BOOK CELLAR BLOGCELLAR

Follow me on my journey to promote early literacy in at-risk babies of teen parents.

Goodreads, say it isn’t so!

Dave Eggers, founder of McSweeney’s and author of the 2012 National Book Award-nominated A Holgram for the King, is visiting The Book Cellar! Join us on Saturday, February 2nd from 10am-12pm for a meet-and-greet and book signing. Books will be available for purchase here in the store. And yes, we’re just as excited as you are.

Building Stories by Chris Ware was recently published by Pantheon. It comes in a rather large box and contains “14 distinctly discrete Books, Booklets, Magazines, Newspapers, and Pamphlets.” This is will be a series of reviews of each of those 14 separate pieces.

{Part 2 of 14}

As far as I can tell this is the shortest piece in the box. Its narrative deals with the woman from the previous building, but she now has a daughter. When critics point to Ware’s sentimentality, they probably point to pieces like this. But Ware risks showing us moments in our lives that are so difficult to talk about without sounding sentimental, or pretentious, or sappy or whatever. Which is one of the reasons I love his work so much.

But seriously, how do you guys like my office rug?

Building Stories by Chris Ware was recently published by Pantheon. It comes in a rather large box and contains “14 distinctly discrete Books, Booklets, Magazines, Newspapers, and Pamphlets.” This is will be a series of reviews of each of those 14 separate pieces.

{Part 1 of 14}

Those familiar with Ware’s work will recognize one of the main characters from this first narrative segment, a youngish single woman with a prosthetic leg from an as yet unnamed accident or illness. As far as I know she first made an appearance in Acme Novelty #18 which appears to also be included in the Building Stories box. I know it’s $50 but wow, there sure is a ton of material in here!

This story follows this young woman, along with a old lady landlord, and an unhappy couple, who all live in the same apartment building. The building itself is also a character, providing occasional “voice over”. This story takes place during the course of one day, September 23, 2000, but Ware being Ware, he manages to expand that day into a lifetime, depicting the history of these characters, sometimes in a single panel.

Ware’s traditional themes emerge quickly in this first piece: loneliness, mourning the passage of time, miscommunication, self loathing, memory, self doubt, modern boredom, love, intimacy, and sex.

Building Stories by Chris Ware was recently published by Pantheon. It comes in a rather large box and contains “14 distinctly discrete Books, Booklets, Magazines, Newspapers, and Pamphlets.” This is will be a series of reviews of each of those 14 separate pieces.

Mariner Books churns out another crop of Philip K Dick. Beautiful.

Available for sale at The Book Cellar 10/23/12.

Hey Dog Lovers!

Check out the trailer for Ken Foster’s new book, I’m a Good Dog: Pitbulls, America’s Most Beautiful (and Misunderstood) Pet. It’s on the shelves October 25, so swing by Book Cellar to grab your copy. Then remember to visit us again on November 15 because Ken will be in the store sharing the book and signing copies!

Tonight at 7pm, D.T. Max discusses his new David Foster Wallace biography “Every Love Story Is a Ghost Story.” Q & A and signing to follow.