APRIL 2010 NEWSLETTER
Section 1
Part 1 Good Reads
Part 2 Correction: Local author Mia King
Section 2
Part 1 Needs and Moves
Section 3
Part 1 Book Club
Part 2 Buy Local
Section 4
Part 1 Book Review
Section 5
Part 1 Scriptwriting workshops & Big Island Film Festival
Part 2 Blues Power Show
Section 6
Part 1 Policy Changes
Part 2 Email, Address Change and Unsubscribe
Read at the beach!
Section 1 Good Reads
If you’ve read any of Ace Atkins’ previous nonfiction such as “White Shadow,” “Wicked City,” or “Devil’s Garden,”
then you’ll be pleased with his latest due out this month. In “Infamous,” published by Putnam, the author details the
crime spree of Machine Gun Kelly and his wife Kathryn in Depression-era America. The Kellys planned a perfectly
crafted kidnapping and extortion that went horribly wrong. From the publisher: “It (the book’s plot) would seem like
a comedy caper—if it weren’t all so remarkably true.” The bookstore acquired an uncorrected proof of this big
book (406 pages). Look on the front table with the new hardbacks.
I’ve discovered a new investigative detective, Aimee Leduc who works out of Paris. Author Cara Black introduced
me to Leduc in “Murder in the Marais,” published by Soho in 1999. Recently, an advanced reader’s copy of Leduc’
s 10th novel “Murder in the Palais Royal,” came into the bookstore. Having never been to Paris, I probably don’t
understand some of the local references and can’t picture every outdoor setting, but Leduc is a skillful writer of the
mystery genre. Her books are entertaining and thrilling without excessive violence or the silly filler some writers
stuff in between action scenes. Try her. And If you like European mysteries, don’t forget the wonderful Simeon, P.
D. James, Dorothy Sayers or Donna Leon (among many others).
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Correction: Keeping up with local author Mia King is exhausting. This month (April) she’s presenting a workshop
on memoir writing in Honolulu as part of the National League of American Penwomens’ 2010 Writers’ Conference.
The bookstore carries King’s three previous novels, “Good Things,” “Sweet Life,” and “Table Manners,” in Fiction
and Hawaiiana. All three are excellent; “Sweet Life,” is set in the islands. Visit Mia at www.miaking.com
Section 2 Needs and Moves
We still need more copies of “Hawaii”, by James Michener. During the winter months many mainland visitors stop
by the store for copy of Michener’s book, and we’ve run out. If you have one around the house, bring it in for trade
credit. And although our Hawaiiana section continues to grow, we always need more books, especially local history.
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We have recently acquired many older paperback romance books, so check the shelves for your favorite author;
here’s a short list of authors: Patricia Pellicane, Jennifer Horseman, Hannah Howell, Katherine Sutcliffe, and Susan
Sizemore. Don’t forget that Regency novels are shelved in their own section at the end of Romance (18B). We
have resisted moving Regency in with regular Romance, but that may happen in the near future.
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Speaking of moving books around, some of you have noticed that certain authors previously found in Suspense
are missing, i.e. Coulter. Some authors write both Romance and Romantic Suspense under the same name, and
most of those have now been shelved in Romance. So ask at the Front Desk if you can’t find an author or check
both sections.
Section 3 Island Naturals
Mark your calendar for Thursday, April 15th, for Island Natural’s regular monthly book club meeting upstairs at the
health food store from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. with moderator Katherine Kirk. Come join our core of dedicated book
lovers—for more information, see the flyers at Island Naturals or Kona Bay Books.
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Remember, Island Naturals buys local, so your patronage supports our area growers and ranchers.
Section 4 Book Reviews by Natalie Baer
I love a mystery, especially those books that give you two or three for one. Like P.D.James with her crime of the day
and the ongoing story from one book to the next of Commander Adam Dagleish of Scotland Yard. Will he marry the
woman he loves? Read “The Lighthouse” to find out. How about his assistant Kate Miskin who is trying to live
independently of her needy grandmother. When I tire of rereading any of James’ seventeen mysteries, I turn to my
“Mystery Theater” DVDs produced by PBS. They are all faithful renditions of James’ stories.
Another favorite author is Elizabeth George with her Detective Thomas Lynley of Scotland Yard, a Lord of the
aristocracy, and his assistant, Barbara Havers, a stubborn flaunter of her lower class roots. Be wary of George
though, as she doesn’t hesitate to kill off important characters. However, her books of 600 plus pages will not
disappoint you; often, what is lost in one book is broadened out in the next. George’s stories have also been
produced for PBS and can be purchased on DVD, and additional stories have extended the series. I find the actors
playing Lynley and Haver are perfect for their roles.
Section 5 Announcements
The 2010 Big Island Film Festival convenes at the Mauna Lani Resort from May 12 to the 16th. A Talk Story Film
Pass is available. For more information: www.bigislandffilmfestival.com or call 808-883-0394.
If you are a budding screenwriter, two events may interest you. Held in conjunction with the film festival is a free
“Pitching” workshop presented by Larry Meistrich on Saturday, May 15, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the Mauna
Lani Bay Hotel and bunglalows. Call 808-883-0394 for more information.
Or for $50 you can participate in “Idea to Screenplay: A Step by Step Process going from concept to Screenplay,”
presented by Ron Osborn (2009 BIFF Filmmaker Honoree), from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on May 15th. Call 808-883-
0394 to register or for more information.
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Kona Bay Books invites you to listen to the Blues Power Show which airs every Sunday from 5-7 pm on LAVA 105.3
FM and streams live online at www.lava1053.com. Disk Jockey Noa hosts this two hour journey through blues
classics, rarities and sonic treats including Gospel, Soul and R&B. Artists such as Muddy Waters, Koko Taylor,
Robert Johnson, Howlin’ Wolf, Skip James, Dorothy, Bessie Smith, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eric Clapton, The Staple
Singers, Willie Nelson and more… The Blues Power show on LAVA 105.3 FM is your place to find the best in the
blues.
Section 6 Store Policies
Kona Bay Books has stopped accepting VHS and audiobooks on cassette but we continue to accept and sell
audiobooks on CDs. Space concerns (our limited shelf space) and slowing sales of cassettes as people move to
CD players created the need for a policy change. Check the “Buying Policy” on our website if you have any
questions about what items we accept: konabaybooks.com We are shifting store sections to accommodate our
growing inventory. Our updated store sections list is available to all customers at the front desk.
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Remember that you can donate your store credit to a nonprofit organization of your choice and Kona Bay Books will
send them a check.
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If you change your email address and want to continue receiving our newsletter, please email us with that
information. Put “change of address” in the subject line and include both your old and your new email address in
the body.
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If you do not want to receive this newsletter, please email info@konabaybooks.com and put “unsubscribe” in the
subject line. We do not provide our email list to anyone.