Wellsboro Pennsylvania has been nominated for 2017 America's Main Street...

Wellsboro PA has been nominated for 2017 America's Main Streets Contest

I just voted for Wellsboro Pennsylvania to win $25,000 to invest in Wellsboro's downtown. It's the 2017 America's Main Street Contest. You can vote too! You can vote once a day from an IP address until April 23rd. Then we'll see if Wellsboro makes the next round.

Wellsboro, a town of beauty and culture rich in natural resources and the County Seat of Tioga County, might be set down in any section of New England and find itself in familiar surroundings. The Wellsboro area, home of the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon, offers hundreds of miles of hiking and biking trails from flat packed surfaces to rugged mountain terrain. Spend time fishing, swimming and canoeing in one of the many area parks.

They’re free in Pennsylvania! Maybe you’d like to try horseback riding or have an off road adventure. It’s time to relax. Spend a few nights in one of our many lodging options and enjoy fabulous meals at your choice of area restaurants. Stroll the gas lit streets of Wellsboro where you’ll find family owned businesses offering personal attention to your needs. Maybe you’d rather take a scenic train, trolley or go rafting. You’ll find it all here in the Wellsboro area.

Come and see us, it’s a short drive from your back yard to ours! Wellsboro has an attractive downtown and an active Chamber of Commerce with over 300 members working together to build a strong community for today and tomorrow. Call our office at (570) 724-1926 and find out how the Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce can work with you.

SHARE THIS NOMINATION WITH FRIENDS TO HELP WELLSBORO MAIN STREET PENNSYLVANIA GET MORE VOTES:



CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO BE TAKEN TO THE WEBSITE TO VOTE!!!

Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge: The Gripping Story That Inspired the Movie

"When we go into combat, Doss, you're not comin' back alive. I'm gonna shoot you myself "The men of the 77th Infantry Division couldn't fathom why Private Desmond T. Doss would venture into the horrors of World War II without a single weapon to defend himself."You're nothing but a coward " they said. But the soft-spoken medic insisted that his mission was to heal, not kill.This page-turner will keep you riveted to your seat as you discover how Desmond Doss became the first conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor. Desmond's dramatic true story of integrity, redemption, and heroism will inspire you to live by the courage of your convictions.*Original book that inspired Mel Gibson's movie, Hacksaw Ridge*Story inspires faith, trust, courage, commitment, and dedication*An exciting true story of an incredible war hero.

Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich

A fast-paced narrative that discovers a surprising perspective on World War II: Nazi Germany's all-consuming reliance on drugs

The Nazi regime preached an ideology of physical, mental, and moral purity. But as Norman Ohler reveals in this gripping new history, the Third Reich was saturated with drugs. On the eve of World War II, Germany was a pharmaceutical powerhouse, and companies such as Merck and Bayer cooked up cocaine, opiates, and, most of all, methamphetamines, to be consumed by everyone from factory workers to housewives to millions of German soldiers. In fact, troops regularly took rations of a form of crystal meth--the elevated energy and feelings of invincibility associated with the high even help to explain certain German military victories. Drugs seeped all the way up to the Nazi high command and, especially, to Hitler himself. Over the course of the war, Hitler became increasingly dependent on injections of a cocktail of drugs--including a form of heroin--administered by his personal doctor. While drugs alone cannot explain the Nazis' toxic racial theories or the events of World War II, Ohler's investigation makes an overwhelming case that, if drugs are not taken into account, our understanding of the Third Reich is fundamentally incomplete. Carefully researched and rivetingly readable, Blitzed throws surprising light on a history that, until now, has remained in the shadows.

How to Choose a Book for a Baby Shower

How to Send a Book to a Prisoner

Kobold Guide to Plots & Campaigns

Whether you're a new gamemaster or a seasoned vet looking for a new angle to shake up your game, these 19 essays by 13 expert gamemasters demonstrate ways to construct your campaign from the ground up and keep your players engaged until the dramatic conclusion.
Within this volume, masters of the art show you how to begin a new campaign, use published adventures or loot them for the best ideas, build toward cliffhangers, and design a game that can enthrall your players for month or even years. Want to run an evil campaign, or hurl the characters into unusual otherworldly settings? Want to ensure that you're creating memorable and effective NPCs and villains? We've got you covered.
Complete with discussions on plotting, tone, branching storytelling, pacing, and crafting action scenes, you'll find all the tips and advice you need to take on the best role in roleplaying--and become an expert gamemaster, too!
Featuring essays by Wolfgang Baur, Jeff Grubb, David "Zeb" Cook, Margaret Weis, Robert J. Schwalb, Steve Winter, and other game professionals.

The Reward Program At From My Shelf Books & Gifts

Of A Predatory Heart

Hobo Finds A Home is Back in Print!

The Totally Ninja Raccoons and the Secret of the Canyon

Simple PVC Pipe Bows: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Forming PVC Pipe Into Effective and Compact Archery Bows

Whether it's out fishing, in the woods, at the range or even in the backyard, the sport of archery in all its forms can be fun and rewarding for all ages. In this day of mass production, the draw of being able to make something with your hands is greater than ever.
PVC plumbing pipe, with its unique blend of qualities, offers both the experienced and beginner archer an opportunity to build their own dependable bows without any previous experience.
Simple PVC Pipe Bows shows you how build a solidly performing bow with little in the way of equipment, work space, time and material cost, whether it's one or hundreds.
Youth Recurve:
A small and light bow at home in the backyard as well as on the range. It's perfect for women and teen archers with its shorter draw and compact size.
While geared for young archers, this bow can hold its own as a short pack bow or training bow for an archer of any age.
Horse Bow:
This reflexed bow reminiscent of the short bow of the nomads of Central Asia and Eastern Europe is ideal for learning the art of mounted archery.
With a smooth draw and compact size, this bow is a sweet shooter on foot as well.
Snakey Recurve:
Designed after wooden bows which work with the natural contours of gnarled wood, the snakey recurve is an ideal bow for the hunter or fisherman looking to craft his own equipment.
Its serpentine curve brings the string in line with the center and tilts the handle making for a bow that is more accurate and comfortable to shoot.

Amazon is not my friend, and it's not yours

I own a bookstore, and I wrote a book, but it's not available as an ebook. Amazon is not my friend, and it's not yours.

I published my book, The Totally Ninja Raccoons Meet Bigfoot, and only made it available as a real book. You won't find it in an electronic version.

Why did I do this? Because I believe in bookstores staffed by lovers of books. I'd rather have real people selling my book to people they feel are the best match for my book.

The Totally Ninja Raccoons Meet Bigfoot is your classic trio with a twist. Think the Three Investigators meet the Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtles with a little Ghostbusters in the mix.

Our furry protagonists discover they are not meant to be ordinary bandits, but rather carry the potential to be something extraordinary, ninjas.

In this origin story, the Ninja Raccoons begin their ninja training, and meet their first potential employer--Gypsy the cat. Gypsy sends the Raccoons on their first mission, to capture the elusive Bigfoot.

The Totally Ninja Raccoons Meet Bigfoot is a book I feel confident and comfortable suggesting to 2nd or 3rd graders who love animals, cryptids, and adventure.

In the follow-up, The Totally Ninja Raccoons Meet the Weird & Wacky Werewolf, the Ninja Raccoons continue their training, and meet a creature of legend, a werewolf.

The Ninja Raccoons decide to track and capture the werewolf for the prize offered for capturing such a creature. The Raccoons learn that the werewolf isn't as terrifying as the myths, and friends are more important than money.

Thank you for your taking the time to read about The Totally Ninja Raccoons. I hope to start a new trend. Together, we can continue to keep bookstores vibrant and beating in the heart of their communities.

Kevin J. Coolidge
From My Shelf Books & Gifts
(570)724-5793
www.wellsborobookstore.com

Deer Hunting with Jesus

A raucous, truth-telling look at the white working poor--and why they hate liberalism.
Deer Hunting with Jesus is web columnist Joe Bageant's report on what he learned when he moved back to his hometown of Winchester, Virginia, which-like countless American small towns-is fast becoming the bedrock of a permanent underclass. By turns brutal, tender, incendiary, and seriously funny, this book is a call to arms for fellow progressives with little real understanding of "the great beery, NASCAR-loving, church-going, gun-owning America that has never set foot in a Starbucks.

The Totally Ninja Raccoons, A Quick Summery for Bookstores & Libaries

*Series: The Totally Ninja Raccoons
*Author: Kevin J. Coolidge
*published by From My Shelf Books & Gifts via IngramSpark
*available through Ingram, regular discount, returnable
*target audience is first through third graders, especially good chapter books for reluctant readers
*5 books in series so far;
*all have $5.99 as SRP, except most recent, "The Catmas Caper", which is longer and is a "holiday special edition" at $6.99
*first book is "The Totally Ninja Raccoons Meet Bigfoot", although they can actually be read in any order
*origin story sets up the Totally Ninja Raccoons with their ongoing antagonist, Gypsy, the cat who is in charge of the Cat Board, because cats, of course, want to take over the world but are too lazy to do it
*each book has the Totally Ninja Raccoons encountered a cryptid, but in a fun, non-threatening (not too scary!) way
*all books take place in Tioga and Potter Counties in PA, making it a nice local/regional selection and something that people won't find at every store and Scholastic book fair
*recently awarded "Story Monster Approval!" award
*There will be an article in the March issue of Susabella Passengers and Friends
*There is a running ad in Story Monsters Ink magazine
*Kevin will be at the Williamsport Comic Con April 23rd
*Kevin has several radio/podcasts interviews scheduled

Sending a Book To a Prisoner in Jail

The United States prison population is the largest on earth. Currently, 1 in every 31 adults is either in jail, prison, probation, or on parole: that’s a lot of people. There’s a good chance that you know one of them. It might be your friend who got that DUI. Yeah, he knew he should have waited before driving, but he didn’t and now he’s going to have to do the time. You’d like to help, but if you knew what to do, you would have done it by now.

One thing you can do to make that time pass a little easier is to send a good book. Many inmates spend a lot of time reading. Even inmates in work release programs have long weekends where they can’t leave the premises, and one of the best ways to deal with boredom in the blocks is to read a book. Most prisons have a library available, but the choices might be limited, and many books will have pages torn out. Some prisoners use the paper to roll cigarettes, or are simply spiteful.

You lost yourself in The Name of the Wind, and you know your incarcerated friend would love it, but you can’t just take a book you enjoyed, wrap it up, and mail it. Books must come directly from a retailer or bookstore and be accompanied by an invoice. Many jails only allow new books, and used books will not make it to the inmate.

This is because material cannot be shipped that has written notes or messages, and some used books may contain highlighting or writing in the margins. Also, many will not allow hardcover books or magazines, and although media mail is an economical choice to mail books through the U.S. Postal system, it can take weeks. If you think the inmate might be moved in this time frame, it would be a better choice to choose priority shipping. It costs more, but it is much more likely to reach your reader.

You might feel compelled to send a self-help book or perhaps a Bible, and though it may be a good choice, most inmates simply want to find a book that will help them pass a time. Now is the perfect time to start the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, or Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. Perhaps, your friend has always wanted to write a novel, and now has the time to dedicate to the project. You may want to send him 90 Days to Your Novel by Sarah Domet or Chapter by Chapter by Heather Sellers.

Remember, that the books you do mail will become the property of the prison. Most jails give the inmate the right to the book first, though the inmate cannot take the book with them when they leave prison. Prisons also limit the number of books an inmate can have in their cell at any one time, and if there is a search for drugs or illegal contraband, they may take any books above the number allowed. When in doubt, call the prison the inmate will be staying at, and get as much information as possible.

In your rear-view mirror, red and blue lights are flashing, a siren is screaming, a police officer is about to pull you over, and this time, no matter what you say, no matter what you do, this time you are going to jail. You may be innocent. You may be guilty. You might be facing some hard time, but that time can pass a little easier with a good book…

From My Shelf Books in Wellsboro Pennsylvania does deliver directly to the Tioga County Prision, and can mail to prisons around the United States. For more information, visit From My Shelf Books & Gifts on Facebook, their website at wellsborobookstore.com, or call them at 570-724-5793. We are your hometown bookstore.

Lost in a good book? Or Lost in the bowels of the beast? Visit From My Shelf Books & Gifts on Facebook and let me know. This Book Spot brought to you by writer Kevin Coolidge and co-owner of From My Shelf Books& Gifts in Wellsboro Pennsylvania. I'm also the author of Operation Ragnarok, and creator of The Totally Ninja Raccoons.

Chili with a Chance for Chocolate

Saturday, Feburary 18th during Wellsboro's Winter Celebration, Second Chance Animal Sanctuary will be hosting Chili with a Chance for Chocolate. For just $5, you can buy a passport at the Wellsboro Chamber of Commerce that allows you to sample chilli at all the partipating businesses. Each passport also has a number that allows you to enter it in a gift basket. At the end of the event, a ticket is drawn. The drawn number is announced and contacted.

From My Shelf Books & Gifts will also be serving our own special brand of Ghost Chicken MOJO chili. All profits go the Second Chance Animal Sanctuary. You must sign a waiver before consuming this white chicken spicy chili that will kick you in the butt today and tomorrow. Remember, it's for the puppies and kitties, so buy a ticket. It's only 5 bucks.

Wellsboro will also be holding it's third annual Winter Fest to hold the darkness at bay. There won't be any sacrificing of virgins, but there will be ice sculptures and more chili tasting at other places if you like that bland tomato soup with beans some people call chili.

Sexy Truth or Dare: Pick-A-Stick

This racy game of Truth or Dare features 100 seductions that will heat up any couple's love life in the bedroom and beyond. The red-hot box comes with 50 sticks to be pulled one at a time, revealing a sexy truth on one side and a dirty dare on the other. The perfect gift for those looking for some naughty action, Sexy Truth or Dare is sure to inspire many passion-filled nights.

Kids Love These Books!

Kids Love These Books!

The Bigfoot Paradox

Onion Weed, Tennessee, population 839--or more if you count the bigfoots living in the woods, and all of the bigfoot hunters that have invaded the town searching for the creatures.

J.T. Meeks is a shy 12-year-old kid who has always been interested in finding a bigfoot. When he gets mixed up with Billy Matrix, the self-proclaimed authority on the "North American Bipedal Great Ape," things get interesting--and dangerous.

How will J.T. find his place in this world of bigfoot hunting--a world filled with telepathic psychics, vicious hunters, know-it-all anthropologists, spiritual hippie surfers, and self-promoting media personalities. J.T. soon discovers that there is more to the bigfoot legend than meets the eye, as he uncovers his true destiny and learns much about himself in the process.

Annual Membership Sale And Double Points Weekend Continues Sunday

From My Shelf Books & Gifts will be celebrating on our annual membership sale. All memberships are just $15, a ten dollar savings. Membership gives you discount on books, gifts & games, and is good for 12 straight months.

We are also doing our double points sale. We don't do this very often. Every dollar is a point, but this weekend it's double points. You can save points for free stuff, or for dollars off your purchase. 100 points is good for $10 off, and this weekend it's super easy to get there.

We are also showcasing our new expansion. We now over over 450 square feet more of books, gifts & games for you to browse. There's even more geeky goodness than before with great Star Wars gift items, our zombie section of gifts, books and games, and more.

If you didn't make it Friday or Saturday, don't worry. We are open Sundays from 11AM to 4PM for your browsing pleasure. Sundays are a slower pace and we'll have even more time to help you chose the right book, or you can enjoy the peace and browse in the quiet.

We are also celebrating Kevin's book, "The Totally Ninja Raccoons Meet Bigfoot" is Story Monster approved. This special reward is given for books that are both approved by the book industry and the readers they were meant for. Children love these books. You can choose from five different books in the series and this weekend, buy 4 Totally Ninja Books and get one totally free! Get the child in your life reading.

It's all at From My Shelf Books & Gifts
7 East Ave, Wellsboro PA
(570)724-5793


Membership Sale & Double Points from February 3rd to February 5th

It Can't Happen Here

"The novel that foreshadowed Donald Trump's authoritarian appeal."--Salon

It Can't Happen Here is the only one of Sinclair Lewis's later novels to match the power of Main Street, Babbitt, and Arrowsmith. A cautionary tale about the fragility of democracy, it is an alarming, eerily timeless look at how fascism could take hold in America.
Written during the Great Depression, when the country was largely oblivious to Hitler's aggression, it juxtaposes sharp political satire with the chillingly realistic rise of a president who becomes a dictator to save the nation from welfare cheats, sex, crime, and a liberal press.

Called "a message to thinking Americans" by the Springfield Republican when it was published in 1935, It Can't Happen Here is a shockingly prescient novel that remains as fresh and contemporary as today's news.

With an Introduction by Michael Meyer
and an Afterword by Gary Scharnhorst

Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History

For centuries scientists have written off cannibalism as a bizarre phenomenon with little biological significance. Its presence in nature was dismissed as a desperate response to starvation or other life-threatening circumstances, and few spent time studying it. A taboo subject in our culture, the behavior was portrayed mostly through horror movies or tabloids sensationalizing the crimes of real-life flesh-eaters. But the true nature of cannibalism--the role it plays in evolution as well as human history--is even more intriguing (and more normal) than the misconceptions we've come to accept as fact.

In 0zoologist Bill Schutt sets the record straight, debunking common myths and investigating our new understanding of cannibalism's role in biology, anthropology, and history in the most fascinating account yet written on this complex topic. Schutt takes readers from Arizona's Chiricahua Mountains, where he wades through ponds full of tadpoles devouring their siblings, to the Sierra Nevadas, where he joins researchers who are shedding new light on what happened to the Donner Party--the most infamous episode of cannibalism in American history. He even meets with an expert on the preparation and consumption of human placenta (and, yes, it goes well with Chianti).

Bringing together the latest cutting-edge science, Schutt answers questions such as why some amphibians consume their mother's skin; why certain insects bite the heads off their partners after sex; why, up until the end of the twentieth century, Europeans regularly ate human body parts as medical curatives; and how cannibalism might be linked to the extinction of the Neanderthals. He takes us into the future as well, investigating whether, as climate change causes famine, disease, and overcrowding, we may see more outbreaks of cannibalism in many more species--including our own.

Cannibalism places a perfectly natural occurrence into a vital new context and invites us to explore why it both enthralls and repels us.

Norse Mythology

Neil Gaiman has long been inspired by ancient mythology in creating the fantastical realms of his fiction. Now he turns his attention back to the source, presenting a bravura rendition of the great northern tales.

In Norse Mythology, Gaiman stays true to the myths in envisioning the major Norse pantheon: Odin, the highest of the high, wise, daring, and cunning; Thor, Odin's son, incredibly strong yet not the wisest of gods; and Loki--son of a giant--blood brother to Odin and a trickster and unsurpassable manipulator.

Gaiman fashions these primeval stories into a novelistic arc that begins with the genesis of the legendary nine worlds and delves into the exploits of deities, dwarfs, and giants. Once, when Thor's hammer is stolen, Thor must disguise himself as a woman--difficult with his beard and huge appetite--to steal it back. More poignant is the tale in which the blood of Kvasir--the most sagacious of gods--is turned into a mead that infuses drinkers with poetry. The work culminates in Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods and rebirth of a new time and people.

Through Gaiman's deft and witty prose emerge these gods with their fiercely competitive natures, their susceptibility to being duped and to duping others, and their tendency to let passion ignite their actions, making these long-ago myths breathe pungent life again.

Annual Membership Sale And Double Points Weekend

From My Shelf Books & Gifts will be celebrating on our annual membership sale. All memberships are just $15, a ten dollar savings. Membership gives you discount on books, gifts & games, and is good for 12 straight months.

We are also doing our double points sale. We don't do this very often. Every dollar is a point, but this weekend it's double points. You can save points for free stuff, or for dollars off your purchase. 100 points is good for $10 off, and this weekend it's super easy to get there.

We are also showcasing our new expansion. We now over over 450 square feet more of books, gifts & games for you to browse. There's even more geeky goodness than before with great Star Wars gift items, our zombie section of gifts, books and games, and more.

We are also celebrating Kevin's book, "The Totally Ninja Raccoons Meet Bigfoot" is Story Monster approved. This special reward is given for books that are both approved by the book industry and the readers they were meant for. Children love these books. You can choose from five different books in the series and this weekend, buy 4 Totally Ninja Books and get one totally free! Get the child in your life reading.

It's all at From My Shelf Books & Gifts
7 East Ave, Wellsboro PA
(570)724-5793


Membership Sale & Double Points from February 3rd to February 5th

‘The Totally Ninja Raccoons Earns Story Monsters Approval!

The judges of the Story Monsters Approved program, which recognizes accomplished authors in the field of children’s literature, have spoken. "The Totally Ninja Raccoons Meet Bigfoot" authored by Kevin Coolidge of Wellsboro has earned approval.

The colorful, kid-friendly Story Monsters Approved seal attracts the attention of young readers much more than a sticker intended for adult scrutiny. Kids know when they see the Story Monsters Approved patch it means children their own age enjoyed the book and are recommending they read it, too.

How do they know that? Because after books pass the first round of rigorous judging – which is done by industry experts, the books are then judged by a panel of youth judges who must also endorse the books before they can receive the official seal of approval.

“Who better to judge children’s books than the children who read them?” explains Linda F. Radke, president of Story Monsters LLC., the same company that sponsors the Dragonfly Book Awards program. “Judging these books gives children a wonderful sense of importance and responsibility.”

In "The Totally Ninja Raccoons meet Bigfoot," the protagonists discover they are not meant to be ordinary bandits, but rather carry the potential to be something extraordinary, ninjas.

In this origin story, the raccoons begin their ninja training, and meet their first potential employer--Gypsy the Cat. Gypsy sends the raccoons on their first mission, to capture the elusive Bigfoot.

Things aren't what they seem to be. Bigfoot isn't the monstrous beast, as he's been portrayed. Gypsy isn't the benign employer. Cats want to take over the world.

"The Totally Ninja Raccoons" is a new children's series for 2nd to 4th grade. It is specifically geared toward reluctant readers. "The series is set in Tioga County and Wellsboro with five books published and more to come," Coolidge said. He is the co-owner of From My Shelf Books in Wellsboro. Youngsters can visit the author at his bookstore, see art from the Ninja Raccoon books on display and have him personalize their copies.