'Tis over.

My store
ain't no more.

Moving Day

Good God, ya'll!

Free Books- So Many Free Books!!!!!

Well, I'll tell you what- anyone reading this blog is welcome to come to the store today, before 3, and pick up as many free books as you can carry out. Salvation Army doesn't come till Monday, so it's all yours for the taking. I'll be up there in about an hour- you can call me at (901) 833-3099

Any Thoughts?

It is my own fault, but no one seems to be reading this blog and as much as I enjoy writing it, I'm unsure of it's future as it feels to weird to be writing for people when there are no people.
Any thoughts?

D.H. Lawrence

I felt the need to mark this occasion with a post at my newly-resurected-though-likely-not-widely-read-at-this-point-blog. I stopped by the bookstore today and picked up a few books I thought looked interesting. Wanna know what they were (though this activity is not the reason for this blog, just part of the story)?
1. American Literature to 1900 ( an anthology)
2.Herman Melville- Selected Tales and Poems
3.Twentieth Century English Literature
4. Moby Dick
5. This is the one I'm excited about- Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence.

Women in Love by D.H. Lawrence remains one of my favorite books. A lot of people I have talked to about this book have referenced it as a book they read and were excited about when they were, say, 16 or 17. This knowledge did nothing to diminish my love of this book. Katrina ate up most of my belongings in 2005 and I think that is where my copy of this book landed, at the bottom of The Gulf of Mexico. The experience of reading that book was so moving to me because I still, to this day, enjoy owning a book I have no intention of relinquishing and which I deface by underlining the passage that speak to me. My copy of Women in Love was thoroughly defaced- I love the way D.H. wrote. So, a copy of Lady Chatterley's Lover is sitting on the shelf at the store and I figured, why not? Maybe it's as good as the other one I read. Lo and behold, when I got this book home, someone had underlined all their meaningful passages but the interesting part is that they underlined throughout the whole book! In the whole time I owned the bookstore, I never found a copy of any book that was underlined all the way through. It seems that most other defacers just peter out before the book is over- I look at defaced books specifically to see if they are thoroughly underlined or just a partial job, as is usually the case. Therefore , to have learned that someone out there has enjoyed D.H Lawrence, not just as much as I, but in the same way I did is wild! Maybe only another book nut would 'get' this, but it meant a lot to me, enough to share with the world via the World Wide Web. Hope it didn't drag on too much and turn you off to the whole English Major Blog! :)
Have a great day!

TheEnglishMajor's Booth at Bonanza.com :)

Well, the threat of Winter weather seems to be behind us and we have a beautiful weekend in front of us. As carriage drivers in the middle of Winter, both Chris and I are extremely happy for the break from the cold. It's almost like a Winter vacation came to us so we didn't have to go to it. Almost.
Went and saw my friend Sally's 3-week-old BEAUTIFUL baby girl, Amelia up at Westy's. I love babies!! So much fun- a couple of my friends are pregnant and I am sure they are all going to need a break at some point from their new bundles of joy, which is where I come in! I love babysitting and am looking forward to helping out where I can. I would open a day care if I could, that would be like a dream job to me. Who knows, perhaps some day!
Just saw where Alexa, from Jerseylicious, (which my husband cannot believe I watch) got her own show called 'The Glam Fairy'. I think that is too funny- all the drama on that show and Alexa always acts like she oozes success in everything she does- then Bravo gives her her own reality show, centered around her! Go Alexa!
On that note, farewell for the day. Hope everyone is having a great day- by the way, I got more books put up on my new website where I am selling books online, at Bonanza.com at TheEnglishMajor's booth (http://www.bonanza.com/booths/TheEnglishMajor). There are about 10 books up thus far- why not swing by and see if anything speaks to you? Local pickup available, btw :)

My Online Book Sales: Bonanza.com!!!

Hello, again! Like I said in my last post ( although I lamented this when the bookstore was open), I am sceptical that anyone is reading this blog, especially when I haven't posted in about 6 months! But I am going to act like someone is reading this, even if it only me.

So, Chris and I survived the light dusting of snow we got yesterday. The grass in the front yard was barely covered with the white stuff and it was gone by the next day, but we pulled through!! We acted like a team and did what we had to do and survived. Okay, enough poking fun typically-snow-deprived-areas. The real point of this post is to announce that although I only have one book for sale on it, I am the proud user of a website called Bonanza.com (previously Bonanzle.com) and I will be moving my books from Amazon.com to my Bonanza booth ASAP. My booth is called, oddly enough, TheEnglishMajor and can be found at the following link:

http://www.bonanza.com/booths/TheEnglishMajor

Definitely check back, unless you are interested in the one book I have on there and you've been looking for it for forever (A Definitive History of the American Prisoner-of-War by John G. Hubbell, $100) but if it's not, I have a lot of books destined for Bonanza Land. Take care, all, and hope you have a great night.

The English Major Shares

Strange as it may sound, it has taken until now for me to contemplate the idea that just because I don't have the bookstore anymore doesn't mean I can't continue my blog! When my husband was my boyfriend, he used to jokingly refer to me as 'The Major' (sometimes 'The Private', depending on the circumstances we found ourselves in.) So, I figure, this was a blog for The English Major Bookstore so me without the bookstore leaves just 'The English Major'. And English Majors tend to like to write and blogs are good outlets for that :)
Chris and I are a few days shy of our six-month wedding annviversary! We feel like experts on the whole being married thing- not! We have had our ups and downs, but it has been wonderful. Some blog, I'll tell you about the course of our relationship- this wedding was a long time coming and I'm very happy we had it! (So is Chris, by the way:)
It is, of course, Winter here in Memphis, which for us fulltime carriage drivers, it's just such a great time of year, with it's lack of rides and cold weather. Chris and I feel like we can see a light at the end of the tunnel as there are a lot of activities in February. Of anyone is reading this, remember, it is never too early to book you Valentine's Carriage Ride with me or my husband. You can go to Carriage Tours of Memphis for me, The Carriage Company for him. I'm prettier, just for the record. Speaking of coomedy, Mike McDonald was on Showtime this morning- he's the guy that played Stuart on Mad TV- and he was doing a stand-up comedy routine and it was hysterical!! Laughed my tush off! This has definitely been the easiest winter of my life as a carriage driver ( and the most special, too.)
Well, it's Tuesday, it's supposed to snow in a few hours, 1-3 inches, so in other words, we are snowed in, there is no escape and no way out. We've stocked up on the basic supplies and both my husband and I believe we are going to make it through this storm unscathed. We will pull through it and persevere, likely stronger people for having survived it. Good Luck, Memphis, we'll see you on the other side of this storm. God speed, everyone!

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/