Books on Bay

A bright, sunny day in the shop just became brighter and sunnier with a visit from Amanda Arkebauer!

A balmy 74 degrees! Spring has finally arrived in Savannah and love is in the air . . . It’s the season for those great moments you wish you could hold onto forever, like when Sara met Cherry Ames. Definitely love at first sight! We can still see her eyes lighting up, her smile going ear to ear, and a pink flush on her check growing rosier by the minute. Positively giddy. Thank goodness her mother, Yvette, was there to remind her that she had a birthday coming up and that Che...rry would be the perfect friend to help her celebrate. So Spring worked its magic once again, and just like all good Spring stories, everyone lived happily ever after.

Look who I ran into at Renninger’s Extravaganza at Mt. DoraTodd Latoski and Ray Lambert of the Central Florida Sleuths Nancy Drew Book Club! You find the nicest Nancy Drew people everywhere. . . .

WooHoo! "Savage Family Diggers" kicks off its new season tomorrow night at 10 on Spike TV with the episode shot in Savannah. Tune in to see if you recognize any of the locations . . .

We absolutely LOVE Gideon’s Bakehouse and know you will too. If you’re anywhere near Disney Springs this Saturday, stop by and tell them we said hello!

Who comes all the way from Chicago to rendezvous with Nancy Drew? That would be the one and only Genie!!

Jeff’s looking pretty happy! Wonder why. . . Could it be that these C.S. Lewis 1st editions now have a new home with him??... The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Prince Caspian The Voyage of the Dawn Treader The Magician’s Nephew The Last Battle See more

Recently, several people took an iconic figure from our childhood and selfishly used it to lobby for a national political candidate by creating postcards and mailing them to people throughout the series book collecting community. The postcards were pointedly partisan. In fact, only the address portion and the image I’ve included here were neutral. (I’ll include a picture of the one mailed to me in the comments.) Many things were wrong with what they did, not the least of whi...ch was that they took Nancy Drew, an area of refuge from all the hatred and snarkiness that seems to have taken over the country, and pulled her into the emotional mess. Nancy Drew is a beloved character who belongs to all of us. Yes, I know she’s trademarked and is shared with us by Simon & Schuster, but she is ours. She is not a single political color; she is the rainbow. Who did this? Who would be so selfish? I can’t tell you that (yet), but I sure can tell you who didn’t. I didn’t. No one associated with Books on Bay did, and our mailing list has never been shared with anyone. Jenn Fisher, who heads the worldwide Nancy Drew fan group, had nothing to do with it, and the mailing list for her ND magazine has never been shared. What those people did was despicable, and I can only hope that they get to meet karma sooner rather than later. In the meantime, we need to keep reminding ourselves that the best parts of our lives are kindness, love, family, true friends, and Nancy Drew.

One year ago today, the Nancy Drew Convention began in Savannah, making this the perfect time to introduce you to Madeline, the latest Nancy Drew enthusiast to stop by the shop. Appropriately, her first Nancy Drew book was the first NDThe Secret in the Old Clock. Welcome to the worldwide ND fan group, Madeline!

*sigh* Wish I had been there that day!

Kathryn and Brooklynn are modern-day Cherry Ames! Just like our favorite rosy-cheeked nurse, these Traveling Nurses from Texas handle short term assignments all over. There are a few small differences, though. The one that struck them immediately when they looked at the book covers is that they don’t have to wear those dresses, caps, and capes like Cherry didLOL!

So excited to see this movie is finally coming out! Last year, we provided a ton of books for this movie, including these two 1930s copies of The Bungalow Mystery and The Secret at Shadow Ranch. They were to be in her childhood bedroom (the Toledo House set), and I was assured afterwards that they were indeed used. We’ll find out Sept. 30th whether or not they are actually visiblefingers crossed!

Karley and her dad Scott are living the good life with Nancy Drew. Back when the Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys TV shows were popular, Scott was right there enjoying the heck out of them. And, no surprise to most of us, he liked Nancy better than Frank and Joe. Years later when Karley came along, it was only natural that he shared that appreciation for our favorite girl detective with her. (As Karley says, I’ve liked Nancy Drew my whole life!)... So how are they currently living the good life with Nancy Drew? Easy and genius. Scott orders copies of the old TV series and they watch them together . . . definitely one of the best father-daughter activities ever!

A second Happy Hollisters Coloring and Activity book has just been published, and my copy came in the mail today! Thanks, Andy and Callie Svenson for making my day!!!! (When something terrific shows up, you’ll find me grinning ear to ear. Guess what I look like right now!)

Throwback ThursdayThe Carolina Sleuths Good times, good friends, good memories!

A day ago, I asked if anyone in the Trixie Belden fb group could help me get a special bottle in Illinois, and a wonderful lady named Suzanne immediately stepped up. Here is what it was all about and some thoughts I want to share about the angels in our lives.

Several times a year, Mike Gauwitz sends some of his collection of original Nancy Drew cover paintings to Savannah so they can be shared with fans coming in the shop. However, due to everyone’s limited travel this year, we hadn’t swapped out paintings. Well . . . here comes Jack Cleveland to the rescueoffering to take time out of his Florida vacation to make the swap for us. Happily, the switch went smoothly and Rudy Nappi’s Golden Pavilion and Polly Bolian’s Ski Jump are n...ow at the shop for everyone to enjoy. Thank you Mike for your generosity in sharing these treasures, and thank you Jack for going the extra mile (literally)!

HAPPY 67th ANNIVERSARY TO OUR GOOD FRIENDS AT THE HAPPY HOLLISTERS! The first copyright for this wonderful family series was issued on August 3, 1953. What a great day that was! Who remembers going on all those adventures with Pete, Pam, Ricky, Holly, Sue, Mr. and Mrs. Hollister, Zip, and White Nose? We sure do!... To celebrate, we’re giving away a copy of their just-released Coloring and Activity Book! To enter the drawing, all you have to do is comment on this post by noon August 4 (eastern time). (By the way, did you know The Happy Hollisters Book Club is back? It sure is, and you can get full details about it as well as the Coloring and Activity Book at thehappyhollisters.com)

Ooooooo! Look what sweet, sweet Robbie Davis brought with him todaya very scarce, very cool, pirated edition of Nancy Drew. Even better, it’s a title I don’t have!

WooHoo! Not Zoom. Not Skype. Not even FaceTime. Jack Cleveland is here! Yep, he really is at the shop in person ! Jack is a good friend of Nancy Drew, Dana Girls, Cherry Ames, Judy Bolton, Hardy Boys, and lots more. He’s also a major vintage children’s series collector and frequent contributor to the fb collecting groups. Whew! All that, and he’s still a fantastically mellow guy to boot... If you’ll be anywhere near Savannah tomorrow or Saturday, come hang out with us. We promise, you’ll have a darn good time!