books

National Book Festival Saturday Rain or Shine

By Prince Of Petworth

From an email:

“This year the Festival will take place rain or shine Saturday, September 27th 2008 from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on The National Mall (Between 3rd and 7th Streets) in Washington, DC. You can find out everything you need to know about the National Book Festival at the Library of Congress Web site: http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/  

A full list of attending authors can be viewed here: http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/2008/authors/index.html

Bringing together over 70 award-winning authors with booklovers and fans from around the world, the eighth annual National Book Festival invites individuals of all ages to participate. Organized and sponsored by the Library of Congress and hosted by First Lady Laura Bush, this free cultural event attracts 100,000 book lovers each year...”

Where Do You Buy Books?

By Prince Of Petworth

There are some great used books stores in town (like Idle Time in Adams Morgan pictured above). There’s also Second Story off Dupont Circle, a few Olson’s left, Borders, Politics and Prose, Kramer Books and others. And of course there is Amazon to purchase your books on line. Now I’ve often pined for a bookstore in our neighborhoods but I’m wondering if people still purchase books at the brick and mortar stores. If you do, what’s your favorite in DC?

Reader Request: What is the Potter’s House

By Prince Of Petworth

They actually have a really good Web site. It says:

“The Potter’s House is Washington’s original church coffeehouse with a bookstore, art gallery, restaurant, discussion center, entertainment venue, catering service, and gift shop. We offer community, hospitality, and a listening ear to all who enter. We are thankful for all of the wonderful people with whom God has blessed us through the years. We want to consistently share the vision that we are all clay in the Potter’s hands.”

There were a lot of religious books but there were also “normal” books as well like The Kite Runner and Suite Francaise. There was also a band there and new art was getting hung on the wall. I’m not particularly religious myself, nor am I of the Church going persuasion but I felt completely fine looking around. They also had a very reasonably priced Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner menu. And there is free wireless available. Of additional note, they also have a Friday night benefit concert series beginning at 7pm with a $15 suggested donation. You can find more info on the concert series here. Potter’s House is located at 1658 Columbia Road, NW and a flyer I picked up says “all ages, races, creeds, sexes & orientations welcome!”.

Pictures of the inside after the jump. (more…)

Neat Neighborhood Find: Capitol Hill Books by Frank

By Prince Of Petworth

The following neat neighborhood find is not exactly on the Green Line but it is well worth a profile. My buddy, Frank, lives in the Eastern Market neighborhood, and wrote a terrific post about one of the greatest bookstores in the city. I figured we, certainly I, pine for bookstores frequently so it was time to appreciate one that we already have.

It was a rainy Sunday afternoon when I arrived to speak to Jim Toole, owner of Capitol Hill Books. I introduced myself and requested a few moments of his time to ask some questions about the store.

Ah, What Could Have Been

By Prince Of Petworth

I love Olson’s book stores. It is great to browse their sales books, usually you can find great deals on interesting books both fiction and non fiction. I was a bit surprised to see this offering, though. I feel like this is a book you’d find at a of library book sales or something like that…

A Pelecanos Question

By Prince Of Petworth

I love George Pelecanos.  He writes about Petworth, Columbia Heights, and Park View with love and grit.  In his latest Drama City on page 43 he writes:  “Dealers all over the city did the same thing, [Ed. note: set up shops to launder drug money], beauty and nail parlors, variety stores, an such.  White dealers, moving cocaine, mostly, did it too, at those antique shops in Adams Morgan and at boutiques on the western edge of the new Shaw.”  I know this is a work of fiction but do you really think the antique shops in Adams Morgan are fronts for laundering money?

Colorado Kitchen’s Gillian Clark to Speak About Her New Book

By Prince Of Petworth

Thanks to a reader for alerting me to this event.  She will be speaking about her new book, Out of the Frying Pan, tomorrow night from 6-8pm at the Culture Shop located at 341 Cedar Street, NW.

From the press release: “Plenty of good conversation and delicious food to sample. The community’s own, Gillian Clark, looks forward to sharing her passion with you. Her book is available for purchase at the Culture Shop’s online bookstore.”

Columbia Heights Coffee Bulletin Board

By Prince Of Petworth

I just found it very cool that someone was looking to expand their book club and has advertised on the CH Coffee bulletin board. That’s a good touch that you probably wouldn’t get at Starbucks…

Does anyone have a pick up truck or SUV?

By Prince Of Petworth

There is a gentleman at the Old Soldier’s Home that has 200 books to donate to the Petworth library. You can see from this photo that they could really use the donations. So, let’s help the gentleman out and hook up the library. If you have smaller donations you’d like to make, just drop them off at the library next time you go.

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