Tampa Book Buzz

news and notes:book swap of carrollwood, neal, dynes

• Book Swap of Carrollwood (13020 N. Dale Mabry, Tampa, 33618) is celebrating its 25th anniversary this month.
• Florida author Julie Neal’s The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World 2008 is ranked in the Top 10 bestsellers on Amazon.com of all U.S. travel books, regardless of publication date. (And it is one of only two that have a 5-star rating.) The book has also been chosen as the Highlighted Travel Guidebook Title of Independent Publisher Online, which honors newly released books that exhibit “superior levels of creativity, originality and high standards of design and production quality.” And last but not least, it is the Number 1 bestselling title for Family Travel on Amazon.com.
• South Carolina author Jan Dynes has just published her first book, titled Refractions. “Diane Lindsey is a testament to what one woman can survive. Yet she is still running for her life from a malevolence she doesn’t understand. Her husband and child were murdered and she’s next. Against insurmountable obstacles she fights to understand and stay alive… “ Visit Dynes online at www.jandynes.com.

author and coach c. vivian stringer at inkwood books april 8

Received via email from Inkwood Books:

Meet C. Vivian Stringer, head coach of the outstanding Rutgers University women’s basketball team, the Scarlet Knights, as she signs her acclaimed book Standing Tall:A Memoir of Tragedy and Triuumph at Inkwood Books on Tuesday, April 8, at 4 p.m. Because of late scheduling, reserving books is strongly encouraged!

With grace and courage, she has triumphed over adversity in her personal life - from racial intolerance, her child’s meningitis, her husband’s untimely death, and her own breast cancer - and passed these values on to her players. Praised by Maya Angelou, Tony Dungy, Magic Johnson, and many more, Standing Tall is an inspiring story from an esteemed role model and true champion, on and off the court and would make a great graduation gift!

Visit www.inkwoodbooks.com for more info.

a bookstore trip

Finally getting a chance to go to Borders to use the gift card I got for Christmas:

Sweet

Having a cute guy smile at me and hold the door open for me when I walk in the store:

Really Sweet

Catching the tip of my shoe on the welcome mat, stumbling through the door and almost falling flat on my face in front of the cute guy and the rest of the world:

Priceless

fat into the fire booksignings march 15 and 16

Former Tampa resident David P. Morrow returns to the Bay area March 15 and 16 to sign copies of his new book Fat Into The Fire.

Morrow said that Fat Into The Fire, released in January, “is dramatically different than any other diet or fitness book. In the book, I reveal my own personal techniques for achieving maximum fitness levels, which include ridding the body of excess body fat.”

Saturday, March 15, 2-4 p.m. — Waldenbooks in Citrus Park Mall

Sunday, March 16, 1-4 p.m. — Borders in St. Petersburg, Tyrone Square

Morrow’s book signings include “health and fitness Q/A, FREE sign ups for fitness product giveaways, and fitness assessments and information.”

Visit www.fatintothefire.com for more info.

faq:used bookstores in the tampa bay area

Dear Tampa Book Buzz:

What book stores in your area would you recommend my visiting? Which are the two or three best ones? Your advice would be most appreciated.

Dear Reader:

The largest and most well-known used bookstore is Haslam’s in St. Pete. It’s been run by the same family for three generations and has even become a tourist attraction in the Bay area. The Old Tampa Book Company , in downtown Tampa, specializes in rare, hard-to-find and out-of-print books.

Those are the most well-known — and biggest — local used bookstores, but there are plenty of others in various neighborhoods in the Bay area. Used bookstores that have websites (that I know of) include The Book Swap in Carrollwood, Zbookz Bookstore in St. Pete and Book Bank USA in Largo.

Hope this helps.

Local book lovers — Please let me know what else should be listed here. Post a comment with your answers to this question.

(This post has been added to the FAQ page.)

news and notes:harper, micklersmith florida book traders, sorey

• New York Times bestselling suspense fiction author and part-time South Florida resident Karen Harper (Black Orchid, Hurricane) recently wrote to say hello and to let me know that her suspense novel Below the Surface will be released January 29. “Besides being a thriller with a touch of romance, it tackles the eco-issue of clean gulf water.” Harper often sets her books in southwest Florida and her earlier books “also deal with preserving old Florida from the onslaught of tourists and weather.” Visit www.karenharperauthor.com to learn more Harper and her work.
• I heard through the grapevine that the Florida-centric St. Pete bookstore MicklerSmith Florida Book Traders has closed. Sniff, sniff.
• An excerpt of local author Barbara J. Sorey’s Florida Girl:Short Stories of Family, Community and History, 1804 to 1969 is available online. “Go to www.wusf.org, click on Learn More (under the Florida Stories logo) to hear excerpts” of Special Times, a holiday story from Sorey’s Florida Girl book.

news and notes:lawent, inkwood books’ birthday celebration

• Oregon author Louie Lawent (Gerty the Pig) wrote to let me know about his new book The Louie/God Interviews (What The Big Fella Really Thinks About Man And The Universe). “Are the days of “God speaks to Man” a relic of the past? Not according to Louie Lawent, who at the turn of the new millennium landed a series of exclusive interviews with The Supreme Being. Louie grills God about his checkered career, but it’s done benignly and a frustrated Creator makes a good case for himself - well, most of the time. The interviews cover biblical happenings, His propensity to smite, evolution, pop culture, and a God who believes He’s the victim of a disinformation campaign. It’s The Far Side meets The Thinker meets The Frat Boy. A God who considered creation ‘a good day in the hood.’ What Hollywood director would God choose to direct his life story? What part do the Three Stooges play in the Rapture? What about his pet peeves? How do Americans amaze God? What’s his favorite political joke? Did the aliens really land at Roswell?” The Louie/God Interviews (What The Big Fella Really Thinks About Man and the Universe) is available at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble and other bookstores. Visit Louie online at www.myspace.com/LouieLawent.
• From Inkwood Books via email: “As a thank you to our INKWOOD REGULARS*, enjoy a 20% discount all day on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, November 2-4. As always, this includes all books, cards, calendars and anything else on hand (except giftcards, Regulars memberships, and sale items), but does not include special orders. Plan for early holiday purchases and enjoy our usual free gift wrap and assistance with selections. Every hour we’ll have a different special - from 25% off books with colors in the title to buy 2 American authors and get one foreigner for free, or whatever strikes our fancy. So stop by often… (*Not Regular yet? This is a good time to join to enjoy this sale, as well as 10% off for a full 12 months. Only $15 with no card to carry and other benefits, too.) SIXTEEN CANDLES: We’ll be serving cake at 7 p.m. on Friday, November 2, and staying open til 9, with live music and refreshments. We hope you’ll stop by to celebrate with us and let us thank you for 16 years of support.” Visit them online at www.inkwoodbooks.com.

“find a treasure sale of $1 books” at old tampa book company october 20

Received via email:

The Old Tampa Book Company celebrates Live After Five and the Urban Home Tour with a “Find a Treasure Sale of $1 Books” Saturday October 20.

Visit www.oldtampabookcompany.com for more info.

(hat tip to local author Eric Sturm for this info.)

news and notes:mom writer’s literary magazine, perez, old tampa book company

• The Mom Writer’s Literary Magazine website is launching its first print edition this fall.  Author Lisa Garrigues is on the cover and the magazine includes essays, fiction and book reviews.  Check it out.
• Florida author Venus Perez wrote to tell me about her book I’m Still Here:The History, Testimony, Education, Outcomes and Strenghts of People Living With HIV/AIDS. A native of New York, Perez moved to Florida with her family in 2003. She is a volunteer, certified counselor and a first-time author. Visit www.venusperez.com to learn more.
• The Old Tampa Book Company now has a website! (I’m making it sound like they’ve gotten online recently, when most likely they’ve had a website for a while and I’ve just now found out about it.) Check it out: http://oldtampabookcompany.com.

i want to read…

Several of the books higlighted on Inkwood Books’ website sound entertaining:

• An Arsonist’s Guide to Writers’ Homes in New England by Brock Clarke
• Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf:A Year Told Through Stuff by Jennifer L. Holm
• The Omnivore’s Dilemma:A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan
• The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop:A History, A Memoir by Lewis Buzbee

Visit www.inkwoodbooks.com to browse for hours.