Saturday, November 6, 2021

The Blue-Collar Bookseller, Last of the Breed

 


I'm back in the blue, blue jeans that is. I love bookselling, but my family needs more cash flow, so off to work  I go. Working with my hands is in my blood. I come from a long line of manual workers, from farm to factory to trucking. We all love reading.

My grandmother had worked so many years in the glass plant that new management thought she came with the place. Once upon a time, my grandma, my mom, my uncle, and myself were all working at the plant at the same time. We worked different shifts, different departments, but all part of the process.

I'd read on my breaks, or "benny" as they were often called in factory slang. I would also read before my shift. If you were to relieve someone, it was rude to be late, that person wants to go home. So, I'd be early so I wouldn't be late, and read a little before shift. Often I joke, that I got more reading done in the factory than I ever got in as a bookseller.

When I started back to work in September of 2021, over fifteen years since my last factory position, I also started bringing a book to work. The question was, "what do I bring?"

People do judge you by the books you read. I didn't want something too intellectual, too weird, too controversial, or too naughty. Something I could enjoy, but almost anyone else could as well.

It's not hard with all my years of bookselling experience. This column is going to give you solid suggestions that you can use for yourself, or for the casual reader in your life.

The first book I chose was, "Last of the Breed" written by the storyteller of the American West, Louis L'Amour. L'Amour was a favorite of my father's. I was never a huge reader of Westerns, but I remember buying this for Christmas in the late '80s for my dad. It was by one of his favorite authors, and something I might want to read too.

I'm glad I picked up this re-issue of this L'Amour classic you might have missed. It starts with U.S. Air Force Major, Joe Mack. His experimental aircraft is forced down in Soviet Russia. He escapes from prison, but he's in the vastness of Siberia.

Joe Mack has to find his way out of the wilderness and survive all without revealing his presence to those that pursue him, including a legendary native tracker. Joe is going to have to use all his training as well as the woodcraft taught to him by his grandfather.

I loved this book. Written when the Cold War with the Soviets was still hot. It was a simpler time and it's a simple plot. Joe is in and he's got to get out. Does he? Read the damn book and find out. If you love action, you won't be disappointed.

Back to work tip: If you don't have a locker, try wrapping your book in a plastic baggie for tucking into your lunch bucket.

Kevin Coolidge is a full-time factory worker and a part-time bookseller at From My Shelf Books & Gifts in Wellsboro, Pensylvania. When he's not working, he's writing. He's also a children's author and the creator of The Totally Ninja Raccoons, a children's series for reluctant readers, visit his website at kevincoolidge.org


Last of the Breed available at wellsborobookstore.com


 

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

WELLSBORO FOCUSED BOOK ON "WYNKEN,BLYNKEN & NOD" TO BE RELEASED IN JUNE

WELLSBORO, PA - From My Shelf Books and Gifts at 7 East Avenue in Wellsboro is publishing a Wellsboro-focused book featuring the poem "Wynken, Blynken and Nod." 


The town is known for the Wynken, Blynken and Nod statue, which is the centerpiece of The Green, a park in the heart of downtown Wellsboro. 


"Dutch Lullaby" was the original title of this popular poem for children written by American writer and poet Eugene Field and published on March 9, 1889. "'Wynken, Blynken and Nod' has been a perennial bestseller at the bookstore for 15 years, and is adored by locals and visitors alike," said From My Shelf Books owner, Kevin Coolidge. "Unfortunately, the pandemic changed that. The book is published by North South Press. Demand for it had been strong in Wellsboro, but with increasing cases of COVID-19 and state requirements, sales plummeted," he said. 


"Wellsboro had fewer visitors and sales were low enough that the current publisher decided to print fewer copies of it," said Coolidge. Since the poem is in the public domain, he decided to do a new version. "My goal with 'Wynken, Blynken and Nod' is to keep the poem and its relationship to Wellsboro alive," Coolidge said. 


"Because I write books, I formed my own publishing house called From My Shelf Books & Gifts Press," he said. "Wynken, Blynken, & Nod" will be the first book that Coolidge's business will publish that he didn't actually write. 


Illustrations are being done by Chris Jones who also illustrates Coolidge's "Totally Ninja Raccoons" series and his most recent book, "Rebecca, White House Raccoon." Jones is a graduate of New Covenant Academy in Mansfield and a former resident of Wellsboro. 


He now lives in Florida, but maintains his Wellsboro connections with family and friends and by illustrating Coolidge's books under the pen name Jubal Lee, because "few things make him happier than art." 


The cover illustration will be of the statue and The Green. Included in "Wynken, Blynken & Nod" will be the poem and information about the poem's author and the history of the statue on The Green.


Coolidge plans to debut the new Wellsboro version of "Wynken, Blynken & Nod" this June during the town's annual Laurel Festival. "I'm already scheduled to have my booth on The Green and will be there with the books in my 'Totally Ninja Raccoons' series, too," said Coolidge. "My booth will be next to the statue." 


To pre-order the new Wellsboro version of "Wynken, Blynken, & Nod" at From My Shelf Books & Gifts in Wellsboro, stop by or call 570-724-5793.


Shown is the famous fountain on The Green in Wellsboro, it features the bronze statue of Wynken, Blynken and Nod.Image by John Eaton of Wellsboro. 




Friday, February 26, 2021

Huck, the Bookstore Cat, Needs Your Help

Huckleberry, the bookstore cat, at From My Shelf Books needs your help. Huck is running for America's favorite pet, and he needs your vote. Just click on the photo of Huck to be taken to the place to vote. You can vote every 24 hours. If Huck wins, he gets $5,000 and an article in Catster Magazine