For those who know Eugene, my business partner here, he goes into Mass General Hospital for his knee and leg reconstructive surgery tomorrow, April 27th. Quite a complex procedure, which I won't repeat here but ask him when he returns sometime in the summer or Fall. After the surgery they will do some more chemotherapy but at present all tests show clear lungs and other parts. YES! Send your positive healing thoughts his way. He loves getting cards and in a few weeks, phone calls. His book business, SOUTHPAW BOOKS, will be making a showing at the upcoming MARIAB book fair in Wilmington, Mass. Saturday, May 5th at the Shriner's Auditorium as his daughter Johanna will be setting up and running his booth. He said he has downsized a bit, 24 instead of 28 boxes! Check them out if you are there.
The most interesting customer of the week (so far at least) was a young man perhaps late 20's or early 30's who came by to sell us a new copy of Adolph Hitler's MEIN KAMPF. In the same breath that he told me what an amazing book it was, and that I should read it, he told me he was selling all his possessions to become a monk. Eventually making his way to Thailand to do so. A very surprising conversation all around. He wanted more than the book was worth to us so he took it back and continued on his journey.
Almost every day someone calls or comes by to sell books. I have had to refuse a lot of common titles. Almost bought 300 Sci Fi today but the man wanted more than we could pay for the paperbacks. They would have been fun to sell but as all were modern, there were no premium ones to help us recoup our money in a reasonable time. Earlier in the day I did buy a large number of reading copies of books by and about C.S.Lewis. They will be going into the Religion section on the main floor in the next couple of days.
We have 2 new consignors in the store. Check out bookcases # 25 and # 28. Mostly contemporary very clean titles including poetry, literature, horses and gardening.
Yes, I am still walking FRED, my friend's large Labradoodle, 3-4 times a week. Not very meditative walks recently as he has so much energy I am often working hard at keeping him from getting tangled with bicyclists, small trees and other, usually smaller, dogs. But he does obey the SIT command, at least for a few minutes, so I use that a lot. We sometimes play catch in the ball fields near the Fairgrounds in Northampton. What a beautiful sight to watch him run all out and scramble to catch the tennis ball. Oh, to live with such abandon and intensity. I expect he sleeps well at night.
This Sunday, April 29th, is the opening day for the season's Hadley outdoor Flea Market on Rt. 47. We will be there (by 5 am!) with some books ($1 and up) and many other non-book items that my husband Peter brought down from his barns in Maine. Check it out.
Time to do some stock work.