Two locally owned, independent stores dedicated to providing our customers with an interesting, eclectic selection of books and the finest coffee available. |
it MUST be
(almost) Spring!
The return of Ospreys to the Outer Banks is our first sure sign that winter is almost over and Spring is right around the corner. It usually happens the second week of March... you'll just be driving along and suddenly a soaring silhouette will catch your eye.. or driving across the Bridge you'll espy one perched atop an unused power pole, staking his claim. This year I saw my first as I was coming around the curve into Duck, just past the entrance to Four Seasons. This guy had just taken to air and flew low across the road towards the Sound carrying a piece of prime nest building material in his talons. Ospreys mate for life- which can be up to 30 years- and can be found on every continent except Antarctica. Along with so many other birds, DDT endangered their population in the 1950s, but they are back better than ever. Their arrival here is so marked with the advent of a new season, that for a good week you'll overhear people exclaiming 'the ospreys are back! I just saw one at.......'
Welcome Spring.
|
|
|
Between the Lines
Just finished Defending Jacob, William Landay's legal thriller that recently came out in paperback and have to agree with all the recommendations I was given: it's a page turner (ie read it in two days) and really toys with the reader's sympathies. Our book club will discuss it this month and should be an interesting talk. I think it will be one of the hot titles this summer. Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala is also on the radar of many book groups. Sonali survived the 2004 tsunami but lost her parents, husband and two young sons to the deathly waters. Sure to be intriguing, destined to be heartbreaking.
 Kent Haruf, author of Plainsong and Eventide, has returned to the high plains of Holt, Colorado, with Benediction. I loved it. Haruf's writing style is simple yet sublime and he tells a beautiful story about the last days of a good man. 'Dad' Lewis has received a diagnosis of terminal cancer and he and his wife set about preparing themselves and their world for his departure with such peace and grace. Highly recommend it. For more with Haruf, see link at end of this article.
Domenica Ruta's new memoir With or Without You was ok if you like mother-daughter relationships where adult-child roles have been reversed, there's a heavy helping of substance abuse and you can handle wanting to desperately reach out and slap the 'mother' time and time again.
Some new books on our Outer Banks shelves- local historian Sarah Downing has just released The Hidden History of the Outer Banks which is sure to sell well this summer; also looking forward to reading more of The Mountains to Sea Trail Across North Carolina by Danny Bernstein. Sarah and Danny will be making appearances this summer at both of our stores. We also have a new coffee table book called Outer Banks on my Mind which features lots of OBX-centric images.
Lots of new spring paperbacks: read the first few pages of Let's Pretend this Never Happened and found myself laughing out loud. Who doesn't love a book whose opening sentence compares itself to 'Little House on the Prairie but with lots more cursing'? I sent it to the top of my 'to read next' list. Also look for trade versions of The Red House by Mark Haddon (Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime); The Orchardist, by Amanda Coplin and Brandon Jone's All Woman and Springtime which was very sad but I liked the way he pulled back North Korea's curtain and let us look into the minds of North Korean citizens. Not too many new surprises on the NYT bestseller list- but solid reads like The Paris Wife, The Night Circus and The Ex-Pats still hanging in there. A few more Downtown Abbey type titles just in- Shopping, Seduction & Mr. Selfridge, Lindy Woodhead's take on the true story that resulted in the PBS Masterpiece series Mr. Selfridge; and the much sought after and classic trilogy Lark Rise to Candleford (Flora Thompson) that I just put on my list due to its Oxfordshire location. (spent a semester studying at Wroxton College in the '80s, at Wroxton-near-Banbury in the heart of O-shire).
Sarah just read The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Chbosky) and we then watched the newly released DVD of the movie version. Really liked it (particularly the soundtrack) but it does have some dark themes
.The next book for the Young Reader's Book Club is John Green's The Fault in Our Stars which Time Magazine dubbed the best book of 2013. Yes, that's overall best book- not just best YA title. Date TBA for this discussion. Charlie's AP Lit class just read The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, he's getting ready to tackle the Game of Thrones books.
|
|
|
Meet the Neighbors!
Welcome to a new section of Notes from the Pond where we will periodically highlight our friends and neighbors!
 For the premier of this article, there's no one we'd rather
train the spotlight on than our best bud Dave Facenda. Dave opened Untucked at the Waterfront Shops last year and features resort apparel for men. He has lived on the Outer Banks since 1999 and ten years of experience in both the Outer Banks retail industry and as a Columbia rep have prepared him for this endeavor. Why Untucked? Dave felt there was a void in the market- no one was catering to the 25 - 45 year old image conscious OBX male and he set out to fill that man's resort closet with fine looking togs from Southern Tide, the Original Penguin, Peter Millar and Vineyard Vines. Dave can also hook you up head to toe with sunglasses by Tom's and Ray Bans and footwear from Sebago and Tom's. From board shorts and tees to attire fit for the best Duck nightspots, Untucked has got you covered- even down to the postprandial cigar. Dave is married to Marty Facenda, who manages the Life's A Beach/Lily Pulitzer store next door. They married in 2010 and enjoy a home with two rescue dogs and an ill-tempered cat. In his down time, Dave enjoys surfing, kayaking and travel. On a recent trip across Europe he discovered french-made folding oyster knives by Opinel and expects them to be arriving in the Untucked showcase any day. Duck's Cottage has been lucky to be able to call Dave 'friend' for ten years and we wish him nothing but well-deserved success at his new haberdashery and in life.
|
|
Flotsam & Jetsam
 April 6 kicks off a new season of fun First Fridays in Downtown Manteo filled with live music, restaurant specials and always something special happening at Downtown Books. For this FF, we are pleased to present an Evening Honoring Richard Gray celebrating the release of his most recent story collection, Portsmouth Island Incident & Other Stories. Mr. Gray is a Roanoke Island native (not to mention one of our favorite customers), long time Manteo HS teacher and currently a professor at the College of the Albemarle. Under his direction, COA's Literary Club publishes an annual oral history journal SandBar. Please join us from 5pm - 8pm for light refreshments and an opportunity to applaud Mr. Gray and his latest accomplishment.
The Waterfront Shops will be buzzing on April 27 as the fifth annual Duck & Wine Festival takes over the boardwalk. If you haven't already bought your tickets, we're sorry to say this popular event is sold out. This year Maple Leaf Farms will be pairing a duck dish with our very own Coconut Crunch! More details after the event! (because we know you've been searching for years for just the right waterfowl preparation to serve with Duck's favorite coffee!)
There's been some movin' and shakin' around town! At Scarborough Faire there's a new yoga studio just above Urban Cottage & Luxury. Village Yoga just opened and has a great schedule that should make any yogi happy! In a great 'give back' they offer Yoga by Donation on Saturdays and Sundays. Check out the link below for more information. A few other new stores at the complex include a satellite shop of the Corolla Wild Horse Museum, Island Attic, featuring Indonesian home imports, and Yellow Dog offering ice cream and popcorn. Over at Loblolly Pines, the Running Store is gone and Salty Paws will be moving into their space. In SP's old space is a new store called All Ducked Out- but no news yet on what they'll be 'all' about!
Renovations are ongoing at the Sanderling Resort & Spa. Expected to reopen in late April, a complete make-over has taken place at Duck's own consistently top rated resort. A few changes we can disclose- the Left Bank has been transformed into Kimball's Kitchen;The Lifesaving Station has been remodeled; at least two oceanfront pools have been added and no guest room has been left untouched by the rehab fairy.
Down in Manteo, things are gettin' lively! The Full Moon is swingin' and brewin' again, Avenue will throw open the doors with a sure-to-be fabulous Easter Brunch on 3/31, other neighboring shops are back in action and everyone is looking forward to Easter! Several new faces over there include the Younique Boutique with home and fashion offerings, Acorn Lane featuring beautiful home furnishings and Odds & Ends- our new favorite little antique spot!
See what's going on at Village Yoga!
|
|
|
