceived ideas that float around as I listen to the news.
This is a history of how and why there is this rift in Islam between the Sunni and Shia. Starting with the death of Muhammad in the seventh century, this divide remains and defines the resentment and hatreds that continue to today with no sign of stopping. I know nothing of this religion that my son has been put in the middle of, the hatred that he faces daily, but this wonderfully written history is somehow a help – knowledge is a defuser of fear. It may not make it better, but it may make it easier. My thanks to Lesley Hazleton for writing clearly for the layman, and making a difficult, complex subject comprehensible. I’ll let you know how the boy is doing….
Nancy
3 comments September 15, 2009
It was a Dark & Stormy Lost Symbol Contest
As you might be aware,The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown’s first book since The Da Vinci Code, is being released September 15th. We have one autographed copy coming our way, and of course we’re going to give it to one lucky customer. However, we’re going to make you work for it.
Here’s the deal: we want you to write what you think the first line of The Lost Symbol should be – and be as creative, funny, or weird as you like. Points will be given for posture and comportment. Employees of R.J. Julia, Random House, and Dan Brown are not eligible.
The only thing we know about the book is that Robert Langdon returns, and it’s set in Washington DC. Who knows, maybe zombies and vampires will figure prominently. Leave a comment below, or email books@rjjulia.com.
Karen
p.s. We’ll be giving you all a 30% discount for all pre-orders; click here to get a copy.
10 comments September 4, 2009
The Art of Handselling
Man, did I have a blast this Saturday working on the sales floor. As the adult book buyer, I spend most of my time holed up in my small but well-decorated office (see video for proof of my latent interior design talents). Ah, the glamor of being a buyer – to be honest, I probably spend 80% of my time looking for or rewriting my to-do lists in an effort to get organized.
So it’s especially fun to get on the sales floor, talk with real people (i.e., you), and help you find books we’re pretty sure you’ll love. My greatest triumph this weekend was handselling four copies of Await Your Reply by Dan Chaon. And watch out for the petite woman with the long dark/silver hair – she won’t let you walk out of the store without a copy of A Gate at the Stairs in your hands. Now, the great thing about working for an independently-owned store is that you only have to talk about 1) stuff you know your customer will love, or 2) stuff that you really love (not stuff that the Home Office told you to love).
The word “handselling” has slightly sinister connotations, but it’s really pretty benign. All it means, at R.J. Julia’s, is showing you books that we think you will love, in a helpful but not pushy way, using the collective opinions of our booksellers and their shelftalkers to guide you to the perfect read. We’re also not afraid to un-handsell: “I don’t think you’ll enjoy this,” or “I tried this book and couldn’t get past the second chapter.” Last week a gentleman came up to the counter with the new hardcover Stieg Larsson, The Girl Who Played with Fire; since he hadn’t read the first one, I had him put it back and buy the paperback instead. (It’s a good thing we don’t work on commission; the store was short some $20!) Then there’s the hazard of over-selling, which I’ve been guilty of; there’s a fine line between conveying passion vs mania.
When I’m recommending books, I try to break them down to two categories: the book that will change your life, and the book that won’t change your life, but will keep you really good company for a few days. Personally, I can only take so much Proust and Dostoevsky. (Who am I kidding, I can take very little Proust and Dostoevsky.)
The
n, there are the customers who turn the tables on us – when Natalie comes by, I end up buying a stack of books. When I see her headed toward the mystery section I groan – I know my wallet is going to be lighter by a couple of bills. She’s introduced me to the Bill Slider series by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles; the first, Orchestrated Death, has just been reissued. And Natalie is why East of the Sun is in staff suggestions.
Enough of my yakkin’, what’s your favorite book to recommend to friends, and what do you love so much about it? I’m an unrepentant evangelist for The Deptford Trilogy by Robertson Davies. It’s simply the best book ever written; I want to develop amnesia so I can read it again for the first time. (Any volunteers to bonk me over the head? I thought so; the line starts in the parking lot.)
I can’t wait to hear from you!
Karen
ps. We are sooo high tech – click on title or picture to purchase books!
4 comments September 2, 2009
Books for Men
As I lay here at 6 am, listening to the garbagemen (note to self: is there a more PC term? Trash removal operatives?) hurl the recycling into the truck (some good citizen went through lots of glass last week), the first thing I groggily think to myself, aside from, “Coffee, please,” is, “Do we have enough fiction for men?”
Aside from Mitch, Jake, and Jason, we have a surfeit of estrogen working at the store, and it can be an issue when helping guys find a good novel that’s not written by James Patterson. Thankfully, this fall the cavalry has arrived in the form of tons of great fiction that should appeal to everyone, regardless of gender. I’ve already talked about the amazing Await Your Reply by Dan Chaon. What follows are just a couple of the fall titles that feature gripping yet thoughtful writing about guys: fathers, sons, and brothers.
Spooner by Pete Dexter: A very funny story of a former baseball protegee turned newspaper columnist and his stepfather, who sticks by his son when his bad luck and very bad judgment end him up in hot water time and again. I want to read it for these two scenes: a navel burial at sea that goes real bad, and a literary luncheon featuring Spooner and Margaret Truman that ends with a stampede of little old ladies. Out September 24.
Homer and Langley by E.L. Doctorow: The Collyer brothers lived in a mansion on Fifth Avenue, two hermits surrounded by mountains of newspapers and discarded science projects. Based on a true story, the advance word is that this is another Doctorow masterpiece; both Julie and Suzanne are reading it now and loving it. Out September 1.
What do you think: Men, who are some of your favorite fiction writers or novels? Do you shy away from certain types of stories? Please comment!
Karen
3 comments August 28, 2009
College 101
And they’re off! Don’t send your darlings off to college without a few words of wisdom to help them navigate life.
Debbie spent an evening reliving her misspent youth with her (of age) son, his friends, and some competition beer. If she’d had a copy of The Book of Beer Pong she may have won a few rounds. Tips include how to trash talk your opponents, grip the ball, name your team, and pick uniforms.
Your child is sure to be a hit with his or her suitemates with a copy of The CollegeHumor Guide to College tucked in their duffel bag. This book covers the, er, non-academic side of college: Food, Health, and Laundry; Greek Life; Spring Break. On second thought, they’ll probably figure all of this out with no help from you.
If you want send your child off with some actual, practical, real advice, How to Survive Your Freshman Year is Debbie’s favorite book to recommend. Written by students themselves, this book offers advice on all kinds of situations, including some they might not feel comfortable discussing with Mom or Dad. You’ll feel better sneaking this into their first CARE package.
There, parents, now that you don’t have to set a good example, you can do all those things you’ve been dreaming about for 18 years. Or maybe you should take a page from Debbie’s book. Wouldn’t it be great if you could outfox your offspring in a game of beer pong during Thanksgiving break?
Karen
Click on the titles to order.
Add comment August 25, 2009
Great Fall Fiction
I hope this isn’t too annoying, but I’m going to talk about some books before they’re in bookstores. This is going to be a great season for fiction, and you’ll need to schedule accordingly if you hope to keep up. Okay, take a deep breath – here we go…
I’m very much looking forward to plunking Await Your Reply into lots of people’s hands. Five pages in, I couldn’t stop reading: a man is racing his college-age son to the hospital, the son’s severed hand sitting in a cooler on the car seat. Dan Chaon tells the story of three people – Ryan, the disaffected college student; Lucy, small-town high school girl who runs off with her teacher; Miles, who is searching for his long-lost and mentally disturbed twin brother. How he ties these threads together makes for one of the best novels I’ve read in a very long time. Out next Tuesday the 25th.
Way back in May, at Book Expo in New York, this was the novel I heard the most buzz about. A Gate at the Stairs is Lorrie Moore’s first novel in over a decade (her previous book, Birds of America, was a staff favorite). A young college girl becomes part-time nanny in upstate New York; this is a post-9/11 coming-of-age story that Kathryn says is “exquisite and haunting.” Look for this one September 1st.
I can do no better than to reprint Nancy’s rave for The Children’s Book by A.S. Byatt in full:
“There is nothing better than a dysfunctional British family (see Evelyn Waugh). This engrossing, brilliant book woke me up at 4am, saying, ‘I could read for just half an hour and still get some sleep.’ While I wouldn’t want to go drinking with the Wellwoods, I’d love to be a fly on the wall in the home of this wonderfully crazed family.” This will be released on October 6th.
And there are so many more that we have stacked on our coffee tables and nightstands: new novels and short stories by E.L. Doctorow, William Trevor, John Irving, Audrey Niffenegger, and Alice Munro. For those of you who follow forthcoming fiction, what are you most excited about? We’d love to hear from you; please leave a comment below.
Karen
ps Click on any title for more information, or to preorder.
1 comment August 20, 2009
Mad Libs for Grown Ups
When my buddy Laura & I go out for our weekly guacamole and margaritas, we like to test our respective wits over a friendly game of trivia (okay, make that not so friendly – we once got into a heated debate over who sang Dream Weaver - Leo Sayer vs. Gary Wright). The prize: the fifth shrimp in the appetizer plate.
Next Thursday I’m bringing Who’s the Blonde Who Married What’s-His-Name. Basically, this is a combo of Mad Libs for adults and a trivia game; hard to explain but a lot of fun. For example:
What’s the CLASSIC GIRLS’ BOOK ABOUT LIFE OUT WEST that sort of sounds like that weekly NPR SHOW THAT WAS MADE INTO A MOVIE with that TALL GUY FROM MINNESOTA who always talks about the news from SOMEPLACE SAD?
Check out their website, or come into the store or click here to grab a copy.
Karen
ps If you bet Leo Sayer, you & I both lost the shrimp.
Add comment August 18, 2009
Children’s Story Hour
Another installment from the hilarious Book vs. Kindle series created by Green Apple Books in San Francisco. (Click here to see the whole series.)
This video sponsored by J & B.
Add comment August 14, 2009
Urban Fantasy
Suzanne is our most senior bookseller (not in age, but in longevity). If you’re looking for fast-paced women’s fiction (think Tan Lines or The Women’s Room) or a great mystery, she’s your girl. Look for the bookseller with the blonde – no wait, red – no, wait brown – hair.
I recently discovered a genre of books that I might have passed by, except my bookclub (Treacherous Tomes – we read mystery, true crime, & horror – please come by!) decided to read: Urban Fantasy. What, you might ask, is this? Urban Fantasy books are set in the real world but have supernatural content, are dark, and are sometimes even racy. There are lots of great new authors out there, but here are three of my favorites (check out the links to their websites for more info).
Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files are about Harry Dresden, a professional wizard and private eye. If you start with the first book, Storm Front, you won’t want to stop. I must confess to having a slight crush on Harry (even if he is a fictional character!).
I also really love the Sookie Stackhouse southern vampire series 
by Charlaine Harris. Sookie is a telepathic waitress and part-time sleuth. I was totally captivated as she solved mysteries populated with vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural beings. And along the way, she finds love with Bill the Vampire. Start with the first one, Dead Until Dark.
Next on my list to try is Laurell Hamiliton and her Anita Blake series. Blake is a female necromancer and encounters all sorts of creepy creatures, and these books tend toward the dark and erotic.
With the increased popularity of Urban Fantasy, there are lots of new titles and authors to choose from – click on any of these titles for more info, or come by the store & check out our display – ask for me – I’ll be the one with the teeth marks on my neck.
Suzanne
Who are your favorite Urban Fantasy authors? Write a couple of lines, and we’ll add it to our Customer Reviews page.
6 comments August 12, 2009
