The Book Collection that Devoured My Life

photo credit:Walter Iooss for The Wall Street Journal

"I like to think that I'm no bookworm, egghead, four-eyed paleface library rat. I often engage in activities that have no reference to the printed words. I realize that books are not the entire world, even if they sometimes seem to contain it. But I need the stupid things."

Read the entire article by Luc Sante here.

Hillary Suspends Campaign, Endorses Barack

Hillary Clinton suspended her extraordinary presidential run and pledged her full support to Barack Obama at a speech in Washington, D.C. "I ask of you to join me in working as hard for Barack Obama as you have for me," she told a cheering crowd.

I thought Clinton's speech was not only historic, but heartfelt, as she brought her own campaign to a close and threw her support behind Barack Obama. Although I have been a supporter of Obama since the early days of the campaign, I admire many things about Hillary Clinton, including her tenacity. I don't know if the "dream ticket" is the best way to proceed, but it is certainly something to consider. Clinton could help unite the party very quickly, and she'd do much to help Obama secure states such as Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Florida, and West Virginia. But as a Virginian, I have some preference for Tim Kaine or Jim Webb. I'm sure there are many fine candidates that haven't even crossed my mind.

Open Books: A Poem Emporium

From Joseph Darda | June 5, 2008
Christine Deavel, co-owner of Open Books: A Poem Emporium, holds Grenade by UW alumna Rebecca Hoogs.

What an amazing thing--a book store that sells nothing but poetry.

Located a mile from the UW campus, at 2414 45th St., Open Books: A Poem Emporium is one of only two exclusively poetry bookstores in the United States. The bookstore has an inventory of more than 9000 titles, including new, used and out-of-print books.

Husband and wife team John W. Marshall and Christine Deavel opened the store 13 years ago after having owned a more general bookstore for the seven years prior.

Read the rest of the article in The Daily of the University of Washington.

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Yes, we can!

Sen. Barack Obama claimed the Democratic nomination for president in a speech in Minnesota -- an historic achievement that for the first time will place an African American at the top of a major political party's ticket.

I am so thrilled with his win, and look forward to the November election. John McCain doesn't stand a snowball's chance in hell.

Review by Library Journal-Tomato Girl

Beth E. Andersen - Library Journal

The wonder of it all is that Ellie Sanders was able to maintain her charming, tenderhearted outlook for the first 11 years of her life. She and Rupert, her strong, protective father, have their hands full managing her mother Julia's wild bipolar mood swings. Then Rupert brings home Tess, the beautiful, epileptic 18 year old who provides tomato plants to Rupert's store. Pregnant Julia has fallen down the basement stairs, and Tess is there to care for the family. Then every kid's worst fear becomes Ellie's reality. She struggles mightily to manage the kind of cruel confusion caused by parents who force their children to cover for their mistakes. Rupert loses the battle of decency, succumbing to the unique idiocy of blinding infatuation, leaving Ellie alone with her mother while he flees the law with Tess. Only the loving kindness of an elderly black couple saves Ellie from the ensuing cascade of tragedies, a salvation complicated by the racial divide in Ellie's Southern community. Pupek's debut is a wrenching, stunning, and pitch-perfect novel that captures the best of Southern literature's finest storytelling colors. Highly recommended.