Roberta Blogs Ogden Nash

April is National Poetry Month and I have always loved to celebrate it by reading more poetry as well as quoting a poem or two in our newsletter. As I sit here in mid-April, I am reminded of “April is the cruelest month, breeding lilacs out of the dead land, mixing memory and desire, stirring dull roots…” from T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land.

Now I look to some cheerful and uplifting poetry! Ogden Nash comes to mind—and in a recently published book, Essential Pleasures, edited by Robert Pinsky (our U.S. Poet Laureate from 1997 -2000), I found a fanciful poem about Christopher Columbus in the section of “Long Lines, Strophes, and Parallelisms.”

Just before Ogden Nash, there are the first three chapters of Ecclesiastes, and always a favorite, Chapter 3 begins with: “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die: a time to plant, and time to pluck up that which is planted…”

Back to Ogden Nash, and his poem, "Columbus":

Once upon a time there was an Italian,
And some people thought he was a rapscallion,
But he wasn’t offended,
Because other people thought he was splendid,
And he said the world was round,
And everybody made an uncomplimentary sound,
But his only reply was Pooh,
He replied, Isn’t this fourteen ninety-two?….
So Columbus said, somebody show me the sunset and somebody did and he set sail for it,
And he discovered America and they put him in jail for it,
And the fetters gave him welts,
And they named America for somebody else,
So the sad fate of Columbus ought to be pointed out to every child and every voter,
Because it has a very important moral, which is, “Don’t be a discoverer, be a promoter.

I suppose I like this poem not only because of its humor and wit, but because I often feel that in this business, I am the “promoter!” I ask you to come into the store to buy books, or to attend one of our wonderful special events, or to call or email us with your requests. We will stay in business with your support. And so I say “thank you” for all you do for us—I know so many of you are concerned and appreciative of having an independent book store in your area. By the way, this month we are offering a $10 coupon (with a $50 purchase) in our May newsletter. Stop by and pick up a copy if you are not on our mailing list. I hope you will take advantage of it!

Reading is better than tea...

It's true. The Daily Telegraph from London writes:


Reading 'can help reduce stress'
Reading is the best way to relax and even six minutes can be enough to reduce the stress levels by more than two thirds, according to new research conducted on a group of volunteers at the University of Sussex.

Reading works better and faster than other methods to calm frazzled nerves, such as listening to music, going for a walk or settling down with a cup of tea, research found.

Psychologists believe this is because the human mind has to concentrate on reading and the distraction of being taken into a literary world eases the tensions in muscles and the heart.

Their stress levels and heart rate were increased through a range of tests and exercises before they were then tested with a variety of traditional methods of relaxation.

Reading worked best, reducing stress levels by 68 per cent, said cognitive neuropsychologist Dr David Lewis.

Subjects only needed to read, silently, for six minutes to slow down the heart rate and ease tension in the muscles, he found. In fact it got subjects to stress levels lower than before they started.

Reading reduced stress by 68 percent
Listening to music reduced the levels by 61 per cent
Having a cup of tea of coffee lowered them by 54 per cent
Taking a walk by 42 per cent.
Playing video games brought them down by 21 per cent from their highest level but still left the volunteers with heart rates above their starting point.

Dr. Lewis, who conducted the test, said: "Losing yourself in a book is the ultimate relaxation. This is particularly poignant in uncertain economic times when we are all craving a certain amount of escapism."

-- posted by Helen

Julianne Moore

The Book Stall will be welcoming JULIANNE MOORE, four-time Academy Award nominated actress, on May 2nd at 2:00 pm. She will be reading from and signing her new book, Freckleface Strawberry and the Dodgeball Bully, a wonderful picture books for ages 3-7.
Can't make it? Call the Book Stall to reserve your signed copy!

April blew in with gusto

Dear Friends - We are in the first days of April and warming up with all the new books that have just come into the store! Just this week, the new Paula Deen, The Deen Family Cookbook arrived - and some great fiction - The Forgotten Garden, by Kate Morton, and Just Take My Heart by the indomitable Mary Higgins Clark! And with Spring on its way, John Parker, Jr. has just written a wonderful novel about running - Once A Runner. Just a few to whet your appetite!

Jane Hamilton is coming to our Women's Writers Luncheon series this Thursday - and she is one of the favorite novelists in America. Call us for reservations at 847-446-8880. The restaurant is Mirani's on Elm Street in Winnetka.

Hope you are looking forward to Spring and its joys of reading.

Roberta

According to the American Booksellers Assn, promoting independent booksellers:

Why shop Indie?


When you shop at an independently owned business, your entire community benefits:

The Economy

* Spend $100 at a local and $68 of that stays in your community. Spend the same $100 at a national chain, and your community only sees $43.
* Local businesses create higher-paying jobs for our neighbors.
* More of your taxes are reinvested in your community--where they belong.

The Environment

* Buying local means less packaging, less transportation, and a smaller carbon footprint.
* Shopping in a local business district means less infrastructure, less maintenance, and more money to beautify your community.

The Community

* Local retailers are your friends and neighbors—support them and they’ll support you.
* Local businesses donate to charities at more than twice the rate of national chains.
* More independents means more choice, more diversity, and a truly unique community.

So, we'll see you in the store!

Thank you.