December 2007 - Vol 2, Issue 6
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Once again, Magers and Quinn brings you the latest news from the world of independent bookselling. From great new books to the best readings, you'll hear it here first.

You can always find the latest news on our website www.magersandquinn.com. Check our current inventory, order a book, or learn about our upcoming events. Check us out today!
Jump start your holiday shopping list with these great titles.

Beer drinkers and local history buffs alike will love Land of Amber Waters: The History of Brewing in Minnesota. Doug Hoverson's beautiful new book covers not only the state's rich brewing past but goes right up to the present with a list of brewpubs where they keep the local beer traditions alive. This lavishly illustrated book will have the whole family crowding in for a peek.

A few weeks ago, we managed to score a bunch of the "Choose Your Own Adventure" books. These nifty little books are great for hooking young readers or for reminding the rest of us how much fun a book can be.

For cooks on your list I have two suggestions. Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything is a wonderful resource. Bittman goes down the list of all the most common ingredients, telling how to choose them and then how to prepare them. This is the go-to book for chefs new and experienced alike. (Bittman has also written How to Cook Everything Vegetarian for the meat-free on your list.)

And seasoned cooks will love Sally Schneider's The Improvisational Chef. Like Bitttman, Schneider--a regular on MPR's "The Splendid Table"--walks you through making a dish then tells you how to make it even better. The difference is that Schneider's recipes are a bit beyond basic. If someone you know needs a little spark in the kitchen, this book will be a great gift.

Say goodbye to boring old atlases, and say hello to Our Dumb World. The staff of The Onion has tirelessly worked to bring you the last word on every country in the world. From Afghanistan ("nothing more than a shell of its former shell") to Zimbabwe ("All Rhodes lead to inequality"), you'll laugh your way around the world.
This year we have our biggest selection ever of brand new calendars--all 10 to 35% off the publisher's price.


That's just a small selection. Stop in and see them all--before they're all gone.
One of the most beautiful books out this holiday season has to be Robert Sabuda's pop-up version of The Chronicles of Narnia. Sabuda is probably the best-known "paper engineer" or pop-up book artist working today. His books are avidly collected and always beautiful. This one is no exception.
Nothing cuts through the holiday treacle like a bracing dose of Edward Gorey. We've got two of the neo-Gothic master's lesser-known books available right now.

In Donald Has a Difficulty our young hero deals with a painful splinter in a most creative way. Donald and the... tells the story of Donald and his pet worm, who transforms himself into something quite unexpected.

Give your smiling muscles a rest with these Edward Gorey books. Each one is a bargain at only $7.49, marked down from $12.95. You won't be sad to get them.
If you're having trouble choosing a book, you can always ask the staff at your friendly local independent bookstore for some suggestions. Or visit whichbook.net. There you can choose up to four characteristics for your desired book. Should it be short or long? Optimistic or bleak? Easy reading or demanding? Click on the appropriate bar, then move the slider to get just the right balance. Then click on "Go," and see what you should be reading.


You can also search the recommendations by character, plot, and setting. The possibilities are endless.
Don't let the cold keep you inside. Here are just two of the the fascinating events coming up this month.

Thursday, Dec. 6, 7:30pm
Longtime Minnesota political journalist, Barry Casselman, author of North Star Rising: Minnesota Politicians on the National Stage, traces the impact of several Minnesota political figures on national politics, beginning with the first territorial governor, Alexander Ramsey, and continuing with Ignatius Donnelly, William Windom, John S. Pillsbury, John Johnson, Frank B. Kellogg, Floyd B. Olson, Harold Stassen, Hubert H. Humphrey and Walter F. Mondale.

Along the way, many other remarkable political characters are portrayed as the North Star State is transformed from a remote frontier outpost to a national center of commerce in lumber, grain production, railroads and iron mining in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and then to a technology, communications and medical center today.

Saturday, Dec. 8, 8:30pm
You may not know the name Vinko Bogataj, but his world-famous wipeout in the opening credits of ABC's "Wide World of Sports" was formative to me in my youth and gave rise to the expression "pulling a Vinko."


I mention this because on Saturday, December 8, at 8:30pm, Wayne Johnson, author of White Heat: The Extreme Skiing Life will be in the store. Johnson has met Bogataj and other similarly wild and crazy skiing guys. And, I admit, because I wanted an excuse to look at that WWoS video one more time.

If you browsed our computer section in the past few weeks, you saw a lot of empty shelves. We were pretty ruthless in removing older, less useful titles. But now, we've filled those shelves back to capacity with the latest and greatest books on computers and today's most popular programs. If you need help with anything from email up to maintaining a mainframe, we can help you out. Come in today and have a look.
Teacher Michael Chalk was reading a book in a pub in Cairns, in the north of Australia. Odd, you might say, but is it a crime? Bouncers in the bar thought it might be and escorted Chalk out of the bar, citing other patron's concerns about his choice of reading material.

And just what was the dangerous book in question? It was The Unknown Terrorist. In the novel, the protagonist is mistakenly identified as a terrorist, and Kafka-esque non-hilarity ensues. It's fiction. Yeah, fiction.

Details are here.
Norbert E. Yankielun is a research engineer for the US Army Corps of Engineers. But in his spare time, he leads workshops teaching non-Eskimos how to build their own igloos.

Be the envy of your block when you make your own snow shelter. Norbert's workshop wisdom is available in the new book How to Build an Igloo. This fascinating book will teach you to make your own igloo, spruce trap, or bivvy shelter--or just daydream about it beside the fire.


Check out Norbert's website DoctorWhy.com for more photos.
The next meeting of the Twin Cities' most unusual and interesting book club is Tuesday, December 11. Books & Bars meets at Bryant-Lake Bowl, 810 W Lake Street, in Minneapolis. Doors open at 6:00pm; the discussion begins at 7:00pm.

December's book is Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut. This comic science-fiction romp encompasses the atomic bomb, theology, technology, and even the end of the world. But don't worry--it's less than 300 pages long.

Books & Bars is not your typical book club. We provide a unique atmosphere for a lively discussion of interesting authors, fun people, good food and drinks. You're welcome even if you haven't read the book.


PS: Check out the StarTribune's article about Books and Bars. They loved it!

There's always something new at Magers & Quinn. Stop in today or check our inventory on our website any time.

We'll be back next month with more book news.

Until then,
David Enyeart
Magers and Quinn Booksellers

Call us: 612/822-4611
Or visit our website: http://www.magersandquinn.com
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