Archive for the ‘Barry’ Category

ABC’s Favorite Reads of 2012, part I

Friday, November 30th, 2012

Hooray!  It’s time for my favorite series of posts: ABC’s Favorite Reads!

That’s right, the ABC Staff is about to reveal their favorite books read in 2012!  There will be new titles, old titles, magazines, Dutch books, games, fiction, non fiction, anything and everything we read and liked in 2012. We are as diverse as our individual choices and that is what makes ABC unique!

Barry, Renate and Karin start us off. Barry is one of ABC The Hague’s most familiar faces and the History, Current Affairs, Political Science and Travel Literature buyer there.  Renate is ABC Amsterdam’s Fiction, Poetry and Memoirs buyer.  And Karin is our Marketing Director.

We would love to hear about your favorite reads of 2012, too. Please mail blog@abc.nl with your choices and a picture of yourself (optional). We will post your list at the beginning of the new year and send you an ABC Gift Certificate (so don’t forget to include your home address with your list!).

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Gift Ideas: History, Current Affairs, Political Science, Biographies

Friday, November 16th, 2012

Let us be your personal shoppers!

ABC’s booksellers don’t just sell books: as well as being voracious readers, almost all ABC staff members are personally responsible for buying the books for one or more sections in the stores. That means you’ll always find someone who can put exactly the right book in your hands when you need it. We asked our buyers for their tips for the best gifts for the upcoming holiday season, and they came up with some great ones: new books, classic books, magazines, games, merchandise, and stationery.

Today you’ll find gift ideas for Current Affairs & Political Science, History, Military History, Ancient History, and Biographies as supplied by Barry, Jeroen, Sophie, Jouke and Tom.

Even more gift ideas can be found here and here!

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ABC’s Favorite Reads of 2011, part A

Friday, December 9th, 2011

Is it really December already?  Even worse, halfway through December already?

Well, I guess it must be time for our Favorite Reads of the Year posts then!

Let’s start you off with the favorites as handed in by our Barry, Klaartje, and Simone.  Barry is one of the pillars of ABC The Hague (as is his Bernese Mountain, Nelson!), and the buyer for the History/Politcs/Current Affairs and Travel Literature sections.  Klaartje is both stores’ secretary and Girl Friday, and ABC Amsterdam’s buyer for the Local Interest section to boot.  Simone is one of ABC The Hague’s store managers, and Fiction, Cookbooks and stationery buyer.

We would love to hear about what YOUR favorite reads of 2011 were, too! They don’t have to be books published in 2011, just read in 2011.  Please send your top 5 to blog@abc.nl, and be sure to include your mailing address so we can send you an ABC gift voucher as a thank you.  We’ll be publishing your Top 5s at the beginning of 2012, so you have a month to hand them in.

And now, without further ado… the lists!

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ABC’s Favorite Books of the Year, Part the Fourth

Friday, December 17th, 2010

Here you are, another part of the ABC Staff’s Favorite Reads of the past year.  We hope you enjoy reading about what we enjoyed reading the past 12 months, and hopefully we’ll give you some ideas to boot!

The lists this time were sent in by Nyjolene, Barry, and long lost (but happily now returned to the fold) colleague C. Umpulsion.

This year we would again love to hear from you what your favorite reads were.  Please send us your top 5 (they don’t have to be books published in 2010, just read in 2010).  You can mail them to blog@abc.nl, and be sure to include your mailing address so we can send you an ABC gift voucher as a thank you.  We’ll publish your lists at the beginning of 2011 so you have all month to mail them in.  Thanks to those of you who have already sent in lists!

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About Us: Barry

Sunday, July 26th, 2009

In a series of interviews conducted by ABC’s Maria Minaya, we’re going to introduce you to (almost) everyone who works at The American Book Centers in Amsterdam and The Hague.

Books form an integral part of our lives not only because they’re our bread and butter, but because our passion for them came first. Our mission is to pass them on. By reading these interviews you’ll discover the faces behind your favorite sections and get a glimpse of who we are.

Meet Barry

Where were you born?
I was born in a little town called Uitenhage in South Africa. It’s smack in the middle of nowhere. Later, when I was still very young, we moved to Cape Town.

What was your favorite food as a kid and what did you hate?
My favorite food was oatmeal, the thick porridge kind. I can’t remember hating anything. My parents always said: “You don’t have to eat it all, but you have to try everything.” That was cool by me, but I remember my brother and sisters sometimes sat at the table looking at their plates for hours and hours and hours. This was the you’re-not-leaving-the-table-until-you’ve-tasted-it-deal. I didn’t have that problem.

Were you read to as a child?
Yes, I was read to every night by either my mother or father.

Did you have books in your house while growing up?
My parents read a lot and right from the word go I was an avid reader. My earliest recollections are of going to the library and getting piles and piles of books. It was also upsetting because I could never take all the books I wanted and was limited to only three books at a time. I was reading before I went to school but remember, there was no television. Reading was the only form of entertainment.

Quick free associations: (more…)