Dear Reader,

Here we are at the end of summer.  In a few weeks my grandson, Brecken, is going to start kindergarten in New York City’s public schools.  Here’s my son, Gabe’s description of Brecken’s new school:
We had Kindergarten Orientation yesterday, which was fun.  You should see the school building; it’s in oldTammany Hall, which has been recently restored and is gorgeous.  Original chandeliers, columns, brick mosaic work.  The original elevators are in but with glass exteriors so you can see all the counter weights and wire systems.  And in a middle atrium there’s a three-story tall modern sculpture…incredible. 
I’ve decided that Brecken must be going to the N.Y. Kindergarten School of Art and Design. What an interesting use for an historical building.

As you can see, Bunter is cramming before school starts. He’s reading a new kid’s book IT’S A BOOK, by Lane Smith, a real charmer about the uniqueness of an entertainment that doesn’t text, blog, scroll, tweet, and doesn’t need wi-fi.  (As I type this, my computer just told me there is no such word as “blog.” There! It did it again!  It needs to have a little talk with itself about nomenclature.)

For a light hearted read that will make you the envy of all your fellow readers when they overhear you chuckling and sometimes laughing out loud, consider THE TOWER, THE ZOO, AND THE TORTOISE, by Julia Stuart.  “The tower” is the Tower of London, which houses many of the Beefeater (you know, the expressionless guys in the funny tall wooly hats) families.  “The zoo” is the Queen’s menagerie,the animal gifts to her from foreign heads of state, which she decides should be housed at the Tower rather than the London Zoo.  “The tortoise” is Mrs. Cook who, at 181, is the oldest living tortoise in the world (How do they know that, I wonder?).  I’m only half way through the book, but watch out!  If you come into the bookstore, I’m likely to pull you aside and insist on reading funny passages to you, out of context, of course, so I will be the only one laughing.

Dear Readers,

BOOK THOUGHTS:

• I am reading THE SWAN THIEVES, by Elizabeth Kostova. I’m just at the beginning, so this isn’t a book review, but I wanted to share a lovely observance she makes about books: 
  “…what will we someday do, I always wonder, without the pleasures of turning through books and stumbling on things we never meant to find?”
• This, from Gilbert Highet, showed up on my New Yorker calendar:
  “These are not books, lumps of lifeless paper, but minds alive on the shelves.”

BOOK REVIEW:

THE WAL-MART EFFECT: How the Worlds Most Powerful Company Really Works – and How It’s Transforming the American Economy, by Charles Fishman I am a confirmed Wal-Mart hater or, rather, I thought I was. THE WAL-MART EFFECT has not turned me into an enthusiastic advocate of the world’s largest retailer but it has left me with a much clearerunderstanding, and in some cases (dare I say it?) admiration for the changes Wal-Mart has brought us, whether or not we shop there. Remember when deodorants came in a box? We pulled the deodorant out, pitched the box, and heaped boxes into landfills. No more, thanks to Wal-Mart’s penny-pinching. On the other hand, Wal-Mart is in a position to change workers’ working environments in the entire world. Really. That’s how much power Wal-Mart has. But, at least by the time the book was completed and updated, Wal-Mart had chosen not to take on that task in any serious way.

This book was completed in its updated form in 2006. When it was first released Wal-Mart’s leadership was outraged. This is an organization that could teach George W. Bush’s administration much about secrecy. Neither had they been willing to talk to Mr. Fishman or any other reporter nor had they cooperated in any way with scholars trying to understand Wal-Mart’s unprecedented success. Their suppliers are expected to be silent about their relationships with Wal-Mart. But in 2006 Wal-Mart invited Mr. Fishman to its headquarters in Bentonville, AK. The last chapter of THE WAL-MART EFFECT is a description of this visit. It was a time when Wal-Mart rather suddenly appeared to be taking its role as a world leader more seriously. In October, 2005, CEO Lee Scott began making a series of announcements about alterations in the way Wal-Mart would be doing business, beginning with environmental goals of having Wal-Mart use 100% renewable energy and create “zero waste” and the promise to share (share!) the technology that allowed them to do it! This chapter left me guardedly hopeful that Wal-Mart may eventually understand that not every penny “saved” is actually, ultimately, saved.

Wal-Mart has within its grasp strategies to save money while doing the right thing. Wal-Mart with a moral compass could be a thing of beauty. Thanks to THE WAL-MART EFFECT I have become a Wal-Mart junkie. I still don’t shop there, but I now understand that it matters little where I shop; Wal-Mart has changed my life, your life, and the lives of everyone we know. I am vigilant in my search for more recent “takes” on the State of Wal-Mart. They’re still secretive, so every article I read about them ultimately mentions this book and/or includes an interview with its author as the most informed source for understanding Wal-Mart. I am under a certain kind of Wal-Mart spell, thanks to this excellent, balanced, fascinating, exhaustively researched book.

Happy reading,

Jeanne

Dear Readers,

Publishers must be feeling nostalgic. Not only are two of Nevil Shute’s books, A TOWN LIKE ALICE and ON THE BEACH (both great reads) being re-released this spring, but The Bloomsbury Group’s Ex Libris is reissuing a set of gems written in the 1920’s and 1930’s, each selection meant to captivate and charm. MISS HARGREAVES, by Frank Baker is the “January” release, but also coming this spring are:

• THE BRONTES WENT TO WOOLWORTHS, by Rachel Ferguson;
• HENRIETTA’S WAR, by Joyce Dennys
• LOVE’S SHADOW, by Ada Leverson
• A KID FOR TWO FARTHINGS, by Wolf Mankowitz
• MRS. TIM OF THE REGIMENT, by D. E. Stevenson

In addition, MAJOR PETTIGREW’S LAST STAND, by Helen Simonson, is also coming out this spring. It is a modern book set in modern times, but with the same feel as these 90 year old treasures.

MISS HARGREAVES is an utterly hilarious and imaginative (in many ways!) story. Norman Huntley and his pal Henry, as a lark, invent an elderly lady. They give her a goofy dog, a parrot, a cane, a profession (poet), an avocation (music), and in their heads they send her off to travel to music festivals and poetry readings with piles of luggage, a harp, and a hip-bath she never goes anywhere without. They imagine her at a music festival and imagine her staying at a certain hotel in the festival’s city. In a mad moment, Norman writes to her, inviting her to visit him and his parents. Imagine his surprise when she not only responds, she accepts.

Miss Hargreaves arrives and is everything Norman imagined and more. He is unable to explain to himself, much less to family and friends, how this situation came about. Only his father, who had a similar experience, seems to “get” it. But then Norman’s father is at least as odd, in an amusing way, as Miss Hargreaves.

Norman’s formerly peaceful life crumbles in the wake of Miss Hargreaves, leaving us, his readers, laughing, thoroughly entertained and enchanted.

The publisher describes this and the other books mentioned earlier as “a new library of books from the early twentieth century chosen by readers for readers.” Those readers are off to a wonderful start. Miss Hargreave’s last words to Norman are, “I have – enjoyed it all, so much.” So did I.

Happy reading,

Jeanne

Dear Reader,

Judy has been working instead of sleeping, I think, to get one more newsletter out before we all are swallowed up by the holidays. So here we are with a truncated version with which to wish you a safe and happy holiday season.

For those of your not in the area, we have beautiful snow, about 12 inches and expecting about 12 more tomorrow. It’s lake effect, incredibly light and fluffy and holidayish. New snow encourages Bunter to try on his Santa beard.

In a perfect world, I have access to virtually any book I like for my holiday giving. Would you be interested in knowing some of the books Curt and I have selected to give to our family and friends? (If the answer is no, skip now to the next section.)

For my brother, the history and politics buff: HORSE SOLDIERS, by Doug Stanton.

For my friend who writes children’s stories: THE DUCHESS OF WHIMSY by Randall de Seve. 

For my son living in New York City: MANNAHATTA, A NATURAL HISTORY OF NEW YORK CITY, by Eric Sanderson.

For my 4 1/2 year old grandson: THE CHRISTMAS MAGIC, by Lauren Thompson.

Curt is giving his brother his favorite book of the year: SHOP CLASS AS SOULCRAFT, AN INQUIRY INTO THE VALUE OF WORK by MatthewCrawford.

I’m giving Curt (don’t tell him), my non-fiction reading spouse, a wonderful historical novel I just finished and believe he will find as absorbing as I did: CITY OF THIEVES, by David Benioff.

For our friend who loves to bake: ROSE’S HEAVENLY CAKES, by Rose Levy Beranbaum.

For our mystery-loving friend who lives in Ann Arbor, a placed-in-Ann-Arbor mystery: BAD THINGS HAPPEN, by Harry Dolan. 

Had enough?

Happy holidays, everyone. If you’re in the area, please come in and spread a little cheer!

Jeanne Regentin