Natasha Wing book giveaway!

‘Twas the night before my birthday…

Natasha Wing, author of The Night Before series and a friend to all of us here at Old Firehouse Books, is releasing the 17^th book (wow!) of her series for kids age 3-7. 

Her new book is titled, The Night Before My Birthday and is quite the party. Kids look forward to their birthdays almost as much as they do for holidays like Christmas. The excitement starts building from the very first day of your birthday month and reaches its peak the night before. Natasha Wing captures wonderfully the anticipation, excitement and joy that come along with the night before such a big event.

The book is written from the view of the birthday child. This is great, as it allows the child to really feel like they’re a part of the story, like their birthday is really tomorrow (and maybe it is!). This also allows the book to be gender neutral so it is perfect for any child!

The Night Before My Birthday will be available on January 16^th. 

 

To celebrate the release, Old Firehouse Books is hosting a giveaway! Natasha is donating 5 copies of her book to giveaway to our patrons. To enter just send an email to oldfirehousemarketing@gmail.com, with the subject line, “It’s my birthday!” Be sure to include your name and phone number. Entering this contest will also sign you up for the Old Firehouse Books e-newsletter (which is where the winners will be announced).

Natasha was also kind enough to answer a few questions about her inspirations and upcoming work. Enjoy!

1. What made you decide to start writing children's books?

I was working in advertising and wanted to do something more creative, not just writing copy for ads. And I loved children's books, so I decided to try it, and if I didn't sell any stories, I'd go back to advertising.

2.  What was your most memorable birthday party as a kid? Were there ever any ice cream emergencies?

I was most excited when the boy I had a crush came to my birthday party (maybe my 7th?) and gave me a silver dollar for a present. No ice cream emergencies that I remember. That would have been terrible for a family whose relatives were in the ice cream business! I do have a cat, though, but she hasn't shown any liking for ice cream, like the cat in the book.

3.  Do you have any ambitions to write books for older audiences, such as young adult or teen readers?

Yes! I have a middle grade novel being shopped around. I do like writing for that age group versus writing for teens. And maybe a novel for adults some day. I'm in the process of reissuing a self-published cook book I did ten years ago about pie bakers and their recipes. I'm enjoying revisiting the stories and redesigning it for e-book and on-demand printing. New challenges.

4.  What made you decide to write books in the style of The Night Before Christmas?

I liked that book as a kid so when I wanted to write an Easter book (Easter was another of my favorite holidays - I love bunnies!) I thought of how waiting for the Easter Bunny was a lot like anticipating Santa's visit. So I flashed on using that story structure to tell the Easter story.

5.  Can you give our readers a hint as to what to expect from you next?

The Night Before Hanukkah is being illustrated and will come out this year. I'm also tossing around ideas for new Night Befores - the dance recital? 4th of July? I also have a manuscript with editors to consider about the founders of the National Park Service. The 100th anniversary is in 2016 so the book-making process needs to start soon. Cross your fingers an editor wants to publish it!

Among the million and one great things about books, there is always the aspect of a non-fiction or fiction telling you about a certain area in the world, a subject, a person, a story, a legend ex cetera. As I think on books I have read and what they have taught me there is a long list of great stories that have revealed aspects of the world to me.

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt gave me a glimpse of extreme 20th century poverty in Ireland, and the perseverance of a people.
 

Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff gave me a glimpse of the sophisitcated cross-cultural, wealthy, luxurious, political game that existed in the last century BCE.


Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert revealed the power of healing in travel, and self-exploration, that no matter hte heartbreak one can come back swinging.
 

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, though a fiction, gave me a sense of understanding suicide, and the feelings of wanting to leave, to escape, to drift and the impact that WWI had on England's skeleton. 


Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson informed me that my crazy thoughts are not so uncommon, and odd events just tend to follow some people around in their life.


Holy Cow by Sarah MacDonald was a gateway into inspiring me to get up and travel the world without anyone's permission but my own.
 

The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff reminded me to slow down and love on the little things in life, and not question every piece that comes flying towards me.


What books have taught you about the world? Got you to do something? Inspired action?

Stories from Childhood

Reminiscing on favorite tales from childhood usually brings up warm fuzzies. Feelings of joy, excitement, adventure, place, love, interest, and warmth (you probably have a few adjectives to add to that list). Lately I have been thinking about the books that helped define me from my youth. There is no doubt I would have become a reader without these titles, since my mother was a librarian and the house never appeared less than exploding with books. Yet these books helped push me forward in reading. They assisted in me jumping into the pool that is story-telling, the lands of adventure, the journeys of self exploration. They not only made me believe in characters and their abilities, but also in the beauty that was creating a great story for all ages to enjoy and cherish.

The first and foremost story for me was Harry Potter, sparked from a 3rd grade teacher reading us the first book aloud and from the first page I was completely and utterly addicted to the story. I remember waiting all through the day for the moment she would read us the next chapter, and then when it was over I could hardly wait to read the second and third and....all the way to book seven, all eight movies and many fan books, mini books, and sheet sets later I am still an avid Potter fan. I will happily admit to owning a full Gryffindor house uniform and a wand and added a tattoo to my leg to commemorate my love for the stories. Regardless of the material objects and ink, I think there is something so remarkable in the way those books allowed me to daydream. They brought me great ideas, stories of my own, games to play with friends, and that I should never be ashamed of my poor vision, shortness, nerdiness, bookwormishness or any other parts of me; because those parts of me could very well save the world from "You-Know-Who".

On a totally different note Little House on the Prarie was greatly influential over the years my mother read my sister's and I all of the books. In less of a magic powers kind of way, these stories told me about how lucky I was to live in the age I did, but also how remarkable and commited people were to survival and that terrible circumstances could be overcome without magic powers. This most importantly taught me a respect for the people of the past and their hardships, and is probably a reason why I am a history major.

 

Back to the fantasy realm, I loved How Droofus the Dragon Lost His Head. This books had a habit of scaring me at first when I was little, because who wanted the cute dragon to lose his noggin? Anyway, I think this story taught me the value of kindness, not judging a book by its cover, and that the scariest looking things can be the most wonderful on the inside. I like the idea of embracing gentleness over agression as well, even if the world is agressive to you; one simply has to let their goodliness and light shine through. I have also always wanted a pet dragon and this was probably one of the first stories to convince me what a wonderful idea that would be. Along with the movie Pete's Dragon my love for the large and scaly has been a lifelong adoration, which explains an interest in paleontology and love of lizards, but ironically not birds.

What books defined you as a kid and today? What books do you like to reread today or share with the kiddos in your life?

~Rebecca

Happy Holidays!

As you rush from store to store picking up gifts for the list you have complied we just want to send you a message of Happy Holidays! We really appreciate all of our loyal customers and everything they do to help us be the best store we can be. This has been a great year in sales and we hope 2014 will be even better. The best part is that we could not do it without all of you!

Our customers not only fund all of our expenses and pay for our salaries but they bring so much more to us. We try to make connections with all of our customers, and get a lot from doing so. Not only do we get book suggestions but we build friendships and connections with many of those that walk through our door. Seeing a favorite customer's smiling face makes our day brighter. Smiles are a contagion around here that we try to spread, along with knowledge, care, and joy. By having great customers we feel we are all not only better employees but better people.

So thank you. All of you that come back week after week, every month, or even once a year to pick up the newest novel from your favorite author, or do all of your holiday shopping in one giant go. Thank You!

We hope that all of you have a lovely closing to the year, with joy, family, laughter, and hopefully a new wonderful read!

Many Thanks,
Old Firehouse Books

What's so wonderful about The Luminaries?

This year's winner of the Man Booker Prize is The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton. When I first espied this book, I was at once drawn to its invisible power, just as a lodestone is drawn to invisible force of our terrestrial poles. When I opened up the jacket, met the source of this power, my attraction was not in any way decreased. I opened the book and began reading at once, rapt in attention as a child is when first encountering a magician. What Ms. Catton has achieved in her novel is nothing short of an herculean task in the realm of modern literature. She has mimicked perfectly the style of the great mystery writers of the 19th century (e.g., Dickins and Wilkie Collins) but has also succeeded in creating something new with the integration of her own mode of modern formalism. The book consists of a dozen parts, each part half the length of the previous installment, very much following the waning lunar cycle. Keeping up with this astrological trope, each of these twelve parts corresponds to the astrological sign of a specific day, influencing the lives of thirteen men who become embroiled in the mystery of a missing gold bonanza during the New Zealand Gold Rush of the 1860's.

What we are then left with is a question of whether the actions of these characters are predestined by the stars, or whether the characters are the agents of their own destiny. But what is all the more remarkable is that the story unfolds through the storytelling of each character--each of twelve characters describing his part in the mystery of this missing gold to the newcomer, Walter Moody. Each character approaches the mystery from his own set desires and fears, corresponding to their respective astrological signs, and what the reader is given is not fact as to how the events of the story have transpired, but perspective--human perspective (and therefore open to interpretation). Nobody sees the whole story. Nobody knows the whole truth. Everyone has an agenda. Like the stars and planets in the heavens, their positions change: friends become enemies and enemies may be allies; some celestial objects block our view while others line up in harmony. Nothing remains the same as the story unfolds, no truth stands absolute, and, by the end of this spectacular novel, the reader has completely revolved around the story through each character's tale to arrive at its foregone conclusion in a unified vision of the heavens.Thus we,as readers, have assumed the role of astronaut and visited the far expanses of this universe and come to feel a part of it (though we have no great story
of our own to tell, but are made all the more integral by glimpsing it).

The Luminaries is a tremendous feet of literature rising to astronomical heights and, like so many of those astronomical occurrences, will be seen in our lifetimes only infrequently. The question you must then ask yourself is: will I look up to the heavens and behold its splendor? Or will I cast down my eyes to the earth and miss all the wonders this book has to offer?

Holiday Shopping

Hello Book Lovers!

The holidays are coming! Not that you need us to remind you, but they are qucikly approaching and we at the Firehouse are getting excited and overwhelmed as we navigate our own lists of gift giving, shopping, parties and family get togethers.

However we all have exactly 11 days until Thanksgiving is here, rather late in the year than usual and that means that there are less "official shopping days" until the big Christmas day, at only 26 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

If you celebrate Hanukkah you really need to get a move on, the first night is November 27th, the day BEFORE thanksgiving!

Kwanzaa begins December 26th this year.

So in case these numbers frighten you, keep us in mind! We can be your one stop shop for everyone on your list. We have books for all age groups and interests, and if one is not a big reader we have games, puzzles, pens, magnifying glasses, humor picture books, book lights, gift cards, and much much more.

We aim to make your shopping trip easy, by having staff pick shelves, winter catalog selections (regional top choices in books for the holidays), knowledgable and committed staff, and rewards when you get a FREE membership (for every $100 spent you get $5 in store credit!). We also do special orders and have many great quality USED books for everyone's gift-giving budget.

So stop on by, do some book shopping, get a hot cuppa tea or coffee and joy at HAPPY LUCKY'S next door and help us spread some holiday love and cheer!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS and SHOPPING!

~Rebecca

Read the Book, See the Movie, in that order please

Hello my Firehouse friends! I've missed you! A lot has been going on the last few weeks, both at the store and in my own life. But things are at last starting to calm down again...you know, until the Christmas season comes into full swing and we all lose our marbles. 

If you missed it, Kelsey posted a wonderful blog addressing the controversy surrounding the newly release Book of Matt by Stephen Jimenez. I recommend you give it a read.

Since I am still easing my way back into a fully function brain space, I'm going to keep this blog short and easy while keeping you up to date with bookish things.

Hollywood has been all about book-to-movie adaptations lately. Which is sometimes great and other times not so great. Kelsey and I both agree it would be nice to see some movies coming out that were fresh and original instead of adaptations and sequels. However, there are still some titles many of us here at the bookstore are excited for.

In order by release date, here are five book-to-move adaptations you can expect to see in theaters before the end of 2013.

Carrie by Stephen King, October 18

Carrie White may have been unfashionable and unpopular, but she had a gift. Carrie could make things move by concentrating on them. A candle would fall. A door would lock. This was her power and her sin. Then, an act of kindness, as spontaneous as the vicious taunts of her classmates, offered Carrie a chance to be a normal and go to her senior prom. But another act--of ferocious cruelty--turned her gift into a weapon of horror and destruction that her classmates would never forget.



Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, November 1

In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut—young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.

Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister.

Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender's two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If, that is, the world survives.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, November 8

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.

Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.


The Hunger Games: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, November 22

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. They should be happy. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Now rumors of rebellion are spreading, and the Capitol wants revenge.







The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug by J.R.R Tolkien, December 13

Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely traveling any farther than his pantry or cellar. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard Gandalf and a company of dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an adventure. They have launched a plot to raid the treasure hoard guarded by Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon. Bilbo reluctantly joins their quest, unaware that on his journey to the Lonely Mountain he will encounter both a magic ring and a frightening creature known as Gollum.


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As you probably gathered from the title of this blog, I usually stand by reading the book before seeing the movie...you know, unless you accidentally see the movie because you didn't know it was a book first...

All of these books (except Carrie) are on our shelves right now. If you click on the title, it will take you to our website where you can order the book right from your home! And since I've told you all of these movies were adapted from books, you have no excuse not to read them before you watch them.

I have plans to see three of these five movies (and yes, I've read all the books). What about you? Are you excited for any of these movies or do you prefer to stick with the book?

Until next week my fellow book/movie lovers.

Happy reading!

~Ren