Febrrruary

"But February made me shiver with every paper I'd deliver. Bad news on the doorstep, I couldn't take one more step. ...something touched me deep inside, the day the music died." >>Don McLean, from American Pie


Since 1959, February 3 has been known as the day the music died. On a cold, snowy Iowa evening after appearing at the Surf Ballroom, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Big Bopper Richardson died in a plane crash. The three men have been immortalized on film, in music and books. If you need a reminder of their songs, listen to Holly's Everyday and That'll Be the Day, Bopper's Chantilly Lace and Walkin' Through My Dreams, and Valens' La Bamba and That's My Little Suzie. Last year was another tough year for music. We said goodbye to David Bowie, Prince, George Michael, Glenn Frey, Leonard Cohen, Merle Haggard, Leon Russell, Paul Kantner and Keith Emerson.

As fans, we often want to know more about our favorite musicians: what's the inspiration of the songs we sing along to; who are their favorite singers; and are we better off not knowing if he or she is a jerk offstage? Lower the needle on some scratchy vinyl and settle back with a biography or memoir by: Bruce Springsteen, Carly Simon, Graham Nash, Phil Collins, David Crosby, Linda Ronstadt, Gregg Allman, Joni Mitchell, Keith Richards, Marvin Gaye, Carole King, John Fogerty, Rita Coolidge, Ann Wilson, Elvis Costello, Diana Ross, Duff McKagan, Cherie Currie, Tom Petty, Ray Charles, Pat Benatar and Jimi Hendrix. This list is only the beginning!       

Looking for something to celebrate this month? Consider National Haiku Writing Month, Library Lovers' Month, National Black History Month. Or, sit down with a new book by J.D. Robb, George Saunders, Deepak Chopra, Jonathan Kellerman, Deborah Crombie, Eric Braeden, Sophie Kinsella, or Daphne Merkin. Watch for a new Nintendo book, too. And just in time to help me figure out another layer of the History Channel's "The Vikings," Neil Gaiman is releasing a new book, Norse Mythology. 


                              February Days

1      - Change Your Password Day

1-7   - Women's Heart Month

3      - The Day The Music Died, 1959

5-11 - Children's Authors and Illustrators Week
          Freelance Writers' Appreciation Week

7      - Laura Ingalls Wilder Day

9      - Read in the Bathtub Day

10    - All the News That's Fit to Print Day

14    - Library Lovers' Day

15    - Random Acts of Kindness Day

24-26-Girl Scout Cookie weekend

28     - Mardi Gras - Laissez le bon temps rouler



Congratulations to the bookstores on Publishers Weekly's shortlist for Bookstore of the Year. The winner will be announced in March. While traveling, look for these shortlist stores:

Prairie Lights - Iowa City, IA
Wild Rumpus Books - Minneapolis, MN
Parnassus Books - Nashville, TN (thank you, Ann Patchett!)
King's English Bookshop - Salt Lake City, UT
Avid Bookshop - Athens, GA



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