Bookends

The telephone is working properly again.

Later today I expect to post a list of books recently shelved (could happen tomorrow), but I have one that's exceptional, at least for me.

It's a signed first edition (with a full number line, so perhaps a first printing, but perhaps not) of Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J Maas, who is one of the, if not the, most popular author(s) in the world today. The book is in "not quite like new but almost" condition; one copy sold recently for $385 on ebay.

I'm offering mine for $300. The 2025 price may be lower, or not.

Thanks for looking.

(I don't think that I can present a picture today from the store, but maybe tomorrow.)

Another bunch of books on their way to the shelves tonight and tomorrow AM. A History of Astronomy (NOT a textbook), a book of Dostoevsky short stories, 3 plays by Elmer Rice, 2 by Murakami, who has been very hard to find for quite a while now, one by Philip K Dick (Ibid).

One that interests me is one about a 2015 prison break from Dannemora State Prison and the 3-week manhunt that ensued (the two murderers were captured, one alive, one not. I'm going to open it myself tomorrow, but it'll be for sale before noon.

Some Brandon Sanderson, 3 books on learning Japanese, one on building a log home, and one called Mrs. Dalloway's Party, also by Virginia Woolf, that "illuminate(s) the ideas behind the landmark modern novel, Mrs. Dalloway.)

More, of course.

Always more.

Just a reminder that "technically," Bookends will be closed Sundays starting tomorrow, 9/1/24, and will remain closed Sundays through the end of January.

In truth, though, I will go over to the store tomorrow, and stay from at least noon until 2:30.

I will not be there on Sunday 9/8 for purposes of opening the store.

Tell your friends, please.

To expand on a recent subject:

Starting THIS Sunday, Bookends will be closed Sundays and open Mondays, with this modification. Because September 1 is the first "closed" Sunday, I WILL OPEN the store at noon and for about 2-3 hours I'll keep it open, for those people who aren't yet aware of the changes. Contrarily (?), because September 2 is Labor Day and a National holiday, Bookends will remain CLOSED on the first Monday when it is theoretically OPEN for the first time since February.

New Monday hours are 12 noon until 6 PM, which is one hour longer than Sundays had been open.

New Friday hours are 11 AM until 5 PM, which is one hour shorter than Fridays had been open.

The New Hours are already posted on the door, and are correct here and on Google (I google "Henrietta Bookstores").

See you all next time we're both here at the same time.

It appears that the changes in hours have been accepted here. Closed Sundays, open Noon -6 Mondays, 11-6 Tuesday thru Thursday, 11-5 Friday and Saturday. Open the same number of hours as before, but a little sliding to allow me some time to find books, go to the Doctor, etc.

As always, thank you for your patience.

I'll post on Tuesday as to whether Google changed the hours correctly.

Something else I should have been doing for years.

Monday is almost always a day I go looking for books, here or there, and frequently in my own storage areas. I bring them into the store but I don't announce them.

Today I've brought in several, including these of various levels of significance.

Stamped from the Beginning, The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, by Ibram X. Kendi, a National Book Award winner.

Rules of Civility, by Amor Towles

A Norton Critical Edition of War and Peace.

Her Husband, a story of the marriage between Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath.

New American Poets of the '90s.

The Dicitonary of Lost Words, by Pip Williams

Educated, a Memoir by Tara Westover, a relatively recent bestseller.

A Hiding Place, a WW2 classic by Corrie Ten Boom.

2 Louise "Pennies" and a John Sandford

Tears in the Darkness, the Story of the Bataan Death March, by Michael & Elizabeth Norman.

The Savage Detectives, by Roberto Bolano, an author whose works are very hard to find.

And more, of course.

Making it official, the hours will be changing next weekend, as "predicted." Bookends will be closed on SUNDAYS starting 9/1 and open on MONDAYS starting 9/9 (Closed 9/2, which is Labor Day). There may be other minor changes.

I'll be posting the new hours tomorrow, here and on google, but it may take until Tuesday for them to show up.

Thank you for your seasonal patience.

Someone came in recently and asked for Malcolm Gladwell, then limited their interest to his "Outliers." Now I have "Outliers." Happens.

I should post this regularly.

I have FAR too many books, but I do still buy some, especially sci-fi/fantasy and poetry. I do still look at books that people have to sell, on the chance that I'll find some that interest me, but not very many do interest me.

I also accept a limited number of donations.

I prefer that books NOT be brought to the store on rainy days. An appointment is often helpful.

While I do have some pricey books, those are not the meat of the store; I don't pay a lot for many books. I do accept books in trade, and I tend to give more in credit than cash for any book that I do purchase. I don't have a "policy" as to what I pay for books, but factors will always include the condition of the book and the amount I anticipate that I can legitimately charge for it. Sorry but I cannot be more specific than that.

Thank you, as always, for your continued interest.

I expect that I'll change my hours and my day off (from Monday to Sunday) right at Labor Day, such that I expect to be closed both September 1 and 2. Check here and on Google for the changes.

So far today I've had to close 30 unwanted posts that appeared for no reason on my page or feed or whatever; it appears that there may be 50 more. They're pushing me off this site.

I certainly don't remember them all, but a couple of books that people have asked about recently are here.

Persuasion (Jane Austen)
Neuromancer (William Gibson)

And at least 75 others that I've put on shelves that no one has asked for specifically, but very good books anyway, and a dozen or so Easton Press and Franklin Library "prettybooks."

Come take a look!

This song may keep my ears happy for the rest of my life.

The Beautiful American - Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington The Beautiful American - Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington

As I suggested a few days ago, today is another short day. I'll be leaving at 3:30 (sorry for the short notice).

Enjoy your holiday (actually, I hope that everyone enjoys every day, but that seems to be an attitude that's easier to live when you're older and the days seem more precious). I'll be back at 11 on Friday.

Be well!

I'll be leaving the store today at 2:30 PM. Back tomorrow at 11.

Hi there, Bookenders. I know it's Monday, but I'm at the store and opening in a few mnutes; I'll be here at least until 2 PM; I'll let you know.

I'll be moving boxes around for you to look at and, in some cases, for me to prepare to remove. Some sort of sale continues, even better because it's Monday and you are nice enough to see this and come in.

Thanks. I'll let you know when it looks like I'm leaving. Right now, I don't anticipate staying much after 3, but it is ok to call 272 1943 for information, or perhaps even an appointment that I'd keep!

The first batch of books is both smaller and not as good as I'd anticipated. I'll be bringing more out as I may be able during the day. 50 cents each. Indoor books, buy 3; the least expensive is free (indoor pricing based in part on my failure outdoors). A fine day to take advantage of what I might call the Statnekov Reduction-- my great-nephew turns 2 today.

I haven't re-posted my sale thought, but it's still there. Tomorrow is June 30, the beginning of July 4 week, and there'll be books outside and sale prices for the week, weather permiting. I expect to open for a few hours, about 11-3, on Monday as well, again if it's dry, so check here, and also until at least 3 on July 3.

A few books that were requested recently are here, now. McCarthy's The Road; a paperback Gone with the Wind; and Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek.

Good news and Better news for Bookends patrons. I'm *planning* a special month of July at the store (REMEMBER that I am a BAD planner).

The bowling alley closes annually for July 4 week; I always "plan" to take advantage of the extra freedom in the parking lot to make still more books available, often even less expensively than normal.

That's the "plan" again this year.

The difference is that this year, I'm publicizing the plan more than two weeks ahead of the "event" itself.

I expect to be OPEN on Monday, July 1, perhaps only outdoors (I have extra bookcases), and may even start the "event" on June 30, when both the bowling alley and the math store will be closed. Bookends will not be open on July 4, and may close a bit early on July 3. But if I can do it, I'll have LOTS more books out there for you, and at lower prices.

So YOUR chance to plan!

A propos of nothing and no one, a novelist, Jill Ciment, married a man 30 years older than herself, the artist Arnold Mesches. As I write this, I know nothing of his art. She took an art class under him (pun not avoided) and an affair started, though he was married and had two children roughly her age.

This and that and eventually they married and she wrote a book about their relationship and called it "Half a Life." Now she has written a second look at that book, to be called "Consent," in which she corrects a variety of fiblets and omissions. Life goes on; he has died; none of this is why I present it to you.

There is a piece in the NYT about the release of the second book (it's an interesting piece and suggests, to me, that both books would be interesting reads), and she mentions the idea of writing their story a third time, when she reaches 90, and how he taught her about learning how to age, which IS the point of my writing here):

"He never gave up," she continued. "He went into that studio a week before his death and he drew and he painted. I learned something invaluable, which is that you're alive as long as you're alive."

(Pass it on.)

If life is fair, then how/why does this happen to me?

I picked up a book-- not just a short story or book of short stories-- intending (!) to read it. It's allegedly a Philip Marlowe novel, but not by Raymond Chandler; this one is by Benjamin Black, who writes some mystery stories, but dabbles in straight fiction and has won a Man Booker prize as John Banville, and who earns respect in both areas.

I was expecting a level of excellence.

Marlowe's client, a blond "dish" type, of course, probably not quite as heavy as Lauren Bacall, as of page 3, had last seen her former lover "top months ago," if you choose to believe her page 3 story. But by page SIX, in the course of the same conversation, when Marlowe had the courage to ask the same question, she had last seen him only one month before.

In a fair world, this doesn't happen. At least in the Henning Mankell novel, there were at least 50 pages between the time the people had lived on the east or west side, but without moving, had come to live on the other side; it was late in that (or another) story in which our incompetent police Inspector and chosen to protect someone by spiriting her to a distant island location where he protected her by sleeping upstairs while the protectee was left to sleep, and to our potential disbelief, be killed on the first floor.

I was much younger for the Mankell travesties. At 78, the Black/Banville blunder, separated by merely 3 pages, might have been another fatality.

I'll continue. Maybe it's a parody.

I'm not expecting visitors, but I am at the store as I had said, and yes, it is open. I'll be here until about 4, so come in if it strikes your fancy. Or tickles your fancy, if that's a preference.