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DECEMBER AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS
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In the Neighborhood |
| Sat Dec 5 LFIA Photo Day at Los Feliz Library (till 5pm) - bring your old photos of the neighborhood
Sat Dec 5 10th Anniversary of the Los Feliz Branch Library - Open House (4-6pm) Free!
Sat Dec 5 Los Feliz Village Holiday Festival (6pm-10pm) - Vermont, Hollywood, Hillhurst (see separate article)
Sat Dec 12: Autry National Ctr of the American West (2pm)- Linda Gordon, author of the recently published Dorothea Lange: A Life Beyond Limits, discusses the subject of women artists and the effect of tough economic times on their art. Followed by book signing and light refreshments. Free with museum admission. [Autry members: Free / Adults: $9 / Students & Seniors: $5). Reserve your seat by responding here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=187033331267&ref=mf |
| Holiday Services & Hours |
We know the holidays can be filled with challenges, and we just wanted to remind you that we have a few services that can make things easier on you.
Gift cards
 These are a holiday gift-giving perennial. Great for office Secret Santas, or for stuffing the stockings of your loved ones.
And you can order and redeem them online!
Gift wrapping
Gift wrapping by our staff is free. During peak holiday times, we will have some volunteer wrappers who are donating any tips to various charitable causes. When they are here, you can even bring other gift items which need to be wrapped (see below for more info)
Extended Hours
Regular Hours
10 am to 10 pm daily
Holiday Hours
Fri Dec 12 & Sat Dec 13:
Open till 11 pm!
Fri Dec18 till Wed Dec23:
Open till 11 pm!
Thus Dec 24:
Open till 6 pm
Thus 12/31:
Open till 6 pm
New Years Day:
OPEN 12 noon-10 pm |
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Wrapping for a cause |
Some of the 'causes' that our volunteer gift wrappers are wrapping for (the last 2 weekends before Christmas and Dec 21-24) are: The Los Feliz MOMS Club, The Jenesse Center for domestic violence, The March of Dimes, our book drive for the Los Feliz Elementary School, and more -- the schedule will be posted soon, so you can see all of the great charities your tips will be supporting!
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So Cal Indy Bookstore Assoc's Holiday Guide |
Here are recommendations representing booksellers from all around SoCalif - clickable so you can order them right from our shopping cart! |
| Holiday Cards, Calendars and more... |
We still have lots of holiday cards (Christmas, Hanukkah, New Years), as well as 2010 calendars, day planners, wrapping paper, gift bags. |
Skylight's November Bestsellers
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Special Orders
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 Did you know that you can order any book in print from us online, in person, or over the phone? And have it sent here for in-store pick-up, or shipped to you or someone else? And that you can have your special order gift wrapped before it's shipped or picked-up (just put a note in the "Order Comments" field)? Well, it's all true!
We know that a lot of you are ordering on a deadline, so hopefully this framework will help you know when to order for in-store pickup by Christmas Eve:
December 9 - The last day we can put in orders to the publisher (for difficult-to-get titles).
December 13 - The last day we can put in orders to the Midwest/East Coast warehouses of our distributors (for available-but-not-ubiquitous books).
Decmeber 16 - The last day we can put in orders to our West Coast warehouses (for widely available titles).
How will you know where your book is coming from? You won't! But you're welcome and encouraged to give us a call; it only takes a couple of minutes to find out how quickly we can get your book here (if we don't have it on our shelves already) and place your order. Keep in mind that if you'd like us to ship your book, you should allow an extra week to be certain it'll arrive at its destination in advance of the big present-opening day. Call us at (323) 660-1175 or visit us on the web at www.skylightbooks.com.
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Kerry's View from the Skylight |
Los Feliz Village Holiday Festival - Sat Dec 5 (6-10)
If you're in L.A. right now, be sure to drop into Los Feliz Village on Sat Dec 5 from 6pm-10pm for the Holiday Festival (details below) - trams take you around to special activities, merchants open late and more - for the whole family!
Lots of recommendations This is one of our staff's favorite times of year, because so many people ask for our recommendations -- and since we all love to read, we love to give them! And if you're shy about asking, we've put together our Skylight Holiday Guide with an in-store display and it's now also online (see below for some samples). Also, the So. Calif. Independent Booksellers Association has put together a great guide as well (more info to the left below), and we have stacks of those with an accompanying display. And take a look at the great letter below from the "Future of Publishing Think Tank" suggesting So Cal Indie Publishers and Indie Bookstores - to help you buy local this year.
The Train Window is back!
Our crowd-pleasing holiday village window  display is up - with a working model train (30 mins on/30 mins off). Our curious store kitten Franny has already run the train off the tracks a few times. Neighbors/store customers Christine Blackburn and Matt Bardocz have donated and maintained this detailed display each year as their gift to the neighborhood.
More hours / more ordering choices
We'll be open extended hours before Christmas (see the column on the left for details), and as always, you can browse and order from our website's shopping cart -- we can quickly get you just about any book (or you can instantly download an e-book - all discounted at 20%) and you can specify whether you want store pick-up or have it sent.
Give a book to the Los Feliz Elementary School  Library
and decorate our store's ficus tree with little 'books' for each one donated.
Our next in-store events
are in January - with some real heavy hitters:
Have a wonderful holiday season and don't hesitate to contact me with your ideas, or just to say hello.
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| Skylight Staff's Holiday Guide |
We had a lot of fun putting together this year's holiday  guide, a 32-page reference full of recommendations from all corners of our store (which should be available for you to pick up by Dec 10 or you can view it on our website). You can find great gift ideas for adults and kids, from stocking stuffers to gorgeous coffee table books. We're excerpting just a few of the fabulous recommendations here, to give you a taste. For more, check it out on our website or come by the store to pick up your copy! (The cover art - a rendition of our cat, Franny, is by our staff member, Artist Frieda Gossett)
 Recommended by Darren:
Criminal (Deluxe Edition) by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Icon)
Two-fisted deceit and desperation for the holidays! Over 400 pages of the acclaimed crime series in one beautiful hardcover with astounding extras. If you hate Christmas, if you know that America's only god is Money and if you think the Breakfast of Champions is cigarettes and straight whiskey, then Criminal is the book for you.
 Recommended by Emily:
The Selected Works of T. S. Spivet by Reif Larsen (Penguin Press)
A great gift for several reasons. 1. It is a beautiful object. 2. It is a wildly entertaining story. 3. T.S. is a prodigy cartographer who will map or diagram anything. The images are included in the novel, making it unlike anything you've read before. Good for adults and precocious older children and teens.
 Recommended by Frieda:
Art For Baby: High-contrast Images by Eleven Contemporary Artists to Explore with Your Child (Templar Books)
This book is super cool. Featuring images by Takashi Murakami, Damien Hirst, Keith Haring and more. The book includes the images on cards which are "for your nursery wall." It's dazzling in its simplicity.
 Recommended by Jade:
Should You Be Laughing at This? by Hugleikur Dagsson (Harper)
A great stocking stuffer for someone with a sick sense of humor. This is a compilation of one page, stick-figure comics poking fun at everything from Nazis, to Cannibalism, to crushing loneliness. Perfect for anyone who agrees that humor has no limitations.
 Recommended by Justin:
Nightmare USA: The Untold Story of the Exploitation Independents by Steven Thrower (FAB Press)
The illustrations alone are worth the ticket price, but wait... there's more! Low-budget horror and exploitation movies by the hundreds are given their due review. Read mind-boggling tales of production -- directors are interviewed, names are named!
 Recommended by Liz:
The Art of Simple Food: Notes and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution by Alice Waters (Crown Publishing)
This classic, elegant cookbook, perfect for both the novice and the skilled cook, stays true to its title. Most of these recipes by the renowned CA cook only call for a handful of ingredients, are basic to a home-cook's repertoire, and are super classy--as is the book itself.
 Recommended by Monica:
Jenny and the Cat Club by Esther Averill (New York Review Books)
I have always been in love with cats, but I didn't fall in love with children's books until I read Esther Averill's nostalgic books about the sweet little cat who wears a red scarf, Jenny Linksy. When I read it now, it reminds me about doing the right thing and being respectful of others, and how easy and important those things are. The whole series is great and the books are actually written assuming that a child will grow with Jenny Linsky; they get more advanced as we go along.
 Recommended by Steve:
Wholphin #9 Ed. by Brent Hoff (McSweeney's)
The Wholphin series of DVD magazines is great entertainment. Short films that range from the highly comedic to the beautifully artistic. The new one (No.9) includes work from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Spike Jonze, Caveh Zahedi, and Kawase Kohske and is at turns funny, brutal, informative, and pretty.
There are dozens more thoughtfully chosen recommendations in our guide, and our staff would be happy to help you hand-pick some gifts for the book lovers in your family! |
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Los Feliz Village Holiday Festival
Sat Dec 5 6-10 pm |
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Santa Claus, a tree lighting, music, a trolley
and many merchants open late
with refreshments and special activities
on Vermont Ave, Hillhurst, and Hollywood Blvd
Admission: Free!
Eclectic Holiday Gifts, Cheer and Goodwill. Los Feliz Village is THE place for creative Angelenos to source imaginative, eclectic and one-of-a-kind holiday gifts
Trolley and Open Air Bus transport you around Village main streets of Vermont Ave. Hillhurst Ave. and Hollywood Blvd. Magicians, musicians, elves and carolers
Presented by The Los Feliz Village Business Improvement District, Los Feliz merchants and restaurants
Where: Los Feliz Village: Hillhurst Ave., Hollywood Blvd. and Vermont Ave.
SPECIAL FESTIVAL ATTRACTIONS:
On Hillhurst:
6:00pm Treelighting ceremony at the Los Feliz Library (Hillhurst/Franklin) kicks off the holiday festival.
throughout the evening:
Photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus at Coldwell Banker. (1917 Hillhurst) Alphabet Souppuppeteers at Dragonfly DuLou (2066 Hillhurst)
On Hollywood Blvd:
Complimentary STOCKINGS from participating businesses on Hollywood Blvd. betweenVermont and Rodney.
'DecorationStation' will deck out your stockings at 4645 Hollywood Blvd.(Medical Bldg.) with special paints and appliqués.
Carolers singing and inspiring the Stocking creators.
Special 'Stockingstuffers' given out by shops and restaurants on Hollywood Blvd.
Face painting at Narconon (4452 Hollywood Blvd.)
On Vermont Ave:
Most restaurants and coffee shops open quite late with specials; including Vermont /Rockwell, serving Chocolate Peppermint Martinis, hot mulled wine andapple cider. (1714 N. Vermont Ave.)
Hot chocolate stations at several points on Vermont (near Palermo's, Il Capriccio, Skylight Books).
Strolling musicians Aisling and Arlo play the guitar and violin with holiday music up and downVermont Ave.
Vermont Ave Merchant specials
open during the Festival hours:
Una Mae's (4651 Kingswell- just east of Vermont) features a "dear creatures" trunk show, free sweets and refreshments. 10% off everything in the shop during the festival. www.unamaesclothing.com
Atmosphere (1728 N. Vermont) serving wine and sweets; featuring great holiday gifts. www.atmospherela.com
Bejon & Deheg (1756 N. Vermont) offers a 10% discount to shoppers all night plus Sarah's yummy cookies!
Squaresville (1800 N. Vermont )Vintage clothing boutique serving mulled wine, cider and holiday cheer.
Drucker's Jewelry Shop (1808 N. Vermont) Vintage watch, clock and jewelry store offers special watch battery replacement while you wait during the festival for only $5.
Skylight Books (1818 N. Vermont)- Annual holiday window display featuring model train; refreshments and libations. www.skylightbooks.com
Cake Jewelry (4949 Russell - Just East of Vermont) serving wine and offering 20%discounts.
(Some other Vermont Ave shops are also open late, including the newly opened Popkiller (1856 N Vermont Ave)
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| Odds and Ends ... |
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Skylight Books' Blog: Expanding Horizons
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Our November blog postings cover lots of bases! This month's Coyote's book club recap includes highlights from the discussion that book club members had with Rachel Kushner, author of their October pick Telex from Cuba, who stopped by to answer clubbers' questions. In another November post, Kevin reminds us to check out our website (or iTunes) for podcasts of recent author talks. And Emily stopped by our blog page to deliver a fun tour of some local-ish businesses (with photos and video).
This month's excerpted blog post, however, is another from from Kevin, who tells a tale from a faraway land -- Washington, DC. After expressing disappointment at some Bush-administration memoirs, he enthusiastically recommends a new one:
 Thursday, November 12, 2009
Wait, wait, wait. I just read a book endorsed by Ann Coulter? Aaarrgghhh.
[...] So I was pleased as punch when I started reading Matt Latimer's memoir, Speech-Less: Tales of a White House Survivor. Matt was one of Bush's top speech writers from May 2007 to October 2008 and prior to that he served as Donald Rumsfeld speech writer for three years. His time in Washington seems like a cross between The Office, and Dr. Strangelove. Policy seems to be dictated not by what the correct decision is, but rather by who would get the most positive publicity and high ranking politicians often act more like Jenna Maroney from 30 Rock than public servants. [...] The centerpiece of the book though obviously goes to the Kingfish himself, George W. Bush. He comes across as neither the blithering idiot that most of the public make him out to be, nor the unrepentant frat boy that he once was, but instead simply a man who seemed ill-suited to run the highest office in the United States. What also compounds this problem was that he was surrounded by people who sought to protect him rather than face the truth of what was happening. (Comparisons to both Harry Truman and Batman from the movie Batman Begins came up frequently with White House staff during the last days. Truman I can understand but Batman?! Really?!)
Read the rest of Kevin's post here. And be sure to keep up with our blog here! New entries come every few days. |
Book Clubs: Airplane Reads and Two-Month Doorstoppers
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There are two schools of thought when it comes to book clubs and the holidays. With all that travel and all those parties and shopping trips, the first school argues, there's no time for a lengthy read. Better to go with something short and sweet. But, the second group counters, there's also hours of mind-numbing air travel to get through, and free time at the relatives' house to fill. Better to bite off a big chunk of literature and make it last for two months.
Our in-store group Coyotes has gone the latter route, choosing the 900-page novel 2666 by Roberto Bolano to fill their December and January. All are welcome to join them; they'll be discussing the book's first three sections on December 29, and the last two sections on January 26. RSVP to the club meetings not necessary, but appreciated (e-mail Emily).
Here are two more doorstoppers that'll keep you occupied long past New Year's:
 Europe Central by William Vollmann
This is the logical follow-up for the person who read Infinite Jest (during our Infinite Summer, perhaps?) and loved it. Vollmann won the National Book Award for this one, and the Washington Post called it "maybe his best novel ever."
 Underworld by Don Delillo
This is Delillo's take on the Great American Novel, and it's a sprawler. There's a large cast of vividly created characters, and the opening 50 pages are about the most exciting and beautiful description of a baseball game committed to paper. Michael Ondaatje blurbs poetically, "The book is an aria and a wolf-whistle of our half century. It contains multitudes."
And here are a couple of briefer, though equally admirable, reads:
 The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
Highsmith's books are absurdly readable, practically guaranteed to make your airplane ride whiz by. This is a quick one -- plenty of time to tear through it, rent the also-excellent movie based on it, and discuss over hot toddies.
 My Life in Heavy Metal: Stories by Steve Almond
A story collection, like this one, is a good December book club pick, because even those who don't finish the book can still participate in the discussion of earlier stories they have read. Almond's collection is a favorite around here. "A delightful, assured first collection. By turns laugh-out-loud funny and tremendously sad," writes the San Francisco Chronicle.
Don't forget that local book groups that register with the store get 15% off their book of the month. Check out registered book groups here, and e-mail Emily for more info or to sign up!
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Holidays on a Budget: Think Indie! |
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(Here's a letter you can copy and send out to friends -- created by the ad-hoc local group, Future of Publishing Think Tank!)
Certain websites may be selling the newest Dan Brown novel for half price, but it's not the best bargain out there this holiday season. A book published by an independent press and purchased from an independent bookseller supports two indie businesses and makes a more unique gift. Your loved ones will thank you. So will your community.
If your community is Southern California, you're in luck. Our region is fertile ground for locally grown organic literature. Check out these presses and bookstores:
Southern California-based Presses:
Ammo Books (www.ammobooks.com): one-of-a-kind titles featuring amazing design, thoughtful writing, and exquisite printing
Angel City Press (www.angelcitypress.com): nostalgic yet cool illustrated books
Arktoi Books (www.arktoi.com): poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction that give lesbian writers access to "the conversation"
Cahuenga Press (www.cahuengapress.com): poetry that honors creative freedom and cooperation
Cloverfield Press (www.cloverfieldpress.com): books as visually beautiful as they are intellectually and emotionally stimulating
Dzanc Books (www.dzancbooks.org): literary fiction that falls outside the mainstream
Gorsky Press (www.gorsky.razorcake.org): risk-taking books that encourage readers to re-examine society
Green Integer (www.greeninteger.com): essays, manifestos, speeches, epistles, narratives, and more
Les Figues Press (www.lesfigues.com): aesthetic conversations between readers, writers, and artists, with an avant-garde emphasis
Make Now Press (www.makenow.org): contemporary works of constraint and conceptual literature
Otis Books/Seismicity (www.otis.edu/academics/graduate_writing/seismicity.html): contemporary fiction, poetry, essays, creative non-fiction and translation
Perceval Press (www.percevalpress.com): art, critical writing, and poetry
P S Books (www.psbooks.org): micro-press that publishes conceptually motivated series on a project by project basis
Red Hen Press (www.redhen.org): works of literary excellence that have been overlooked by mainstream presses
San Diego City Works Press (www.cityworkspress.org): local, ethnic, political, and border writing
Santa Monica Press (www.santamonicapress.com): offbeat looks at pop culture, lively how-to books, film history, travel, and humor
Tsehai Publishers (www.tsehaipublishers.com): literary fiction and serious nonfiction, with an emphasis on first-time authors and writers from under-served communities
What Books Press (www.whatbookspress.com): books by L.A.-based writers whose work spans the full scope of the past quarter century
Independent Bookstores:
Book Soup, West Hollywood (www.www.booksoup.com)
Chevalier's Books, Larchmont Village (www.chevaliersbooks.blogspot.com)
Diesel, Brentwood and Malibu (www.dieselbookstore.com)
Equator Books, Venice (www.equatorbooks.com)
Eso Won Books, Leimert Park (www.esowon.booksense.com)
Family, Fairfax District (www.familylosangeles.com)
Flintridge Bookstore and Coffeehouse, La Cañada (www.flintridgebooks.com)
IMIX Bookstore, Eagle Rock (www.imixbooks.com)
Metropolis Books, Downtown (www.metropolisbooksla.com)
Portrait of a Bookstore, Studio City (www.portraitofabookstore.com)
Sierra Madre Books, Sierra Madre (www.sierramadrebooks.com)
Skylight Books, Los Feliz (www.skylightbooks.com)
Small World Books, Venice (www.smallworldbooks.com)
Stories, Echo Park (www.storiesla.com)
Tia Chucha's Centro Cultural & Bookstore (www.tiachucha.com)
Village Books, Pacific Palisades (www.palivillagebooks.com)
Village Bookshop, Glendora (www.villagebookshopglendora.com)
Vroman's Bookstore, Pasadena (www.vromansbookstore.com)
Please forward this widely to those interested in books and writing. Happy holidays from the Future of Publishing Think Tank*!
*The Future of Publishing Think Tank (www.foptt.com) is an ad hoc group of writers and representatives of independent publishers and bookstores, nonprofit literary organizations, and community radio. Our task: to consider the changes occurring in publishing, distribution, and marketing of literary work and to envision new ways for writers to engage readers and build audiences for their work. Visit us at www.foptt.com to see the results of our reader survey and find more bookstores and literary activities in your area. | |
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| Skylight Books
1818 N. Vermont Ave (between Hollywood Blvd & Franklin; next to the Los Feliz Cinema)
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 660-1175
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