Yes, We Have No Books
With all the Independent bookstores biting the dust, BookBeat in Marin County California has come up with a unique solution: Get rid of the books!
Seems a little extreme but these are trying times for the Indies; time to try anything, that is. BookBeat has reduced their stock to a minimum and replaced it with a performance space, booze and WIFI. They offer next-day service on most any book ordered and ordering can be done over the phone or, presumably, at the same time you order you gin and tonic. The customer can then pick it up at the store thereby saving themselves the shipping costs.
More On Banned Books
I heard there was a post of my post about the Banned Books Café on the Banned Books Café blog so I headed over there to check it out. While there, I read another post that led me to another blog (or maybe it was a website, I couldn’t really tell) called Never Silenced. I’m not really sure what the blog is about but it has to do with banned books so that makes it OK by me. While there, I found yet another site about banned books called Forbidden Library. This looks like a pretty extensive site. They feature books listed by title and by author and have a list of interesting links. Sadly, a notation at the bottom of the page indicates that the site was last updated over a year ago so it may be dead in the water. Still, it’s worth the time to check out.
Biker For A Day
Ok, this ain’t about books but there could be a story element here. It seems that the Comancheros, a motorcycle club in Australia, has an auction going on eBay. What are you bidding for, you ask? Well, if you’re the highest bidder you get to spend a day with them. And just to spice things up, you’ll visit the site of the Milperra Massacre which saw 4 Comancheros slain along with 2 killed from the rival gang the Bandidos. There is a reserve of 1500 USD and half the funds will go to the cystic fibrosis unit of The Children’s Hospital at Westmead. Sounds like a good deal to me. If I had the bucks and the means to get Downunder, I’d bid.
Art In The Loo
Most public restrooms are boring, dank and oft times smelly affairs one approaches more out of need then desire, with the intention of getting in and out as quickly as possible. This may change in Yellow Springs, a small, artist community in southwest Ohio. Two local artists have opened what’s been dubbed the ChamberPot Gallery in which original works of art, many with a bathroom theme, are being exhibited in the public restrooms located in the replica of a 19th century train depot. And it seems the exhibit is going over quite well. As a writer, I can see real potential here. Short stories over the urinals or dead level with someone sitting on the pot. Could work.
Thank {Deity (or lack thereof) Of Choice} I Didn’t Fall For This Crap
Thank god I was raped? That can’t really be the title of a series of stories, can it? ‘Fraid so, according to an item in Galleycat via a post on Bookburger. Seems there’s a new book series coming and the – publishers? – of this series are really concerned about your welfare, not to mention the state of your wallet. Nice to know someone cares, huh? And being the caring folks they are, for a mere $299 USD, you too can thank god you were, well, er, fleeced, comes to mind. But there is hope in your future. After you have written and submitted Thank god I Was Fleeced, you become obligated to participate in their three month ‘Thankfulness’ course to make sure, you know, that you’re like really cool with the idea of being fleeced.
Here’s the link to the site. After reading through it, you’ll no doubt want to sit down and write Thank god I’m Not A Gullible Moron.
Wiki On Down The Highway
A friend turned me on to this article about Wikipedia in The New Yorker. It’s long but worth the read.
It’s Contest Time!
Oh, I am so going to love this. POD-DY Mouth, she who toils in the POD mine looking for the hidden diamonds, is having a contest. She has posted 24 excerpts from various novels, some POD, the others TP (Traditionally Published). You get to pick which is which. You can email your answers to her at girlondemand@yahoo.com with POD EXAM in the subject line. Make a list 1-24 and mark each entry either POD or Commercial. But you have to hurry. The deadline is 5:00 pm EST.
