Read Between the Lynes - Woodstock's Hometown Bookstore

ARLENE'S CORNER

Joy; the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires: DELIGHT. This definition is taken from Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, eleventh edition. As I contemplate this holiday season, and the message I want to send to all of you, the word “joy” kept coming to the forefront of my mind. (Some of you may recall an ad campaign I ran this past year using definitions in our advertising and tying it to some event here in the store. I guess I’m kind of a word geek!) It IS a joyous time of year for so many of us. However, there are many out there who don’t want us to believe it. Even for those who are in distress due to the economy, we all have so much we can be grateful for, if we just remember to look. Joy for me includes waking each morning in a bed I share with my husband, in a home that is heated. I know when I head to our kitchen there is coffee that will be made and food in our refrigerator. When I take my shower there is hot water and when I need groceries I never have to wonder if the markets will have food that day. There is gas at all the stations in town and I have a car that runs. I have children that a government will not come take away from me. Yes, some weeks those dollars are stretched tighter than I might like, but we are truly living in an abundant world. It is time to remember that many in our world do not have these luxuries.

Yes, business is different. Shoppers are being more conscious. Isn’t this a good thing? I hate the idea of mindless shopping, even if my bottom line has benefited from those sales. I love seeing the shop full of customers contemplating their purchases, looking for a perfect book for those on their lists. Ladies and Gentleman, this is how it is supposed to be. I want to assure you, that we remain committed to you, our clientele to deliver the best books we can, and to deliver them with value. Value not only in price, but value of literature, knowledge and quality. It is the basis, upon which I opened this business and one that I intend to continue for our community,

As I reach the end of the year, and those who have been following my news in this forum, I want to share my progress on the clearing of clutter. I have finished! For now! I believe that I am living 85% clutter free and that this will be a lifelong quest. I will continue to look for those items no longer useful, beautiful or meaningful for my life and will pass them along to those who might need them. It has been a great project and I look forward to living now within a home that is working “for” me.

Yes, I have been reading, though I am going to direct you to staff favorites to see our very latest selections and a new feature for you to try. Let me know what you think of the staff videos!

May all of you reading this have a very blessed and joyous holiday season!

Arlene

p.s. The first person to email me that you have read this will receive a paperback copy of “It’s All Too Much!” by Peter Walsh. Good Luck!

Arlene Recommends...
Book will arrive early September	"Jerk California" by Jonathan Friesen As a parent of a child with Tourettes Syndrome, I was thrilled to hear that this book was being published. I set out reading to meet the main character, Sam, and how he dealt with his tourettes. What I found, was a well written book about a teenage boy who is in search of finding who he truly is, while dealing with tics and outbursts. I was given the gift of reading a book and realizing, that my child is just that, a child, a teenager with all the same angst and questions, who also has to cope with daily interferences of his Tourettes. I highly recommend this book for any teenager with Tourettes or not, as it is a great story. For those with Tourettes, it's even better to know you are not alone and truly are like everyone else. Learn more about Tourettes by visiting the Tourettes Syndrome Association.
click here to view the video trailer for the book

Land of a Hundred Wonders - Lesley Kagen
ISBN #978-0451224095

The summer Gibby McGraw catches her big break, the cicadas are humming, and it’s so warm even the frogs are sweating. Brain damaged after a tragic car accident that took both her parents, Gibby is now NQR (Not Quite Right), a real challenge for a fledgling newspaper reporter. Especially when she stumbles upon the dead body of the next governor of Kentucky, Buster Malloy.

Armed with her trusty blue spiral note-book, Gibby figures that solving the murder might be her best chance to prove to everyone that she can become Quite Right again. But she gets more than she bargained for when she uncovers a world of corruption, racism, and family secrets in small town Cray Ridge. Lucky for her, she’s also about to discover that some things are far more important than all the brains in the world, and that miracles occur in the most unexpected moments.

Hell Hole - Chris Grabenstein
ISBN #978-0312382308

Hell Hole is the fourth book in the mystery series featuring former hardened military PD and current Sea Haven, NJ police officer John Ceepak and his partner, wise-cracking Danny Boyle. In Hell Hole, Ceepak is confronted with his most personal case yet when he must investigate the alleged suicide of a military corporal who recently returned from Iraq.

When it turns out that this "locked stall" rest stop suicide is anything but an open-and-shut case, Ceepak and Boyle realize that the corporal might have been privvy to information that opens up a much larger conspiracy that strikes at the heart of our involvement in the Middle East, and puts them on the wrong side of some very unpleasant people...

Mia

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