Happy 150th Anniversary!

There are books, and then there are books.  On this date in 1859, Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species.

Darwin had released one of history's most important texts.  The culmination of nearly 30 years of work -- in addition, Darwin 'stood on the shoulders of other scientists' -- his theories of natural selection were largely immediately embraced and laid the foundation of modern biology.

There are people a lot smarter than I who have written about Darwin during this past year, which also marks the 200th anniversary of his birth.  This includes evolutionary biologist Olivia Judson, who writes the occasional op-ed piece in the New York Times.  Read her article on the importance of Darwin and On the Origin of Species (Darwinmania!) here.


An aside.

Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln were both born on February 12, 1809.

On this date in 1859, Lincoln was preparing for a speaking tour through Kansas.  He had recently suffered a defeat to Stephen A. Douglas in his run for the U.S. Senate, but was laying a foundation for a successful presidential campaign.

Details of the Neil Gaiman Event!!!

Neil Gaiman Is Coming To Decatur!

Little Shop of Stories is maniacally thrilled to announce that Neil Gaiman will be speaking at co-host Agnes Scott College on Monday, December 14, 2009, at 6 p.m.

For the unaware, Mr. Gaiman is an author who is active in a variety of forms of storytelling, including adult fiction and non-fiction, children’s books, graphic novels, and film.  His latest work is Odd and the Frost Giants, a children’s chapter book.

As fans of Little Shop know, Neil sent out a challenge to independent bookstores to throw a Halloween Party themed to his Newbery Award-winning The Graveyard Book.  We threw such a frightening scare into everyone who came to Little Shop’s party that we were named a grand prize winner and awarded this visit.  (Congratulations to co-winner McNally Robinson Booksellers in Winnipeg!)  In return, Neil and Harper Collins Publishers have won our everlasting and undead affection.

This will be a ticketed event.  You must have a ticket to get in.  A ticket will guarantee you a seat.  If you arrive at the event without a ticket, you are not guaranteed admittance.  In fact, the probability of getting in without a ticket are virtually nil.  Because we want to accommodate our fantastic customers who played such an integral role in getting this event, but at the same time acknowledge Neil's hard-core fans from outside the Atlanta area (some of whom are willing to travel hundreds of miles), here's the plan:

* On Monday, November 30^th, tickets will be available to those who come in person to Little Shop of Stories.  There is a limit of one ticket per person, so if you would like to bring your entire family to see Neil, bring your entire family into Little Shop to get tickets.  As per Neil’s specific request, tickets are absolutely free.

*  On Monday, December 7th, a minimum of 100 tickets will be made available through either telephone reservations starting at 10 a.m. (404-373-6300) or by in-person request, and we will continue to take reservations for tickets during the days leading up to the event until all tickets are gone.  You can then pick up your ticket at Little Shop up until 2 p.m. on the day of the event.  If you have yet to get your hands on your ticket, a will call table will be set up at the event.

*  Doors will open on Monday, December 14^th at 5 p.m. at Agnes Scott College’s Presser Hall.  You must have a ticket.  However, there will be no reserved seating; first come, first seated.  Presser Hall is located on South McDonough Street, just south of East College Avenue, in Decatur.  A parking facility is located on the opposite side of McDonough.

*  Following his presentation, Neil will stay and sign books.  Due to the large number of people expected, he will sign and personalize only one book per individual.  However, Mr. Gaiman has offered to sign and personalize two books should at least one of them be purchased from Little Shop.  (Save those receipts!  You've got to have them.)

*  Mr. Gaiman’s books are available for purchase at Little Shop of Stories.  (This includes picture books, children's chapter books, and adult titles.)  Additionally, we will be conducting sales at Presser Hall prior to and following the event.  A limited number of signed books will be for sale at that time.

*  We look forward to seeing you on December 14^th.  It should be a fantastic evening!

Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears

Every year I buy myself a Christmas gift and a Birthday gift. I always choose books and I've been doing it for a couple of years now. It's always a challenge to pick one book and so today I would like to share with you the book that made the cut for Christmas last year.

Emily Gravett is an author and illustrator who I think is absolutely amazing! The illustrations she creates are always intricate and captivating. Her stories are enjoyable and carry a great sense of humor to them. I chose her book, Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears, as my gift last year.

The book is actually the journal of Little Mouse and everything she's afraid of. At the end of the book she realizes that everyone has fears, and even some things are afraid of her! I'm big on interactive books, and this one doesn't disappoint. There is flaps, fold outs, a map (in the shape of a mouse), jagged pages - anything you could think of except popups. (Emily does make pop-ups though!) The story is great because, at a young age, I had tons of fears and I think it would have been reassuring to have this book. Another intriguing aspect is that who ever is reading the book can turn it into their own journal! Emily left blank spots on each page to allow the reader to reflect, draw, and write about their own fears. On top of that, (as if this book could get better) she even includes the technical names for all of Little Mouse's fears on the top of each page. Do you know what clinophobia means? It's the fear of going to bed. Oh yes, Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears is educational as well!

Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears is in my top ten for 'favorite picture books' list. I'm pretty confident that if you check it out, it'll rank high on your list too.

- Sydney

Little Shop of Stories' Most Awesome Graveyard Book Halloween Party!

How does an independent bookstore get Neil Gaiman to visit? Simple.  Just invite all of your customers -- your really totally cool, wonderfully awesome, fun-loving customers -- to a Graveyard Book Halloween Party!  Here's our video.  Photos are located in a post below.

We are working out the final details concerning Neil's December 14th visit to Decatur.  Information will be posted on this blog.  We're hoping to have it to you sometime on Monday, November 23rd.

Everyone at Little Shop is really, really excited!

In the meantime, here's some information about our video.

The crypt was created in the basement of our really old building. Quite honestly, it was pretty creepy when I was down there setting things up, even with all the lights on.  The Indigo Man was played by Frank, an old friend of the store.  He started out with a lot of his own tattoos, but was supplemented by Breanna, spouse of Matt.  Three glow in the dark skulls sufficed for the Sleer.  They were handled by Raphael, spouse of Marcy.  The voice of the Sleer was recorded by Lance Blair, a professional voice over artist and friend of Little Shop.  Mark, s/o, played the role of Jack.  Man, he was creepy, too.

Live music was provided by the Deadbeats and lead by the extremely talented singer/songwriter Sydney Rhame.  Eleven-years-old and she rocks!

Other things going on: blood punch and other goodies were served, make-up sessions were provided for the undead, people learned their ghoul names, a lesson on how to scream for help in a whole variety of different languages was held, and tombstones were made.

The Danse Macabre was performed at the gazebo on the Square.  An impromptu conga line was formed mid-way through Bobby 'Boris' Pickett's "Monster Mash."  It caught on in a flash.

This was all filmed and edited by another friend of Little Shop.  This is not a skill they taught us in law school; Jeanne must have learned this at night school.

The Decatur Christmas Tree

Decatur is a fantastic town  to live in. We have festivals, parties, concerts and independent shops and restaurants. We have Beach Parties and Book Festivals, live music in the spring and a community bonfire in the winter. But for the past few years there has been no Decatur Christmas tree, no gathering of the masses to sing carols and eat goodies and spread holiday cheer. This year we decided to change that.



With the help of other businesses (listed below), we are bringing the city Christmas Tree back to Decatur! The tree will sit on top of our building, so you'll be able to see it from the square and from Ponce all holiday long. And what would a tree be with out a tree-lighting party? So come out and join us as we kick off the season (and my favorite time of year) on Thursday, December 3 at 7 pm. East Court Square (the parking cul-de-sac in front of our store) will be closed, so there will be lots of room for everyone to hang out and for kiddies to run around. Glenwood Academy's choir will lead us in carol singing and we'll also have some tasty treats for everyone.We are also doing this in conjunction with Terrific Thursdays so shops all over the square will stay open late and offer discounts and specials for all your holiday shopping needs after the lighting is over.

Thanks to all the businesses that helped make this possible! 

         

Thanks also to Glennwood Academy and Collage Boutique!

We are so grateful to be a part of such a wonderful, supportive community. We're excited about the holiday season and hope you'll come out and celebrate with us.

Merry Christmas!

--Krista Gilliam

Diane's Top Five Christmas Book Countdown, Part 2

This week's pick is an especially good one in that makes you feel good kind of way:

Eve Bunting's Night Tree is the story of a boy, his family, and their annual ritual of going into the woods on Christmas Eve to decorate a live evergreen for the animals that inhabit the forest.  The boy, his parents, and his younger sister string popcorn and hang fruit for the animals to come feast on once they have departed, while singing carols and sipping hot chocolate on an especially cold winter's night.

Simply, Night Tree is a sweet story about tradition and family and honoring all life.  If you dig deeper, you'll find a touching coming of age story about a boy awakening to the wonder of the world around him-  learning patience with a petulant younger sibling, recognizing and appreciating the sense of comfort and stability that comes from family ritual, understanding what it means to be a steward of the Earth.

I'm pretty sure you'll like it.

--Diane

Photos from Our Award Winning Graveyard Book Party!

In case you haven't heard- Neil Gaiman is coming to Little Shop!

Why?

Because we had the best Graveyard Book Party in the US of A!

Many of you who were unable to attend have asked to see some photos.

Here are a few, courtesy of our tall friend: