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| ABC News: April 2013 |
In This Issue:
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| Oranje Boven! | |
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April 2013 will go down in the Dutch history books as the month that a new King was crowned, after 123 Queenly years. ABC is planning to celebrate this in three ways! Firstly, you have a chance to win a € 15,- ABC Gift Certificate by answering either of both of the following questions: What should Willem Alexander and Máxima read to prepare themselves for their new responsibilities? Or, what book do you hope Beatrix will finally have time to read now she is retiring? Mail win@abc.nl by April 15th with your book title and reason for reading. Please include "Royal Reads" in the subject, and your home address in the message. We don't quite have the connections to pass your suggestions on to Willem-Alexander, Máxima or Beatrix, but we will pass them on to all our buyers. :-) The winners will be announced on our blog on April 16th. Secondly, ABC Amsterdam has thoroughly revamped their selection of books on the Netherlands. Just like ABC The Hague, Amsterdam now has 2 bookcases chock-full of Dutch travel guides, photography and art books from the Netherlands, Dutch literature in translation, Dutch cookbooks, histories of the low countries and books on living as an expatriate in the Netherlands. Some of our favorite books related to the Netherlands right now are: - Vincent van Gogh (Masters of Art series). This generously illustrated volume on the work of Vincent van Gogh makes the world’s greatest art accessible to readers on every level of appreciation. On April 25th, the excellent Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam is re-opening its doors, and Een Huis voor Vincent is currently showing on TV as well. Don't miss either one! - The Dutch Golden Age. If you enjoyed the series on TV, you'll also love this lavishly illustrated book. A beautiful testimony to the Netherlands' most instrumental century. - Play! Amsterdam is the one and only kids' guide to Amsterdam's 425+ (hidden) playgrounds. It's just such a smart little book (and there is an app as well). You'll have great fun going on a playground tour with your kids! - Dutch Cooking Today is a cute, fun and cheap little cookbook, a perfect gift to give to your family abroad for a modern take on Dutch Cuisine. We also now feature the DutchNews.nl newsfeed on our homepage to help you keep in touch with quality Dutch news in English wherever you are. And thirdly, we would love to invite you to the presentation of the brand-new guidebook The Hague and the Best of the Netherlands on Friday, April 19th, from 18.00 - 20.00 hrs at the ABC Treehut in The Hague. Learn about the travel guidebook industry and what it is like to work on such a project. Discover those parts of The Hague that are often overlooked and how to get the most out of your stay in the International City of Justice. Authors Violetta Polese and Blake Evans-Pritchard will be present to answer all your questions and sign your book. |      |
| Starbooks: an ABC/Starbucks Book Club (with a free cuppa!) | |
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The American Book Center and Starbucks the Bank are joining forces, introducing Starbooks, an ABC/Starbucks book club. The Bank opened last year on the Rembrandtplein in Amsterdam and wants to be more than just another Starbucks place, so store manager Jeroen Bol decided to get in touch with the American Book Center, introducing his Starbooks idea. After a good brainstorm session, the idea of an open English-language book club took shape. The first Starbooks selection, the international bestseller The Dinner by Herman Koch, will be introduced on April 8th and can be bought at Starbucks The Bank and at The American Book Center. If you buy a copy of The Dinner you will get a free tall beverage at The Bank upon showing your copy of The Dinner and handing in the original (ABC) receipt. Every time you come back to The Bank between April 8th and May 17th, show your personal copy of The Dinner and you'll receive an additional €0.30 discount on your cuppa! Don't you think it will be great fun to see and meet other people at The Bank reading the same book? To conclude the first Starbooks book club, ABC and Starbucks are very happy to announce that on Friday, May 17th, at 19.00 hrs, author Herman Koch will come to The Bank to discuss The Dinner. Herman will read, sign and answer questions about his work. More information about Starbooks, The Bank and The Dinner can be found on our blog. |    |
| Quiet Paris Book Launch Party | |
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Join us at the launch party and book signing of Quiet Paris on Saturday, April 13th, at 15.00 hrs at ABC Amsterdam. Paris is a beautiful city with astounding architecture and world-famous museums and restaurants. Because of its many attractions, however, it often feels as if there is nowhere to escape from the crowds. Siobhan Wall, author of Quiet London and Quiet Amsterdam, has sought out hidden, tranquil places so that Parisians can find some respite from their busy lives. She has gone in search of small museums and cafés so that visitors to the city can discover another, quieter side to this entrancing metropolis. From formal gardens to light-filled art galleries, chic boutiques, small tearooms and gourmet delicatessens, Quiet Paris has over one hundred and twenty tempting places to savour the quiet delights of this most seductive of cities. Illustrator and graphic designer Hyshil will be "illustrating" the ABC Quiet Paris window live during the launch. --- Details of this event, and other workshops and exhibitions hosted by ABC, can be found in our monthly Events Mailing. Sign up here! |    |
| Writers on Demand: Linda Radwan | |
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Writers on Demand are people like you who have self-published their work on ABC's Espresso Book Machines. You can find more authors proudly showing their books on our blog. "Almost one year ago I was in my favorite bookstore, as usual, in the Hague. Suddenly, at the counter I spotted a card revealing the following information: ‘Can you imagine a machine that prints, binds and trims titles from a large and ever-growing database of books while you wait? One that even prints your own book?’ I was interested in that last part. This Espresso Book Machine could help me publish my book and I certainly had a book to publish. I had been searching for a publisher for my book The Beastslayer for a while but I had not found the perfect match… until that day. I quickly sent an e-mail and almost immediately received a reaction from EBM operator Joe Neesan. He told me I could stop by any time and see the Espresso Book Machine. Writing a book is work, but to truly create it, that’s a lot of blood and sweat. It’s the first step to actually showing the world what you’ve created, to let everyone into your own fantasy world. I changed the content so many times, I changed the lay-out, the cover, all of it because I wanted to be 100% happy with it. Luckily Joe’s perfectionism and patience were there to support my goal. This why I recommend the Espresso Book Machine and Joe’s services to everyone who is seriously considering publishing their work (oh no, Joe, you are going to be even more busy from now on!)." - Linda Radwan |    |
| ABC in the Wild: Elfia | |
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Do you want to browse a large selection of fantasy books and admire people wearing beautiful costumes at the same time? Then come to the ABC stand at Elfia (the festival formerly known as Elf Fantasy Fair) in Haarzuilens this year: two days of fantasy-inspired festivities and people wearing their own handmade costumes, on April 20th and April 21st. ABC staff will be selling a wide selection of fantasy books at the ABC stand there, so drop by and say hi to them! You might just find yourself face to face with a renowned fantasy author... |  |
| ABC in the Wild: Bosch Art Festival | |
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The Bosch Art Film festival features movies and documentaries about art and artists. This year's festival takes place from April 18th until April 21st and will feature 12 premieres, talk shows, readings and thematic routes, all so you can enjoy a varied program and meet inspiring people. One of the documentaries we at ABC are rather thrilled about is Ari Seth Cohen's Advanced Style: The Documentary. Based on Ari's blog, it is an ode to the confidence, beauty and fashion that can only be achieved through the experience of a life lived glamorously. The book Advanced Style has been a bestseller from the moment it came off the press. Please note that Advanced Style: The Documentary is still being worked on, and that this special preview will only be shown on Saturday, April 20th, from 19.00 - 20.00 hrs. ABC's Rick will be present at BAF that evening with a special Advanced Style Pop-Up Store. Ari will be signing his book there, too! |   |
| One-Off Bargain: The Wind through the Keyhole by Stephen King | |
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For three days only, on April 8th, 9th and 10th, Stephen King's The Wind Through the Keyhole (US hardcover edition) will be only € 6! This offer is only valid while supplies last, and only on those three days, in both our stores. On April 11th the price goes back to € 12,99 (or € 29,99 if all our bargain stock is sold.) We won't be taking reservations for this title, either; this is a one-off blitz bargain deal so come grab your copy! We're sure you'll be able find other sale gems while you're visiting... You can also sign up for our bargain mailing here. |  |
| Special store hours in April | |
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ABC Amsterdam Sunday, March 31st (Easter Sunday): 12 - 18 Monday, April 1st (Easter Monday): 12 - 18 Tuesday, April 23rd (staff meeting): 10 - 18 Tuesday, April 30th (Koninginnedag): closed Every Monday in April after Easter Monday, ABC Amsterdam will be opening an hour later, from 12 - 20 hrs. ABC The Hague Sunday, March 31st (Easter Sunday): closed Monday, April 1st (Easter Monday): 13 - 17 Tuesday, April 2nd (staff meeting): 10 - 18 Tuesday, April 30th (Koninginnedag): closed You can also always find our store hours on abc.nl. |  |
| Best of the Bookbits | |
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Who won this year's Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year? What do flashmobs on the Amsterdam Spui look like? Which author visiting The Hague in April is profiled in The Guardian? Let your mind snack on our tasty Bookbits, gathered for you on our blog from around the interwebs! Check our blog regularly for other literary goodies, too, like what books the ABC Staff is reading and our EBM's Writers on Demand spotlights. |  |
| ABC Fact of the Month | |
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Did you know... that the music you hear in the stores are what we pick ourselves? No prefab playlists, just whatever we bring to work. You might have heard Mumford & Sons, Billie Holliday, Thievery Corporation or some thumping funk and soul at ABC Amsterdam recently. Do your ears detect bluegrass on the second floor? Then it must be half past four on a Saturday afternoon. At ABC The Hague we've been listening to quite a bit of The XX, Alt-J, Sven Hammond Soul, movie ballads and various mixes featuring everything from André Rieu to Elvis. If you hear something you like, just ask one of the staff for the name of the artist. You won't be the first! |  |
| New & Notable Titles - Non Fiction | |
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Lean in: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg Thirty years after women became 50 percent of the college graduates in the United States, men still hold the vast majority of leadership positions in government and industry. This means that women’s voices are still not heard equally in the decisions that most affect our lives. In Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg examines why women’s progress in achieving leadership roles has stalled, explains the root ca ... more Also featured on our Blog | |
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Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris A new roundup of personal essays from the No. 1 bestselling writer Time named America's Favourite Humorist. | |
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The Book of My Lives by Aleksandar Hemon Aleksandar Hemon’s lives begin in Sarajevo, a small, blissful city where a young boy’s life is consumed with street soccer with the neighborhood kids, resentment of his younger sister, and trips abroad with his engineer-cum-beekeeper father. Here, a young man’s life is about poking at the pretensions of the city’s elders with American music, bad poetry, and slightly better journalism. And then, hi ... more | |
| New & Notable Titles - Fiction | |
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All That Is by James Salter A literary event, a major new novel, his first work of fiction in seven years, from the universally acclaimed master and PEN/Faulkner winner: a sweeping, seductive love story set in post-World War II America that tells of one man's great passions and regrets over the course of his lifetime. | |
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Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie From the award-winning author of Half of a Yellow Sun, a dazzling new novel: a story of love and race centered around a young man and woman from Nigeria who face difficult choices and challenges in the countries they come to call home. As teenagers in a Lagos secondary school, Ifemelu and Obinze fall in love. Their Nigeria is under military dictatorship, and people are leaving the country if they ... more Also featured on our Blog | |
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Between Friends by Amos Oz Amos Oz's compelling new fiction offers revelatory glimpses into the secrets and frustrations of the human heart, played out by a community of misfits united by political disagreement, intense dissatisfaction and lifetimes of words left unspoken. Ariella, unhappy in love, confides in the woman whose husband she stole; Nahum, a devoted father, can't find the words to challenge his daughter's promi ... more | |
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Clockwork Princess 3 by Cassandra Clare If the only way to save the world was to destroy what you loved most, would you do it? The clock is ticking. Everyone must choose. Passion. Power. Secrets. Enchantment. In this third and final instalment of the bestselling "Infernal Devices" trilogy, danger closes in around the Shadowhunters. Also featured on our Blog | |
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Detour (a.k.a. Ten White Geese) by Gerbrand Bakker A Dutch woman rents a remote farm in rural Wales. She says her name is Emilie. She has left her husband, having confessed to an affair. In Amsterdam, her stunned husband forms a strange partnership with a detective who agrees to help him trace her. They board the ferry to Hull on Christmas Eve. Back on the farm, a young man out walking with his dog injures himself and stays the night, then ends up ... more | |
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Ghana Must Go by Taiye Selasi This is the story of a family, of the simple, devastating ways in which families tear themselves apart, and of the incredible lengths to which a family will go to put itself back together. It's the story of one family, the Sais, whose good life crumbles in an evening; a Ghanaian father, Kwaku Sai, who becomes a highly respected surgeon in the US only to be disillusioned by a grotesque injustice; h ... more Also featured on our Blog | |
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How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid In this keenly-awaited follow-up to his bestselling The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Mohsin Hamid confirms his place as a radically inventive story-teller with his finger on the world's pulse. The astonishing and riveting tale of a man's journey from impoverished rural boy to corporate tycoon, it steals its shape from the business self-help books devoured by youths all over 'rising Asia'. It follows ... more Also featured on our Blog | |
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Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris by Jenny Colgan As dawn breaks over the Pont Neuf, and the cobbled alleyways of Paris come to life, Anna Trent is already awake and at work mixing and stirring the finest, smoothest, richest chocolate; made entirely by hand, it is sold to the grandes dames of Paris. It's a huge shift from the chocolate factory she worked in at home in the north of England. But when an accident changed everything, Anna was thrown ... more Also featured on our Blog | |
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Lover at Last by J. R. Ward Qhuinn, son of no one, is used to being on his own. Disavowed from his bloodline, shunned by the aristocracy, he has finally found an identity as one of the most brutal fighters in the war against the Lessening Society. But his life is not complete. Even as the prospect of having a family of his own seems to be within reach, he is empty on the inside, his heart given to another.... Blay, after yea ... more Also featured on our Blog | |
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Odds Against Tomorrow by Nathaniel Rich New York City, the near future: Mitchell Zukor, a gifted young mathematician, is asked to calculate worst-case scenarios in the most intricate detail. This is the cutting edge of corporate irresponsibility. As Mitchell immerses himself in the mathematics of catastrophe, he becomes obsessed by a culture's fears. | |
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