Life is an adventure. There was a time in my life when abrupt change wasn't welcomed with joy. Even if the change afoot was potentially a good one. But I guess with age comes some flexibility, some ability to consider the possibilities and embrace serendipity. I'm writing this blog from a hotel room in Everett on the teeny keyboard of my iPhone. I'm watching the morning news, sipping some coffee and enjoying my husband's company. We headed west yesterday afternoon to scout out some new gift lines for the store and do some other business-related errands. On the way we stopped at Bellevue to have our car serviced, continuing through our day with a rental car. When my husband came to pick me up at the gift center, he said, "Well. I have bad news and i have good news?". After I made some lame guesses, he told me they found a problem with our car's steering and a part would be overnighted and installed then.

In the old days, I would have fretted. Who would feed the cat? I don't have extra clothes, toothbrush, makeup, curling iron or anything else that I daily count as essential. But this morning I am happily dressed and relatively undisheveled. A 24- hour big bix store saved the day and I've already packed my lightweight, recyclable, handled bag with the monogramed and fashionable "Fred Meyer" on the side. Life is good. Surprises are fun.

Nancy Pearl's Rule of 50

I'm surrounded by books here on the couch. I've been bringing home books again. Despite economic woes and cost-cutting measures, the publishers keep sending out books to booksellers. Their hope is that we will read the Advance Reading Copies (ARCs) and get excited about them and generously hand-sell them when they hit the market in a few months. Independent booksellers are known for their ability to do just this - talk up a book, sell it to their customers and sometimes launch a bestseller. So, when they send them, I often give them a try. I subscribe to the Nancy Pearl Rule of 50 to determine which books to spend my time on. If you don't know who Nancy is, click here(or paste this in your browser)for more info
http://booklust.wetpaint.com/page/About+Nancy+Pearl

Nancy has visited our store twice and she is a delightful kindred spirit when it comes to books. And she has her own action figure. Wow.

The Rule of 50 in Nancy's own words:

"Believe me, nobody is going to get any points in heaven by slogging their way through a book they aren't enjoying but think they ought to read. I live by what I call 'the rule of fifty,' which acknowledges that time is short and the world of books is immense. If you're fifty years old or younger, give every book about fifty pages before you decide to commit yourself to reading it, or give it up. If you're over fifty, which is when time gets even shorter, subtract your age from 100. The result is the number of pages you should read before deciding.

Around me right now are ARCs, regular books, the Yakima Herald Republic, my journal, Eddie Bauer and LL Bean catalogs, the latest Newsweek, an atlas, my Bible, some marketing books, some fiction, Real Simple Magazine and various kinds of junk mail. So to stay sane, I'll subscribe to the Rule of 50 because there are so many books and there is so little time.

October, Taxes and the Fair

I'm spending a few extra hours at home this morning. I wish it was to read, or bake or work outside. Instead, I'm finishing my taxes. Taxes? Yes, taxes. Our third extension. My own fault. In between, I've taken a few shots of my surroundings, though, written for the store newsletter, walked 50 minutes on the treadmill, ate some cantaloupe and chatted with Piper. Yes, I procrastinated even more! But now, I am finished. Tada. Off to the accountant, perhaps in disguise so he doesn't loathe me next year.

I've included this shot from one of my favorite places, the Central Washington State Fair. The older I get, the more I marvel at the speed with which the calendar pages fly - how can it be fair time again? I love the nostalgic Americana, the heritage apples, the Grange exhibits, the 4H entries and the CEF Storybarn. How many more years will we have the Fair? Will there always be an agricultural presence in our valley to showcase it's bounty? I'd like to hear what my readers think about whether or not the Fair still serves a purpose other than to bring amusement rides and big name entertainers to town. Is there still a legitimate purpose for having a Fair?

Julia Child Themed Book Club Dinner

First, the evidence:



Well, if you haven't read the book Julie and Julia yet, my personal opinion is to skip the book (I can't believe I'm saying this) and go straight to the movie! I can't remember ever saying this before - to ignore a BOOK and watch the movie! Yikes. Scandalous! I'm scaring myself, but the book was not my cup of tea. The movie, however, was delightful! It just made me want to, to, to, chop onions!

My book club decided to hold a potluck Julia Child dinner. Our hostess made the signature entree, Boeuf à la Bourguignonne (Beef Stew in Red Wine, with Bacon, Onions and Mushrooms). Served over rice, it was truly, as Julia might say, "Yum". I made Potato Leek Soup - my first experience with leeks. Served with some fresh chives chopped on top, it was a great lead-in to the meal. Others made such things as Chocolate Almond Cake, Chocolate Mousse, a beet and orange salad, an apple custard side dish, and a corn salad. What fun it was to pretend we are all sophisticated chefs! And now (a little drum roll, please) I present my first video blog entry. Turn up your sound and wait for it to buffer:

Here are my dear friends, enjoying great food and company one September evening in 2009. And, just to redeem myself, I will recommend reading Julia's cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volumes 1 and 2 as well as My Life in France.

Have you ever had a book discussion which included food from the era or areas mentioned in the book? Please leave your comments below. I'd also love to hear your ideas of food and book pairings that could be fun. Thanks for reading. I recently learned there is a term for people like you who read blogs. You are called Bleaders. :)

A good night's sleep at my daughter and son-in-law's home. This day is "so far so good"! The GPS got me to the conference center only a little late. The scrambled egs were predictable, but the coffee surprisingly good! We just heard Robert Spector speak about his book, The Mom and Pop Store. Then Loren Long with what might be my favorite new picture book, Otis, about the relationship between a little tractor and a calf. Now we are listening to the hysterical young adult novelist, Libba Bray, talk about her new work, Going Bovine. Next up, Jonathan Safron Foer, with his book, Eating Animals, asking the question,"What is meat?".

After this, I hit the trade floor with my sneakers on, meeting reps and buying books to bring home for our customers to love.

Pacific Northwest Bookseller's Tradeshow - Portland, OR

Here I am in Portland, OR at the Pacific Northwest Bookseller's Association tradeshow. I've already met several new author friends who are considering a visit to meet readers in Yakima. I also attended some workshops on social media such as Facebook, Twitter and blogs. I learned so much AND Jason, our resident techie, is with me to interpret what I heard! Stay tuned for some updates, photos and hot book news!

Movie Review

Well, only the top half of this image copied, but it is quite fitting for this review. Pieces of April. A 2003 B-type movie, this is a story about all the ways that April is pulled - almost into pieces. I started this movie and within 10 minutes I was thinking I might not finish watching it. The language is raw and the scenes are harsh, but the story just kept pulling me in. April is living in a rough neighborhood in New York City with her boyfriend, Bobby. She is estranged from her family, always having been very different from them. Now, her mother is dying of cancer and they are coming to April's for Thanksgiving. Her brother, a budding photographer, seems very tender. Her little sister, though likeable, is irritatingly sweet. Her Dad is already grieving, not only the imminent loss of his wife, but the loss of the relationship with April. April's mom is a somewhat cynical, determined woman who is starting to see things a little more clearly through the lens of her illness. And Grandma is coming too - in an Alzheimer fog, but surprisingly brilliant.

Bobby is helping April do something she has never done before - be a cook and hostess and offer love when she doesn't feel like it. Before the day is over - you might call it the Day of the Traveling Turkey - April needs to seek and accept the help of many different kinds of people. This is a beautiful movie. I was not expecting to even write a favorable review in the beginning. A click on the blog title should take you to a webpage about the movie. Please believe me when I say this is well worth watching.