Is It Hot in Here?

LA Brain Terrain is running a contest to find Los Angeles' hottest bookseller. If you've ever visited Vroman's, you know we have an incredibly good-looking and charismatic staff... and we're not afraid to do a little campaigning. Take a look at some of our bookselling babes below, then go to LA Brain Terrain and vote for your favorite!

Mike G. (left) is working on his M.A. in English. He loves to sing in the shower ("Beyond the Sea" is a favorite tune), and his favorite color is dark blue. Justin J.'s (right) many hats include Book Department Assistant Manager, student, and concept designer for a clothing company. He is a Pisces.

Rosalee V. is a self-described "sexy philanthropist!" She's a Leo whose favorite color is red, and she designs jewelry. She just read (and loved) Ines of My Soul by Isabel Allende.

Steve R. (left) is famed Mr. Steve of Vroman's Storytime. His favorite book of all time is A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and he dreams of one day owning a guinea pig ranch. Kris V., our children's book buyer, is an avid knitter and crocheter, and she is taking Irish dance lessons. Ask her to recite Winnie-the-Pooh for you: she has it memorized!

Alejandro P. is a music major and a drummer in a popular local band. He loves to play volleyball and backgammon.

Isabel R. loves to read books by female authors, and she just finished The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende, which she thought was great. Her favorite classic film is The Neverending Story, and she loves to dance.

Alanna K. (left) hails from Dalton, Georgia, the Carpet Capital of the World. She's an actor who likes music and dancing, and her preferred reads are memoirs. Guinevere P. (center), a Scorpio, has a degree in English literature and her favorite food is peanut butter. She enjoys walking up and down the aisles at grocery stores and taking pictures of shopping carts. Allison H. (right)reads freakishly fast. She's secretly addicted to reality TV (her fave is America's Next Top Model) and she's scouting for a partner for The Amazing Race. She's a native Texan "and proud of it!"

Laura P., a guitarist who loves folk music, is the head of our Customer Service Department. She dreams of owning a ranch in either New Zealand or Australia, and she's currently reading and loving poet W.H. Auden.

Robyn K. loves animals and collects Alice in Wonderland-themed items. Her favorite movies include Requiem for a Dream and Memento, and her dream vacation involves a beach, clear open water, and wind.

Robert P. is a Pisces and the proud father of a beautiful 16-month-old daughter. He has a large CD collection and is learning to play the guitar. His favorite color is purple.

Nick B. is a huge movie buff who owns an enormous DVD collection. He'd like to travel around South America with a group of friends. He enjoys reading diaries and memoirs, and his guilty reading pleasure is Jacqueline Susann's oeuvre.

A Reason to Celebrate

Today our guest blogger, Rebecca from the Book Department, would like to recommend a very special book:

I have been telling everyone for weeks that my husband and I "don't do Valentine's Day." This Valentine's Day, though, my husband woke up with a look of utter exhaustion. "I need a mental health day," he said, "but I can't take one this week." He sighed and got up to move on into the traveling stressball that is his job. Well, V-Day or not, I had to do something to bring joy back. And what, I thought, is happier than a cupcake?

Recently we got in a new cookbook at the store, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. They had me at "vegan." I'd been flipping through the book for a couple of weeks, looking at the lovely photographs and enjoying the ultra-hip commentary on vegan baking. Finally, a vegan cookbook that didn't preach or make me feel guilty for squishing spiders. And now, a perfect reason to take the plunge and make some cupcakes.

So, I took my new cookbook home, put on some Cyndi Lauper and got to cookin'. (Vintage Cyndi Lauper and cupcakes = Joy!) I made Chai Tea Latte Cupcakes and, because the picture was so soothing, Coconut Lime Cupcakes. The directions were easy to follow, the results sublime. The combination of spices in the Chai Cupcake made it a 21st century spice cake and the tang in the Coconut Lime Cupcake gave a grown-up edge to the sweet treat. I didn't need the bag of back-up cookies I got at the store. It took some effort, but I managed to leave most of the finished product alone until my husband got home, exhausted and gray.

Then he smelled the cupcakes. Maybe it was the blend of warming spices in the Chai Cupcakes, or the sight of coconut flakes on the Coconut Lime Cupcakes, but he got a nice pink glow on his cheeks. He waited until after dinner, then dived in with one of each. And I finally got the smile I haven't seen for weeks. Happy Valentine's Day to me.

Now, which cupcakes to make for the next holiday we "don't do. . ."? S'Mores Cupcakes for President's Day? Crimson Velveteen Cupcakes for Mardi Gras? Vegan cupcakes take over my kitchen!

Valentine's Celebrations for All Ages

"I hear something. It sounds like balloons!" I overheard an excited little boy exclaim.

The hiss of the helium tank was only a small part of our annual children's Valentine's Day Party, held earlier today. Our in-store storymeister Mr. Steve read from a selection of holiday-appropriate books, including Cookie Count: A Tasty Pop-Up by Robert Sabuda, Lost & Found by Oliver Jeffers, I Love You Always & Forever by Jonathan Emmett with illustrations by Daniel Howarth, and Enemy Pie by Derek Munson with illustrations by Tara Calahan King.

After storytime, kids were invited to enjoy punch and home-baked cookies and cupcakes. Here, Jen refills the punchbowl. Yummy cupcakes, Jen!

Then it was time to make valentines. Kris raided her craft closet at home for all kinds of fabrics, paper, and doodads to help our guests craft some fabulous cards for family and friends. Paper, glitter, and feathers were a-flyin' as kids concocted their masterpieces.

"This is the best party ever!" a little girl remarked to her mother.

Adults looking for a little Valentine's Day excitement of their own might want to check out one of the books we're featuring this week. It's The New InterCourses: An Aphrodisiac Cookbook by Martha Hopkins and Randall Lockridge. 2007 marks the 10th anniversary of this gorgeous cookbook, and we're glad it's available again, updated with new recipes and photographs. Each chapter is devoted to a different food rumored to have aphrodisiacal properties. Some, like chocolate, oysters, and honey, are familiar turn-ons; but did you know that asparagus, black beans, avocado, and coffee are foods that may arouse desire as well?

Store manager Allison Hill loves InterCourses and is especially fond of its recipe for Angel Hair Pasta with Fresh Fennel Pesto -- sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, toasted pine nuts, and ripe olives enhance the flavorful, herb-laden pesto. I've been making this book's Black Russian Cake for the last decade, a sinfully rich but super-easy deep chocolate cake spiked with coffee, Kahlua, and creme de cacao. It's my husband's favorite dessert and makes an appearance every year on his birthday. Is it an aphrodiasiac? I'll never tell...

So very cute

The Cute Book. Let's face it: it's darn cute. This skinny little hardback from the Japanese design team Aranzi Aronzo is full of patterns for "cute and easy-to-make Felt Mascot" [sic], which are tiny creatures you can play with, attach to hair pins, sew onto a tote bag, etc. These little guys are not all-purpose, however:

A sly, offbeat sense of humor pervades the book; is it the original Japanese text, the translation, or the combination thereof? Check out this description of the mascot Bird:

Very girly, excellent figure,
coquettish, but confused little bird.
"I would like you to make me
very pretty."

Weird, yet somehow wonderful. The bunnies, pandas, sprites, bad guys, and others in this easy-to-use craft book will delight young girls and anyone interested in Japanese pop culture. All you really need to get started is some felt, some glue, and a needle and thread.