April 14, 2020

ISOLATED PAGES #21

Well, ISOLATED PAGES is back. I took a couple days off to catch up on a few things in my personal life and in my continuing efforts to declutter my life (that includes home and personal baggage). I sold one book on Amazon and it has been so long since I sold any books that I had to learn all over again what to do to comply with their shipping requirements. So exciting; it was the 1st sale in 8 weeks. YIPPPEEE! I also took some special time off to communicate with family (they are all well, thank you) and my closest friends (they too are all well). I hope and pray those around you are also well and safe.

VIRUS TIMES

Here is a little humorous update sent to me from Pat Hodapp:
"Being a librarian and avid reader, I have worried about how my favorite characters are doing during the pandemic. How are Armand Gamache and Reine doing in Three Pines with Clara and Myrna? Is the Bistro doing takeout? (Louise Penny) How is Commissario Brunetti and Paola coping with the two teenagers being under lockdown? Is Paola teaching online? And more importantly, can she find the ingredients for her fabulous recipes? (Donna Leon) How are Chee and Bernie managing on the Navajo Reservation and keeping her Mama safe and with food and water in the self-isolation that has been ordered? Is Darlene staying home with Mama? (Anne Hillerman) I think of these characters as friends as they let us into share their lives. May they and their authors stay well."

Virus Times Vol. IV
My yeast story prompted my sister-in-law to mail some packages of yeast, however 10 days later and it has not arrived from Michigan. Post Office snafu in Santa Fe. However the yeast from the Marshall Islands in the middle of the Pacific arrived in four days Fed-Ex.
Shared a cup of dry yeast with a neighbor who reciprocated with dish washing soap that I was out of. I was just trying to decide if my Aveda pure shampoo would be better than a blue hair shampoo to wash dishes with and B offered the trade..
I owe my neighbor E big time. She gifted me with Navajo flour from the Four Points area. I had forgotten how good recently milled, real flour was, soft and floury! Next trade will be bread payback for my neighbor E who has also canned jam and vegetables as they come on sale. Hmmm, regular red raspberry jam or blackberry ale?
I plan to keep up our family tradition of baking hot cross buns. I splurged and found currants to use which is more traditional than raisins. Remember the chant, “one a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns”?
Kitchen takes: I pulled out my crank apple peeler (not cranky!) and am peeling apples for apple sauce, apple crostada, apple coffee cake and just to have apples to munch on. Love the curly slices., peeled and sliced in just a few turns of the crank.
Casserole recipes have taken over the Facebook recipes. I am of an age that they were the staple of our farm suppers, Mother could do anything with potatoes or noodles, ground beef and canned tomatoes. My friends look to recipes in books or online, I just have to decide which dish I want. My mother had all the basic recipes memorized and would make a casserole from what was at hand. Regular additions might be biscuits on chicken-carrot casserole or freshly made noodles for a vegetable stew. No need for a recipe.
Looking for a recipe for my Aunt Kate’s Sour Cream cookies, last week I found my mother had written it down for me on the back of a used envelope. Waste not want not. The recipe came from Ireland over 150 years ago. I doubt friends could have used the written recipe as it had just abbreviations. t salt, ½ shortening, 1 sour cream or sour milk, ½ soda, ½ bk pwdr, ½ nutmeg, egg, ½ sugar and flour. I knew her shorthand for measurements. Splurged and added raisins, about 1/2c. Turned out fine.
Someone was asking online for measuring spoons on the “giving” website. I didn’t respond as I still use my cupped hand to measure a teaspoon or a Tablespoon. Close enough.
Sharing and trading is a long standing tradition among farm families. Nice to see It is alive and well during this pandemic, even in cities.

BOOK NEWS

Printing Takes a Hit as Bookstores Plead for Funding
Adding to industry-wide struggles in a suddenly uncertain era, the country's largest book printer has filed Chapter 11 and fiscal reports from publishing's first quarter show a stark drop-off once the virus hit. Independent booksellers are fighting to get their funds from GoFundMe and, as the AP reports, bricks-and-mortar stores of all kinds are struggling to stay relevant with closed doors already. Meanwhile, the New York Times asks whether the future of comic books is in jeopardy. Still, the industry continues to adapt, as has the Bologna Book Fair, which has set links to its Bologna Global Rights Exchange live as of this week.

Everywhere from the American Midwest to the British Isles to the Arabian Peninsula, one thing is for certain in this uncertain time: the world of books is adapting to the digital world more quickly than ever before. That doesn't come without some pushback, such as the uproar over the Internet Archive's National Emergency Library, whose creator has once again defended his efforts, this time replying to comments by Sen. Thom Tillis. Nevertheless, the Covid-19 response, and fallout, continues: San Francisco's beloved City Lights Bookstore has bought itself some time with its successful GoFundMe, while agents are still trying to figure out whether to submit manuscripts to publishers during a pandemic. At Amazon, third-party sellers are allowed to start shipping nonessential items again, according to CNBC, while the Washington Post reports that the e-tailer has fired two tech workers who criticized the company’s warehouse workplace conditions. And in Columbus, Ohio, more than 600 librarians are about to be furloughed as libraries across the country continue to struggle with closures. In El Paso, Tex., Cinco Puntos Press has launched a new program, called Shelter in Books, aimed at helping to get books into the hands of students as they remain homebound nationwide. And finally, in a bit of awards news, journalist Jess Hill has won the $50,000 AUD Stella Prize, honoring writing by Australian women, for her book See What You Made Me Do.

Everyone is learning new tricks to get things done these days.

SUPPORTIVE COMMENTS

We have been getting a lot of feedback and many comments on our HELP CENTER, including from Tom McConnell, Pat Wood, Pat Hodapp, Barbara Harrelson, Kris Neri, Jaima Chevalier, Kathy Barco, Ann Zeigler, Thelma Giomi, Lynda Sanchez, Corinne Schieman

Corinne Schieman said: "Levity during these times is not suffering. Our Computer Is Laughing Out Loud..And Sends "Good One" To Your Microwave, Toaster, Washing Machine, Fridge And Iron...
Prior To The Quarantine Who -....Knew....That A Peanut Butter Cookie For Breakfast Was More Flavorful Than Two Peanut Butter Cookies After Lunch Or Three Peanut Butter Cookies After Dinner.....
Our New Washer From Lowes Is Handling Quarantine Badly Too..
It Is Shrinking Our Clothes

Ann Zeigler said: "of course we can use some more books. This is all about sanity, and what could be saner than reading about someone else's craziness, obsession, imaginary world where people move around freely, etc."

Kathy Barco said: "A shout out to my NM Book Co-op Peeps! Love the Isolated Pages!"

Jaima Chevalier said: "by being so great at providing a catch-all platform to collate and curate pandemic news relevant to the literary community, you're now our Covid Color Commentator for life!"

Apple unlocks full seasons of Apple TV+ shows for free during quarantine

Following in the footsteps of HBO, Amazon, Epix, and AMC, Apple has unlocked several of its most popular TV shows for everyone to watch, even if you haven’t bought an Apple product since November. According to TV Line, the promotion is rolling out today in the U.S. and around the world beginning April 11.

To take advantage of the offer, you’ll need a device compatible with the Apple TV app, including any Apple device, Roku, Fire TV, Samsung and LG TVs, or a PC. You’ll also need to have an Apple ID, though no TV+ subscription is necessary to start watching. You can find the promotion under the Free for Everyone tab in the Apple TV app or at apple.co/freeforeveryone on your PC once it’s live in your area.

A GOOD LAUGH

Here is some Breaking Bad style humor: https://youtu.be/xyIzhRvtIJ0

KUDOS

Kris Neri and The Southwest Festival of the Written Word featured Silver City and Grant County Poet Laureate, Eve West Bessier and her new book In the Flow of Grace: Three Minutes to Abundance. https://mailchi.mp/77ccb0ef9bc6/testing-7964514?e=9c2a8657fa

The April 13 issue of the Roswell Daily Record "Comfort food and books for comfort" column featured NM Co-op author Jodi Lea Stewart (https://www.rdrnews.com/2020/04/13/comfort-food-and-books-that-comfort). So far, Christina Stock is not running out of ideas for recipes and still has several authors who sent her their information. She also has a calendar, which is now a virtual event calendar. If any author is doing book readings online, she can list it as well. The calendar comes out Fridays and the deadline is Wednesdays by noon - same email vision@rdrnews.com.

Thelma Giomi, author and clinical psychologist, is a very helpful source for how to cope during these trying times. Check out her newsletter/blog at https://us18.campaign-archive.com/?e=82123e8e46&u=94d188942ee44a9b2cca53387&id=4a207f7fd7

Ollie Reed of the ABQ Journal wrote a story in Sunday's paper on Janet Greger and her book The Flu is Coming. Really nice review of a fictional story of our current pandemic.

Nasario Garcia and Charlene Dietz received book reviews in the recent issue of UNM Mirage.

RESOURCES

The New Mexico Tourism Department is “looking to capture the economic impact attributed to COVID-19 from the tourism industry to help shape our recovery strategy”. They have a range of resources available for tourism businesses, including nonprofit cultural institutions: https://www.newmexico.org/industry/rapid-response-covid-19/resource-hub/

You can also submit questions to their Economic Rapid Response Task Force: https://www.newmexico.org/industry/resources/economic-rapid-response-task-force/

KEEP SAFE & HEALTHY—Wash Your Hand and Don't Hoard TP
Paul Rhetts

NM Book Co-op's main mission is to foster community and support for authors and publishers and books.