Gardening doesn't have to be a fool's errand

    With proper planning, gardening doesn't have to be a fool's errand. And Eagle Eye is here to help!

    Starting a garden can be an overwhelming task, whether you’re planning your first season or have some experience under your belt. Beyond choosing which plants you want to grow, you must also consider garden placement, sunlight, potential landscaping changes, and rainfall accumulation. 

    Not to mention, using the internet as a research tool can lead to an overload of often conflicting information, especially if you turn to unregulated forums like Reddit.  

    Luckily for you, Eagle Eye has a wide array of gardening books and even a few members of staff who can point you in the right direction to get your garden going. With a little research and a can-do attitude, gardening can be a rewarding and fulfilling hobby.

    If you’re interested in environmental stewardship, our staff’s top recommendation is Native Plants of the Southeast by Larry Mellichamp, a former professor of botany at UNC Charlotte. This beautiful, full-color guide to hundreds of southeastern native plants can help you determine which plants will thrive in your yard. It’s a wonderful addition to your home library, or even a gift for the native plant enthusiast in your life. 

      A popular type of garden is the classic vegetable garden. Eagle Eye is fully stocked on Joe Lamp'l's The Vegetable Gardening Book, a seed to harvest guide on organic vegetable gardening. This comprehensive volume covers everything from soil and mulch to pest control -- very handy come late summer when the invasive Joro spider makes a reappearance.

    Even if you're an established gardener, Eagle Eye may have a book which appeals to a burgeoning interest -- perhaps raising chickens? If so, take a peek at An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Keeping Backyard Chickens by Jenna Woginrich. Regulations on raising fowl vary between municipalities, so be sure to check your local ordinances before making an impulse run to the Feed & Seed.

    If poultry is of no interest to you, perhaps you could look into keeping an apiary -- a word first used in 1654 to describe a bee yard. Local ordinances apply to beekeeping as well, so be sure to do your research. Or, check out Pollinator Gardening for the South by Danesha Seth Carley and Anne M. Spafford to learn all about nurturing bee habitats without donning a bee suit.

    Not everyone has access to outdoor space, whether a backyard or a community garden. For the housebound plant lovers, the wonderful world of houseplants awaits within the pages of House Planted, a guide to styling your indoor space with plants by Lisa Muñoz.

    If you've got more of a black thumb, you could give succulents a try, or some windowsill herbs -- both notoriously challenging to kill. Or start easy with The Unkillables, Jo Lambell's guide to 40 houseplants which just might survive no matter the level of neglect.

    Perhaps you're the type who's more interested in the function of plants over their cultivation. Why not check out Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide or Eat the Weeds: A Forager's Guide by Deane Jordan.

    These are only a few gardening options. The beauty of a garden is that it can be anything you imagine, whether ornamental perennial, tropical exotic, or a plain old rock garden. No matter which level of gardening, herbalism, or foraging you're at, Eagle Eye has a book for you. It's never too late to plant a seed and watch what grows. Before you head in, send your local 4-H agriculture agent an email to inquire about soil testing, and consider signing up for a home composting service to turn your garbage into black gold because remember -- all successful gardens sprout from healthy soil!

    

Bonnie's Birthday Bash

On April 21st, Eagle Eye's very own Bonnie Ann, the Book Shop Dog, turned 7 years old! Everyone's favorite bookish Miniature Poodle has made it one more rotation around the sun.

To celebrate, Bonnie sported her birthday bandana around the store before going out for a Puppy Sundae at Bruster's to cap off her birthday festivities. She also received a good deal of belly rubs from other staff throughout the day. I spoke with Doug and Diana Robinson to get more of an idea about how Bonnie has impacted their lives, outside of being too darn cute.

Much like the little white dog depicted in the Fool Tarot, Bonnie works as a grounding force by keeping the Robinsons from running too wild and helping them to maintain their routines. Within the store, she also helps to keep them aware of when another dog enters the store by going a little crazy in the back.

While she isn't the biggest fan of other dogs, Bonnie is quite fond of people. If you ever see her in the store be sure to say hi, and if you'd like to see her feel free to ask at the front. If she's working that day, we may be able to bring her out to greet you!

Finally, here are some fun facts about Bonnie. She is named after the famous pirate Anne Bonny, for the black patch over her eye. She is also very smart, though she hasn't quite gotten the hang of reading yet. Despite this fact, she does have a favorite book, which is "How to Be a Pirate."

Lucky Find

Whenever I start looking at a shelf in a used bookstore, I always feel a little overwhelmed. Being faced with so many titles, many of which I've probably never heard of, can be pretty daunting. But once that initial flicker of anxiety has passed, something else takes root. I think of all the books I've taken a chance on and that have rewarded me for doing so, and the thrill of the hunt sets in. It's something like a gambler's high, because, ultimately, when I go shopping for books I'm really just hoping to get lucky.

There are a couple of main ways luck can manifest at a used bookstore. One of them, as I alluded to earlier, is when you find a hidden gem. Part of what makes used bookstores special is that you can find books from authors & publishers that have fallen into relative obscurity, or maybe you'll find a title you've never heard of from an author you adore. Hidden gems are the kind of books that reward you for really taking your time and looking at every title on the shelf, but they aren't the only gems you'll find at a used bookstore.

Part of the draw of shopping used, at least for me, is that you can save a little bit of money, especially as the prices of new books have been steadily increasing. It always feels great, and a little lucky, to find a hot new title at a used price, doubly so if the hold list at the library is getting close to the triple digits. For anyone curious, we'll usually start getting used copies of title about nine months after the publication, but people have been known to trade things in much sooner. Coincidentally, paperback editions of books also release about nine months after the initial publication. 

Getting a good deal on a great book is always pretty lucky, but sometimes the real cherry on top is hiding within the pages (and I'm not talking about the words). People leave all sorts of things in their books, from photos to receipts to old plane tickets, and I always get a kick out of finding these glimpses into the book's past. I always love finding book marks, too, especially if they've come from another bookstore somewhere far away.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when comes to lucky things happening in the bookstore. Besides finding something good on the shelves, there are usually some pretty nice people in the aisles who are probably just as excited about books as you are. Sometimes they've even got a cute dog with them! So keep your eyes peeled, because after you've found your next great read you may even be able to find someone to discuss it with.

Jef Holbrook is Shooting from the Literary Angle

    If you've been watching R.J. Decker, the new TV series based on Carl Hiaasen's "Double Whammy," you may have noticed a familiar face. Eagle Eye Book Shop's very own Jef Holbrook appears as Gary, a supposedly mild mannered florist who has found himself wrapped up in PI Decker's murder investigation. We'd be proud of Jef regardless, but that fact that he's starring in a book adaptation makes the whole occasion extra sweet. 

    This isn't the first time Jef has worked on an adaptation, though. From appearances in the Will Trent Series, to a role in the film adaptation of Lyle Lyle Crocodile, to lending his vocal talents to audio versions of Scientific Digest & kids books such as "I Need a New Butt," Jef his left his mark on plenty of different productions. He's so prolific, in fact, that he doesn't even bother letting his coworkers know when he comes across a book he's worked with anymore, because then he wouldn't have time to do anything else!

    Working at a bookstore does have its benefits for Jef, as he does a lot of research to prepare for roles. Whether he's looking for an original text, trying to delve deeper into a time period, or just reviewing some of his favorite acting books, Jef can usually find something on our shelves to help with his process. In our interview, he did emphasize that the script has the final say on what's happening in a scene, but he also noted that his research helps to bring new color to a role.

    If you'd like to see the full catalog of Jef's roles, or check out any of his bevy of side projects, please feel free to check out the links below. And if you're looking to get something autographed, go ahead and print out this lovely picture of him!

https://jefholbrook.com/

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3762401/

https://www.youtube.com/jefholbrooktv

Love Y'all Returns

Valentine's Day is fast approaching, but it won't be the only love fest in Atlanta that weekend. The Love Y'all Book Festival is back and better than ever! The romance book festival will be returning to Downtown Decatur for the third year in a row from Friday, February 13th through Sunday the 15th.

 The festival is back with all the usual bells and whistles: author talks & signings, plenty of vendors, and unique Experiences that you can participate in with authors. But the people running Love Y'all have learned from the past festivals and are using that knowledge to take this year to the next level. I can hear you asking, "What exactly is this next level going to look like?" Well, dear reader, I sat down with Preet Singh, Eagle Eye Bookseller & Love Y'all co-founder to get the inside scoop.

 One of the most significant changes this year is an increase in involvement from publishers. You'll be able to see this in the form of publisher booths, but they have also been providing more support behind the scenes. This support (along with an increase in ticket price) means that there's more stuff in the VIP bag this year. A purchase of a VIP ticket will bring with it five books, a shirt, a free experience, and more! The selection of books will also be greater, because there are more authors coming to Love Y'all than ever, including some from Germany, India, and Canada, as well as throughout the United States.

This year, Love Y'all is also trying to highlight more of Decatur's vibrant bookstore community. Besides the various bookstores that will be selling at the festival, a special Book Shop Tour will take attendees to a number of other shops, including Little Shop of Stories and Atlanta Vintage books.

If this sounds like something that's up your alley, or if you're interested in finding out more about Love Y'all and the authors that will be there, you can check out their website at loveyallfest.com. 

 Check out our Love Y'all authors here. 

A Black History of Anime

Valentine's Day isn't the only thing going on in the February, it's also Black History Month! Eagle Eye is fortunate enough to be located in Atlanta, Georgia, a city rich with Black history. And as this history meets the present, a large number of intersectional groups have emerged within the city. Specifically, we've got a burgeoning community of Black fans of anime and manga.  

One group that has emerged from this community is Trap Sushi, who put on events throughout the year that "merge the best of Atlanta's cultural diversity with the allure of Japanse pop culture." Attendees are encouraged to show up in full cosplay regalia, dressed to the nines as their favorite characters. 

As anime & manga have continued to grow in popularity around the world, Trap Sushi & other cultural crossovers were inevitable. Historically, however, representation of cultural groups outside of Japan within anime and manga have not always been the most respectful. There are many examples of overly-exoticized or down-right caricaturish Black characters, but there are also plenty of examples of positive representation in Animanga.

Naruto's Killer Bee and Bleach's Captain Tosen are two characters from some of the biggest series of all time that serve as pillars of their respective universes. While we're talking Bleach, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Yoruichi, one of the most iconic women in all of Animanga. Her lightning speed and bubbly personality have earned her a place in the hearts of fans around the world. Another iconic character is Dragon Ball's Piccolo, who, while technically an alien from the planet Namek, has also been widely accepted by the Black anime community due to his characterization as an "other" within the story. 

Gachiakuta, a recent breakout success, features Black characters in many roles, from the leader of the series heroes to one of the most powerful villains. Kei Urana, the series' author, also regularly illustrates Black background characters, a small detail that most other creators may forgo but that helps to widen the scope of the world. 

As anime & manga continue to grow in popularity, it is heartening to see creators uplifting the communities that support their work. Even more importantly, though, it is wonderful to see groups that have traditionally been spurned be able to support each other and create spaces where they can celebrate themselves.

 

Check out Bleach volumes here.

Check out Gachiakuta volumes here.

Check out Naruto volumes here.

Check out Dragon Ball volumes here. 

A Reader's Guide to the Book Prize

    The end of the year brings with it the conclusion of the literary awards circuit. With the Nobel Prize in Literature announced in October, the Booker Prize & National Book Awards following suit in November, and pretty much every other book award having been announced already, we've got a whole list of books that are supposed to be pretty good.

    Coincidentally, it's also gift-giving season, and having this list of books is a great resource for finding things to both ask for and give as gifts. Besides just announcing the prize-winning books, many awards will also provide their long & short lists for you to review. One of my favorite new releases from last year, Rachel Kushner's Creation Lake, was on my radar because it appeared on Booker's long list way before the book was even released.

    Consulting rewards lists can also be good if you're looking to buy a book for someone who reads outside of your genre. For the Science Fiction & Fantasy readers in your life, consult the Hugo or Nebula awards. Looking for some Horror? Then check out the Bram Stoker & Shirley Jackson awards. For Romance there are the Romantic Novelist awards, complete with twelve different subcategories, but if you need a romance recommendation in store there's always Bookseller Preet's staff picks shelf!

    Awards lists are a good starting point for finding a good book, but with tens of thousands of new titles releasing every year there are simply too many titles for the panels of judges to review. Luckily we've got each other to fill in the gaps, like with Preet's aforementioned staff picks shelf. Additionally, if you find a book on a list that looks interesting, a good way to find similar titles could be checking out the rest of the books in the publisher's catalogue. Fitzcarraldo, for example, has published the works of a number of Nobel Prize Recipients, but they also publish the works of Fernanda Melchor, one of my favorite authors who hasn't claimed that specific prize yet, and plenty of other cool authors.

    To sum it all up, awards lists are a good place to find good books but they aren't the only place. A couple well placed questions can also get you where you need to go, whether they be addressed to a friend, bookseller, or internet search engine. And at the end of the day, if you give or receive a book that you don't particularly enjoy it's not the end of the world. It might even give you something to laugh about down the road.