Posted on

New study says books at home increases educational attainment

Whether rich or poor, residents of the United States or China, illiterate or college graduates, parents who have books in the home increase the level of education their children will attain, according to a 20-year study led by Mariah Evans, University of Nevada, Reno associate professor of sociology and resource economics.
For years, educators have thought the strongest predictor of attaining high levels of education was having parents who were highly educated. But, strikingly, this massive study showed that the difference between being raised in a bookless home compared to being raised in a home with a 500-book library has as great an effect on the level of education a child will attain
Knowing this, Classics Books & Gifts provides FREE books for the home libraries of Trenton kids. Information about the Trenton Books at Home Program, including how to donate, can be found at
http://www.classicsusedbooks.com/?page_id=13
421190_2753533729200_1583386832_31982731_1597594038_n1.jpg
Posted on

Bookstore People: Muralists and Doodlers

Will Kasso

If you have driven through Trenton and seen a mind-blowing portrait painted on a wall, you have already met Will Kasso.  Painter, portraitist, graffiti artist, Kasso is a national presence in our small town.  Curator at Gallery 219 on Hannover Street and founder of the Sage Coalition (which supports public art festivals and street beautification projects).

When you catch him at Classics, he is usually hunting for books with his daughter in the kids section

 Kasso

“My daughter curated her first artshow opening at the “Kids Bridge Arts Camp”…she just texted me saying: “Dad, the artshow is tonight…wear something nice without paint all over it”…lol”

Roger Long

Roger is a retired art teacher, a habitual doodler and a transplanted Californian.  Good natured and easy going, Roger always lends the room an atmosphere of fun.

When you catch him at Classics, he will be hunched over a Scrabble board on Friday nights.

 Long

“Jefferson made the New Testament readable by cutting out all the nonsense, making it readable and worth reading.”

Posted on

Trenton Literature Year in Review: 2013

Pulitzer Prize winning Trentonian Poet Yusef Komunyakaa published Testimony, a collection poetry inspired by Charlie Parker

Trenton Poet Laureate Doc Long had reminiscences published in Volunteers in the African Bush, a collection of essays about the early years of the Peace Corp in Africa

Capital City Open Mic celebrated its one year anniversary in April

The New Jim Crow Committee of Trenton met and discussed Michelle Alexander’s book and mapped out ways to put responses to the book in action.

The Trenton Books at Home Program handed out thousands of books for Trenton kids.

Trenton author and radio host Yolanda Landy Robinson published Don’t Be Bitter Be Better, a book of inspirations.

Trenton author Natasha Buckalious Parker published her poetella, Ah Hood Romance

Trenton author Will Foskey published Poeticine

In November, Trenton author Marie Murf Antionette, author of The Struggle and A Girl Named Job, was bookseller for a day at Classics.

In February, Barbara Keogh became the reigning Classics Scrabble champion.

volunteers sierra leone

Posted on

Book Store Manifesto

This is a book-shop

Cross-roads of civilization
Refuge of all the arts against the ravages of time
Armory of fearless truth and unrelenting beauty against the craven forces of ignorance and pettiness and ugliness of the soul.

From this place words become real
not insubstantial digital ephemera but solid crafted artifacts
not drowned in the constant torrent of status updates and tweets, but fixed in time.

In this place you are a community made manifest–a community of friends, thinkers, lovers, citizens and appreciators of beauty.

Friend, you stand on sacred ground.

This is a book-shop.

 

Posted on

Grants for independent bookstores from James Patterson

If you know a bookstore who is committed to getting books to kids, you can recommend them for a one-time grant!
“Best-selling thriller writer James Patterson has pledged to give $1 million to struggling independent bookstores. The novelist… … says he will hand out money to ‘viable’ bookstores, with the proviso that they contain a children’s section. … Patterson said he would pay some of the money directly to worthy booksellers ‘who haven’t had a bonus in seven years.’ “
If you know of any independent bookstores who provide books for children, you can recommend them at this website.  http://www.jamespatterson.com/booksellers/
Posted on

Neil Gaiman on Bad Books for Children

As reported in The Guardian.  “I don’t think there is such a thing as a bad book for children. Every now and again it becomes fashionable among some adults to point at a subset of children’s books, a genre, perhaps, or an author, and to declare them bad books, books that children should be stopped from reading. I’ve seen it happen over and over; Enid Blyton was declared a bad author, so was RL Stine, so were dozens of others. Comics have been decried as fostering illiteracy.

“It’s tosh. It’s snobbery and it’s foolishness. There are no bad authors for children, that children like and want to read and seek out,  because every child is different. They can find the stories they need to, and they bring themselves to stories. A hackneyed, worn-out idea isn’t hackneyed and worn out to them. This is the first time the child has encountered it. Do not discourage children from reading because you feel they are reading the wrong thing. Fiction you do not like is a route to other books you may prefer. And not everyone has the same taste as you.

“Well-meaning adults can easily destroy a child’s love of reading: stop them reading what they enjoy, or give them worthy-but-dull books that you like, the 21st-century equivalents of Victorian “improving” literature. You’ll wind up with a generation convinced that reading is uncool and worse, unpleasant.”

For the complete article on “Why our Future Depends on Libraries, Reading and Daydreaming” visit http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/15/neil-gaiman-future-libraries-reading-daydreaming

 

Posted on

Bibliophile or Bibliomane?

Which are you?

  • Bibliobibule (reads too much)
  • Bibliolater (worships books)
  • Bibliomane (passionately collects books)
  • Bibliophile (loves books)
  • Bibliosoph (knowledgable about books)
  • Bibliotaph (hides or hoards books)

 

Posted on

Neighborhood News: Downtown Trenton: November 2013

New Jersey Capital Philharmonic Orchestra

Did you think that the Trenton Symphony had left the capital city? Not quite accurate. The New Jersey Capital Philharmonic will be performing its first concert at Patriots Theater at the War Memorial December 31st. To learn more about the New Jersey Capital Philharmonic Orchestra, please visit the web site at www.capitalphilharmonic.org

Humans of Trenton

Based on the fantastic Humans of New York, the Humans of Trenton is a living encyclopedia of the amazing people of the Capital City.   Read about them here: https://www.facebook.com/#!/HumansOfTrenton

New Restaurant

Thomasena’s at 241 E. Front St, near the DMV and City Hall.  Soul southern food.  Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/ThomasenasTakeout

Sidewalks

The City of Trenton fixed the sidewalks on Lafayette in front of Classics.  Come on by with your scooter for a smooth ride!

Posted on

Barbara Keogh’s Reading Wishlist

Artist and Classics co-op member Barbara Keogh covers the store Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 12 noon to 2 pm.  Here is her list of books and DVD’s she would like to read and watch.

1. 32 Candles by Ernessa Carter

2. The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

3. At Canaan’s Edge by Taylor Branch

4. An Easy Burden by Andrew Young

5. White Collar Factory by Jack Washington

6, 7 and 8. Be Cool, Maximum Bob and Pagan Babies by the recently deceased Elmore Leonard

9 Fallen Man by Tony Hillerman

10. Devil’s Corner by Lisa Scottoline

11. Barchester Towers and The Warden by Anthony Trollope

12. Scenes of Clerical Life by George Eliot

13. Marguerite de Valois by Alexander Dumas

14/15 Complete Works of O’Henry in 2 volumes

16. DVD: The Devil Wears Prada

17. DVD: Walk Hard

18. DVD: Nothing But The Truth

19. DVD: Bulgarian Lovers

20. DVD: Last King of Scotland

T-shirt 8 small (2)