McHuston Booksellers

Rare, Collectible, & Otherwise

Tag: book (Page 30 of 102)

Love house-cleaning…

February 2, 2015 /

At least, when it is done by someone else and the result is extra books!

It’s the time of year when folks are rearranging shelves. Maybe it’s an effort to stow away the holiday wrappings and decorations. More books have come in the front door in the last few days than in all of December. As a result of this afternoon’s purchases, I’m thinking we may have every C. S. Lewis title ever printed.

A couple of first editions among them.

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To be honest, I didn’t know the author of the Narnia novels had penned so many books. When I’m overstocked (which is rare), his books get shelved in the literature section as well as religious reading – excepting the Chronicles, which are found in fiction, of course. Until this afternoon they had been reduced to – slim pickings.

I have learned that the Chronicles of Narnia weren’t the only fictional outings for the British author. In fact, there are plenty of titles on the table in front of me that I had never heard of before.

I’m really pleased to add the books to the shelves, but it saddens me somewhat that the fellow wanted to part with his collection. Moving, he said.

“Must be a C.S. Lewis fan,” I noted as I looked through the first box, stating what was perfectly obvious.

“I think I have them all,” he answered.

Looking over them, I’m thinking that may well be the case – as far as the non-fiction titles are concerned. So far I have only spotted a single Narnia-related volume.

The books could not have come in at a better time, though. When I took the first handful over to the literature section, I found only a single book. With the collection to be moved in next to it, I have to shuffle two entire sections of the literature titles. It’s for a good cause.

So, taking the time for this note is a break from the move-this-book-to-that-shelf, and this-bunch-to-the-next. It is nothing like ditch-digging, of course (I have done some of that in my lifetime) – but I don’t address those lower shelves like I once did.

With the shuffling completed I believe there is room to display them all, but I think I’ll leave the beautiful leather bound copy of The Screwtape Letters up in the front showcase. The gold-lettered spine and gilt front cover will fit in nicely with the first editions and fine-bindings.

A beautiful copy for someone’s library, and I can’t wait to find it a good home!

Come visit!

McHuston

Booksellers & Irish Bistro
Rose District
122 South Main St. Broken Arrow OK!

Glad to hear it!

January 25, 2015 /

When guests visit at lunchtime, I want them to be treated like family. And I don’t mean having to rummage through the fridge for leftovers or arguing at the table. I’m thinking more of my grandmother’s at Thanksgiving or Easter, when we all knew the menu had been prepared with love and care, and was set before us with her own flair.

I’m missing her homemade egg noodles just thinking about it.

If there was something she made that wasn’t a favorite (like that gelatinous quivering purple stuff – cranberries maybe?), she would never push it on you. Help yourself if you want it. Take more if you like it. There was never anything to complain about, really. She was experienced in the kitchen and knew well how to please.

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It’s a little different world these days. Particularly for those of us who invite folks into our places. We want people to come more than once a year, so we have to continually find new offerings. Chef Dustin is good at that.

Unlike our grandmother’s table, where we could always rely on her turkey and dressing, or glazed ham, we regularly have guests trying a menu item for the first time. When I ask at the table if everything is pleasing, I’m not just making small talk. I really want to make sure that each guest is enjoying their meal.

That’s why I was especially pleased to get an email today. Even with social networking and internet reviews, it is a pretty rare event when someone takes the time to pass along a compliment. Studies show that people are much more likely to make a complaint than to offer a compliment. Making a special effort to make good feelings known – well, it is just special.

On Friday the 23rd of January, I was in your Bistro for lunch…

I had the special of the day and it was wonderful!!!

The potato soup was especially delicious, and I was wondering if you would tell me what spices you used.

I make a very good potato soup, but it was nothing compared to yours.

So glad [we came] to your place, and I will pass this place on to others.

Satisfied customer

I’ve protected her privacy, but she signed her name, and from her description I remember serving her party on Friday. Recipe questions like hers are frequent, and establishments and their chefs and cooks have varying degrees of secrecy. Sometimes it isn’t a matter of keeping things under wraps like the KFC fried chicken spices or the Coca-Cola formula. Often it has to do with the quantities prepared and the serving situation.

Early on, I learned there is a world of difference cooking for a single party, the way my grandmother prepared our holiday feasts. She knew the approximate number of guests and time to serve it up? – well, that was when everything was ready.

Dustin plans diligently, but some things are unpredictable and the items have to be ready when required. Even though we make each plate to order, various prep and cooking methods have to allow for a slightly longer holding time before serving cooked items.

Even knowing a list of ingredients doesn’t insure that a particular recipe can be duplicated. For example, I used to place my hamburger patties in the freezer for several minutes before grilling at home, to keep them from sticking to the grate or falling through. That trick wouldn’t appear among the ingredients, but had a bearing on the final product.

And, our recipes are prepared the same way – every day. We want folks to have it the next time just the way they remembered it. Consistency. Hopefully, pleasing. Emailing a compliment? Well, that’s above and beyond.

I’m just so tickled to get those extra-mile-taken complements that I can’t help occasionally sharing.

We’re serving lunch tomorrow, so –

Come visit!

McHuston

Booksellers & Irish Bistro
Rose District
122 South Main St. Broken Arrow OK!

What do you do with a 2nd chance?

January 18, 2015 /

He survived the crash. Now he’s wondering why. If you look closely at the image, you can see Mr. Whitby wedged between two semi-trucks. That little grey thing wrapped around him used to be his pickup. It was a Chevy Silverado. That’s one of the big trucks.

He was driving on an interstate in Oregon yesterday morning, before the west coast fog had burned off. He crested a hill to find a semi-truck jackknifed across the highway. In the span of a few seconds, one collision led to two others and a pileup involving some twenty cars. Mr Whitby hit the brakes immediately, but it was too late. He slammed into the back of the trailer.

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Ten seconds later, another semi crested the same hill and smashed into Mr. Whitby’s stalled pickup.

A fellow named Sergi Karplyuk snapped the picture before he helped 27 year old Kaleb Whitby out of the wreckage. Mr. Karplyuk – another truck driver who narrowly avoided the wreckage – even asked permission to take the photo. The two of them managed to wiggle Mr. Whitby out of the broken window frame to safety. He needed two band-aids on his right hand. That’s it.

“Do you believe in miracles?” sportscaster Al Michaels once asked.

And maybe it is something along those lines that has Kaleb Whitby asking – why? Why did I survive? Looking at the picture of him trapped in that crushed truck, it is a thought-provoking scenario.

I finished a book the other night that promoted Why? as a theme. It’s a motivational-type story with a forward written by Urban Meyer, the coach of the just-crowned National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes. That alone may have been enough to spur the brisk sales of Todd Gongwer’s “Lead…for God’s Sake,” but when there are endorsements by folks like OU’s Bob Stoops who recommend the book as “must reading” for any coach at any level – that’s enough to send the title into the out-of-stock category.

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Luckily, I got an order in early.

It isn’t the first book to imply that motivational tactics have to go beyond Reward and Punishment, and I won’t try to paraphrase Mr. Gongwer’s own approach to successful management. He does a good job of explaining why there has to be more involved in the creation of a winning team, whether it is on the playing field or in the corporate office.

Why – is a big question though. When players or employees realize that the coach or the boss has their best interests at heart, they respond like family… because they are. Hoping for the best, watching the backs of others, creating a comfortable (and some might say – loving) environment, and forgiving the unavoidable errors that are a part of life – those are the things done in a well-founded family.

When we ask ourselves “Why am I doing this?” and when the answer can be boiled down to “For others,” we can create scenarios for success and happiness. Sometimes the answer to the why-question takes some soul-searching.

The why-and-how-come facing Mr. Whitby will nag at him, as studies of survivors indicate. Survivors of catastrophes respond differently, of course, but many turn their interests toward the greater good, helping others, donating time toward charitable causes, or consoling those whose circumstances were not as fortunate.

And – why – am I passing this along?

I’m trying to justify my time here in the office watching Green Bay and Seattle, and Seattle has just recovered an onside kick late in the fourth quarter, so here is a good stopping point. Why?

Just because!

We’ll be serving it up Monday, so

Come visit!

McHuston

Booksellers & Irish Bistro
122 South Main St. Broken Arrow, OK!

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