Today I learned that it was Northern California booksellers who first (or at least most emphatically) emphasized the “independent” in “independent bookstores.” The association here at the time was the first to put it in the association name. How ‘bout that!

Went to a customer’s 88th year birthday party today. People from all over the country travelled for it. I would likely be unable to assemble an evening of drinks at a bar. Impressive stuff.

I want to (but not really) talk to these folks in Rockridge with Matt Mahan signs still in their yards.

Our broad commitment to university presses — to selling them, ideally; & promoting them, at least — is apparent w/ even the most cursory browse of our shelves. So, yeah, fantastic, long “state of the union” type pieces like this are incredibly important for us. www.publicbooks.org/publishers-a...

Woke up way too early & decided to try my patience by reading the summary of the ABA’s annual meeting. Failure on all counts.

Whistling “I gotta be me” in the store.

All timer of a front page from the SF Chronicle

One of the more curious parts about my professional station in life is that my purest form is as a floor bookseller, but these days only do that a couple days a week.

One would like to think that some of these fuckers would see something resembling justice when they're eventually out of power ... but we know how very little taste for blood the elected opposition has.

The great author Charlie Porter apparently stopped by the store yesterday (I wasn't there, alas), and word is he made a point of saying he liked the store. So, there's that!

The analytics say this OKC-San Antonio series is fun to watch.

Finally saw the preview for Nolan’s Odyssey people have been shitting on, and I gotta say: if it wasn’t 3+ hrs (or whatever stupid length it’ll be), I’d happily watch it.

“I Love Boosters” is a helluva wild ride, huh?

Kinda bummed that Herzog’s OF WALKING IN ICE is leaving U of Minnesota Press for the monied grounds of Penguin. But not surprised.

On one hand, I love that she takes her time. On the other hand, I'd love to see a new C. E. Morgan novel.

My Princeton rep commenting on our sales of a book titled HOPEFUL PESSIMISM: "if ever there was a title that summed up your store, this is it."

Chiharu Shiota’s “Two Home Countries” exhibition at the S.F. Asian Art Museum is a delight. The play between light and shadow, color and whatever might be linked between, is not subtle, but provocative all the same.

Funny, because he buys independent bookstores and keeps the names & branding to masquerade as though they’re still independent bookstores.

No comment.

This is such a great essay.

The thing about me is I both cannot stand "drama," but also eat that shit up like it's banana pudding.

Why does the US Government hate children?

Hung out with @oaklandreviewofbooks.org folk at a bar. Good folks, they!

Still no roof.

That this dude is at the helm of one of the companies around which the western world’s economies run is, let’s say, *telling* of the present state of things.

Love going to thoroughly middle-aged rock shows on a weekday night.

Conglomerate ownership of media seems like a bad idea. www.theguardian.com/film/2026/ma...

I spent a significant portion of my day dissecting the Jan thru Apr P&Ls. (I know how to have a good time.) (Don't worry, I also had a margarita nearby.) The recurring lesson of my chosen trade is this: for at least ten months of the year, the math ain't in your favor.

I absolutely love that we still sell a few copies here & there of Hervé Guibert's Mausoleum of Lovers.

My only question re: the Guardian book list is whether any voter(s) had zero, zilch, none of their books make the list of 100. A v. quick click reveals Benjamin Meyers only had one, so surely there's at least someone who went 0 for 10.

Not sure this is even primarily a Gen Z phenomenon. www.wired.com/story/book-e...

A customer asked about me yesterday if the writing in this was actually any good (I’d relayed that while we don’t have it in stock, somebody had just picked up a special order for it). I couldn’t resist my response: “It flows.” ebbooksellers.com/item/p5lAnqx...

I don’t like Meta’s algorithms either, but they have clocked the fact that I will click on every real and fake IG video featuring a baby donkey.

Just a working stiff with a stiffer drink.

Want to see my haul from from the LA Art Book Fair?

I’m still considering spending whatever it takes for Rosalia’s Oakland show.

Will use this as a placeholder in my calendar going forward.

Tonight’s hot take nobody asked for: I don’t think flopping in the NBA is as bad as bad officiating in general.

On the one hand, I'm bummed that EBB got turned down to sell at the SF Art Book Fair. On the other hand, I'm happy to have a weekend off.

I said, while sipping my coffee and watching the haze hug the San Rafael Hills in the distance, the birds singing, the bugs stinging, a dog losing his fur at my feet, with the sort of gravitas all this deserves: “I wish we had a deck at home.”

I'm afraid to do the math on how much I spent at the art book fair today.

I like Los Angeles. In fact, I like Los Angeles a lot. But, y'all damn do you have more flying insects than we do in my part of the Bay Area.

It’s not either/or, of course, but it’s not the absolute worst either if Bluesky isn’t one more means of “effective” marketing.

News you can use.

Yeah, there really is a book for sale on Amazon called Infinite Jeffs, where they replaced all the words of Infinite Jest with the word "Jeff". It's 25 bucks. www.amazon.com/Infinite-Jef...

My hot take is no “return on investment” is ever earned.

How on earth is the cruise industry still … afloat?

I forever dream of being able to toss out a casual “indefatigable” without getting tongue-tied.

I knew the Reds collapse was coming. But it’s still disappointing to see.

We blew through 10 copies of Lisa Robertson's RIVERWORK last week -- that's quite a lot for us, esp. for a deeply literary Canadian published book. Good job, EBB shoppers.