Michael Chabon

 

In case you did not make it to the Talk of the Stacks event on Friday night, we have signed copies of 

Telegraph Avenue here.

A book I'm excited about

 

Mary Casanova, Frozen (University of Minnesota Press)

Book Description:

Sixteen-year-old Sadie Rose hasn’t said a word in eleven years—ever since the day she was found lying in a snowbank during a howling storm. Like her voice, her memories of her mother and what happened that night were frozen.

Set during the roaring 1920s in the beautiful, wild area on Rainy Lake where Minnesota meets Canada, Frozen tells the remarkable story of Sadie Rose, whose mother died under strange circumstances the same night that Sadie Rose was found, unable to speak, in a snowbank. Sadie Rose doesn’t know her last name and has only fleeting memories of her mother—and the conflicting knowledge that her mother had worked in a brothel. Taken in as a foster child by a corrupt senator, Sadie Rose spends every summer along the shores of Rainy Lake, where her silence is both a prison and a sanctuary.
One day, Sadie Rose stumbles on a half dozen faded, scandalous photographs—pictures, she realizes, of her mother. They release a flood of puzzling memories, and these wisps of the past send her at last into the heart of her own life’s great mystery: who was her mother, and how did she die? Why did her mother work in a brothel—did she have a choice? What really happened that night when a five-year-old girl was found shivering in a snowbank, her voice and identity abruptly shattered?
Sadie Rose’s search for her personal truth is laid against a swirling historical drama—a time of prohibition and women winning the right to vote, political corruption, and a fevered fight over the area’s wilderness between a charismatic, unyielding, powerful industrialist and a quiet man battling to save the wide, wild forests and waters of northernmost Minnesota. Frozen is a suspenseful, moving testimonial to the haves and the have-nots, to the power of family and memory, and to the extraordinary strength of a young woman who has lost her voice in nearly every way—but is utterly determined to find it again. (Mary Casanova's website)

If you are looking for a perfect blend of history and suspense, this is a great read. Good for readers young and old, local author Mary Casanova has written a gem.

 

Baby Lit. Oh yes.

Aren't these divine?

Why wait until high school or college to discover the classics?

Start at birth!

Board book versions for your little one.


BabyLit Books Pride and Prejudice
Jane Eyre
Dracula
Alice in Wonderland
Romeo and Juliet
A Christmas Carol

Get them now before our staff with kiddos of their own snatch them up. I'm included in that bunch. I've been eyeing that Dracula one ever since I discovered it this afternoon.


No pressure.

Molly Ringwald

  
Look who stopped by our store today. Molly Ringwald. 

No big deal. It's cool.

(oh my god. oh my god. oh my god)

She is in town promoting her wonderful book, When It Happens to You: A Novel in Stories.

New: $22.49
Pub. price: $24.99
Hardcover

Harper Collins

See her tonight at 7:00 at Common Good Books.

If you can't make that, we have signed books!

Rare Book School

What's that, you say? Rare Book School?

Yes, it exists.

Check out this article from the New York Times about this school at the University of Virginia. Here's a snippet. 

"For five weeks each summer Rare Book School brings some 300 librarians, conservators, scholars, dealers, collectors and random book-mad civilians together for weeklong intensive courses in an atmosphere that combines the intensity of the seminar room, the nerdiness of a “Star Trek” convention and the camaraderie of a summer camp where people come back year after year."

The whole article

Boy, what nerdy delight that would be.

Here at Magers and Quinn, we know a few things about rare books. We have more than a few and a whole host of staff members who could throw down in a rare book battle.

Next time you are in, take a gander upstairs and see what rare delights we have on our shelves.

Great Staff = Awesome Books to Recommend

We are a diverse bunch here at Magers and Quinn. 

 

One way we can show it is to display our personal book recommendations.

From philosophy to Stephen King, our staff will introduce you to some fabulous books.

Take a look.

Yum, Winter Vegetarian.

American Psycho? Crazy! Let the Great World Spin...what a good book.

Oh hey, it's my pick! How did that get it's own picture? 

If you stop on in, we'll be more than happy to talk your ear off about them and many others. 

 

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.