BOOK IT! VALENTINE’S DAY+ AT BETWEEN THE COVERS

13 Feb BOOK IT! VALENTINE’S DAY+ AT BETWEEN THE COVERS

For the love of books … and animal magnetism by Alex Beard … at Between the Covers

A wonderful way to tell someone you love them on Valentine’s Day, whether it’s that nerve-addled first time or a cozy 40 years, is giving a book selected with care.

It’s a time for beautiful big books with lush wall-to-wall photography, or for travel books that start you planning your next memorable adventure –  or for the everlasting classic “The Joy of Sex.” (Unfortunately, the “Pop-Up Kama Sutra” is currently out of print … )

At Between the Covers, we have romantic poetry from around the world, cookbooks to make anyone drool, and humor for all tastes. If you haven’t found that perfect card by the time you’re reading this, be prepared to wrestle the other coupla folks for what’s left. (Don’t forget to check the naughty box!)

As much as we love being matchmakers between people and books, we also love having authors at the store to share not only their stories, but the stories behind the stories. I am talking about the journey their creation took before winding up on the shelves at BTC.

The next apres-ski event at Between the Covers takes place Thursday, February 23, 4:30 p.m., when we welcome the return of author/painter/illustrator Alex Beard.

Alex, as some will recall, was the poster artist for the 2010 Mountainfilm Festival. His Escheresque menagerie of wild animals celebrated that year’s theme of extinction.

What fun it was for us to attend a publisher-sponsored party at his corner studio on Royal Street in New Orleans just a few weeks ago. Peacocks and monkeys and cheetahs, oh my! Herons and longhorns and bears, oh my! And then there was that octopus that seemed to grow bigger the later into the night we stayed.

We at Between the Covers are thrilled to host a party for this adventurous and fun-loving artist, but the real kudos go (again) to the Youth Services Division of our five-star Wilkinson Public Library. The folks at the library go for the big fish and not many say no. Alex will delight several audiences while in Telluride.

Alex Beard appears first at the Telluride Elementary School on Tuesday, February 21, 9 a.m.  for grades K and 1st; at  10 a.m. for grades 2nd and  3rd. On Wednesday, February 22, he’ll head out to The Mountain School for a 9 a.m. session with  2nd-4th graders. Alex’s  only public appearance takes place at BTC and that’d be on Thursday, February 23, when  he’ll sign and draw and answer questions. (We’ve told him it’s perfectly vogue to show up in ski clothes!)

Alex currently has three children’s books on our shelves with the latest—“Crocodile’s Tears”—having just hit the streets on New Year’s Day.
From the February 8th edition of The New York Times Books page:

“There’s an odd mixed message in picture books that introduce and celebrate the earth’s exotic creatures while simultaneously bidding them adieu. Enjoy them while they’re still here! What saves this book from over-earnestness is the Circle of Life’s near-universal dismissal of the crocodile’s feelings. Beard’s lush, invigorating animal imagery likewise sets it apart, especially pages showing a racing cheetah and a menacing-looking elephant. An afterword provides zippy descriptions of each of the story’s beasts, with nuggets of offbeat information. The ending, when it comes, lends a surprising bite to what otherwise could have been just another eco-lesson. Crocodiles may not always be happy, but they’re also not the mildest of creatures.”