Debuts and Distractions

Dear Reader -  We made it! It's been two years since we took the paper off the windows and opened our doors, if softly. And from those first flu-wake days to these, you have been there with us - faithfully. Thank you.

These past couple of months have found me a bit subsumed in more transitional events in our homelife, which'll certainly tie into a later post. But, more relevant in the moment, the last few days have been taken up with something nearest to my heart: Miss C, in whose honor I added this window display this past week:

As you may remember, Miss C embarked on her own journey this fall, choosing a life in the wilds of boarding school. As she hoped, the experience has been an extraordinary one for her - a great fit for the kind of person that she is and wants to become. And though I miss her terribly from day to day, I'm contented to know that she is living and creating her dream.

Part of this creation has been fed by landing a role in the school's winter production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. As a freshman, she knew it was a long shot, so she was tickled to get to be one of the Mechanicals, Robin Starveling (best known for the Moonshine bit), who perform the hillarious "play within the play" (plus, she and a few of her fellow Rustics got to be fairies attending Titania in their spare time, too).

Some of you have known Miss C over the years, and you've seen what an expressive kid she's been from the very beginning:

Now I've limited myself to sharing more "vintage" shots of C's expressiveness, thinking that most anything more contemporary'd mortify her teenage self to near death; but suffice it to say that this trait did not end at the elementary school threshold. In fact, Rehoboth Elementary is where she found a gifted and dedicated teacher, Ms. Gray, who worked with some equally gifted and dedicated volunteers each year to put on a major production that engaged a huge portion of the school's third, fourth, and fifth graders. Miss C got to be a mouse in Cinderella, Lisle in The Sound of Music, and a formidable Miss Hannigan in Annie:

But when we all decided that the awesome, independent, and cozy Jefferson School was best for her middle school years, she had to shelve her more formal theatrics for a bit.

Lucky for her, her chosen high school has a splendid theater department, led by Harvey Doster, one of those teachers whose endurance for teenage theatrics is legendary at the institution (those of you who shared time with Mac with me at AHS can relate). Miss C was in actor's heaven. as evidenced by the photos that her admissions officer sent along from opening night:

 

 

 

But none of this - neither the pictures nor the past - prepared me for the scene that blew them all, and me, away: the performance of "Pyramus and Thisbe" at the end of the play. Oh my word, Miss C had only a few lines, but her physical, comedic acting was a stellar - a really, really funny contribution to an already really, really funny scene - a truly entertaining ensemble performance by all of the girls. Miss C was fully committed in a way that took me back to her never-met grandmother's theatrics. Those of you who knew Mac knew Mom, too - so you can extrapolate that Miss C comes by all of this honestly:

I can't wait to see where she takes it all - and where it all takes her. In the meantime, I'm just a happy to get to be in the audience. Vive la Shakespeare!  - Jenny

P.S. There couldn't be any more fitting serenade for these ladies of my life than Ms. Merman:

A couple of adventurers venture to Lewes!

Dear Reader -  I got a call a year or so ago from a gentleman who's stopped into the shop and was smitten by it. He followed up to let me know this and to also let me know about his card line: The Adventures of Mirabelle.

The man was Michael Muller, former owner of Details gallery in Reho. A few Christmases back, Michael received a gift: Mirabelle. Mirabelle is a little Boston Terrier who has changed the course of Michael's life - utterly:

Six years later, Michael and Mirabelle's card line is all over the country and they have published three children's board books with Workman Publishing. The books came out this fall and Mirabelle has been touring ever since to do promotions and signings.

We're smitten with both Michael and Mirabelle. Michael is among the nicest of human beings you'd ever wanna meet, and Mirabelle is a canine who's ready for adventure - always. Our favorite Mirabelle cards are the ones that feature her in Lewes, like this one at the farmers market:

Or this one over at the Zwaanendael Museum:

Or this one where she "skitches" a ride on the Ferry:

Boston people, dog people, Lewes people, good-humored people - it doesn't matter, they all love Mirabelle. So it's no surprise that people have been loving her new board books, too:

They're adorable - perfect for the preschool and early reader sets. And what child wouldn't be charmed to have their book(s) signed by a dog?!

Mirabelle will be over in Reho on Saturday morning from 10:00 to Noon at Proud Bookstore, near Arena's. After some lunch and a nap, she'll be here in Lewes from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.:

So stop by and say hello, shake Mirabelle's paw, and consider a special gift for a child or Boston-lover in your life!

Cheers!  - Jen

P.S. I'm thinking that Mirabelle's the kind of girl who'd dig some funk, a la George Clinton and Parliament - "Why must I feel like that, must I chase the cat? Nothin' but the dog in me . . . ":

P.S.S. And don't forget that we're happy to have a book or two signed for you if you can't make it on Saturday!  - J

Children's Book Signings for the Holidays!

Dear Reader -  While the rest of us can all get more than a little swept up in the holiday spirit, the kids're the ones who really sit at the center of our Christmas and Hanukkah celebrations. There's really nothing like the joy that special traditions and, of course, gifts can evoke in the wee ones.

That's why we're so delighted here at biblion to host two children's book signings over the next two weekends.

This coming Saturday, December 1, Lewes author and illustrator Caryl Ekirch Williams will be at the shop from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. to sign her imaginative book The Words:

Caryl is a retired educator (who still teaches in her retirement at the Lifelong Learning Center here in town), and that's evident in her book. The Words encourages children to play and engage with language, getting them to think about the power that they hold in their own hands.

In the end, though, the illustrations are the stars of the book. Each word has its own personality, and they "speak up" as the story progresses. Caryl studied fine art at Skidmore, and it's clear that she's a gifted artist:

So come on down and say hi to her between home tour stops, after grabbing a bowl of yummy soup at St. Peter's, or before you line up for the parade!

Next Saturday, December 8, Mirabelle will be here in all her canine glory, along with her friend Michael (a.k.a. Mr. Muller of Details fame):

While biblion guests know Mirabelle from her adventuresome cards (including her exploits in Lewes), she's coming to sign her three new, darling board books, featuring adventures with Mr. Muller, a bouncy red ball, a butterfly, and a healthy walk:

They're starting the day over at Proud Bookstore in Rehoboth, and then they'll make their way to Lewes to be with us from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.

I'll write a little more about them next week, but I wanted you to get a chance to put her on your agenda.

Can't wait to see you here!  - Jen

P.S. Jingle Bell dogs, of course:

Celebrate Veterans Day

Dear Reader -  We're marking Veterans Day this weekend with two book signings by local authors, and we hope that you'll stop by to support them.

We've carried Vincent dePaul Gisriel's book Hearts Away, Bombs Away for some time, but this'll be our first chance to have him in for a signing. We're thrilled, since every guest who finds his books walks away delighted - it's a real treasure:

After his father's death, Vince was inspired to learn more about his dad's experience in World War II. As part of his research, Vince poured through his parents' correspondence from those years. And while he learned a lot about what the war was like on the front lines as well as the home front, the real story that emerged was the love story between his mom and dad.

Vince will be here on Veterans Day, Sunday the 11th, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Terri Clifton's book A Random Soldier is likewise about war in real-life: a young Marine's experience of the Iraq War and how his family and friends lived it with him and then lived together through his death:

Terri comes by biblion from time to time, and she never fails to move our guests. She'll be here on Saturday the 10th from Noon to 2:00 p.m.

Whatever you're doing this weekend, please be sure to take a moment to honor our veterans in a way that feels meaningful to you.

Truly  - Jen

P.S. The Andrews Sisters, of course:

Steve Hayes is coming!

Dear Reader -  Our regular guest and neighbor, Steve Hayes, has written an engaging and compelling adventure story called Light on Dark Water, and he's coming to sign it here at biblion this Friday, August 31, from 6-8 p.m.

 

Our friend Henry Evans from the Cape Gazette recently interviewed Steve and wrote one of his wonderful stories. You can read it here.

Our advance readers loved the book, calling it engaging and very well written. The story pulls from Steve's own experiences as a seasoned sailor and a Vietnam War veteran. Adventure with a little thoughtfulness woven in - very nice.

As you may remember, Terri Clifton has an ongoing presence here at the shop, as her advocacy for veterans continues. In all of her conversations with vets, she's heard from many of those from Vietnam that they regretted that others have told their stories. Terri has taught me that anytime one steps forward to give us a glimpse into the heart of that war, it's our place to pay attention to what they have to say.

Plus, Steve's book is brief and accessibly priced, so if you haven't enjoyed one of our local authors up to this point, there's nothing to lose with trying this one!

Come on by on your way to or from dinner on Friday, have a little glass of something festive with us, and wish Steve well!

Cheers!  - Jen

P.S. Who among us couldn't help but be affected by the forces at play through the 60s . . .

Along the Delmarva Coast

Dear Reader -  You know how we often start sentences with phrases like "as many of you know"? Well, I started to do that, and then I thought - heck, other than Weather Channel junkies like me, who else is gonna know that we celebrated National Lighthouse Day this past week on August 7?

We have two beautiful ones here - the Delaware Breakwater East End and the Harbor Refuge Lighthouses, and of course there's our lovingly restored Lightship Overfalls docked in Lewes. Several of our regular visitors even remember the iconic Cape Henlopen Light, which collapsed due to erosion in the 20s.

This week's book signing calls them all to mind, and it's a charmer. Jean Abplanalp, a former resident here and a dear friend of our dear friend Hazel Brittingham, has written and illustrated a delightful book: Along the Delmarva Coast.

Jean has researched the histories of all of the lighthouses, lightships, and lifesaving stations from Delaware down to Virginia on the peninsula. Each history is accompanied by a charming watercolor of the subject (many of which Jean will bring with her for sale as well). Her publisher decided to put it out as in paperback, making it accessibly priced as a gift or personal keepsake. We've had the book in the shop now for a couple of months, and feedback has been very positive - particularly on how well the histories are researched.

Please join us on Saturday, August 11, from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Sounds like it could be a drippy day, so what better way to spend a rainy Saturday (after you visit the Tomato Festival!) than to take one of the lighthouse tours, catch a yummy lunch in Lewes, and then visit biblion!?

Delighted  - Jenny

P.S. Here're a few lighthouse keepers (serenaded by Neptune's Car) to get you in that lighthouse state of mind:

Guess who's joining us for Friday evening cocktails?

Dear Reader -  I've been in a bit of a Miss C's-away-at-her-dad's-for-a-couple-weeks-and-I-miss-her-all-the-more-'cause-it's-much-too-close-to-when-she's-gonna-be-away-for-a-long-long-time funk.

Luckily, little biblion has been hoppin', so that has kept my fully occupied (my poor home is so neglected, though, that one of the dust bunnies in the living room actually grew to such maturity that it up and asked me when I was going to attend to it!).

But, there're just too many fun things going on over on Second Street. Tomorrow night, Friday, August 3, we're welcoming one of our most popular local authors, James Schneider, for a little book signing from 5-7:

Jamie's mystery, based in Lewes and Reho of the 60s, In the Shadow of Silver Lake, was a huge hit last summer:

We had several guests come back and comment on how much they enjoyed this fun, beach read of a book. And Jamie was surprised and delighted when he received notice in the mail of the unsolicited, independent publishing awards that it'd won (hence his title of "award winning" in the flier that he produced)!

This year he's done another suspense novel with some local flavor, legal intrigue, and romance tossed in the mix:

Come and join us for a little glass of something, meet Jamie, maybe hear about his charity, and have him personalize a copy of his book(s) for you! What a happy way to start a Friday evening!

Cheers!  - Jen

Signing and Sighing

Dear Reader -  Well, it's been a week - a whole darn week - since (Ann) Revere Reed's books signing, and we're still having fun watching folks find her book, On a Dime: Senseless in Lewes. I've been wanting to share some photos with you, but, of course, I forgot my own camera and phone last weekend, so I borrowed Grace's, who was minding the shop that night (I was just the resident Pourer-o'-Spanish-Cava for the evening - Grace did all the work).

The night started out quietly, with a fan who had to leave early showing up in time to get her books signed before the crowd started arriving:

She bought five copies, so it took awhile to get them all personalized. Then a few minutes before 7:00, a few more folks showed up to meet and greet the author:

I enjoyed seeing Ann connect with friends and family, as well as other locals who'd read about her work in the Gazette and Countian. By 7:15, we had a nice little crowd going:

And then by 7:30, all happy h__ broke loose, as Rehoboth and Lewes descended on Ann and little biblion. As one guest who stopped in on Saturday put it, "What was going on in here last night? We walked by, but it didn't look like one more person could fit in this shop!" It was a very gratifying and supportive reception for a local author, and we were so grateful to help facilitate.

Ann signed several more copies, which are available at the shop (Mike stopped by just today to get a copy for the Lewes Historical Society's archives - so cool).

Jamie Schneider, whose locally-set novel, In the Shadow of Silver Lake, was a huge hit last summer, has released his second book: The Highest Burden of the Law. He dropped off several copies this week, and he's planning a signing here for early August (which, as it turns out, is dependent on Miss C's schedule - we'll confirm the date/time later).

And we have two other local-author signings on the back burner, awaiting final scheduling info from their publishers.

Sigh. While I love, love, love everything about used books, I am beyond thrilled to be able to have books by local authors be our only new titles offered here - it just seems to fit with the spirit of this little town and our little shop. This instinct received the warmest of confirmations last Friday, as I watched folks who'd grown up here with Ann and her family stop by to support her. Thank you, dear Reader, for joining us in supporting these authors, too.

Contentedly  - Jen

Reminder: Book release/signing today!

Dear Reader -  Hope you can drop by this evening to raise a glass and say "huzzah" to Revere Reed on her new book, On a Dime: Senseless in Lewes. She'll be at the shop from 7-9 p.m. See you then!  - Jen

 

Save the Date: Revere Reed Book Release/Signing

Dear Reader -  On Friday, July 6 from 7-9 p.m., Ann Revere Reed, a biblion regular who grew up in Reho and now lives in Lewes, will be at the shop for the release of her first novel, On a Dime: Senseless in Lewes.

biblion's resident "local author reader," Ellen Hollingsworth, loved this book. I gave it to her one afternoon to review (a member of the biblion family reads every book we're asked to carry), and she brought it back the next day, exclaiming that she couldn't put it down. "It was a real page-turner!" she said.

Like Ann, Ellen has lived here forever, and she characterized the book's local settings as "spot-on." I was thrilled to hear that - love it when we can carry a book in which locals and visitors alike can enjoy reading about places that they recognize.

Keep your eyes out for a great story about the book in the Cape Gazette, and please plan to drop by and show her your support (it takes a lot of guts - and work! - to put yourself out there creatively!).

And if you see her around town, tell Ann congrats and that you'll see her on the 6th!

Sensibly  - Jen

P.S. And while you've got your calendar out, be sure to save the afternoon of September 15 for Taste the Fruit of the Vine from 3-6. This year Chanell and Chris Dagesse, who own Lewes Auto Mall, have kindly agreed to host the garden party/wine tasting/home tour benefit for the Sussex County Community Outreach Program.

Their Lewes home has been completely (I mean completely, from head to toe) renovated, and it's just stunning - their level of thoughtfulness in design and attention to detail is really impressive, with every corner of the home reflective of them (plus they're super sweet people, so that makes it even cooler). So plan to come and enjoy the party - taking a tour, digging some live tunes, and enjoying fine vintages paired with select bites from The Buttery's talented chefs - all for an awesome cause! Just for fun, here're a couple of casual pics that I shot when I was trying to figure out where the best light was for their photo in the Gazette . . .

A worthy reason to get back up on that blogging pony, sister!

Dear Reader -  I've missed you. And I feel like my life's awash in a sea of biblion stories that're just aching for a place to funnel 'em.

But what's brought me here today is the 10th anniversary of the start of our War in Afghanistan, an action precipitated by the attacks less than a month before and followed up a couple years later with the Iraq War.

Right about the time of the art show this summer I received an email from a local author named Terri Clifton:

Hello. My name is Terri Clifton and I am contacting you about the book A Random Soldier.
My son Chad was a 2003 graduate of Cape Henlopen High School. He joined the Marine Corps that summer and went to Iraq in 2004. Before he left he made me promise to tell his story if he didn't make it home. Chad was killed in action in February 2005.
I wrote and self published his book, but have only in the past year regained the energy it takes to attempt to bring the book forth. It is available at Browseabout but I stumbled across your store (while having dinner with my husband at Agave) and wondered if you would be at all interested. Both Chad and the book are easily googled.
Thank you for your time,
Terri

I totally remembered her son. biblion's Memorial Day commemoration included pictures and brief bios on all of the men and women from Delaware who'd been lost in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and Chad's strikingly youthful face was hard to forget:

I also remembered how the young people at our church were devastated the day that we heard of his death.

Terri and I eventually connected after the fray of the art show, and I immediately began carrying her book (it's worth noting that Terri is not selling her book for profit - she's just looking to cover her self-publishing expenses - to that end, biblion isn't profiting from it either). As Terri'd mentioned, she hadn't yet put much energy into marketing the book, for understandable reasons, and I began noodling on how we could do more to get Chad's story out than simply having it out in the midst of our shop.

And then it hit me, the tenth anniversary of September 11th was coming up and, of course, the Afghan War started shortly after. Sure enough, I went to Google it and found that October 7 was the date. Given that the "drumbeat" of 9/11 anniversary coverage was already audible this summer, I expected that the media'd have a field day with the war. As such, I thought that a low-key reading by Terri would be a nice counter-point to all of the Sturm und Drang of the politicized coverage on the 24/7 news networks.

Boy, did I turn out to be wrong.

At first I thought that the fact that I wasn't hearing anything about the anniversary was because I'm watching/listening to the news so infrequently these days, caught up in the Sturm und Drang of the happy fray of my own little life. But then I started doing Google searches and found virtually no mention among the major news outlets. Thousands of lives lost, tens of thousands of lives shattered, and no words.

But enough of my dismay . . .

Terri agreed that doing a reading on that date seemed apropos, so we put it on the schedule:

Friday, October 7

6:00 p.m.

Reading

Saturday, October 8

10:00 a.m. to Noon

Meet and Greet with the Author

What I love about Terri's book is that it gives the reader a direct, unfiltered, and unapologetic perspective on one soldier's experience of war - and likewise some sense for what it was like for his family and friends. Since I didn't have any personal experience with war myself, having no friends or family who'd served, I found Chad's words and Terri's reflections truly enlightening and compelling. And from what I've seen at biblion, those who have served or been part of military families have had a different experience with the book, often finding it to be a bridge of understanding between the service members and their stateside families. I also love that there's absolutely no political agenda in it - no romantic war-related ideals, no anti-war drumbeats. It's just about a young soldier and the people whom he loved:

 

So it you have a pocket of time on Friday evening or Saturday morning, come on down and mark the day with us at biblion. We'd love to see you.  - Jen

P.S. I've had an issue with getting the word out about this earlier in the Cape Gazette (got the wrong deadline from a new guy, per Bernadette), so I'd appreciate anything you all can do to help folks know about this - I think that Terri's words could be a real help to many families as they live the realities of war.

P.S.S. I thought I'd find a way to work Chad's dad into my stream of consciousness-ness above, but the flow took another path. That being as it is, I still wanted to share Rich's incredible work with you - seeing that he has two such creative and extraordinary parents speaks to how much we've lost in losing Chad, too. Rich is a nationally-know wildlife painter:

You can see more of his work here at www.RichardCliftonWildlifeArt.com.

Silly Jenny! Children's books are for kids!

Dear Reader -  Yesterday saw a striking number of adults - young and old'uns alike - buying children's books at biblion.

Now, part of the attraction, I'm sure, is that Miss C intentionally prices our kids' books very accessibly, making sure that when a kid comes in, he or she can walk out with a book without their mom or dad having to think twice about it. And we've seen that scenario play out time and time again. We've also had our own fair share of grandmothers and teachers who've stopped in and cherry-picked our stacks. But yesterday had a different air to it, as many of these folks were just buying the kid's books for themselves.

And I can relate.

You see, dear Reader, I adore children's books. I love the depth of story-telling that one can find - storytelling that so transcends the trite, syrupy fare that so many adults produce for kids, thinking that's all they're up for. And I love the art.

It was my mother who first taught me about the power of children's stories for all ages.

As I mentioned in my Grandma Moses post, theater and the arts were at the center of Mom's life in little Augusta, Kansas (I'll tell you all about mom and her family some other day - there's some juicy bits there that it'd be more fun to linger over when we're not in the midst of talkin' 'bout kids' books). And one of the things that Mom did on a regular basis was readings.

Mom had a spectacular reading voice. Something magic just seemed to happen whenever she read aloud.

And one of the sometimes traditions at the little Methodist church where we settled for most of my growing up years was for Mom to read The Littlest Angel as the sermon on the Sunday before Christmas:

Now the original building that housed the August United Methodist Church was this big (to my little eye), square-ish brick thing down on the corner of 6th and School. Its shape was relevant, 'cause the sanctuary mirrored it as well, and the two-storey seating was arranged in a horse-shoe shape. We always sat upstairs on the southwest side, which turned out to be a perfect vantage point for me to entertain myself with people-watching for the hour or so that we sat in services each week.

This is all germain 'cause I remember the first time I ever watched my Mom read this story and how the faces of my neighbors - all of them, young and old alike - responded to the tale. I remember seeing folks start to choke up when Mom got to the part where the littlest angel adds his own, simple gift to pile of splendid offerings for baby Jesus:

And then how some folks'd just up and cry when the humble gift became the star.

I saw first hand how the books that I thought were for just me and my kind held power and wonder for  grown-ups, too.

Years later, in 1989, my mom and dad visited one fall when I lived in New Canaan, Connecticut - we did the obligatory leaf peeping, and we made our way into New York for a day of sight-seeing and shopping. One of our finds that day was a just-published English translation of of Ophelia's Shadow Theatre by Michael Ende (some of you may remember him as the author of The Neverending Story):

Mom and I were initially attracted by Friedrich Hechelmann's stunning illustrations:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But when we pulled it out after dinner at home and Mom set to reading it out loud, Ende's gorgeously-written, tender story left us both verklemmt. It was one of those wonderful, emotionally-connected moments that has stayed with me for life. And every time I pick up the story to read it for my own child or for the kids who escape to the graveyard with me to read during the sermons in the summer at our little church, I feel her there with us.

Some years after that night, I went to find a copy of Ophelia for a friend and learned that the book was out of print. It had never occurred to me that something so wonderful would ever not be printed. But, alas, that is the fate of many books. And I came to find out, once  the Internet became a tool for locating titles, that procuring another was possible but would run me considerably more than my little $14.95 volume.

In fact, as I've been researching biblion's books, I've found that out-of-print children's books in particular tend to be valued disproportionally high. And I think there are two reasons for this. First, it's really hard to find children's books in good condition. They simply often get loved to death. And second, the emotional connections that people experience with children's stories - whether due to the emotional impact of the stories themselves or those with whom they've shared them - serve as powerful ties.

So while all of these adults were enjoying our children's books, it was a fun coincidence that I'd been busying myself with children's books the last couple of days as well, culling out the collectible ones from the boxes that Sue (Queen o' Goo Gone) had de-stickered for me. And, man, did I find some doozies.

I'm afraid that I've gone on here for quite long enough without launching into a series of lengthy expositions of my finds, but let me just give you a little taste. Here on this first day of Spring, let's take a quick peek at Kit Williams' book without a title, where the four seasons engage in a surreal battle amidst their changes, while Ambrose the beekeeper unwittingly participates:

 

Here, mid-story, Ambrose wakes to Summer:

"A thin shaft of sunlight stood absolutely still as it pierced the silent dimness of a cottage bedroom.

"As the earth revolved, the cottage moved and so too the bedroom until the thin white beam lit up the edge of a wooden bed. Slowly, imperceptibly, the world rotated and inch by inch the many contours of the counterpane were illuminated. Tiny specks of dust sparkled in the sunbeam as it gently penetrated the dreams of the sleeping man. Ambrose woke up, yawned and stretched, then, swinging his legs out of bed, he sat up and slipped his feet into a pair of worn carpet slippers. He slowly crossed the room, half knelt on a chair and opened the curtains.

 " The first day of Summer flooded into the room all ablaze with glorious colour and heavy with the scent of countless blooms. Ripples of birdsong broke the silence and Ambrose, filling his lungs with the eager breath of the morning, all but burst with excitement. He flung on his clothes and clattered down the stairs."

As must I, dear Reader. Blissfully content as a seller of out-of-print books  - Jenny