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Keep in mind I'm not a big video gaming person, but the first game I remember playing is a piece of gold entitled Howard The Duck: Adventure On Volcano Island made for the hi-tech Commodore 64. This gem took full advantage of the Commodore's superior 1982 sound and graphics.
Read More...Yes, it was Christmas morning and my brother and I were gnashing at the bit; for weeks the rumor in the house had been that we were getting a Sega Genesis and we were both stoked. Our parents had touted for years the importance of reading books and watching little television, and video games, well…they were the devil!
Read More...My old friend, business partner, and employee passed away last week at his family's home in Missouri. I met Mark at the original Bookmans on Tucson Blvd. over 25 years ago when we were the Atari dealer. At the time, Atari was a true competitor to Apple and the Macintosh and we were one of their largest dealers. In fact, if you are ever at the Grant Road store, you can still see lots of floor outlets that were for the computer displays. Anyway, Mark bought one of our machines, the 520ST, which was a rock star of a computer with 512 megs - not gigs, but megs - of ram.... wheee. The next day he was back complaining that it didn't work, so I gave him another one, which didn't work either, and neither did the third. I tried in vain to give him his money back and he told me in no uncertain terms: "No, I want this thing. I am not going away, so why don't you pay me to fix it?" And the rest, as they say, is history, for he became our tech support for the Atari.
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...This is my third year taking part in the award assemblies for winners of Bookmans' Reading Challenge; after three years you'd think I'd be just the teensiest bit jaded. But when the paper is ripped off the giant $5,000 check and the room explodes with screaming kids and teary-eyed teachers, it's like reliving that very first assembly. Thanks to Village Vista in Phoenix and the Peak School in Flagstaff for helping to recapture that magic again this year.
Read More...One down, two to go! Today we gave the first $5,000 Bookmans' Reading Challenge prize money to Sonoran Science Academy-Broadway in Tucson. I don't know what it is, but you get a room full of happy and excited kids and my eyes start to well up. You can just feel the positive energy and it becomes overwhelming, or maybe I'm just hormonal!
Read More...The Avett Brothers stopped by Bookmans Grant on Thursday, May 7th for an intimate three-song set, part of KXCI's first-ever Live at 5 broadcast on location. Host Cathy Rivers introduced Scott and Seth Avett, Joe Crawford, and touring member Joe Kwon to a crowd that packed the Music section of the store and spilled back into Fiction. Rivers quizzed the band on old bands and their current listening habits between performances of two Avetts classics - "Bella Donna" and "Paranoia in B Flat Major" - and "Laundry Room," a stunning track from their upcoming Rick Rubin-produced album, out in August.
Read More...Since we're cranking out two big video game challenges in May, we thought we'd share our memories of the simple, blocky boxes and graphics of the past: Atari, Commodore 64, Pac-Man, Frogger, and more. In Part II, employees finally give Duke Nukem and Mega Man some love. (Catch up on Part I.)
Read More...It's May once again and I've been thinking about my mom and moms in general. As a single woman with no children, the concept of "motherhood" is a difficult one to grasp. My mom was a "stay at home" mom in the late '70s. She ran a day care out of our house and, when my sister and I were old enough, she was an assistant at our grammar school. She was always there.
Read More...Since we're cranking out two big video game challenges in May, we thought we'd share our memories of the simple, blocky boxes and graphics of the past: Atari, Commodore 64, Pac-Man, Frogger, and more. Here's Part I of employees' tales of sibling wars, unfortunate liquid spills, and picking up cute girls in the arcade.
Read More...We celebrated the Aloha Spirit at Bookmans Grant this past Friday for May Day. In Hawaii that means it's Lei Day, a day to celebrate the Hawaiian culture and the tradition of lei-making. We brought in guitarist Jamie O'Brien to play some slack-key favorites and enjoyed some "ono pupus" from Lani's Luau (including SPAM musubi, an island favorite). I met a few homesick Hawaiians and we enjoyed the Island vibes together.
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