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I can't talk about Love of Reading month without talking about Bookmans! Before I started working here, at Bookmans, I read some but definitely not as much as I do now. As a kid I didn't really read at all, most of my book reports were written by reading the back of the book. I was a slower reader then most kids, which was embarrassing, so I just stopped. In 2004 I read this book I borrowed from the library called "Lamia: A Witch by Georgia Taylor," it was amazing and I enjoyed it more than I had ever enjoyed any book before.
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Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive... who is you-er than you. Shout loud, “I am lucky to be what I am! Thank goodness I’m not just a clam or a ham, or a dusty old jar of sour gooseberry jam! I am what I am! That’s a great thing to be! If I say so myself, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!"
With those words, we kicked off Dr. Seuss' 106th birthday party. Mesa Bookmans was proud to join up with Bookpals, whose art of storytelling made some of Dr. Seuss' classics come to life. We all gathered around, in our "Cat in the Hat" toppers, entering into a world filled with loraxes, Thing One and Thing Two, and of course, "Green Eggs And Ham." We all became part of the stories with such fun games like musical feet and chairs.
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I've always felt that working at Bookmans was like working with one large extended family. I come to work every single day to a group of people who are just as passionate, caring, and giving as I am. My favorite part of the day is walking through the door and having a handful of employees greet me with a wave or smile. Granted, we all have our “off days”, but those are few and far between.
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Bookmans Phoenix had a little something for everyone this past weekend. As part of our Love Of Reading Month, we kicked off the day with a birthday party for Dr. Seuss that included story time, thanks to Brenda from BookPALS; birthday cupcakes; games; giveaways; and arts & crafts. Everyone who joined in on the fun went home with a free copy of a Dr. Seuss book of their choice. We spent the morning tooting our birthday blow horns and reading our favorite Dr.Seuss books to each other! What fun! You can see more pictures from our fabulous event here on Flickr.
Read More...During the month of January Bookmans Phoenix and Bookmans Mesa raffled off a staycation package to our customers. Hundreds upon hundreds of entries flooded in from all over the Phoenix metro area! Congratulations to Jessica W. from our Phoenix store, who was surprised to win a 2 night stay at the Clarendon Hotel, dinner at Gallo Blanco, tickets to the Phoenix Art Museum, the Heard Museum, a $25 spa gift card, and some delectable delights from Wei of Chocolate! We hope that you enjoy your weekend away from home Jessica, and thank you to everyone who entered. This was just one of our many ways to give back to our customers. We appreciate all of your kind words and support that makes Bookmans feel like home.
Read More...At Bookmans Ina, we kicked-off Love of Reading month with our favorite professional art teachers - Kidz Art!! Kids came in and made super cool pop-up books that expressed their personal love of reading. With Valentine's day so close, lots of the kids used heart shapes to make lovely pop-up book Valentines. A few kids opted for the cool dragonfly, and others did designs straight from their imaginations. A big thanks to everyone who came out and participated in this awesome arts and crafts event!!
If you missed the first pop-up book event, don't despair - you can join us on February 20th at Bookmans Speedway. We're celebrating Love of Reading all month long, so be sure to check out our website for more cool events and contests throughout the month!!
Read More...During the month of February all of our stores celebrate Love of Reading Month. When I think about where my love of reading started, I think of my sister Amy. When we were young she spent a lot of her free time teaching me how to read. I fondly remember reading every single Little Golden Book that I could get my hands on. Because of this, when I started going to school I was already ahead of the curve in the reading department! It allowed a smooth transition into school and a whole new chapter into why I loved to read. I was a huge fan of reading incentive programs because what child doesn't love to receive a reward for doing something they already enjoy?
Read More...Here at Bookmans Phoenix, we were too excited to wait until the actual start of the Chinese New Year (February 14th) so we decided to celebrate early this year with a fun kids' craft! Since 2010 is the Year of the Tiger, customers from toddlers to teenagers and their parents created their very own ferocious tiger masks. We also peeked into our future with yummy fortune cookies and learned about which animal we were, based on the 12-animal Chinese Zodiac Calendar. Together, we made up one silly zoo full of Chinese New Year fun! Fabulous pictures from our Chinese New Year celebration are here on our Flikr page.
Read More...There are signals everywhere. Our planet is covered with TV broadcasts, radio waves, cellphone connections, and broadband transmissions... at least, those are the ones we know about. Carter Fox stumbles upon a mysterious signal that he thinks is foreign to our planet. Though he's always had his suspicions about paranormal activity, his friend, Chrissy, dismisses it as his overactive imagination. But with this signal growing stronger, and the looming fear that someone is watching him, Carter can't help but think that it's all connected to a significant, paranormal event from his past. As he searches for proof of a connection, he'll soon realize... there are signals everywhere.
Read More...Tucson firefighters were a great inspiration to lots of kids this morning at our Speedway store during their special appearance for story time. The firefighters took some time out of their busy schedules to come talk to kids about being a firefighter and, of course, to read a few excellent firefighter books aloud. The kids loved listening to the firefighters (and I bet some of their parents did, too), and of course we got lots of firefighter pictures afterward in our coloring activity.
Read More...Last night, due to the tremendous snows in Flagstaff, the roof of our store and that of JoAnn's Fabrics next door, collapsed. We were closed at the time so there were no injuries. At this time the whole town is shut down and we have no further information. Stay tuned for more updates as they come available. Rest assured we will do everything in our power to get repairs underway and reopened as soon as possible. You can read the breaking news story from the Arizona Daily Sun here.
Read More...The Bookmans Flagstaff store has been closed for the remainder of the day and most likely tomorrow due to severe winter storms and inclement weather (as in SNOW... lots and LOTS OF SNOW!).
Please check back for more updates, stay safe, warm and dry out there!
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Yesterday's Martin Luther King Jr. Day story time at Bookmans Grant was a wonderful success!! Kids and parents filled the community room to learn more about this remarkable man and the valuable contributions he made to our country, as well as the history of the civil rights movement. They enjoyed stories about Richard Wright, Langston Hughes, Ruby Bridges, peaceful protests and, of course, Martin Luther King Jr. It was a wonderful celebration of his life and the kids gave some great feedback about what they already knew about Dr. King and what they learned as well! You can check out pictures from the event here on our Flikr page.
Read More...Paul Sprawl graced Bookmans Phoenix on Saturday with an acoustic musical performance in our music and electronics department. His soulful, self-written composition and lyrics delighted customers as they shopped for their favorite used games and DVDs. He's a familiar face at the Bookmans in Flagstaff, but traveled down to the Phoenix store to share his talent with West Valley and for that we are grateful and truly enjoyed this original artist's skills! We hope to see him again in Phoenix soon. You can check out photos from the event here on our Flikr page.
Read More...It was a healthy and stress-free day on Saturday at Bookmans Mesa.
First, Infinite Wellness Chiropractic was in-store offering FREE five minute chair massages. Their highly-trained staff demonstrated how a relaxing massage can contribute to a healthy lifestyle. After each massage, customers enjoyed a bottle of water to rehydrate and given the opportunity to have any of their questions answered by the staff.
Bookmans Phoenix had a little something for everyone this weekend to help kick off 2010 with a healthy start! We began with free relaxing professional massages for our customers, provided by the local business Massage Makers. Our customers enjoyed stress-melting 15 minute massages to help relieve built-up tension in their muscles. The two massage therapists, Patricia and Claire, were very talented and knowledgeable about the body and muscles and will most likely be teaming up with some of our customers for massages outside of Bookmans...we were very glad we could help unite folks with this great local business!
Read More...My favorite quote of all time is by Albert Einstein. “Imagination is everything, it is the preview of life's coming attractions.” If you take a moment to find out what a Bookmans employee is up to in their free time, you'll realize that we are surrounded by endless amounts of creativity. Personally, I enjoy sewing, paper arts and drawing in my free time. However, at Bookmans we have some incredibly talented people!
Read More...This past Saturday at Bookmans Speedway we had our very first Music Hour with Nature! In this wonderfully interactive event, kids learned to play all kinds of different instruments, created their own songs, and one young man even performed a solo on the banjo.
Read More...Being a self-professed Book Nerd, I thought I’d get our Flagstaff Bookmans employees to compile a favorite books list for 2009. I asked the staff to each list a few of the books they read this year and loved. Here are some stand-outs: The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon made several lists, as did The Road by Cormac McCarthy, and Fool by Christopher Moore. Anyone who has shopped our store in the past nine months knows that Linda’s favorite was The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Some favorites are by authors close to home: T.Greenwood was in the store to read and sign her lovely novel Nearer than the Sky and local Gary Paul Nabhan’s Coming Home to Eat was also a hit. Others are classics by Jane Austen and Vladimir Nabokov, or rising literary stars like Alice Munro. As it turns out, we Bookmans employees are as passionate and diverse about the books we read as the books we buy and sell!
Read More...Bookmans Mesa welcomed back Toni Jourdan from BookPALS Saturday morning for an action packed storytime. Toni started out by reading the books "Dot" and "ish". This was folowed by a short interactive Scribble art where Toni scribbled on paper and little ones would turn it into a drawing.
Read More...Every Thursday morning for the last two years Jessika Murphy, instructor for “Sing, Sign, & Play,” has shown up at our Phoenix location with a huge smile on her face! She always takes a moment to say hello to everyone and smile at those who walk past. Upon meeting Jessika, I instantly knew she was a perfect fit for our Bookmans family! She has an incredible energy and motivation that you can feel upon shaking her hand.
Read More...This Saturday, Santa made his final Bookmans stop in Tucson at Bookmans Ina, where he listened to little one's Christmas wishes and gave a special gift to every child who came to visit. Kids also had a fabulous time making one-of-a-kind stockings to take home with the help of the talented art instructors at Kidz Art. And customers enjoyed the convenience of FREE gift wrapping courtesy of Bookmans and the lovely ladies at Altrusa International Tucson.
Read More...Bookmans Phoenix spread some holiday cheer this weekend starting on Friday with a guest appearance by the Peak 98.7’s new morning talk show host, Amy Van Dyke and her street team. Amy took over the Bookmans intercom and read overhead, “Twas the Night Before Christmas” for all of our shoppers to enjoy! Saturday, we celebrated the season with a creative gingerbread craft that engaged the entire family. Shoppers enjoyed gingerbread cookies while making their very own gingerbread ornaments and gingerbread friends to take home. Bookmans followed the craft with a musical performance by the Raintree Recording Group based right here in Phoenix.
Read More...Leo Urias was at the Mesa store on Saturday, doing FREE caricature drawings in our cafe for our customers. Everyone was excited to stand in line waiting for their caricature to be drawn while they sipped their coffee. Children wanted drawings of their parents, and parents wanted some of their children. They made an excellent gift for the ones you love. A special thanks to Leo for coming in and blessing us all with his talent.
Read More...When my brother, Nick, was little, he always believed that the best presents came in the biggest and shiniest packages. His fourth Christmas, he spent about two weeks hauling around a large green foil-wrapped box with a huge bow that he was sure must contain a) the best Lego thing ever invented, b) a puppy, or c) a trip into outer space. It was from his uncle, and none of us knew what the box contained, although we always loved the elaborate and shiny wrap. This uncle was a real hit-or-miss kind of guy, the type who never sends a gift-card and always takes a holiday gamble. I can honestly say that some of my most beloved and most laughable gifts came from him.
Read More...All aboard the Polar Express! Mike, a real life conductor from the Grand Canyon Railway delighted children at Bookmans Phoenix with a live reading of "The Polar Express" by Chris Van Allsburg. The conductor knew the story all too well as he also is the conductor for the Polar Express train in Flagstaff which takes you to the North Pole in Arizona and even picks up Santa Claus on the way!
Read More...This past Saturday, Bookmans kicked-off a season of holiday events at our Grant location with Santa, crafts, and FREE gift wrapping throughout the day!
Read More...One of my greatest and simplest joys in life has been my beloved pets. Our family malamute, Okie, was a proud, intelligent family guardian. Kallie, a golden retriever and my parents’ current dog, is a huge love bug and lapdog. My current dog, Reggie, is an Airedale, but a breeder reject due to his pink nose (a fatal flaw, apparently), is best friend to us all, including my 13-month-old daughter Maxine. He is gentle, funny, and affectionate. We adopted him about six months before my daughter was born, and I realize that, for my daughter, he will always have been a part of our family. I can’t even begin to think of the day that he’ll leave us.
Read More...Children that are heading to kindergarten soon, worked with the Arizona Literacy & Learning Center and it's gracious volunteers to hit the pages to see the skill levels the children were at. Parents also discovered what they should work on to prepare for the exciting adventures that are 'kindergarten'.
Read More...At Bookmans Phoenix and Bookmans Mesa, kids and parents worked together this last Saturday and helped create two super awesome garlands that we are very happy to be donating to the Crisis Nursery facility in downtown Phoenix and the Marcus House in Mesa.
Read More...This has been my hardest and most joyful year yet. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had days so full of joy and sorrow that it’s hard to remember to say thank-you, to look outside myself and remember to give back. When I do remember to look outside myself, I realize my friends, family, co-workers, even the strangers in my town, share many of the same problems and blessings. As you probably know, this is Bookmans Gives Thanks Month, and it’s a wonderful reminder to be grateful.
Read More...It is officially fall here in Flagstaff. The gentle rustling of the green aspen leaves has changed to the harsh clacking of gold aspen leaves. The pine needles have woven their prickly brown carpet on the ground. Pumpkins are everywhere. Soup has found its way onto the menu rotation in our house, and the heater has been officially re-commissioned. I now spend my weekends drinking hot coffee on the couch, snuggled under a blanket with a good book and a cat or two.
It’s the time of year when we reflect and are thankful for all the things (and non- things) we have. It’s the time of year when we think most about giving back and all the karmic benefits that come with the act of giving. And there are countless ways to share the blessings that we receive with those who need them most.
Read More...Trick, treat, or trade? From a classic Romero Zombie to a Pretty Pink Pixie, the staff at our Phoenix location had a lot of fun playing dress-up for our customers this year.
Read More...Bookmans Flagstaff had a fantastic pre-Halloween party last Sunday, complete with mask-making, cookie-decorating, and an employee scary sweets contest. All kids in costume got discounts and we had everything from batmen to batteries, puppy-dogs to princesses. One little boy’s dog costume was so realistic that my 12-month-old kept pointing at him and saying “woof!”
Read More...The Paw Placement of Northern Arizona puppy and kitty adoption - held in honor of July's Dog Days of Summer - went wonderfully this last Sunday. At least three animals may find new homes, if the families hoping to adopt them pass the “good pet owner” interviews!
Read More...Bookmans Flagstaff is proud to be displaying the art of our talented Music department employee Reuben Jolley. Reuben's major influences include the obvious Keith Haring and Andy Warhol, but include the less obvious Anselm Kiefer and graffiti artists like Bansky.
Read More...We hosted the Bookmans Video Game Challenge: Mario Kart Double Dash for gamers 13 years and under at all of our stores (except Mesa, due to the remodel) this past weekend - and it was a battle royale! A huge thanks to the kids (and their support teams of family and friends) who turned out to watch the action on the virtual track, and a mighty congratulations to all of our winners!
Read More...This last week has brought to light many of the changes coming to the Mesa store. When you first walk into the store, to your left, you are greeted by my oversized construction zone display. My little homage to the career of the constructionist sets the tone for the store and reflects everyones anticipation so well, even Tim Taylor himself would stand and salute.
Read More...The highly anticipated remodel here at Bookmans Mesa is finally underway. Currently you can see the beginnings of a newly designed children's area, an expanded Electronics department, and - my personal favorite - the Bookmans Café. Ah, yes, dear readers, that is correct, soon we will have have our very own café, where you will have the opportunity to enhance your Bookmans experience with a café latte. Can you stand it? Girl, I know I can’t wait.
Read More...Bookmans' incredibly tall web programmer Jared McFarland (aka Web Ninja) presented an "Introduction to Drupal" to the Tucson Digital Arts Community last week and you can now view all six parts on YouTube
Read More...The first 9 Queens workshop on Sunday, April 19th at Bookmans Speedway was a great success! We had over 35 women and girls show up for this free chess workshop.
Read More...Follow the Reader, a blog for those who "read and recommend books," held an impromptu discussion on Twitter last Friday about how booksellers viewed Twitter in the workplace. Many members of the Bookmans staff are active on Twitter and a few chimed in on how the service has integrated into our everyday work routine.
Read More...Mustache Day started as a Speedway store tradition but observance of all things 'stache soon trickled to our other stores; now we have a time-honored tradition on our hands. As Grant Store Manager Marshall puts it: "All degrees of face whisker are encouraged, from moustache fingers to Groucho greasepainters. In fact often the most busted-looking soup strainer is a fan favorite." Big thanks to the customers and employees who made Mustache Day 2009 a big hairy success. Here's a handful of our favorite snapshots from the day - see the rest (as well as pics from past Mustache Days) in our Flickr.
Read More...Two-thirty in the afternoon on Bookmans’ trade counter has the potential for being either a rare and magical moment or a total crap fest. For a couple months I had been in the middle of a bad string of crap fests. Tantrums and communication breakdowns had been plaguing my book-buying shifts. Some days I would blame the coffee. Other days I would determine that it was just human nature in general that was at fault. Looking back, I think it might have had something to do with the price of gas.
Read More...The stick came in over the counter. Nobody knew exactly whether it was equestrian, military, ornamental, or had some other function. Tapered black laquer about two feet long, brass tip bottom, but with a huge brass knob on the top with a big number three in relief on the crown. A jocky's crop? An officer's short staff? The odd gent's accessory? Who cared! It was neat and fell into the hand easily.