Oh, Really?

Who Does This?

Who pushes all the books against the backs of the shelves?

Seriously, we want to know. We went upstairs on Friday to discover that all the books in the front room had received this treatment. And this is certainly not the first time. You know how long it takes us to reposition that many books on our shelves? Two hours. No joke. Two wasted hours, all because someone is either: 1. a complete jerk, 2. obsessive compulsive, or 3. some combination of the above.

Customers of Chop Suey: we need your help. We position our books with their spines at the edge of the shelf so you may find what you're looking for quickly and conveniently. If you ever see someone rearranging whole rows of books, please come downstairs and alert Ward, Ryan or Andrew. We need to know who's doing this, and we appreciate your help in looking after the store.

Dear "Tooth"

Ha ha ha, very good, you've certainly gotten the better of us! You are clever and, what's more, now everyone can see how clever you are due to your careful placement of your graffito signature. On top of clever, you are also famous. Or, infamous. If you come back in here, we will destroy you.

Talk That Deal

This week on the $2 Deal shelf it's Talk That Talk, an anthology of African-American storytelling compiled by Linda Goss and Marian Barnes and introduced by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. The book contains over 500 pages of oral folklore, cultural wisdom, and contemporary writing -- a true literary treasury! And it can all be yours -- this week, for only $2, and only at Chop Suey Books.

Zak Galifianakis movie at Gallery 5!

Our friend Johnny Hugel of Fortnightly has arranged for Visioneers, a dark comedy featuring Zak Galifianakis, to be screened at Gallery 5 on Tuesday, November 17th at 7 pm. It is only $3 to see the film (proceeds go directly to Gallery 5, which is a perfect non-profit for you to donate funds).

Check out a trailer here: Visioneers!

BIG SALE ON BOOKS!

We've been buying back hundreds of great books over the past few months, and now there is no place to shelve them. So to help clear space and give you a special savings on your early holiday shopping, we are running a sale through Friday, November 13th, 2009. All Used Books in the store are 30% off, and All New Books are 20% off. This includes the great selection of Velocity Comics' graphic novels in the back of the store. Come in now to get fantastic books for a crazy low price. And check us out next week to see all of the amazing new books we will be putting out!

Books On Wheels is your DESTINY!

On Saturday, Books On Wheels set up outside of the Richmond Zine Fest to accept donations for our new Thrift Store: Books, Bikes, and Beyond and to give away great books. It was a warm and fun afternoon, a time for Shelley and I to catch up with each other and with great friends and supporters.

One of the people we got to see was Shel, a Charlottesville native who has set us up with some great events in her city. She made it by the thrift store after the zine fest, and immediately found a great old typewriter. As she was paying for her purchases, she was telling Shelley that she had her fortune read at the zine fest, and was really confused and a little worried by one prediction: at some point that day, she was going to find a bag of fingers! She and Shelley were laughing about this odd fate, until they looked down at the typewriter she was buying and realized that this mechanism, though not a bag, was full of fingers! Her prediction was right! Fate, now just another free thing offered by Books On Wheels!

Here's a prediction: you will have an amazing time at the official grand opening celebration for Thrift Store: Books, Bikes, and Beyond (302 W. Brookland Park Ave.) this Friday, November 13th from 6-9 pm. Food will be provided by Joe's Inn! Bring cash or your credit card and plans to buy your destiny!

Truss Us, It's a Deal!

Jhumpa Lahiri was such a hit that The Namesake held out on the $2 deal shelf an extra few days. Alas, its reign has finally ended. Fortunately, we've found a worthy successor: The Lynne Truss Treasury, a collection of columns and comic novels from the grammarian behind the bestselling Eats, Shoots & Leaves. BUT WAIT. THERE'S MORE. For a limited time, all copies of Eats, Shoots & Leaves and the follow-up smash Talk to the Hand are also JUST $2. Find them downstairs at the front desk -- this week only -- only at Chop Suey Books.