Psssst...

Speak softly, but spread the word: the original venue for Litquake's annual bash has been changed at the last minute due to the club's violation of liquor laws. . .

Ironic that the name of this year's Litquake party is Password: A Literary Speakeasy, and will feature in-character readings from the likes of Dashiell Hammett (Eddie Muller), Dorothy Parker (Sarah Fran Wisby), and many others. Awesome that the shindig will be hosted by the lovely (but not so silent) screen-star, Louise Brooks (Alia Volz), and will include Prohibition-era cocktails, as well as jazz, and a caricaturist. Dreamy in the fact that there will be a Thin Man movie marathon.

Best of all - tickets are still available - just tell 'em Mergatroid sent you!

PASSWORD: A Literary Speakeasy

Thursday, July 19th 8:00PM

(new location) Public Works 161 Erie Street map

TICKETS HERE

Tuesday night was Saturday night!

Thanks to everyone who made it to Tosca Cafe last week, on very short notice, to witness the verbal hurricane that is Bobby Keys - a truly special night was had by all! Imagine, if you weren't among the lucky dozens in attendance, of kicking-back in a red naugahyde booth and gently sipping a famous 'House Cappuccino', while the Rolling Stones' sax man (that's right The Rolling Stones) regaled you with tales from more than 50 years on the road. . . Amazing!

You better believe that Bobby Keys (a native Texan) has the gift of gab; tales poured forth all evening, some hysterical, others touching: Keith Moon chasing his butler around the yard with a hovercraft, secret recording sessions with Gram Parsons and Keith Richards in the latter's basement studio, and tender remembrances of Levon Helm, John Lennon and sadly, many others.

Bobby's booming voice comes through perfectly in his recent memoir from Counterpoint Press, Every Night's a Saturday Night, which was what brought us all to Tosca last Tuesday in the first place. Well, that, and to hopefully witness a television thrown through a window. . .

If you missed it, you still have a chance to get to get your hands on a SIGNED COPY, which isn't exactly the same thing as downing White Russians with the man, but I do what I can. And by all means, check-in with our event calendar, or follow us on Facebook, just don't miss the next one!

The lit keeps quaking

I've been very excited to work with Litquake this year, co-producing their monthly reading series, Epicenter. At Tosca. That's right. . . Tosca Cafe, the hallowed North Beach watering hole.

The idea for Epicenter is actually to have a little less reading, and a lot more discussion - this is why we are booking two authors at the same time and encouraging them to shoot the breeze to our hearts' content. Please enjoy a couple of photos of last month's guest, Steve Erickson, above and below. Steve was in conversation with San Francisco journalist Kevin Berger, and it sure delivered!

Next on the Epicenter calendar is a double-header for the ages: Geoff Dyer and David Thompson! Thompson, the notable film historian (you may have heard of his The New Biographical Dictionary of Film - an absolute classic, now in it's fifth edition) will be the perfect cohort to Geoff Dyer, whose new book, Zona: A Book About a Film About a Journey to a Room takes on one of the greatest cinematic experiences of all-time, Andrei Tarkovsky’s Stalker. Each author has scads of books published, and this event is certainly not one to miss. Did I mention that it's at Tosca Cafe?

The Epicenter series has been very successful so far, which is a fancy way of saying, "Get there early, as seats fill quickly." Check our website for more details.

Out with the NEW

Yesterday I escaped from the bookstore (and our super-busy used book buy counter) to work an off-site event at Fort Mason Center for the annual Gambero Rosso Italian Wine tasting. And while I didn't get a chance to sample any of the hundreds of wines being poured, I did manage to talk with oodles of Italian wine fans, a cult-like crew that brimmed with excitement for the 2012 Italian Wine Guide!

The Gambero Rosso guide to Italian wine is an amazing production, rating and reviewing more than 20,000 wines from close to 2,500 producers, and folks were chomping at the bit to get theirs. Maybe due to the fact that the 2012 guide won't officially release for months yet, and the copies we had available yesterday were shipped directly from the bindery to the event. Nice to have friends in high places, yes?

The upshot of all of this is that I managed to save just a few copies to have available for sale here in the store! So if you (or someone you want to do something nice for) want to get a copy way before the clamoring masses, simply disregard our website's 'not available' notice and put that copy in your shopping cart! Or come in to Green Apple and check the wine and spirits shelves in our cooking section. (click here to go to the item listing on our site)

Super Bowl, Schmuper Bowl - an option.

My favorite weekend of the year is upon us, but no, it won’t involve being glued to the television watching Super Bowl commercials. Rather, this Saturday and Sunday is the return of The San Francisco Antiquarian Book Print & Paper Fair, held at the Concourse Exhibition Center.

Over 200 dealers from all across the globe will be hawking their wares, and while I’m always impressed with the scope of tomes on display, it should go without saying that Booth 312 will dazzle you the most. Was that too subtle? Then how about this: Green Apple Books will bring the best of our best, and we will be at Booth 312 all weekend.

What is the best of our best, you ask? How about a batch of Arion Press titles, including The Great Gatsby and Coney Island of the Mind; The Variorum Edition of the Poems of W.B. Yeats, SIGNED by Yeats; The deluxe edition of Danny Lyon’s Knave of Hearts, limited to 50 copies, and including a SIGNED print; SIGNED first editions from Ansel Adams, Haruki Murakami, Wayne Thiebaud, Maurice Sendak, Edward Abbey, Tasha Tudor, Robert Crumb, and many others. Did I say dazzling? I do believe that I did. But without a doubt, my personal favorite is the true first edition of Ambrose Bierce’s landmark story collection, Can Such Things Be? published in 1893. Oh, wait – maybe it’s the hand-numbered copy of Raymond Pettibon’s Pig Cupid. No, it would really have to be the beautiful, SIGNED first edition of The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test – man, what a way out signature. AAAAaahhhhh!

Please slide by Booth 312 and say “Hi” – show hours are from 10 to 7 on Saturday, Feb. 4^th and from 11 to 5 on Sunday the 5^th. Free appraisal service on-site during Sunday, and a discounted admission coupon is available HERE.

Titter for the toys for tots: Sat. 17th 2-4pm

You may have heard of him before, but you have never heard him like this. . .

He's the coolest dude from the chilliest climate on the Southest Pole. . .

Sometimes when he drinks too much egg-nog he does Christopher Walken impressions. . .

If you bring in a toy (or make a $ donation) for the SFFD Toys for Tots program he'll let you sit on his lap - he'll tell you a dirty joke - he promises not to touch you. . .

We didn't have a single complaint last year, so we invited him back again. . .

Appearing at Green Apple Books on Sat.17th 2-4pm:

SANTA CLAUS

(or will franken)

Lock the doors, unplug that TV, it's NaNoWriMo!

Today is the day, noble scribes. . . it begins!

Now in it's 13th year, The National Novel Writing Month is a tough as nails challenge, a grueling marathon, and if you complete it, a success worthy of writing books about. Oh, wait, that's the whole idea, isn't it?

Indeed. In a nutshell, NaNoWriMo is a month-long kick in the pants, encouraging budding novelists to commit themselves to beginning (from scratch), and finishing a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. Feh. . . you kids got it easy this year; if I remember right, wasn't last year's goal 60,000 words? But, I may still be living in a fantasy. . . Still, for those of you who are better with letters than you are with numbers, let me break this year's goal down for you: to reach 50k words in the month of November, you'll need to pump out 1,666 words a day, every day. I couldn't do it, but last year some 37,500 folks did - just look at how this movement has exploded:

Annual participant/winner totals:

1999: 21 participants and six winners

2000: 140 participants and 29 winners

2001: 5000 participants and more than 700 winners

2002: 13,500 participants and around 2,100 winners

2003: 25,500 participants and about 3,500 winners

2004: 42,000 participants and just shy of 6,000 winners

2005: 59,000 participants and 9,769 winners

2006: 79,813 participants and 12,948 winners

2007: 101,510 participants and 15,333 winners

2008: 119,301participants and 21,683 winners

2009: 167,150 participants and 32,178 winners

2010: 200,500 participants and 37, 500 winners

So good luck to all of you who accept this grand challenge - I'm in! Just remember, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It’s all about quantity, not quality. This approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly. In other words, Just Write It!

litquake...Litquake...LITQUAKE!!!

Oh yea, it's on!

Join me this Friday at The Verdi Club for the dirt-cheap opening night party of San Francisco's Litquake Festival, now celebrating its 12th spectacular year. 'The Devil's Lexicon : Litquake's Nod to the Dark Side of Literature' kicks-off at 8pm, and there will be cocktails, so let's keep this one strictly 21UP, ok, you devils?

And speaking of 21UP, this year's Litcrawl on October 15th (fills me with civic pride every time) will debut the Litquake Book Bar, a mobile, interactive installation on a trailer that aims to entertain and engage San Franciscans by conducting live interviews with authors, artists, and musicians in parking spots around the city. So there's that. . . in addition to what, 300 readers in over 50 venues peppered along the Valencia corridor? Many of which are also bars! So massive in fact, that this year's Litcrawl has its very own website: http://litcrawl.org/sf/schedule/ . Did you click it? Pretty massive, huh?

Don't worry, the middle isn't just filler either - instead, days and days of top-notch talent from all over the world will descend upon the Bay Area every day and night of the week from October 7th through October 15th in dozens of venues. Overwhelming, sure, but fret not; here's the plan from Litquake, and a few suggested high-lights from our most recent Green Apple Newsletter.

I'm excited. I'm kind of afraid. I need to go now and save my energy - but please say "Hi" if you see me, or any of the other Green Applers that you spot around town lending our hands to this huge undertaking. And thanks Jack, Jane and Elise for what promises to be another stellar season!

Summer (reading) at last!

Well, it had to happen. . .today is August 23rd, and we finally have a day of sunshine in the Inner Richmond. So, with only 7 days left in the month I think it's a fine time to make another pitch for the August book of the month: The Magician King by Lev Grossmann. But don't just take my word for it:

Cory Doctorow of BoingBoing : The Magician King is at once an existential exercise that angrily shakes escapism by its shoulders and demands that life have a purpose, and a story about extraordinary deeds, heroism, magic and love -- all the stuff that makes escapism go. (Full Review Here)

Alexander Chee of NPR : ...a spellbinding stereograph, a literary adventure novel that is also about privilege, power and the limits of being human. The Magician King is a triumphant sequel, surpassing, I think, the original. (Full Review Here)

Kevin Hunsanger of Green Apple Books: Ok, so this is when the ‘happily ever after’ part is supposed to kick-in, right? Well, if you know Fillroy, and the magicians that populate this enchanted land, then you already know that it just isn’t going to be that easy. . .(Full Review Here)

Don't forget - All of our Book of the Month selections come with a money back guarantee.

Now go and enjoy this fabulous weather while it lasts!

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

And if it's not too redundant, "THANK YOU!"

Yes, the annual San Francisco Bay Guardian's "Best of the Bay" issue for 2011 has hit the streets, and topping the Reader's Poll list in the 'shopping' category for Best Overall Bookstore / Best Used Bookstore is. . . (drum-roll). . . your beloved Green Apple Books and Music!!

So again, thank you again for all of your support! It's always an honor and one that we never take lightly!

Read on!

Left Bank Bohemia: Le bon mot!

The most exciting event of the July is almost upon us, and I have a special bonus for the friends of Green Apple Books and Litquake, so read on!

On Thursday, July 14th Litquake will present Cabaret Bastille at CellSpace Gallery from 8pm - midnight, and you can bet your bottom euro that it's going to be fantastic!

BONUS ALERT: enter the word 'friends' when you purchase advance tickets through Brown Paper Tickets and you will receive advance tickets for only $10.00! CLICK HERE for tickets.

Cabaret Bastille July 14

Litquake celebrates Left Bank Bohemia with authors channeling authors, French wine, tricolor cocktails, absinthe fountain, blue films from the ’20s, exotic dancing, and at least one accordion—flappers and dandies welcome!

Step into the enchanted word of 1920s Paris as your favorite authors read excerpts from their works:

Matt Stewart as Ford Maddox Ford
Alia Volz as Anais Nin
Mac Barnett as F. Scott Fitzgerald
Alan Black as James Joyce
Andrew Dugas as Ernest Hemingway
Sarah Fran Wisby as Djuna Barnes
Joshua Mohr as Henry Miller
Daphne Gottlieb as H.D.

Hosted by Tara Jepsen channeling Gertrude Stein

WITH:

• Angus Martin on the accordion, accompanied by the lovely chanteuse Gabrielle Ekedal
• Enchantress Yvonne Michelle Cordoba weaving her sinuous dance
• Exquisite corpse, candy ciggies, costume box, make-your-own-Matisse
• and much, much more….

Alcohol sponsored by Blue Angel Vodka and Black StarBeer. No-host bar.

July 14th, 8pm-midnight
At CELLspace 2050 Bryant, San Francisco, CA 94114
Tickets: $13 advance/ $15 at the door

summer reading = got umbrella?

Another soggy June afternoon in our City by the Bay, and if you're like me, this is the perfect weather for a bit of summer reading! Lucky for you, I've got some wonderful suggestions if you need them; and if you don't need them, how about turning off your computer and getting to those books!

Last week David Kipen and myself were guests on KALW's "Your Call" show - we discussed summer reading habits, how things are in the book biz in general, and how reading is getting done these days, what with ebooks and all. . . We took tons of listeners' calls and suggestions, and I almost wore out my voice thanking everyone for all the praise heaped on Green Apple. But luckily the voice hung in there.

Luckily the voice hung in there, so if you missed it last week, you can simply CLICK HERE and listen to the podcast any time you want to. Unless you're reading, and then I wouldn't want to interrupt you.

C'mon Down!

Interested in bookstores? Interested in the plight of independent businesses? Love watching good movies, on couches, in public? No plans tomorrow night?

Then join me at The Red Vic tomorrow night (Thursday June 2nd) at 7:30pm for an encore showing of Paperback Dreams, a wonderful documentary about the demise of Cody's and the survival of Kepler's. Immediately following the film, I will participate in a panel discussion on the importance of bookstores to community, with Paperback Dreams director Alex Beckstead, and Booksmith co-owner Christin Evans. Sure to be riveting. . .

Plus, the popcorn condiment bar at the Red Vic simply can't be topped!

Booksellers, not photographers

The good news is that my rare book knowledge far surpasses my 'point and click' photography talent, but Green Apple's trusty ol' Canon Powershot G5 is up to the task of showing you some of the more interesting used book developments around the shop, and in full-color to boot.

For example, just dig this complete run of Believer Magazine, the ground-breaking fiction / essay / film periodical from the fine folks at McSweeney's. . .seriously, dig it!

Then, there are the dozens of beautiful Modern Library Editions that were purchased last week from a condition conscious collector, enough in fact for us to give them their own bookcase in the annex. Check out these beautiful copies, in dustjacket, of some classic classics, most priced less that $20. Ahem. . . a bargain.

Everyone loves the lurid covers of those mid-century pulp and paperbacks, so why not kick-start your new collecting passion by nabbing a copy of 'Sex Slaves', 'Halo for Satan', or a beautiful copy of 'Astounding Stories' from the 1930's? Many of these paperback original 1st editions are priced quite reasonably, and most are even between $6 - $15! Again, they have a new bookcase in the annex, and also. . .another bargain!

Of course this is all just a drop in the bucket, as Green Apple has one of the most active buy counters on the West Coast; and what that means to you is endless variety in a store that's never the same place twice.

OK, readergirlz - we'll rock the drop with you!

Even though Green Apple Books isn't a library, there is excitement afoot on Thursday, April 14th when the American Library Association joins together with Figment and Readergirlz to show their support to Teen Literature Day and 'Rock the Drop'. The list of suggested ways for folks to participate is found here, but let me tell you what Green Apple is going to bring to the table. . .

On Thursday, April 14th we will be having a ONE DAY SALE on young adult books, when each and every book in our young adult section will be 20% off! Just mention 'Rock the Drop' at the front counter and the discount will be yours!

This discount will apply to age-appropriate material only, and will be at the discretion of our staff, so stick to the books on the mezzanine, please.

Read On!

Some days are just better than others

Take Thursday the 24th from 6pm - 8pm, for example. That's the night that I will be hosting one of my favorite authors, at my favorite watering hole, to celebrate San Francisco's favorite book of 2011! If you don't know already, I'm talking about Rebecca Solnit at Tosca for Infinite City!!! Sounds like exactly the kind thing needed to get me over this cold / flu thing and back into the land of the living. . .

This free event (at Tosca) will feature a multimedia lecture by Rebecca Solnit, and will also include participation from many of the artists that contributed maps and artwork to Infinite City... (click here for full details)

Then, just a couple of weeks down the line, our fine friends at Litquake are putting on a show that screams to be witnessed, Regreturature: An evening of readings that probably shouldn't see the light of day." From the Litquake newsletter: "Everybody has to start somewhere, and here’s what happens when good writers start bad. On April 7th, join some of the Bay Area’s most successful authors as they sheepishly read works they may now regret, from fiction to nonfiction, blogs, journalism, opinion pieces, even diary entries." Tickets for this are available here.

And you know that you'll see me there. . .

Well, tingle my spidey-sense - it's a whopper!

Economic downturn? Not if you you were the lucky seller of a private auction for a Silver Age funny book that happened to feature the debut of SpiderMan. . .

That's right folks - if your mom hadn't of thrown out your stack of comics when you were away at college you too may be a millionaire - just so long as you had a near mint copy of Amazing Fantasy #15. . .

$1.1 million.

Anyone selling?

KFOG in the AM

Hey there Cats and Kittens. . .

Tune your radio dial to the KFOG Morning Show(104.5fm (or 97.7fm in the South Bay)) tomorrow (Wed) at 8:15am and catch another riveting visit from Green Apple's Book Guy (me). Or you can stream it live here.

Good stuff will be discussed (grab yourself a peek), you can bet on that.

Catch you on the flipside!

k

Book stuff on technology blogs?!?

If those blogs are BOINGBOING or Laughingsquid, then of course books. . . I check-in with both of these sites daily, and they never fail to amaze me. Every day. Amazed!

In fact, boingboing and Laughingsquid are huge supporters of books and bookish things, as exemplified by the following two posts, from yesterday and today. One showcases how the book can evolve into a unique object of art, and the other is a gentle plea from graphic-novel guru Alan Moore on the importance of libraries.

Two sides of the same coin, and both stirring examples of how important physical books are to a culture, to a creator, and to our minds.






Thanks boingboing and laughingsquid for making the internet a safe and free haven for book readers!

Vote early - Vote often - Vote Green Apple

There's a pretty fantastic promotion going on right now by the fine folks at Lonely Planet Travel Guides. . .

You see, they have chosen 10 'landmark locations' in San Francisco and New York, they've organized them into head to head rounds of voting, and are waiting on the proverbial pins and needles for the results to be final. YOU get to decide who's got the best of the good stuff, East Coast vs West Coast style.

I mention all of this because of lucky #7, which has your beloved Green Apple Books up against their _______ed Strand Bookstore. As of this writing, just under 5000 votes have been cast, and Green Apple has a commanding 59% - but what's wrong with a little landslide among friends, eh?

It is certainly a thrill just to have been mentioned, we really do appreciate it, but let's take this thing in style, OK? Green Apple needs your clicks.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE

Please and Thank You!