At San Francisco retailer Borderlands Books, which specializes in
science fiction, fantasy and horror, sales "seem to be falling pretty
clearly into three categories thus far," said owner Alan Beatts.
Recent Releases
Customers looking for gifts for the science fiction, fantasy, and
horror aficionados on their lists often ask for the latest releases
that a recipient is not likely to have. Although "there is nothing I
would really characterize as an incredibly hot title in the field,"
said Beatts, several recently published books are selling well: The Android's Dream by John Scalzi, The Black Tattoo by Sam Enthoven and The Jennifer Morgue by Charles Stross, which Beatts described as a "supernatural pastiche of James Bond."
Classics
"A lot of people like to come in and buy a copy of whatever was one of
their favorite books," Beatts said, including works by authors Robert
Heinlein and Isaac Asimov. "There's a nice and quite reasonably priced
leather-bound edition of all five of Douglas Adams's Hitchhiker's Guide
to the Galaxy books," noted Beatts. Another perennial holiday seller
for the store is The Lord of the Rings three-volume boxed set
illustrated by Alan Lee, who worked as a conceptual designer on the
film adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy.
Sidelines
Borderlands stocks an array of sidelines that sell "surprisingly well"
during the holiday season. They include jewelry; cast resin boxes,
ashtrays and incense burners decorated with dragons and other fantasy
motifs; and carved wooden boxes imported primarily from India. The
wooden boxes are "more impulse buys," Beatts said. "It's something we carry
that appeals to everyone. People who come in the store who aren't
necessarily into our specialty end up buying them."
In addition to science fiction, fantasy and horror titles, Borderlands
Books carries periodicals, British imports, small press titles, videos
and DVDs.
Although Beatts said that it's "a little early" to gauge the mood of
customers, he noted a bit of caution on their part. Recently the store
has had a substantial drop in hardcover sales with a corresponding
increase in trade paperback and mass market sales. "I'm also seeing a
shift from new book sales to used book sales," he said, "and those two
things together almost always indicate people feeling a little
broke."--Shannon McKenna
For me, there's nothing better than blowing off an afternoon of chasing buckage for the Shelf to cook a dinner for people I enjoy--and still call it work.
The crown pork roast came out perfectly. (Grab a thermometer and use
it. This is the only way to tell for sure when the roast is done.)
There's
nothing easier to prepare and to impress a crowd with than a
giant roast . . . plus, while it cooks you can get everything else
done. The cider gravy was a snap to whip up while the roast rested. But
it was the apple and pork stuffing that stole the show. I
didn't bake it inside the roast as the recipe suggested since I was
afraid of wiping out a microcosm of the book business via trichinosis.
I cooked it alongside the roast, and it was nothing short of a
revelation: fresh pork sausage with celery, shallots, breadcrumbs,
garlic, sage and allspice, with a secret ingredient, dried apples.
Whoever figured out that using dried apples, instead of fresh, lends
incredible flavor while avoiding the apple juices that would make it
watery is an ingenious chef. The crown pork roast was far and
away everyone's
favorite. And even though we made enough to feed 12, it was gone by the
end of the meal.
Time for dessert! I am not a big cheesecake fan. I'm always afraid that
someone will talk while eating it and I'll see those
awful phlegmy strings, which make the person look like a Tolkien
monster. But I do believe in the wonders of anything that has almond
and cherry in it, so I had to give the Triple Cherry Cheesecake a go.
It was easy to make and the almond in it perfumed the whole house while
baking. It was light (which is saying a lot for a cheesecake) but the
sauce of dried cherries, fresh cherries, and cherry jam really made it.
You know this when your guests ask if there are leftovers to take with them at the end of the meal.