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Between the Lines
Reading Recommendations from the Cottage Shelves |
 It seems like everybody is reading John Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pajamas- book clubs, my water aerobics ladies, Charlie (my eighth grader)- it hit the silver screen with a film adaptation on November 14. I've been getting rave reviews daily for Oprah's latest pick The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski. The Duck's Cottage group just read Scratch Beginnings, Adam Sheperd's account of his post-college experiment. Basically, he shows up in Charleston with a backpack and $25 to his name to see if within a year he can A: move into an apartment, B: have a working car and C: have $2500 in the bank- all without using his degree or connections. His first five months are spent in the Ritz of homeless shelters. Our group found it mildly interesting but he's no Barbara Ehrenreich (Nickel & Dimed). Sarah (age 10) is devouring John Grogan's YA title- Marley: A Dog Like No Other. Linda Scott just saw The Secret Life of Bees and loved it. She reports that for once she wasn't disappointed with the film version of a really good book. Lisa read and recommends The Road of Lost Innocence, Somaly Mam's memoir of rising from years of sexual slavery in Cambodia to become a rescuer of girls from the hellish brothels of southeast Asia. Deanna was excited to find Peter Heller's Whale Warriors on the Cottage shelves. Apparently she- and Lisa- are big fans of the Animal Planet show, Whale Wars. A few titles Chris recently ordered as part of his professional development plan- Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community (Robert Putnam), Blink (Malcolm Gladwell) and A Whole New Mind (Daniel Pink). A few books I'm considering for the next list of suggestions I put forth to our reading group- Alaa Al Aswany's The Yacoubian Building, Muriel Barbery's The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Toni Morrison's new novel Mercy (generating great reviews) and Jhumpa Lahiri's latest short story collection Unaccustomed Earth. They'll be selecting the next six at our Dec. 17 meeting where we will also be discussing The Four Queens: The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe. Author Nancy Goldstone should be joining us by telephone!
Read on for more gift ideas as well as information on Jamie's Book Club and Allen's Coffee Club... and happy holiday reading!
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| Flotsam & Jetsam
Footnotes from life at a coffee shop |
 Oh yes, we were a BLUE state! 'Nuff said.. rumours are swirling that KFC will soon be available in Downtown Duck- stay tuned... Santa Paws will be at Outer Barks (Scarborough Lane) on Dec. 6 - to make your appointment for pet photos with Santa, call 261-6279 (Donations to Friends of Pooh, Canine/Feline Cancer Soc. & Coastal Humane Society).. kudos to Paul & Susannah Manning of Front Porch for putting together the local shopping initiative Let's Make it an OB-Xmas!!.. recently spotted at the Wright Brothers Monument and in Ocracoke- the one and only Jimmy Buffett!... when asked how he was enjoying the Outer Banks he replied 'The weather is here, I wish you were beautiful'... speaking of flight, the 105th Anniversary of the First Flight is Wednesday, Dec. 17... what we're watching: Season 5 of Top Chef- Charlie and I are currently neck and neck in the Fafarazzi Top Chef game... check out Whatever, Martha! on the Fine Living Channel- HYSTERICAL...KQ turned me on to that... the Outer Banks Showcase Christmas show runs through Dec. 31- call the box office at 252-261-7505... and with a very heavy heart we say goodbye to a good friend- Ally & Maddy... we love you Quinn-Thrings and will MISS you most terribly... |
Introducing Jamie's Book Club...
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 We are pleased to announce Jamie's Book Club- a 'book of the month' subscription service that puts great books in your hands. Here at the Cottage, we hear the comment 'I love your selection' over and over. Everything on our shelves is hand-picked and those choices - as eclectic and unusual as they are- have found a following in our discriminating clientele. Wouldn't you like to have a sampling from that same great selection delivered to your door?
Here's how it works: Jamie's Book Club will operate on a bi-monthly basis. Every other month you'll receive a book we think has wide-ranging appeal, might not be getting a lot of attention yet or is something most readers might not normally pick up on their own! Almost all genres are fair game- fiction, non-fiction, food and travel writing, memoirs, short stories, young adult fiction, you name it! (With the natural exceptions of cookbooks, sports and politics which we feel need no explanation.)
Jamie's Book Club will commence on January 1, 2009. There is no joining fee and membership is on an annual basis. Participants will receive via media mail, on or about the first of January, March, May, July, September and November, a paperback book chosen by the buyer of Duck's Cottage. Member's credit cards will be charged on the first of every mailing month and will include nominal shipping fees. Every effort will be made to keep individual book prices under $20.00 and members will receive our standard 20% Book Club discount on each month's selection.
Sign up using the link below! Enroll by placing your order for Jamie's Book Club. Disregard any totals. Your card will not be charged until January and all discounts and shipping costs will be applied. You will need to enter all of your payment and shipping information which will be kept on file for your membership. Please contact us if there are ever any changes to this data. If gifting a membership, be sure to give us the recipient's shipping address.
Every effort and available resource will be expended in selecting each and every book. In joining, members recognize the slight risk that a selection could be something they have already read. We are very sorry but no returns, refunds or exchanges will be made for any reason other than damage during shipping. In those circumstances, please do not discard anything before contacting us.
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... and Allen's Coffee Club! |
 We are also pleased to announce Allen's Coffee Club- a 'coffee of the month' subscription service that will keep your cup filled with great coffee all year long! Allen spent over a year cupping coffee samples from roasters up and down the East Coast before selecting our roaster of choice. It's the secret behind the superb coffee we've been serving since our doors opened and the #1 reason our customers come back year after year. Stop drinking sub-standard, over-roasted, stale coffee and let us provide you at home with the same great coffee you enjoy here in Duck!
Here's how it works: Allen's Coffee Club will operate on a bi-monthly basis beginning January 1, 2009. Every other month you'll receive a pound of freshly roasted coffee Allen has selected from a wide range of varietals, blends and flavors. Decaffeinated brews are not included and no more than two months will feature flavored coffee. Each coffee will cost just $14.00 (plus shipping).
There's more! Sign up during the month of December and we'll include a classic Duck's Cottage ceramic mug with your first order! And don't forget a membership to Allen's Coffee Club makes a great gift for anybody on your list plus it keeps on giving all year long!!
Sign up using the link below! Enroll by placing your order for Allen's Coffee Club. Disregard any totals. Your card will not be charged until January and all shipping costs will be applied. You will need to enter all of your payment and shipping information which will be kept on file for your membership. Please contact us if there are ever any changes to this data. If gifting a membership, be sure to give us the recipient's shipping address.
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Gift Ideas from Duck's Cottage |
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For the resident political pundit in your house, Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals is sure to please (and has been getting a lot of attention for obvious reasons); or consider HW Brand's latest- Traitor to His Class- subtitle:The privileged life and radical presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt; for the teenage reader, Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games will leave them desperately awaiting the sequel; Pat the Husband is a hysterical parody of the children's classic, Pat the Bunny. Paul and Judy reappear as husband and wife, interactive pages let you decide who to put the pants on, help unravel refrigerator conspiracies and figure out if Paul is really listening to Judy? (Women love this book, men don't get it.) Porn for Women and Porn for New Moms also make for funny girlfriend gifts. Both books features handsome male models gazing adoringly off the page and saying things like 'I know what! Let's take YOU shoe shopping!' and 'I found someone to take my tee time again this weekend so I can spend more time with YOU and the BABY'. The cookbook I'm asking for this Christmas (and lusting over)- The Splendid Table's How To Eat Supper. Top of Sarah's wish list- Rick Riordan's The 39 Clues, number one in a planned ten book mystery series to feature other YA authors- young readers will be tasked to solve the mystery by finding clues offered in each book; for the dog lover in your life there's only one choice- The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski; a current best-seller for cat lovers- Dewey: the Small-town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron; the perfect book for those looking to escape- Island Living- Inland Retreats and Shoreside Havens (and a bargain- $14.95 for this beautiful hardback); for budding artists, three books from Chris Hart are the self-explanatory ticket- Draw a Triangle (or Square or Circle), Draw Anything! The fashionista in your world will love the new Lucky guide- this time the topic is Mastering Any Style: How to Wear Iconic Looks and Make Them Your Own. Targay designer Isaac Mizrahi also has a new guide out called How to Have Style. For the environmentally conscious, pick up Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder by Audubon Medal recipient Richard Louv or National Geographic's Green Guide: The Complete Reference for Consuming Wisely. Another great National Geographic title is Sacred Places of a Lifetime: 500 of the World's Most Peaceful and Powerful Destinations, a gorgeous coffee-table sized tome. Last but not least, pop some Karma Checks into everybody's stocking. "Sixty checks to keep the world in balance" feature debits for 'For treating the planet like a dumpster' (littering) as well as credits 'For being a true neighbor' and 'For helping a stranger (me)'.
Good luck with your holiday preparations- remember to keep a smile on your lips, a song in your heart and good thoughts in your head because like Earl Hickey always says- "Karma is a funny thing". | |
Want to Make Those Gifts Look Pretty?
Wrap 'Em Up for Literacy!
The Dare Literacy Council (DLC) and Belk's Department Store are teaming up to raise funds for literacy. This holiday season, literacy volunteers will wrap gifts at Belk's and customers are asked to make a donation to DLC. Volunteers will be on hand from 11 am to 7 pm on Sunday, December 7 and Wednesday through Saturday, December 10-13.
The Dare Literacy Council is able to operate only as a result of generous donations and grants. Shop at Belk's on our wrapping days and you can do your part to help the Dare Literacy Council make a difference in someone's life.
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This month's newsletter has been brought to you by the letter 'O'.. as in olives in a Christmas party cocktail, ornaments on the tree, those three kings of Orient, oh! What fun!, old Saint Nick and the name of our fourty-fourth that begins with this same fifteenth letter... Obama.
Have a wonderful Holiday season.
Jamie Layton
Duck's Cottage
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