Vroman's

Nov 06 2009 ∞
“ Book tours are debilitating. My body clock is so screwed up that, on consecutive nights, I woke up in the middle of the night and had no idea where I was. My right thumb has swelled to 140 percent the size of my left thumb. My back is crumbling like blue cheese. My immune system might turn me into Patient X of Swine Flu 2.0 before everything’s said and done. Even my BlackBerry mouse no longer can move to the right.
—

Bill Simmons book tour and NFL picks Week 9 - ESPN

The Sports Guy blames his book tour for ruining his NFL picks.  Psh.  Michael Connelly is always on tour, and that dude can pick an NFL game, let me tell you.

+ ∞

Part 3 in our Eating Animals series, where we get into the arbitrary nature of most carnivores.  Among the issues explored:  will I eat my dog, why don’t we eat horses, why do we eat pigs, and so much more.

All of these videos have been part of a week-long examination of our eating habits as part of our preparation for Jonathan Safran Foer’s appearance at our store on Sunday, November 8.  If you’re in Southern California, please join us for what ought to be an incredible evening of discussion.

+ ∞

Part 2 of our Eating Animals series:  Backyard Chickens.

I personally think this video is better than the last one.  For one thing, there are animals in it.  For another, watching Sherri and I race around after the chickens is pretty funny, too.

Nov 02 2009 ∞

The first in a series of videos we’re making about eating meat (or not eating it) in anticipation of our Sunday night event with Jonathan Safran Foer.

Oct 30 2009 ∞
“

Realism: Take this test. When you read “These dishes have been sitting in the sink for days,” do you think (a) This is an indicator of my inner weather, or (b) Why don’t they do the dishes? Does the phrase “I’m going as far away from here as my broken transmission will get me, and then I’ll take it from there” make you think (a) Somebody understands me, or (b) Why don’t they stay and talk it out? What is more visually appealing, (a) a Pall Mall butt floating in a coffee mug, or (b) those new Pop Art place mats in the Crate & Barrel catalog? If you answered (a), do we have a genre for you.
Recommended for: The rumpled, drinky.

Ist: Simply add -ist to any oddball or unlikely root word, and run with it. You’d be surprised.
— Essay - What to Write Next - Picking a Genre for Your Next Novel - NYTimes.com
+ ∞

Vroman's Own Allison Hill on Losing Her Literary Verginity

You can imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon a paperback of John Irving’s bestseller The Hotel New Hampshire in the living room bookcase. My Southern Baptist parents who had dutifully protected my innocence by prohibiting me from watching “The Bad News Bears”, “Grease”, and “Three’s Company”, had never thought to lock up their bookcase the way one would lock up a liquor cabinet. And it would never have occurred to me to read their boring adult books if I hadn’t run out of “age appropriate” material, with my weekly library visit still days away.


Sep 21 2009 ∞

Meet the Bookseller!  This time with less gum chewing.

Sep 02 2009 ∞

Meet the Bookseller, with yours truly as host (gum chewing and excessive nodding included).

Aug 25 2009 ∞

The book trailer for Dan Chaon’s Await Your Reply.  I had something to do with this getting made, so I’m biased, but I think this is the most beautiful book trailer ever made.

Jul 28 2009 ∞

Amazon's Troubling Reach, by David Ulin

Page 1 of 21