Convos Behind the Counter

Welcome the first of many Convos Behind the Counter! This regular segment will let you in on what we’re talking about behind the counter here at Dog-Eared Books. Before I started working here, I know that whenever I walked in and saw the booksellers chatting I wondered what books they were so excited about, what show did I have to watch? These are the answers to those questions about what we’re reading, watching, and talking about at your favorite independent bookstore, so please jump in and join the conversation by either commenting below or simply asking us when you next stop in. We can’t wait to hear from you!

What We’re Talking About

We at the bookstore love the nostalgically irreverent artist Steven Rhodes, and his magnets are featured throughout the store. Based on mid-century Leave It to Beaver-eque art styles, Rhodes loves to take these “wholesome” images and twist them into something cheeky and hilarious. One of our favorite of his is the coloring book Let’s Summon Demons (which is a hoot to bring out at any family gathering, but especially Thanksgiving or Christmas).

Our current fixation, however, is this delightful Cult Book Club t-shirt, which many of our staff purchased all at the same time. This t-shirt is perfect for any fall (or playfully occult) gathering, or just to communicate how much you love books. Watch out, though—one day, you might catch us all wearing it, and feel compelled to join the cult club yourself.

What We’re Watching

House of the Dragon

Many of us fantasy-lovers have been keeping up with the HBO series House of the Dragon—the prequel to the channel’s flagship series Game of Thrones—focusing on the Targaryen civil war. With the same high production values, stunning costumes, questionable wigs, and much more soap-opera-level drama, our general opinion is positive. We think the gender dynamics of the show are particularly interesting, especially in the episodes directed by a woman (and that’s to say nothing of how Matt Smith’s Daemon Targaryen is the female gaze. We’re very excited to see him as a #GirlDad in the upcoming episodes). And yet the generous violence feels different now in 2022 than it did in the original series. The guts and gore and flowing blood for which the original series was famous seem more obscene and gratuitous than honest or avant-garde. We get that the imaginary, dragon-filled “middle ages” is more violent, but couldn’t that budget be spent on someone who can apply wigs rather than on rubber skin and fake blood? Let us know what you think in the comments below, and grab the book upon which the show is based—Fire and Blood by George R. R. Martin—if you want to get ahead of the show and join the group of us complaining about how the book is better.

Bachelor in Paradise

Don’t call it a guilty pleasure, because we don’t feel guilty at all for getting season tickets to watch this Hot Mess Express. After the (disappointing) season of the Bachelorette we just had, we long for the sunny shores of Paradise, where a bunch of traditionally attractive people will make fools of themselves and start drama in the name of finding love (or hookups). While the contestants of this show are not guaranteed a happily ever after, or even a happy-for-now ending, we await the upcoming episodes with bated breath. If you want Bachelor/ette vibes in your reading life too, feel free to ask us for some recommendations. Some favorites are listed below.

What We’re Reading

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

Told in tightly-styled vignettes, McCurdy’s first book with make you laugh out loud while it hits you right in the jaw. At times heartbreaking, at times dryly humorous, this memoir from the star of iCarly and Sam and Cat is both poignant and powerful. McCurdy reflects on her shockingly dysfunctional relationship with a narcissistic mother, and her long road to healthy adulthood in the wake of her mother’s death. And even with all of this heavy content, it still manages to be funny—like when her mother insults her in a letter and in the next line tells her to send money for a new fridge. These are selling as fast as we can get them in, so snag one as soon as you see it.

The Enigma in Room 622 by Joël Dicker, translated by Robert Bononno

Ellyn and Amanda are both enjoying this rollicking story where the author nods to Agatha Christie as he drops the reader through one trap door into another in this utterly unique thriller. A writer goes to a fancy Swiss hotel plagued with burnout intending to relax, but his plans derailed with a simple fact of the resort—there is no room 622. Before long, our writer and another guest discover a murder which occurred in the allegedly non-existent room. Involving Switzerland’s largest private bank, a mysterious counterintelligence operation, and other twists as meticulously timed as a Swiss watch, this mystery won’t be one you can put down. For fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware, this book is perfect for ushering in your fall reading.