Finally, a bit of sunshine!

And no, I'm not talking about the Giants and their dramatic back to back victories against the Dodgers...

Earlier this week, The San Francisco Bay Guardian published their annual 'Best of the Bay' award issue, and indeed, Green Apple Books emerged victorious in two separate categories!

Thanks to all those who voted for us in the 'Best Used Bookstore' and 'Best Independent Bookstore' categories in the readers' poll. While it's true that we have enjoyed string of 12 or 15 years as the winner in these areas, it's always a great honor, and I hope our streak extends well into the decades to come.

So SFBG Editors and SFBG readers: open your arms for a giant hug from your favorite, appreciative, local booksellers!

Hey kids - read and be rewarded!

We announced this last week in our newsletter, but I wanted to take another quick moment and pass it along to our blog followers as well: Green Apple Books is having a summer reading reward program for any and all kids 15 and under.

Click the image on top of this post to go to the full-size questionaire. All we ask is that you read 20 books this summer and then tell us a bit about your favorite. Once you fill out the questionaire and bring it into Green Apple Books, we will give you a store credit good for $5.00 - it's that simple. Really.

The books read don't have to be purchased at Green Apple (although we wouldn't mind if you did) and there is a chance that we will use your comment card as an in-store "shelf-talker" so other readers can share in your favorites.

Book lists must get back to Green Apple by August 31st, 2010 so GET READING!!!

Friends with ink

No, I'm not talking about the spiky, dyed and dirty punkrock pals of mine with new tattoos... Yes, I'm going to take a second and give a virtual pat on the back to a couple of chums who have been garnering high praise for their recent efforts.

This morning's edition of The Chronicle offered a sterling review of Domenic Stansberry's newest novel, "Naked Moon," the fourth and final installment of his recent series featuring ex-CIA agent Dante Mancuso. Domenic has already pocketed one Edgar Award, and the other titles in this series have also been finalists for that, as well as the Shamus and Hammett Awards. If you've ever read Domenic's work, that's not really a surprise, and if you haven't discovered this Bay Area heavyweight of noir, now is a fine time; I recommend starting at the beginning with "Chasing the Dragon." Each novel in this quartet is set in North Beach, and as The Chronicle puts it, "Reading Stansberry's books is a cross between eating a box of marzipan and watching a car wreck: page-turning and irresistibly voyeuristic." I couldn't have said it better myself, except that I would have opted for cannoli.

Robert Mailer Anderson, author of the cult-classic novel, "Boonville" (which hasn't budged from our staff favorite section in close to a decade) also made headlines of a different sort this week. Robert is the chair of SFJazz and last week he, and his closest 300 friends, took over The Four Seasons for the 6th annual SFJazz Gala. Yes, I was there. Yes, it was quite a bash. But we'll let The Chronicle's Miss Biggelo and her Social City column take it from here. Full disclosure...I don't look half bad in a suit!

Keep up the good work, guys - you make a city proud!

Punks not dead (yet, anyway)

It seems that the historic Gilman Street venue in Berkeley is about to slam into hard times in the next few months, as the rent at this DIY, all-ages haven is skyrocketing an additional $31,000 a year! ZOINKS!!! I don't think that even a new Green Day 7" can make-up a difference like that... Well, maybe that can, but let's not hold our breath.

You don't have to be a rock star to be able to contribute toward keeping this landmark up and running, however. Jack Boulware, top dog of the Litquake Festival and author of various tomes has organized a grassroots benefit for Gilman Street involving his most recent release, Gimme Something Better: The Profound, Progressive, and Occasionally Pointless History of Bay Area Punk From Dead Kennedys to Green Day and various Bay Area bookstores.

During the month of May, Green Apple Books will be donating 20% from every copy we sell of Gimme Something Better to the Gilman benefit. Not only will you get the inside dope on all the dirt kicked-up during Bay Area punk's heyday, but you will be doing your part to keep the gromits off the streets and skanking in a supportive pit. Can I get an Oimen? (sorry)

Get your copy of Gimme Something Better from Green Apple HERE

Felices Pascuas

It's a bit after 1:00AM in Buenos Aires, where I've still got a couple of hours to kill before going out to hit Palermo Soho and its legendary nightlife. All the buzz back in the states seems to be that the Ipad was released to as much fanfare as the original Iphone. Excuse me if I don't grab the next plane to Best Buy. During the past couple of weeks my wife and I have traveled through three countries and are looking at two more to come. I've been on eight flights so far and have yet to see a Kindle. I can't imagine that the Ipad will be much different, fanfare and dollars aside.

We're both (obviously) voracious readers, and packing a mini-library for a month's worth of excursions away from home was quite a chore. You've got to be committed to your selections. Every page needs to count. But that's half the fun, yes?

I tore through Sebastian Junger's forthcoming 'War' in an advance reading copy - it won't be realeased for more than a month. Yet when we saw that the lending library of our digs in El Chalten (Patagonia) had a bathtub bloated paperback of 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' on its lending shelf, I gladly left 'War' and gave the dragon its due. Then we passed that "Girl" off to the Scottish couple behind us in line for our return flight; they were thrilled. I wonder who will find 'War', and if they will realize that it's something a bit special.

My wife was reading my old copy of 'Subterrianans' when an old photo of an older girlfriend fell onto the bed. She was cute in a late-eighties sort of way, and I hadn't thought of her in decades. The copy cost me $2.00 way back when, and even though it broke into pieces during this trip, between the two of us, a buck became a buck well spent.

I read a tattered copy of an out of print biography of W.C. Fields on Easter Island. Damn if he doesn't look like a Moai on the cover... There are 3,500 horses that roam free on the island and they claim as many people, but there are three libraries in the singular town of Hanga Roa. Still, I'll probably leave this tome somewhere near Bolivia. Or maybe in Uruguay if it survives the journey.

Killing time in the airport of Santiago, Chile, we were drinking beers in an earthquake shattered terminal beside an older Austrailian couple. He had a Lee Child mystery peeking out of his backpack. I had read that one in the past, but he'd just found his near where the penguins roam in Punto Arenas. We gabbed about Jack Reacher and then pooled our change to cover the drinks - all the ATM machines were on the fritz.

As I type this, my wife is flipping through 'Basketball Diaries' by Jim Carroll, a genuine poet who passed away while books were still read on paper, and didn't yet need a current converter to give them life overseas. She knew I was posting this blog, and chuckled at the serendipity of a line she came upon. Books are sometimes like that. Aku Aku.

"The more I read the more I know it now, heavier each day, that I need to write. . . and each time a page gets turned a section of the pentagon goes BLAST up in smoke. Solid."

Thanks BoingBoing!

Short but sweet from my side...

Another insightful post on boingboing.net caught my eye this morning...

I'll just let the fine folks at The Journal of Electronic Publishing that this interesting notion from here!

p.s. - joe hill just stopped by and signed copies of his new tome, Horns. get them while you can!

Join me for a drink?

I’m growing more and more impressed with the quality and uniqueness of literary events in the Bay Area these days - impressed yes, but not surprised… In a city that leads the rest in dollars spent per capita on books and booze, I’ve come to expect (and also work hard to organize) authors from far and wide pimping their wares in watering holes that range from dive bars to speakeasies to penthouses to cafes. If there’s a table and a stage – OK, maybe some haven’t had a stage, but still – literature in The City flows like fine wine; or at least MD2020.

Over the past couple of months I’ve attended sold-out Literary Death Matches, a packed Porchlight and a really rambunctious Quiet Lightning. Sad that I missed the most recent Writers With Drinks, but I do believethat I'll be there next time...

So when I encourage you to brave the rain tonight and join me at The Knockout for another in the continuing Drinks With Tony series, you know that I know what I’m talking about. Tony Dushane has been recording a live talk-radio show there for some time now, but tonight’s scene will be a bit different, as we’re celebrating the release of Tony’s new book, Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk – his memoir of growing up Jehovah Witness. Interesting, indeed! Joining Tony on stage this evening will be Alan Black, Harmon Leon and Marisa Matarazzo with musical guests Vagabondage.

Tonight's event is FREE, so please try and make it down and support your local scene!

VERY BAD (but somehow sweet and nice...)

OK folks - I dig the creative and well placed 'urban art' that graces many of the walls, sidewalks, light posts and overpasses in our fine city. I appreciate the blast of color and the infusion of life onto the bland, gray voids of the urban jungle. I understand that many of these murals are done with the full consent of building owners, and beyond that, I want everyone to know that Banksy is a personal hero of mine. I get it - I really do!

But I really DON'T enjoy having to replace the front windows of Green Apple because some ***-h*** decided to scribble a tag with acid etching markers. I DON'T dig the abuse of private property without a higher goal than basic defacement. It's time to grow-up a bit, dontcha think?

Sigh, but then I saw this new addition to the entry way of Green Apple this morning. I heart books too, my friend, but I really wish you would just blog about it like everyone else does and leave our walls and glass alone. But thanks for the kind words - next time, why not tell tell your friends instead?

Winston Smith rocks!

San Francisco can lay claim to many famous residents over time, but while we all know that Jack Kerouac slept off many a late-night bender here, and that Mark Twain spent his coldest winter ever here during summer, there is one stalwart talent who has been here for decades but that you may not be familiar with - Winston Smith.

Winston, who took his name from the ill-fated protagonist in George Orwell's 1984 began working with Jello Biafra and The Dead Kennedys in the late 1970's when his iconoclastic sculpture of Christ crucified on a cross of dollar bills was used as the cover of "In God We Trust, Inc." This collaboration begot a relationship that lasts to this day, but while always sticking to his anarchistic guns, Winston has broadened his influence to include work for Spin, Playboy, Mother Jones and can even lay claim to a New Yorker cover!

Last night in a basement gallery, down a tiny alley in North Beach, Winston decided to clean out his closet and sell dozens of original collages, many of which were turned into flyers for some of the greatest punk shows ever, and most from that sweet-spot of his Alternitave Tenticles partnerships, the early 80's; trust me when I tell you that I was like a kid in a candy store!

So, maybe you've seen Winston's stuff on a Green Day record or maybe you own some of his books, but chances are you've never seen the stuff I just added to my collection. Until now! Thanks again for the great time last night, Winston (and for the killer deals) - you do San Francisco proud!

She can always buy from us...

A sad story coming out of Texas today - it seems that the Barnes and Noble is closing in the town of Laredo, which might have been welcome news to the independent booksellers there, except that there are no other bookstores in this town of 250,000. In fact, the next closest bookstore of any kind to Laredo is some 150 miles away...UGH! A 14 year old girl in Laredo named Zhuara Rivera is circulating a petition to try and save the store, but even though it is a profitable location, the chain itself is in the red - so it seems like curtains for the Laredo branch.

So, the big boxes move in and force the independents out (we've all heard this one before). But then the big box has fiscal issues and makes the corporate decision from afar to close a profitable store because the massive scale of their operation is losing money. With well over 700 Barnes and Noble bookstores throughout the U.S. employing some 40,000 people, it makes me wonder how many situations like Laredo we're going to see over the next few years.

Fight the good fight Ms. Rivera! But if you ever need the help of an independent bookseller who won't turn its back on you, drop us a line at http://www.greenapplebooks.com/ and I'll make sure that you get free shipping for life!

If you've got 'em, we'll come get 'em

If you've got a bunch of books that you want to get rid of, and i mean a bunch of books (think hundreds, not dozens) we may be able to come to your house armed with a blank check, a grip of empty boxes and at least one strong back to buy those used books and take them away! We call these house calls "Out Buys" and with a little planning, it just may be the easiest way for you to make some extra cash (or trade).

Here are a couple of photos from the collection I purchased yesterday - or at least the halfway stopping point - I'm going back in a couple of weeks for the rest. They don't all look like this, but if the books are good enough (and this batch certainly was), then this is what we're willing to crawl through to help you out. And believe it or not, I've been in worse...

So think of us, the Green Apple used book buyers, when you need to clear some space or just get some extra scratch. We're like The Marines of book buyers, except that we're much sweeter, and some of our hair is longer.

Green Apple Books and Music (and MAGAZINES)

Green Apple is known far and wide for our wonderful selection of new and used books; at this point, that much seems to (thankfully) be a given. You've heard from us lately about our musical CDs (and the fact that they have been on sale) as well as DVDs (of which ~500 are currently on sale at 50% off!), but I'm wondering how many of you know that we also stock well over 1000 titles in our magazine section. Now that's a lot of mags!

Fresh out this week is an amazing issue of my favorite food mag, Saveur. This is sure to be an invaluable addition to any home chef's library, as the editors have put the readers on task for their annual Saveur 100 issue. From the introduction: We asked for your ideas, your inspirations, your favorite food finds. And you answered, from every corner of the world, on every imaginable culinary subject, from family recipes to treasured cookbooks to time-honored tips. The result is a saveur 100 unlike any other. Thanks to you, this year’s roundup is richer, tastier—and bigger—than ever. No dixie-whistle here, as this issue certainly rocks!

At only $5.00, this is a bargain, if just for the spread on a dozen interpretations of the Bloody Mary. My favorite, The Heirloom Bloody Mary is illustrated above, but the receipe can be found here! And there are 99 more things to be thankful for in this perfect periodical...

Sign here, and here, and here, and here, etc. . .

It's been said that a book is a present that you can open again and again. Cheesy, yes - but true. Obviously, I think that a book is just about the best gift you could possibly give or receive, but not all books are equal.

Indeed, Green Apple Books stocks plenty of new releases that would suit the stockings of passionate readers galore, but the difference between, "Oh neat, I've been curious about this tome" and "OMFG, I'm never letting this out of my sight!!!" may be as simple as the swipe of a pen. Enter the Signed Copy.

On a quick walk past our Main Store displays this afternoon, I spotted stacks of signed copies from some of literature's brightest lights: Jonathan Safran Foer, Sherman Alexie, Lorrie Moore, Michael Connelly and Paul Madonna, just to name a few. And there's no buyer premium here - these are all selling for the list price at most, and some are even discounted 20%. Throw in free gift wrapping (shhhh...), curbside delivery and maybe some Synthetic Owl Puke, and the lucky ones on your list will think you most considerate and unique!

And that doesn't even include some of the rare signed gems that we keep behind glass: Truman Capote, James Baldwin, Ralph Ellison, Nixon and more than 10 by Bukowski. Plus, I think that we've still got the Signed Limited of Crumb's Book of Genesis for the really nice (or naughtiest) one on your list, as well.

Of course, stock of these unique items is limited to quantity on hand, and may change in the time it took me to write this (it's pretty busy these days...) so come by early - we are opening at 9:00AM through December 24th. Or give us a call. We're here to help - it's what we love!

Ho Ho Ho!!!

Well, the weather outside is pretty yucky - it's cold and drizzly, but I don't think that it will snow. Which it actually did once here, on Clement Street, on Christmas Eve of all things. Honestly! But even if it's not snowing out, it's still a fine time to get indoors - like in Green Apple's doors, because I just priced a used set of the Complete Spirit Archives and it'll be hitting the shelves tonight.

For those who don't know, The Spirit was a newspaper comic created by Will Eisner that ran from 1940 - 1952 and forever changed the way that comics would be viewed. Eisner's genius extended into all aspects of his strip - the art was superb and often surreal, his plots were engaging, socially conscious, yet somehow self-effacing. Eisner's work on The Spirit was so sophisticated that the Comic Industry even named their top honor after him; The Eisner Award is considered the "Oscar" of comic artists and has been awarded to Dan Clowes, Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, Chris Ware and many, many others.

So, in the spirit of the season (HA!) I'm reproducing Eisner's Sunday December 21, 1947 in its entirety below. And maybe I'll sneak another strip or two up here before Santa's sled hits town.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Just passing through...

The Green Apple Core has been blogging now for a few months and I'm thrilled with the variety of content our eclectic staff has been producing, with the strong feedback we've received from fans across the globe, and with the manner that blogs like ours contribute to the greater community of readers. Green Apple Books certainly provides much to write about on a day to day basis, but on this day, I'm going to pass you on to another wonderful voice in this virtual conversation!

As many of you know, Roberto Bolano is a personal favorite of mine. His writing is so engaging, on so many levels, that I've often found myself wondering about his influences. What makes a great writer? A great thinker? A great communicator? Certainly the important books and authors that impacted their own lives would have something to do with it, yes? Well, over the course of the next two weeks we will all be lucky enough to gain access into these aspects of Robero Bolano's brief life through a wonderful series of blog posts by Tom McCartan of Melville House Books.

Tom was instrumental in the recent publication of Roberto Bolano: The Last Interview, which by the way, is an awesome little read. Yesterday, Tom launched the first of what will be many posts examining What Bolano Read. Melville House is one of the most exciting publishers to hit the scene in some time, and Tom is not only an important part of their equation, but by sharing things like What Bolano Read with the rest of us, his passion and commitment to the written word will enrich readers of all types (and all devices) for years to come. I encourage you to check it out.

Well done Tom, and thanks!

Black Friday?

It seems pretty sunny to me right now! In fact, the sales floor is swarming with fans of Green Apple and I really should get back down there and help folks find all the gift-worthy tomes they can carry. Which brings me to the reason for this (hasty) post:

On Wednesday, December 2nd I'll be joining the usual gang on The KFOG Morning Show for my annual Holiday Book Extravaganza!!! That's right, from 7am - 8am (yes, an extended show for a full hour) I'll be loaded down with highlights from the past year, as well as a carefully selected batch of current releases that will please many on your "nice" lists. But you're on your own with the "naughty" ones in your life...

So tune-in early and plan on listening late next Wednesday. You can listen on-line here, or twist that dial to 104.5FM (or 97.7FM in the South Bay) from 7-8 in the morning.

If it's not too redundant by now, Thanks Everyone!!!

Flutter by Butterflies

Well, I guess that I'll come right out and admit it - I've got a serious case of nerves going this weekend. It's the good kind of jitters, the excited kind, but still I feel like I may be getting in a bit over my head. Why? Because this coming Monday evening I've been invited to speak on a panel at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco on 'The Future of Books." And yes, tickets are still available...

It's not that I'm without opinions on this subject. And certainly, I've got a crystal ball and I know how to use it. It's just that not only will I be the lone soul at the table representing the glories of the organic tome, I'm also the only one there without my own wikipedia page. O.K. maybe it's not quite that bad, but we're still talking about heavy hitters like Jared Friedman, co-founder of Scribd and Brewster Kahle, co-founder of InternetArchive.org. Actually, two great sites that I frequent regularly.

This is certain to be a great experience for me - I just hope that the listeners on over 350 radio stations across the nation will feel the same way. So, I'm hoping that some of you might throw some ideas, facts or figures my way so that we can work together and insure that the future is bright enough for us to read by. How can books (or bookstores) compete in a future that seems doomed to rely on extention cords? Why should books survive?

Geeks to gather at Green Apple on Tuesday!

Dust off your ol' D20 and roll on down to Green Apple Books for an amazing event with Ethan Gilsdorf and his new book, Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks.

In an enthralling blend of travelogue, pop culture analysis, and memoir, forty-year-old former D&D addict Ethan Gilsdorf crisscrosses America, the world, and other worlds—from Boston toWisconsin, France to New Zealand, and Planet Earth to the realm of Aggramar. On a quest that begins in his own geeky teenage past and ends in our online gaming future, he asks gaming and fantasy geeks how they balance their escapist urges with the kingdom of adulthood.

You can ask Mr. Gilsdorf about his hit point count and choice of warrior class on Tuesday, November 10th at 7 pm. No mead allowed.

DETAILS:
Ethan Gilsdorf at Green Apple Books
Tuesday November 10th 7-8pm
506 Clement Street at 6th Avenue
SF CA 94118

Aloha, nui loa

It's official - i've got just 45 minutes left on the clock and then it's off to the Big Island of Hawaii for two weeks of fun in the sun!

I've narrowed my beach reading list down to three titles which should cover most of the bases, but I'm wondering if anyone has a suggestion that might augment this short list? Buzzsaw loved Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, and I've heard nothing but the ravest of reviews for both the 2008 Booker Prize Winner, White Tiger and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Is there anything else out there that would really go well with sunscreen and a Mai Tai?

Certainly, if I hadn't already read Doug Dorst's Alive in Necropolis, it would make the trek. But since I have, I'm really looking forward to a great event happening on the eve of my return from paradise. I'll be working with the SFPL at The Page Bar on Monday Oct. 12th from 6-8PM when we host Mr. Dorst for an evening of themed cocktails, tarot card readings and who knows what else. 21up, please. The Page Bar inspired a bar in the book, so you know it's da ono, brah!

Tune In, Turn on, Drop by

It seems that the time is upon me again to get up early, to be clever and aware, and share my stack of nightstand reading with the fine folks of the KFOG Morning Show...

So, turn your radio dial to 104.5fm (or 97.7fm in the South Bay) on Wednesday, Sept. 23 to catch me live at 8:15am. Still a bit on the early side for nite0wls like us, but they wouldn't call it a Morning Show if they let me come on at noon, now would they?

I still miss Dave Morey, but Webster is truly one cool cat, and is filling the master's mic beautifully. Just check out his moves with the hoop above...