January 2011
Happy New Year! Here’s to a great year of reading for your book group in 2011.
I am writing this newsletter from San Diego, where I am in town for the American Library Association’s Midwinter Conference. Here I have had a chance to meet many new authors and catch up with ones I already know, as well as chat with librarians from around the country. The enthusiasm of this group always energizes me. Last night, I was at dinner with five librarians, and we bantered about books and authors all evening. By the time you read this, the Youth Media Awards will have been announced, which are the equivalent of the Oscars of children’s book publishing. I have a number of friends on various selection committees, and the excitement building about these awards all week has made this conference even more fun!
What percentage of your book group members are using eReaders?
January 1, 2011, 416 voters
Happy New Year to all of our Reading Group Guides readers, supporters, guest bloggers, regular contributors and friends.
We want to thank you for being a part of our family this year and look forward to sharing more great tips, authors, and of course reading group guides with you in 2011!
Today, Susan Henderson --- two-time Pushcart Prize nominee, first-time novelist and the prolific author of UP FROM THE BLUE
How many books did you read in 2010?
December 31, 2010, 180 voters
In today's guest post, Jamie Layton, Manager of Duck's Cottage presents her top 14 books from 2010 and compares her list to well... everyone else's. Why stop at 10 when you can have 14?
At midnight Christmas Day it seems every news outlet, daily show or radio station starts bringing out the TOP TEN lists. TOP TEN news events of the year… TOP TEN celebrity divorces… TOP TEN baby names… think of something- anything!- and I guarantee there’s an end of year list celebrating its high (and low) lights.
So out of curiosity, I thought I’d take a look at the Duck’s Cottage top bestsellers of 2010. Then I compared them to the just released ABA 2010 Indie Bestseller Lists. We’re a really, small store, with limited space and a very discriminating inventory, that typically my weekly bestsellers don’t correlate to national lists and I suspected this would be the same for the end of the year as well. Without further ado… (drum roll please)
In the number ONE position at DUCK’S COTTAGE for TWO THOUSAND TEN….. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larrson (trade paperback). Guess what… it also occupied the number one slot over on the ABA list!
At number TWO, selling 112 books this year, Justin Halpern’s SH*T MY DAD SAYS….over on the ABA list it comes in at number three on the non-fiction hardback list. Hmmm… perhaps we have more in common with THE lists than I thought?
Number 3- TIMELY VISION, a small mass market mystery by Joyce and Jim Lavene that just happens to be set in our little town of Duck. We sold over 100 copies of this book largely due to creative sign placement and hand selling. Don’t think I’ll find this on ANY national lists but one of the beauties of small independent bookstores is that we sell books the other guys don’t!
Number FOUR is another book of primarily local interest- a photographic collaboration by Steve Alterman and Mark Buckler called Coastal Wild; a beautiful coffee table book of wildlife photographs from the Outer Banks.
