Category Archives: Books

Viewpoint: Lamenting the Loss of Village Books and Treasuring Diesel Bookstore

Posted on August 17, 2020 by Sue

Columnist Bob Vickrey, in an August 7 email to Circling the News, wrote: “Lisa’s stirring up some ‘good trouble’ in town with her letter to the Palisadian-Post.” In her letter, Lisa Kaas Boyle wrote that when she was in law … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Community | 2 Comments

Summer Is Fast Approaching: Time to Read and Also Enjoy Online Events at the L.A. Public Library

Posted on June 8, 2020 by Sue

Gail Kim, children’s librarian at the Palisades Branch Library, wrote Circling the News on June 4 to say that even though the library is still closed, there are lots of opportunities, starting with the “Summer Reading Challenge.” “Believe it or … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Community | Comments Off

L.A. Public Library Seeks Items from Residents to Document ‘Shelter-at-Home’ Experience

Posted on May 12, 2020 by Sue

The L.A. Public Library (LAPL) is asking that Los Angeles residents help document what they did or saw during the Covid-19 Stay-at-Home period. Led by Kelly Wallace, a LAPD librarian in the history department, and Digitalization and Special Collections librarian … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Community, News | 2 Comments

This Bookselling Caper Stirs Echoes of Philip Marlowe

Posted on May 4, 2020 by Sue

BY BOB VICKREY During my long career in book publishing, I was often accused by sales managers of enhancing my weekly marketing reports with excessive details. One manager, in particular, took a gentle shot in my direction at a company … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Viewpoint | 5 Comments

Woody Allen’s Memoir, ‘Apropos of Nothing,’ Is a Must Read If You’re Interested in Fairness & Comedy

Posted on April 27, 2020 by Sue

Hachette Book Group said it would not publish Woody Allen’s memoir “Apropos of Nothing” because Allen’s “son” Ronan Farrow objected. A new company, Arcade, stepped up and released it – and I purchased a copy out of a sense of … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | 2 Comments

Noted Artist Anthony Pearson Supplies Much-Needed Books at Little Free Libraries in the Palisades

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Sue

“I’ve noticed three times in the past week boxes of discarded books left in the rain,” long-time Pacific Palisades resident Anthony Pearson wrote on Nextdoor on April 12. “I know it can be difficult to find a home for these … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts, Books, Community | 1 Comment

Books Are a Hard Commodity to Come By, But We Still Have Diesel Bookstore in Brentwood

Posted on April 6, 2020 by Sue

We lose ourselves in books. We find ourselves there too. – Anonymous In a March 31 L.A. Times Op-Ed piece (“Marijuana’s Essential, So Why Not Books?”), the author asks, “Why should it be easier to buy marijuana than a good book at … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | 3 Comments

God, Moses and Kenny Turan

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Sue

By BOB VICKREY After reading CTN’s story of Kenny Turan’s retirement from his post as senior film critic at the LA Times, I was reminded of a couple of spontaneous meetings at Dutton’s Brentwood Books on San Vicente Boulevard. As … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | 3 Comments

Kenneth Turan, Renowned L.A. Times Film Critic, Opts for Retirement, But Will Stay Busy

Posted on March 30, 2020 by Sue

By BILL BRUNS and SUE PASCOE On March 25, longtime Pacific Palisades resident Kenneth Turan tweeted: “After close to 30 years in the most exciting and rewarding of jobs, I am stepping away from being a daily film critic for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Film/Television | Comments Off

Hope Is a Good Thing—And Always Check One’s Sources

Posted on March 19, 2020 by Sue

I received the following letter from a reader, who said that we are not alone, that F. Scott Fitzgerald suffered a like fate during the the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, that infected an estimated 500 million people worldwide—about one-third … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Comments Off