The Emperor of All Maladies

The Emperor of all Maladies:

A Biography of Cancer

Convincing you to buy a book about the history of cancer and the search for its prevention and cure is either going to be easy or very hard.

For those already interested, all I will add is that The Emperor of All Maladies is expertly researched, clearly narrated, and hopeful, if realistic. It's everything you hope for.

For those not interested at first glance, I just have to say that this is one of the most compelling non-fiction books I’ve read in years. A page-turner chock full of scientists, discovery, failure, “victims,” genomics, politics, moral quandaries and a persistently evasive disease that will, alas, afflict one in three American women and one in two American men in their lifetimes. Knowledge is power, right? Get your knowledge here.

This book is fantastic (and totally readable for the curious layperson without being dumbed down). My highest personal recommendation.

Toilet Talk

Somehow this morning took a scatological theme at the front counter of 506 Clement. Early on the buyers were chuckling over an enormous French tome on the subject of dysentery. A woman bought her son a copy of Andy Griffiths' The Day My Butt Went Psycho. Someone somewhere who had a million dollars to piss away bought J.D. Salinger's toilet, I heard. We talked about that. And while this anecdote may not quite fall into the scatalog canon I'm crafting here, I finally got a look at the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid book, in which Greg decides he can't be friends with Tyson because he pulls his pants all the way down when he uses a urinal. Good choice Greg, but I still can't stop thinking about the can! Maybe I'll reread A's post on Stefano Benni's Timeskipper, and then track down a copy of Black Spring for that part where Henry Miller spends about a five pages just meditating on the idea of public urinals. Man, I gotta go!

Hey everybody, have you heard the news?

The San Francisco Giants are The Champions of the World!

But even though this magical 2010 season has ended, the hits just keep coming at Green Apple Books. Like what, you ask? Well, just try these on for size:

Our first batch of copies of the Sports Illustrated commemorative World Series edition sold out in less that 30 minutes! I was just about to bid one up on Ebay for my personal scrapbox, but lo and behold, we got in another BIG STACK yesterday. Don’t hesitate on this round folks…I expect them to fly outta here faster that Renteria’s dinger in Game 2.

Bigger, bolder and only slightly more expensive than the S.I. edition, Giant Surprise is a wonderful collection of the moments that will live in our memories forever. So even though you’ve memorized every pitch sequence in Timmy’s 14 strikeout shutout during his post-season debut, maybe your Nephew in Spokane didn’t watch with such vigor, or your Uncle in Miami, or your Nana in Nantucket; pick up this winner from Triumph Press.

Or, if you don’t want the walls of your pad to get jealous of the coffee table, nab one of these limited edition posters from McSweeneys featuring artwork by San Francisco’s literary MVP, Dave Eggers. Dave was turned loose during Game 1 of the World Series with a sketchpad and instructions to capture the random fandom for Bay Citizen, and the results were impressive! Sadly lacking is Texas newscaster Newy Scruggs, but I guess that’s what You Tube is for. The poster itself is a giant, as well, 24” x 36”.

These special and unique items are only available in-store, and while they last. So swing by Green Apple and support your local scene – plus, if you ask nice, we just may let you touch our bunting!

It's Beginning to Look A Bit Like Christmas

Despite the bright blue sky and the balmy weather, it's beginning to feel a bit like Christmas around the store. Lots of folks browsing in the past week, getting the jump on holiday shopping, buying things obviously meant to fill stockings, or be given out after the lighting of the menorah, or placed on a Wiccan Altar. So the question of the day is, when is the right time to put up the holiday decorations?
People always roll their eyes when they see the decorations go up too soon, but there is a reason stores decorate for the holidays: it reminds everyone that Chanukah and Christmas are right around the corner. I'm told some of the big Union Square retailers had the garland and tinsel out of storage by mid-October.
It's a question we wrestle with every year here at the Apple. We strive to get the holiday decorations up before Thanksgiving weekend, but not a lot before. Don't want to appear desperate. So we'll probably be putting the holiday drapes up some time next week.

Overhead

Sometimes you're standing on a ladder putting books on the very highest shelf in the building and you hear one customer say to another, "This bookstore is better than a lot of sex I've had," and it just sort of makes your night.