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13015 Larchmere Blvd.
Shaker Hts., OH 44120
216.795.9800

harriett@logan.com

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INDEPENDENTS WEEK
Friday, July 3, 2009
Harriett

Happy Independents Week! Celebrate your local independents this week -- whether they be in books, music, restaurants or what have you. Hard to imagine what your community would look like without any independent retailers, isn't it? Just imagine half the streets you usually drive down lined with vacant properties (a depressing thought, yes). It's not unfathomable. So, please, show your love. Your hometown community -- wherever you are -- will appreciate it.

Need more information on the economic impact of supporting your local businesses? Check out these resources: amiba's benefits of doing business locally, San Francisco Retail Diversity Study, ABA Emerging Leaders, the Data Commons Project, and I Buy NEO. As I write this blog, we have a tourist browsing here who is an employee from the corporate headquarters of Borders. That's kinda cool.

Flea Gallery Gene Epstein ANNEX GALLERY
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Harriett

Every month, it's something new in the Annex Gallery. But this transition may be the most stark contrast yet! You see, for the Larchmere Flea Market, we decided to get in on the game by using the Annex Gallery as our month-long flea market area. We had old wooden toys, dolls, games, vintage clothing, hats, gloves & accessories, prints, posters, tea sets, old table lighters, candles, glass mushrooms, calendars, cards . . . and some books. Yeah, lots of stuff, a smorgasbord of interesting and assorted things.

This month, Gene Epstein's art show has returned the space to its roots as art gallery. She has 15 pastel landscapes on the walls and 10 folded books on little stands. It's a pretty show, with a sophisticated feel. Come to the opening reception tonight at 6pm, and refresh yourself.

JEOPARDY!

Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Sarah

In the last week of May, 2009, I went to Chicago to participate in an audition for the television show “Jeopardy!” The audition was actually the second step in the process of trying to be a Jeopardy contestant; the first step was taking an online test. The online test is offered only a couple times a year, and is given at a specific hour on a certain date that varies by time zone. You have to register on the Jeopardy website at least a day before, and then log in before the start time. At the time of registration you are prompted to select the city where you would like to audition (if you pass); I chose Chicago, since of the 10 or so options that was the closest to Cleveland. The 50-question test runs as follows: a single question appears on the screen; you have 15 (I think) seconds to type an answer in the little box; you don’t have to answer in the form of a question; you aren’t penalized for wrong answers. At the end of the test, a message appears saying thank you for taking the test, you will be contacted for an audition if you scored well enough, but we will never tell you your actual score on this test.

I took the online test in late January. I received an email in mid-April saying “Congratulations! You have been selected for a follow-up appointment at an upcoming Jeopardy! contestant search for the Chicago area, exclusively for those who successfully passed the online test.” The email told me my date and time for the audition (May 29, 9am), and gave me two business days to RSVP, or else my slot could go to someone else. I wasn’t sure yet if I could really do it, but I said “yes” anyway, just in case. I asked permission from Harriett to skip work that day so I could try to be on Jeopardy. She graciously allowed me to go – on the condition that I blog about it, of course!

My audition was held at the Westin hotel in downtown Chicago. I arrived early (as instructed), and was given a form to fill out that asked for my name, address, age, occupation, and if I’d ever been on a game show before, if I knew anyone who’d been on Jeopardy, if I knew anyone who worked for Jeopardy’s parent company, etc. I counted 21 people in the room (including me); 12 female, 9 male, ranging in age from early 20’s (like me) to late 60’s (or so). We all had our picture taken with a Polaroid camera, and were given an answer sheet for another 50-question test. This test was similar to the first one: a series of questions on a video screen, with 15 seconds to write your answer on the correct line of the answer sheet. I felt pretty good about this test; I was certain of at least 75% of my answers. At the conclusion of the test, the Jeopardy officials (there were 2 men and a tech guy) collected our answer sheets, our audition form, our Polaroid pictures, and the list we’d been told to bring with us with 5 interesting facts about us. They scored our tests in another room, giving us about 15 minutes to sit around and chat. We were told that our scores would not be revealed.

The next step in the audition was a mock Jeopardy game. We were called up in sets of 3 to stand before the pull-down screen onto which a Jeopardy game board was projected from the tech guy’s laptop. We were allowed to use three actual Jeopardy buzzers to “ring in” during the game, and given careful instructions in the correct usage of the buzzers: keep clicking until you get called on; don’t ring in before Alex Trebek has finished reading the entire question, or you will be locked out. Each set of three people got a few minutes to play, with the Jeopardy officials making sure to give each person a chance to be called on first and to ask for the next question. Then the officials would ask each person, going down the line, to tell a little about themselves. They would prompt people from their list of 5 facts, so everyone could tell a “story”. They also asked what you would do with any money you might win on the show. Most people (including me) said “travel.”

When everyone had been given their chance to play the mock game, it was officially over. We were told that we had an 18-month window of eligibility, in which we might receive a phone call inviting us to come to Los Angeles to appear on the show. If you don’t receive a call, just keep waiting until the 18 months are up, and then try again. We were also told that there are 400 slots for adult contestants per season – so your odds of getting that phone call are actually pretty slim. It felt rather anti-climactic as we all filed out of the testing room, but kind of exhilarating as well. I had fun, and it was definitely an experience I’m glad I didn’t pass up. If I ever do get that magical phone call, I’ll let you all know!

AUTHOR ALLEY EXTRAVAGANZA
Monday, June 29, 2009
Harriett

We had a great time at the Larchmere Flea Market & Festival. It was a beautiful day, tons of people, vendors, authors, and community folk strolling the street checking it all out. Many thanks to the small group of volunteers that made this Festival happen, and to the incredible group of authors we assembled here at Loganberry. What a great crowd.

Thanks also to the blog mentions by Karen Sandstrom, Laura Taxel and the upcoming podcast produced by Gail and Steve Bellamy.

ALL THINGS FLEA
Thursday, June 24, 2009
Harriett

At last count, we have 65 vendors, 40 authors, a dozen Passport Project dancers, and one Rocket Car coming to the Larchmere Flea Market & Festival this Saturday. There are always tons of last-minute requests, questions, and registrants, so the phone rings constantly. I'll be relieved when the whole thing is over. But, in the meantime, we're gearing up for a great Festival, and I hope to see you all there! We're adding some cool vintage clothing, glass paperweights, London memorabilia and a Steinberg Paris portfolio to our offerings in the Annex Gallery now. Anything goes!

NEWSFLASH
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Harriett

I am not procrastinating: cleaning up my desk (i.e., the checkout counter) is a very serious and important job. And it must be done before the Larchmere Flea Market & Festival on Saturday. So, the doors are locked and I'm grinding here after hours to do the deed. It's the only way it'll get done.

But I interrupt this very important task for an even more important message: our libraries. Apparently, Ohio Govenor Ted Strickland has decided to balance the budget by slashing funding to public libraries by 50%. That's in addition to the cuts they're already weathered, and you know that means closings, staff lay-offs, fewer hours and resources available to the people who need them most. I'm not even talking about books. Even without new books, think about the public community center that is the public library. Where will people go for GED advice, job counseling, meeting rooms, computer access, after-school safe place?!?

Save our libraries. Visit these sites to make your message heard. Now. The vote is coming on June 26th. For more information, watch this video. And visit the Cleveland Public Library for easy links to write to your congresspeople and senators. There's a rally tomorrow downtown, too.

PORCHFEST
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Harriett

A new neighborhood event will enliven Larchmere this weekend: live music from the porches! As you take a tour of the neighborhood on Saturday, 20 acoustic bands will entertain you, 2-6pm. Then head to Shaker Square at 6pm for three more bands (with amps), and off to the after-party at Boulevard Blue at 9pm. It'll be a big day of music!

On Larchmere Boulevard itself, here's the line-up:
2pm - Vine & Bean: Ryann Guitar Anderson
3pm - Felice: Russian Duo
5pm - The Academy Tavern: Martin & Marshall
9pm - Boulevard Blue: Martini Five-0

Check www.LarchmerePorchfest.org for more info, maps, and schedules.
Amazing Press... Preview pieces in the Plain Dealer and Cleveland Scene! And a video posted on Cleveland.com.

McGUFFEY'S READERS: THE MYTH AND THE REALITY
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Harriett

Long before Dick and Jane was McGuffey. McGuffey's Readers marked a generation of young children, and their worn tan covers can bring an old-timer back to childhood in a flash. More than nostalgia items, however, McGuffey shaped several generations and the entire field of American education, with at least 120 million copies sold between 1836 and 1960.

Reene Alley is a longtime collector and historian of McGuffey's Readers. Come learn more about the legacy of McGuffey, both the myths and the reality. NOBS Forums meets every third Thursday; this Forum will be on Thursday, June 18th at 7:00. See you there.

WEST WING
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Harriett

Can't believe I ate the whole thing. But I did: seven seasons of the The West Wing, in seven months. I'm done with television for a long while now, but I did enjoy this fast-paced soap opera. And I'll miss those guys.

NEW EMPLOYEES
Friday, June 12, 2009
Harriett

We welcome two new part-time employees to Loganberry: Josie and Joy! Josie will be in charge of the non-fiction room and re-ordering new books, as well as taking care of the authors at the Local Author Book Fair coming up on June 27th. Joy will be in charge of the children's and art books, as well as Stump the Bookseller and helping out with the Larchmere Flea Market & Festival (also June 27th). Yeah, once we get into July we'll be able to breathe a little easier over here, and Josie and Joy will be able to relax into their roles and pick up new expertise. Looking forward to it; and already hard at work. Otis gives his squee of approval.

WRITE A LETTER
Friday, June 12, 2009
Amy

So Liesl's got a deck of word flash cards she likes to practice reading with, and she brings them to the breakfast table the other morning. Her, brown, five, ride, etc. All's going well, she's struggling a little but working to sound out the words. And then she gets to "bed". Ded. Beb. No, I tell her, this is a b, this is a d. Bed. Well, that's it. The cards go on the floor, she goes stomping off --

"It's too hard! They point the same way! Write a letter to the company!"

ABSTRACTIONS
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Catapiwwa

Two wonderful visuals found online today. I offer them with no explanation, go and discover for yourself.

http://www.jacksonpollock.org/
Books from Heaven, Books from Earth (by Xu Bing)

JOB OPENING
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Otis

With the departure of Sarah (see below), there is a vacancy in my Otis Fan Club. I hereby seek fulfillment! I am looking for a smart and friendly person with strong initiative to join our team. Basic computer skills are necessary (you've got ten fingers, surely you can type better than this feline), and particular knowledge of say, HTML or Access, is a bonus. Basic book sense is also essential, although harder to measure. Perhaps you have a great knowledge of art history or children's literature? Or cat literature?

As a small and independent business, Loganberry doesn't have super high wages, but it's respectable and commensurate upon experience. Benefits are nonexistent, but perks are many, including a super-cool place to work, good music, credit on books, purple shirts, blogging opportunities and a chance to hang out with me, the super cool and cuddly Otis. We're looking for someone to work 15-30 hours per week, year-round. Please send a resume and a paragraph explaining why you want to work at Loganberry Books to harriett@logan.com.

FAREWELL, SARAH
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Harriett

Sarah Cristy has worked for Loganberry for only a year and a half, but she's ensconced herself well here. In addition to the usual bibliophile work, she has been in charge of Stump the Bookseller updates and Book Club selection and shipping. She's a board member of the Otis fan club, and hosts a wealth of knowlege in young adult literature, particularly fantasy. She also ran the Austeniana book club that meets here on the fourth Thursdays of the month, and I'm probably forgetting other duties which will no doubt kick me in the butt when I realize they've been left undone. But off to Michigan she goes, and we wish her the best of luck. Interviews for her replacement now commence, albeit with a sigh. Oh yeah -- she promises her blog entry about the Jeopardy trial process soon.

NICE QUIET DAY
Friday, May 29, 2009
Harriett

Tons of professional bookies are in NYC at the annual Book Expo, and my world feels a-twitter for missing it. Peter Yarrow sang, Neil Gaimon is signing, publishers and authors at every turn, lots of interesting seminars, and a bevy of freebies of bookbags, galleys, ARCs, and promo materials.

But I'm in Cleveland. Indians won, Cavs won, but that doesn't help a bookie like me. Rebecca went off to the Shaw Festival in Canada, before passports are required in June. Sarah went to Chicago to take a Jeopardy test (I told her she had to blog about the experience, stay tuned). The "other" Sarah is wrapping up book club. Otis is taking a nap. And Brenda entertains and taunts me with tales from the sunny south. My desk is *still* a mess, and yes, that is the news from Loganberry today.

TWITTERVERSE
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Harriett

For those of you not familiar with Twitter, here's a taste: some fun and fantastic, unrelated tidbits I gleaned from Twitter today. Great stuff, eh? Yeah, and my desk would surely be cleaned if I did NOT have a twitter account...

Watch us publish a book in 48 hrs and come participate! Book: The Sequel schedule now online: http://bit.ly/5nivI (via @BookSequel)
food-safety advocate offers to pay for Michael Pollan's fee at Washington State U, after book is dropped from University's reading list. http://tinyurl.com/plhna4 (via @roncharles)
Around Noon: Michael Ruhlman and The Cavani String Quartet http://tr.im/mzeE (via @WCPN)
Grassroots Campaign Cleans Up Estonia in One Day. Watch video: http://tinyurl.com/pgny8r (via @chelseagreen)
Can a student maintain a lending library of banned books in her school locker? http://bit.ly/NfK0Q (via @roncharles)
The Friends of CPL invite you to apply for a 2009 Eugenia Thornton Cleveland Public Library Patron Scholarship: http://tinyurl.com/p8qfkm (via @Cleveland_PL)
Can I just tip all of Manhattan once and be done with it? (via @billba)
A look at what we do: Building wealth for inner-city residents: http://www.wksu.org/news/story/23426 (via @CleveFoundation)
At dentist's for cleaning. Reading magazines in waiting room. It looks like Hilary Clinton is the democrats' only hope for the presidency. (via @neilhimself)
Confucius cat rethink: Pavlov's response for cats-cat salivates, cat rings bell, human jumps, human gets food for cat. (via @ConfuciusCat)
The more things change... GM Gas-Electric Hybrid Car Ad From... 1969! http://bit.ly/fWkvP (via @TreeHugger)
Taking Stock: Certificate for 50 shares of The Southern Publication Corporation, issued July 18, 1911. Found in.. http://tinyurl.com/q6fpp3 (yesterday via @ForgottenBkmrks)
Here is an unbelievably cute video of baby otters. http://is.gd/Imei (via @daveburdick)
New bookstore cats for A Novel Idea in Lincoln, Nebraska. http://tinyurl.com/ph7y6s (via Shelf Awareness e-newsletter, so I tweeted it)

BLACK SWALLOWTAIL
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Gene

You may remember that late last summer we had a catterpillar on some queen anne's lace, then we had a cocoon. Well, our black swallowtail emerged this Sunday, May 24th. A few days earlier I had seen the cocoon wiggling back and forth, but then it stopped, so I assumed that the wind had caught it. We were not there to see it emerge, but Ellie spotted it soon after. It clung to the stick for 5-10 minutes. It flew to the ground and walked in fits and starts about 6 feet along the driveway. Then it took off and flew away and landed up in a tree. An hour later it circled around Ellie's head in the back yard before flying away forever. What a thrill!

GLORIOUS SPRING
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Harriett

It was a gorgeous day for a sidewalk sale on Saturday, and indeed the customers thought so, too. Spring in Cleveland is a glorious thing: we are so hungry and grateful for warm sunny weather that people come out of the woodwork just to walk around. Several families of goslings are out at Shaker Lakes, and like their proud parents, we are drawn to the water. My annual peace party celebration was on Monday (two days off in a row, it really is a glorious thing), and that was nice too. Now it's Monday, or rather Tuesday, and a new chapter begins. We'll call it the summer season.

SPRING SIDEWALK SALE
Friday, May 22, 2009
Harriett

Running around like crazy trying to get ready for the Sidewalk Sale tomorrow. Presently there are 15 boxes and various unsorted stacks of new acquisitions by the round table just inside the front door... these must disappear by tomorrow... But that just means there will be tons of NEW STUFF to look at tomorrow, and it will all be 20% off! In addition to that, we have some gorgeous remainders that will be 50% off (which equals 1/4th of the original publisher's price). Come check it out and see if I got my work done. :-)

AH, THE WRITTEN WORD
Wednesday, May 21, 2009
Harriett

Members of the Authors Guild gathered in NYC to celebrate Dave Eggers for his work with the 826 National, a nonprofit writing and tutoring centers aimed for children ages six through eighteen. Eggers spoke about the power and promise of writing. "Nothing has changed! The written word—the love of it and the power of the written word—it hasn’t changed. It’s a matter of fostering it, fertilizing it, not giving up on it, and having faith."

Speaking of faith, Google's annual children's contest focused on answering the question "what I wish for the world." I can't resist a Google image with a turtle and a butterfly on it. Gotta keep working, though. In the new tech news today, once again there is a clash between technology's disregard for copyright laws and its desire for censorship: check out the fate of Eucalyptus.

ROCKY RIVER BOOK FESTIVAL
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Harriett

Rocky River Public Library is hosting a huge local author event on Saturday. Featured authors include James Jessen Badal, Peter Chakerian, Casey Daniels, Dick Feagler, Nina Gibans, David Giffels, Michael Heaton, Bill Kenney, Doris O’Donnell, William Price, and Sarah Willis. I'll be there too, giving informal book appraisals.

Report from the Festival: close to 50 authors in attendance! In the appraisal department, here are some things I saw. A bad set of Shakespeare, Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, sets of O'Henry and Kipling with red rot, a beautiful leatherbound set of John Fiske, Kipling's Dog Stories illustrated and signed by Kirmse, My Father Mark Twain written by and signed by his daughter Clara Clemens, a biography of Amelia Earhardt, a Victorian autograph album, a handmade illuminated book on the 23rd Psalm, a signed Bob Hope, 1765 German Bible bound in snakeskin on wood, several nondescript primers, an incomplete set of Harvard Classics, a series of poetry signed by Edgar Guest, Gore Vidal's first novel Williwaw inscribed with photograph, Playdollies by Lee and Pearson (Whitman), an early German devotional, a very nice privately printed leatherbound book, 19th C etiquette, American History set (Harvard), and various Victorian junk. It's interesting what people think might be valuable, and what treasures actually do lurk unexpectedly just around the corner...

CAPTAIN CLEO
Friday, May 15, 2009
Harriett

Cleo dons her super-hero costume! Attention all would-be cat criminals, the Cleo is here! (The costume was handmade by my goddaughter.)

In other cat news, I discovered Maru. There are several excellent YouTube videos of this loveable Scottish Fold who lives in Japan; my favorite is Big Box and Maru. (No, I'm not getting any work done.)

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE BOOKSELLER
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Harriett

stayed late last night cleaning and pricing new acquisitions so I could get them off the floor in time for Green Clean to clean this morning. Of course I was late, but at least the floor was cleared. Moved some furniture in the Annex Gallery for extra cleaning, too.
Answered email and answering machine messages.
Entertained employee Sarah's mother, who is visiting from California. Urged her to check out the Rockefeller Greenhouse and Lucy's Sweet Surrender in addition to the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage.
Scheduled a meeting for a new committee to research the possibility of starting a Business Improvement District on Larchmere.
Sold some books and cards, including pet sympathy card, The Aunt's Cookbook, etc.
Bought a $10 raffle ticket from Martel Salon for the chance to win a Buddy 125 scooter. It's bright orange; very cute.
Took a new photo of Otis, caught in the act of being too cute to allow me to get any work done. Posted it on the main page of LoganberryBooks.com and uploaded it to twitter, too. Wasted more time on twitter.
Pre-ordered The Sorcerer of the North, the next book to be published in the U.S. in the Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan. Customer says her son enjoys it as much as the Pendragon series.
Used the magic word "Clevavore" to get a free pastry from Vine & Bean with their exellent veggie pannini sandwich. Follow them on twitter @vineandbean to get those magic words.
Urged an octogenerian to give me cash for his graduation card purchase instead of a credit card. His wife said he'd forgotten how to use cash; I commended him for being hip with his spending habits. (yes, he gave 3 dollar bills for the sale...)
Coordinated some vendor issues for the upcoming Larchmere Flea Market and Festival.
Talked to a masonry contractor about building maintenance issues.
Booked the Annex Gallery for the coveted December month. Lucky artist: Ted Kurz, retired architect who used to have an office on Larchmere and who is now creating beautiful watercolor paintings of local scenes, including Larchmere and downtown Cleveland.
Sold some cards to a woman who is moving to Cleveland in August, and to a man with a young son and an Australian accent who said his son's class is collecting postcards from all over the world.
Updated the blog. It needed it.
(cont'd) tweaked another small database for addresses for potential vendors for the Flea Market, and printed out labels and played with stickers for a bit.
Retweeted Chelsea Green's warning that Frito-Lay and other massive corporations are gearing up to co-opt the locavore movement (surprise, surprise). This gave me a massive craving for potato chips.
Rebecca came in at 5pm after running around with errands all day. Quick sweep through e-mails, and we'll start again tomorrow.
Watched Otis yearn for the great outdoors as Ellie set up a makeshift screen door for the side door in Strong Bindery. It's a little frightening to tease him so....
Sister-in-law delivered an AC adaptor to recharge my new iTouch directly without going through a computer interface. Earlier in the day, ordered a case for the new toy from a link she sent (she says it doesn't need one, but I'm really rough on my toys).
Small but dedicated committee for the Flea Market met and split up phone call duties. Posters are ready, but we have to get the check from the fiscal agent and go pick them up.
It's after 7pm, but there was a new neighbor in checking out the store, and a customer picking up his special rush order from Strong Bindery. It's raining here in Cleveland.
Does anyone but my mother care for detail like this? Probably not, but it was kinda fun to write. I sometimes envision a twitter widget that rolls down a chronological list of random news like this, but I wouldn't want it on a public twitter stream for a hundred strangers to actually read. I'd just want to post it here on the blog, so if you happened by, you could tell I was still alive. I suppose that's possible, but still not necessary...

CLEVELAND ARTS PRIZE
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Harriett

Congratulations to this year's winners of the Cleveland Arts Prize! Many distinguised names here, but there are three I'd like to especially mention, as they are customers, neighbors, and authors all. (Yes, we have all their books.)

Thrity Umrigar: Thrity is Associate Professor of English at Case Western Reserve University, as well as the author of Bombay Time (2001), The Space Between Us (2006), If Today Be Sweet (2008), the memoir First Darling of the Morning (2008), and the just released The Weight of Heaven (2009). She was at Loganberry just a few weeks ago reading from her new work, which may very well win more prizes as the year progresses.

Mort Epstein: Mort has been producing engaging designs and works of art for more than seven decades. A 2007 exhibit and companion book, Mort Epstein: Sixty-Nine Years of Design at Ninety, chronicles the evolution of Epstein's visual style over decades. Mort is additionally well-known here as the founder of our neighboring business, Epstein Design Partners, and as the father of Gene Epstein, who works in Strong Bindery and plays every second Thursday night here as the leader of Gene's Jazz Hot.

Nina Gibans: Nina led a series of public forums on Cleveland's creative essence, which resulted in a book Creative Essence: Cleveland's Sense of Place. She was also editor of last year's Cleveland Poetry Scenes, which features a chronological history of the poetry scene in Cleveland, and she has served on the Board of Trustees for the Cleveland Artists Foundation for 25 years. She was in just today, and I made sure she signed all her books, and will join us for the Local Author Book Fair on June 27th.

BLUEBERRY GIRL
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Harriett

Neil Gaiman originally wrote this poem for a friend who was expecting a daughter. The story of why Neil wrote it, and how it came to be a picture book with illustrations by Charles Vee is almost as good as the story itself. That story, as well as an animated version of the illustrated poem are on HarperCollins' website, but the real book is of course better. It's the perfect Mother's Day gift or new baby gift. I've been a fan of Neil Gaiman for a while now, but I guess I've become a junkie. I can't help it; he's good.

CHATO'S KITCHEN
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Harriett

Chato, the coolest cat in East L.A., couldn't be happier when a family of mice move into the barrio. When Chato gets out the pots and pans to prepare a feast in honor of their new neighbors, he gets more than he can handle with the surprise guest the mice bring along.

We had almost 20 copies of this colorful picture book from a large acquisition we got from a former teacher. Chato's Kitchen by Gary Soto, illustrated by Susan Guevara, is a lovely story, but I swear it's a spin-off and I can't quite place it. Brothers Grimm? Aesop? Uncle Remus? The closest story I've found is an Anansi story, but it's not quite right. So if you know, send me a line, okay? In the meantime, we're delighted to share Chato and his barrio friends as a Cinco de Mayo special for many of our book club members of appropriate age. Don't eat too much, and be nice to your neighbors!

CORPORATE HAND-SELLING
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Harriett

Mimicking the strengths of of the indie bookstores, Borders Books & Music has initiated a hand-selling program. Except instead of the classic "what are you looking for?" -- "let me help you find a book for exactly that need" conversation, Borders has taken the totalitarian approach. Rather than asking or answering the customer's question/need, Corporate Headquarters has chosen a few titles that will fill the bill for any and all customers. Employees are given the mandate to push these corporate-approved titles, and in fact are given a quota for sales.

The Associated Press published a short article on the great sales reports these few suggested titles have generated. "With thousands of titles from which to choose, the idea was to select a few works favored by Borders national sales officials and promote them nationwide in the spirit of a local seller, from prominent placement to personally advocating ('hand-selling') books in the stores." They acknowledge that the technique is a little different from the time-honored staff picks or handselling concept, in that it is "more aggressive and more focused, with no more than two titles chosen at a time."

What this amounts to is little more than homogenized sales, exactly what national chains are known for, and what local independents are lauded for avoiding. In theory, this is just a human counterpart to a national sales campaign (are you sure there isn't a publisher deal involved here?). And they didn't mention the quotas. I know a longtime manager for Borders who was recently fired for not meeting these quotas -- not exactly a kumbaya family approach to business. Why bother hiring intelligent people if you don't let them think? Why bother selling tools for intellectual growth if there is only one approved choice? Isn't that just the formula for a totalitarian dictatorship?

5/7/09 Thanks Shelf Awareness for quoting a piece of this on your wonderful newsletter, and thanks to the many responses I've had from empathetic indie booksellers and bedraggled Borders employees.

IN MEMORIAM: MARILYN FRENCH
Monday, May 4, 2009
Harriett

With the publication of The Women's Room in 1977, Marilyn French was catapulted into feminist fame. Other works followed, notably Beyond Power: On Women, Men, and Morals (1985), The War Against Women (1992), Season in Hell: A Memoir (1998) about her struggle with cancer, and From Eve to Dawn: A History of Women (2002). In recent years, she had a hard time getting published, "partly because of the gains in women’s rights she had helped bring about," according to The New York Times. Isn't that just the bitter wave of feminism? And now we have lost Marilyn French, to heart failure, at age 79. Thank you, Ms. French, for fighting so hard for the rest of us.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PETE SEEGER!
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Harriett

May 3rd is Pete Seeger's 90th birthday. A living legend of folk songs and the power of public protest, Pete has been an inspiration to millions, even to those who don't like banjo (I've heard of those people). Living off-grid for decades and defying the HUAC Commission, Pete is no stranger to the maxim of practicing what you preach and walking the walk. Madison Square Garden in NYC is hosting a huge 90th birthday concert in Seeger's honor, with a star-studded cast. Proceeds will of course go to the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, which Pete founded to clean up the Hudson River.

You can send Pete a birthday card via Smithsonian's website or Facebook page.
5/4/09 For a review, start with USA Today and then go live on YouTube.

BUY INDIE DAY
Friday, May 1, 2009
Harriett

May 1^st has been declared Buy Indie Day. The idea: buy one book—paperback, hardcover, new, used, whatever you want!—at an independent bookstore near you. Yeah, we're game. We'll even give you 10% off if you say "buy indie" at the counter. If you need more warning than this blog affords, follow us on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook. :-) Another cool pro-indie website is the 3/50 Project.

REARRANGING
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Harriett

Sometimes I feel like I do nothing all day; and others we rearrange the store. And on some days, I do both. Today, in the "can you see the difference" department, we swapped positions of the "Epstein shelves" (so named for their previous owners) and the magazine cube. The good news: we have more space for books on collectibles, especially toys, dolls, knitting and quilting. The not-so-good news: no more "temporary" shelves available for the influx of holiday cards, when that season rolls around. We'll deal with that crisis later.

In the "who can tell" department, I offer up my desk. The image of Otis on the current homepage should provide enough commentary.

LIBRARY CAT
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Harriett / Elisabeth

Fidel, an eight-year-old black cat, turns up at Deal Library in Kent, UK, almost every day to check out the books and help the customers. Otis, meanwhile, has been climbing the shelves and I-beams here at Loganberry. Perhaps Fidel has some advice on staying on the ground? Or perhaps Otis is jealous of that black fur and was trying to dye his fur to match? Thanks to Elisabeth for the news via BBC.

EARLIEST KNOWN DUST JACKET
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Harriett

A librarian at Oxford's Bodleian Library has unearthed the earliest-known book dust jacket. Dating from 1830, the jacket wrapped a silk-covered gift book, Friendship's Offering.

Read more on the Guardian blog.

NEBULA AWARDS
Monday, April 27, 2009
Harriett

The Nebula Awards 2009 were presented on Saturday at a ceremony in Los Angeles. Here are the winners:

Novel: Powers - Ursula K. Le Guin (Harcourt, Sept 2007)
Novella: “The Spacetime Pool” - Catherine Asaro (Analog, Mar 2008)
Novelette: “Pride and Prometheus” - John Kessel (F&SF, Jan 2008)
Short Story: “Trophy Wives” - Nina Kiriki Hoffman (Fellowship Fantastic, ed. Greenberg and Hughes, Daw Jan 2008)
Script: “WALL-E” Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter (Walt Disney June 2008)
Andre Norton Award: Flora’s Dare: How a Girl of Spirit Gambles All to Expand Her Vocabulary, Confront a Bouncing Boy Terror, and Try to Save Califa from a Shaky Doom (Despite Being Confined to Her Room) - Ysabeau S. Wilce (Harcourt, Sept 2008)

Also in the news today, Samuel Morse's 218th birthday. Google says it all.

THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Harriett

Happy Birthday Strunk and White!

Professor William Strunk Jr. wrote the famous “Little Book” while teaching English at Cornell University. Andy (E. B.) White was one of his students in 1919, and remembered it fondly enough to first write about it in The New Yorker, and then to revise it for publication. And so, in 1959, the book we know as Strunk & White, but officially titled The Elements of Style, was published. It was revised twice again by White, and a third time by White’s stepson, Roger Angell, in 2000. Now a 50th Anniversary edition is available.

But it's Roger I want to commemorate for a moment, or rather, his son. For it was this progeny who invented how to end a sentence with five prepositions. In 1962, Andy wrote to a friend: "The next grammar book I bring out I want to tell how to end a sentence with five prepositions. A father of a little boy goes upstairs after supper to read to his son, but he brings the wrong book. The boy says, 'What did you bring that book that I don't want to be read to out of up for?' And how are YOU?"

Yes, I confirmed the quotation, even though I have it memorized. What a joy to leaf through Letters of E.B. White again, they are really marvelous. I'll spare you the agony, however; it's on page 492.

HAPPY EARTH DAY
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Harriett

Today's the day, since 1970. Here in Cleveland, the Earth Day Coalition has held an annual EarthFest at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo for 19 years (perhaps the longest consecutive such event). The hoardes at EarthFest continue to grow, but perhaps not the true commitment from the general public. Evidence: "Can I get two Wal-Mart bags?" (Wal-Mart was a corporate sponsor, no kidding.) ~ "Solar panels are ugly." ~ "Why aren't there federal zoning laws?" ~ "What's the payback on that?" ~ "I need a bag because I'm walking." ~ "Will the government pay for that?"

Get it together, folks. The time is now.

PULITZER PRIZE WINNERS
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Harriett

It's always exciting when a relative unknown wins a big award. Not that Olive Kitteridge has escaped critical praise; on the contrary, it's made many independent best picks, Nancy Pearl's list, and here in town was recommended by the head of the Cuyahoga Public Libraries, Sari Feldman. But please note that Elizabeth Strout won against big names like Philip Roth, John Updike, Toni Morrison, Annie Proulx, Jhumpa Lahiri, and the heavy favorite Marilynne Robinson. So, congratulations!

Fiction: Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (Random House)
Drama: Ruined by Lynn Nottage (Theatre Communications Group; not yet published)
History: The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family by Annette Gordon-Reed (Norton)
Biography: American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham (Random House)
Poetry: The Shadow of Sirius by W. S. Merwin (Copper Canyon Press)
General Nonfiction: Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II by Douglas A. Blackmon (Doubleday),

CASE FICTION READING
Monday, April 20, 2009
Harriett

Approximately 70 people showed up to hear the five Case writers read from their published and in-progress works. That's a lot of people! We enjoyed the high tea delicacies catered by Bon Appetite, and settled in to hear the good stuff. We had a dozen copies of headliner Thrity Umrigar's brand-new book available for sale, as well as her earlier works, and I'm dumbfounded that we didn't sell a single copy. Her fans were here in droves... Okay, here's the program list:

Thrity Umrigar, Associate Professor of English at CWRU, is the author of Bombay Time (2001), The Space Between Us (2006), If Today Be Sweet (2008), and the memoir First Darling of the Morning (2008). She read from her new novel, The Weight of Heaven, which debuted earlier this month.
Shelley Costa, a 1983 PhD, teaches creative writing at the Cleveland Institute of Art. Her stories, including the 2004 Edgar Award nominee “Black Heart and Cabin Girl,” have appeared in the Georgia Review, The World’s Finest Crime and Mystery Stories, North American Review, and Crimewave (UK). Shelley was scheduled to read from Blame, a mystery novel in progress, but she read from another mystery-in-progress instead (wow, two in the works!). That's Shelley in the photo above.
Sean Santa, a 2007 BA, is the author of Down and Out and: Prose, Poetry, Stories from Cleveland (2006). Now an MFA candidate at American University, he is working to complete a collection of short stories, Murdering Town, Ohio, and a book of poetry, Skyscrapers and Other Poems. He read “Quiet and a Sunday,” a story from Murdering Town, Ohio.
Gina Ventre, a 2002 BA, is in her second year in Ohio State University’s MFA program where she is being mentored by former CWRU professor Lee K. Abbott. Along with Sean Santa, she is a founding member of the Cleveland Heights Writing Group. Gina has been published in Storyglossia. She read an excerpt from her short story “Mansfield.”
Mary Grimm, Associate Professor of English at CWRU, is the author of Left to Themselves (1993) and a short story collection Stealing Time (1994). She read from her new novel in progress, The Dead Have Dreams

A LITTLE PRESS
Friday, April 17, 2009
Harriett

In today's Plain Dealer, Laura DeMarco offers a nice tidbit:

Each week, "Outside Opinion" asks a visitor or new resident what he or she likes best about Cleveland. This week, we chat with Andy Schwartz, 57, of New York City, a contributing writer on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum induction program. He was in town to attend the ceremony April 4. What did Schwartz like best about the city? "The palpable sense of excitement surrounding the week's events and the enthusiasm of the fans who attended the induction. "Also: An excellent dinner at Luxe; shopping at Record Revolution, Loganberry Books and Mac's Backs-Books On Coventry." But "the empty storefronts downtown and the abandoned houses on streets off Carnegie Avenue were very sad to see," he added.

She also highlighted some lesser-known smaller museums in town, with a photograph of The Dunham Tavern.

VIDEO OPTIMISM
Friday, April 17, 2009
Harriett

Some random pieces of video delight for you today, if you haven't already seen these treasures. (Obviously, procrastination and spring fever have set in.)

Susan Boyle becomes an overnight sensation on "Britain's Got Talent" tv show, replicating the spirit of Paul Potts from two years ago (re-posted here for my mother, who probably hasn't seen it yet).
Batman saves Bangkok (for Ellie).
Grammar and Bloggers (not for Mother).
The Hastily Made Cleveland Tourism Video.

Tomorrow, it's back to work. Case Western Reserve University's English Department has a Fiction Reading here at 3:00!

FLAVORS OF LARCHMERE
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Harriett

We’re pleased to announce a new event on Larchmere Boulevard celebrating our fine eateries. For three days, April 16, 17, and 18, the restaurants and eateries will offer discounts, specials, and other enticements. Come enjoy the fine flavors of the historic Academy Tavern, the sophisticated Boulevard Blue, the charming Felice Café, the intimate Flying Cranes Café, the laid-back Just 'N Cafe, the ever-convenient Larchmere Deli, the classic Larchmere Tavern, and the gourmet Vine and Bean Café.

The shops and services will also celebrate the joys of food and our various flavors, with displays, sales, extended evening hours and even a travelling fashion show. All diners can also enter a drawing for grand prizes (we donated 3 excellent cookbooks). Loganberry Books will offer a 20% off sale on cookbooks, featuring many exciting new arrivals and signed books.

COOPER
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Harriett

Cooper the cat has quite a fanclub. And he's another good example of viral publicity (see blog entry below). I've admired Cat Cam pictures with Mr. Lee before, but Cooper has been on Good Morning America and People Magazine, and had his own art show at Urban Lights Studio in Seattle. The fame is getting crazy. Dewey, watch out! Otis, take stock!

#AMAZONFAIL
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Harriett

Nancy Drew and the Case of the Twittering Amazon Glitch, by Mark Probst and ten thousand followers.

Chapter One: Publisher Mark Probst notices that a book he published, The Filly, suddenly showed no sales rankings on Amazon.com. Other gay romances similarly disappear from Amazon's count. Mark notes this in his blog.
Chapter Two: Amazon answers Probst's inquiry, claiming that 'adult' titles have been removed from bestseller lists, and therefore no longer gives sales rankings.
Chapter Three: Mark's blog hits Twitter and the blogosphere. The tagline #amazonfail goes viral. Even my brother catches wind of it and sends me a note.
Chapter Four: News begets News: The New York Times, Sara Nelson on The Daily Beast, Foreign Policy, Feministing, Information Week, The Seattle Times, Publishers Weekly, Los Angeles Times, my mother's favorite Wall Street Journal, and etc.
Chapter Five: Author Larry Kramer calls for an Amazon boycott, with 23,609 signatures and counting.
Chapter Six: Amazon claims "ham-fisted cataloging error" and scrambles to recover from this publicity fiasco.
Chapter Seven: Twitter and The Filly sales skyrocket. News editors change the way they gather information, if they haven't done so already.
Chapter Eight: stay tuned. The fat lady hasn't sung yet, and Nancy still needs to meet up with Bess to kiss and congratulate her fine sleuthing abilities.

4/22/09 Postscript
Two excellent follow-up articles: Vroman's Blog for the Indie bookseller viewpoint and Information Today for Neil Gaiman's role in this hyperreaction.

N.O.B.S. BOOK FAIR
Friday, April 10, 2009
Harriett

The 27th Annual Akron Antiquarian Book Fair will take place this Easter/Passover weekend, Friday, April 10, 3:00--8:30 p.m. and Saturday, April 11, 10:00 a.m.--4:00 p.m. More than 60 dealers will display old & rare, readable & collectible books, maps and prints. Fun for all!

Donation: $5.00 (Student: $3.00). John S. Knight Center, 77 E. Mill St., Downtown Akron, convenient parking close by (free after 6 p.m. and on weekends). For information: 330-865-5831

FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT ANNIVERSARY
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Harriett

Frank Lloyd Wright is, if not the best, the most revered and popular modern American architect. His styles were at once shockingly original and naturally organic. Stretching from minimalist economy to oppulent detail, Frank Lloyd Wright was a master of style and space. He died 50 years ago, on April 9, 1959. We decided to have a sale to commemorate his great works and the dozens of books written about him, his buildings, his life and even fictionalized accounts of his marriages. Come check it out: lots of FLW, all 20% off during April.

A customer wrote in to say: "I saw your paragraph on Frank Lloyd Wright and thought I would you send you a picture of the library in the Marin County Civic Center. I work in this building and go to the library on my lunch breaks to read. The Civic Center was the last building that FLW built and was not completed before he died. The building is designed with a central walkways and offices on either side. Rumor has it that the center area was to be open to the sky, since Wright visited Marin in the summertime. After he died, it was revised with a skylight, since it can get pretty cold in the winter! The building still leaks though, of course!"

Thanks for the great comments and picture. I found a website for the Marin County Civic Center in San Rafael, California, that also has a wonderful vintage video about the building, including several recordings of Frank Lloyd Wright speaking about it. Check it out.

P&P&Z
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Harriett

Quirk Books "has found an unexpected success in a new novel, a literary mash-up called Pride and Prejudice and Zombies." The funniest part of that PW quotation is not the title, or even the term "literary mash-up" but the fact that Quirk was taken by surprise at its popularity. The title has been teased over the internet for months now, and I've already had customers coming in asking for it. The original publication date was set for July, and has been bumped up to April. It's already on our Jane Austen book club's schedule. And now, huzzah!, the book is here. It's as gory as anticipated, with a freakish cover to appeal to any macabe fetish, with plenty of verbatim Austen interspersed.

For April, the Austeniana book club is working on Jane Austen's own parody of Goldsmith's four-volume History of England. But stay tuned, we plan to tackle P&P&Z on May 28.

BACK IN PRINT ALERT
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Harriett

Alexander Key. 1968. Escape to Witch Mountain. Oh yeah. Perhaps you remember the Disney film from 1975? I swear I went to a birthday party where that film was the main event.

There were sequels, too: 1978's Return to Witch Mountain and 1982's TV special Beyond Witch Mountain. And now there's another, 2009's Race to Witch Mountain. Quick, before the DVD release, let's reissue the BOOK! Right. So, Sourcebooks has obtained the rights, and plans to do just that. 'Bout time.

K'S OKAY
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Harriett

I don't want anyone worrying unnecessarily about Kandinsky, so I must report that he appears to be doing just fine. Blood test came back normal, and he ate both dinner and breakfast (albeit in his late-age scavenger-style). He's also been very friendly and huggable, so he seems to be out of his grump. Good. No grumpy cats allowed in the time travel machine.

TIME TRAVEL
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Harriett

Kandinsky didn't eat dinner last night. Maybe he just had a big breakfast and was enjoying his snooze, but in my experience, if a cat misses a meal it means SICK NOW. So I rushed him to the v-e-t today, and the doc said he looked fine. Took blood to run some tests, just in case, gave him an anti-depressant and sent us home. K doesn't like the box or the car or the v-e-t clinic, so he was glad to get home. Lydia, however, thought the purple box very mysterious. That's Lydia in the picture, checking out the time travel controls to see where it goes.

CONGRATULATIONS GAIL BELLAMY
Monday, April 6, 2009
Harriett

Congratulations to Gail Ghetia Bellamy, who has just been named the 4th Poet Laureate of the City of Cleveland Heights. Gail is a multifaceted writer-about-town, with various journalistic, poetic, and book credits to her name. We've hosted her here at Loganberry as author of Cleveland Food Memories published by Gray and Company, and she is also Executive Editor of Restaurant Hospitality magazine. Perhaps this new title will help her get a volume of poetry published! Congrats.

EDIBLE BOOKS FESTIVAL
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Harriett

It's a nice sunny Saturday, 50-some degrees, and we had a blast with our 6th annual Edible Books Festival. We had about 20 entries, and they were all excellent. Pictures are forthcoming, but here's the list of winners, including three Junior Awards for artists under the age of 12.

Best of Show/Most Delectable	Millions of Cats	Pamela Bligh-Glover
Most Inspiring	Origami 101	Donita Singerman
Most Delectable	Monster at the End of This Book	Theresa Polefko
Most Literary	Moby Dick	William Bligh-Glover

Honorable Mention	Tail of Pita Rabbit	Aime Albert
Honorable Mention	Telephone Interview with the Vampire	Barbara & Jerry Zober
Honorable Mention/ Jr Award	Afternoon in the Amazon	Katie Love
Jr Award	Clockwork Orange Cake	Debbie & Lizzie Bream
Jr Award	Peter Pan Cake	Nathaniel & Ariana Starkman

TWITTER
Friday, April 3, 2009
Harriett

So, I thought I'd check out Twitter and see what all the twitter is about. I actually "get" twitter -- at least more than I do facebook or myspace -- but I also "get" that it only works if you have a network of friends with whom to twitter. It's kind of like text messaging -- but without a specific audience in mind. I'm not sure if anyone is interested in my answer to "what are you doing?" -- but I'll put it out there. [Is it just me - or is it kind of slow?] Anyway, if you're on twitter, look me up and send a line. I've chosen the very original handle of @loganberrybooks. tweet!

FERLINGHETTI
Friday, April 3, 2009
Harriett

Heads up! A cool new documentary about Lawerence Ferlinghetti will be released this month. You'll remember Ferlinghetti as one of the classic beat poets, but you may or may not know that he also started up (and continues to run) City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco, and the publishing house of the same name. The landmark obscenity trial over City Light's publication of Allen Ginsberg's Howl was a major event for the freedom of speech/press advocates, and launched the social rebellion of the Beats into national consciousness. Filmmaker Christopher Felver weaves one-on-one interviews with Ferlinghetti made over the course of a decade with photography and mementoes from over fifty years of social and literary activism. Ferlinghetti premieres at the San Francisco International Film Festival on April 28, 2009.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Harriett

The Altered Book Group decided to tackle cookbooks this year, and the name of the show is Food for Thought. Seven artists and lots of altered, reimagined, mangled, folded, deconstructed, and collaged pages fill the Annex Gallery.

By no small coincidence, we also have the Edible Books Festival this Saturday. The Flavors of Larchmere event on April 16-18 features specials and events at all the eateries on Larchmere. And, just for fun, we're offering 20% off on cookbooks all month long, and we have lots of new ones to discover.

ADMINISTRATION TO BAIL OUT BOOK BIZ
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Harriett

As the latest part of its effort to stabilize key sectors of the faltering U.S. economy, the Treasury Department this week is bailing out the book industry. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner announced a series of far-reaching measures in a surprise press conference late last night.

Among other measures, the government is making significant cash infusions into Borders Group, Baker & Taylor, a range of independent bookstores and selected publishers and taking ownership positions in the affected companies.

. . . thanks once again to Shelf Awareness for their annual April Fool's pleasures . . .