The English Major Lives!!

Does anyone ever even read this blog anymore? I have started other entries, but they all seemed kind of lame. It has been an extremely lazy day for me, although I did just put two books online for sale and then I did the craziest thing. I opened a booth at Bonanza.com and I did it in about ten minutes. I never get things done on the computer in ten minutes. So, my new career as an online bookseller has been relatively painless, also not something I associate with using a computer. Anyway, married life is very good, lots of little adjustments to get used to. However, the store not being open has been a huge one to get used to. I will be at the store the month of November on Tues- Thurs, from 1-5 and if you have a dollar, I'll bet you I can find you a book!

More Wedding Pics :)

Well, here's some more wedding pics. But, low-tech girl that I am, I have them all set up in mostly chronological order, only backwards. So, for best results, page pown and start form the last one up! Enjoy! Also, no offense to my friends, but these are some of their pictures. My photographers pics are coming soon, so, yay, you get to see even more! :)

Our Wedding

Some pictures from our wedding. I've officially been married for over 24 hours, so things must be going okay!

Will post more pics when I get them! Oh, and I have some potential buyers for the store!! Yay!

My Wedding, This Sunday at 8 p.m.

So, I am not sure how many people actually read this blog anymore, but for you lucky few who do, you are invited to my wedding this Sunday at 8 p.m. at Vance Park downtown. There will be food and refreshments afterward and I'd love to see English Major Patrons there!!

Feeling Lucky!!!

Hot, hot, hot. I have the day off and it is hotter than Hades outside. Kinda chilly inside, really. Been thinking about how lucky every second I spend in air conditioning is a very lucky second. Of all the times on the planet to be alive and to live in a part of the world where air conditioning is the norm is just plain lucky! And hopefully, next time you come into the bookstore looking for inspiration, validation or motivation, you will find that one certain book that will make you feel just plain lucky!

What if I told you...

What if I told you the store was for sale?

Everything is A-OK

Just when I think it can't get any hotter... I turn the air on and everything is a-ok. Everything actually is a-ok at the bookstore- lots of new books up on the shelves and not just books, but hand-picked, lovingly-chosen books which I think you will really like. Come and check them out and prove me right!
Take care and have a good night!

Craving some Bubbles and Squeak??

Mary Jane found a cookbook in the store called the Heart of Pittsburgh with local-to-that- area recipes. One of them is called... are you ready... grab a pen so you can write this one down

Strawberry Pretzel Jello Salad!!!!!!

Yes!!! And The English Major Bookstore has the recipe!!!!!! Your local connection to gastronomical freaking delight that includes jello!!! MJ figured out, however, that the pretzel is used like a crust, not just pieces floating in jello,so we figure that makes a little more sense. I can't say it makes a whole lot more sense, just a little. She then found a recipe for 15-layer Lasagna!! Or how about an Onion and Red Pepper Tart? Mmmm...yummy. Are you craving some Bubbles and Squeak? Bubbles and Squeak is an old Irish recipe consisting of cabbage, mashed potatoes, bacon drippings, onion and salt and pepper to taste. The sound it makes when it's cooking (bubbling and squeaking, I assume) is the sound of the witches escaping! This dish is served on Halloween in Ireland. Used bookstores are the coolest- it's like stepping into a classroom with no pressure, no tests, no pop quizes, just knowledge and broadened horizons and ideas! Did you really think when you sat down to read this blog that you would learn so much about Pittsburgh???

Another good recipe-Junk in the Oven- ground beef, tomatoe soup, onion, carrots, celery.

Come on down and check this book out!!!

Happy Memorial Day weekend all!

Thanks for reading my blog and please, let other people know about this blog. I can't figure out Google Analytics so I can't tell if anyone is reading this. If you can help me figure out the analytics, I would really appreciate it and might just make you a Strawberry Pretzel Jello Salad!

Light and Love, all.

Hi! No real nwe news from the Bookstore front in sunny Midtown Memphis. Not much going on other than Fritz came back. I took him to my bf Chris' house temporarily but he is back and ready to purr at your feet, admire your literary choices or watch you from afar as you browse my constantly updated book collection. I hate not being at the store as much as I would usually am, but Mother Nature and I are working on a solution. The hotter it gets, the later I go out to drive a carriage and the more time I can spend at the store! It's a freaking win/win!
S'all for now.
Light and Love, all.

We Are Finally Open Late!!

"If cats suddenly disappeared, it would only be a matter of weeks before rodents completely overran the planet."
-The Cat Lovers Book of Days, @ 1991

Something to put in your pipe and smoke, eh? The bookstore is well,healthy and sound. I found a great new addition to our staff, so joining Lily, Zan and Mary Jane is Brad who will be at the store Thursdays, Fridays and Saturday nights until 9 p.m. We are finally open late!! I will likely trek on down to Joe's on Saturday nights to get and keep a chilled box of white wine up there for partying book lovers who can't decide which fork in the road to take- drink or read. I, sadly, will not be there as I will be where I am most days these days (when not with my boyfriend, Chris:)), and that is behind Bonnie the Clyde, giving tours downtown. But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy all the amenities The English Major Bookstore has to offer. For example, we are now a cross-ventilating establishment, having installed both front and back screen doors. As usual, the coolest cat in Midtown, Fritz, will always be around to be just plain friendly to you and gorgeous to be around. Our prices are great, our selection is awesome and changing often. I ask you honestly, what more could you ask for from the coolest little used bookstore in Midtown? (Yeah, I said it. The Flyer might not have said it, but I will!!:)
Take care, read well and come by Late Night!!

RIP, Wild Bill

We lost a wonderful carriage driver recently, Wild Bill Grey, who was not just a great person to have as co-worker on the streets, but a great man overall. He will be very missed by so many folks.
RIP, Bill.

I love IloveMemphisblog.com!

The store got reviewed by IloveMemphisblog.com and here is the link! Yay!

http://ilovememphisblog.com/2010/04/20/used-books-for-the-borrowing-at-the-english-major-bookstore/

The Heart's Way

Quick post as I am, again and as usual, on the run. Just finished The Heart is A Lonely Hunter, finally, by Carson McCullers and loved it. I have been slightly haunted by the title as it is an extremely aptly named book. That the heart really is a lonely hunter, that much I can wrap my mind around, it's the context in which this idea is used to describe her characters that is very poignant to me. The characters are ideologists (although aren't we all?). But it is the pursuit of a life lived up to the ideals of one's personal ideologies which is, or can be, a lonely pursuit for the heart. I highly reccomend this book!.
Anyway, I then proceeded to lighten up my reading regimen by reading Lady Killer by Lisa Scottoline. I always liked her last name and finally just picked it up and couldn't put it down. It's a thriller having to do with a female lawyer and the Mob, set in South Philly and definitely not my regular kind of book, but one I have really been enjoying .
Store wise, not that ANYONE is actually reading my blog (sniff, sniff), I did get in a bunch of current ( within the last 5 or 6 years) fiction, and there have been organizational elves in the store, making sure sections are easily accessible as well as clean and dust free!
So come on by or leave a comment so I don't feel, as I do every six months or so, that I am absolutely typing into a void.
Thanks and have an awesome 80 degree, Memphis weekend!

The Tao De English Major

That's nice- I am now posting once a every four weeks- go, Karin!! Good Lord, you would think I could take the time... oh, wait, that's right- time!! That thing I never have enough of, that thing they say is an illusion anyway. I enjoy posting and am not exactly sure why I haven't of late. Funny story- I watched Miss Austin Regrets (Austen? I forget) and got online soon after. The way I was writing was so funny, so reminiscent of that time. It was great. So, I have hired some people in the store and I will be out of the store more than usual- out marketing or driving a carriage or yes, occasionally, I will probably be found lounging in the park. I am still looking to hire some people, so definitely get in touch with me if you are interested in some part-time work. New 'employees' are automatically signed up for the Lending Library and can borrow 3 books at a time per month- deal of the century!!
So, I have a Facebook account for the store now- well, actually, I did before, but couldn't post comments from it and I mean, really, what's the point of FB if not to tell everyone what you're thinking about! So, now, instead of The English Major Bookstore, I can be found under English Major. I always think it's pretty funny when names like that haven't already been chosen. Anyway, in addition to new people in the store, I have been shelving and categorizing and getting rid of old books, putting new ones on the shelves. I just got in a bunch of stuff regarding The Tao De Ching, including a copy of the book itself as well as all kinds of people's take on the book, including Alan Watts'. Lots of new paperback fiction, history- all kinds of stuff- oh- new Art books!! Come and check it all out at your leisure and meet my newest representatives of The English Major Bookstore- they all seem as glad to be here as I am to have them!!
Let's see- personally, I was reading the only novel that Ranier Maria Rilke ever wrote called The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge. I have been a huge Rilke fan for ages, but never knew he wrote a novel. So, I was pretty over the moon about it and was enjoying it immensely- it's the kind of book that you have to put down every now and then and just kind of reflect and be like Radar on the old M*A*S*H episodes, when he's all reflective about Bach, "Ahhhh, Bach!" You just kind of sit for a second, thinking, "Ahhhh, Good Ole Rilke." Never disappointing, other than you know that it is the only novel you'll ever read by him which is a little bittersweet. But Then!!! About a month ago, I sold my only copy of Carson McCullers' The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and was slightly torn about selling it- kind of asking they guy who bought it," You sure you want this?" So, never having read it and knowing it is at the top of the list for a lot of people's Favorite Books Ever, I had a copy come in, so I have decided to share reading time between Carson and Rilke and am enjoying both. Got up early the other day to go for a beautiful walk in 67 degree weather, then realized I could just blow off the walk and read all morning, which, of course, I did.
Hope all is well in ya'lls worlds!
As always, come take a carriage ride and support your local bookstore!
http://www.carriagetoursofmemphis.com/

Loved 'The Invention of Lying'

Watched this movie last night called The Invention of Lying and just had to reccomend it. It's about a world where no one lies, where you believe everything everyone tells you because you know they are telling you the truth. Then, smeone invents lying. It's great! I love movies like this, not really sci-fi, but fantasy like. It was fantastic, in both senses of the word.
I had last night off and was shelving books till about 10 p.m. I went through about ten boxes, one of which was from the back of the store, which, if you know anything about the bookstore, you know the back is chock full of boxes of books. The other nine or so boxes were books that were brought in in trade over the past few months, so there is a lot of new stuff on the shelves, in all cataogories, stuff that I am, quite frankly, pretty excited about. Not that I am not excited about what's already up there, but the new stuff is pretty cool. Quite the description, huh? But it's accurate, so what can I say? Come check it out and if you're going to Reba and George tonight, have fun and take a carriage ride!!

I am the Master of my Fate!

I have a grey, hooded sweatshirt I like wearing, but don't wear very often. This is one of those days that it just feels entirely appropriate to wear a grey hooded sweatshirt. The beginning of a new work week for me, my Monday, if you will. I have plans to put more books for sale online as well as empty about 8 boxes of books that have been brought into the store in the last 6 months and promptly went into storage. I also plan to write and make a Green Smoothie. That is the essential me, in a nutshell. Exciting, huh? Kind of riveting, aren't I? Glad you checked my blog? Well, I will leave you with a life- enhancing quote from Best Quotations For All Occasions, edited by Lewis C. Henry, @ 1951.

First, a random one:
Think of your forefathers!
Think of your posterity!
- John Quincy Adams, 1802

Another random one, for sheets and giggles:

It matters not how straight the gate,
How charged with punishment the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
-W.E. Henley, Invictus

Yeah! And one about writing, or literature or supporting your local Used Bookstore:

Come to The English Major Bookstore
for the English Major in Everyone!
-Me
:) Take care, have a great day and read more books!

I am, Still.

This is an FYI about some new books I just got in and have shelved:

1. I got about 10 or 12 comic book/ graphic novels, most of the Batman and Robin related. They are bound so they aren't really comic books, but that's the only way I could describe them.

2. I got a copy of Donna Tartt's The Secret History, which I really liked and enjoyed much more than her second novel, The Little Friend.

3. I have put some really interesting books in the Entertainment section having to do with Operas and the appreciation of them. One describes the basic premises for all the major and important operas throughout time, I would suppose, not knowing when opera actually started!

I am. Still looking for PT help, that is- Thursday nights especially, from 4-9. Let me know if you are interested or know someone who is!

"I am."

"I am."

That is a new meditation technique I have found very centering. Instead of listening to your thoughts about what you are, you stay in the present moment and you just are, telling yourself, "I am." Love it.

Still accepting applications for part-time day and evening work. Please come by and talk to me if you are interested or tell whoever you think might be interested to stop by or call.
Book wise, I just got in five fairly recent (one is @ 2009) political science books, two of which are by Bob Woodward. I also have some really interesting opera books I plan on shelving tomorrow and if anyone is interested, all of the Sweet Valley High books I have are going to Salvation Army on Thursday, so if you are interested, come scoop them up. Actually, as a reward for whoever it is that reads my blog, I am sending about 6 or 7 boxes of books to Salvation Army, so if you get here before they do, which is sometime on Thursday, you can take your pick. I also have some clothes donated to me that I will be sending along as well.

Finished Cape Random by Bernice Morgan and can't wait to get her sequel. My Mom is reading The Book Thief and like everyone, says it is awesome. I am reading Irving Stone's Lust For Life, about Vincent Van Gogh. I seem to love stories about male artists. Not sure why. I am also almost done with Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth, which I have thoroughly enjoyed. And, truth be told, I am in the middle of 64 other books as well. I read Edward Albee's The Zoo today, which I have read before, but still found disturbing, and am in the middle of another play from a book called Famous American Plays of the 1950's. Can't find the book right now or I would tell you the name of the play. That is that. Too cold for carriage driving, warm enough for reading and writing, meditating and Netflix. C'est la vie.

I survived The Valentine's Day Blizzard 2010

I Survived

The Valentine's Day Blizzard

2010

I did survive The Valentine's Day Blizzard, if anyone cares. I'm getting t-shirts made up. I don't care if the snow only lasted for two hours and may not have technically been a blizzard, it felt like one and I made it through alive. Last night was the worst carriage driving weather I've ever been in, in five years. It was so bad, it was funny. The streets downtown that dead end into the river are absolutely brutal on cold days, but last night, with snowflakes the size of my palm and 20 mph winds, I couldn't help laughing. It was unreal! But I survived with no lasting injuries, just bone tired and worn out. Writing this blog entry and reading are the only two things I am doing today that are book related. Or horse related, for that matter. Oh, and this entry has nothing to do with books other than the fact that I am reading several of them. Started Where Angels Fear To Tread by E.M. Forester even though I am am the end of Cape Random by Bernice Morgan, which has taken an interesting turn in the last quarter of the book. I suppose I will have to muster the energy to turn pages, but that is all the work I am doing today. And dehydrating Eggplant Bacon. I know, eggplant what?? I am very excited about it and since it's my day off, I don't have to explain anything to anyone. Feisty, huh? Did I mention it was my day off?

She Loved Words

That's what a friend of mine told me is going to be on her tombstone when she shuffles off this mortal coil. I thought that was great and have decided to copy her. If she is dead and gone, I figure, then she won't be able see that my tombstone! I love words- It's great! Faith is a new favorite of mine. It is supposed to be the antidote to fear and the only effective way, actually, to combat fear. Fear that I might not win Powerball, that's a legitimate fear, right? Well, then, I will just have faith that I will win and that will be that.
At the store, wow, I have had a massive amount of help shelving books- there are many, many new books on the shelves. I am still accepting applications for Thursday- Sunday nights, 4-9 p.m., commission only (but a substantial commission, based on experience). You won't be required to do much which will offer you plenty of time to get to know what books I have which will, of course, increase your sales. That is the job in its entirety- let me know if you are interested.
What else? Reading a book called Cape Random by Morgan somebody- sorry, I don't have the book in front of me- and am enjoying it. It's set in the early 1880's and concerns an English family who had to leave England and arrives in Newfoundland and what they experience during their time there. It is kind of Little House on the Prarie-ish, except with a little more death. The amount of thrift and plain old hard work that went into survival for them makes me look at the easy-peasy life I live. When I want clean clothes, I just go wash them. I don't have to be sure I work all summer and fall in the hopes of being able to trade enough fish for detergent. I thought about putting the book down when I was about 100 pages into it, but am glad I didn't. I was slightly boring, but has picked up since then.
Raw food potluck is tonight at Whole Foods- 7 p.m. Bring or buy a dish there worth $5. Usually, there are amazing foods and wonderful people.
Other than that, I would have to say, everything else is same ole, same ole. As a carriage driver, this is the slowest time of the years, January and February, so every day that brings us closer to Spring is a good day!
Take care.

Help Wanted at The English Major Bookstore!

Well, I guess they weren't kidding about this icy rain and snow. I listened to Drake and Zeke at night last night and they were speculating that we might not get anything at all, bad weather wise. But there is snow and ice all over the place. Another thing I wanted to note today was that I finished my first John Grisham novel, The Brethren, and really enjoyed it. I am reading a book now called Man is The Prey by James Clark about how vulnerable (wo)man is to he animal kingdom. It was written in 1969, but, for instance, Mr. Clarke claims that before 1966, 50% of all deaths in Vietnam were from insect bites and that over 40,000 people every year are killed by snake bites. I have been wanting to read this book for a while, but am finally getting a chance to.
Not sure if I have mentioned this yet ( I am pretty sure I haven't), but the store is going to be open late starting sometime in February. I am shooting for Thur- Sun, noon till 9 or 10 p.m. In that same vein, I am officially putting out a Help Wanted sign, although I am doing it via the Internet, so I am not sure how official that is, but you get the point. I need people from about 4-9, all four nights and if you are not available all the time, maybe you want to sign on for every other Friday night or something. I am very open to time sharing. Please give me a call if interested or know someone who is.
That's all I've got, folks. That and the night off, thanks to the weather. Third weekend in a row that we carriage drivers have gotten the short end of the stick. I believe we have angered the Carriage Gods somehow, but am unsure exactly how. Will be at home, tonight, contemplating that very issue. Take care all.

"English majors in college show up in my writing workshops years later, after trying a career in another field, because a dream was born in them back in school when they read Dostoevsky, Thomas Mann and Virginia Wolf, and they can't get it out of their heads. So after a few years as computer programmers, they see it doesn't give them that kind of hard rain in the afternoon outside the window. They know there is something else and that it's in their own brain. I honor English majors. It's a dumb thing to major in. It leads nowhere. It's good to be dumb, it allows us to love something for no reason. That's the best kind of love."
-Natalie Goldberg, Wild Mind - Living the Writer's Life, p. 140

Writing Workshop Tonight!!!

WRITING WORKSHOP TONIGHT

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19 FROM 6:30 TO 8:30

Hosted by The Mid-South Writer's Group

$20 (Student Discount- $15)

Call for more information

(901) 833-3099

Life is full of challenges, eh? I have been reading a book called Your Freedom To Be about how people's lives can change when they see reality for what it is; namely, that we are all a part of One Presence, One God, etc. With my head in said cloud, happy, calm, content, I have fallen behind on my AT&T bill. As such, I have been temporarily cast out from the Internet community and, as such, am having to use my Carriage Driving Boss' Wifi ( I think that is what I am using to connect on my laptop). I debated revealing this little piece of information, as it is a little embarrassing, but am divulging in order that no one wonder," Why doesn't Karin ever blog anymore? Does she think no one cares, that perhaps no one reads the blog for The English Major Bookstore? Phooey!" No, I am just a lowly carriage driver with a bookstore and it is Winter and these things happen. I will be back up and running in no time. And, things being what they are, I can't remember the name of the writer's group my friend Valentine runs but she has a Phd. in Philosophy and runs an 8-week long workshop from her home several times a year. This group is for those who don't want to sign up for the whole course, but just for one night. You have probably seen her group's book for sale in coffeeshops around town- it's called 'Mais Oui'- Valentine is awesome and I'm sure her workshop will be spectacular. Call me at the store for more information directly from her flyer. (901) 833-3099. See you on Tuesday!