Ever wonder...?

...what goes on behind those employee doors?

 or down the stairs to our basement?

(cue ominous music)

Okay, it's not that scary but it is busy. A well oiled machine of order packing, internet business, wholesale madness and lots and lots of books. And a little dust too. 

We have a few books.

Some orders packed up, ready to go.

Thank goodness we have this guy running the show. Cool, calm, confident. 

We can't forget our spooky elevator. (okay, that's just my opinion. Blame it on too many horror movies as a child) It gets the job done, if you are nice to it. 

We'd show you more but then we'd have to...well, you know. We can't let out ALL of our secrets.

 








 

Magers and Quinn T-shirts!

  If you follow us on Facebook, you may have seen these. They are our new T-shirts! $19.99

Just a reminder. 

They are pretty awesome.

Read this!

Read this! Handpicked Favorites from America's Indie Bookstores

I think you become officially famous if you are in a book. Our former store manager, Jay D. Peterson is featured in this little gem.

Page 91.

Check him out.

Oh and Hans Weyandt, co-owner of Micawber's Books in St.Paul is featured as well. That's pretty cool too.

Coming Soon from Robert Bly

Robert Bly's News of the Universe

 "Haydn Reiss
News of the Universe reveals how poet, translator, activist and gadfly Robert Bly has influenced America's cultural landscape over the last fifty years. A farmer's son, a graduate of Harvard, a Navy veteran, an outspoken critic of the Vietnam war, Bly was among the first to translate Pablo Neruda, Rainer Maria Rilke, Rumi and introduce them to an American audience. Working with Joseph Campbell, and Bly's bestseller Iron John, provided a renewal into the study of mythology and ritual. Now in his 85th year, Robert Bly has done the hard spadework to lift morale in unsettling times. A film for all lovers of poetry, ideas and imagination." -from San Francisco Film Society

We were honored to have the Bly family at our store recently. A film is in the works, News of the Universe and we got to be a part of it. Stay tuned for more details and a video clip.

Back to School

 

 BACK TO SCHOOL!

It's not a bad thing, folks! Especially when you can get some neat books that we have on display in the kids section. We have story books about school and a whole assortment of acitivity books to get kids back on track.

 

On a stick?

It's the last day of the State Fair. If you didn't get a chance to go, come on over and experience this little book delight.

On a Stick!

Less calories.

Taschen Books on Sale! Spend your Labor Day with us!

Look at this amazing spread!

A $50 deal!! Get it before it's gone!

We have some beautiful books on sale. We would love to see you stop by and take a peak. They won't last long! 

Did you know...?

...that we have some wonderful displays up throughout the store? Perhaps you are a creature of habit and only go to your favorite spot? Well, let me give you a virtual tour of some amazing books and sections we are highlighting these days.

 The Teen Reader. It's not just The Hunger Games. LOOK at all of those fabulous covers. I see some fanciful, adventurous reads (Wildwood by Colin Meloy), some thoughtful teen angst (Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer) and some heart tragic love drama ( Wake by Amanda Hocking, local author by the way!)

 Then we head over to something a little darker. A little Finnish crime fiction? Oh yes, sign me up. The world of genre fiction is bigger than you Girl with that Dragon Tattoo. Local publisher Ice Cold Crime has the scoop of what edgy book to read next.

 Okay, so maybe super charged Finnish crime fiction is not for you. Perhaps you would like to learn another language? Why stop at Spanish or French? How about try a little Hindi or Arabic? We got a whole shipment of language tapes and books. Come and check them out!

These are just a few around the store. Stop on in and take a tour. You may find something new!

Customer Reviews #1

We value our customers. 

We learn from our customers. 

Our customers are voracious readers and we love that!

To highlight some of the fabulous folks that come through our doors, we would like to start a feature called Customer Reviews. (pretty catchy, huh?)

Our very first loyal customer to share their review with us is Mary. Here is what she thinks of the upcoming new release by local author Louise Erdrich, The Round House, due out October 2 from Harper Collins.

The Round House

 "Edrich has a written a real winner here. Louise weaves an excellent story within the lives of a close knit Native American family in the 1970's. A time of National growth and economic despair were the average American is trying to figure out how this "new" Individualism will survive without losing the basics of being part of a family. Discover life on a Midwest reservation. Joe, a teenager, struggles with coming of age, keeping his most sacred of Native traditions; family, honor and spirit."

Mary, one of our awesome customers

Interested in sharing with us your thoughts on a great book? Stop by and talk to Michelle.  

No lengthy essays needed. Just a few thoughts would suffice.

Be our Guest, Be our Guest!

The Lovely Ladies of  Scandia Shores Senior Housing

 We had the pleasure of hosting a tour of our bookstore just a few weeks back with the lovely ladies of Scandia Shores Senior Housing of Shoreview. Gary, our Outreach and Sales Manager, led the tour along with several other staff members.They feasted on cookies and learned about the wonderful history of our store and the building. They also learned some of the ins and outs of independent bookselling. 

Gary and Emma

Their feedback warmed our hearts. The residents were quoted as saying, "You will never know what this means to me!"  This makes us feel wonderful! We enjoy giving back to our community and showing to others what we do every day.

We are open to giving tours to groups who are interested. Please contact Gary Mazzone at 612-822-4611. Emma, one of our fabulous shop dogs, can also be a part of the tour!

Welcome Dylan Hicks, our new bookseller.

Just kidding.

He isn't really our new employee but he does read a heck of a lot. During his book signing event a few weeks back, he let us know some of his favorites. 

Curious to know what he recommends?

Check these out.

We gave him his own display.

That's how we roll. 

Mystery Train by Greil Marcus

Stone Arabia by Dana Spiotta

Actual Air by David Berman and Let's Talk About Love: a journey to the end of taste by Carl Wilson

Please Kill Me by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain

Chronicles by Bob Dylan and Can't Stop Won't Stop by Jeff Chang

Girls to the Front by Sara Marcus

If you want more, read his book Boarded Windows. Actually, read that one first. You can find that on his display too.

Dog Days of Summer

You didn't think summer was over, did you?

We are still knee deep in summer reading, folks especially for the students of Southwest and Blake High Schools.

Students have been reading. And it's not just The Hunger Games.

We are fortunate to have been working with these wonderful schools in ensuring we have the books that are on the reading lists. Displays for both schools have been up for the last few months and we keep the very extensive lists at our front registers for easy access.

Non-fiction titles like Speak, Memory by Vladimir Nabokov,The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe, The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels, and Out of Africa Isak Dinesen are just a few of the eclectic mix these students get to choose from.

Fiction titles include Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, The Moviegoer by Walker Percy, Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller and The Call of the Wild by Jack London and Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie.

Far from The Hunger Games and Divergent but students are buying them, from what I have witnessed, with enthusiasm.

We are so excited to supply the books for these students that we offer a 10% discount to each student who makes their own purchase (and shows their student ID).

You may see some Back to School ads out there but here at Magers and Quinn, we are still kickin' back enjoying our summer reading.

Would you read Jane Eyre if the cover looked like Twilight?

Inquiring minds want to know.

We were recently interviewed on Fox 9 News about the marketing of classics, such as Jane Eyre and Romeo and Juliet, to appeal to the new teen reader. Is it working? Are kids lured in by the gothic covers of young girls in billowing dresses standing on a cliff?

Our very own, Aaron, says no.

"From our experience, I don't think the repackaging really makes much of a difference," said Aaron Rosenberg. "Our customers come in and buy used books and new books."

Here's the full story and video clip.

Marketing has definitely worked to boost the paranormal and dystopian genre within the young adult world. But I think content rules out. Teens want a good story, with characters they can relate to. And to most teens, reading is serious business and a serious passion.

If they want to read Wuthering Heights, they'll read it. Putting a Robert Pattinson-like boy on the cover, brooding and handsome, won't affect the serious teen reader too much.

What's your opinion, dear readers?

Walker Place Book Fair

Our thanks to Ashley and all of the residents at Walker Place in 
Minneapolis for making our book fair last week so much fun. 

The many book loving residents at Walker Place maintain a beautiful library 

and have an active book club. 

Recent book club reads 
have included The Master Butchers Singing Club and The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. 

They graciously welcomed
Magers and Quinn and the fair at which books on history, local interest 
and mysteries were favorites.
A portion of the proceeds went back to Walker to be used for their library.

Author Kelly Fern 

Local authors Colin T. Nelson (Fallout), Jessie 
Chandler (Hide and Snake Murder) and Kelly Fern
(Songs of my Families) joined us. 

A thanks goes to them as 
well for sharing their time and company. 

Author Jessie Chandler

Similar to the book fairs done at schools, Magers and Quinn partners 
with local senior residences to bring books to seniors and to help raise money for their 
libraries or other special initiatives. 

Life is good when for a few hours it brings 
together books and people who love to talk books.

For more information please contact 

Gary Mazzone at 612-822-4611.

The Blog is back!

  Hello dear Readers,

It has been some time since our last post. Slowly but surely we are coming back. Update your Google Readers, tell your friends, spread the word. Stay tuned for more exciting news from all of us here at Magers and Quinn Booksellers.

Cheers!

Meet Henry Rollins and See the World at M&Q

For the past twenty-five years, Henry Rollins has searched out the most desolate corners of the Earth—from Iraq to Afghanistan, Thailand to Mali, and beyond--articulating his observations through music and words, on radio and television, and in magazines and books. Though he’s known for the raw power of his expression, Rollins has shown that the greatest statements can be made with the simplest of acts: to just bear witness, to be present.

In his new book Occupants, Rollins pairs visceral full-color photographs--taken in Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Northern Ireland, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and elsewhere over the last few years--with writings that not only provide context and magnify the impact of the images but also lift them to the level of political commentary. Simply put, this book is a visual testimony of anger, suffering, and resilience. Occupants will help us realize what is so easy to miss when tragedy and terror become numbing, constant forces--the quieter, stronger forces of healing, solidarity, faith, and even joy.

You can meet Henry Rollins, see more photographs, and learn much more at M&Q tomorrow. Rollins will be in the store at 7:30pm, Wednesday, October 19. Details are here.--David E