The end of an era

Effective September 1, Vroman's will no longer be offering out of print book searches. (Any out of print orders taken before that date will be honored, of course.) With the ease of finding out of print books online, the number of OP searches we've conducted over the past couple of years has plummeted.

*Sigh* I still remember the thrill I had years ago when Vroman's located a copy of a childhood favorite, Mindy's Mysterious Miniature, for me.

Readers in decline?

Here's an interesting article on America's reading habits; I'm guessing any regular visitor to this blog does not fall into the 27% of our nation's non-readers.

Giving Harry a Run for His Money

For the last couple of weeks, I've been inundated with friends, family, and customers all asking me, "So what's the next big thing in books? What can possibly compete with Harry Potter?" The answer, of course, is nothing -- in twenty-plus years of bookselling I've never seen anything like J.K. Rowling's phenomenon, and I likely won't live to see another. Harry Potter is one of a kind.


But this morning I was reminded that many books and their writers have legions of adoring fans. About 8 a.m. I noticed a number of teenage girls waiting patiently outside the back door. "What in the world do they want?" I thought, thinking back to my own 14-year-old self, who would have still been in her pajamas that early on a summer day. Then I remembered: Eclipse. Today is the release date of the third novel in Stephenie Meyer's enormously popular YA vampire series. I think it's safe to say that just about every female employee in our kids' department harbors a crush -- secret or otherwise -- on Edward, Ms. Meyer's undead protagonist. For readers who like a dash of dangerous romance with their vampire stories, these books come highly recommended. Start with Twilight, then pick up New Moon.


Ms. Meyer may not have yet achieved Rowling-like numbers, but her publisher scheduled a million-copy first printing of Eclipse, their largest ever for a children's book. We've already sold over 130 copies since our doors opened at 9 a.m., and it's been a pleasure watching excited fans pick up a book they've been anticipating for months.


We'll be hosting an event with Stephenie Meyer on Saturday, August 25, at 11 a.m. Priority will be given to customers who buy their books at Vroman's. For more details, visit our website.