Babbo's Books

Google to the rescue?

2010-12-06T15:18:00.000-08:00

I'm not going to lie. It's hard out here for a bookseller.

(Used to be that I would have specified "independent" booksellers but that's no longer the case. Borders is in trouble; Barnes & Noble might resuscitate themselves with the Nook, but they could easily lose the war to Google and Amazon.)

First, it was the corporation bookstores like the aforementioned. Then, online selling began to eat into everyone's profits. Finally, e-books seemed to threaten our very existence.

Today, I learned the amazing fact that Google is making deals with independent bookstores to sell e-books in brick-and-mortar stores.

This is a watershed moment. Though e-books are not my cup of tea, I recognize their incredible usefulness, especially to lighten students' textbook loads. They are here to stay. However, I've also been hearing from customers, friends, and family that they will mourn the day when actual bookstores close. Now, it seems, bookstores may survive digitization in a way that music stores, for the most part, have not.

Who knows why Google has decided to support bookstores? Perhaps it is a PR move or perhaps someone in the company leadership is one of those who do not want us to disappear.

I will be contacting them in the morning to see if it's feasible and practical for us to sign up for this program. I'll let you know what happens. E-books may come to Babbo's Books!

An article about it.

A Holly Update - On the Up and Up!

2010-08-20T14:04:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, it's been a real roller coaster ride with our little furball but, for once, we're climbing up into the air or zooming to the ground (whichever part of that analogy indicates good times).

I took Holly to the vet on Monday and her levels are down! (This is a good thing)

I actually took her because I was worried. She'd seemed lethargic and ornery the past week or two and then she threw up (some kind of frothy liquid - yum!) twice in three days. I was worried my girl had taken a turn for the worse. And I chided myself because I hadn't brought her to the vet in nearly a year.

So, it was finally time. Whatever the news would be, I would handle it. And if she was in pain or something was wrong, I had to take her.

We saw Dr. Caruso at Pet Haven. As soon as Holly spilled out onto the steel table, she remarked on how good she looked for a cat with kidney disease. The vet tech complimented her soft fur. My pet owner pride rose.

She was a delight, holding still for the needle and letting the vet tech hold her like a baby.

Then, the 20 minute nerve-wracking wait for the initial results of the blood work which would tell me the most important information, her BUN and creatinine levels. These are waste products excreted through the kidneys. High levels indicate kidney failure. The last time her blood was tested, her BUN was 71 and her creatinine was 6.5. Normal ranges are respectively 14 - 36 and .6 - 2.4. A cat who is in renal failure will often have a BUN level of more than 80. As for creatinine, any level over 5 is considered very dangerous. Perhaps that's why a vet we saw subtly suggested we put her down.

Thank the god I don't believe in that we didn't! Dr. Caruso called me back into the room with a smile on her face. "I'm very pleased with these numbers!"

Holly's BUN is now 48 and her creatinine is 3.9. I may have literally jumped for joy. The numbers are elevated above normal but that will always be the case for a cat with kidney disease. The important thing is what we're doing is working! Daily fluid injections, the occasional appetite stimulant, and (in the last month) prescription cat food. Dr. Caruso recommended we simply continue. She's doing great!

Speak of the devil. She just hopped up on my lap. She's been in good spirits since her trip and hasn't thrown up once. The little minx is still sleeping a lot. Apparently, it was just the heat.

My cat is happy and healthy. From now on, I look forward to vet visits!

Thanks for the continued contributions! It helps mightily; these visits, medicine and food are expensive.

Cat kidney disease information came from: http://www.felinecrf.com/tests0.htm and http://www.felinecrf.org/how_bad_is_it.htm

Salinger is dead.

2010-01-28T11:58:00.000-08:00

On top of the expected emotions of sadness and acceptance (he was 91, after all), I feel relieved.

In high school, it occurred to me that some day he would die and that when he did "Catcher in the Rye" in a way would no longer be his and someone would make a movie out of it. In my teenage purist fashion, I thought a movie version of this book would be sacrilegious. A) Holden hates the movies and B) Nothing is phonier than Hollywood. I still feel this way but the relief comes from realizing I'm not worried or fearful about a movie translation anymore. I've grown up. They make movies out of the books I love. I don't have to see them. It doesn't destroy the book.

I fell in love with "Catcher" when I was thirteen. I remember coming into English class the day after we started the book. We were only supposed to have read the early chapters but I was so enamored I was quite far into it; my main concern that day was discussing the book without giving anything away, not wanting to ruin it for my classmates. Before I'd even put my book bag down, a girl asked me to give her a rundown on what we were supposed to have read. I was shocked. In her hands, she held a book that was changing my life. I gave her a summary. As the class began, it seemed no one was as affected as I was so I took it as a sign that me and Holden had a special relationship. Only I understood him, only I understood this book.

The brilliance, of course, of this book is that everyone feels this way, who fall in love with it. Later I would meet people who were similarly moved; it stopped surprising me by around college.

Holden, you will always hold a place in my heart. Whoever Salinger was as a person, whatever they do to your character on the screen.

A sign that bookstores are still in our future!

2009-12-23T14:58:00.000-08:00

The Espresso Book Machine has access to hundreds of thousands of books, both those in the public domain and off of Google.

If I got one for Babbo's, I could print book requests right here in the store in under 15 minutes.
It's a thought.
The link to the story is right here.

Book Spotlight

2009-12-05T13:36:00.000-08:00

So, I don't know about anyone else, but for me the idea that Jews were never slaves in Egypt (as Shlomo argues), were perhaps not even servants in Egypt, were not even in Egypt at all?, deeply upsets the core of my Jewish identity. For me, Judaism is not about religion or faith. It's about history.

Passover is one of my favorite holidays. I love reading the Haggadah. I do imagine myself leaving Egypt (though in a slightly more realistic fashion). If the Passover story is a lie concocted by Jewish leaders to convince their brethren to attack Canaan (as I've heard Shlomo claims), I might have to stop being Jewish. We'll see. I'll read the book.

What do you think?

PLEDGE DRIVE!

2009-09-26T13:40:00.000-07:00

Drive the WBC out of Brooklyn!
(Well, not literally)

They are protesting Sunday, at St. Patrick's Cathedral from 8:30 to 9:00am. Then, they appear to be driving back to Kansas (Yay!) so they can protest a Jewish center Monday morning.

It's exactly 1,236 miles from St. Patrick's in New York, NY to K.U. Hillel in Lawrence, Kansas.

For every mile these bigots drive from our lovely city back to Kansas you can pledge 1 cent, 2 cents, 3 cents (whatever you want) to
the Anti-Defamation League or
the Southern Poverty Law Center

And we're having a party to celebrate!
All day Sunday!

Come on by to give cash or checks. I'll add them up and let everyone know the total the next day. Then I'll mail checks to the ADL and SPLC.

Click here to see their dastardly retreat.

Love, Peace, and Happiness!

Keepin' the English language alive.

2009-09-05T09:26:00.000-07:00

Today, I became a proud parent. My child is the word "myriander". Being that the most important parental duty is keeping a child alive, I have promised to use myriander as frequently as possible. This blog post is my first time using this word, so I hope you don't mind an arbitrary sentence:

As William Wallace watched the hills, a myriander of soldiers came through the morning mist and attacked his men.

Myriander means "ten thousand men" and for some reason, when I opted to use this word, images from "Braveheart" wafted into my brain.

The people responsible for convincing me to save a word that's going out of use (not that it took much convincing, my immediate thought was "cool!") are the folks over at the Oxford English Dictionary. This was the first comprehensive dictionary ever created; they've been keeping obscure words around for hundreds of years.

Myriander obviously needs saving. Not only do the red squiggly lines appear every time I type it here, but it doesn't even show up on dictionary.com. So, I will be bringing her back to life. Won't you help? After all, it takes a village.

http://savethewords.org/

She's ba-a-ack!

2009-08-31T11:33:00.000-07:00

A Holly update:

We held a-ahem-perfectly legal poker tournament on Saturday night in Holly's honor and raised $300.00 for her vet bills! That brings the Total of Holly's donations to...(drumroll)...$1109.00! It's incredible. I never expected people to be so generous. I'll add up Holly's vet bills tonight and see how close we've gotten.

Thank you again and again to everyone who's donated and/or said kind words about Holly.

More good news! Guess who's sitting on my lap at this very moment at the counter of Babbo's Books. Holly! She's back, for the time being, at the store. I, for one, think she's much happier here than at home. Come and visit!

Agreed!

2009-08-21T08:46:00.000-07:00

'Tis the good reader that makes the good book.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Another one bites the dust...or goes multi-national.

2009-08-13T16:45:00.000-07:00

I guess it depends on your point of view.

Abebooks.com, one of the largest book selling sites recently got acquired by Amazon. Now, I am not opposed to online selling, even though it probably is the biggest reason independent bookstores have been going under. I sell on Alibris.com, because it is the easiest way for an indie to stay afloat, even thrive.

I used to order exclusively from Abebooks and Alibris, though, because unlike Amazon these two sites specialized in rare books. Now that Abebooks is essentially Amazon, I will order used books exclusively from Alibris.com, at least until another indie seller pops up. But that begs the question, are independent online sellers even independent anymore?

Alibris also lists their books on other, more popular sites like B&N, Borders, and Half.com. I have certainly benefited from this union, selling twice as many books online as usual. So, is there a difference between Alibris working with Half.com and Abebooks being bought by Amazon?

I long ago rationalized selling online. At least the money coming in is going to an independent bookstore, mine. Can I rationalize my books appearing on a huge website like Half.com? On the one hand, I'm thrilled to be selling so many. On the other, I feel I'm no different from the millions who support Amazon that drive small bookstores out of business.

However, people who buy my books through B&N and Half.com are still supporting an indie store as opposed to the huge corporations.

My old business teacher taught that the most important quality for a thriving business is flexibility. The book business is not the same as it was 20 or even 10 years ago. In order for us to survive as independents, we need to expand into new markets. Alibris needs to build coalitions with B&N. I need to sell books online.

However, we do not have to sell out completely. We don't need to give our money to Amazon and Abebooks. We can keep funneling money to the independent sellers, whether online or at the brick-and-mortars. And, in that way, keep a big part of the book culture that we love alive.

On a lighter note!

2009-07-25T10:15:00.000-07:00

"I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman,
'Where's the self-help section?' She said if she told me,
it would defeat the purpose."

-George Carlin

How the heck is Holly? (the second Holly update)

2009-07-24T09:52:00.000-07:00

I've got some bad news to write which is why I've put it off for a few days.

On Wednesday, the vet called me. Holly's numbers (i.e. the level of toxicity in her blood) had gone up, back to where they were when I first brought her in.

Since then, I've made a renewed effort to get her to eat so that when she gets the test again on Tuesday, the numbers will have gone down a little.

I'm thinking about bringing her to a different vet, trying cat acupuncture (which is actually supposed to help), and trying holistic medicines. She's only 3 1/2, this can't be the end.

Also, I want to thank everyone again for their support, financial and emotional. Since last Tuesday night, a week and a half ago, when we found out she was sick, we have raised $431.50. This is incredibly helpful; to be honest, it will help me pay the rent at the end of the month. I've been absolutely stunned by how many people ask about Holly's well-being, who say they think about her and pray for her.

I will ask the vet if he thinks it's wise for her to come back to work. I think the attention and love might do her good. And I miss her during the day.

A bright, shining idea

2009-07-18T16:54:00.000-07:00

Amaya, the elementary school aged daughter of a customer, Eduardo, just came into the store to announce that she will be selling her original artwork to benefit Holly.

This art sale will happen in the next few weeks, she informed me.

I am overwhelmed with the thoughtfulness of everyone.

Holly Update - the crazy cat's home!

2009-07-17T10:20:00.000-07:00

She's doing slightly better. Amy & I have to give her fluid from an IV twice a day and pills and try to get her to eat. Needless to say, it's not the easiest thing in the world but the fact that she's out of the hospital and at home lying in the sun makes me happy.

The goal is now to get enough fluids in her that she wants to eat. She drank a bit of water this morning. When she's drinking water and eating, then no more IV! I will have to keep her on a low-protein, kidney-friendly diet. But she'll be fine.

Thanks for the well-wishes and prayers, everyone! It's good to know Holly's got so many people thinking about her.

Holly Needs Your Help!

2009-07-15T09:07:00.000-07:00

Holly, everyone’s favorite bookstore employee, has just been diagnosed with kidney disease.

We will do everything we can for her, but the treatment is going to be expensive.

We don't expect you to donate but if you want to, we appreciate it.

Every penny helps!

Thank you in advance. We will keep you updated on her condition.

Parent's Picks Nominee

2009-06-17T16:40:00.000-07:00

Hey, everybody!

Head over to Nickelodeon's parenting website (www.parentsconnect.com) to vote for Babbo's if we're your favorite bookstore in Brooklyn.

Don't be shy about your feelings. Click once every day and see if we can catch up to BookCourt. Voting ends July 15th.

Here's the direct link: Vote Babbo's Books!

Rare books and odd questions.

2009-06-17T16:37:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Babbo's Books blog!

Here is where I try to think of interesting things to say. Oh!, and to let you all know what's happening at Babbo's. That, too.