Written on the Dock of the Bay is your weekly guide to literary and bookish happenings in the pleasantly literary and bookish Bay Area.
BAY AREA BOOK WORLD BREAKING NEWS
Bookstore openings // Two new bookstores are coming to Marin County this summer -- Copperfield's Books will be arriving at San Rafael in November, and Diesel will be opening up in Larkspur as soon as July. In Marin, the number of independent bookstores is about half of what it was nearly 15 years ago, so this is pretty sweet news.
Barnes & Nobles to stop manufacturing Nooks// After spending hundreds of millions of dollars in an effort to compete with Amazon and Apple in the market for e-readers, Barnes & Nobles is retreating from the Tablet War after losses at its Nook digital business more than doubled in the last quarter, wiping out profits generated at its bookstores. Independent bookstores in the Bay Area are, by and large, still giving e-books a go. As of April, Alexander Book Co. in San Francisco has sold no e-books, while Books Inc. chain of a dozen small shops in the Bay Area has sold about 200 e-readers and 300 - 400 e-books through Canadian e-reading upstart Kobo.
BOOKISH HAPPENINGS
Friday, June 28
Queen Open Mic // Natasha Muse, one of the funniest transsexual comedians around, is bringing her cerebral comedy to Modern Times Bookstore this Friday. And so are you! Maybe. If you want a 5 minute slot of your own, all you have to do is ask the folks at Modern Times. // DETAILS: Friday, June 28, 7pm. Modern Times Bookstore Collective. 2919 24th Street, San Francisco
Saturday, June 29
Music at the bookstore // Friends lovingly call the versatile bookstore on Clement Street "Green Apple Books" for short. But, really, the bookstore's full birth name is "Green Apple Books and Music." This second installment of the Green Apple Local Music Showcase pays tribute to the store's fabulous vinyl collection by bringing together The Avenues, a band that is half-rock, half-soul, and half-funky break downs. With all those surplus of halves, this bookstore is gonna get loud. // DETAILS: Saturday, June 29, 6pm. Green Apple Books. 506 Clement Street, San Francisco
Wednesday, July 3
Book Sale // AK Press's annual "F*ck the Fourth" book sale is back -- and you know what? Just to show that the folks at AK Press really don't give a hoot about the 4th of July, they're having the big sale on the 3rd of July. All of their 4,000 titles will be 25% off, and bargain books can be purchased for $1-$5. Furthermore, there will be snacks. // DETAILS: Wednesday, July 3, 4 - 8pm. AK Press Warehouse. 674-A 23rd Street, Oakland