It's that time of year again when the city gets flooded with people dressed as anime characters, and you're like, "What's up with that?" and then you realize, "Oh yeah...it's Otakon !"
From Columbia's Free Times :
At least two people identifying themselves as State Law Enforcement Division officers approached employees of a Barnes & Noble bookstore on Harbison Boulevard several weeks ago and asked if the store stocked Gangsta Rap Coloring Book by Aye Jay Morano. "They were wanting to buy them all up and demand we didn't carry them again," says Matt Boyleston, an employee of the store who lives in Columbia.
Unfortunately we've sold out of the coloring book right now. We're waiting for reprints!
With a moat like this surrounding our door, only the devoted have been making the journey...so cross your fingers everyone and hope that they will pour the concrete tomorrow like they say they will and this renovation will be over.
Remember back in the day, when Amazon first turned on their personal reviews feature, and people started commenting on books? Most people just gushed about their favorites. Some people wrote these admirable essays that were pretty thoughtful and you only passingly thought, "Wow, they've got some time on their hands..."
But now! It's become an underground forum of personal attacks and secret logrolling for author friends. It's all pretty entertaining. Here's a recent book that seems to have attracted it all .
We've thought about turning this feature on for the Atomic site...but why? It just takes up space, and frankly, none of the reviews are reliable.
And it makes me wonder what people think reviews are supposed to be these days? People seem to think nothing of just saying, "------- sucks. He's an asshole." as a valid critique. Is it related to the explosion of blogs and zines, where everyone fancies themselves a writer/critic
Lately, we've been getting these Deaf Relay System calls from Africa. They want to order Bibles. Sometimes textbooks. We tell them that we don't carry those items. "Well, what DO you have?"
Turns out, they're not just asses, they're criminals. They're probably not even deaf! It's some bizarre Nigerian Bible Scam that mostly hits Christian bookstores...but they tried us out as well.
Maggie is an intent reader.
Months ago now, the Shank Book Pick was Flowers in the Attic and now we finally set a date for the discussion group. Friday 23rd, 7pm, at Holy Frijole's new bar, up the street. So come on out. Yes, we've re-read it!
Yes, it's our guilty pleasure pick. Oddly, it's a Guilty Pleasure in the new issue of EW (I won't even link to the site because you can only see it if you subscribe to the magazine).
I like the old cover better. I remember it well from middle school. Creepy, creepy kids. I mean, on the cover.
Speaking of which, the new issue is finally in! Maggie is putting it on the shelf as I post.
And, if you're curious, here are a few chapters from Sisters (thanks to kazoogrrl for the link!)
The big Summer project of sidewalk renovations has begun on the Avenue. And it starts on our block on our side of the street. Yeah!
Just to let people know, we will continue with our normal Summer hours. Parking on the street will be spotty for a while, but sidewalks will not be blocked.
The renovations will go down the street, towards Chestnut, block by block until around Thanksgiving.
Due to the holiday this past week, our comic shipment is delayed a day.
So you're going to have to wait one more day for that new Eightball(#23).
We've already read it, though (because Maggie grabbed one at MOCCA a couple of weeks ago). Two out of three people who've read it, here at the store, say it's GENIUS. The third says, "I waited 2 years this?"
Tomorrow, you get to judge for yourself and add your 2 cents.
Yes, it's Free Comic Book Day.
No, we're not participating. You know why? Because we're not a comic book store.
As a boutique bookstore, we act as personal shoppers for the pop/indie/micro culture interests of the people. In other words, we carry the good stuff. And to us, comics fit as good stuff. It's not a genre, it's a format. We also carry the magazine, zine, journal, book, CD and DVD formats.
Not that there's anything wrong with Free Comics.