Where Do We Donate Books?

by Alan Beatts

I'm afraid that, with one thing and another (not the least of which has been getting our new newsletter service working right . . . -ish), I don't have much to say this month.  But I do have a favor to ask.

We are looking for places to donate books.  For years we've been donating books to Martin de Poores < http://www.martindeporres.org/ >, who give them out to their clients, and to other agencies, but we sometimes find ourselves with too many books for them.  We also find that hardcover books are not as good a donation for them as paperbacks.  So, I'm working on finding other worthy places to donate.  As much as I support the San Francisco Public Library, most of the books donated to them are put up for sale.  I'd prefer to donate the books to places where they'll be used, since that gets the best value out of them (as opposed to selling them quite cheaply, as the library does.)

These are all kinds of books -- damaged books, books that customers have abandoned, books that aren't in our genres, books that authors have sent ten unsolicited copies of to us -- a little bit of everything.   If there are specific criteria for the books donated, I'm happy to sort them to suit.  For example, I donated about ten boxes to a local school that requested that the books be hardcover and suitable for kids under 15 years old.  The main thing is, we'd like the books to go to a good home, so if you've got suggestions (or even better, a contact at the institution that needs or wants a donation), please let us know!

September Bestsellers

Hardcovers
1. Shaman by Kim Stanley Robinson
2. The One-Eyed Man by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
3. Bleeding Edge by Thomas Pynchon
4. Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
5. The Quarry by Iain Banks
6. The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes
7. Shadows by Robin McKinley
8. Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
9. MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood
10. Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman

Mass Market Paperbacks
1. Chimes at Midnight by Seanan McGuire
2. 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson
3. Cold Days by Jim Butcher
4. Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews
5. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
6. The Twelve by Justin Cronin
7. Lord of Mountains by S.M. Stirling
8. Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
9. Midst Toil and Tribulation by David Weber
10. Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

Trade Paperbacks
1. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
2. Pirate Cinema by Cory Doctorow
3. The Hydrogen Sonata by Iain M. Banks
4. Death Rides the Zephyr by Janet Dawson
5. Some Kind of Fairy Tale by Graham Joyce

September News Roundup

* Warner Brothers and J.K. Rowling have reached a deal to make more movies in the Harry Potter world, but without Harry: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-warner-bros-harry-potter-author-jk-rowlings-20130912,0,3404185.story

* Grains of Sand, a 25-year "Sandman" retrospective, is opening Oct. 5th at the Cartoon Art Museum! http://cartoonart.org/2013/09/coming-soon-the-sandman-25th-anniversary-exhibition/

* Overheard in the store:
"The man is sick; I like that in a person."
"…and, delivered with a paucity of pomposity!"
"The only problem with Steampunk is when you have to go to the bathroom."
"Totalitarian dictators absolutely love hyper-realistic, heroic art."

* Incredible, bejeweled skeletons of Christian martyrs, "The Catacomb Saints": http://sobadsogood.com/2013/09/09/heavenly-bodies-cult-treasures-and-spectacular-saints-from-the-catacombs-by-paul-koudounaris/

* How to get a time traveller to visit you: http://thedoghousediaries.com/5385

* Charles Stross on Feral SpamBooks of the Future: http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2013/10/polemic-how-readers-will-disco.html

* We're sorry to report the death of legend Frederik Pohl, who passed away September 2nd, 2013 at the age of 94.  http://io9.com/rip-frederik-pohl-the-man-who-transformed-science-fict-1241405614

October Upcoming Events

Litquake Opening Night Party with Jean-Christophe Valtat at Z Space Theatre, 450 Florida Street ($15 advance, $20 at the door) - Friday, October 11th at 7:00 pm

Steven Brust and Skyler White, THE INCREMENTALISTS (Tor, Hardcover, $24.99) Saturday, October 12th at 3:00 pm

Litquake Event with Richard Kadrey and Adam Mansbach at Glass Door Gallery, 245 Columbus Avenue - Monday, October 14th at 7:00 pm

SF in SF Litquake event: Caped Crusader Victories with Camille Alexa, Claude Lalumiere and Tim Pratt at the Variety Preview Room in the Hobart Bldg. 582 Market St. - Friday, October 18th at 7:00 pm

Litquake event with Anne Perry at Glass Door Gallery, 245 Columbus Avenue - Friday, October 18th at 7:00 pm

Litquake Lit Crawl Phase 2 at Borderlands Books with Diana Orgain, Sheldon Siegel, Kelli Stanley, and Simon Wood - Saturday, October 19th from 7:15 pm - 8:15 pm

Litquake Lit Crawl Phase 3 at Borderlands Cafe with Steven Boyett, Ellen Klages, Allison Moon, and Annalee Newitz - Saturday, October 19th from 8:30 - 9:30 pm

Mira Grant, PARASITE (Orbit, Hardcover, $20.00) Tuesday, October 29th at 7:00 pm

S.G. Browne, Fran Friel, Rain Graves and Loren Rhoads, THE HAUNTED MANSION PROJECT: YEAR TWO (Damnation Books, Trade Paperback, $21.99) Sunday, November 3rd at 3:00 pm

Malinda Lo, INHERITANCE (Little, Brown, Hardcover, $18.00) and Tim Pratt (editor) RAGS & BONES (Little, Brown, Hardcover, $18.00) Saturday, November 9th at 3:00 pm

Jeffrey Siger, MYKONOS AFTER MIDNIGHT (Poisoned Pen Press, Trade Paperback, $14.95 and Hardcover, $24.95) Sunday. November 10th at 3:00 pm

Gail Carriger, CURTSIES AND CONSPIRACIES (Little, Brown, Hardcover, $18.00) Monday, November 11th at 7:00 pm

Ellen Kirschman, BURYING BEN (Aakenbaaken & Kent, Trade Paperback, $15.95) Saturday, November 16th at 3:00 pm

Free Presentation on Practical Book Repair with Sophia S.W. Bogle - Friday, November 22nd from 6:00 - 8:00 pm

Book Repair Class with Sophia S.W. Bogle ($30) - Saturday, November 23rd from 3:00 - 6:00 pm

Full details after the break