We've moved this blog

We are now on wordpress; here is the address.

http://metropolisbooksla.wordpress.com/


See you there...

Free Movie Passes-The Girl Who Played with Fire

Drop by the store and enter to win free movie passes to the latest Stieg Larsson movie, "The Girl who Played with Fire" Opening July 9th. in Pasadena at the Playhouse 7.

A link to our June Newsletter

Read about our upcoming events:

http://www.metropolisbooksla.com/images/junenewsletter.pdf

Vote for us!! We've been nominated for Best Bookstore of Downtown.

Vote for us as your best bookstore of Downtown..http://www.votebestof.com/

Signed 1st. Editions in stock!!

Event this Weekend Reminder-David Kulczyk

Saturday May 15th. 4:00 pm Author David Kulczyk will discuss his book, 'Death in California'. Also, Mr. Lucky's 15% off promotion is on through the end of the month.

Signed books in stock-Bill McKibben-Eaarth

We did an event with author Bill McKibben last Sunday at St. Johns church in West Adams. We have signed copies of his book 'Eaarth' in stock.

Our book display at Bolt Barbers

We have a book display up at Bolt Barbers, which is around the corner from our store. Check them out http://www.boltbarbers.com/

Death in California-May 15th. 4:00 pm

Our next event is David Kulczyk signing his book, 'Death in California' May 15th. at 4:00 pm.

Nothing ruins your evening like a jet fighter slamming into your kitchen. The 10-ton military aircraft hit the Tahoe Apartments in Alameda, California, one rainy night in 1973, incinerating residents in the middle of their evening routines - one woman instantly burned to death just minutes after arriving home. The aircraft's engine was found buried 15 feet underground, compressed by the crash to two-thirds its normal size. The pilot's body was never found and was presumed to have been vaporized on impact.
Ah, carefree California - the land of beaches, sunshine, celebrities - and so many shocking and gruesome ways to die. David Kulczyk, the dean of offbeat California history, chronicles 31 bizarre and grisly true stories in his new book, Death in California: The Bizarre, Freakish, and Just Curious Ways People Die in the Golden State.
Kulczyk turns a sardonic, but always humane, eye to strange and gruesome events from the earliest California pioneers to the present day. A grimly humorous history of hangings, murders, accidents, overdoses, suicides, and fatal stupidity, Death in California offers a bizarre, lighthearted and cheerfully perverse glimpse into California's deadly past.
What's the deadliest nature spot in California, whose scenic beauty has lured 14 tourists to their deaths?
What's the absolute dumbest way possible to light a cigarette?
Whatever happened to sweet little Buffy from the 60s hit TV show Family Affair?
You don't really want to know - but if you must know, you'll read about in Death in California.

Mr. Lucky's Birthday Sale-The month of May save 15% percent!!

Our store mascot is Mr. Lucky. Since May is his birthday month, we've decided to roll out Mr. Lucky's Book Sale. All books and stationery items are 15% off all month long.It's a sale that Mr. Lucky has given his "two paws up" approval.

Booksigning Daniel Olivas-April 17th. 4:00 pm

Anywhere But L.A., Daniel A. Olivas's latest collection of short stories, ranges from contemporary narratives to more traditional cuentos de fantasma, giving us a vivid and honest portrait of modern Latinos in search of their place in the world. Funny yet poignant, Olivas's characters frequently amuse, sometimes disturb, and often remind us of our own vulnerability. People who on the surface appear to be ordinary and uncomplicated reveal their deepest secrets and anxieties related to a variety of issues, such as race, gender, sexual orientation, and the human condition in general.

Daniel A. Olivas is the author of Devil Talk: Stories, Assumption and Other Stories, The Courtship of Maria Rivera Pena, and the children's book, Benjamin and the Word / Benjamin y la palabra. He is editor of Latinos in Lotusland: An Anthology of Contemporary Southern California Literature, which brings together 60 years of Los Angeles fiction by Latino writers. He has written for many publications including the Los Angeles Times, the El Paso Times, Tu Ciudad, Exquisite Corpse, THEMA, California Lawyer, and The Jewish Journal. He shares blogging duties on La Bloga which is dedicated to Chicano and Latino literature.

Olivas is the grandson of Mexican immigrants and is the middle of five children. Born and raised near downtown Los Angeles, he converted to Judaism in 1988. Olivas received his degree in English literature from Stanford University, and law degree from UCLA. By day, he is an attorney in Los Angeles.

L.A. Noir author John Buntin April 10th. 5:30 pm

Don't miss this event!! Learn about L.A.'s scandalous past...

Win Movie Passess!!! This week only

We are giving away movie passes to see 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' this week only. Drop into the store and enter our drawing..Win one of our 5 sets of movie passes!!

Photos from the LCC conference

Here are a few photos from the Left Coast Crime conference social we hosted at the store. It was standing room only. I loved meeting some of my favorite mystery authors.

March 20th. 4:00 pm. Top Gun Pilot Mark 'Chuck' Marchione

Saturday, March 20th, 2010 (4:00 PM)
Top Gun Pilot Mark "Chuck" Marchione

Mark "Chuck" Marchione is a former Navy Top Gun pilot. He is the author of West of the Rock, which gives us a rare, illuminating look into the elite world of Navy pilots. In a series of powerful and often harrowing narratives, the author presents their life trajectories, from looking up in awe at the power and glory of warplanes, facing the ordeals of even routine landings at night on a pitching carrier deck, interacting with the comparatively unremarkable world of civilians, and reaching the point where they no longer have the edge needed to be fighter pilots.
For all the camaraderie, mastery of technique, and daily contests with fear, fighter pilots must also contend with the strains on family life during long deployments, the erosion of the motivations they need to face danger, the mounting death toll of friends, and diminishing faith in the nations mission and its seemingly endless confrontations around the world. Here is the strength of West of the Rock vividly describing, as only a former fighter pilot could, the rise and fall of the beliefs upon which modern warriors rely.

Hollywood vs. The Supreme Court

Join us Saturday February 13th. at 4:00 pm as we welcome Justice Eileen C. Moore as she reads and discusses her book; "Race Results, Hollywood vs. The Supreme Court"

The United States Supreme Court is widely considered a highly conservative institution. Hollywood is overwhelmingly perceived as liberal. Over the past 100 years, America's highest court and America's film industry have both played major roles in shaping American values. Critics have often accused the Supreme Court of accommodating racism in cases involving discrimination against African Americans. While accusations have also been launched against movies for reinforcing racial stereotypes and aggravating racial tensions, Hollywood has been defended, vigorously, for tackling difficult topics and championing the oppressed.

Eileen C. Moore was intrigued by how black Americans fared before the highest court in the land, from the early 1900s until very recently, compared to how they were treated in the movies. So, she set out to weigh the evidence. She delivers her verdict in Race Results: Hollywood vs. the Supreme Court, Ten Decades of Racial Decisions and Film. "After the first few decades of the twentieth century," Moore attests, "the United States Supreme Court was consistently more progressive than Hollywood in its treatment of African Americans."

Rainy Day recommendations

Here are a few rainy day book recommendations; Anne Tyler's Noah's Compass, J.M. Coetzee's Summertime, Elizabeth Kostova's The Swan Thieves, and for whimsy, The Babycakes Cookbook, they just opened around the corner from the store on 6th. and Main..

New Website and our January Newsletter

We've revamped our website with the help of Mike Smith, an amazing web designer. We also have updated our Newsletter with our 2010 updates, check it out. http://www.metropolisbooksla.com/images/jannewsletter.pdf