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"In addition to expanding our travel section into Brookline's very own "globe corner," full of guide books, maps, and travel literature, Booksmith has recently acquired globecorner.com, a website rich in travel resources for the adverturesome to the armchair traveler. Visit us at globecorner.com to shop online for maps, guide books, and travel literature, to view recent arrivals to our ever-burgeoning Destination Literature section, or to read about upcoming travel-centric events at our store. On our blog at globecorner.com you can read about the worldwide and local travel adventures or our staff and alum, gain helpful travel tips and advice, or browse a book review on the latest in international literature. Whether in the store or online, we look forward to helping your plan your next destination."
--Jodie ( #1 bookseller, and your guide to Booksmith's travel wonderland.)

We just added a big name to our reading series! We've rushed to get tickets printed for Richard Ford, who will be reading from his forthcoming novel Canada at the Coolidge Corner Theatre on Thursday, June 7th, 6pm. They're are just five bucks, so give us a call at 617-566-6660 to reserve yours.

Read on for all of this week's events, and don't forget that we still have tickets available for our event with Jodi Picoult and her daughter Samantha Van Leer on Monday 7/2. And soon tickets will go on sale for comedian, author, and Daily Show co-creator Lizz Winstead, who will be at the Coolidge on Sunday, 7-10. Stay tuned.

Finally, if there are words to describe how much Maurice Sendak's books meant in the lives of countless people all over the world for the last five and a half decades, then someone else will have to write them, because I don't know what they are.

 
 
Tuesday, May 15 at 7pm
David Gebler
The 3 Power Values: How Commitment, Integrity, and Transparency Clear the Roadblocks to Performance

For nearly 20 years, David Gebler has helped organizations live up to their goals, reinvigorating their working cultures to make them more efficient and ethically sound. Join us as he discusses his new book, which focuses on three core values to keep any organization on the right track.
Wednesday, May 16 at 7pm
Journeys into Hidden Worlds
Ft. Lizzie Stark and James Higdon

Join us as we host two journalists who have delved deep into hidden subcultures. In Leaving Mundania, the editor of Fringe literary journal Lizzie Stark hacks her way into the magical realm of live-action role-playing, where normal people shed their business suits to don armor and robes for extravagant, gigantic games of make-believe.

In The Cornbread Mafia, journalist James Higdon exposes the legacy and legal battles surrounding the largest homegrown marijuana syndicate in American history. With unprecedented access into this secretive group, Higdon examines the hidden side of the war on drugs.
Thursday, May 17 at 7pm
Buzz Bissinger
Father's Day: A Journey into the Mind and Heart of My Extraordinary Son

Buzz Bissinger (Friday Night Lights, Three Nights in August) is the father of twin boys who couldn’t be more different: Gerry is a grad student at Penn; Zach is a savant, challenged by serious intellectual deficits but blessed with rare talents. Realizing that he’s never understood what it’s like to be his son, Buzz hits the road with Zach on a trip through the best and worst parts of America and learns to see his son for what he is: a man of great character. Susan Orlean calls it “a triumph.”

Friday, May 18 at 7pm
Breakwater Reading Series

Join us for a night of new fiction, poetry, and essays from the MFA candidates of Emerson, UMASS Boston, and BU.

Monday, May 21 at 7pm
Teresa Giudice
Fabulicious! Fast and Fit: Teresa's Low-Fat, Super-Easy Italian Recipes

* Signing Only *

You must purchase a copy of Fabulicious Fast & Fit at the Booksmith to enter the signing line. The Star of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Celebrity Apprentice contestant, and best-selling author Teresa Giudice swings by the Booksmith to share her new book of the authentic, healthy Italian recipes that she uses to stay “fabulicious” after four kids and nearly 40 years.
The Greater Journey:
Americans in Paris

David McCullough
Paperback, $20
In the Shadow of the Sword: The Birth of Islam and the Rise of the Global Arab Empire
Tom Holland
Hardcover, $29.95
I Am A Pole
(And So Can You!)

Stephen Colbert
Hardcover, $15.99
The Chemistry of Tears
Peter Carey
Hardcover, $26
Lizz Free or Die: Essays
Lizz Winstead
Hardcover, $25.95
Bring Up the Bodies
Hilary Mantel
Henry Holt and Co.
Hardcover, $28
  Surely you have heard recent interviews with Mantel, surely you have read one or another of the pile of glowing reviews for this sequel to her Booker Prize-winning Wolf Hall. I won't waste your time, I have little that I could add, when so many professional critics have put it so precisely. Instead, I will leave it to these good gentlemen to entice you to pick up a copy of Bring Out Your Dead, I mean, Bring Up the Bodies.  

Home
Toni Morrison
Knopf
Hardcover, $24
  Toni Morrison's compact new novel Home is, as this nearly breathless reviewer puts it, "like a slingshot that wields the impact of a missile." Returning from the Korean War, battle-scarred Frank travels to the Georgia hometown to which he vowed never to return in order to care for his ill sister. Morrison's work, as always, is penetrating and lyrical, with sudden explosions of racial violence and intolerance.  

In One Person
John Irving
Simon & Schuster
Hardcover, $28
  In a small Vermont town in the fifties, Billy Abbot is a child of a theatre family, and more confused than any kid deserves to be. It becomes clear to Billy early on that his crushes are just as likely to be on the boys at school as the girls. Irving's characters are famous for their depth and humanity, and his ability to tell a good story is second to none. In One Person tells the story of a kid trying both to find himself and to hide himself.  

Junonia
Kevin Henkes
Greenwillow Books
Paperback, $15.99
Ages 8-12

  Superstar kids bookseller Jamie says:
"This story made me feel a wonderful rush behind my ears, as I watched Maggie grow into her more mature 10-year-old self. A beautiful Mrs. Dalloway-esque story, every child on the verge of "growing up" should read it."
 


Yes, Yes, Yaul!

Jef Czekaj
Hyperion Books
Hardcover, $16.99
Ages 4-7

  Jef Czekaj, illustrator and DJ, brings the dynamic duo from Hip & Hop Don't Stop back to the stage/page in Yes, Yes, Yaul! Is there anything that can turn this prickly porcupine into a rapper with a silky-smooth delivery? Hip and Hop have already learned how to creatively coexist, and in this feisty sequel they pass on their wisdom to a new partner in rhyme.
This book recommendation dedicated to MCA.
 


Great Artists Coloring Book

Annette Roeder
Paperback, $8.95
Ages 9-12

  I just love this book. With just enough encouragement from past masters, young artists can explore wildly different styles on their own terms and with plenty of space to color outside the lines. Copying another's method is a great way to learn, and this book introduces a seamless way for kids to learn how to cross artistic boundaries.  
The Question and Answer Book of Magnetism
Dr. Frances L. Behnke
Golden Press, 1962
Used Paperback, $3
 

Get it while it lasts! Due to expire at the end of this year, magnetism is the force that lets your refrigerator reflect your personal flair. It's also the force that can make this crazy, dangerous looking stool. This book is filled with fun experiments and not a few out-dated facts. But the experiments are really fun!

 


The Asmat of New Guinea
Michael Clark Rockefeller
Museum of Primitive Art,1967
Used Hardcover, $60

  In 1961, Michael Rockefeller journeyed to the Asmat region of New Guinea, in order to study the culture, and especially the art, of the native people there. His boat capsized, killing him several months into his expedition, but he kept faithful and detailed records of the people and places he encountered. The unbelievable pieces of art for which he bartered - shields, drums, statues, paddles - are exquisite, and the photographs are amazing; candid and expressive. This book is a real treasure.  

Separated at Birth
A Spy Book
Doubleday Dolphin, 1988
Used Paperback, $4
  Ouch. This book is mean. Pairing up unlikely celebrity twins, the folks at Spy books link Mary Tyler Moore with the Joker, Joan Rivers with a baboon, and Golda Meir with LBJ.  
Super Sad True Love Story
Gary Shteyngart
Random House, Hardcover
Orig. $26, Sale $7.99
  Gary Shteyngart's satire has teeth, there has never been any doubt about that. Gary Shteyngart himself is flat-out goofball. (Hilarious, star-studded trailer submitted as proof.) If you don't know what to believe, then you are qualified to read this book.  

Running the Rift
Naomi Benaron
Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, Hardcover
Orig. $24.95, Sale $6.99
  Naomi Benaron's Running the Rift  is the stirring novel of a boy coming of age in a country that is gearing up for the genocide of his people. Young Tutsi Jean Patrick Nkuba sees his talent for distance running as a chance for glory for himself and his country, but as Rwanda descends into madness he finds that it may be the only thing that can save his life. Listen to a recent NPR review here.  

American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House
Jon Meacham
Random House, Hardcover
Orig. $35, Sale $11.99
  Perhaps, yes, the believability of Jon Meacham's biography of Andrew Jackson is undercut by the very first sentences in the jacket copy: "...the man who rose from nothing to create the modern presidency...Jackson's election in 1828 ushered in a new and lasting era in which the people, not distant elites, were the guiding force in American politics." That era is arguably a thing of the past, but Meacham's biography remains a singular literary achievement, and more than worthy of both its Pulitzer Prize and a place on your bedside table.  
The Surrendered
Chang-rae Lee
Riverhead Trade
Paperback, $16
Liz E.: "A hauntingly beautiful, well-written story about love and personal interactions set against the backdrop of the Korean War...and life afterwards."  


House
Tracy Kidder
Mariner Books
Paperback, $15.95

Daniel: "This is a fascinating look at how a house grows. The people are real and the story belongs to them all, though they are often friendly antagonists. You don't need to know about building to love this book, but you will learn a lot about people. Now I want to go out and build my own house! This book will help."  

Getting Out
Mark Ehrman
Process
Paperback, $19.95
Katrina: "Get out of here! No, not Brookline Booksmith - get out of America! Go. Pack your bags tonight - the aliens are coming - the world is going to end in a couple of months anyway - what do you have to lose? Don't worry though; this book is your guide to jumping ship before it sinks. Getting Out by Mark Ehrman is your life raft; a thorough exit plan. We only have one life. This is it. Get packing. Bon voyage!"  
       
 


We have the cheerfulness you need on these cloudy Spring afternoons. Don't get caught out in the rain! Let our roses and rainbows and all sorts of patterns keep you dry and happy.

These were stuck together. 
Therefore they are to be interpreted as a whole.
Brookline Bikes is once again hosting New England's largest Bike Parade, on Sunday, May 20 at Amory Park at Amory St. & Beacon St. For fun! For free! We want to celebrate, encourage and call attention to the environmental, physical and social benefits of bicycling and celebrate Brookline's parks and open spaces. Bike Parade Registration is from 11:30 am - 12:15 pm, and the ride starts promptly at 12:30pm. From 12:45pm - 2:45pm join the Community Celebration with music and entertainment and free popsicles and ice cream. Open to the public, all are invited! The parade is suitable for cyclists who can ride 5 miles on a hilly course at a speed of 8 mph without stopping. Generally that means 8-years-old and up using a reliable bicycle. There will be a co-parade for younger and novice riders. Visit the link above to register or for information on the Bike Parade, or call the Parks and Open Space Division for information on the Community Celebration at (617) 730-2088.

For the first time, the Brookline Chamber of Commerce and the Brookline Rotary Club are combining forces to present the Brookline Chamber of Commerce & Brookline Rotary 2012 Annual Charitable Golf Tournament on Friday, June 15, 2012 at 7 a.m. at the Robert T. Lynch Municipal Golf Course in Chestnut Hill. The tourney will benefit the Kids Clothes Club, which provides warm winter coats to low-income children, and the Brookline Chamber of Commerce’s community activities. The tournament will end with a hosted lunch at the popular Vine Ripe Grill, and ample opportunities for networking. In addition, the participants will be eligible for raffle prizes, giveaways, and fun awards for their achievements on the links. Individuals and foursomes may register now with the Chamber of Commerce, either at brooklinechamber.com or by calling 617-739-1330. Registration is open through June 7. In addition, tournament sponsorship opportunities are available for interested businesses. The deadline for sponsorships is Monday, May 21. Early sponsors for the golf tournament include Peoples Federal Savings Bank, Brookline Bank and the Kids Clothes Club.
   

A letter from our brave First Literacy Spelling Bee team, who placed lower than first, but considerably higher than last place:

"Hello all,

The First Literacy Spelling Bee was amazing. We beat Harvard Bookstore by forfeit, as they did not show up. So, I take the opportunity to emphasize that we beat Harvard. They knew of our prowess beforehand and couldn't take it.

In our swarm, we valiantly plowed through ten rounds and were felled by the word 'toccata' which is not spelled 'toccatta,' and learned the hard way that millennium has two N's. Houghton Mifflin won that round, and also the entire bee.

The people there were really friendly and several people took a look at our shirts and waxed on about how much they loved the Booksmith. We even gave directions to Coolidge Corner for people who haven't been to our store yet. By far, we were the most spirited and color-coordinated team, and were great ambassadors for the Booksmith. My other teammates would like to note that we were the only all female team, and coincidentally, the cutest team."



Thanks for reading,
Paul

  currently reading Leaving the Atocha Station by Ben Lerner.
currently listening to this.

email me, if you'd like to make this a conversation.
 
 

Boston Phoenix's 2012 "Readers' Pick for Best Bookstore, New"
Boston Magazine's Best Bookstore 2004-2006, 2008, & 2011
WBZ-TV A-List Editor's pick for Best Bookstore 2006, 2007, & 2011
Community Newspapers' 2009 Readers' Choice Award


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brookline booksmith
279 Harvard St.
Coolidge Corner, Brookline
an easy block from the Coolidge Corner T-stop on the C line
617.566.6660
thestore@brooklinebooksmith.com
Dana Brigham, Co-owner and Store Manager

Open 7 days a week:
Monday - Thursday: 8.30 am - 10 pm
Friday: 8:30 am - 11 pm
Saturday: 9 am - 11 pm
Sunday: 9 am - 9 pm

Open 24/7 at www.brooklinebooksmith.com


 

 

Brookline Booksmith Online Home Hours, Directions & About Us Shop Online Staff Picks Author Events BMail Newsletter Used Book Cellar Blogsmith Book Club Find of the Week Archive