We have had so much fun with the giant Where’s Waldo hunt taking place in Jackson this month. One of my favorite parts has been the story times that some of the participating businesses hosted with us- it has been so amazing to work with these great people who love books just as much as us! So far, Pop Fizz Children’s Boutique, Buffalo Peak Outfitters, and the Jackson Zoo have partnered with us for story time, and it’s all been so fun. Here are a few pictures from yesterday’s packed story time with the Zoo here in our Dot Com building!

Our next Find Waldo Local sponsored story time will be on Thursday, July 25 at the Eudora Welty house at 11:00. Make sure you don’t miss this awesome opportunity to hang out in Belhaven and to explore the beautiful grounds at the Welty house! We’ll be reading lots of great stories and having a grand ole time- and if you haven’t found Waldo there yet, this is a great time to come and look!

Here at Lemuria we all have sections in the store that we adopt as our own, hopefully so that any time you have a question about a particular subject, one of us can go right to what you need. I’m your girl in charge of most of our history books (American history, world history, Civil rights, the Civil War, World War II, World War I, or any other war ever in the history of the world) which means that I have a little trouble reading every single thing that comes through my section because, well, the world is old and a lot has happened in it. In an effort to at least  be familiar with what I’m putting on the shelves I’ve become quite the expert skimmer–so here is my list of books-I’ve-skimmed-through that merit a longer, more thorough read. These picks all hail from our WWII section and I’m excited to one day actually sit down and read them all the way through.

They Shall Not Have Me, Jean Helion

This is the autobiographical account of French modernist painter Jean Helion and his harrowing life in and escape from a prisoner of war camp during World War II. I think the reason this book has piqued my interest so much is because of a customer I encountered who bought himself a copy. I expressed to him my enjoyment that he was buying a book that I thought looked like such a good read and he simply said, “This happened to me”. He then proceeded to tell me about the time he was captured during the second world war, placed in a POW camp, and then successfully escaped, hiding out in the woods for several days before being picked up by a passing group of Allied soldiers. I was dumbstruck, to say the least, and could only find the words to thank him for his service. He came back in the store a few weeks later and assured me that this books was indeed an excellent read, one that he would recommend to his friends.

The Star of Africa, Colin D. Heaton & Anne-Marie Lewis

This book is about the life of Hans Marseille, a Luftwaffe Ace who had quite the track record with his commanding officers. This guy refused to join the Nazi party, broke rules constantly, infuriating his superiors who passed him around like a hot potato, and was an amazingly skilled pilot who was known to show mercy to his enemies. According to the book “He followed his own chivalrous code and frequently went out of his way to avoid killing the Allied pilots he fought against. He was known to guide damaged Allied planes to the ground and fly through Allied anti aircraft fire to drop written messages to inform his enemies about pilots he had shot down”. Y’all, I know this sounds like something made up by Hollywood, but this story is true- the book was put together from accounts of people who knew him personally and from his commanding officers. Crazy.

Hitler’s Charisma, Laurence Rees

I know, I know. Another Hitler book? Seriously, haven’t we examined this guy’s psyche enough already? The conclusive answer to that is: nope, we haven’t. Truth is, we’re still baffled by the idea that one human being could throw the entire world into absolute chaos by deciding that Poland belonged to him, that the Jews shouldn’t belong to anyone including themselves, and that yeah, duh, he could invade the Soviet Union. Even though he had no friends, no ability to listen to others, and was fueled by hate, he somehow managed to become a powerful leader with masses of followers. Laurence Rees, a prominent BBC documentarian and author of two other WWII books (Auschwitz and World War II Behind Closed Doors), tears into the idea of what made Hitler so powerful– his supposed charisma, and takes a long, hard look at the man and the power that he amassed by becoming an attractive figure to millions of people.

“If the world were merely seductive, that would be easy. If it were merely challenging, that would be no problem. But I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.” E. B. White

Elwyn Brooks “E. B.” White (July 11, 1899 – October 1, 1985), was an American writer. He was a contributor to The New Yorker magazine and a co-author of the English language style guide, The Elements of Style, which is commonly known as “Strunk & White”. He also wrote books for children, including Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan.

As many of you may know from my frequent and ecstatic facebook posts, Jackson’s city-wide hunt for Waldo begins today! 20 local businesses have hidden Waldo somewhere in their store/restaurant and you have the whole month to find all 20! For all the details, go here.

Another great thing about this month is that several of the participating businesses will be sponsoring story times and having great readings and activities either in their stores or here at Lemuria. I’m so excited about an opportunity to get into these great local businesses to not only look for Waldo but to hear a good book as well!

Waldo sponsored story times:

Popfizz Children’s Boutique- in their store on Tuesday, July 9

Buffalo Peak Outfitters- here at Lemuria on Saturday, July 13

Jackson Zoo- here at Lemuria on Saturday, July 20

Stay posted on Facebook for more details about these awesome upcoming Waldo events, and also to see any extra goodies that we plan during the month!

“How many slams in an old screen door? Depends how loud you shut it. How many slices in a bread? Depends how thin you cut it. How much good inside a day? Depends how good you live ’em. How much love inside a friend? Depends how much you give ’em.”

― Shel Silverstein

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Don your stripes and thick black glasses y’all, Waldo season is upon us. Last year, Waldo hid stealthily in twenty local businesses all throughout the month of July and (hold on to your red hats people) we’ll be doing it again this July!

Here’s how it works: You and your family begin by picking up a passport.

A passport has the names and addresses of all twenty participating businesses on it, and each time you find Waldo (you’ll have to be willing to look hard though!) an employee from the business where you found him will sign off on your sheet.

Then you move on to the next spot where Waldo is hiding!

You guys will have a whole month, so take your time and get to know all of the cool people who live and work around you. Want to get to know Fondren better? Stop by Brent’s Drugs and get a milkshake and sip while you search. Or pop over to Belhaven and explore the Eudora Welty house with your kids and chances are you’ll find Waldo sneaking around!

If you and yours find the ever-elusive Waldo in at least ten locations, come by the store and get a prize! Here’s a little incentive to not give up on the search though- if you find Waldo in all twenty businesses you will get a bigger prize and also have your name entered for the grand prize drawing at the end of the month. The grand prize is awesome y’all- an amazing collector’s set of Waldo books that I would give anything to have in my own library. The grand prize drawing will be at a giant Waldo hooplah that we’ll be hosting at our store on Saturday, July 27 at 11:00, so make sure you don’t miss it! You have to be present to collect the prize if your name is drawn.

We’ll be kicking off on Monday, July 1st first thing in the morning and you can come by the store to pick up a passport (don’t forget to look for Waldo here in Lemuria) or you can start your hunt at any of the twenty businesses! We are so excited to be hosting such a cool event that encourages us to really get to know the city that we live in. So get ready to get hunting, make amazing memories, and get to know the amazing Jackson, Mississippi.

Participating Businesses:

Lemuria, Mississippi Children’s Museum, Polka Dot Pony, Pop Fizz, Fresh Ink, Eudora Welty House, Brent’s Drugs, Broad Street Bakery, Sneaky Beans, Nandy’s Candy, Jackson Zoo, Sal and Mookies, Museum of Art, Basil’s Belhaven, Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, Crazy Cat Bakers, Old Tyme Commissary, Buffalo Peak, Mississippi Craft Center, Campbell’s Bakery

Click to enlarge.

Junie B. Jones and her shenanigans are coming our way! Three years ago, Junie B. showed up on our doorstep and of course, we invited all our friends to meet her. On Monday, June 17th at 2:00, Junie B. is back! Our favorite precocious kid is out on the Stupid Smelly Bus Tour to bring Park’s lovable character to fans across the country, all of whom love to meet their favorite book character in person.

So what exactly happens on a Stupid Smelly Bus Tour? The fun begins when the doors of Duling Hall open at 1:30 with fun activities, and the main show begins at 2:00 and features live performances by two actors playing Junie B. Jones and Mr. Woo. Junie B. and her teacher travel from city to city in a bright pink “Stupid Smelly” school bus adorned with colorful graphics, including the series’ signature checkerboard and the faces of Junie B.’s friends in the windows.

At each event, Junie B. will open her Big Pink Trunk of Junk and perform a Show and Tell, sharing instantly recognizable items from the series such as her stuffed elephant, “Philip Johnny Bob,” and the floaty ball from the toilet tank, Junie B.’s favorite plumbing supply.

Tickets for this event are $10 and can be purchased at Lemuria Books. The ticket provides admittance to the event for one child and parent, as well as one paperback Junie B. Jones book. A portion of the proceeds from this event will be donated to promote the arts in Fondren. And after the event, Junie B. and Mr. Woo will stick around for an official book stamping and to hand out free Junie B. souvenirs for all kids in attendance. For more information about the Junie B. Jones book series, visit the series website at JunieBJones.com. We hope to see you at Duling Hall!

A few posts back I wrote about L’incident D’antioche, a title by Columbia University Press (CUP) under their series INSURECTIONS: CRITICAL STUDIES IN RELIGION, POLITICS, AND CULTURE. Last month they added another to that great list: Philosophical Temperaments by Peter Sloterdijk.

Philosophical Temperaments is at first glance yet another history of thinkers, as the subtitle suggests – From Plato to Foucault – but it is not really that at all. I would like to refer to them as abstracts. Abstract in the normal sense, as in a summary of contents, etc. and then abstract as in the context of art. The former is self-explanatory; Sloterdijk gives a brief introduction to the given thinkers idea/s and impact, and so on (the longest one is Plato’s 13 page, most come in around 3 pages). The later form of abstract is where he makes this book interesting. These little vignettes read more like sketches drawn out or even better – an abstract painting. These are very colorful exacting prefaces to the thinker and abstract in that he paints their idea/s critically and purposefully through his own lens, and so this book ends up being more of an examination of Sloterdijk’s thinking than those he writes about. And by the way, if you don’t know of Peter Sloterdijk, he’s not boring.

The underlying current of thought in this ~100p volume is that Sloterdijk believes the current generations are in an “advancing technological remaking of all concepts” and he seems to be giving us here a users manual to guide us to the right (or rightly wrong) thinkers and ideas that can map us through this rift safely.

“There are many indications that the current generations will pass through a rupture in the shape of the world which – in profundity and momentousness – is at least as important as the one that gave rise to classical philosophy twenty-five hundred years ago. A study of that ancient rupture could therefore inspire an understanding of the present one.”

To think that we are going through such a shift is a bit frightening but I think it is self-evident that we are in such a shift. Technology has and will make sure of that. Technology does not grow in a linear way, nor does it take steps up a ladder. When a discovery is made, it makes leaps not only in the field it was found in, but in a sleuth of others as well. Technology grows exponentially and so the more we understand, the faster we are going to understand more. We are in a universe that is full of the unknown and undiscovered; this unknown expanse and the technological understanding we are gaining combine and act like combustion. We do need a user guide to help navigate this accelerating social landscape. Perhaps Sloterdijk can point us to part of it.