Last List of the Year (I promise)

Well, it’s my last post of the year. We’re shutting down for the winter break after tomorrow, and we’ll be closed until the 4th while we do some renovating. No, we’re not getting that tiki bar I’ve been promising you all. That’s going to have to wait until the summer break. Instead we’re going to rearrange the front of the store to give us more space to display our wares. Wares, in this case, means really cool books and stuff.

So I won’t be writing again for a little while. I don’t know exactly why, but this fact ratchets up the pressure somewhat. Last post of ’08? Better make it good, Verner. (Perhaps Arthur's having said those exact words to me early this morning has something to do with my minor freak-out at sitting down to knock this post out. Thanks, Arthur.)

Like a lot of you, I’d imagine, I’ve spent the last week or so shopping for presents for the people closest to me. I like to give presents. I do it as much for myself as for the intended recipients. It makes me feel good. Oddly, the fact that I work in a bookstore makes me somewhat hesitant to give books as presents. I don’t want my friends and family to feel that I simply grabbed the nearest book off the shelf on my way out the door. (For the record, though, this is exactly what I do, with mixed results. Giving one’s elderly aunt a copy of I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell is not to be recommended, I can promise you.)
Still, I do always end up giving at least one book to most of my family members. Maybe I’m projecting –I certainly like to receive books as presents; hint, hint—but giving someone a book feels like a commitment to an ongoing conversation. Here, you’re saying, I’m giving you this thing, and you can use this thing to help you make new thoughts, and then we can talk about those thoughts.

So anyway, I’ve been shopping for presents, and it’s had me thinking about friends and family and books, and what I guess I’m getting around to (finally) is that the dénouement of this year has brought about my joining what is basically a family here at the Gothic. A good bookstore finds its staff mingling with its regular customers in a way that is very much like a family. Most often we get along; sometimes we scrap it out a bit, and we’d all be a little bit lost without each other.
Please, please don’t think that I’m fixing to buy all of you presents, Gothic Shoppers. I’m really far too cheap for that. (Nor you, fellow Gothickers; most of you owe me ten bucks already as a result of that SIBA Book Awards betting pool we had going there for a while). But I am thinking about you all as we close out the year.

(WARNING: LIST APPROACHING)

In fact, I think I’m going to close this sucker out with a list of some, though not all, of my favorite bookselling moments since meeting you all:

Talking translation and Junot Diaz with Claudia.

Swapping pulp fiction favorites with Brian and learning from him about the great Ted Lewis, whose books sorely need reprinting. (Get on it, Serpent's Tail!)

Finding that one good “book on books” gift for Stu.

Listening to Barry wax eloquent on the silliness of words that can be mentioned neither on television nor on this Blog.

Betting with Kathy over whether we’d sell our copy of The Hemingses of Monticello. (We did; though I won’t tell you how each of us bet. We’ve got another bet going on a forthcoming Dylan book.)

Talking graphic novels and holiday gifts with a couple of totally normal-seeming customers, only to find out that they were both in the killer band Veronique Diabolique (check these guys out if you haven’t already).

Selling two copies of Stanford’s Battlefield within a week of finally getting it into the store, with each customer having heard of the book from Duke’s own Tony Tost. (Nice one, Tony)

Talking eyeglasses and jazz books with Dr. Carter.

Competing with my fellow Gothickers over who could sell more “Staff Picks” books. (Laura’s in the lead, in case you’re curious.)

Watching Arthur and one of our regular customers, Annie, work themselves into a frenzy over the collected oeuvre of Garth Nix.

Seeing the look on Lt. Awesome’s face when he told me that he’d sold a copy of Lonesome Dove. (Please, please come buy more copies; it will make him happy.)

Watching Sara pick out kids’ books with the eye of a true connoisseur.

Selling a copy of The Launching of Duke University to the proud father of an enrolling freshman.

And, of course, launching this blog. It’s been a pleasure posting with you guys. Thanks to all of you –customers and booksellers alike—for making me feel welcome here. Happy New Year to all of you.