And Then I Read... by Merry at Annie's-Sharon

Here we go again!

I don't have a new book report for you yet, because I'm dragging my feet on Lois Bujold's "Captain Vorpatril's Alliance". It's not that it's not a wonderful book (it is, it is!) - the problem is that I don't want to finish it too quickly because then I won't have another Vorkosigan for who-knows-how-long. So, I'm stretching out the enjoyment as far as I can.  I've been wanting a book about That-Idiot-Ivan (as Aral Vorkosigan always called him) for years, and now those flashes of not-an-idiot that have shown up in previous books are showing up as complete camouflage. The book begins with Ivan getting hooked into helpfulness by an old friend who happens to be a spy - "Just keep an eye on this young lady for me, Ivan - I thin someone's trying to hurt her," coaxes Byerly. Ivan knows the whole situation may well devolve into disaster, but he just can't resist a gorgeous damsel in distress...

I will give a short report on the recent 25th Annie-versary party and three-author signing held at the shop on November 17th, though. Ashlyn Chase, Mia Marlowe, and Isabel Cooper greeted many enthusiastic fans in the course of the afternoon, and autographed a lot of books. The readers enjoyed meeting and talking with the writers, and everyone seemed to enjoy the table of homemade goodies - including a large "open book" cake, "Forgotten Cookies", chocolates, and pink lemonade punch. More than a dozen gift-wrapped hardcover books were give away, along with copies of RT Book Reviews Magazine. Four lucky people won prizes in the drawing - Joan, Melissa, Rhonda, and Donna. 

I'd like to offer special thanks to Paul, who disassembled the entire front end of the shop and set up tables and displays, and then spent more hours on Monday morning, reassembling everything. I do believe this place would grind to a halt without him!

On another subject entirely, there was a wonderful essay in this Sunday's "Parade Magazine" by Richard Russo, paying homage to the crucial role bookstores can still play in our lives. It can be read in full at parade.com, or at the shop, where it will be posted until the paper turns yellow, I think. To quote, "To me, bookstores remain places of wonder". I must agree; I can't think of any other place in which I'd want to spend so much time. And that's a good thing, considering what I've chosen to be when I grow up....