Main Entry: epis•tle
Pronunciation: \i-‘pi-səl\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, letter, Epistle, from Anglo-French, from Latin epistula, epistola letter, from Greek epistolē message, letter, from epistellein to send to, from epi- + stellein to send
Date: 13th century
1 capitalized a: one of the letters adopted as books of the New Testament b: a liturgical lection usually from one of the New Testament Epistles
2 a: LETTER; especially : a formal or elegant letter b: a composition in the form of a letter
Here's my new endcap, which is doing quite well! I set it on October 30th and so far the sales have been very good. The Guernsey book is an easy sell, as is 84, Charing Cross Road and These Is My Words. Here's the entire list (click on the titles for reviews or purchase information):
'Tis The Season by Lorna Landvik
84, Charing Cross Road
by Helene HanffAddress Unknown
by Kathrine Kressmann TaylorThe Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Fair and Tender Ladies
by Lee SmithBetween Friends
by Debbie MacomberThese is my Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901
by Nancy TurnerDaisy Fay and the Miracle Man
by Fannie FlaggThe Pull of the Moon
by Elizabeth BergThe Boy Next Door
by Meggin CabotBridget Jones's Diary
by Helen FieldingLast Days of Summer
by Steve KlugerThe Color Purple
by Alice WalkerI've read all but Address Unknown and Fair and Tender Ladies. (They're in my stacks!) Please don't ask which of these are my favorites. They're all very, very good!
Great post. Thanks for all the suggestions!
ReplyDeleteYou are one impressive chick Les ;) I really enjoy your blog, I have to visit more regularly!
ReplyDeleteI love epistolary novels! How about Queen of the Tambourine? Or (not a novel, but) Foreign Correspondence?
ReplyDeleteI loved five of the books - 84 CCR, Address Unknown, Guernsey, The Boy Next Door, and Bridget Jones. Your display looks very nice. I hope someone will push the AU - it is a book that deserves greater readership.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy epistolary novels, too. NPR's Diane Rehm once said Fair and Tender Ladies is her favorite Lee Smith novel, so that may be a good intro to her work. The end cap looks great!
ReplyDeleteMary - Thanks! And, you're welcome! :)
ReplyDeleteLorraine - Impressive or crazy?! Just how many blogs does one person really need, you must be asking. ;) I look forward to seeing more comments from you, and I've got your blog bookmarked for future visits.
Teabird - Oooh, thanks for the recommendations. I'll add them to my list for future reference.
Nan - Have you read These Is My Words? I think you might like it. And, not to worry. I'll work on selling the AU book - just need to read it first!! I've been handselling a copy of Guernsey almost every single day, so I should be able to convince customers to get the AU book, too.
JoAnn - Glad to hear Fair and Tender Ladies is a winner. I've tried a couple of Smith's books but haven't been too impressed. Maybe this will be the one!
I wish they would duplicate this in my neighborhood store! I loved Address Unknown - thanks to Nan and am very interested in These Is My Words.
ReplyDeleteGuernsey is on my TBRs, thanks to the wonderful Bellezza. 84 Charing Cross Road and These is My Words are on my wish list. I'm kind of embarrassed to admit that the only two I've read are Bridget Jones's Diary and The Boy Next Door. They were both fun, though. I learned my favorite swear word from Bridget. Shhh! Don't tell!
ReplyDeleteThe endcap looks wonderful! How often do you have to come up with one? Reminds me of having to create bulletin boards as a Resident Assistant in college...I had to do six every two months!!! I always had a hard time coming up with ideas, so I can appreciate anyone who can create something like your endcap.
ReplyDeleteGreat endcap! Daisy Fay is one of my favorites. What a sweet story. So is the Guernesy book one of the top sellers? I can imagine that it must be - I feel like I see it everywhere.
ReplyDeleteI've seen 84, Charing Cross and loved it -- maybe I should read it.
ReplyDeleteI like the drawing of the young woman at the top of your entry. The idea for the endcap is brilliant!
ReplyDeletewow! I want your job! That end cap looks great adn I had no idea that some of those books are epistolary-which happens to be a favorite style for me. Between your endcap and the others that were suggested by other commentors I think I have a load of books to check out!
ReplyDelete*smiles*
Kim
I spotlighted this post on my Friday Finds post and have also given you an award! You can pick it up here:
ReplyDeletehttp://pageafterpage-kim.blogspot.com/2008/11/award.html
*smiles*
Kim
which reminds...Debbie Macomber's Between Friends...could never get into it, is Just don't know why...so I gave it away as a present...I love books ;)
ReplyDeleteJust found Fair and Tender Ladies on my shelf with a bookmark at page 42...not a good sign. If there is time today, I'd like to read through it and see if I can remember why I stopped.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea such a genre existed outside of the biblical epistles! They look like such exciting reads; thanks, Les, for broadening my understanding.
ReplyDeleteTeabird - I just discovered I have a copy of Queen of the Tambourine in my stacks. Thanks for the mention. I didn't realize it was an epistolary!
ReplyDeleteTara - Oooh, another fan of Address Unknown. I really need to get a copy!
Nancy - I think you'll really enjoy both 84, Charing Cross Road and These Is My Words. They are both on my all-time favorite list.
Hmmm, so I wonder what your favorite swear word is... ;)
Lexi - I don't have to come up with an endcap idea at all. I volunteered to do this and my boss was very nice to allow it. I'm not sure how I'd do if I had the pressure to do it on demand! :) I usually switch the endcaps out after about 6 weeks.
Iliana - Daisy Fay is so darned funny! I need to read it again. Maybe when I'm in a reading slump (or need a good laugh). Yep, Guernsey is probably the best selling in the bunch (with 84, Charing Cross Road right behind). I need to move the books around a bit and see if I can sell some others that are down toward the bottom of the display. Now that I've read Last Days of Summer, I really want to push it. However, it'll wind up on my Top Ten endcap in January, so I'll have time to push it then, too.
Katya - I need to watch the movie again. It's soooo good!!
Bybee - Thank you! I had fun putting it together.
Kim - I'm happy with my job, that's for certain! I love everything about it and getting to put these endcaps up and hand selling my favorites is almost as good as having my own store. :)
Thanks for spotlighting this post on your Friday Finds! I'll be over for the award shortly. Thank you!
Lorraine - I need to go back and see what I wrote in my book journal about Between Friends. I don't remember a lot of the details other than one of the character's names was Lesley (spelled just like mine). Sorry you didn't care for it. I like Macomber's books. They're good fluff. Not great literature, but entertaining.
JoAnn - Uh-oh. That doesn't bode well, does it? I know I've tried one of her books in the past and couldn't get into it. Wonder if I'll like this one?
Bellezza - You are more than welcome! If I had to recommend just one, I'd say give 84, Charing Cross Road a read. It's such a charming book. And, it's actually a memoir! Then, rent the movie with Anthony Hopkins and Anne Bancroft. Marvelous film!
BEAUTIFUL endcap! And great selection of books. You're so good!
ReplyDeleteI went to 84 Charing Cross Road, when I was in London in the late 80's. But, I haven't read the book, nor seen the film, so thanks for the suggestion.
ReplyDeleteAndi - Thanks! I've been very successful with hand-selling the Guernsey book. Not so much with most of the others. Maybe 84, Charing Cross Road, but that's about it. Need to shuffle them around a bit and see if that helps.
ReplyDeleteBellezza - You lucky, duck, you! Oh, I think you'd love both the book and film!! Let me know.
I bet your store loves you. That's a great idea for an endcap. Do workers in different stores in the chain share endcap ideas with each other. I'll bet this one would do fabulous in all the stores.
ReplyDeleteI am ashamed to say I haven't read any of the ones you show. I do own The Guernsey... one, tho. And I did see the movie, The Color Purple.
Booklogged - Each store is given a list of endcaps (and table displays) that corporate decides on, usually every month. And, most stores have a "staff recommends" endcap. My boss and coworkers have been very generous to let me have my very own endcap, which I try to switch out every 6 weeks or so. It's been a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to my January display that will feature my Top Twelve Reads for 2008.
ReplyDeleteYou'll have to try to read 84, Charing Cross Road after you've read Guernsey. It's wonderful. So is Last Days of Summer. That will probably wind up on my Top Twelve list. Oh, and These Is My Words is fabulous. It was on my Top Ten list the year I read it. And the Fannie Flagg book is a hoot! Loved it.
Note to self of another epistolary to remember next time around:
ReplyDeleteHawke's Cove by Susan Wilson