tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37802427005169847532024-03-05T23:42:09.775-05:00Bookchik - Uneditedimkellyjusticehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15680771418775272976noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3780242700516984753.post-1532671990223945412011-05-08T20:58:00.004-04:002011-05-08T21:47:04.080-04:00The Keeper of SecretsI don't blog. It's been a year since my last post. I leave the blogging to the people who are much better at it than I am like <a href="http://www.bookladyblog2.dreamhosters.com/">The Book Lady's Blog</a>.<br /><br />But once in awhile, like in my last post, I feel a need to talk about what it means to be a bookseller...and what it means to create a place, a bookstore family, where people feel at home. Maybe they feel more at home with us than they do with their own families.<br /><br />For probably the tenth time in my bookselling life, a customer came up to me with a question she couldn't even share with a family member: Where are your books on abusive relationships? I gently said "We don't have a bunch, but what kind of abuse are we talking about? Physical? Verbal?"<br /><br />"Everything", she said. She was shaking.<br /><br />I gave her a list of books I recommend. I gave her a list of hotline numbers to call. I gave her directions to the library nearby and the women's shelter. I touched her shoulder.<br /><br />People will go look for a book sometimes before they call the cops, seek a shrink or talk to a friend. It's a first step. And a reminder that all of us as booksellers are doing an important job every day.<br /><br />If it's placing the trashy vampire book in the hands of a stressed-out corporate executive, selling a book on pregnancy to a single mom, slipping some silly sci-fi to the supreme court judge...it's all safe here brothers and sisters.<br /><br />Your secret is safe with me. And all my staff.<br /><br />Want to know what Sir Anthony Hopkins reads? I ain't tellin' ya. Wonderful customer for a couple of years when he was filming here, but his reading choices are his business.<br /><br />Besides...if I told you...he might eat my liver.<br /><br />All kidding aside...<br /><br />Want to keep your reading privacy safe? Indie bookstores and libraries are the only places with a record of caring about that. Consider a donation to <a href="http://www.abffe.com/">ABFFE</a>, the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression. They protect your privacy in the age of the Patriot Act...which has a lot of good things in it, but a not good thing is access to your book purchases and library loans. Reading a book is not a crime. No matter what that book is about.<br /><br />And with regard to my customer from Friday...I hope she got a start to some answers. I hope I made a difference. I'm glad she felt that she had walked into a place where there was someone she could trust. And that moment makes every minute of the last 22 years worth it and important.<br /><br />1-800-799-SAFE (National Domestic Abuse Violence Hotline)imkellyjusticehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15680771418775272976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3780242700516984753.post-17421165160095659312010-04-15T18:24:00.005-04:002010-04-15T20:04:00.597-04:00The Fountain Bookstore Family<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.theforkchurch.org/images/churchrearleft_graves.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 271px; height: 198px;" src="http://www.theforkchurch.org/images/churchrearleft_graves.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;">I talk a lot about "The Fountain Bookstore Family" in the shop. In the last few weeks I've had a chance to really think about what that means to me.<br /><br />Yesterday, I attended the funeral of one of our customer family members. I didn't know Mark very well...mainly through her orders which were delivered to her out in the country by the former owner of Fountain, Boo Smythe.<br /><br />She was one of my favorite kinds of readers: she'd find out about an author and then immediately have to have all of the author's collected works. Loved series writers, excellent taste in mysteries. Her orders and the obvious thirst behind them always made me smile. I'll miss her.<br /><br />It was unseasonably cold at the <a href="http://www.theforkchurch.org/index.html">Fork Church</a> cemetery, but the warmth of the small congregation (its own family) welcomed me as we said goodbye to someone much loved and respected. Fork Church celebrates its 275th anniversary this year. That's something special.<br /><br />Boo and Jim Smythe belong to this church. While I've thanked them privately for the space they gave me in the Fountain Family back in 2000 when they first brought me in, I'd like to make a special thanks to them now publicly for showing me what it can mean to own a community bookstore, to make it a place that is welcoming, nurturing and playful. A place that provides solace, a needed respite, a good belly laugh. A place you belong.<br /><br />Joyce Clay was the first owner of Fountain in 1978. I owe her a debt of thanks as well for recognizing Richmond's need for a good independent bookstore. The Smythe's took over in 1985. They passed the baton in 2008 to me.<br /><br />I hope they made a good choice. On my best days, I feel up to the task.<br /><br />I delivered a few books to Kuba Kuba the other day: my "first baby" present to Manny Mendez for his boy Noah. Manny's the owner of <a href="http://kubakuba.info/">Kuba Kuba</a>...and if you haven't eaten there, well, you're missing something. (Yes, I'm a year late, I know). Among the selections was <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780763633608">Me Hungry!</a> I picked it because I think the caveman daddy looks like Manny...just a little.<br /><br />Another group in the Fountain Bookstore Family is the Anderson-Ellis clan. Three generations of wonderful readers. I had the pleasure of knowing little Sophie's parents before they even met and now she's reading. It's a beautiful thing.<br /><br />The Family extends outside just the customers and my wonderful staff (who deserve their own blog post...stay tuned) to the authors. Far too many to mention, but I will mention <a href="http://www.gigiamateau.com/">Gigi Amateau</a></span><span style="font-size:130%;"> (and her great mom, husband and daughter). Again, our author friends deserve an entire post...probably several</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />And we get new family members all the time! We recently welcomed Rebecca Schinsky to the family. She's an exceptionally sharp book blogger. Find her at <a href="http://thebookladysblog.com/">The Book Lady's Blog</a> . One of those people who instantly "got it".<br /><br />My point in bringing up individuals (Mark, the Anderson-Ellis's, Manny, Rebecca and Gigi) is not to single them out to the exclusion of the rest of the Fountain Family, but to illustrate that you</span> <span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >are</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> individuals to us. To me.<br /><br />Every time you walk through the door: you're a part of it.<br /><br />Every time you share with me a book you love: you feed it.<br /><br />Every time you tell someone else about us: you build it.<br /><br />I was tempted to end this post with "Amazon: Bite me." But they're a fact of life and I don't begrudge any business's right to exist. Besides, Boo would be very, very disappointed in me. (I am trying to clean up my trash mouth and my attitude Boo, I promise.)<br /><br />Instead, I'll imagine Mark up in the sky with all the books and all the health and time she needs to read them. I'll think about Noah and Sophie and storytime. Who knows? Maybe they'll meet in 25 years and have little readers of their own! And if I'm very, very lucky, maybe I'll get to buy them their "first baby" book then.<br /><br />You change the world every time you step through our doors. My gratitude is beyond measure.<br /><br />Thank you for being part of the Fountain Bookstore Family.</span>imkellyjusticehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15680771418775272976noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3780242700516984753.post-45214542456423620932010-04-07T12:19:00.002-04:002010-04-07T12:40:03.585-04:00The Ultimate Road Trip: Brought to You by Garden & Gun Magazine<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://gardenandgun.com/files/GG0110_Southern-Bookstores_09.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 480px;" src="http://gardenandgun.com/files/GG0110_Southern-Bookstores_09.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I have this dream of the ultimate road trip.<br /><br />I'd start with a full tank of gas, my (mostly) trusty map application on my phone, and a couple of grand in cash to spend on books....and I'd head South. This dream has been pretty vague until recently when I checked my mail slot and in it was the February/March issue of <a href="http://gardenandgun.com/">Garden and Gun</a>.<br /><br />I have a black thumb, no interest in firearms or hunting dogs. So, why do I have a subscription to G&G? Simply put: G&G is one of the best sources of information on the culture of the New South. It's smart. It doesn't pander. It is full of articles on everything Southern in food, music, literature and lifestyle.<br /><br />In this month's issue is a great essay about parenting compared to gun dog training (<a href="http://gardenandgun.com/article/fetch-daddy-drink">"Fetch Daddy a Drink"</a>) by P.J. O'Rourke, a feature on <a href="http://gardenandgun.com/article/southerners-guide-oysters">oyster eating</a> around the South, a piece on <a href="http://gardenandgun.com/article/stories-sing">Jill McCorkle</a>. But most importantly: the guidebook for my road trip.<br /><br />"<a href="http://gardenandgun.com/article/best-sellers">Best Sellers</a>: A Literary Tour of the South's Top Independent Bookshops" by Beth Ann Fennelly highlights fourteen stores, many of whom are the inspiration of what I hope I can achieve with The <a href="http://www.fountainbookstore.com/">Fountain</a> one day. (Yep, I'm a dreamer.) Let's start with the ones I've already visited.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.malaprops.com/">Malaprops</a> in Asheville, NC<br /><br />Emoke B'racz was one of my early role models as a bookseller. A clearly defined personality for your bookstore is a difficult thing to develop. Malaprops' selection of books, attitude of its staff, layout, everything speaks to the mission of being Asheville's community bookstore. Linda Barrett Knopp has a great deal to do with its success as well.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.booksandbooks.com/">Books & Books</a> in Coral Gables, FL<br /><br />Mitchell Kaplan and his crew shine almost as much as the floors in this bright, inviting store. When I visited, my ego demanded that I find at least one indication of imperfection so that I didn't have to come back to Richmond and close immediately due to shame. I did eventually find one light bulb out, but it took an hour and it probably went out seconds before I noticed it. Still, it was enough that I could come home, keep the doors open and start dreaming about my very own wine bar in my store.<br /><br />Now to the stops I need to make.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.squarebooks.com/">Square Books</a> in Oxford, MS<br /><br />Manager Lyn Roberts and I have been known to bend an elbow from time to time. And the stories touring authors tell me about the hospitality of owner Richard Howorth demand I make time to go to Oxford. Purely on the basis of meeting these two booksellers I know that a trip to Square Books would make me feel like I'd found a second home.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.pageandpalette.com/">Page & Palette</a> in Fairhope, AL<br /><br />Raw energy and passion is what I'll find at Page & Palatte! Karin Wilson owns this family operation. I imagine a bookstore filled with electric excitement about books and reading. Must make time to attend an event....they sound like block parties.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.tbib.com/">That Bookstore in Blytheville</a> in Blytheville, AR<br /><br />Mary Gay Shipley has been a bookseller to watch before anyone was watching booksellers. I have to see a store owned by a woman that is described in G&G as the world's best handseller...enough so that she was featured in a profile in the <i><a href="http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1999/10/04/1999_10_04_048_TNY_LIBRY_000019224">New Yorker</a>.<br /><br /></i><a href="http://www.bookpeople.com/">Book People</a> in Austin, TX<br /><br />I just want to sit in the barber's chair and read away the afternoon. Fountain is about 1/30th of the size of Book People. I'm not sure how owner Steve Bercu does it. Here's to hoping he can spare me a few minutes to recommend some great music venues while I'm there.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.alabamabooksmith.com/">Alabama Booksmith</a> in Homewood, AL<br /><br />I've been threatening to couch surf at Jake Reiss's house for years. Alabama Booksmith has one of the most robust events calendars in the nation. I think it mainly has to do with so many authors just wanting to visit Jake.<br /><br />What's keeping me from hitting the road and visiting these fine shops and <a href="http://www.lemuriabooks.com/index.php">Lemuria</a>, <a href="http://www.regulatorbookshop.com/">Regulator</a> Bookshop, <a href="http://www.acappellabooks.com/">A Capella</a> Books and so many other worthy candidates not mentioned in the article? Well, two things:<br /><br />1. Age has visited upon me an unfortunate condition: narcolepsy brought upon by long-distance driving. No joke. So, for everyone's safety, I'll need a driver.<br /><br />2. Finding someone to take care of Fountain while I'm gone. Applicants for the position should demonstrate a unwavering devotion to the caregiving of a community bookstore equivalent to my colleagues listed above. I don't expect I'll find this person as they are rare indeed. But one can dream.<br /><br />Thank you to Garden and Gun for sharing with the world a few of our Southern jewels.<br /><br />Kelly Justice, President<br /><a href="http://www.sibaweb.com/">Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance </a>imkellyjusticehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15680771418775272976noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3780242700516984753.post-20164370847410416452009-11-19T07:41:00.007-05:002009-11-19T08:07:22.341-05:00Thankfully Reading Weekend<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bookblogsocialclub.com/2009/11/thankfully-reading-weekend.html"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhTDLzSKqUqv3awUWX7rmF8gNF2_HX4Z30SMfkE5OOXnK4h5OU1Trwm-Y3Bu-ymCdV3j_JbEYkTzdPc1Diq8eDATnMs-9CKKaYCPfs27OpsSqjNM4WlbyAnqUqm0vXszDIf3WbYnifijg/s1600/Thank-300x300.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />This is the best idea I've seen in awhile...<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.fountainbookstore.com/">Fountain Bookstore</a> is a little wonky as a retail establishment as we're not all that busy on the weekends being in a downtown business district. <br /><br />That means that I have weekends off most of the year to read!<br /><br />So, unlike my fellow retail warriors, I will be able to participate in this event enthusiastically and without guilt for not being in the shop.<br /><br />Join me!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Welcome to the very informal </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Thankfully Reading Weekend.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> Jenn from </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.jennsbookshelves.com/">Jenn's Bookshelves</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> gets full credit for coming up with the idea. She happened to tweet that she was going to have a fairly quiet U.S. Thanksgiving weekend and was hoping to spend much of that time catching up on her reading.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Almost immediately Jen from </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.devourerofbooks.com/">Devourer of Books</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> and Beth from </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://bfishreads.blogspot.com/">Beth Fish Reads</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> chimed in, saying what a great idea that was. And thus the birth of </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Thankfully Reading Weekend,</span> which will start on Friday, November 27 and end on Sunday, November 29." <a href="http://www.bookblogsocialclub.com/2009/11/thankfully-reading-weekend.html">Read More Here...</a><br /><br />I'm looking for suggestions for a big, fat, new novel to swallow whole that weekend. I've already read <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780805080681/Hilary-Mantel/Wolf-Hall">Wolf Hall</a> and loved it, so that's out as is the new <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781400063840/John-Irving/Last-Night-Twisted-River">John Irving</a> which is great if you're a John Irving fan...probably not as fun if you're not.<br /><br />So, post here or come by the shop and tell me what you'll be reading. I'll post to <span style="font-weight: bold;">#thankfulreading </span>on Twitter.<span style="font-weight: bold;"> <br /><br /></span>Now you have an excuse to spend a few moments away from your family (they'll be watching football anyway) and have some quality YouTime.<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>Your bookseller approves.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>imkellyjusticehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15680771418775272976noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3780242700516984753.post-29775717387326305152009-11-14T22:26:00.008-05:002009-11-15T00:05:12.853-05:00Lee Bros.: Will You Marry Me?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/covers_450/9780307453594.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 365px; height: 450px;" src="http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/covers_450/9780307453594.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>...or (in order to keep from violating several state laws and generally accepted social conventions) maybe you could just come sign at <a href="http://www.fountainbookstore.com/">my shop</a>?<br /><br />I got a preview copy at the store a few months ago and have since purchased a <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780307453594">hardback</a> for myself and it is definitely my present of choice for this holiday season.<br /><br />Perhaps I should just list the top 10 reasons for my devotion....<br /><br />1. Lemon and Cucumber Pickles<br /> I think I went through about 8 quarts of these myself this summer. I also took jars to garden parties for friends. (great on a grilled burger!)<br /><br />2. Celery Julep<br /> Refreshing! About the only summer libation I prefer as much is <a href="http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/2000s/2008/07/greenlantern?mbid=yshine_gmt">The Green Lantern</a>.<br /><br />3. Cheese Relish<br /> A variation on pimento cheese made with Swiss, capers and banana peppers rather than cheddar and roasted red peppers. Is it good for me? No. And I don't care.<br /><br />4. Radish Butter<br /> So weird I had to try it. Lovely on rye toasts. Pretty as the magenta picture you painted. Stunner for entertaining.<br /><br />(have I said thank you yet for the fact that none of the recipes so far take more than 10 minutes to prepare?)<br /><br />5. Oyster Soup<br /> While it will never replace the traditional oyster stew that I eat every Christmas morning (a deeply simple recipe from my mother that just means Christmas to me), this charmer of a dish will be a staple for the rest of the year's special occasions.<br /><br />6. Skillet Green Beans with Orange<br /> Boring old green beans for dinner? Not anymore! Inexpensive and gorgeous in a plain white bowl.<br /><br />7. Pimento-Cheese Potato Gratin<br /> Say goodbye to mac and cheese. This is my new comfort food. How do you two stay so svelte? Dancing on that porch you're always mentioning, I guess.<br />Whoa! Just checked my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?v=photos&id=100000131350898#/kelly.justice?ref=profile">Facebook</a> mail and there's a thumbs up there for this recipe from an editor of <a href="http://www.blackbird.vcu.edu/v8n1/">Blackbird Magazine</a> (and confirmed foodie). That's almost a little creepy.<br /><br />8. Smoked Shrimp with 3 Dipping Sauces<br /> Now I know why I bought that stovetop smoker!<br />(It's an illness...I know...I'm trying to stop...but honestly a stovetop smoker is absolutely a necessary item for any kitchen...along with the 10s of dozens of other random items I seem to have accumulated....well, maybe not the quesadilla maker with the handle shaped like a chili pepper...I told you...I'm sick.)<br />And you're so conscientious for kindly giving instructions to make your own MacGuyver-style if people don't have one.<br /><br />9. Fig and Bourbon Compote<br /> Equally versitile as a dessert topped with lightly sweetened whipped cream or as an condiment for roast pork. Yum.<br /><br />(cue the angel chorus)<br /><br />10. Whole Roasted Chicken with Potatoes and Onions<br /> Sounds boring, right? I thought it did, but the true test of any cookbook (or any cook) is the humble roasted chicken. Mainstay entree of the suburban family and the single bookseller. Affordable, available, and so, so easy to $#&* up...usually by trying too hard.<br /> My 99 year old Eastern Kentucky Granny gave me her cast iron skillets when she quit cooking (and you fellas know how important a gift like that is...it was the only thing I asked for when she moved to the home). The bird sits proudly in one of those coal-black, seasoned beauties and looks (and tastes) like a million bucks. Genius.<br /><br />So, I apologize for missing our two first dates:<br /><ul><li>BookExpoAmerica 2008 Fried Chicken Party (I was stuck in a cab on the Brooklyn Bridge)</li><li>SIBA (Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance) Trade Show 2009 dinner...I was supposed to be at your table, but I got the flu</li></ul>Let me make it up to you by hosting a party for you and every foodie in Richmond. Trust me. I know them all.<br /><br />Cheers, Boys. And thank you.imkellyjusticehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15680771418775272976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3780242700516984753.post-13937733441441301462009-10-07T19:51:00.012-04:002009-10-07T21:49:19.398-04:00The Verdict Is In: My Most Successful Love Affair<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.chealthcare.com/images/Richmond_Virginia.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 293px; height: 281px;" src="http://www.chealthcare.com/images/Richmond_Virginia.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Nobody expects love to be perfect.<br /><br />Well, I did at one time, but I think I was 12. Oh no, wait, 11. By the time I'd turned 12 Richard H. laughed at me in 6th grade when I expressed my undying devotion in the auditorium before the day's classes started in middle school. <br /><br />Your loss, dude.<br /><br />Since then, I've just expected it to be somewhat less than the excrutiating anguish of, say, a full afternoon of waxing.<br /><br />Hey...keep your expectations low.<br /><br />Despite this strategy, most of it has been kind of on par with said grooming torture.<br /><br />Then I watched this really silly <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl3hbXRPOA0&feature=player_embedded">video</a>...<br /><br />...and realized I'd been in love for 16 years. Well, maybe 14. Took me a couple of years to warm up to the idea.<br /><br />Richmond: I love you.<br /><br />There. I said it.<br /><br />Has it been easy? Hell no!<br /><br />Everybody's been with the one who you can't take to the party because of all of the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/06/international/worldspecial/06LINC.html?ex=1186718400&en=febdcf79efbeed9a&ei=5070">embarrassing stuff</a> in their pasts that seems to keep coming up. (Oh God, the New York Times. Really? Yes, yes, New York friends. I live in <span style="font-style: italic;">that</span> Richmond.)<br /><br />So, I was watching this video of a couple of bank dudes, off work in their skinny jeans and tats, and it started me thinking about the whole thing. I was at first annoyed, then bemused, and by the end I was seeing stars and hearts, bouncing around my home office like Pepe Le Pew.<br /><br />And they didn't even hit most of my favorite things about my adopted city.<br /><br />I'll save the infuriating stuff for a later day. (There's plenty). I'm trying to impress you with the object of my devotion, ya'll.<br /><br />In no particular order:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Kids</span><br />Richmond is home to a major university, 2 important colleges, a medical college and a whole lot of 20-somethings who started college and just decided to hang out instead. Most of these institutions are in the city proper giving it an energy that frankly sizzles. Keeps me young.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Old Guard</span><br />Yeah...sometimes the FFVa (first families of Virginia) get on my last nerve trying to hold on to that precious Southern past (let's face it folks...it wasn't that great except for your bunch). But there is something truly inspiring about the dedication of this class to keep Richmond looking like the majestic city it is. If it weren't for them, there would be an Applebee's Downtown. Give them their props. Pat their bow ties. It's great to live somewhere where seersucker is worn without irony.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Food</span><br />I'm almost embarrassed at our choices of fine food and in this town. What impresses me even more is the bloodthirsty debate that ensues every time someone starts recommending restaurants. (Surely a future blog post). The fact that people get so riled about a subject that most people in other towns spend as much time considering as their daily shower is a beautiful thing. Why are all these phenomenal foodie people and restauranteurs here? I have no idea.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Spring</span><br />Having not visited every city on earth, I cannot verify that Richmond is the most beautiful city in the Spring that exists. But if I were a poker player and I had Richmond's Spring as a hand (complete with that Ace-in-the-Hole-Everybody's-Party <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF6qmsE3v4GBNtUfxjRryZGy78RmzyVC6IoJ8O6wBMkspozhIb9Jj0denYNig3Z7KFyBxcRjVIC0UcsZDvRo5D3kCzHd3S_QqIaqIz3q6-RUG9IYgv1HpwP5VvtOOpVYuvUOc2vOAyazlI/s320/greyhound.bmp">Easter Parade</a> we have every year) I'd bet my life savings, such as it is.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">History</span><br />To quote my best friend comedian <a href="http://lordoflaughs.com/">Lord Carrett</a>, "Welcome to Richmond! Where if you fell off a horse in the Civil War, you're somewhere blocking traffic." I'm cool with the driving hazards. My favorite image of the city which I see a few times a year is two birds perched on the ears of Stonewall Jackson's horse on his <a href="http://richmondthenandnow.com/Monument-Avenue-Stonewall-Jackson.html">monument</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Public Spaces</span><br />Everybody's got a big back yard in Richmond. Doesn't matter if you live in the dinkiest little studio in the Fan. Between the greenway running down the center of <a href="http://ceci-amrhein.com/files/bdf051999a53199750f34240b0cbdc1e.jpg">Monument Avenue</a> to <a href="http://www.cnr.vt.edu/4H/remarkabletree/images/Maymont/maymont1.jpg">Maymont Park </a>to <a href="http://www.richmondhistorycenter.com/images/ByrdPark_P_71_25_4c.jpg">Byrd Park</a>, if you want a few minutes to yourself with nature: it's yours. Safe, clean, uncrowded and beautiful.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">People</span><br />I've met the best friends of my life in this city. From the sweatiest house-painter to the flakiest artist, the most sarcastic bartender to the savviest lawyer. And it's the kind of city where they could all, in fact, be the same person. Yep. It's weird like that.<br /><br />Which brings me to my favorite thing about Richmond of all....<br /><br />Much like the best life partner one could hope for: Richmond allows you to be yourself.<br /><br />If you're unhappy here...well I'm sorry to say, it's your own fault. I was pretty unhappy here for the first two years, but it was because I refused to see that everything I needed was here for the asking. And most of it free of charge or very, very cheap.<br /><br />And Richmond is still small enough, still needs enough work, that you can be an active part of any change you want to make in it. There's no challenge in a partner who's perfect.<br /><br />Here's to growing together for a very, very long time.<br /><br />(We are not registered as of yet, but are accepting gift certificates to any locally owned businesses or restaurants. Thank you for celebrating with us!)<br /><span></span>imkellyjusticehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15680771418775272976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3780242700516984753.post-55147410675669300732009-10-01T20:52:00.008-04:002009-10-02T07:41:47.963-04:00Vampires Pay My Electric Bill<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.thefrisky.com/images/uploads/true_blood_couple_m.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 379px; height: 346px;" src="http://static.thefrisky.com/images/uploads/true_blood_couple_m.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I don't come from a literary background if you're talking about my education. I spent my college years learning how to feed beef cattle. I was an animal husbandry major.<br /><br />One of the things that makes me most proud of my bookstore is that it's a place where you can feel free to read anything and not be judged...(sorry, snotty English majors...there's no jobs for you here). Yes, we've got an English major or two on staff, but they enjoy fantasy, action novels and the whole host of stuff you love on vacation and in your favorite curled up reading chair.<br /><br />I think a lot of people don't frequent indie bookstores because they think they're supposed to be picking up Proust and pretending to enjoy it. Take a look at our <a href="http://www.fountainbookstore.com/storepicks">staff picks</a> and you'll see that we're reading what you want to read.<br /><br />Nothing wrong with trying to be well-read, but I'm never going to tell a single mom who has three kids and two jobs that she's a lower person because she doesn't feel like reading Hawthorne. (In my opinion, one of the best things about being an adult is that no one can ever force me to read Hawthorne ever again!)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Any</span> reading is improving your life.<br /><br />That being said, I had a bad bug last week...so bad I was on enough drugs I couldn't read.<br /><br />My friend Jean loaned me (actually, she kind of tossed the dvd to me in an effort not to touch me) the first season of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0844441/">True Blood</a> when I was sick last week. <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/hybrid?filter0=charlaine+harris&x=0&y=0"> Charlaine Harris</a> signed at Fountain the day she got the HBO contract.<br /><br />Super fun. The books are awesome too.<br /><br />If you want to read the classics, I applaud you. I read a few a year...I love <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780374532222">Colette</a>, <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780307275325">Faulkner</a>, <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780679720218">Camus</a>, <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780451524935">Orwell</a>.<br /><br />The rest of the time I read stuff that entertains me. I love <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/hybrid?filter0=james+rollins&x=0&y=0">action novels</a> where lots of things blow up. So do my booksellers and I love them for it. I'm currently reading a<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780143116295"> great mystery</a> with a drag queen detective from Turkey.<br /><br />Come in and play with us. Reading is our play.<br /><br />God bless the vampires and the zombies...dead though they may be, they definitely contribute to the Fountain bottom line.<br /><br />Come see <a href="http://www.fountainbookstore.com/event/maggie-stiefvater-book-release-party-ballad-gathering-faerie">Maggie Stiefvater</a> on Wednesday...she does werewolves and killer faeries. She's a Virginia author who's enjoying great success so we hope you'll come celebrate with us.<br /><br />See you at the shop. Our<a href="http://www.fountainbookstore.com/storepicks"> booksellers</a> are waiting to serve.imkellyjusticehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15680771418775272976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3780242700516984753.post-18316542118804018162009-09-03T22:02:00.002-04:002009-09-03T22:38:51.825-04:00Months too late to be relevant, but maybe in time for the video...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.indiebound.com/232/289/9780930289232.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 257px; height: 400px;" src="http://images.indiebound.com/232/289/9780930289232.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://view.theblackandwhite.net/pictures/articles/%5B69%5D4watchmen460.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 460px; height: 276px;" src="http://view.theblackandwhite.net/pictures/articles/%5B69%5D4watchmen460.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I liked The Watchmen. I read the book and the movie actually made sense.<br /><br />Better ending than the book.<br /><br />Here's the deal: I was speaking to a group in Charlottesville about books in general and the topic of books-into-moves came up.<br /><br />A woman was flailing her arms about The Watchmen. She had taken her 12 year old grandchild and his little girlfriend (!) to see it. She had major issues with all of the male frontal nudity.<br /><br />I didn't know what to say. I said, "It's blue...I don't think it counts". She was not amused.<br /><br />Here's my question: in a movie where a pregnant woman gets shot, there's a higher body count than Vietnam, replays of the Kennedy assassination and monks burning, etc....why does this woman have a problem with a giant blue...well, you know what I'm talking about? And why were there 12 year olds in an R rated film in the first place?<br /><br />There are a lot of things a bookseller doesn't anticipate addressing on a daily basis. I have to say, the giant blue schlong is one of them.<br /><br />As I'm writing this, I have to be amused..but geez. Get over it. And what's wrong with Spiderman? Get a babysitter. Play Scrabble. Legos. There are options.<br /><br />So I toast the creative parent (grandparent) for any activity that denies succombing to a kid's need to see the latest superhero movie...they are changing. Maybe read together or something.<br /><br />Just a thought.<br /><br />Meanwhile, if you haven't read <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780930289232">The Watchmen</a>...it's a great novel. Forget it's a graphic novel. It's just a great book. And see the movie...preferably without the tots.imkellyjusticehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15680771418775272976noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3780242700516984753.post-42941711906878626922009-08-27T00:08:00.002-04:002009-08-27T00:51:22.538-04:00Maybe you've been wondering....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.indiebound.com/663/735/9780679735663.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 259px; height: 400px;" src="http://images.indiebound.com/663/735/9780679735663.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />...about the Books and Brews book club that used to be on the old website that's always "full".<br /><br />Well, it's a book club that started as a store thing and turned into my personal book club. Diana, Jean, Albert, and Suzanne and I have cohesed (not sure that's a word) into a unit that makes my month every month.<br /><br />There have been other members over the years, but we're the core.<br /><br />I pick the books. I'm a little dictatorial that way, but it takes the pressure off everyone else. And we're on a journey together through books that is amazing.<br /><br />This group refreshes me and renews me and tonight was no exception.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/0679735666">The Natural History of the Senses</a> is a book that is particularly personal to me. It's a guide to life for me so bringing it into books club was very personal.<br /><br />I'll share a passage with you:<br /><br /><br />"When you consider something like death, after which (there being no news flash to the contrary) we may well go out like a candle flame, then it probably doesn't matter if we try too hard, are awkward sometimes, care for one another too deeply, are excessively curious about nature, are too open to experience, enjoy a nonstop expense of the senses in an effort to know life intimately and lovingly. It probably doesn't matter if, while trying to be modest and eager watchers of life's many spectacles, we sometimes look clumsy or get dirty or ask stupid questions or reveal our ignorance or say the wrong thing or light up with wonder like the children we all are. It probably doesn't matter if a passerby sees us dipping a finger into the moist pouches of lady's slippers to find out what bugs tend to fall into them, and thinks us a bit eccentric. Or a neighbor fetching her mail, sees us standing in the cold with our own letters in one hand a seismically red autumn leaf in the other, its color hitting our senses like a blow from a stun gun, as we stand with a huge grin, too paralyzed by the veined gaudiness of the leaf to move."<br /><br />So, here's the deal. Start your own book club if you don't have one already.<br /><br />If you do and they only talk about their ex-husbands and get tipsy, call me. I'll come to your book club and get you on track. Free of charge. I love to do that and I bring lots of free books and tote bags and stuff.<br /><br />Book Club isn't going to change your life, but it will make it more meaningful if you treat it right.<br /><br />Next month we're reading<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780740768729"> The Annotated Mona Lisa</a> and bringing in printed off copies of our favorite paintings. One month we read about the history of perfume and brought in our favorite scents...(much to the dismay of the chef and owner of the restaurant where we meet). Book club doesn't have to be about books about cranky people with problems...though we've done tons of those too. <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780345495006"> Loving Frank</a> was an awesome discussion.<br /><br />So call me at the shop and I'll get you started. 804-788-1594.imkellyjusticehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15680771418775272976noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3780242700516984753.post-48064324773824909412009-08-23T19:08:00.005-04:002009-08-23T19:52:21.494-04:00Do I dare to eat a peach?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.indiebound.com/387/052/9781400052387.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="http://images.indiebound.com/387/052/9781400052387.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Well, no. Not today.<br /><br />Found something more adventurous!<br /><br />Thank you, once again, to Tyler Florence.<br /><br />Tyler was a guest at Fountain a couple of years ago for a signing and, to be honest, I was skeptical. How much could this pretty boy tv presenter know about food?<br /><br />The Answer? Everything.<br /><br />To this day, <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/hybrid?filter0=tyler+florence&x=0&y=0">his cookbooks</a> are my go to guides for meals that never disappoint.<br />I've even trusted his cookbooks for recipes that I've tried on first dates without testing them first. (I think the test I need to come up with is who I go out with on dates...)<br /><br />None of these romantic efforts have worked out in the long run, but it wasn't the food (which actually made a couple of candidates difficult to ditch).<br /><br />Tonight's dish was <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/the-ultimate-ratatouille-recipe2/index.html">The Ultimate Ratatouille</a>. Try it out.<br /><br />Another favorite for when you're just feeling like gaining a little weight (and we all want that, don't we?) is <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/baked-rigatoni-with-eggplant-and-sausage-recipe/index.html">Baked Rigatoni with Eggplant and Sausage</a>. You can diet tomorrow. <span style="font-style: italic;">Really</span> treat yourself and get your homemade sausage from <a href="http://belmontbutchery.com/">Belmont Butchery</a> if you live in Richmond.<br /><br />If you missed it awhile ago, Tanya was <a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/2009/07/tanya_cauthen_master_butcher">featured in Bon Apetit</a> as one of the premier maverick butchers in America. I think I bought my weight in cured meats there yesterday. Thankfully, there is <a href="http://www.rivercitycellars.com/">red wine</a> to combat the cholesterol.imkellyjusticehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15680771418775272976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3780242700516984753.post-63849788362287034102009-08-20T22:49:00.006-04:002009-08-21T03:44:41.612-04:00The Best Job In The World<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.indiebound.com/729/768/9780740768729.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 314px; height: 400px;" src="http://images.indiebound.com/729/768/9780740768729.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Everybody's job looks better from the other side.<br /><br />And I used to wish for the life of my friend <a href="http://data.fineartstudioonline.com/dataviewer.asp?keyvalue=2777">Shelly</a>. She's a marvelously talented and well-known painter. Having not one iota of artistic talent, the goal was unrealistic in the extreme.<br /><br />Spent a bit of time with her tonight and talked about peaches.<br /><br />Peaches. Peaches. Peaches.<br /><br />She was recently doing a still life class on them. Her house was filled with peach pie, peach ice cream, peach tarts, peach sorbet, and yes...Bellinis.<br /><br />And fruit flies.<br /><br />You can have too much of a good thing.<br /><br />So, yes. I do have The Best Job In The World.<br /><br />And here is my <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780740768729">favorite primer on art</a>....this book will teach you how to tell the difference between the Impressionists and there's even a great architecture tutorial inside. It's a classic for a reason. Very happy it's still in print.imkellyjusticehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15680771418775272976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3780242700516984753.post-58817747306822832892009-08-19T22:24:00.004-04:002009-08-20T07:21:17.036-04:00What the...?Was looking up books for our sci fi book group for possible selections for the fall and the two classic works of Alfred Bester are out of print. That is not right.<br /><br />Buy them<a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9780679767800-11"> here</a>. And <a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/7-9780679767817-6">here</a>. Meanwhile looking for suggestions to add to our<a href="http://www.fountainbookstore.com/scifi-book-club"> list</a>.<br /><br />And don't even get me started on the lack of availability of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanis%C5%82aw_Lem">Stanislaw Lem</a>. Dang.<br /><br />I'd love to hear about some newer authors that are comparable. Focusing on philosophical sci fi. Looking forward to your suggestions and there's still room in the group if you want to join us.imkellyjusticehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15680771418775272976noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3780242700516984753.post-46464237717111027162009-08-19T08:17:00.006-04:002009-08-19T08:57:35.645-04:00A Country Girl is Revived<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://blog.lib.umn.edu/carls064/freealonzo/bookshelves.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 450px; height: 300px;" src="http://blog.lib.umn.edu/carls064/freealonzo/bookshelves.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />In starting this blog, I wanted to say a little about how I feel about books. Because I am not a writer, I often find that someone else has expressed something much better than I ever could, and this day is no exception.<br /><br />So I'm giving over the podium to one of my favorite writers who has managed to say in his blog what I've spent a couple of hours fighting to articulate.<br /><br />Thank you <a href="http://silashouseblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/on-books-discovery-for-81809.html">Silas House</a>.<br /><br />From the blog "A Country Boy Can Surmise"<br /><br />"I love books.<span style=""> </span>I love reading them, but there is even more than that. <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>Touch. I love how cool the pages are when you first open them in the mornings.<span style=""> </span>Or how warm the pages are if you’ve left it out in the car for awhile in the summer, like something baked the exact right length of time.<span style=""> </span>The endpapers and the spine and the little letters that are sometimes imbedded in the cloth, a kind of Braille for book-lovers.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>Smell.<span style=""> </span>The new ones: people talk about a new-car scent all the time, but what I love even more is a new-book scent.<span style=""> </span>They should make little deodorizers of that aroma to go under one’s car seats.<span style=""> </span>And the old ones:<span style=""> </span>they smell like history, and rain, and the skin of all the people who loved them before, and every room wherein they lived.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>See.<span style=""> </span>Yes, of course we see them when we read them, but I love seeing them on the bookshelves, too.<span style=""> </span>Or lying about, covering every available surface, stacked on the stairs, on the nightstand, on the kitchen table, on the kitchen counter, on my desk, a haphazard pile beside my desk.<span style=""> </span>I once had a guest room whose walls were completely lined with bookshelves full of my favorite books.<span style=""> </span>My guests all said that they had the best sleep there, and inquired about the mattress.<span style=""> </span>I told them it was the books.<span style=""> </span>Now my dining room table is surrounded on three sides by bookshelves.<span style=""> </span>They make any meal better by their very presence.<span style=""> </span>They are the best décor, and multi-purpose at that.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> Hear. Taste. </span>I could go on with the other two senses, but that’s a whole different ballgame (because if you’re a true reader you can hear the stories even long after you’ve finished the book; and sometimes you can taste the tang of the ink, even if you don’t try), and besides, the touching, smelling, and seeing are enough.<span style=""> </span>Books are enough to sustain us, period.<span style="">"</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">See Silas' books <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/hybrid?filter0=silas+house&x=0&y=0">here</a>.<br /></p>imkellyjusticehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15680771418775272976noreply@blogger.com0