"We should never judge a day by its weather."
~ Dick Van Dyke
It's National Cheesecake Day, which is great, but I really don't have much to say about cheesecake that hasn't already been said. It's alright. Last weekend was sidewalk sales, and I'm fried. I did catch one gem under the tent outside though. I overheard a preteen (11-13-ish) say, "Why do they tell you not to judge a book by its cover? I mean, these are covers. And you have to look at them. And then you decide to pick them up or not." I leaned over and told her the dirty little secret of the book world is that we do, indeed judge books by their covers. I've probably said it before, but I'll say it again, the book publishing industry spends a lot of money on marketing...and guess what they are marketing? Not books. Not at first. First they have to show you the cover. Then. Then they tell you about the book. Look at any advertising campaign for a book, and I would be very surprised to find out that there was not a book cover included in the promotion. Even the New York Times Book Review, which has its own art, includes the cover of the book off on the sidebar of each recommendation. Take it from us, judging a book by its cover is sometimes the way to go. Exceptions being: One Foot in Eden by Ron Rash , What the Eyes Don't See by Dr. Mona Hannah-Attish , Safe From the Sea by Peter Geye , and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald . Controversial of me to say perhaps, and I don't mean to make anyone angry, but the whole reason I mention them is because they are AMAZING books that no one wants to read because of the terrible covers. That's ok. That's where booksellers come in. We are here to save the day! Check out the beautiful nature-inspired covers below. I picked them strictly for their covers, and trust me, there are several that didn't make the cut!
I've inculded Libro.fm audio links to all of the recommendations below!
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Event Feature:
Click the video for a 30 second preview of events coming in the next two weeks!
Howard Markel, The Kelloggs: The Battling Brothers of Battle Creek,
8/1, Luncheon program at 12:00pm, Tickets required
Peter Marabell, Death Lease, 8/1, Signing from 2-4pm, no RSVP required
Paula McLain, Love and Ruin, 8/2, Program at 6pm, RSVP (limited seating available)
Leah Weiss, If the Creek Don't Rise, 8/7, Program at 6pm, RSVP
Josh Malerman, Unbury Carol, 8/9, Program at 6pm, RSVP
Annie Spence, Dear, Fahrenheit 451, 8/10, Program at 6pm, RSVP
Join the Kiss Club!
The Kiss Club has launched!

Each month, Libro.fm features 10 great romance audiobooks for you to choose from for only $3.99 each! No strings (or bookmarks) attached! Try Temptations of a Wallflower FREE on us!
(Yes, both of the women below were involved with Odysseys. No, that was not the intent here. Sometimes, coincidences are funny things though!)

The core of Calypso is the beach house Sedaris bought, aptly named the Sea Section. The adventures and arguments in the Sea Section bring his family close again, and that's what Calypso is really all about. (click for full review)

Circe is so much more than just a story about fighting gods. It is a tragedy about a god who was never loved by her family, so she turned to mortals. (click for full review)
The Great McLean and Eakin Read:
When PBS launched its Great American Read, (vote here) we thought it was such a wonderful idea...that we copied it.
We started with 12 books, our customers voted on our Facebook page (click for your chance to vote), and in the store every week. And now we are down to the final four!


The Next Round will pit Detroit vs. Name of the Wind and Devil in the White City vs. The Snow Child. (Like our Facebook page for your chance to vote each week. It's gonna be a nailbiter!)

They are all available on Libro.fm
as well!
Found on the Shelf:
"A raspy, wheezy cough cut through the silence, and there, at the base of the alder, on the roots that formed a sinewy platform at the lake edge, sat the otter that I would one day know as Kuschta. In truth, she seemed calmer about our accidental meeting than I was. In that fraction of a second in which our eyes locked she asseessed me, dismissed me as irrelevant and then turned, in one fluid movement pouring herself into the lake. I, on the other hand, stood rooted to the spot, uncertain what to say or do. I mean really, how daft is that -what could you ever say to an otter? Or do? Well, I did nothing. She, clearly the more evolved one in this particular situation, surfaced a few yards out from the bank before heading for the island that sits in the middle of the lake. On reaching its edge she emitted a single eek, which was echoed a moment later by a short symphony of eeks that soon took form as four dark shapes plopped from the island into the water to join her." Click for more book info.
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