FROM DUTTON'S BRENTWOOD BOOKS

I had hoped to visit the wonderful Dutton's this past week during a brief stopover in LA en route NY but sadly time ran out..............

this from their latest newsletter:

Odds and ends

Grace Paley, R.I.P............The literary world lost a star this last week when Grace Paley passed away at her Vermont home. She was 84 and was in ill health, suffering from breast cancer. She will be remembered for her precise prose chronicling the daily life of ordinary people, often mothers. Though some complained that not happened in her stories, most readers agree that it was the very ordinariness of her characters' lives, and the poignant style in which she described them, that was the true strength of her fiction. In addition to her stories - one collection of which was a finalist for both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize in 1994 - she wrote poetry and was a political activist for many liberal causes.

Who needs Amazon..........when you've got the new Dutton's web site? One of the new features we are proud to present is a fully searchable database with secure online ordering. Ordering is a snap: find the book you're looking for and click on the order button to add it to your virtual shopping cart. When you're ready to go, follow the checkout instructions. You'll receive an email confirming your order, and another one when the order is ready to go. You can either pick your order up from the store, or we can send it to you.

Most orders take two to five business day. If we've got the book in stock, even better - we'll notify you as soon as we pull it off the shelf. So, if you'd like to keep your business local, but prefer the ease of online ordering, we've now got the best of both worlds. Visit http://www.duttonsbrentwood.com/ to see how easy it can be - or, if you just can't wait, use the search box at the top of this email and be taken directly to the site. (And, of course, for traditionalists we always welcome telephone and fax orders as well).

Is there life after Harry?...........That's the question facing J.K. Rowling, whose modern day cultural icon, Harry Potter, has been retired with the seventh and final book in the series. Luckily for her fans, there are reports that she is already at work on a new book - this time an adult detective story. She has been spotted in Scottish cafes working on the project. As of yet, no official confirmation. But if these rumors are correct it means that children who grew up with Harry, Ron and Hermoine will now have new J.K. Rowling creations to greet them in adulthood.
Is there life after Harry?, Part II..........What about all the young children who have only just recently come to Harry Potter and are too young to wait out Rowling's rumored mystery novel? (see above). For them, fortunately, there are plenty of other exciting series to jump into with both feet.

We've displayed a number of them in the East Room for your perusal; but here's a sample: Warriors by Erin Hunter, the Pendragon series by D.J. McHale, The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins, His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, The Lord of the Rings by Tolkein, and, of course, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis.

We should note that it is probably not by coincidence that a number of these series have recently been, or are about to become, Hollywood movie franchises.