Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

Grandpa, Harold "Hal" Murray Bonnett, wrote pulp detective fiction before opening Bonnett's Back-Issue Magazines in 1939. He would've turned 105 today.

As the era of pulp mags gave way to the paperback age, he shifted gears, writing under pseudonyms. One story, "Satan in High Heels", published under the name "Noel Candler", found it's way to the silver screen in 1962, at which time his real name was credited for the story.

I've often posted about this in the past, so I'll leave out the links to mainstream websites for the film and it's excellent score by Mundell Lowe; who passed away just a few months ago. The B-film was also adapted for an off-Broadway comedy musical a few years back!

I can't help enjoying Grandpa's film. It was released 2 years before I was born, almost to the day, plus, Dad, Walter Bonnett, had a small role in it! However, for this birthday post I'm going to link to a couple of blogs to give an idea of what others have thought of "Satan in High Heels". Enjoy!

Cinema Knife Fight

She Blogged by Night

Bonnett's Bookstore Trivia: Books & their Movies (1939)

As this Google Doodle so gracefully reminds us...

Today (8/12/2010) marks the 71st anniversary of the release of The Wizard of Oz (1939). I'm sure many of you share our sentiment that Oz is indeed one of the most wonderful worlds ever translated from the bookshelf to the big screen. The many forms Oz has been given over the years are a clear statement of the enduring connection this film has made with so many of us, all over the world. And, the fact that the tale can exist successfully in so many variations speaks volumes about it's impact on everyone who's seen it.

Oz trivia abounds! There's no way to cover it all in a single post. If you want to know more, watch the bonus features on your movies, search the internets, and be sure to have a lot of time set aside for doing so.  ;-)

BONNETT'S Short List of Recommended OZes:

• The Wiz starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson
• Tin Man with Zooey Deschanel, Alan Cumming, and Neal McDonough
• Wicked: The Musical, based on the remarkable "untold story" of the witches of OZ and based on the remarkable book by Gregory Maguire.

And now for the Bonnett's Trivia part of the post...

Bonnett's Book Store was also "released" in 1939. The year was full of good company! Our exciting, graceful, and timeless compadres of 1939 include Batman - then known as the Bat-Man, and the film versions of Gone with the Wind, Wuthering Heights, and the first of the Sherlock Holmes movies starring Basil Rathbone, and a whole lot more.

The truly amazing thing about all this is that these great and beloved works all began as books! What's that you say? Batman isn't a book? Well... OK. I could be snide and tell you, "They're called comic BOOKS, aren't they?" But you deserve better, so here it is... Bonus Trivia!

The look of Bob Kane's Batman is said to have been inspired by another movie - based on a book!
The Bat Whispers movie was based on The Bat, a book and play by Mary Roberts Rinehart & Avery Hopwood. The Bat wore a costume and mask with a cape, and climbed around on ropes, but... he was a criminal! In the opening titles of the movies there's a great silhouette shot of The Bat disappearing quickly up a rope just like our beloved hero. And now you know.

I hope you've enjoyed these bits of book-land trivia. I love this kind of stuff and could go on and on, but I want to post this while it's still the 71st Anniversary of Oz in my time zone. If you've been kind or interested enough to bear with me through the whole post there's one last thing I'd like to share... a blog "easter egg", if you will, like those sometimes found on DVD's and in films (Did you see R2-D2 in the 2009 Star Trek movie? You'll have to find that one on your own), and I hope you will heartily enjoy... this. :-)

Iceland volcano good for business

A pair of very nice gentlemen from the United Kingdom came to Dayton for an Anniversary Reunion of the Doolittle Raiders and the fly-in of more than a dozen Mitchell B-25 aircraft of the type used in the Doolittle Raid. I am ashamed to say I missed the event. I will likely never have another opportunity to witness such a display of these aircraft. I regret it more and more, the more I think about it, and I completely understand that aviation buffs from the U.K. would come here for the occasion.

Unfortunately, these two visitors from across the pond are unable to return home as scheduled because of the volcanic ash cloud that's been making a mess of things throughout Europe, and then some. On the bright side, the men are Aviation buffs. For that reason alone, they probably couldn't get stuck in a better town than the "Birthplace of Aviation".

Finding a lot of free time on their hands they began to explore Dayton and found their way into Bonnett's. Each found a nice aviation tome to take home when that time arrives. We wish them a pleasant stay and a safe journey home.

So, thank you, you unpronounceable Icelandic volcano. You provided us with two new customers, and helped us spread the good word of Bonnett's Books and Dayton, Ohio to the rest of the world.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We'll be closed for the holiday, but back to normal on Friday, that is; Monday-Saturday, Noon-8pm, closed Sundays.

If you have time on Friday, be sure to partake of the Dayton Holiday Festival from 4-9pm on Courthouse Square. The tree is set to light up at 7:45pm. It's a great opportunity for holiday fun photos! Stop and say hello on your way down.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving weekend! :-)

First Friday Full Moon - keep your pants on

This is a link to my personal blog.

First Friday (9-4-09) is a Full Moon. I'm fond of Lunar photography and I thought it might be fun to try and photograph busy urban scenes including the full moon. Come on down and give it a try. Feel free to stop in here at Bonnett's and say Hi. I'll probably be trapped inside all night, but I'd love to see what you come up with.

I've created a flickr group for anyone who wants to share their work afterwards.

Keep Your Pants On! First Friday Full Moon, Dayton, OH
http://www.flickr.com/groups/kypo/

Have fun!

Did you know ... ?

A lot of people don't know that we've got a great selection of recent used books. Avid readers who haven't stopped in lately (or ever!) are cordially invited visit.

Bonnett's Book Store
502 East Fifth Street
Dayton, Ohio 45402
(937) 228-1222
Noon - 8pm, Mon-Sat

Here's a short list of popular books we have available right now (and a lot more!):

Jeffrey Archer - A Prisoner of Birth
David Baldacci - The Whole Truth
Steve Berry - The Venetian Betrayal
Suzanne Brockman - Into the Fire
Alafair Burke - Angel's Tip
Lee Child - Nothing to Lose
Mary Higgins Clark - Where Are You Now?
Andrew Davidson - The Gargoyle
Robert Ellis - City of Fire
David Ebershoff - The 19th Wife
Barry Eisler - Requiem for an Assassin
Janet Evanovich - Fearless Fourteen
Janet Evanovich - Lean Mean Thirteen
Linda Fairstein - Killer Heat
Vince Flynn - Protect and Defend
James Frey - Bright Shiny Morning
W. E. B. Griffin - Black Ops
John Grisham - Playing for Pizza
Jack Higgins - A Darker Place
Khaled Hosseini - The Kite Runner
Linda Howard - Death Angel
Don & Hal Iggulden - The Dangerous Book for Boys
J. A. Jance - Cruel Intent
Jerry Jenkins - Riven
Faye Kellerman - The Mercedes Coffin
Stephen King - Blaze (Richard Bachman)
Eric Van Lustbader - Robert Ludlum's "The Bourne Betrayal"
George R. R. Martin - Inside Straight (Wild Cards)
David Michaelis - Schulz and Peanuts (Charles Schulz, Snoopy)
James Patterson - Cross Country
James Patterson - Double Cross
James Patterson - Sail
James Patterson - The Quickie
James Patterson - You've Been Warned
Ridley Pearson - Killer View
Lisa A. Phillips - Public Radio: Behind the Voices
J. D. Robb - Salvation in Death
Joel C. Rosenberg - Dead Heat
Charles M. Schulz - It's a Dog's Life, Snoopy
Lisa Scottoline - Lady Killer
Daniel Silva - Moscow Rules
O. J. Simpson - If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer (Goldman Family)
Karin Slaughter - Fractured
Stephen White - Dry Ice

Babes with Books

Check out Babes with Books -- cute, smart, classy.

I've been considering a "girl of the month" feature here for some time. When Christi of SnickerDoodles Photography was in with a client it dawned on me to ask if I could take a couple of quick photos just before they left. I mistakenly neglected to get the name of Christi's client, who was kind enough to pose for the photos found here. My skills were waaay off the mark because I was trying to hurry. Thank you, whoever you are.

I'm usually a better photographer. See my Picasa Gallery for samples.

FROM: Darrin R. Ballman Photography: Huge wedding blog and the "Thunderstorm Street Session"!

===[Begin Snippet]===

"So we went on our merry way down the street...I had to hit the good ol' Bonnett's Books and their cool little doorway...."

===[End Snippet]===

I must say I'm very impressed with Darrin's photography and I hope he won't mind me sharing his talent with you by re-posting the above photo here along with links to his blog and Web site.

Also, thanks to Misty and Jeremy for hiring and inspiring their photographer. Best wishes to you both.

See: DarrinBallman.com for more information on his photographic services.

Dayton "Street View" added to Google Maps!

I noticed yesterday afternoon, completely by accident, that Google Maps had added it's 'Street View' feature for some of downtown Dayton. I considered making a post about it, but as I haven't been to Google Maps for downtown views lately (I already know my way around, fairly well...) I ass-u-me'd that it had been so for a while and that I simply hadn't noticed.

Lo and behold! This evening I found this thread on Dayton Most Metro.

http://www.dayton.mostmetro.com/forum/index.php?topic=464.0

I was happy to learn that I'm not so out of touch after all.

I spent a good hour clicking around downtown. The 'Street View' images are at least a year old, and some have suggested that some images are even older, and even traverse the space time continuum... read the thread at Dayton Most Metro (DMM). It's interesting and funny.

One DMM participant suggested that all of downtown be modeled using Google Sketch-Up. Downtown's central business district has already been somewhat modeled, though it doesn't seem to fit quite right. I'd love to see the Oregon district modeled. I'm not skilled at the 3-D modeling process, but I've done the bare-bones of our location, The Ware Block Building (502-510 E. 5th St.), to scale. I tried to plug it into Google Earth, as a placeholder until I could detail and texture map the thing, but I couldn't figure out how to get it to sit right where it's supposed to be. I'll play around more later.

Again, I recommend this thread at Dayton Most Metro:
http://www.dayton.mostmetro.com/forum/index.php?topic=464.0

Flexible Neighbors / Open House / FREE Yoga Lessons!

We're happy to announce the arrival of our newest neighbors in the Ware Block Building, Practice Yoga, at 504 East Fifth Street, between Derailed Hair Salon and Bonnett's Book Store.

Kim and Kathi were present during Urban Nights, handing out information about their studio when an acquaintance of mine walked up as we chatted, me with my camera, and requested a photo with them.

Practice Yoga's OPEN HOUSE hours are Noon to 6pm on Saturday, May 31st. FREE Yoga Lessons will be given at 1pm, 3pm, and 5pm. There will be door prizes as well. See their site for more information about their wide variety of regularly scheduled classes, at PracticeYogaDayton.com

While you're in the area, stop in at Bonnett's Book Store to look over our selection of Yoga books. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Remembering...

Harold Bonnett would have been 95 today. (May 12)

Bonnett's Book Store Holiday Hours

We will be open on Monday but plan to close early for Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, at 5:00 PM ET. Also, we will be closed on Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

Regular hours begin again on January 2nd.
Mon - Sat, Noon to 8 PM ET. Closed Sundays.

Circque du Soleil Comes to Dayton

Representatives of Cirque du Soleil's "Saltimbanco" were promoting in the Oregon District this afternoon. This charming woman and two "tall gents" on stilts were going door-to-door to announce Cirque's arrival. These photos were taken by Sam Vacca of "Sterling Studio Jewelry", edited by me and are used here with permission. The subject line of this post links to the "Saltimbanco" page on CirqueDuSoleil.com



"Saltimbanco" will appear at Wright State University's Ervin J. Nutter Center, on 11/21 and 11/23-25.



Promoters of Cirque du Soleil's "Saltimbanco" covered both sides of East Fifth Street to spread the word.



'Charming Miss' browses Hollywood Handbags while 'Tall Gents' on stilts speak with Austin from Derailed.



See "Saltimbanco" by Cirque du Soleil

Urban Nights - Friday, Sept. 14, 5pm-10pm

Urban Nights is here again. Tour the Arcade (you may not get another chance) and check out what's happening in the Oregon District. Click the subject of this post for a link to more info.