News and reviews from Clement Street
April 2012
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| Greetings! | Howdy, friend of Green Apple. So nice to see so many of you in the store in March. Despite everything we hear about the death of indie bookstores, print books, and "culture," enough of you keep coming in and buying books that we're still here. Thanks!
Here's the line-up for today's email:  - our Book of the Month;
- two author events to get you out of the house and into a good book;
- our ten top sellers for March 2012; and
- suggestions for fans of The Hunger Games
- News of a small clearance sale area
And remember--if you read electronically, you can buy eBooks from Green Apple for almost any device (except e-ink Kindles), usually at prices that match our online competitors. More HERE.
And if it's not too much trouble, "Like" us on Facebook. Oh, and we've started a Tumblr. Follow us if you dare.
We hope you'll enjoy a little of your spring with us on Clement Street soon.
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April's Book of the Month
| Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed (Knopf)
Our April Book of the Month, guaranteed to please, is Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed. Here's Pete's pitch: 
You will probably be hearing about this book everywhere. Believe the hype. (e.g. Sunday New York Times Book Review, SF Chronicle, GoodReads). I, for one, am willing to put my reputation of 18.5 years as a bookseller on the line for this one. You will love it.
Wild is, at its base, a memoir of a struggling young woman and her challenging solo hike along the Pacific Crest Trail (1,100 miles of it!). But it's so much more--full of heart, humor, hope, and humanity.
Still need convincing? My wife (a writer and former bookseller) and I almost never read the same book (it seems inefficient to us--is that weird?). In rare instances, we will more or less force the other to read something--she had me read Behind the Beautiful Forevers (which is excellent), and she read (and loved) Wild. So it's not a guy book or a women's book--it's just a great book. Buy the book (or the $12.99 eBook) from Green Apple today!
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April literary events
| April 7: Jen McConnell's Welcome Anybody
Come by the old Apple on April 7th to hear San Francisco native Jen McConnell read from her beautiful new collection of short stories, Welcome, Anybody.
 The vivid and sometimes heartbreaking stories in Welcome, Anybody progress from a hushed and profound despair to ones where hope, in some quiet form, begins to rise again. (What makes this reading especially fitting for Green Apple: McConnell wrote most of these stories either in her apartment on 8th & California or at the Blue Danube coffee shop right up the street.) Lewis Buzbee, author of The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop says of Welcome, Anybody: "The characters in these stories stand absolutely still in the middle of their lives while the world spins around them, chaotically and often dangerously. There is an intensity of vision here-both riveting and haunting-that will remind you of Carver's stories, but the territory McConnell has staked out is unquestionably her own."
Sold? You should be. We'll see you there.
Details: Saturday, April 7 here at Green Apple at 7pm. Free.
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April 13: Lynn Sherr's Swim: Why We Love the Water (at the South End Rowing Club)
We'll be hosting author and swimming enthusiast Lynn Sherr at the historic South End Rowing Club for a reading, discussion, book signing and all-things-aquatic celebration of her new book Swim.
In Swim, Sherr explores every aspect of the sport, from the biology of swimming to the fame of Esther Williams; from turquoise pools and wild water to the training of Olympians. Swim is a celebration of swimming and the effect it has on our lives. It's also an inquiry into why we swim--the lure, the hold, the timeless magic of being in the water, and a look at how swimming has changed over the millennia.
This event at the mighty South End Rowing Club will be a great night of love for the water. Drinks and snacks will be available (for a small donation to offset costs). If you've never been to the South End, it's a great glimpse into an historic San Francisco institution (and a place that feels most like Green Apple).
Details: Friday, April 13 at 7pm at the South End Rowing Club. Free and open to the public.
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March 2012 Best-Sellers at Green Apple
| The Hunger Games and its relatives dominated our March best-seller list. And Game of Thrones and its relatives re-appeared this month as viewers get back into the HBO series. Aside from those, here are the top ten books sold at Green Apple in March (titles link to print books, eBook available where noted).
- Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo: an excellent piece of journalism about a
 Mumbai "undercity" (eBook) - Bossypants by Tina Fey: funny stuff (eBook)
- Baseball Codes by Jason Turbow: 'tis the season at last! (eBook)
- The Lorax by Dr. Seuss: Earth Day is coming up
- The New American Haggadah by Jonathan Safran Foer and Nathan Englander: just in time for your Seder (eBook)
- Map of Time by Felix Palma: a genre-bender of Victorian London (eBook)
- Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link: "kitchen sink magical realism" (eBook)
- On Booze by F. Scott Fitzgerald: just what you think it is. Cheers!
- If You Want to Write by Brenda Euland: a perennial best-selling book on writing (eBook)
- Imagine: How Creativity Works by Jonah Lehrer: and how to be more creative (eBook)
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If You Liked The Hunger Games
| Based on our March bestseller list, many of you are now finishing up the Hunger Games trilogy. If you're casting about for the next similar read, here are six suggestions:
Unwin d by Neal Shusterman: As the main characters' paths intersect and lives hang in the balance, Shusterman examines serious moral issues in a way that will keep readers turning the pages to see if Connor, Risa, and Lev avoid meeting their untimely ends. The Maze Runner by James Dashner: When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he's not alone. When the lift's doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade, a large, open  expanse surrounded by stone walls. Just like Thomas, the Gladers don't know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they've closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up--the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.  Enclave by Ann Aguirre: New York City has been decimated by war and plague, and most of civilization has migrated to underground enclaves, where life expectancy is no more than the early 20s. When Deuce turns 15, she takes on her role as a Huntress, and is paired with Fade, a teenage Hunter who lived Topside as a young boy. When she and Fade discover that the neighboring enclave has been decimated by the tunnel monsters--or Freaks--who seem to be growing more organized, the elders refuse to listen to warnings. And when Deuce and Fade are exiled from the enclave, the girl born in darkness must survive in daylight, in the ruins of a city whose population has dwindled to a few dangerous gangs. As the two are guided by Fade's long-ago memories, they face dangers, and feelings, unlike any they've ever known.
 Divergent by Veronica Roth: In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue-Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.  Incarceron by Catherine Fisher: Incarceron is a prison so vast that it contains not only cells and corridors, but metal forests, dilapidated cities, and wilderness. It has been sealed for centuries, and only one man has ever escaped. Finn has always been a prisoner here. Although he has no memory of his childhood, he is sure he came from Outside. His link to the Outside, his chance to break free, is Claudia, the warden's daughter, herself determined to escape an arranged marriage. They are up against impossible odds, but one thing looms above all: Incarceron itself is alive . . .
Tunnels by Brian Williams and Roderick Gordon: The New York Times Bestseller! The  story of an outcast boy, his eccentric dad, and the scary underground world they discover through secret TUNNELS. 14-year-old Will Burrows has little in common with his strange, dysfunctional family. In fact, the only bond he shares with his eccentric father is a passion for archaeological excavation. So when Dad mysteriously vanishes, Will is compelled to dig up the truth behind his disappearance. He unearths the unbelievable: a secret subterranean society. "The Colony" has existed unchanged for a century, but it's no benign time capsule of a bygone era--because the Colony is ruled by a cultlike overclass, the Styx. Before long--before he can find his father--Will is their prisoner. . . . |
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Bargain Alert!
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We've done some Spring cleaning here at Green Apple. Don't worry, there's still plenty of dust. But to make room for new arrivals, we have a bunch of books, CDs, and DVDs priced for quick sale. So if you're the type to stock up when a deal comes along, come soon.
The sale area is at the front of the annex (520 Clement) in the CD/DVD area and includes: - $2 paperback novels
- $3 hardcover novels
- remainders at 75% off or more (including some very good titles in short quantity)
- select used CDs at $1.98 each
- clearance used DVDs for $4.98-$6.98
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Thanks for reading.
Sincerely,
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Pete et al
Green Apple Books and Music
415-387-2272
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