mostly palaver

Book wars

There are a number of things that are different now that I've moved away from the big city to settle up here in Maine.  One thing is the lack of a Barnes and Noble.  I know that I can shop online and all that, but I really like going to bookstores, looking at books, browsing, reading... the whole bit.  Up here all there is are Borders.  And Borders sucks. 

I don't like the layout of the stores, it seems like a ton of wasted space and I find it very difficult to find books within the store.  Book Sleuth is there for a reason - it's necessary.  This all may be a moot point someday, but today, give me my B&N. 

From the WSJ:

In a sign of how difficult the book market has become for traditional book chains, Borders Group Inc. put itself up for sale. It also revealed that worries about a possible cash crunch had prompted it to borrow money from its biggest shareholder, Pershing Square Capital Management LP, headed by activist investor William Ackman.

While Borders shops for a buyer, Pershing Square extended it a loan. Look at the terms:

Over the past four days, Borders has worked with Pershing -- one of whose executives, Richard McGuire, is on Borders's board of directors -- to arrange a loan. Pershing has agreed to provide a $42.5 million senior secured term loan that matures Jan. 15, at an interest rate of 12.5% a year. Mr. Jones said the investment means that Borders is on firm financial footing and will be able to go forward with its U.S. growth plan.

12.5%?  Did McGuire give them a cash advance on his Visa?

Book Recommendation

After Dark by Haruki Murakami.  I read, and liked, Kafka by the Shore and was pleased by this book as well.  One of the things I really liked about the book is Murakami's ability to sketch with words.  Take this passage:

After a quick survey of the interior, our eyes come to rest on a girl sitting by the front window.  Why her? Why not someone else?  Hard to say.  But, for some reason, she attracts our attention -- very naturally.  She sits at a four-person table, reading a book.  Hooded gray parka, blue jeans, yellow sneakers faded from repeated washing.  On the chair next to her hangs a varsity jacket.  This, too, is far from new.

I can see him as at ease with a sketch pad as with a notepad, grabbing just enough essential detail to set the scene.  He does that repeatedly in the book and it works.  Murakami's style is pretty trippy at times and may be an acquired taste but, After Dark being a short read, I'd recommend it without reservation. It's worth the time.