Two locally owned, independent stores dedicated to providing our customers with an interesting, eclectic selection of books and the finest coffee available. |
Per usual, our Outer Banks Fall has been gorgeous (with the exception of a few unseasonal rainy days) |
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Between the Lines
And the big holiday sellers were.... (drum roll please) Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power. HUGE seller... have only heard good things about this one, was even Indiebound #1 pick for December. Lot of history and bio buffs will find be finding it under the tree. Bibliophiles are receiving My Bookstore: Writers Celebrate their Favorite Places to Browse, Read and Shop by Ron Rice- a tribute to independent bookstores everywhere. Bill O'Reilly's two best-sellers, Killing Kennedy and Killing Lincoln are also big holiday choices as is Daily Joy: 365 Days of Inspiration- photos and wisdom to lift your spirits. Of course it is calendar season and we've been going through a lot of our various local calendars- Walter Gresham, Ray Matthews, Bill Birkmeier and the Corolla Wild Horse Foundation. A lot of cookbooks on our special order lists- The Pioneer Woman Cooks (both volumes), Moosewood Cookbook New Classics, The Chew (from the show of the same name), Rachel Ray's My Year in Meals (with cocktail recipes from Mr. Ray) and old standards like the Joy of Cooking and How to Cook Everything. A new release catching my eye is the  Chinese Takeout Cookbook -I think I might need that for someone in my household! Mommy Santa's have been scooping up the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Third Wheel along with The Hobbit of which we had a nice hardback anniversary edition. We are also almost out of the 2011-2012 Sandbar, an oral history journal compiled by students at the College of the Albemarle. Also just got in an interesting book called Old Coast Guard Stations: North Carolina- featuring CG stations from Currituck Beach to Cape Fear- literally filled with pictures!
Manteo customers Wayne Gray and Rose Talmadge both read Louise Erdrich's The Round House and gave it great reviews. Erdrich just won the 2012 National Book Award in fiction for this title which has garnered praise from every corner. Wayne also highly recommended (and lent to me) The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro. I put it on my holiday reading stack. I'd also like to read a bit more of Richard Russo's Elsewhere: A Memoir. Have read several interviews with him regarding his most recent book and am intrigued about the relationship between him and his mother. Oprah's Book Club 2.0 just named Ayana Mathis' The Twelve  Tribes of Hattie as the latest selection. Set during the 'great migration' it tells the story of Hattie Shepherd who gives birth to twelve children whose narratives weave this novel. I'd also like to delve more into Flight Behavior, Barbara Kingsolver's latest novel.
A few titles I enjoyed on our demo 'Kobo' (see article below) recently were books two and three in the Pittacus Lore series- The Power of Six and The Rise of Nine. These YA titles follow book one, I Am Number Four, and were thrilling (good gift ideas, too!). Also read The Dinner, a February release by Herman Koch. I would definitely recommend it to all Gone, Girl fans.
In November, the Duck's Cottage Reading Group read Gabrielle Hamilton's foodie memoir Blood, Bones & Butter. It was interesting but pretty slow paced. This month's book was MUCH better- Paris: A Love Story by Kati Marton. Kati is a Hungarian born journalist/writer who was married to Peter Jennings and then to diplomat Richard Holbrooke. Her memoir is a story about love, coping after Holbrooke's sudden death and is filled with fascinating anecdotes from an interesting life. I highly recommend it and can't wait to see what the group thinks. (ps another Manteo customer also enjoyed it and said it brought him to tears). Up next for us is another memoir, The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe. I've found it to be slow going so far, hoping it picks up! Other groups are reading Ellis Avery's The Last Nude, One Second After by William Forstchen, Chris Bohjalian's The Sandcastle Girls and Alexandra Fuller's second book, Cocktail Hour Under The Tree of Forgetfulness (another on my 'to read' list.)
Last but not least, some good holiday titles- The Cat Who Came Back for Christmas by Julia Romp is subtitled "How a cat brought a family the gift of love'. Danielle Steel put out a slim hardback called A Gift of Hope: Helping the Homeless. If a good Christmas novel is what you need to warm your heart, check out Anne Perry's A Christmas Garland, a Victorian era mystery, or An Amish Gift by Cynthia Keller in the vein of, well, Amish lit.
May your Holidays be filled
with good books and great joy!
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We KOBO... do you KOBO?
Duck's Cottage & Downtown Books have officially joined the age of e-readers! Joining a program put together by the American Bookseller's Assoc. that includes Ingram Book Distributors, the Kobo company and ABA member bookstores, we are now pleased to offer e-books and e-readers to digitally inclined book lovers!
We are carrying the Kobo Glo at the Downtown Books location. What's so special about the Kobo Glo? How about a single charge that lasts up to a month! millions of e-books (and periodicals) available for download via Downtown Books! built in dictionary and instant translator... holds up to 1,000 titles... super responsive touchscreen... comfortlight allows you to read comfortably day or night and illuminates the page NOT your face! changeable typeface and font size for total customization... all this with a 6" high-res XGA Pearl E inkscreen.
We've been demo'ing one for a month now and I love it for reading in bed- it goes into 'sleep' mode all by itself- just like me! And at the gym- I don't have to use that emergency clip on the treadmill as a page holder anymore! Wired Magazine said "the new Kobo Glo is a delightful surprise waiting to be discovered". The Kobo Glo is available at Downtown Books or online at duckscottage.com and retails for $129.95.
If you already have an I-pad, I-phone or Android phone and would like to download the Kobo app so that you can purchase Kobo ebooks through Duck's Cottage, visit our homepage and click on the Kobo link. Finally, you can e-read AND support an independent bookseller!
My favorite thing about Kobo? Even when it is turned off or just in 'sleep mode', the cover of the book I was last reading still shows up on the screen- just like a real book! Because that's what it is... Kobo. Rearrange the letters and what do you get? Book.
Have more questions? Call us at 252-473-1056.
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 A NEW DUCK MYSTERY!
Dae O'Donnell, mayor of Duck, NC, is back in the fourth book of the Missing Pieces mystery series. This time real estate agent Chuck Sparks turns up dead, his daughter is missing and Dae's boyfriend's former fiancee shows up! Can Dae use her clairvoyant talents to solve the case before Ann, Kevin's once intended, does? Set amongst familiar backdrops, the novel starts out in Bill's Coffeeshop & Bookstore (sound familiar?) and takes off from there! Will they find little Betsy before it is too late? Will Duck ever get a new Town Hall? And who is the Lavene's latest character- Chris Slayton, Town Manager- based on? You do NOT want to miss this one! Possibly the best one so far! Buy it online now at...
www.duckscottage.com |
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Flotsam & Jetsam
 Baby Finn finally arrived on November 14th! Finn is the son of Mandy and Sean Brophy (Mandy has been with the Cottage since we opened in 2002) and is a beautiful baby! He was 9 lbs. 2 oz. and 22 inches long! The family is doing great and appreciates all the well-wishes from everyone!
Spent an evening in Manteo with the kids earlier this month- dinner at La Cabana, caught a movie at the Pioneer and in between went to see the WinterLights at the Elizabethan Gardens. W-o-W! We were blown away by the beautiful light displays, the r oaring bonfire (marshmallows provided!), a non-stop big screen showing of the Grinch on the lawn, free hot chocolate... as we were getting back into the car both of my TEENagers exclaimed how glad they were we went! Made my week. You can still catch the lights Dec 18 - 22,
Dec 27 - 29 and Jan 2 - 5, 6pm to 9pm.
Had some fun recently with Miss Scarlett's birthday party! Scarlett and her pet human, Judy, are regular morning customers at the Cottage and when her birthday rolled around there was only one place she wanted to have her party! To reserve our front room for your next canine get-together, please call 261-WOOF. (just kidding. this is a by-invitation only honor reserved for our truly special doggie friends.)
If you missed the original airing on The Weather Channel, keep looking for a repeat of their special Coast Guard: HMS Bounty Rescue featuring the story of the rescue at sea of most of the crew from the HMS Bounty during Hurricane Sandy. It was just one of the 'cane stories that kept us all glued to the news during this awful storm. Our Manteo neighbors, Oretga'z, will have their moment of fame on January 7 when they are featured on Guy Fieri's Diners, Dives and Drive-Ins on the Food Network! Can't wait to see that!
Work is quickly progressing on the Winks project! Here's two very recent pictures to give you an idea of what's going on!
2012 on the OBX is definitely winding down. People are learning to call ahead before heading out to their favorite restaurant as so many have closed. Many shops will be following suit after the holidays. The doors of Duck's Cottage and Downtown Books, however, will always be open making us welcoming outposts at either end of the beach for hot coffee, warm friendship and good cheer!
Duck's Cottage (Duck) will be closed Christmas Day. We will resume normal hours- 7am to 6pm seven days a week- on 12/26.
Downtown Books (Manteo) will be closed Christmas Day as well as December 26 and 27. We will resume normal hours- 10am to 5pm Mon - Sat on December 28. Some tweeking of our weekly schedule may occur after the first of the year. We'll let you know!
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