HAPPY THANKSGIVING!...and some SALES too

Guess what!?!?

The holidays are upon us, whether we are ready or not! So this is to say Happy Thanksgiving! Harvest! Turkey Day! or whichever name you have for tomorrow.

We also want to announce all of the nifty holiday sales we have coming on Friday!

1st
We're really excited about this, we are selling our KOBO MINI's, our new e-readers, for $49.99! They originally retail for $79.99, so this is quite the deal, and make sure to come in before they are all gone. This deal is for Friday and Saturday ONLY!

2nd
All purchases FRIDAY get 10% off of everything, but the KOBOs. 

3rd
If you are shopping for gifts and decide to buy this combo: NEW BOOK, CHOCOLATE BAR, & STICKER. You will then recieve 10% off of your book. YAY! This is good until Christmas. This is an UNLIMITED deal, so you can buy as many combos as you want and still get the book discount!

4th
We get these beautiful winter catalogs, and they list all of these great holiday gift ideas for everyone on your list! The added perk is per transaction you can get ONE of these beautiful books for 20% off! This is also good through Christmas.


The last order of business is to ask you all to have a safe and happy holidays and thank you for shopping with us a small business and local! Every purchase you make helps a small business stay in business, it helps keep jobs for people who truly love them, and it helps your community grow, through tax dollars and by making relationships with your neighborhood stores. We at the Firehouse all treasure our jobs, and our local businesses, we all try and do our part by shopping locally and shopping small, and independent, because without those little "Mom and Pop" stores, things would just not be the same.

Holiday Cheer,
~R

Mudbound by Hillary Jordan--A Review

I enjoyed When She Woke very much, but it didn't move me nearly as much as this novel. I got through this one in 2 days, but I feel like I will be dwelling in this story for a long time. Just when I thought I had everyone figured out, some character would find a way to surprise me. This happened again and again--always something that I take as a signal of good writing. The story has a nice build in part one, but it really grows into itself once Jamie and Ronsel return to Mudbound with their war scars. Their internal struggles end up perfectly guiding us into the situation that allows the book's other concerns to become realized. Jordan does a great job of reminding readers that although the story reads like it is set in the 19th century, it is actually happening just after WWII. That was roughly sixty years ago, which really gives the novel some impact when you think about how little time sixty years is. It's the same feeling that I get when I'm reminded of Civil Rights movements from the 60s. How can all of that still be so recent? How can I live in a world where people like Pappy might be a vivid memory in the lives of my generation's parents? The racism of the rural Mississippi setting flows with such a passion that it is almost impossible to believe this wasn't something from former centuries. However, as much as I want to not believe the viability of this story, I know that it could have happened. People are capable of so much, and that can be channeled into positive and negative activities that in both cases are capable of leaving me stunned. The issues of Mudbound are ones that are still present today, although they have taken new forms and shapes in which they can torment. Jordan has written a compelling and important novel, and I am happy to have it tucked away in my mind.

-JG

Quotes...

Dear Fans,
If you follow us on Facebook you know we like to post quotes from our favorite reads, authors, philosophers etc. Quotes hold a special power, they are a patch from a larger piece of fabric, a larger idea, a larger story. I personally, Rebecca, love quotes.

I love their power, all alone, to make me pause and read them thoroughly. In essence I take the time to eat those words, working them slowly in my mouth, tasting their meaning and power.

Quotes inspire me daily; whether online, in a book I am reading or something I remember they are always in the back of my mind pushing me forward. They are intellectual energy that has lasted in my brain while other ideas have drifted on elsewhere. They are blood for my mind to keep pumping, keep living, keep doing.

I love the power that they have, whether I or anyone else can read a quote and fall madly in love with an author, an artist, a person from the past . I have met many new and creative minds this way and have read many great books because of this.

So that is the story behind quotes, if I share something I love, I hope someone else will fall in love. It is a way of sharing ideas, hope, inspiration and conspiring to make things better. The world can always use something better, even if it is just a quote.

~R.

Why You Should be Excited for October

October is a month of so many good things in the world of books. I've been looking forward to it since July, I kid you not. Here's why:

1- Mark Z. Danielewski releases his third book, The Fifty Year Sword-- October 16th
Some of you may have seen the pictures Justin and I posted on Facebook when our ARCs of this book arrived in the store. While we may have gotten our hands on a copy before October, we're still excited because we're giving YOU the chance to win your copy of T50YS for FREE!!! All you have to do is pre-order your book with us, it's that easy, and we'll enter your name in a drawing for a free copy. And trust me, even if you're paying, this book will be one you want to own. Much like his previous masterpiece, House of Leaves, Danielewski toys with the format of a traditional story, this time experimenting with the style of a campfire ghost story told by five narrators. T50YS features the same unsettling and unnameable chill found in House of Leaves, along with beautiful and intricate pictures on half the pages. And although T50YS is only a novella, you'll want to own your copy so you can read it again and again, picking up new secrets along the way.

2- Sequel to The Passage by Justin Cronin is released!-- October 16th
The second reason I'm excited for October is the release of Justin Cronin's The Twelve, sequel to The Passage, for which I've been waiting for more than two years. Although I suppose this one isn't quite excitement for me, since I've already read it, but I'm excited for you because this book is incredible. I won't repeat my review since you can just follow that link to read it, but know that this book is about vampires, but they don't sparkle. In fact, they're awesome and terrifying and everything a good vampire should be. If you haven't read The Passage yet, start that now and you'll be right on time.

3- Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan-- October 2nd
This book comes out in early October, so if you read quickly you can get this one in before The Fifty Year Sword and The Twelve come out. If you like books about magic with modern twists, this one is for you. This is also the only book on this list that will have an even sort of happy ending, so there's that. The book's hero, Clay, begins our adventure by accepting a job at the mysterious and titular 24-Hour Bookstore and quickly finds that the store doesn't seem to make any money, but rather support a small cult of dearly devoted readers of strange and cryptic books. Read more here and stop by to reserve your copy today!

4- Another sequel! This Book is Full of Spiders-- Seriously, Dude, Don't Touch It by David Wong-- October 2nd
Another sequel! And another book for October 2nd! Not until writing this did I realize that my big 4 book releases for 10/12 all occur on the same two days. Those will be awesome days. This Book is Full of Spiders is the long-awaited sequel to John Dies at the End, a novel of love, magic, horrible monsters, and terrible drugs by the hilarious and talented David Wong. This book is highly recommended to anyone with a dark sense of humor. Never before have I been so terrified and laughed so hard at the same time, especially while reading a book.

5- Hilary Jordan, author of When She Woke and Mudbound, is coming!!!- October 9th
This event is going to be so much fun. The book Jordan will be speaking about at length, When She Woke, is a fantastic dysptopian novel. Imagine The Scarlet Letter in a sci-fi world. Again, this is another book I've already blogged about so I don't feel the need to repeat everything here. This event should be loads of fun, though, especially since I'm pretty sure we're getting some beer.


So, to re-cap: Danielewski campfire stories, non-sparkly vampires, magical bookstores, hilarious horror novel, and awesome author event. And it all goes down at your very own Old Firehouse Books starting next week!

Bradbury's The Scarlet Letter featuring Margaret Atwood

Take one part The Scarlet Letter, two parts A Handmaid's Tale, and one part Ray Bradbury and you get When She Woke by the imaginative and talented Hillary Jordan.

When She Woke opens in the not-too-distant future where fundamentalist conservatism is the final word in government. This isn't particularly good news for anyone, but especially not for women. Unlike Margaret Atwood's feminist dystopia, the government has not yet become a completely fascist Evangelical regime, but is rather more similar to our government today (making it all the more chilling!) There is still a separation between church and state... but it's blurry at best and most government decisions are based heavily on religious opinion. They have also instated a new form of penal enforcement called "chroming" where the perpetrator's skin is dyed to reflect the nature of the crimes. Hannah, our heroine, begins the book by waking up with her skin dyed red, reflecting her charge of murdering her unborn child.

The book is excellent. Well paced, it only took me three days to read the whole thing I was so wrapped up in the story-- interesting, the world Jordan creates has enough similarities to our own to keep me thinking while constantly changing attitudes to keep me surprised-- human, the characters are all beautifully crafted to inspire, horrify, and bind themselves to you-- challenging, I was pleasantly surprised to find an author not afraid to confront taboo issues such as abortion. Abortion is probably the most heated debate in the United States today, yet the A-word is rarely even mentioned in pop culture. I applaud Hillary Jordan for tackling this issue with imagination, grace, and full strength of conviction.

The especially good news in this situation is not only that we have copies of When She Woke on sale now, but that YOU can meet the author on October 9th in our store! I'll be there getting my signed copy, and even if you don't get a chance to pick up the book between now and then you should definitely stop by.

The Eighty-Dollar Champion Book Review

A great story to work with here.  Sometimes we all need to read something that just feels a little good.  In all honesty, you could just look at the cover on this--The Eighty-Dollar Champion: Snowman, The Horse That Inspired a Nation--and have a good gist of what is in store for you.  However, I enjoyed going deeper into the history.  There is a lot of heart, determination, and communication that goes into a sport like horse jumping, so it is nice to read about those times when a rider and a horse can just use these simple tools to take a championship without having to tack them to a checkbook (horse pun!). 

The writing is really nothing to speak of.  Repetitive, predictable, and all very matter of fact.  Not that author, Elizabeth Letts, really has anything she needs to be doing other than making it readable, but compared to other non-fiction I've encountered with this type of format there is no real style.  I'm also a little baffled on the heights of all the jumps.  At Grand Prix events these days you aren't going to find horses doing clean rounds over several 6ft. oxers, but maybe they just threw horses over them back in the 1950s with no real regard to the safety of anyone or anything. 

I'd recommend this if you're looking for a nice easy read, if you have a horse, if you have any interest in horses, or if you happen to have a significant other that rides horses.  I also imagine that if you have any literate horses in your present company then he/she would enjoy this one too.  At the very least it is a book that can really help you out with learning some horse knowledge and lingo. 

The Weekenders

At the bookstore we have a division of week and weekend staff members with one of us bridging the gap on Saturdays to fill in the spaces where notes and telepathy fail. On the weekends things fluctuate from dreadfully boring to extremely busy and only sometimes is this a predictable occurrence.

When it is boring, we attempt to do projects, such as culling, that after a few hours lead us to desperation where we must avert our eyes from book spines. This means that we then move to trolling the internet or the alternative looking for funny book covers, author names and other miscellanea to have fun with. Sometimes these things end up on Facebook or other places where we allow our customers to delight in our goofy personalities and habits.

When it is busy, it acts like an average retail location where we serve customers, take in trade books, stock, search for books, take phone calls and go about "normal" bookstore behavior.

Depending on ones mood the preference fluctuates but all around working as a WEEKENDER is rather a treat, we have dedicated "weekend" customer base that delight us with their present and all of their quirks and excitement in books, life and whatever journeys they may be on.

At the bookstore we have a bit of a family here, sometimes we see each other a lot, sometimes it is longer before we see one another, but all around we get together once a month in a staff meeting where we cover business, the book we just read and have a really great time. Overall that is the bookstore, we work a lot, find pleasure in the little things and discuss how madly in love we are with the written word.

~Weekender, Rebecca

The Fifty Year Sword by Mark Z. Danielewski Review

    From the first page, readers can never quite know what to expect from any writing that has been crafted by the hands and the mind of Danielewski. 
    Readers find themselves in the midst of a party where Chintana listens along with five oddly named orphans to a dark tale from a mysterious figure.  The story told to these characters and us is one that speaks of a quest to quiet a deep and painful darkness.  However, the further one goes to vanquish this darkness, the more one finds themselves embracing the darkness.  Danielewski and T50YS fulfill the usual promise of taking readers into a realm that contains those essential bits of plot, character, and in one form or another, narrative.
    More important than offering us a gripping tale of a man navigating a forest of shattered sound and mountains echoing solitude in an attempt to gain the perfect weapon, T50YS offers its readers a truly refreshing literary mode of delivery.  A great writer wants language to engage with its audience, and communicate to them a new method for seeing, for reading, and for thinking.  I certainly feel this desire to be at work in T50YS.  On all of these pages I read novella.  I read short story.  I read the lyric of poetic verse.  I read visual abstraction.  I read language and image that are willing to push the limits of genres and their conventions so that they can achieve greater writing.  What I’m reading, here, is Danielewski.   
- Justin

Why You Should Really Give Vampires Another Chance

Review of The Twelve by Justin Cronin, Published 10/16/12

Several years ago, vampires entered the public's conscious in an entirely new way. More popular and sparkly than ever before, they fell upon the United States swiftly, taking up many teenage girls in their path. And since then, their love has been equaled only by their ridicule. Somewhere along the way, the bad ass vampire-- the kind who'd rather eat your face than caress it-- was given up. As the popularity of Edward Cullen grew, the true Draculas and Nosferatus of the world were being pushed away. Some of te most fearsome and amazing monsters of all time were forgotten. I say it's about time that we take the vampires back, and Justin Cronin is here to lead the campaign.

Reclaiming vampires from screaming teenage girls, Justin Cronin brings us The Passage Trilogy. His books tell the story of Amy, a young girl and the final stage of a horrific military science experiment that goes terribly wrong. The experiment, an attempt to create super soldiers, creates a new kind of monster which is very similar to the vampires we know today. When the experiment fails, the original test subjects escape and begin infecting the rest of society and Amy is left immortal and on her own. She continues onward as the world collapses around her, aging only a few months every decade or so. The novel then skips 100 years with Amy, after civilization shattered and has been built anew. As a teenager, Amy meets up with a team of colonists whose way of life is at it's end. Together they travel across the ravaged United States, hunting down the original twelve test subjects as a desperate attempt to save what's left of their world.

Believe me, this book will restore your faith in vampires. Cronin re-imagines the monsters with unique twists that fit with the structure of the world in his book, while remaining true to most of the aspects that made us love vampires in the first place. Not only is the book exciting and suspenseful, but it's very well written as well. The Passage was released this year in mass market paperback for $7.99 and you can pick up The Twelve (second of the trilogy) in hardcover this October! Trust me, you'll be glad you gave vampires a second chance.

Book Colors

Today one of my favorite books, The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta, came in blue. The book was released in a bright fuchsia for its hardcover and (at first) paperback forms. Today, it is blue. A very attractive blue, I have to say, but the color still threw me off. Everything else about the book is the same, from the blurbs on the back to the smoking shoes in front (it's an interesting book-- read more here.) Working in a book store for as long as I have, it's hard not to judge a book by it's cover. For most of the books I interact with each day, this is all I will ever see of them. This is also the first thing any customer sees when they decide to pick up one book, rather than the one directly to its left. The author's name and the title of the book have their role, but the cover itself is crucial.

 So, inspired by this seemingly arbitrary choice on the part of the publishers, I decided to do a little research. What I found what one part expected and one part surprising. I decided to share my findings here with you. Read on if it interests you-- it might make you see your favorite book in a whole new way!

http://blog.kissmetrics.com/color-psychology/

Susan Elizabeth Phillips at the Old Town Library

Join us TODAY at the Old Town Library to meet the talented author SUSAN ELIZABETH PHILLIPS who will be discussing her latest novel, The Great Escape. No tickets necessary, just be at the library at 7pm to meet this Best Selling author.



more about The Great Escape...
Perennial "New York Times"-bestseller Phillips follows up her hit, "Call Me Irresistible" with a sequel that brings back the headstrong ex-president's daughter, Lucy Jorik, who's just abandoned her man at the altar. Now she embarks on a wild and hilariously unpredictable road trip.

Goodbye to an Old Friend

We are sad to announce that one of our beloved fellow bookstores, Reader's Cove, will be closing its doors permanently this Friday. If you have time and a hankering for a new book, please visit them sometime this week to say goodbye and help them ease the process of going out of business. They need all the community support they can get.

This serves as a reminder to us all about the tenuousness of local businesses we often take for granted. The cafe down the street or quirky clothing store may be our absolute favorites, but without our support as a community they cannot survive. At times it may be a bit more expensive or slightly out of the way, but these places provide the unique flavor of Fort Collins and give so much back to their community. Over the years, Reader's Cove has joined us in supporting Fort Collins Reads among other non-profit organizations based right in Fort Collins. Please help Reader's Cove now in their time of need, and remember to support local businesses as often as possible and encourage your friends to do the same. Not just Old Firehouse Books, but any locally owned store in Fort Collins! Every purchase you make will give so much back to this town!

Pros... and Cons of E-Books

Not too many people know that we sell e-books. While paper books (the REAL deal) will always be our true love, we're booksellers of the 21st century and we keep up with the times. (Hey, we even have a blog! How hip is that?) E-book do have a lot of advantages-- they're light for travel, fit easily in a purse or backpack, and one day I'll be old enough that the enlarging font will be a godsend. If you're interested in purchasing an e-book from us, check out our website www.oldfirehousebooks.com. One day I'm sure I'll even hop on the technology train and get an e-reader myself, but I'll always be sure to have at least a couple real books lying around. Even you technology addicts out there with your fancy phones that are smarter than I am might want to consider not casting off paper books just yet.While an e-book might be a convenience at times, there are other where it can't compare.

REAL books in our store...
1. Never take time to load
2. Don't require an App
3. Will not run out of battery
4. Never delete themselves
5. Won't put your call on hold as you wait for customer service
6. Are still readable if they get wet

Double Event Week!

We are particularly excited this week to host TWO authors in our store! They're coming on the same day (June 14th) but offer very different reading experiences.

Our first author is Natasha Wing, who has written a delightful series of children's books called the "Night Before" series. This Thursday, she'll be in our store at 3pm to read The Night Before Father's Day. It's the night before Father's Day, and Mom and the kids have a plan to surprise Dad with a special gift. When Dad goes for a bike ride, everyone gets to work. Dad wakes up the next day to find his garage newly organized and his car sparkly clean. So, of course, he celebrates by taking everyone for a spin! Kids of all ages are invited to share in this wonderful story and make a Father's Day gift for Dad!

After Natasha, we'll be welcoming Tom Piccirilli to our store! At 6:30pm he'll be in to talk about his latest novel, The Last Kind Words. Read the review below for more information!

"Stories about dysfunctional families are boring.  Stories about dysfunctional crime families are not.  Terrier Rand, the protagonist of Tom Piccirilli's caustic thriller THE LAST KIND WORDS, comes from a family of professional thieves named after (and bearing the tattoos of) dogs.  Terry's father, Pinscher, is the alpha male in this kennel, but his brothers Malamute and Greyhound, have their talents, and even Grandpa Shep, who is gaga, can still lift a wallet.  But the one who drags Terry away from his honest work on a ranch is his older brother, Collie, due to be executed in two weeks for murdering eight people.  Collie won't explain why he disgraced the family by going psycho, but he insists that he had nothing to do with one of these deaths and talks Terry into hunting down the actual killer.  Sure, the plot sounds ridiculous–but the characters have strong voices and bristle with funny quirks.  (Pinscher collects porcelain figurines).  There's even a high-minded social message at the end when Terry identifies the murderer and refrains from branding him a serial killer.  "There was a world of mad dogs like him, husbands and boyfriends who couldn't contain their rage, whose hands had learned to batter and strangle."–Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review 6/17/12

Be sure to join us THIS Thursday at 3pm and 6:30pm for these two very different and very fun events!

New Staff and New Events

Hello, readers! I apologize for the long absence in posts. We've been going through a pretty dramatic shift these past couple of months! Two of our beloved full time employees, Tegan and Keller, left the store at the end of April. That month was particularly frantic with lots of training as the store passed hands. On Monday, Justin and I (Kelsey) started our new full time positions at the store! Justin is taking over Keller's role of Floor Manager, so go to him with any general store-related questions. I will be taking over Tegan's position as Event Coordinator at the store, so all you local authors should start asking for me! Also, if you have any ideas for a book-related community event you think Old Firehouse Books should host, just let us know!

The transition period was a bit rocky, especially the two weeks after April that Justin and I were finishing up our degrees at CSU, but things are back on course now. We have three awesome events coming up already, so be sure to check these out:

Voices by Bill Lamperes: Saturday, May 19th 1-2pm

Author Bill Lamperes will be gracing our store this Saturday to talk about his latest book, Voices! Bill has written several other books we feature at our store including The Attendant, Bar Exam, and Out of Zone. Lamperes has covered a wide variety of topics over the years, but his latest novel is a mystery set in Arizona and Colorado. Jack Weston, a writer for Western Trail magazine, wallows in the agony of his wife's unresolved hit-and-run death. As Jack attempts to get his life back on track, he begins to hear unexplained voices hinting at the true circumstances of his wife's death. Join us this Saturday, 5/19, to meet Bill Lamperes and pick up your own copy of Voices!

Dust to Dust by Benjamin Busch: Friday, May 25th 6:30-8:30pm
Formerly a U.S. Marine and actor on The Wire, Benjamin Busch has succeeded in his latest life pursuit: writing his memoir. Join us Friday, May 25th from 6:30 to 8:30pm to meet this multifaceted author. Compared with the style of Tim O'Brien, Busch weaves together a vivid record of a pastoral childhood in rural New York; Marine training in North Carolina, Ukraine and California; and deployment during the worst of the Iraq war, as seen firsthand. Join us Friday, May 25th for this unique experience to meet the man, the marine, the actor, and the author, Benjamin Busch.

The Night Before Father's Day by Natasha Wing and Amy Wummer: Thrusday, June 14th 3-4:30pm
In the tradition of "The Night Before Christmas," Natasha Wing's children's books use poems and delightful illustrations to bring holidays to life for kids and parents alike. Bring your kids on Thursday, June 14th for a reading of this book, as well as craft time to make a special Father's Day present for Dad!

How You Made a Difference

We’d like to take a moment to thank you, the customers, for everything you’ve done to support us this past year. As Old Firehouse Books is just about to enter its fourth year here at our historic site, things are looking much different than they did this time last spring. As some of you may have read in our newsletter and blog, around this time last year times were very tight. We talked about weathering the lean winter and slow spring we were having, in which we cut back hours while apologizing to our incredible and understanding staff. We also cut costs by placing smaller book orders, which meant that some of you couldn’t find the title you were looking for. Luckily, our re-orders come in fast and our special orders even faster—in these lean times, our publishers are chomping at the bit to get their books to us.

During those months we asked you to consider buying one more book per month, and many of you responded. We couldn’t be happier! This last year we’ve done much better, and it’s all thanks to you! As it is now we can finally say we’re no longer in danger of vanishing like so many independent bookstores have in recent times.

We’ve always known that our customers are wonderful, generous, and overall fantastic people. Fort Collins is one of the best places to have an independent bookstore; you proved that to us and we couldn’t be more grateful. Thank you for taking the time to shop with us—it really does make a difference.

As incentive to keep coming back to the store, here are some things we’re doing to try and make a difference for you:

1.    We donate books to as many community causes as we can to help at fundraising raffles and silent auctions. Sometimes we even run out of books we can donate! But if you’ve got a cause to support, we’re happy to help when we can.

2.    We’ve got an excellent Reader’s Reward program. All you have to do is give your name, and there are no membership fees - we just like it when you come buy books.

3.    Whenever possible, we give a 20% discount to book clubs that let us know their reading list. You can call or email it to us, and we’ll make sure to stock your selections and give you your discount on that month’s book.

4.    On the hunt for an elusive used book?  We can put you on a list and call you as soon as that book comes in used.

5.    We sell books online, including e-Books!  All you have to do is go to our website:  www.oldfirehousebooks.com. You can buy physical copies of books through our website, and either pick them up in our store or have them delivered anywhere.  You can also buy our e-Books directly from us!  (Please note that e-Books we sell work with all types of e-readers except the Kindle, which is proprietary with Amazon.)

6.    We take your used books for trade credit. Any books that we are unable to take may be donated to the American Association of University Women. (We’re their biggest donor!) Stop by the store or check our website for our trade policy.

7.    We are now offering a Book Bounty for our most sought-after used books.  If you bring in one of these books, you can use 10% of the book’s price, same as cash, in the store on new books, used books, candy bars, cards—whatever you like.

8.    Do you have a lot of credit built up?  We occasionally let customers with more than $100 in credit (you know who you are!) convert that credit to cash at 10% of full value to use in the store.  Keep your eyes peeled for our next credit weekend.

9.    We have lots of great community events! With great authors like Sandra Dallas, Diane Mott Davidson, and C.J. Box - just to name a few - each event is sure to be excellent. We also have many signings by beginning local authors, which are just as fantastic! Check out our website for our calendar, or follow us on Facebook.

10. Our events room is open for rental! Have an event you’d like to host? A class to teach? An art show? We’ve got a room! Book clubs get the room for free!

11.  Speaking of book clubs, we have five of our own! Everyone is welcome; just read the book (which we always offer for 20% off) and show up. Check our website for the current and future book club selections, or follow us on Meetup for invitations.

12.  We maintain one of the largest book selections to browse in Northern Colorado. And better yet, our staff knows our stock inside and out. One of the most fantastic things about a brick-and-mortar bookstore is all the great recommendations you can get from our wonderful staff!

13.   Finally, everyone who works here is a member of the local community. By shopping with us your helping to support local jobs and the local economy.  According to Indiebound.com, buying your books at an independent bookstore puts 40% more of your dollars back into the community than spending money at a chain (and it puts 99% more back into the community than Amazon sales!).

And that’s just the beginning!

To keep us moving forward we’d now like to offer you a challenge. We’d like to challenge each and every one of you to both read more and visit us at least once a month. If you decide to take the challenge all you need to do is sign up - by either stopping in and talking to us, or emailing us your name and phone number (so we can set you up an account or flag your current account) at firehousechallenge@gmail.com - and then shop with us once a month. We’ll keep track of your progress, and for each month you visit us and buy a book we’ll reward you at the end of the year with a giftcard that mirrors your commitment. There are eight months left in the year – will you be able to secure your place as a winner of the elusive $8.88 in rewards?

Now that we’ve challenged you, we want you to know that we are challenging ourselves. We want to be sure we rise to the challenge of being the best bookstore we can. To continue to bring in great events, give back to the community, and overall just be a great place to visit. With your help we can continue to make this happen, and even bring new ideas and growth to fruition. Remember, you’re the reason we’re here, and we want to be the best bookstore possible!

Thank you again for being the best customers we could hope for. We couldn’t do it without you. Now warm up those reading glasses and bookmarks – the challenge is on!

National Poetry Month. Oh yes.

So for those of you who have somehow managed to dodge this information, allow me to inform you that it is currently National Poetry Month.  Here at the Old Firehouse, we have a few people that are extremely happy about this.  In fact, they happen to be so happy that they are throwing a poetry reading this upcoming Saturday (April 28) in the Old Firehouse event space, which will be starting up around 7:00pm.  Joining these Firehouse poets will be Fort Collin's very own poet laureates, Matthew Sage and Michael Bussman. 

If it has been a while since you have picked up some poetry, this will be the perfect event to help get you back into the wonderful art of the poem.  Not only will you be able to hear the poets read their works, but you can even ask questions that you might have of the poets or poems.  There is no better way to get closer to a poem than to have a discussion about it with the very person that wrote it.  So in honor of National Poetry Month, we at the Old Firehouse encourage you to come enjoy some of the poetry we have to offer.  Whether you are an avid fan of poetry already, or just poetry-curious, this is the perfect event to attend in honor of an art that has existed within our culture for centuries upon centuries.   

I am ever more excited.

I have been slowly but surely working my way through the Song of Fire and Ice series by George R.R. Martin and have been thoroughly enjoying it. So today, when a new preview for the second season of the excellent adaptation Game of Thrones burst its way onto the internet, and I felt that it deserved a blog post.


Click here for the awesome!

2011 ALSC Newbery and Caldecott Medal Winners

 Newbery Medal:

Melding the entirely true and the wildly fictional, Dead End in Norvelt is a novel about an incredible two months for a kid named Jack Gantos, whose plans for vacation excitement are shot down when he is "grounded for life" by his feuding parents, and whose nose spews bad blood at every little shock he gets. But plenty of excitement (and shocks) are coming Jack's way once his mom loans him out to help a fiesty old neighbor with a most unusual chore—typewriting obituaries filled with stories about the people who founded his utopian town. As one obituary leads to another, Jack is launced on a strange adventure involving molten wax, Eleanor Roosevelt, twisted promises, a homemade airplane, Girl Scout cookies, a man on a trike, a dancing plague, voices from the past, Hells Angels . . . and possibly murder. Endlessly surprising, this sly, sharp-edged narrative is the author at his very best, making readers laugh out loud at the most unexpected things in a dead-funny depiction of growing up in a slightly off-kilter place where the past is present, the present is confusing, and the future is completely up in the air.

Caldecott Medal:

Here's a story about love and loss as only Chris Rashcka can tell it.  Any child who has ever had a beloved toy break will relate to Daisy's anguish when her favorite ball is destroyed by a bigger dog. In the tradition of his nearly wordless picture book Yo! Yes?, Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka explores in pictures the joy and sadness that having a special toy can bring.  Raschka's signature swirling, impressionistic illustrations and his affectionate story will particularly appeal to young dog lovers and teachers and parents who have children dealing with the loss of something special.

Congratulations to Jack Gantos and Chris Raschka!

Diagnosing Bibliophilia

In recent months, a growing awareness has been spreading the country of a new and frightening disorder. No one knows how long this disorder has plagued the world, but now there is finally a way of diagnosing, and potentially curing, this ailment. It's called Bibliophilia, and it's consuming lives at an unstoppable rate. Doing our part to ease the madness, Old Firehouse Books is providing a list of symptoms, so that you might be able to diagnose yourself or loved ones before it's too late.

Symptoms include, but are not limited to:
-Arriving at any appointment and hoping that there will be a wait, so you have time to read
-Carrying at least one book with you at any given moment
-Suffering from anxiety as a result of separation from the written word
-Headaches caused by the constant conundrum of never knowing what to read next
-Constant repetition of the phrase "Just let me finish this one page/chapter..."
-Excitement over missed flights/buses because of the extra reading time allowed
-Denying companionship because the friend/loved one never shuts up long enough for you to finish your book
-Short attention span and inability to sit and do nothing, a book must always be open
-Aversion/disgust of television
-English major...
-Inability to shut up when asked if you've read anything good lately
-Owning enough bookmarks to be able to wall paper a house
-Inability to walk through a bookstore without buying something

If you exhibit two or more of these symptoms, you may be suffering from Bibliophilia. If you believe you may be a victim of this disorder, please report immediately to Old Firehouse Books for the only available cure. Actually, we probably can't help, since we're all afflicted ourselves, but at least you'll be in good company!

Have you seen this?

Sean Ohlenkamp and his wife put this video together for Type Bookstore in Toronto and we love them for it.

If you haven't seen it, watch and be amazed. If you have, well...watch it again because it's that good.

The New Year Address

For the first time in 2012, all of us at the Firehouse would like to say hello to our fellow readers-

Hello!

With the first week of the new year behind us, many people will be deciding which resolutions to keep, and which to drop.  We suggest that if you don't already have a resolution to read more this year, then make one!  Maybe this is the year to tackle those reads that you fear as much as a shark circling you out in the open ocean.  Or possibly, this is the year to go back and enjoy a book that you haven't read in a long time.  No matter what it is you might want to read, we are always down here to help.  Suggestions, special orders... We do it all.   

And so, most importantly, we would like to say thank you all for being the loyal customers whose support makes us a thriving independent bookstore.  Our resolution is to continue improving our inventory and services, always doing our best to enhance your reading experience.  So cheers all, to 2012.  May the upcoming reads treat you well, and may we all share them for many more years to come.