Black Oak Books has put itself up for sale. More from the Chronicle‘s Heidi Benson. (via Ghost Word)
Another Bay Area Bookstore Dead
– January 5, 2007Posted in: Uncategorized
Books To Jump Up and Down Over
The Call by Yannick Murphy: The always interesting author of Here They Come and Signed, Mata Hari returns with a novel that whips up a worldview from a rather quirky set of limitations: namely, the call logs that a veterinarian maintains as his son is unexpectedly put into a coma and an unforgiving economy denies him work. What emerges is a surprisingly optimistic, often funny, and very moving account on how one family uses acceptance and forgiveness as a way to atone for hard knocks. (Bat Segundo interview with Murphy)
Birds of Paradise by Diana Abu-Jaber: Forget Franzen and Eugenides. If you're looking for a social novel that counts, Diana Abu-Jaber is the author you're looking for. Building from the free-form exploration of consciousness and identity in Crescent and the gripping procedural structure of Origin, Abu-Jaber's latest novel is her finest, equally fluent with gutterpunk culture and smarmy real estate men. It has been suggested by The Washington Post's Ron Charles that you will likely gain some pounds while reading this novel. This is certainly true. Abu-Jaber's description of food is so precise that it often made me want to do more cooking. But I very much admired the way in which Abu-Jaber presents all her characters as unwitting victims of rough capitalism, which permits them some dignity even as they perform terrible acts.
The Last of the Live Nude Girls by Sheila McClear: This memoir isn't so much about the decline of the Times Square peepshow, as it is about one young woman's efforts to pull herself up by by her bootstraps when presented with few economic options. Filled with self-introspective candor and a quiet dignity, McClear's story is one that might befall any of us in these volatile times. While McClear does get back on her feet, her book leads one contemplating the terrible fates of other young women now moving to New York and falling into deadlier vocations. (Bat Segundo interview with McClear)
Noooooooo! My favorite, favorite store in Berkeley on Shattuck. Absolute favorite. The creaky wood floors, the excellent used selection. Oh, my heart is breaking. Might have to head up there for one last visit…although that might be even worse.
I really can’t accept all these closings — its, just, madness. Unacceptable madness. But I guess that’s what america is all about, the pursuit of lots of food and lots of television and sitting around on lazy duffs and can’t be bothered to read a book that hasn’t been endorsed by Oprah. F*#*!
I dunno. I wondered why the hell they were expanding to SF when things were tough for bookstores everywhere, and the SF store has always been lame. It started out half empty and never really seemed to get going.
I was sorry when Clean Well Lighted closed, but most of the bookstores in SF just suck. Did you hear that Booksmith? Ugh. Bunch of jerks who can’t be bothered to answer questions. I’m no worse off with amazon.com than I am with most of the local bookstores.
Ah, shit! Yeah, they’re snobs who demand your bag at the door. But I don’t want them to close.
Decreased foot traffic? Friends, I work in that area. It’s mobbed with Berkeley elite. Mobbed!
Time to start drinking.