The Spiral Bookcase

Did you know that there was a museum dedicated to The Three Stooges?! Well, it’s right around the corner from our shop in Ambler, PA – The Stoogeum.   I was over the moon when the shop was invited to The Stoogeum for the annual Fan Club Meeting on Saturday, April 28th.

The annual Fan Club Meeting is a three day event of lectures, films, displays, Q&A sessions, actions, banquets, dealer rooms, and more. David J. Hogan will be autographing copies of his new book Three Stooges FAQ and we will sell the copies.   You must be a fan club member to attend, but I will be bringing back signed copies to sell in the shop!  (If you would like one, be sure to let me know before Sat!)

I am a huge fan of The Three Stooges.  I remember watching episodes at home on lazy Sundays, soaking up the crazy antics.   I still can’t really choose a favorite Stooge, but I suppose I was a bit partial to Curly and Shemp.  I adored the episodes Cookoo Cavaliers, where they open a beauty saloon in Mexico and Who Done It?, where they are defective detectives but ultimately get the baddies.   I still get that comfy, childhood feeling when I turn on an episode and think about how they warmed my heart on the rainiest of days.

Be sure to pick up a copy of the book and add to your collection of memories and great laughs, I know one will be at home in my personal library.

Enjoy Part I of the Cookoo Cavaliers!

I am happy to present the winning entries from our Inaugural Teen Writing Contest.  This writing contest was a collaboration between Beth Kephart and The Spiral Bookcase.

The inspiration:  You wake up one morning and it’s there—something new, something that could change your life.  Maybe it’s an idea.  Maybe it’s a creature.  Maybe it’s a song playing on the radio.  But something big is happening.  Write about this as imaginatively and persuasively as you can.  Your entry can be a poem, a short story, or an essay—whatever gives you greatest range and possibility.

Several area middle schools and high schools participated in this opportunity.  The semi-finalists were able to attend a special workshop, led by Beth Kephart and Elizabeth Mosier.   The winners, chosen by Beth and Elizabeth, presented their entries at Young Writers Take the Park!, and will be published in the upcoming Philadelphia Stories, Jr.

The authors and their works are astounding.  Click on the links to view.  This material should not be re-published or distributed without the permission of each author.  Please respect their creativity.

Entry by Celeste Flahaven, Villa Maria Academy

Prodigy by Maria Dulin, Villa Maria Academy

Goodby by Olivia McCloskey, Villa Maria Academy

Confessions of a Not-So-Only Child by Lauren Harris, T/E Middle School 

Reflection by Dennis O’Leary, T/E Middle School

Nightbird by Calamity Rose Jung-Allen, Penn Alexander

We are happy to present our new book club, The Spiral Book Club.   Join us!  Right now the group is limited to 10 participants, but if there is enough interest, I will form another meet up time for others interested!  Be sure to RSVP if you are interested in attending.  I can’t wait to meet and discuss books with you!

A glorious interview featuring the iconic author and illustrator.  I just can’t stop watching this!  (Find some of his books right here in the shop!)

Here in Philadelphia, we are very lucky to have a wealth of wonderful authors at our fingertips.   Find these great books here in the shop, and keep an eye out for upcoming book signings and author events.  (Please note that these are in no particular order.)

1.) Extraordinary Renditions by Andrew ErvinThree interlinking novellas, set in Budapest, reciting the lives of three expatriates.  Extraordinary Renditions is tough and sympathetic; combining music, love, war, and tension into a beautiful debut novel.  Visit his website:  www.extraordinaryrenditions.net.

2.) Sleight by Kirsten Kaschock Welcome to the imagined world of sleight, an interdisciplinary art form that combines elements of dance, architecture, acrobatics, and spoken word.  Kaschock’s debut novel follows the lives of two sisters, Clef and Lark.  An intense, oppositional, melodic, and ultimately very rewarding read. Visit her website: http://kaschock.wordpress.com/

3.) Manayunk by Thom NickelsThe must-have book for those who were born and raised in Manayunk, or those who now call Manayunk home.  If you don’t have one on your shelf, now’s the time to pick one up!  One of our best-sellers!

4.) Roxborough by Deborah Del Collo for the Roxborough, Manayunk, and Wissahickon Historical Society.The newest local addition for the iconic neighborhood series published through Images of America.  For the natives, visitors, and Philly history buffs.  Chock full of information and archival photos of Roxborough.

TO BE CONTINUED…

The Spiral Bookcase is a proud participant of Small Business Saturday.  On Saturday, November 26^th we will celebrate our livelihood by offering free goodies to the first 50 customers, $5 gift certificates with every $50 purchase, and limited edition bookmarks from local artists, designed specifically for this event, with each $10 purchase Continue reading →

Jimmy Fallon (as Jim Morrison) performs an amazing rendition of the Reading Rainbow theme

and welcome to the new website.