Category Archives: Books

East Lake residents to get choices for their morning cup

east59interiorIt’s been several months since the REVIVE pop-up initiative visited several of REV Birmingham‘s commercial districts. One of the long-awaited results of that effort in East Lake is the opening of East 59, a coffee shop to be located at 7619 1st Avenue North near Oporto-Madrid Blvd. A May 19 status update to the company’s fan page on Facebook let folks know they’d been approved for build-out, keeping them on-track for the summer opening long mentioned on their website. They won’t be the only ones keeping area residents caffeinated this summer though…

coffeebooksbluesA Kickstarter campaign launched by Sharrif Simmons suggests area residents will have at least two coffee houses to choose from later this summer, though the second will have a different vibe. The New York native is looking to open Coffee, Books, and Blues by July, bringing an independent bookstore and music venue to the area at 752 81st St., S., near the corner of Rugby Avenue and 81st St. S. Simmons once worked at the famed Liberation Bookstore in Harlem and is its late founder Una Mulzac‘s great nephew. He plans to offer a selection of both new and used books. There are also plans to serve as a performance venue and to host a farmers market on Sundays.

Looking forward to seeing how both of these efforts move forward.

Milestone Books appears to be closing

Milestone Books logoThe word from Birmingham’s {head}:sub/head is that the Vestavia Hills independent bookstore Milestone Books, open for nearly six years, has announced its intention to close. Owner Linda Brown’s email to patrons (posted in its entirety on the popular book blog maintained by former Terminal contributor Travis Bryant) includes a caveat that led to the choice of words for our headline – if someone is interested in acquiring the assets of the store, they’ve got until January 17 to contact her. Otherwise, the inventory sale begins the following day.

GreenCup Books is closing

GreenCup Books, the not-for-profit independent bookstore located on Birmingham’s Southside, has announced it’s closing its doors after this year’s Dia de los Muertos festival on November 2.

Travis Bryant provides more details about the news, which apparently broke over the weekend, on {head}:sub/head.

28th Anniversary celebration, Jim Reed Books

We’re not the only ones celebrating an anniversary on March 14.

Jim Reed Books has known a few locations around Birmingham but still serves as its unofficial Museum of Fond Memories. Definitely consisting of much more than books, it has become an institution for many in The Magic City.

Stop on by throughout the day to say hello (and thanks) to Jim, browse the stacks and trigger your own memories while finding out just how entertaining it can be!

Cost: Free

Location:
Jim Reed Books
2021 3rd Avenue North (directions)

This Will Go On Your Permanent Record release party w/The2ndHand No. 27, The Bottletree

So you’ve got to check out this release party and reading for THE2NDHAND contributor Susannah Felts‘ first novel, This Will Go Down on Your Permanent Record, a sort of coming-of-age of the artist, a story of the commitment of youth, given freedom.

There will be readings by Felts, Birmingham poet Chris Lawson, and the trio of THE2NDHAND editor Todd Dills, contributor Nadria Tucker (winner of our 2007 Art Walk competition) and poet Emily Self as Pitchfork Battalion. Music by Through the Sparks‘ Jody Nelson.

Cost: Free

Location:
The Bottletree
3719 3rd Avenue South (directions)

Did you think Where’s Waldo? was ever banned?

Well it was. As were several other books mentioned in this post over on the Birmingham Public Library’s blog.

This week is Banned Books Week, so of course the American Library Association has compiled this list of the most challenged books between 1990-2000.

Go ahead and check one out and read it. Or you could always pull it off of your shelf. Smile

The library is looking for Alabama authors

The Birmingham Public Library is in the early stages of planning its second annual Local Authors Expo. This year’s expo will be held on November 30 and December 1. The event’s official site has information from last year’s expo to give visitors an idea of what to expect. Their blog post provides contact information as well as information about changes in this year’s format. Sounds like a great way to support our ever energetic literary scene while getting some of those early Christmas gifts taken care of.