Monday, December 21, 2015
Why do you like used bookstores?
We've long admired the clever and entertaining videos posted by the folks at Bookman Bookstore in Orange, California. So when owner/filmmaker David Hess suggested we make a video together, we were more than happy to participate.
David, who has been making short films since he got his hands on a Super 8 camera when he was 16 years old, offered a script. We liked it and set about shooting our part. We've noticed over time that Bookman Bookstore seems to have a cadre of actor/staffers who frequently show up in his videos. We just have Mike and Sarah, and although they participate in their share of videos, they admittedly do so out of necessity, not for any great love of being in front of the camera. Besides, the script called for multiple characters who couldn't be played by either of them.
We were fortunate to find willing friends, who did an outstanding job in our estimation. Special thanks (in order of appearance) go to Diann O'Connor, who is an avid reader and participates in a local book club; Karleigh Chase, an actor who has appeared in local theater and independent films and recently returned from trip to Los Angeles and Vancouver for an indy production to be distributed nationally; Niki Smith, a local interior designer and long-suffering spouse of our video guy, T. Allan Smith; and Jason Dudney, a local entrepreneur who, so far as we know, has no aspirations as an actor but nevertheless possesses considerable camera presence. We appreciate your participation.
The video is called Why Do You Like Used Bookstores? We think the message is an important one. Local independent bookstores need the support of local book lovers to survive. We are grateful for the support we've received for almost four decades in St. Petersburg. If you agree, you're welcome to share this video with your friends. We'd be very happy if you did.
Sunday, December 20, 2015
It'll be book fair time before you know it
Of course, we've already been putting books aside we're planning to bring to the book fair. It's a process that takes time. We have an alcove to fill up and it isn't something that you can do instantly. As usual, we expect to be in Alcove 3, and we're looking forward to seeing a lot of old friends there.
The pitch on the book fair blog is to buy book fair tickets as stocking stuffers for Christmas, which isn't a bad idea but since there are still a few days left before Christmas, we'd also suggest making a stop in the store. We have lots of books from which to choose, and most of them would make great Christmas gifts. If you have a real bibliophile you're buying for, we'd suggest both a book (or books) and the book fair tickets.
The book fair in March will be the 35th one, and we've been there for all of them. We'll have more to say about all those intervening years later but suffice it to say that we've enjoyed every one of them.
In the mean time, we're finishing up on this year's run up to Christmas, and we're wishing all our friends a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
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