In light of Gene Yuan Lang’s appointment as the National Ambassador for Children’s Literature, I have a confession to make: until last year, I was terrified of graphic novels. It was the section of the store I felt the least capable in; the genre confused me and I had convinced myself I “just didn’t get it.” Here’s the funny thing, though. As a kid I loved reading Archie comics, but graphic novels for some reason seemed new and incomprehensible to me. I know this is absurd, but that’s how I felt when we first started carrying manga books years ago. I felt like a someone’s great-aunt who clung to 8-track while eschewing CDs out of fear.  Continue reading →

A new Year walks among us now and she has graciously offered to provide her insights into what lays ahead, in this exclusive interview!
Kenny: Thank you indeed for taking the time to speak with us.
The Year 2016: Happy New Year to you Kenny!
Kenny: Are you all right? You look a bit peaked.
The Year 2016: Oh I’m fine. 2016 is a Nithos Bell Ringing year and I just completed the ringing. It is a very exhausting ceremony.
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Recently, when we were all a little punchy from the pace of holiday sales, Josie’s friend Patty created a hilarious Bingo game for us to play as a way to let off a little steam. It was such a great idea that I couldn’t resist taking it and adding some things here and there. For anyone who works retail or has a job involving customer service, some of these squares will be very familiar. Ditto for anyone with co-workers. I encourage all librarian and bookseller friends to make your own Bingo boards.
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As the new year starts, it occurred to me that maybe this year I would set a reading challenge or two for myself. I have not normally done this, but a friend shared a challenge on her Facebook wall that got me thinking about the nature of a reading challenge. Why a challenge? Well, as a bookseller, surprisingly there are many things I don’t read. Not because I don’t want to, but because I’m reading for the store. Two staffers regularly read heaps of adult mysteries, so I tend to skip all but my favorites in this genre. I avoid adult nonfiction because I’ve convinced I don’t care for it (which is silly because so often I adore memoir, I just don’t like history books). I read young adult and middle grade novels because they are the ones I enjoy the most and the sections of the store where people often need more help. But this year, I’m going to do a challenge. Continue reading →