Nancy's Trade A Book II

Erich Segal passes away

2010-01-20T17:03:00.003-06:00

Erich Segal, author of a "Love Story,", died Jan. 17 of a heart attack at his home in London. He was 72 and had battled Parkinson's disease for 25 years.

Robert Parker passes away

2010-01-20T17:02:00.000-06:00

Bestselling American crime novelist Robert B Parker, creator of the wisecracking Boston private eye Spenser, died on Monday, aged 77.

Author of more than 60 books, Parker passed away at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Kathleen Givens passes away

2010-01-04T09:48:00.002-06:00

I was just informed of the sudden passing of Kathleen Givens over the weekend. Heartfelt condolonces to her friends and family.

Why I need Hunter's Need...

2009-09-21T17:53:00.004-05:00

Minus the fact that it sounds really good, I have read all the Hunter's and am quite eager to get my eyes on this book.

Read this: http://shilohwalker.com/excerpt_huntersneed.htm

and tell me you don't want to read it for yourself:) Isn't that cover amazing!

As a bookseller the most important reason for me to win this contest is... if I have the opportunity to read it before release I can discuss it with those who are fence sitting.

As always we never NEVER sell ARC's and we get madder than a wet hen when we see those who do. It is because of the pond scum who profit off the work of authors that the number of ARC's has dwindled to almost none.

As a side note to Shiloh... I will bring pictures of our ARC stash to RAW so you can behold the proof of my word being good. I do indeed have evidence:)

Frank McCourt dead at 78

2009-07-21T10:49:00.002-05:00

McCourt, who was recently treated for melanoma and then became gravely ill with meningitis, died at a hospice in New York City, his brother Malachy told the Associated Press.

Although McCourt spent his summers working on a novel drawing on his youth in Ireland, he was unable to find his own voice until he retired from teaching. After years of teaching creative writing to young people, McCourt determined to write his own life story. Angela's Ashes sold over 4 million copies, has been published in 27 countries and has been translated into 17 languages. It won McCourt the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Award, the ABBY Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Biography.

Shocking loss of Michael Jackson

2009-06-27T18:00:00.002-05:00

As a child of the 80's I was and have always been a huge fan of Michael Jackson. I can certainly appreciate how people felt with the loss of Elvis. I was working at the store when Mark called me to tell me the news. I had received the FOX news alert about him being rushed to the hospital.

I have always been a firm believer in Innocent until proven guilty and believe that the barracuda tabloids most certainly made his life very difficult. I most certainly could not stand in judgment of how he lived his life. Maybe there was some truth to the rumors but, does it really matter?
Two sides to every story and all that...

IS it any wonder that he was taken from us Way to Soon. Can you imagine the stress he was under? The WORLD has lost an Icon. That should be all that matters right now. I believe he is in a better place and hopefully he may rest in peace.

Surely the full details of his death will be made public but I am hoping for his children his legacy is his Music and overwhelming kindness to those less fortunate and not the scandal that seem to cling to him because of his celebrity.

Edith Layton Passes

2009-06-03T10:24:00.005-05:00

Edith Layton well known and loved author of more than 75 books, passed away Tuesday after five years of very private battle with cancer.

Our heartfelt condolonces go out to her family and friends.

For more information about Edith, go to her website, http://edithlayton.com/.

picture credit:http://wordwenches.typepad.com/

Author John Updike dies at age 76

2009-01-28T22:12:00.000-06:00

BY HOWARD KISSEL DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Updated Tuesday, January 27th 2009, 2:19 PM
Jones/AP
Author John Updike has died of lung cancer.
John Updike, the Pulitzer Prize winning author, who gave prominent voice to the angst of white men and the changes in sexual mores in post war America died Tuesday at 76.
His publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, annouced that Updike, who lived in Beverly Farms, Mass., died of lung cancer.
Updike’s best-selling novels about Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom are often considered the quintessential portrait of the American male in the late 20th century.
In addition to his fiction, Updike wrote literary essays, poetry and art criticism as well as children’s books. For much of his career he turned out a book a year. In addition to the four novels in the Rabbit series (two of which won Pulitzer Prizes), he wrote three novels about a blocked Jewish writer named Bech, starting with "Bech, A Book."
Updike’s first runaway bestseller was the 1968 "Couples," a look at the new, uninhibited sexuality of suburban America. His fiction ranged far beyond the contemporary middle class life of his best known novels though.
He wrote about post-colonial Africa in "The Coup" (1978), the Tristan myth in the 1994 "Brazil" and the failed presidency of his fellow Pennsylvanian James Buchanan in the 1974 play "Buchanan Dying" and the 1992 novel "Memoirs of the Ford Administration."
His last novel to win widespread acclaim was his "prequel" to "Hamlet," the 2000 "Gertrude and Claudius."
John Hoyer Updike was born March 18, 1932 in the northeastern Pennsylvania town of Reading. He spent most of his early years in nearby Shillington. His mother, who had wanted to be a writer herself, encouraged her son to write.
Updike applied to Harvard because he wanted to write for its humor magazine, the Harvard Lampoon.
He received a full scholarship and, as a senior, was president of the Lampoon, to which he had initially contributed cartoons.
During that academic year in England with his first wife, Mary Pennington, 1954-55, their first daughter was born. While there he also met E.B. and Katharine White, influential figures at The New Yorker, in whose pages he had already published a poem and a short story.
The Whites encouraged him to apply for a staff position, which he received.
On returning to the States, he spent two years in New York, working as a staff writer at The New Yorker. On the birth of a son, in 1957, he decided to forego a steady salary, work on fiction full time and move his family to Massachusetts.
His fictions and reviews have frequently appeared in the magazine over the years.
He settled in Ipswich, which became the model for the town in "Couples."
He lived there until 1974, when he separated from his wife and moved to Boston, where he taught at Boston University. In 1977 he married Martha Ruggles Bernhard.
Two of his novels were turned into movies -- "Rabbit, Run," which starred James Caan, and the 1984 "The Witches of Eastwick," which starred Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Most recently he published a sequel "The Widows of Eastwick."
He received the National Medal of Art from President George H.W. Bush in 1989 and the National Medal for the Humanities from President George W. Bush in 2003.
Very few writers have received both these awards.

Donald Westlake

2009-01-02T13:56:00.001-06:00

Prolific mystery writer Donald Westlake dead at 75
Thu Jan 1, 6:29 pm ET
(AP)
NEW YORK – Prolific mystery writer Donald Westlake has died at the age of 75.
Westlake's wife, Abigail, tells The New York Times the author collapsed as he headed to a New Year's Eve dinner while on vacation in Mexico. His wife says he apparently had a heart attack.
Westlake is considered one of the most successful mystery writers in the United States. He won three Edgar Awards and was nominated for an Academy Award for screenplay writing for "The Grifters."
Westlake wrote more than 100 books. He used his own name and several pseudonyms, including Richard Stark, Tucker Coe, Samuel Holt and Edwin West.
Westlake continued to write. His next novel, "Get Real," is scheduled to be released in April 2009.

Mystery author Tony Hillerman passes on

2008-11-05T12:33:00.002-06:00

PHOENIX, Arizona (AP) -- Tony Hillerman, author of the acclaimed Navajo Tribal Police mystery novels and creator of two of the unlikeliest of literary heroes -- Navajo police officers Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee -- died Sunday of pulmonary failure. He was 83.

Hillerman's daughter, Anne Hillerman, said her father's health had been declining in the last couple years and that he was at Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque when he died at about 3 p.m.
Hillerman lived through two heart attacks and surgeries for prostate and bladder cancer. He kept tapping at his keyboard even as his eyes began to dim, as his hearing faded, as rheumatoid arthritis turned his hands into claws.
"I'm getting old," he declared in 2002, "but I still like to write."
Anne Hillerman said Sunday that her father was a born storyteller.
"He had such a wonderful, wonderful curiosity about the world," she said. "He could take little details and bring them to life, not just in his books, but in conversation, too."
Lt. Joe Leaphorn, introduced in "The Blessing Way" in 1970, was an experienced police officer who understood, but did not share, his people's traditional belief in a rich spirit world. Officer Jim Chee, introduced in "People of Darkness" in 1978, was a younger officer studying to become a "hathaali" -- Navajo for "shaman."
Together, they struggled daily to bridge the cultural divide between the dominant Anglo society and the impoverished people who call themselves the Dineh.
Hillerman's commercial breakthrough was "Skinwalkers," published in 1987 -- the first time he put both characters and their divergent world views in the same book. It sold 430,000 hardcover copies, paving the way for "A Thief of Time," which made several best seller lists. In all, he wrote 18 books in the Navajo series, the most recent titled "The Shape Shifter."
Each is characterized by an unadorned writing style, intricate plotting, memorable characterization and vivid descriptions of Indian rituals and of the vast plateau of the Navajo reservation in the Four Corners region of the Southwest.
The most acclaimed of them, including "Talking God" and "The Coyote Waits," are subtle explorations of human nature and the conflict between cultural assimilation and the pull of the old ways.
"I want Americans to stop thinking of Navajos as primitive persons, to understand that they are sophisticated and complicated," Hillerman once said.
Occasionally, he was accused of exploiting his knowledge of Navajo culture for personal gain, but in 1987, the Navajo Tribal Council honored him with its Special Friend of the Dineh award. He took greater pride in that, he often said, than in the many awards bestowed by his peers, including the Golden Spur Award from Western Writers of America and the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America, which elected him its president.
Hollywood was less kind to Hillerman. Its adaptation of his 1981 novel, "Dark Wind," with Lou Diamond Phillips and Fred Ward regrettably cast as Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn, was a bomb.
Although Hillerman was best-known for the Navajo series, he wrote more than 30 books, including a novel for young people; the memoir, "Seldom Disappointed"; and books on the history and natural beauty of his beloved Southwest.
"Those places that stir me are empty and lonely," he wrote in "The Spell of New Mexico," a collection of his essays. "They invoke a sense of both space and strangeness, and all have about them a sort of fierce inhospitality."
He also edited or contributed to more than a dozen other books including crime and history anthologies and books on the craft of writing.
Born May 27, 1925, in Sacred Heart, Oklahoma, population 50, Tony Hillerman was the son of August and Lucy Grove Hillerman. They were farmers who also ran a small store. It was there that young Tony listened spellbound to locals who gathered to tell their stories.
The teacher at Sacred Heart's one-room school house was rumored to be a member of the Ku Klux Klan, so Tony's parents sent him and his brother, Barney, to St. Mary's Academy, a school for Potawatomie Indian girls near Asher, Oklahoma. It was at St. Mary's that he developed a lifelong respect for Indian culture -- and an appreciation of what it means to be an outsider in your own land.
In 1943, he interrupted his education at the University of Oklahoma to join the Army. He lugged his mortar ashore at D-Day with the 103rd Infantry Division and was severely wounded in battle at Alsace, France. He returned from Europe a genuine war hero with a Silver Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, temporary blindness and two shattered legs that never stopped causing him pain.
He returned to the university for his degree and, in 1948, married Marie Unzer. Together, they raised six children, five of them adopted.
As a young man, he farmed, drove a truck, toiled as an oil field roughneck and worked as a reporter and editor for the Borger News-Herald in Borger, Texas; the Morning Press-Constitution in Lawton, Oklahoma; United Press International in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and the Santa Fe New Mexican, where he rose to executive editor.
He quit in 1962 to earn a master's degree from the University of New Mexico, where he later taught journalism and eventually became chairman of the journalism department. In 1993, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame.
Hillerman was still teaching when he wrote his first novel, "Blessing Way." A story that always made him chuckle: His first agent advised him that if he wanted to get published, he would have to "get rid of that Indian stuff."
Hillerman is survived by his wife, Marie, and their six children. Services are pending.

Michael Crichton dies unexpectedly

2008-11-05T12:29:00.000-06:00

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Michael Crichton, who helped create the TV show "ER" and wrote the best-sellers "Jurassic Park," "The Andromeda Strain," "Sphere" and "Rising Sun," died in Los Angeles on Tuesday, his public relations firm said in a news release.
He "died unexpectedly," the release said, "after a courageous and private battle against cancer."
He was 66.
Crichton, a medical doctor, was attracted to cautionary science tales. "Jurassic Park" -- perhaps his best-known work -- concerned capturing the DNA of dinosaurs and bringing them to life on a modern island, where they soon run amok; "The Andromeda Strain," his first major fiction success, involves an alien microorganism that's studied in a special military compound after causing death in a nearby community.
Crichton also invited controversy with some of his scientific views. He was an avowed skeptic of global climate change, giving lectures warning against "consensus science." He later took on global warming and the theories surrounding it in his 2004 novel "State of Fear," which attracted attacks in its own right from scientists including NASA's James Hansen.
Crichton was a distinctive figure in the entertainment business, a trained physician whose interests included writing, filmmaking and television. (He was physically distinctive as well, standing 6-foot-9.) He published "The Andromeda Strain" while he was still a medical student at Harvard Medical School. He wrote a story about a 19th-century train robbery, called "The Great Train Robbery," and then directed the 1979 film version.
Crichton won an Emmy, a Peabody, and a Writer's Guild of America Award for "ER," and won other awards as well.
"Through his books, Michael Crichton served as an inspiration to students of all ages, challenged scientists in many fields, and illuminated the mysteries of the world in a way we could all understand," the news release said.
A private funeral service is expected.

FEED THE NEED - AND READ

2008-10-13T09:55:00.000-05:00

YOU can Make a Difference for the Central Missouri Food Bank
FEED the NEED – and READ!
From Thursday, October 23 through Saturday, October 25,
Nancy’s Trade-a-Book II and First Impressions Book Binding
will be sponsoring a food drive for the Central Missouri Food Bank.
Nonperishable food items will be accepted at the book store (21-Q Conley in Columbia) all three days.
The need is critical.
The dates are important.
Nationwide that weekend millions will be participating in community projects
designed to “make a difference” –
we want you to join us in making a difference too.

Uncertain economy...declining funds... cold weather approaching...
holidays around the corner – all contribute to an ever-pressing need.
Because we know YOU -- our friends and customers -- will be generous –
and to encourage you to give and give and give just a little more
-- and to show you NTAB2 truly appreciates your generosity and support –
we’re making it a customer appreciation event too –
with FREE BOOKS to those making donations.
Here’s how it will work -- simply ...
Donate two nonperishable food items* – select one (1) used paperback (fiction or nonfiction)
from our regular priced (white tagged) books (value up to $5.00).

Donate four nonperishable food items* – select one (1) used paperback (fiction or nonfiction)
from our regular priced (white tagged) books (value up to $15.00).

(*Ramen noodles will be accepted on the basis of 2 packets = 1 food item donated.)

Maximum of 10 free books per customer per day.

Monetary donations (checks only, please) will also be accepted.

Certain restrictions do apply:
NOT included in this free book event are new books, hard-to-find (orange-tagged) books,
and hardcover books.

Free books will be marked (unobtrusively) and not accepted back in the store
as returns for store trade credit.
AND ... to encourage you to dig a little deeper into your grocery bag to help
fill up our barrels with much needed foodstuffs
A $100 NANCY’S TRADE-A-BOOK II GIFT CERTIFICATE
will be given to the individual making the largest food donation*
to the three-day food drive.

PLUS ... you know us – there will probably be a few extra “thank you’s” along the way.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS BOOK BINDING will award (two) PRIZES:
*1 (one) 1/16 scale John Deere Toy Tractor est. value (30.00) from the FARM TOY STORE
(This prize will be awarded to the largest (by weight) one item donation) example 25 lb bag of rice, flour etc. if a tiebreaker is necessary prize will be awarded to whoever donated first

And

*1 (one) $50.00 gift certificate for any binding service they offer.
(This prize will go to the person donating the most can goods on Saturday only)
Bindery prizes will be awarded at Nancy’s Trade A Book II on Sunday Oct. 26th.

*Be sure to tell us you are trying to win the listed prizes
so we can record the amount of each of your donations.

SO REMEMBER: LET’S “FEED THE NEED” ( AND READ)
LET’S MAKE A DIFFERENCE SUPPORT CENTRAL MISSOURI FOOD BANK
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23 – SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25
NONPERISHABLE FOOD ITEMS
NANCY’S TRADE-A-BOOK II
21-Q CONLEY, COLUMBIA

About the Central Missouri Food Bank:
CMFB distributes free food to a network of 145 non-profit hunger relief agencies in
33 counties of central and northeast Missouri.
More than 100,000 people live in poverty in this area.
CMFB Network serves an average of 80,000 people each month with hunger relief services
-- meeting approximately 80% of the need...
leaving 20% of those in need still wanting.
CMFB relies on people like YOU to support its mission to feed people in need.
Individual and business contributions provide more than 60% of its annual operating budget.
YOU make a difference! For more information go to www.centralmofoodbank.org.

About the Make A Difference Day:
Make A Difference Day is the most encompassing national day of helping others
- - a celebration of neighbors helping neighbors.
Everyone can participate – especially YOU!
Created by USA WEEKEND Magazine, Make A Difference Day is an annual event
that takes place on the fourth Saturday of every October.
In 2007, 3 million people cared enough about their communities to volunteer on that day,
accomplishing thousands of projects in hundreds of towns.
For more information go to www.usaweekend.com/diffday.

INTERNATIONAL THRILLER WRITER AWARDS - 2008

2008-03-21T12:53:00.002-05:00

Wow! Out of a field of over 500 books, the ITW Award's Committee, chaired by Vicki Hinze, has chosen five titles in each of three categories: Best Novel, Best First Novel, and Best Paperback Original. Winners will be announced this summer at Thrillerfest 2008 in New York City.

And the nominees are:

BEST NOVEL 2008

No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay (Bantam)

The Watchman by Robert Crais (Simon & Schuster)

The Ghost by Robert Harris (Simon & Schuster)

The Crime Writer by Gregg Hurwitz (Viking)

Trouble by Jesse Kellerman (Putnam)

BEST FIRST NOVEL 2008

Interred With Their Bones by Jennifer Lee Carrell (Dutton)

Big City, Bad Blood by Sean Chercover (William Morrow)

From the Depths by Gerry Doyle (McBook Press)

Volk's Game by Brent Ghelfi (Henry Holt and Co.)

Heart-Shaped Box by Joe HIll (William Morrow)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL 2008

The Last Nightingale by Anthony Flaco (Ballantine)

A Thousand Bones by P. J. Parrish (Pocket)

The Midnight Road by Tom Piccirilli (Bantam)

The Queen of Bedlam by Robert McCammon (Pocket)

Shattered by Jay Bonansinga (Pinnacle)

That's the good part. The bad part? We now have to wait till July 12 to learn who the winners are. The envelope, please!

POTTERMANIA!

2008-03-21T12:40:00.002-05:00

Producers just announced that J.K. ROWLING's last Potter book -- HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS -- will be split into two parts. The first film is slated for release in November 2010, with part two following in May 2011. Producers and author agreed that unlike every other book, you cannot remove any elements of this book, so we shall see it all for full closure.

David Yates, who directed ORDER OF THE PHOENIX and is currently working on the HALF-BLOOD PRINCE, will direct both THE DEATHLY HALLOWS films. All the key stars are also onboard.

The two final Potter films will be shot concurrently, like The Lord of the Rings trilogy. (Side note -- The Hobbitt starts filming next year with two live-action movies set for back-to-back shooting also.)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince started filming last September and word from star Daniel Radcliffe is "...brilliant...the funniest."

NORA ROBERTS HOTEL PLANS SCORCHED

2008-03-21T12:27:00.002-05:00

In case you missed this bit of recent bad news -- Nora Roberts and her husband, Bruce Wilder, were planning to renovate an historic hotel in their home of Boonsboro, MD, turning it into a B&B with rooms having themes from books. Unfortunately during renovation, construction workers knocked over a propane tank starting a 4-alarm fire that gutted the hotel and severely damaged three other buildings. What a great vacation spot this would have been!

Reminder -- The Hollow (Book 2 in the Sign of 7) is scheduled for release in May! And in April we see Creation in Death with Lt. Eve Dallas (and Roarke of course) by J.D. Robb.

NEWS FROM ALAGAESIA (ERAGON)

2008-03-21T11:52:00.002-05:00

REJOICE ERAGON LOVERS ... and circle SEPTEMBER 23 on your calendar ... for the third Christopher Paolini book in the INHERITANCE CYCLE. What began as a trilogy has now been expanded into four books. The author (Christopher Paolini) and publisher (Alfred A. Knopf) decided there was too much information to be contained in a single book. Book 4 is untitled and release date is unknown.

BRISINGR -- Book 3 -- will feature the gold dragon Glaedr with, of course, a great gold cover drawn by John Jude Palencar. The name has particular meaning since it was the first ancient language word that Eragon learned and held particular significance for his legacy as a Dragon Rider. More to be revealed in Book 3, as we learn that Brisingr is an ancient language word meaning "fire," used to summon and control fire by magic users in the series.

BRISINGR -- Book 3 of the INHERITANCE CYCLE (hard cover) will be available at Nancy's Trade-a-Book II with pre-orders taken in July. Don't forget to stop by and get your name on the list!

WATCH OUT PITTSBURGH -- HERE WE COME!

2008-03-17T13:57:00.000-05:00

We’re 30 days and counting till the book industry event of the year -- 25TH ANNUAL ROMANTIC TIMES CONVENTION. The Book Lover Event of the Year! Joining me again this year will be NTAB2’s uber advisors/confidantes/customers (aka Mida Kelley and Julia Floyd). I’m especially looking forward to greeting old friends and making new ones -- but most importantly to saying thank you in person to all those wonderful authors who made my recent 5th year of business celebration an over-the-top experience for all of my customers.
We’ll see you in Pittsburgh!

MATCH IT FOR PRATCHETT

2008-03-17T13:53:00.001-05:00

Best selling fantasy author, Terry Pratchett, OBE, has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease. Often compared to author Jonathan Swift, Pratchett is best known for his Discworld series.
Recently Pratchett announced he has donated half a million pounds (for us Americans that’s roughly $1 million) to Alzheimer’s research through the Alzheimers Research Trust in the UK. Fans around the world quickly joined in to "Match it for Pratchett." Figuring a pound at roughly $2US, donations have been pouring in to the Alzheimer’s Research Trust in the UK, the Alzheimer’s Research Organization in the US, the Alzheimer Society of Ireland, and many other local Alzheimer’s organizations. We’re happy to be spreading the word! According to Pratchett, funding for Alzheimer’s research is only 3% of that which goes to find cancer cures. If you or someone you love has been touched by this nasty disease and know its unseen tragedies -- join in and Match it for Pratchett!

MISSING PAGES

2008-03-17T13:45:00.000-05:00

Sunday, March 16, 2008
MISSING PAGES -- THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES
Voices who slipped away during 2007 -- authors remembered and treasured:
Sidney Sheldon -- Died January 30 of pneumonia. Wrote books like The Other Side of Midnight.
Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. -- Died February 28 of a heart attack. Writer and liberal political aide who wrote an early history of the Kennedy administration, A Thousand Days.
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. -- Died April 11 of injuries from a fall. Best known for Slaughterhouse Five.
David Halberstam -- Died April 23 in a car accident. Won a Pulitzer Price in the 60s for reporting on the Vietnam war, wrote many nonfiction books including The Best and the Brightest.
Lloyd Alexander -- Died May 17. Won Newbery Medal for The High King.
Fred Saberhagen -- Died June 29 of cancer. Wrote the Beserker series and Dracula novels.
Kathleen E. Woodiwiss -- Died July 6 of cancer. One of the first mega-romance writers, starting with The Flame inthe Flower in 1972.
Ronda Thompson -- Died July 12 of pancreatic cancer. A unique voice in the growing paranormal field, she was gaining major attention for her Wulf series.
Madeleine L’Engle -- Died September 6 . Won the Newbery Award for A Wrinkle in Time.
Robert Jordan -- Died September 16 of primary amyloidosis with cardiomyopathy. Writer of the Wheel of Time fantasy series.
Anne Weale -- Died October 24. For over 50 years was a major force in English and international romantic fiction writing for Mills-Boon. Best known for her Longwarden novels and Flora, she left unfinished her latest project -- 88 Heroes and One Mr. Right.
Norman Mailer -- Died November 10 of kidney failure. Controversial, pugnacious writer who reigned as counter-cultural literary conscience in the 50s. Helped found The Literary Voice. Acclaimed for his first novel, The Naked and the Dead.
Ira Levin -- Died November 13 of a heart attack. Wrote Rosemary’s Baby, The Stepford Wives, and Deathtrap.

HIGH FIVE AT NTAB2 -- JOIN THE CELEBRATION!

2008-01-05T18:20:00.000-06:00

Join in the celebration at our Five Year Fiesta -- with gifts galore from all your favorite authors. And they have been generous! Not only have they provided all the special gifts, and the extra special gifts, we have a table full of FREE promotional items just for the taking.

Fiesta giveaway rules are simple -- spend $5 buying your favorite books ... draw a ticket from the fishbowl ... the gift it represents is yours. This is our way of saying THANK YOU to you our loyal customers for your ongoing support in helping make Nancy's Trade-a-Book II the special store it is.

Sorry, trade credit purchases do not qualify (unless the handling fee is $5 or more).

When you win your prize, we'll ask for your name and phone number on the back of that ticket. Each Saturday in January, we'll have a special drawing from these tickets for some extra special gifts -- autographed books, CDs, T-shirts, book bags, coffee mugs and more. We'll call you Saturday evening and you then have until close of business the next Friday to pick up your special gift.

Nancy Trade-a-Book II's funtabulous Five Year Fiesta -- customer appreciation days all month along.

Five Year Fiesta

2008-01-05T10:30:00.000-06:00

In celebration of the fifth anniversary under new ownership, we are having a fiesta!
As most know the store has been in Columbia for over 20 years but was sold five years ago. We think that is a reason to celebrate so we shall!
We have contacted hundreds of authors, publishers and industry representatives and most have sent goodies for our customers. Items are still coming in and will be listed as soon as we get them inventoried.

We have a table set up with FREE promotional materials that authors have sent for the fiesta.
Stop by for your chance at the freebies. While supplies last!!!!

GOTTA GO GRAB BAGS -- ONLY $1.00

2007-10-19T18:25:00.000-05:00

Overstocked inventory has gotta GO -- so 'til they're gone -- come in, grab a bag -- fill it to the top from the specially clipped books on the front table -- ONLY $1.00 PER BAG! Litle bit of everything on the table.

ENTER TO WIN NOW!

2007-10-19T16:23:00.000-05:00

Entry forms for a pair of tickets to the Garth Brooks November 14 Concert in Kansas City are now available in the store. Come in soon to enter. One pair of tickets will be drawn from that box during the live broadcast on November 1.

Rules are simple: Only one entry per person. Must be 18. Must live in listening area of CLEAR 99. Do not need to be present to win.

On Thursday November 1, from 4:00-6:00 pm, CLEAR99'S "Uncle Scotty" will be in the store with a second box to give away the second set of tickets from that box only. Listeners can rush to the store to get their entry form in the drawing at that time.

NO TRADES ON NOVEMBER 1

2007-10-13T13:50:00.000-05:00

ALERT ... ALERT ... ALERT

NO TRADES WILL BE ACCEPTED ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1 -- NO EXCEPTIONS.

From 4:00-6:00pm on November 1 CLEAR 99FM will be in the store, broadcasting remote, to give away TWO PAIR of tickets for the Garth Brooks November 14 concert in Kansas City. Several hundred people are expected to visit the store during that time period.

For our customers, we are supposed to have the giveaway box and coupons to fill out in the store on Monday of that week -- avoid the rush, come in early to take a chance on winning.

TRADES LIMITED TO ONE BAG ONLY

2007-10-13T13:33:00.000-05:00

Effective immediately only ONE bag of trades per person per day will be accepted for in-store credit. NO EXCEPTIONS.

The store is working on a tight time schedule to create major open space in the store for our Garth Brooks promotion in November with CLEAR 99FM.

Wanted to give all of you a heads up before you came in with large trades.

We expect to return to normal trade activities after the concert in November.

2007 MACAVITY MYSTERY AWARDS

2007-10-09T13:27:00.000-05:00

The Macavity Award, named after T.S. Eliot's "mystery cat" in Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, is given each year by members of Mystery Readers International for books published in the previous year.

2007 Award Winners are NANCY PICKARD for The Virgin of Small Plains for Best Novel, and NICK STONE for Mr. Clarinet for Best First Novel.

Stone's book also won 2007 International Thriller Writer's Best First Novel Award.

ME AND GARTH BROOKS..NOVEMBER. YOU TOO???

2007-10-09T13:10:00.000-05:00

THE DATE: NOVEMBER 14, 2007. THE PLACE: SPRINT CENTER, KANSAS CITY.
THE REASON: ONLY THE ONE AND ONLY GARTH BROOKS IN CONCERT!!!
And the excitement is just beginning. Nancy's TAB2 is one of the Columbia sponsors of this major event. Listen to CLEAR 99 for details. In the meantime, CIRCLE THE DATE -- THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, AT NANCY'S TRADE-A-BOOK II, 4:00-6:00 PM. During that time CLEAR 99 will be remote from the store giving away TWO PAIR OF TICKETS to the November 14 concert. One pair each hour. Watch the store for updates and catch the buzzzzz on 99.

Oh, did I forget the best part? Guess who's going??!! ME, MYSELF AND I!! (With special thanks to Marie, our Mizzou student who works part-time in the store and is brave enough to tackle the KC traffic and join me for all the excitement.) If I seem a little frazzled these days, well...it's GARTH...need I say more?

2007 HUGO AWARDS AND 2007 JOHN W. CAMPBELL AWARD

2007-10-04T11:50:00.000-05:00

The results of the 2007 Hugo Awards, as announced at Nippon 2007, the 65th World Science Fiction Convention, in Yokohama, Japan, on September 1st 2007, are as follows:

Best Novel: Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge [Tor, 2006]

Best Novella: “A Billion Eves” by Robert Reed [Asimov’s Oct/Nov 2006]
Best Novelette: “The Djinn’s Wife” by Ian McDonald [Asimov’s July 2006]
Best Short Story: “Impossible Dreams” by Tim Pratt [Asimov’s July 2006]
Best Related Non-Fiction Book: James Tiptree, Jr.: The Double Life of Alice B Sheldon by Julie Phillips [St. Martin’s Press, 2006]
Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) Screenplay by Guillermo del Toro. Directed by Guillermo del Toro [Picturehouse]
Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: Doctor Who - “Girl in the Fireplace” (2006) Written by Steven Moffat. Directed by Euros Lyn [BBC Wales/BBC1]
Best Editor, Long Form: Patrick Nielsen Hayden
Best Editor, Short Form: Gordon Van Gelder
Best Professional Artist: Donato Giancola
Best Semiprozine: Locus ed. by Charles N. Brown, Kirsten Gong-Wong and Liza Groen Trombi
Best Fanzine: Science-Fiction Five-Yearly ed. by Lee Hoffman, Geri Sullivan, and Randy Byers
Best Fan Writer: Dave Langford
Best Fan Artist: Frank Wu

The winner of the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, sponsored by Dell Magazines and administered on their behalf by the World Science Fiction Society, is:

Naomi Novik

What does applause sound like to an author? Pages turning in their book!

APPLAUSE, APPLAUSE FOR RAY BRADBURY

2007-10-01T10:41:00.000-05:00

Celebrating his 87th birthday on August 22, Bradbury continues to blaze new trails and collect new honors. In April he was awarded a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation "...for his distinguished, prolific and deeply influential career as an unmatched author of science fiction and fantasy." His latest hardcover, NOW AND FOREVER, , was released in September. And, of course, Fahrenheit 451 (1955) is front and center during this week's Banned Books Week activities. (If you've never read Fahrenheit 451, now is the time -- reminds each of us how precious is the gift of freedom to read in our country.)

(One of my favorite Bradbury's is SWITCH ON THE NIGHT (1955), written for the juvenile market but wonderful reading for kids of all ages. mlg)

NANCY'S TAB2 SUPPORTS ONE READ

2007-10-01T09:08:00.000-05:00

ONE READ is a community-wide reading program sponsored by a task force of local media and community agencies. This program involves cities, counties, media, schools and businesses in encouraging adults of all ages to read one book and participate in thought-provoking discussions and activities. Nancy's TAB2 is proud to be a member of the One Read Task Force.

The 2007 read -- Water for Elephants -- by Sara Gruen, has generated an overwhelming response from Columbia and surrounding Boone Co. residents. This year we have provided additional support to the program by having Mary Lee Gentry, our mystery/speculative specialist, participate in four of the Book Talks, the Panel Discussion, and an interview with Dave Lyle on KFRU. From 1991-2001 she traveled the U.S. and Canada with six different circuses in roles varying from clown to booking agent to vice president of marketing. Her take on the book, which focuses on one man's life and his memories of circus life during the Great Depression, is that it's almost like being there -- the heat, the cold, the smells, the tensions, the good times and bad.

Author Sara Gruen will be at the Columbia Public Library Tuesday, October 2, from 2-4 p.m. for a book signing. Later the same day at 7:30 p.m. she will be at Launer Auditorium, Columbia College, to discuss Water for Elephants and how the success has affected her life.

Both events are free to the public -- so join in the fun as the 2007 One Read comes to a close. AND...if you have any suggestions for the 2008 read, please let the store know and we'll submit it for consideration.

ONE READ -- one book -- people touching people through literature.

"Ahoy! Treasure Your Freedom to Read and Get Hooked on a Banned Book

2007-10-01T08:45:00.000-05:00

Read banned books...they're your ticket to freedom. Treasure your freedom to read. During Banned Books Week, September 29-October 6, thousands of libraries and bookstores throughout the country will celebrate one of our most basic freedoms -- the freedom to read. For a complete listing of the 100 most frequently challenged books of 1990-2000 drop into www.ala.org (American Library Association).

Harry Potter, James and the Giant Peach, Captain Underpants -- Beloved, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Brave New World, Where's Waldo -- Mark Twain, J. K. Rowling, Jean Auel, Caroline Cooney, Toni Morrison, Ken Follett ... only a sample of authors, books and characters most frequently challenged.

To quote the modern day philosopher Homer Simpson: "Read, Man!"

THINK GREEN

2007-09-29T17:56:00.000-05:00

REMEMBER ... recycling your used books is good for the environment ... and helps lower the price of your favorite books by keeping used books in circulation.

THINK GREEN -- THINK NANCY'S TRADE-A-BOOK II!

2007 Quills Awards Nominees

2007-09-17T15:43:00.000-05:00

General fiction
Brothers
Da Chen, Shaye Areheart Books/Crown Publishing

American Youth
Phil LaMarche, Random House

The Road
Cormac McCarthy, Alfred A. Knopf

Special Topics in Calamity Physics
Marisha Pessl, Viking Press

Jamestown
Matthew Sharpe, Soft Skull Press

Romance
Simply Magic
Mary Balogh, Delacorte Press

The Kommandant’s Girl
Pam Jenoff, Mira Books

Natural Born Charmer
Susan Elizabeth Phillips, William Morrow & Co.

The Edge of Winter
Luanne Rice, Bantam Books

Angels Fall
Nora Roberts, G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Audio
Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven
Fannie Flagg, read by the author, Random House Audio

I Like You
Amy Sedaris, read by the author, Hachette Audio

Mississippi Sissy
Kevin Sessums, read by the author, Audio Renaissance

Thirteen Moons
Charles Frazier, read by Will Patton, Random House Audio

To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee, read by Sissy Spacek, Caedmon Audio

Religion/Spirituality
American Islam: The Struggle for the Soul of a Religion
Paul M. Barrett, Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Gonzo Judaism: A Bold Path for an Ancient Faith
Rabbi Niles Elliot Goldstein, St. Martin’s Press

The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief
Francis S. Collins, The Free Press

Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?
Philip Yancey, Zondervan

Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know — And Doesn’t
Stephen Prothero, Harper San Francisco

Graphic novel
Making Comics
Scott McCloud, HarperCollins

Ode to Kirihito
Osamu Tezuka, Vertical

Alice in Sunderland
Bryan Talbot, Dark Horse

Exit Wounds
Rutu Modan, Drawn & Quarterly

Aya
Marguerite Abouet, illustrated by Clement Oubrerie, Drawn & Quarterly

Poetry
Grave of Light: New and Selected Poems, 1970 – 2005
Alice Notley, Wesleyan University Press

One Big Self: An Investigation
C.D. Wright, Copper Canyon Press

Blackbird and Wolf
Henri Cole, Farrar, Straus & Giroux

For the Confederate Dead
Kevin Young, Alfred A. Knopf

A Thief of Strings
Donald Revell, Alice James Books

Cooking
Pork & Sons
Stephane Reynaud, Phaidon Press

Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition
Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, Ethan Becker, Scribner

Arabesque: A Taste of Morocco, Turkey and Lebanon
Claudia Roden, Alfred A. Knopf

The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook: Stories and Recipes for Southerners and Would-Be Southerners
Matt & Ted Lee, W. W. Norton

Baking: From My Home to Yours
Dorie Greenspan, Houghton Mifflin

Health/Self-Improvement
Is it Hot in Here? Or Is it Me?: The Complete Guide to Menopause
Pat Wingert, Barbara Kantrowitz, Workman Publishing

You on a Diet: The Owner's Manual for Waist Management
Michael F. Roizen , Mehmet C. Oz, The Free Press

Rethinking Thin: The New Science of Weight Loss — and the Myths and Realities of Dieting
Gina Kolata, Farrar, Straus & Giroux

How Doctors Think
Jerome Groopman, Houghton Mifflin

Walking on Eggshells: Navigating the Delicate Relationship Between Adult Children and Parents
Jane Isay, Flying Dolphin Press/ Doubleday

Biography/Memoir
The Father of All Things: A Marine, His Son, and the Legacy of Vietnam
Tom Bissell, Pantheon Books

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
Ishmael Beah, Sarah Crichton Books/Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Edith Wharton
Hermione Lee, Alfred A. Knopf

Einstein: His Life and Universe
Walter Isaacson, Simon and Schuster

William James: In the Maelstrom of American Modernism
Robert D. Richardson, Houghton Mifflin

Sports
Ty and The Babe: Baseball's Fiercest Rivals; A Surprising Friendship and the 1941 Has-Beens Golf Championship
Tom Stanton, St. Martin’s Press/Thomas Dunne Books

Crazy ’08: How a Cast of Cranks, Rogues, Boneheads, and Magnates Created the Greatest Year in Baseball History
Cait Murphy, HarperCollins/Smithsonian Institution Press

Streams of Consciousness: Hip-Deep Dispatches from the River of Life
Jeff Hull, Lyons Press

The Echoing Green: The Untold Story of Bobby Thomson, Ralph Branca and the Shot Heard Round the World
Joshua Prager, Pantheon Books

The Kings of New York: A Year Among the Geeks, Oddballs, and Geniuses Who Make Up America's Top High School Chess Team
Michael Weinreb, Gotham Books

Humor
I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence
Amy Sedaris, Warner Books

25 Questions for a Jewish Mother
Judy Gold, Kate Moira Ryan, Hyperion Voice

Spy: The Funny Years
Kurt Andersen, Graydon Carter, George Kalogerakis, Miramax Books

I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This!: And Other Things That Strike Me as Funny
Bob Newhart, Hyperion Books

Oy!: The Ultimate Book of Jewish Jokes
David Minkoff, St. Martin’s Press/Thomas Dunne Books

History/Current Events/Politics
Nixon and Kissinger: Partners in Power
Robert Dallek, HarperCollins

The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million
Daniel Mendelsohn, HarperCollins

The Atomic Bazaar: The Rise of the Nuclear Poor
William Langewiesche, Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Infidel
Ayaan Hirsi Ali, The Free Press

The Assault on Reason
Al Gore, The Penguin Press

Business
Small Is the New Big: and 183 Other Riffs, Rants, and Remarkable Business Ideas
Seth Godin, Portfolio

Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny
Suze Orman, Random House/Spiegel & Grau

The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t
Robert I. Sutton, Warner Business Books

Send: The Essential Guide to Email for Office and Home
David Shipley and Will Schwalbe, Alfred A. Knopf

Chocolates on the Pillow Aren’t Enough: Reinventing the Customer Experience
Jonathan M. Tisch, Karl Weber, John Wiley & Sons

Mystery/Suspense
The Collaborator of Bethlehem
Matt Beynon Rees, Soho Press

What the Dead Know
Laura Lippman, William Morrow

Body of Lies
David Ignatius, W.W. Norton

The Overlook
Michael Connelly, Little, Brown and Company

A Welcome Grave
Michael Koryta, St. Martin’s Press/ Minotaur

Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror
Farthing
Jo Walton, Tor Books

The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle: Day One)
Patrick Rothfuss, DAW Books

Getting to Know You
David Marusek, Subterranean Press

Brasyl
Ian McDonald, Pyr Books

The Execution Channel
Ken MacLeod, Tor Books

Children's Picture Books
The Adventures of the Dish and the Spoon
Mini Grey, Alfred A. Knopf

Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy
Jane O’Connor, illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser, HarperCollins

Flotsam
David Wiesner, Clarion Books

Orange Pear Apple Bear
Emily Gravett, Simon and Schuster

Owen & Mzee: The Language of Friendship
Isabella and Craig Hatkoff, Dr. Paula Kahumbu, photos by Peter Greste, Scholastic Press

Children's Chapter/Middle Grade
Clementine
Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Marla Frazee, Hyperion Books

Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Jeff Kinney, Abrams/Amulet

The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Brian Selznick, Scholastic Press

Pick Me Up
Jeremy Leslie and David Roberts, DK Children’s Books

The Titan’s Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 3)
Rick Riordan, Miramax Books

Young Adult/Teen
American Born Chinese
Gene Luen Yang, First Second Books

The Green Glass Sea
Ellen Klages, Viking

Incantation
Alice Hoffman, Little, Brown and Company

Life as We Knew It
Susan Beth Pfeffer, Harcourt Books

Sold
Patricia McCormick, Hyperion Books

Debut Author
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
Ishmael Beah, Farraf, Straus & Giroux
No One Belongs Here More Than You: Stories
Miranda July, Simon & Schuster
This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession
Daniel J. Levitin, Penguin
The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel
Diane Setterfield, Simon & Schuster
Love is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time
Rob Sheffield, Crown

Fantasy novelist Robert Jordan dies at age 58

2007-09-17T15:30:00.000-05:00

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Author Robert Jordan, whose “Wheel of Time” series of fantasy novels sold millions of copies, died Sunday of a rare blood disease. He was 58.

Our condelences to his wife and legions of fans.

MISSING PAGES

2007-09-08T15:51:00.000-05:00

We note with sorrow the passing of Magdalen Nabb, author of the Marshal Guarnaccia mysteries. Nabb held the strongest claim of succeeding to the literary tradition of Georges Simenon, whose work she admired beyond all others. Simenon himself called Nabb's debut,DEATH OF AN ENGLISHMAN, "A coup de maitre … one of the tastiest books I have read in years." Her death, at only 60, is a great loss to the mystery community.

Author Madeleine L'Engle, whose novel "A Wrinkle in Time" has been enjoyed by generations of schoolchildren and adults since the 1960s, died Friday at the age of 88. L'Engle died Thursday at a nursing home in Litchfield of natural causes, according to Jennifer Doerr, publicity manager for publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux. The Newbery Medal winner wrote more than 60 books, including fantasies, poetry and memoirs, often highlighting spiritual themes and her Christian faith.

Cover model Rob Ashton

2007-09-02T19:03:00.000-05:00

Cover model Rob Ashton passed away on August 26th 2007, from complications due to an illness.

Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family and friends.

Congratulations

2007-09-02T18:49:00.000-05:00

Lisa Norton, a grad student at the University of Missouri, is the grand prize winner in our Customer Appreciation Giveaway. She claimed her prize Friday afternoon.

A special THANK YOU goes to MaryJanice Davidson and Jessica Growette (JAG Promotions LLC.) for sending us the huge goodie bag for our grand prize filled with signed books, tshirt and other items.

Congratulations Lisa