My "One for the Money" Cast

“Never judge a book by its movie” – JW Eagan

I don’t think I’ve ever watched a movie that was better than the book. A couple of times the movie was almost as good as the book. More often than not the movie is a major disappointment.

I was introduced to Stephanie Plum in 2003. When I was told about her books Hard Eight had just come out in hardcover. I went to my local used bookstore and they didn’t have any in stock so I asked to be put on the “Want” list for the first seven paperbacks. I didn’t want to start reading them until I had all seven of them so when the bookstore got all seven of them they called me and my journey began!

When I read a book or especially a series, I immerse myself in it. I have my own little movie going on in my head. By the time I finished reading Seven Up, Trenton, NJ and “the Burg” were a favorite place to visit and Stephanie, Lula, and Grandma Mazur were good friends. And my cast was set (more or less). In my vision of the Burg and it's inhabitants, especially after reading 7 books about it, each place and character had qualities and characteristics that were unique to my imagination.

My cast:

Grandma Mazur: Cloris Leachman

Ranger: LL Cool J

Ellen Plum: Marion Ross

Frank Plum: harder for me to cast: maybe Ed Asner during his Lou Grant years

Connie: (age appropriate) Loni Anderson

Stephanie Plum: Megan Wheeler with longer, curlier hair

Lula: Mo'Nique

Joe Morelli: a cross between Matthew McConaughey and Dermot Mulroney or actually Anthony Sabata Jr

The actual cast:

Stephanie Plum: Katherine Heigl

Joe Morelli: Jason O’Mara

Ranger: Daniel Sunjata

Lula: Sherry Shepherd

Grandma Mazur: Debbie Reynolds

I am not sure that I will watch the movie. Personally, I can't see Stephanie Plum being played by Katherine Heigl although I think Sherry Shepherd could be Lula. There are a couple of other actresses besides Cloris Leachman that I would have thought of before Debbie Reynolds. And although I'm sure that Daniel Sunjata and Jason O'Mara are good actors I just don't see them as Ranger or Joe Morelli.

Let me know who heads up your cast for "One for the Money" . . . I'm sure there will be as many different actors for each part as there are people doing the casting!

Books that stay with you

You know you have read a good book when you are haunted by mental images of the story, long after you have finished reading. Some images stay with you forever; perhaps even influence your psyche. Some books brush away from your memory; never to return.

Some of the books I have read lately that stayed with me long after I finished reading them are:

-The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein
-The Glass Castle - Jeannette Walls
-Three - Ted Dekker
-Boneman's Daughters - Ted Dekker
-Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Picoult
-House Rules - Jodi Picoult
-Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen

What are some of the books you have read that stayed with you long after you finished reading them?

How long have you been here?

Almost every day we get at least one new customer who says "How long have you been here?" or "I didn't know there was a used bookstore in Post Falls!" As a small business owner I am always trying to determine where and how often to advertise. We have tried several different publications and although we do get some return on those it is not enough to justify the $$ spent.

What we are hearing quite often lately is, "The lady who works at Wal-Green's (or Wal-Mart, Hastings, the library, Super One, St Vincents, etc) or a friend told me about you! This is by far the best advertising available! One day, a few weeks ago, two ladies came into the store telling us that they had just had the best recommendation to Literary Souls from a complete stranger. That stranger was an employee at Hastings! We've heard similar stories from others - Word Of Mouth advertising is the BEST! Thank you all for the great referrals!

Although we have not promoted them like we should we have Refer-A-Friend cards for our customers. Next time you are in the store pick some up and give then to your friends or anyone you come across looking for a used bookstore. Remember to put your name on the back. When someone brings one in they receive $1 off of their purchase AND you receive $1 off of your next purchase. If you give enough of them out and they are returned to us you could rack up some $$ off! AND every card returned goes into a quarterly drawing for a Literary Souls Gift Certificate or other great prizes! If we start getting lots of them back we may change it to monthly or even weekly drawings!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

On the same topic, advertising, or actually the cost of advertising: Obviously we do not have the resources of the big box stores to advertise sales or specials so we have decided to utilize Facebook to do this. We are randomly posting sales/specials on FB. The more "likes" Literary Souls get, the more often we will post them. If you are on Facebook suggest our page to other friends and/or relatives who might be interested in our store. I know that some people are not on FB for whatever reasons so I will also post random specials here. They will be the same ones that are on Facebook. And for those who are not on the computer much we do have our weekly in-store trivia question -answer it correctly and receive $1 off of your purchase (one trivia discount per week.)

FBC - Our Frequent Buyer Club (or even not so frequent!) - We like to recognize the customers who keep coming back - the computer (what did we ever do without them?) will average the cost of every 20 books you buy and will automatically deduct that amount from your next visit after purchasing the 20th book! It averages out to one free book (give or take)!

This was just a few things I had on my mind to share. On that note I would like to remind everyone that today is Wear Pink Shirt Day.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Wear Pink Shirt Day:

**UPDATE 10/11/10: We realize that some folks are observing National Bullying Prevention Day by wearing purple to support the GLBT community. We encourage everyone to wear whichever color that starts a conversation about the importance of bullying prevention and the reduction of suicides. By working together, we can put a stop to bullying of ALL people in ALL places: kids and adults, schools and workplaces. Pink Shirt Day is a ...day to come together to make a difference in our country, promote tolerance and create a community of acceptance.

- - -

**ORIGINAL INFO 9/11/10: Over 160,000 kids stayed home from school today because of bullies. Too often, bullying goes unreported and is perpetuated by the stigma associated with seeking help. In fact, in many cases, bullying can lead to suicide. Pink Shirt Day is LifeWays' inaugural event to promote bullying prevention in our schools, homes, workplaces and the internet. We are wearing PINK on National Bullying Prevention Day (10/20) to say to others, "The end of bullying begins with me!"

- - -

Why pink?

In 2007, two high school seniors in Nova Scotia, David Shepherd and Travis Price, stood up for a fellow male freshman student who was being bullied on the first day of school for wearing a pink shirt. David and Travis heard about it, bought a bunch of pink shirts, handed them out and texted their friends to wear pink. The next day, nearly the entire student body was wearing pink.By wearing pink, we'll be telling the community that bullying is not okay. No pink shirt? No problem! You don't have to wear a pink shirt to show your support: it can be as simple as a pink necktie, t-shirt or jewelry.

- - -

Join us on October 20th to take a stand and lend a hand. Together, we can save lives.

- - -

If you or someone you know is having a crisis, please call our toll-free 24/7 crisis line at 800.284.8288."

I have been reading the mysteries by Mary Daheim. They are what I call a "light mystery" or a "clean mystery" , and what some may call a cozy mystery. They are bed and breakfast mysteries and are quick reads. I usually read this type of mystery in between some of the deeper, harsher mysteries.

In September, Literary Souls is beginning a mystery reader's group. You can read any mystery you want and then discuss it at the group meetings. This way we will all learn more about different mystery books and authors and therefore, find new authors to read.

Literary Souls has been running a drawing every month to guess an author or the book title in order to win a book (up to $5.00, or $5.00 off a book). This has been fun and many individuals enter for a chance to win, and are excited about getting a free book.

I just finished the book "Alaska" by James A. Michener. I know, I know. It's not a new book, but generally I read mysteries. But, I was interested in learning about Alaska so I decided to read this book. And, I'm really glad I did. The historical events bring you right into the reality of how things happened in Alaska, making you feel as if you are actually there. The descriptions of Alaska make me want to go there and see all the beautiful sights that are now only in my imagination. It is really a fascinating book. Michener does a wonderful job of researching and then putting together the whole story. If "Alaska" is any indication of what his other books may be like, they are well worth reading.

I just finished reading the book "Echo Burning" by Lee Child. I am normally a mystery reader, and Lee Child is one of the many authors that I enjoy reading. Jack Reacher, the main character in the books hitchhikes around the country, which he has done pretty much since he got out of the service. He does always manage to find interesting happenings wherever he goes. In Echo Burning, he is in Texas and gets wrapped up in a murder investigation and kidnapping with twists and turns every which way. A good book and a quick read. Keeps you interested.

Literary Souls
205 E Seltice Way I am who I am............because I read.
Post Falls, ID 83854
(208) 457-0494

Literary Souls used book store was ispired by the following quote from "The Shadow of the Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon:

"Every book, every volume has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it, and of those who read it, and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs their eyes down its pages, its spirit grows and strengthens."

Literary Souls is currently open:
Monday and Saturday 9 am to 4 pm
Tuesday thru Friday 9 am to 5 pm
Sunday 11 am to 2 pm

Books are accepted for store credit, or by donation. Books must be clean and in good condition.

There are thousands of books to choose from. They are organized by genre and alphabetized by author. If you cannot find the book you are looking for, please ask for help as books are not always located where it seems they should be. Also, if there is not a particular book available that you are looking for, please let us know and we will be happy to keep an eye out for it and then contact you if/when we receive the book in our store.