Did you know that periodically (and by periodically I mean several times a week,) we travel all over the state to pick up interesting lots of used books to bring back to the store? For instance, a few weeks ago we picked up a huge lot of Religion and Art books, some of which were in Russian. Two weeks ago we picked up an enormous bunch of books on Environmental Science, Botany and Entomology. And just last week we grabbed a lot full of Egyptology. Our store’s inventory is always changing and expanding, so be sure to visit as often as possible, because these lots we pick up in our down time are in addition to the thousands of books we buy on a daily basis- and we buy a wide and varied amount. Anything from James Patterson and Luanne Rice, to Neil Gaiman (the entire set of Sandman came in TWICE in the last month) to specialized Science, Art and Cooking. 

Next Monday night we will be heading out to grab a lot of about 3,000 like new Mystery, Science Fiction and Horror. When we pick up books like this we usually go and scan the lot first… (can you say field trip?!) and then schedule a date to go back for it. Then we round up a group of eager Barnfellows to go and box box box. Usually we’ll have new stock out and priced within several days of receiving, so you can start scanning the store for this material as soon as Tuesday afternoon. 

Hope to see you soon!

Just a heads up- the teen section is fit to burst full of books, and it’s more than doubled in size for those of you who haven’t been since last summer. Come and check it out, we’ll send you away with stacks and stacks!!

As promised: a little info on how to subscribe to our blog.

When you link to our page at www.bookbarnniantic.com and select the option available mid-page to view our blog, it brings you to the main blog page.

Once you are there, you should look up to your toolbar. Located within the toolbar is a small orange icon with white lines running through it. Click on this, and it should bring you to a text only page with the option of linking to us for an RSS Feed. If you have a Mac., the option to link to an RSS Feed should be in the scroll bar, right after our url.

If you are not familiar with RSS Feed, it’s basically the option to receive an email every time we update with info. about the store.

If you comment on our blog (and we hope you do,) then the comments you leave must first be approved- but should be available for viewing within a day or two of your submitting them. If you ask a question via the blog rather than the email, a response will also be available within a day or two.

Thank you! And please ask if you have any further questions!

Hello all! I just wanted a chance to write about how sunny and warm this weekend is going to be! The perfect weather to visit a used bookstore, don’t you think?  

If you’re coming, here are some things you should know:

Our layout has changed a little! The basement was recently remodeled, and the foreign language books are now downstairs- I’ll let Glen write more on that later. 

The goats will be out! Many who have visited in the recent snowy/rainy/cold months have noticed that the goats haven’t been around as often to eat the corn they’re offered. Today they will definitely be out, and most likely eating corn by the handful. 

We support letterboxing! So if you’re on the hunt, there are actually quite a few in the Niantic area!

We’re just two miles away from Rocky neck, it may not be time to swim yet, but Rocky Neck is great for hiking too. 

We’ve got tons of little nooks and crannies near ponds with plants and fish- so feel free to lose yourself somewhere for a while while you’re getting lost in a good book. Enjoy the warm weather!

Have a great weekend, and we hope to see you soon!!!

C is for cookie! And cookies we have! Cookie Monster, eat your heart out.

Yesterday at the barn we had a chocolate chip cookie bake-off between several staff members- and without going into too many ooey-gooey details, there were seven cookies overall to judge from.

We here at the barn have monthly bake-offs featuring different key ingredients or themes each time. Because of our desire for delicious food stuffs- we bake a lot. And because here at the Book Barn you never know what you may walk in on, the next time you visit you may just open our front door to the mouthwatering aroma of a bake-off.

Blub… glub… cough…

Hello all, and let me just announce that I am now officially a soggy bottom girl- that is to say, I mean- jeeeeeeeez it’s wet outside. After running around for what seemed like hours but may have been more like really long minutes (after all, I don’t have fins,) I think we’ve finally located all of the leaks, spouts, drips and floods. You’ll be happy to hear- we didn’t lose much! So, now that you know the books are safe we’ll move on to what is clearly the most pressing question:

The cats!!!! Where do the cats go when it rains?!?!

Well most of them stay in doors ya silly geese. They curl up together on the couch in the Military room. Those of you who have been in the last few months may have noticed the trio of cats that can usually be found together in the cold and wet weather: a calico, a tiger, and a black cat. They are as follows: Mrs. Howell, Tiger (of course) and Frankie. Howlie and Tiger being two of our oldest cats. They curl up in the wet weather I imagine for warmth and companionship, and yes, they get along quite well. You may even consider bringing your camera the next time you visit.

Other areas of refuge include the bell tower, which most of you may not have noticed. As you come in once you pass the buying tables and are about to travel up the stairs to the main barn, pause at the bottom of the steps and look straight up- you should see a tower with a bell attached to the top. There is a small enclosure located at the topmost point right under the bell, and it is very warm, very safe and very dry. Many of our cats will crawl in there to hide even on nicer days. You may also notice it’s surrounded with ivy, which truly helps to add to the solitude of such a wondrously out-of-the-way place.

Other than that our cats can be found all over the store, whether they’re sleeping out in the open on the chairs you wish you could sit in, or walking right above you on the ceiling rafters, just waiting for you to stay still long enough to hop on your shoulder. That being said, most of them prefer to stay dry…

EXCEPT for our Evinrude. Who, contrary to popular belief- is not called Evinrude because of his purr (which isn’t really very loud at all,) but because he cannot stay away from water. Whether it be pond water full of fish and frogs or just plain pouring rain like today, Evinrude will immerse himself fully, come back inside to gorge himself on anything edible, only to bound back outside and meow pitifully at anyone who passes by. Do not be fooled! There is in fact a cat door, and he is, in fact- a goon. But our goon, nonetheless.

So- I guess it’s going to be raining for the next couple of days, but if you feel like visiting ourselves and our books and our cats, we’ll be here. Not rain nor snow nor… nor… um.

We’ll be here!

So just grab a raft and sail on over, to the bookstore at the bottom of the sea.

Just a quick update to let everyone know that with the opening of a third store we were able to expand some sections. First and foremost of all of these is the Sci-fi section, which got a grand make-over at our downtown store. It’s now in a recently remodeled backroom, which consists of new bookcases, a lovely new carpet, and what feels like about a billion more books. With the recent addition also of air-conditioning, and the chance that you may catch Lagaan in the cd player when you stop by, you really don’t want to miss it.
The cookbooks also received a make-over, as have Westerns, which are now also at DT and Business, which is back where the Kid’s room used to be.
BUT WAIT!
OMG!
You say,
WHERE DID THE CHILDREN’S BOOKS GET TO?!?!?
Woah. Don’t panic. Let’s all have a Douglas Adams moment and breathe in… and out. Alright- ready for some good, no, great news?
Children’s has moved right down the street to Midtown. And it is worth seeing. Also air conditioned, this beautiful new store still smells like pine and fresh coffee since it is less than three months old.
Coming soon to the new store once Fall hits us: Horror, fiction (extension) and Large Print.
Yeah baby. Come check it out.

‘Cause if you haven’t, you really should. Remember when the Teen section was a free standing bookcase upstairs next to psychology? Or when it was in the outhouse on the porch of the Last Page? No more! The Teen section has been upgraded- under the blue awning on the porch of the Main Barn- and we don’t even have to share with Military anymore!

The NEW Teen Section now includes:

Teen fiction

nonfiction

memoir

reference

manga/anime

graphic novels 

and

 gaming guides and walkthroughs.

And boy, is it worth seeing. Not only does it have its own room positively packed, wall to wall with loads of really neat books, but we’ve been getting SO many more Teen genre books this summer. Charlie Bone? We got it. Alex Rider? Got that too. Meg Cabot, Joseph Delaney, Laurie Halse Anderson, Eoin Colfer, Rick Riordin, Kenneth Oppel… yeah. So we have books, so many books! Come and take a peek, you won’t be disappointed

Just remember- the Teen Section is for teens of all ages, which means we do have some books that are definitely meant specifically for older readers. When you come visit, feel free to come to me, or any staff member, with any questions about age appropriate books and/or recommendations.

If you know you’ll be visiting:

Feel free to contact me through the website e-mail @ book.barn@snet.net, just put my name (Darcy) in the header and let me know if you’re looking for any books. We can put them aside if you’ll be coming in within a couple of days of the message.  Also, feel free to send me an e-mail with thoughts on your recently read books, recommendations for other readers, and if you just read something you thought was brilliant- let me know and maybe I can give you something else along the same lines.

Coming soon: a bulletin board for thoughts and shared messages.

Now go finish your summer reading reports you crazy kids. And good luck on the ‘ol, goin’ back to school- I’ll be right there with you, just a few years further down the line. And in between your boss fights and episodes of Metalocalypse, I hope you’ll remember: Reading is totallys metal.

Hey guys! Just posting to let you know that we’ve been fiddling around with flickr so that we can add some photos to the site! If you’ve taken any neat pictures you think we should see, send them our way! Book.barn@snet.net. If you’re reading the blog, spread the word!