Everybody Loves Larry

This is not just my opinion. Friends of mine once told me they were apprehensive about meeting my husband, because opposites attract and since I was so nice, what could my spouse be like? Well, what do you think?  THEY LOVED HIM.  They loved him so much that they created a t-shirt and instead of "Everybody Loves Raymond," it said "Everybody Loves Larry."  Embarrassed, he has never worn it.

Embarrassed, he has not read this article which Brenden West wrote in the Dixon Telegraph either. However, he has told me about the many folks who have and who have told him how much they like it. He has given me a lot of credit, maybe too much.  He always says that Carolyn is the brains of Books on First.  I say that Larry is the face of Books on First.  Without him, Books on First would have the personality of a closet, maybe nice, but not very inviting or interesting or enlightening or exceptional.  Let's all pat each other on the back for knowing and loving Larry.

See you at the bookstore soon. 

Your Shoes Can Walk an Extra Mile in a New Direction

Whether your shoes are now too tight, too loose, too scruffy, too out-of-fashion or just don't give you joy anymore, you don't have to feel bad about giving them up. The Kiwanis here in Dixon are collecting shoes for several worldwide projects -- the not-so-bad, gently used or just too good to lose shoes become projects to train people to get them refurbished and sold again.  The soles/souls of no-longer-even-look-like-shoes become material for playground cushions (isn't that where old tires go, too?).  They want to collect 7500 pairs by 14 December 2015.  Can they do it? Let's have a reality show and see!

UPDATE AS OF 15APRIL2016 -- DIXON KIWANIS WILL CONTINUE TO COLLECT SHOES UNTIL THEY HAVE A TRUCKLOAD.  SO, THOSE OF YOU LOOKING TO SPRING CLEAN (SUMMER CLEAN?) THOSE SHOE RACKS, YOU STILL HAVE TIME TO BRING THOSE JOYLESS SHOES TO BOOKS ON FIRST FOR A NEW LIFE AS FIXED UP VINTAGE PRODUCT FOR SALE, TRAINING MATERIAL FOR WOULD-BE SHOE ARTISTS or IF NOTHING ELSE, PLAYGROUND SAFETY GROUNDCOVER!

Here at Books on First, we are one of the drop-off points, a plus for being a bricks-n-mortar location (try that!, amazon.com).  So, as you change your life and want to change the lives of your departing shoes, too, think of the Kiwanis project.

And, as you roll up your sleeves and change your life by tidying up, after your shoes, take a look at your books.  If a few titles no longer bring you joy, bring them to us at Books on First as we set up our Second Chance Saloon, with used and out-of-print books.

Onward Low Cholesterol (and Tasty Treats) Fans

9781581825862

I first learned about baking with olive oil from Melissa Romito, a fellow drudge at Fantasy Diamond, a graphic designer now living in or around Detroit.  Her boyfriend was in a cool situation which required a lot of treats for co-workers, which Melissa supplied.  Extras made their way to her co-workers.  So, when I was advised by my physician to "avoid" not only butter, cream, sour cream, whole eggs and whole milk, but also "homemade baked cakes & cookies" while giving up the drugs and controlling bad cholesterol through diet, I felt I had to figure out something if I wanted to continue supplying Larry and other family members (read: self) with baked goods, and remembered her baking with olive oil.
This book by Lisa A. Sheldon extols the virtues of baking with olive oil and highlights the dairy-free.  It cannot be found on Books on First website's on-line search (which unfortunately has definitely deteriorated either through our upgrade to Drupahl7 and subsequent change in "heuristics" or a change in the relationship between IndieCommerce and Ingram Book Company which had supplied the search engine/algorithms/whatever which used to make our online search very much like our in-store search with our wholesaler (Ingram), but call (815-285-2665) or e-mail us if you want to get a copy.

The only problem I am having with this cookbook is the printing/editing.  The author obviously meant to highlight the actual amount of olive oil used in each recipe, maybe in an olive colour.  No printer or editor thought to tell her and she did not think to see or change the galleys/test print. Instead of the amount of olive oil in each recipe being bold and important, it is hardly legible.

If you want to be even more cholesterol-free conscious, use only egg whites (2 whites = 1 whole egg) or egg whites available in cartons in the grocery store.  Cooking with Eggbeaters™ was also suggested by my doctor, but my response is, "You don't say that to someone who has 40 chickens running around the place," and I don't like to waste food.  I guess I could use 6 egg whites for a three-egg recipe and then, scramble the yolks and make an egg yolk omelet for Larry, but he says he likes balance.  For example, even though he does prefer yolks to whites, he would not want an all-yellow egg salad.  Admittedly, I don't use eggs much anymore since we sell many to good customers at the bookstore, giving people another reason to STEP OUT (of their houses) and STEP IN (to Books on First, of course!).

When cooking with olive oil, I know that it reaches smoking temperature level faster than most other cooking oils if not the fastest, meaning that olive oil heating on the stove in a skillet will get hot faster and start to smoke (and burn) very quickly.  I didn't see that there's any ill effect in baking, although for Larry (unintentionally), I burned a batch so badly, that he loved them, knowing they were burnt, but also thinking they were chocolate-flavoured.

I had to research "pastry flour."  How was that different from "all-purpose flour?"  Is it the same as cake flour?  Luckily, in this day and age, if one reads enough Google search result sites, one can figure out the differences and compensate for them.  Wikipedia is usually my go-to fact finder, but in this case, it was too technical and for practical purposes, I relied heavily on thekitchn.com (yes, that's "kitchen" without the "e," which will in 10 years or less be the accepted way to spell the name of that room). It's all about the ingredients used to make the "flour," the milling and whatnot and ultimately, how much protein/gluten the flour has.  Pastry flour has less protein while bread flour has more.  Since almost every recipe in the book has both all-purpose and pastry flour, I am wondering if the author is using the gluten/protein balance of both to compensate for the differences between butter and olive oil (for one thing, olive oil actually has less moisture than butter).  I simply use regular flour (all-purpose white or whole wheat) and add 2 tablespoons ("T") of cornstarch for each cup ("C").

I made the True Spice Cookies from this book and brought them to my parents' 80th b-day celebrations in New Jersey last weekend, because my nephew had remarked once that of all the selection of cookies I had previously brought, he had really liked the spice cookies.  Here is the recipe, a taste of the whole book:

¾ cup olive oil
¼C molasses
1C granulated sugar
2 eggs
1teaspoon ("t") vanilla extract
1¾C all purpose flour
1C whole wheat pastry flour (or 1C whole wheat flour with 2T cornstarch)
1½t baking soda
½t salt
1½T ground cinnamon
1½T ground ginger
1t mace
2t ground cloves

¼C granulated sugar [NOTE: THIS IS OPTIONAL FOR ROLLING THE DOUGH BALLS IN BEFORE BAKING, AND HAVING A NICE SUGARY, CRUNCHY FINISH ESPECIALLY IF YOU LIKE COOKIES ON THE SOFT SIDE.  BUT, IF YOU DO WANT TO DO THIS, YOU'RE GOING TO NEED MORE THAN ¼C SUGAR]

In a large bowl [which ultimately will have all the ingredients plus go into the fridge], whisk together olive oil, molasses, cup of granulated sugar, eggs & vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl, combine the flours and other dry ingredients.  Pour into the wet and stir until well combined.  Cover the dough and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 350°F and line the baking sheets with parchment paper.  Place the remaining sugar in a small [shallow] bowl.
Form the dough into 1½" balls and roll into the sugar[, if desired].  Place on baking sheets and bake for approx 10-12 minutes or until tops crack.  Allow cookies to cool 5 minutes before transferring them to cool completely.  [For harder cookies, bake approx 3-5 minutes longer.  Sometimes, if you keep looking for the tops to crack, you will have snappily hard cookies, so compromise.]
Makes roughly 3 dozen cookies [so says the author].

As we don't have these treats yet at Books on First, I am fine with your making them for yourself and bringing some for Larry, but for Larry, be sure to burn them.

Thank You, Thank You Very Much

There are lots of reasons why we as Books on First are happy to be here.  One of the best reason is the appreciation people have shown through public displays of affection and praise.

Here are two recent ones:

Bob Manson is travelling around the country, visiting independent bookstores, blogging and hoping to write a book about his travels.  Recently, he was at Books on First and spent a little time with Larry.  Larry said that a man just came in and without a word started taking photographs.  Later, they talked and posed together.  One thing I noticed about these photos posted on his blog and facebook is that except for the one with Larry and Bob together, they are devoid of people! Gee, that says a lot about how busy we were.  Check it out!

http://theindiebobspot.blogspot.com/2015/04/books-on-first-dixon-il.html

Former Dixon Main Street Director Philip LeFevre has been heard on WNIJ's Perspectives series several times with ideas that may or may not have legs, but his latest was on revitalized Downtown Dixon, in which he begins by saying:

It started about 16 years ago with the opening of an independent book store and cafe on a downtown street corner.  That started Downtown Dixon's transformation into the worlds of art and culture.

 All we can say, is, We're happy to be here.  And thank you, thank you very much.

.

Looking Forward to a New Collection of Irish Writing

Alison Flood reports in The Guardian newspaper on a forthcoming collection of works by Irish writers inspired by works in Ireland's National Gallery, Lines of Vision: Irish Writers on Art.  Street date for this title in the United States is 14 October 2014.  The publication commemorates the 150th anniversary of the National Gallery of Ireland's opening.

Flood does a wonderful job of describing Seamus Heaney's contribution and how he responded to the call from Janet McLean, the gallery’s curator of European art 1850-1950, who edits the $35 volume.  It seems that the late Heaney's style was like mine, tending to let a poem "pickle" and making changes as necessary before it is "final."  (In no way should the gentle reader think yours truly believes I'm anywhere near the talent and skill of Seamus Heaney.

In addition to Heaney, Roddy Doyle, Colm Tóibín and Larry's favorite John Banville are also contributors.  What a beautiful gift this would make for any lover or art and literature.  Pre-order it from Books on First now.  

Remembering the Influence of Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou passed out of our world on 28 May 2014.  A great poet, writer and activist, I discovered she had also been a Calypso singer.  Why do we discover these things after someone dies?  NPR had this great remembrance including a quote from Billie Holiday, which now I cannot find on its site, but Associated Press came through. 

Some of us believe poetry is meant to be read aloud.  Others see poetry as visual art.  Maya Angelou was a great orator and could read her poetry like nobody's business.  Her greatest influence, a book which still sold a copy now again, was her memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, which unbelievably had been banned at one point. 

Long before Books on First, when Larry was just a lad, there was a bookstore in Dixon, called Edward's Bookstore.  Larry and most everyone else who mentioned it recalled that the guy who ran Edward's (it is in question as to when the actual Edward was still there at Edward's) was a curmudgeon who really did not welcome customers and that the store didn't have anything they wanted to buy (surmised in the very brief time that they were in the uncomfortable store looking).  They were happy that we came to Dixon to give them a new perspective on small independent bookstores.

However, I recall one person who grew up on a Lee County farm, but now lives in San Francisco who had visited Dixon a few years after we opened and exclaimed over Books on First, fondly recalling Edward's.  She said, "I remember that the first book I ever bought there was Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.  It was the most incredible book.  And because I found it at Edward's, I think of Edward's as an oasis of enlightenment and I love that you're carrying on the tradition."

We're happy to be here.  And, we're happy to continue the tradition of sharing Maya Angelou with all of you.

Let Books on First Be Your Caffeine Den of Choice

While everyone grapples with the implication of legalizing recreational marijuana (e.g., exactly how does one measure a DUI), caffeine has been a safe and legal stimulant in the USofA for a long time (thank goodness).  Whether you take it in a tea, a brewed coffee or a latte, we urge you to make Books on First your caffeine den of choice.

So what was Chicago's music scene like in the 1960s and 1970s?  One person who can tell you is Larry Dunphy.  As a young man still helping out on the farm, he was going to hear live performances of entertainers on their way up or on their way down or just on their way from one big town to another, like from St Louis or Kansas City to Chicago.  It was like heaven going to Chicago.
Larry's first music love is folk.  He can tell you about nightly fests at the Earl of Old Town, no longer with us.  He enjoys blues and straight ahead jazz, too.  Last week, we went to see Judy Roberts play at the Jazz Showcase, which has been around since 1947.  It has moved from one location to another all over the City of Chicago, and is currently in the back of the renovated Dearborn Station. 

Shortly after we met as neighbors, after months of talking about it, he took me to the Get Me High in the summer of 1988 and it was like going to a private house party.  We sat in the backyard on rickety chairs listening to the jazz.  Of course, that was in the last century.  Today, I hear that the Get Me High Lounge is renovated and "packed with hipsters."

Larry will tell you that there is nothing like live music.  He was fortunate to be in Chicago at a time when it was everywhere and cost but a few beers.

And, on Saturday, 21 Sep 2013, you can meet the author of The Chicago Music Scene 1960s and 1970s and musician in his own right, Dean Milano, making his debut at Books on First in Dixon.  Books on First hosts live music most Saturdays throughout the year, 7-9pm.  He heard about us through some of musicians who might actually be in the book.  Neither on the way up, down or between big city gigs, we are gratified to be known as a destination for many musicians.

Whoops! Mr Moto, I'm a Coffee Pot!

This week on NPR's Morning Edition brings us a series on coffee, which promises to be very interesting to those of us who enjoy stories or trivial (meaning, less than life-changing) facts.

I recall while at Vassar attending an intimately small group discussion with the editor of the Bergen County, NJ, paper, who ranked on her résumè, as having been part of the effort to create the "coffee break."  She worked for the South American Coffee Board (this might not be the official name) and before Juan Valdez or in conjunction with the introduction of this coffee-tasting arbiter, her team approached unions and persuaded them to demand a 10-minute coffee break in their workers' contracts.  Well, once the unionized employees had this perk, the others wanted it, too.  Voila, coffee breaks abound and employers wanted to make sure their employees were using the coffee break to drink coffee!

This is a ploy that was quite successful for many benefits -- the unions get it first and then, everyone in the company demands to have it.  Most people are not students of history and thus, do not know that unions spearheaded most of our cherished notions of decent working conditions, like the 8-hour workday ("Eight hours for work, eight hours for sleep, eight hours for what we may")  or the idea of the "weekend."  Of course, union leaders and members have done their part to alienate the general public and have allowed employers to find ways around their strategies. Again, back at Vassar, the unionized maintenance workers refused to do so many small tasks, it simply exasperated students and non-union workers, like not having to dust above body height.  All rules started out being reasonable and for a good reason, but there's always that "slippery slope" of one exception, so the maintenance workers stood their ground on cleaning most library shelves.  (So, we library workers, students and salaried librarians alike, were self-compelled to do it -- against policy but in favor of respiratory health.)

Getting off track, again, but that's what discussion is all about, and what you'll find at Books on First.  Let me leave you with a tune in your heart, although I like my coffee dark and hot, I like this song a lot:  Take a listen (and look) to The Inkspots "Java Jive."

Just Five More Days to Sign Up for World Book Night 23 April 2013

Walk into Books on First and you will see our display of the 30 books chosen for this year's World Book Night.  The selection is impressive, ranging from newer titles like Tina Fey's Bossypants to classics like Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.  Join thousands of readers in the USA, UK, Ireland and Germany as they generously share their time and love of reading with others who may not be as aware of what reading books can do.  As you, dear reader, probably know, books can enlighten, entertain, engage, express, empower, explain, inform, immerse, inspire, transport, comfort, articulate, apply and do so much more for the reader.

For fun and reference, listen again to David Sedaris reading from his Me Talk Pretty One Day (one of this year's WBN choices) on NPR/APM's This American Life, and see you on the 23rd of April!

(Il)Literacy Continues to Be a Challenge in the USA

As I'm sure I have posted previously, one of the first volunteer activities I wanted to do when I arrived in Chicago, when I felt financially secure and under no obligations beyond the 40-60 hours/week demanded by my employer, was tutoring adults who wanted to learn to read.  I have written about this before: I see adult illiteracy as an affront to our nation and the responsibility of all of us Americans to confront and correct. 

It continues to be a challenge, as highlighted in NPR's current series Front and Center about illiteracy in the USA.  Illiterates are usually not stupid.  In fact, they are probably very smart, surviving in a world in which knowing how to read something as straightforward as a street sign can be a challenge, and that an honest but avoidable mistake could cost.  Do you really want to leave janitorial tasks to someone who might mix ammonia with bleach, because the contents of the jugs as well as the jugs look the same, but there were not giant letters, A and B, on them?  Do we really want someone who is smart enough to have started a business which creates jobs and value in the community to be limited to a day laborer job, because she has dyslexia or another neglected obstacle which prevented her from learning how to read? 

Unfortunately, I no longer believe I have the necessary time to be such a direct influence, but I do feel Books on First does its part and hope it can do more.  We of course provide books and magazines for sale.  There are reading discussions continuously with and among customers.  We allow people to come in and tutor.  We participated in and encouraged customers to participate in World Book Night.  Let me know what else you think we can do to help obliterate illiteracy, today in Sauk Valley, tomorrow in the world.

Aim globally.  Think locally.  Act personally.

Autumn By Any Other Name

From the Latin word for the season, autumnus which itself is "o.o.o. -- of obscure origin," per Eric Partridge. Partridge was known for his incredible research into all words English, including slang and bawdy Shakespeare. His work is still respected, and titles are available either reprinted or updated and sold at astronomical prices (e.g., The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English (9th ed.) for $245.00 with no discount for bookseller).

We do know that Chaucer first introduced it as a name for the season the English called "Harvest," and I hear the word is still preferred by Brits over "Fall," which etymologists say comes from the "fall of leaves."  "Fall" is preferred by Americans and Canadians (or North Americans, as the Canadians so generously say).  I prefer, "Autumn," although I did like the wordplay of "Fall" as used in "The Four Seasons," the eponymous musical play about the singing group.  The seasons were used as headers for the chapters of the group's lifespan, beginning, of course, with Spring, to denote its verdant start, and Fall, denoting the beginning of the original group's demise.

On the morrow in Downtown Dixon is this year's Scarecrow Festival. This is its 15th year, and Books on First has been in the thick of it, mostly with scarecrows which look like Larry.  This year, he's upside down reading a book and sipping coffee through a straw! 
With the changing of leaves, harvest, pumpkins, cooler weather and scarecrows, how can anyone not like Autumn?

Pumpkin Shortage Alert

Have you heard that there is a pumpkin shortage? It starts in the Northeast and then spreads, as the "law" of supply and demand kicks in around the country.

However, we at Books on First are on the ready with all sorts of books to satisfy that pumpkin urge.

What Makes Books on First a Great Place to Visit

We are an equal opportunity great good place.  We could have a physician, a millwright, a retired schoolteacher, an unemployed housepainter and a beer salesperson all standing  and conversing together, two or more of them with little ceramic espresso cups, one with a strong black tea and milk, and cups of brewed coffee for the rest.  One of the reasons is that we generally follow 50 Things That Customers (Subliminally) Wish You Knew.

On the other hand, we have people who avoid coming into our store and staying awhile.  They opt for a more comfortable (for them) place, because the BoF crowd is too noisy, too quiet, too masculine, too feminine, too old or too young at any given time.  It's a balancing act.  And of course, the character of the bricks-and-mortar store changes with the weather, the time of the year, and even the health of the persons working at the moment.  And, if it's Saturday and only Carolyn is minding the place, they grab their mocha lattes or Black Current iced teas and beat a quick retreat to go visit our traveling store at the Ogle County Fairgrounds or Nachusa Grasslands.

This cannot be said of the website.  Its character changes, but of a different nature.  The content may change.  More information may be added.  An editor may even decide to move blocks from one side of the screen to the other, or add another page.  The basic appearance and "feel" of the site remain the same.  Supposedly web-savvy persons like customer service personnel at IndieBound and our own user-experience guy John Chin urge that we pick a theme and a sitemap and don't stray from it as that change would "confuse" the visitor.  So in a way, the web store is more static than the bricks-n-mortar, counter-intuitive but true.  Most people like stability, continuity and predictability.  Change is usually desired, but not generally anticipated or initially welcomed when it comes.  When change occurs, it's often a big deal and sometimes, not a pleasant one.  Change can be abrupt and transformative.  Change can be subtly evolutionary and so gradually pervade the psyche to be even more unpleasant when finally acknowledged.  Such are the times in which we live, both gradual and transformative change has led us to the decision of totally re-creating www.booksonfirst.com.

The original website is more of a bulletin board or online newsletter.  We'd like to think of the new website platform as another location and another employee all wrapped up in one.  We are working hard to make it work for those who interact better online than face-to-face or through the telephone.  It is certainly not the same as being in the store or even visiting the wall on facebook where one can solicit a lot of opinions and recommendations in a public forum, but it will be less static.  With shopping capabilities on the website, our customers will be able to search for titles at 11:30pm or 2am.  If an e-book is what's wanting, he can buy it online and store it on Google's cloud or download it onto his laptop for reading on the jet plane.  If she wants to pick up a printed bound or audio book and pay for it at the Dixon location, she can do that, too (what we have always called, "reserving it in" or "putting it on hold").  We are hoping that while visiting the website is not the same as visiting the bricks-n-mortar location, it along with Brenda, Antoinette, Kevin, Larry and Carolyn is what continues to makes Book on First a Great Place to Visit.  Come join us.

Live Music on Saturdays

We welcome back Dan Hagemann, our man from Nashville. He writes his own material and reminiscent (to me) of Mike Rutherford, Dan Fogelberg and Bruce Hornsby. We are very appreciative that he arranges to play with us when comes to visit his mother living in nearby Oregon, IL.  (Or hmm, maybe his mother is appreciative that he visits her when he arranges to come play with us).

Tomorrow night,  Saturday, 20 August, 7-9pm, here at Books on First, your destination for the best pass-the-hat live entertainment in Sauk Valley almost every Saturday night -- be here or miss out!  We look forward to seeing you (and as always, come early to order a frappe, as out of respect for the musician and music, we do not make them during the performance).

Energy Fair Time Again!

This weekend, 13-14 August, marks the 10th year for the Illinois Renewable Energy & Sustainable Lifestyle Fair.  Books on First has been a exhibitor for this evolving event since the beginning.  It continues to be a passion for Bob and Sonia Vogl, founders of the Illinois Renewable Energy Association (IREA).  Sonia is very aggressive in getting and keeping quality workshops, speakers, exhibitors and more!  And our Proprietor-Manager (and Master Barista) works hard on his end to find the best and most interesting books that fairgoers might be interested in.  There will be a 6.75% discount(we pay the sales tax!) for all books sold on-site, so come and check us all out!

Happy Independence Day Weekend!

This year, 4 July falls on a Monday, creating the quintessential American holiday weekend.  Celebrate the IndieBound independent booksellers.  Come in to purchase a book now before we close to enjoy some time off.

And Now, Hankerchiefs, Please...
Eric Felten published a commentary on wsj.com about the usefulness of book publishers and how we will miss them when they're gone.  Amen.
Now, could someone get one written and published on bricks-and-mortar booksellers for both book publishers and readers?

Not the Third Wednesday, or There's Nothing Like Live Music

As we walked south on Chicago's North Clark Street towards Carmen Avenue and home, my companion said, "Let's hope this is the third Wednesday of the month," which it was not.  So, we made a little detour into a bar that we've only seen crowded at these times.

Every second and fourth Wednesday of the month, The Western Elstons infuse Simon's Tavern with a rocking roackabilly, a swinging Western swing and 21st century American country.  There's a lead vocalist and guitarist, a bass guitarist, a stand-up bass player, a drummer who some may say is a Buddy Holly look-a-like and a switchhitter playing both the guitar and the "pedal steel guitar."  All look like they're having fun playing oldies but goodies like "Maybelline," and "What Am I Worth (on God's green earth if I'm not worth nothing to you)?" in a whole new way.  The pedal steel guitar looks like two guitar necks with steel strings mounted on bars with air pedals below.  The very able guitarist (whose name I imperfectly heard as Joe P...) played it like a combination harp/organ/guitar with a steel bar and  I was skeptical that it would still be called a "steel guitar" until I did my research.  The pedal steel guitar looked older and well-used and maybe even too small for the player, but sounded great and figured in all the rounds of solos.  The band played an all-instrumental version of "Sentimental Journey" and while the whistling was apt (I see that the way to get a whistle's sounds onto the mic is to place the side of one's cheek to it), the steel guitar is what made the piece a signature Western Elston.  The diverse crowd too was having a great time.  One couple even found room for a tight, crisp two-step.  There was no cover, but it was pass-the-beer-pitcher for tips.

Recall: It was after a rollicking two-set night with The Western Elstons that our master barista slipped on his pant leg while disrobing and broke his arm.  Yes, isn't the name nifty and a delight for Chicago insiders, who would know that there is a Western Avenue and an Elston Avenue, which cross with a third avenue -- Diversey -- on the northwest side of Chicago.

There's live music at Books on First every Saturday night (except before holidays, like this coming weekend, 2 July which precedes 4 July, Independence Day on Monday).  You don't have to miss either The Western Elstons or Sauk Valley's best pass-the-hat live music in a coffeehouse setting.

Happy Bloomsday

For those of you who have not heard, Ulysses takes place one day in the life of Dublin through the eyes of Leopold Bloom.  No, that's not quite right.  It's a lot more complex than that.  Bloom is the character that links each scene.  Regardless, ... that day has been identified as 16 June, and so now we have Bloomsday, even as Leo had despaired of having his own day.

In a prior life, our fearless leader had taken the Newberry Library night course which covered a chapter or two each week.  The first week he came home with the plotting of each chapter and how it related to the ancient Greek story of Ulysses as well as social and religious relations in contemporary Ireland.

Reading James Joyce's Ulysses has become a cult activity.  Books on First had a couple of events in the past for Bloomsday on 16 June, usually including a round robin reading aloud of the book.  Of course, I liked reading about the funeral cortege 'rounding the corner on Dunphy's, a pub but just as likely to be a bookstore/coffeehouse, right? 

-- Dunphy's, Mr Power announced as the carriage turned right.

Dunphy's corner. Mourning coaches drawn up drowning their grief. A pause by the wayside. Tiptop position for a pub. Expect we'll pull up here on the way back to drink his health. Pass round the consolation. Elixir of life.

In my half sleep, I thought I heard on NPR that there was going to be a tweet reading of Ulysses on Twitter.  Surely, #bloomsdayburst would be on Twitter's featured list for today!

While not the most accessible of literature, it's really, not so bad, folks, and in the end, a very satisfying read. Of course, it's always better in a crowd, even an intimate one.

Consider Us the Turtles of Entrepreneurship

Crain's, the business journal which used to be huge both in physical size and reputation (albeit as the "People Magazine of Business") in all the big USA cities (read New York Chicago, Atlanta, etc), has had like other print media to decide how to survive via the internet.  One is to continue its signature lists (the top hospitals, the top accounting firms, the top law firms, Forty Under Forty, Fast Fifty, ...)  Like the Wall Street Journal, Crain's has discovered the joy of videos.  One of my favorites remains Crain's Chicago Business's Lessons Learned from the Final Five of Fast Fifty Class of 2010, which I am happy to share with you.  It is a videographer's dream -- technique, gimmickry, good interviewing and editing, chief among the touches which impress me, not to mention first and foremost the advice given by these entrepreneurs. 

Of course, the advice makes me feel all the more hopeless, a businessperson who should know better (pull the plug, Carolyn, pull the plug on that moneysucking leech called Books on First!).  However, I take heart in knowing that we add direct income to three employees; sales tax, individual income tax and employment tax revenue to Dixon and Illinois, sales revenue to our vendors which include the largest and shrinking wholesaler of books, a growing toy company owned by husband and wife, the oldest continuously family-owned local newspaper, a small local grocery, a smaller coffee roaster, and a not-for-profit world handicraft organization.  On what else would a girl want to spend her hard-earned money?  Last but not least, we do still take time for outside interests, like family, animals, garden, concerts, travel and good eating.  So, that's why I so much like this video -- it boosts me as well as keeps me very humble.