Help us help the Carnegie Library System!

You've probably seen the stories in the papers and on the news about the budget situation facing our local library system. As you can imagine, we're all big library supporters here at JB, and we've partnered with the Carnegie Libraries to bring you some great events in the past so we're hosting a fundraiser here this Saturday and Sunday (the 14th and 15th) to help out!

Join us on Saturday for three special storytimes for kids: at 11am, 1pm and 3pm. At 4:30 the CLP will host a teen book related event here as well (details are being decided, call the store for more information). There will be representatives on hand from the libraries to talk to you and if you turn in the donation voucher we'll have in the store that weekend, we'll donate 20% of what you are spending here to the library!

We hope to see you in our store this weekend to support a very worthy cause. Long live the Carnegie Library System!

Limited time for Mike Huckabee signing!!

Mike Huckabee's schedule will only allow him to sign books for one hour when he visits us on the 19th. We want to make sure that as many people as possible get to shake his hand and get an autographed book, so this will be a ticketed event. Here's how it works:

- You call or stop by and purchase a copy of his new book from us. (we have plenty of copies in the store!) Along with your receipt the bookseller will give you a free line ticket with a letter on the top. Letters are assigned in alphabetical order based on the order in which books are purchased. The first 30 or so people will get an "A" ticket, the next 30 will get "B" and so on.

-When you show up for the event we will line you up according to the letter on the top of your ticket. So the sooner you purchase your book, the better your place in line.

We will be lining people up a little before 8pm, and showing up early will not get you a better place in line, we will go strictly by ticket letter. But here's the best part: If you are a Gives Back member, you'll get a special VIP ticket when you purchase your book. The VIP tickets are reserved exclusively for Gives Back members (and we'll be happy to sign you up when you buy the book) and will admit these special ticket holders to the beginning of the line. We will have to shut the line down precisely at nine, and while Mike Huckabee is pretty awesome, there is a limit to the number of books he can sign so please buy your book now (and a membership too!) and don't miss your chance to get an autographed copy of the new book!

Questions and phone purchases (with any major credit card)? Call (412) 381-3600

Special Parking Deals at the SSW!

The South Side Works is offering some very special holiday promotions to help you get all your shopping done with a minimum of fuss!

First of all, log on to 961kiss.com and register as a SSW VIP shopper for special deals and coupons that will cover many of the fantastic retail shops here in the Works!

Then, when you're ready to plan your shopping trip you can time it to take advantage of one of these special parking deals: (please note that in all cases your receipts must be redeemed through the kiosk in the center of the plaza, not at the Joseph-Beth counter)

1) Tuesday Lunch Times: from 11am until 1pm every Tuesday through Christmas you'll receive one free parking pass you can redeem in the first three months of 2010 if you spend $25 or more in the Works.

2) FREE PARKING: Spend $50 or more in the Works on November 27, 28 or 29th and you'll get free parking for the day, plus a free pass for a visit in 2010 and two free movie passes...WOW!!

3) Spend $50 between Nov 13 and December 31st for a free parking pass good for one visit between Jan - Mar of 2010.

4) Special Sundays - Beginning November 29th, spend $50 in the Works on a Sunday and get two free passes to a South Side Works Cinema show.

So there are four great ways to save money on parking while having access to a huge array of gifts, specialty stores and food (but we know you just want to shop at Jo-Beth, and that's okay too) and with Carson Street widened to four lanes and all streets between Carson and the river re-opened it's easier than ever to come visit us.

See you soon!

De-Construction!!

We are thrilled to report that our side of 27th street has been reopened to traffic. There are plenty of parking spaces and you can once again reach us simply by turning off of Carson Street in front of the store. Please come help us celebrate our renewed accessibility!

For those of you concerned about traffic flow through the area, there is one lane open in either direction (which is what we had originally) and traffic is flowing normally. Now we can start looking forward to an extra lane on either side of Carson street, which should be completed in the coming months.

This Week's Bestsellers

Stop by the store and pick up one of this week's hardcover bestsellers for 20% off! Gives Back Members receive a 30% discount on bestsellers! Not a Joseph-Beth Gives Back member yet? Sign up in the store today!

Fiction Bestsellers

1.) Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown
2.) The Help, by Kathryn Stockett
3.) Gate At the Stairs, by Lorrie Moore
4.) Magicians, by Lev Grossman
5.) Last Song, by Nicholas Sparks
6.) The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, by Katherine Howe
7.) This Is Where I Leave You, by Jonathan Tropper
8.) The Alchemaster's Apprentice, by Walter Moers
9.) Homer & Langley, by E.L. Doctorow
10.)South of Broad, by Pat Conroy

Non-Fiction Bestsellers

1.) True Compass: A Memoir, by Edward M. Kennedy
2.) The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch
3.) Are You There Vodka, It's Me, Chelsea, by Chelsea Handler
4.) Born To Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen, by Christopher McDougall
5.) Arguing With Idiots, by Glenn Beck
6.) Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin, by Kathy Griffin
7.) Where Men Win Glory, by Jon Krakauer
8.) In the President's Secret Service, by Ronald Kessler
9.) Mastering the Art of French Cooking, by Julia Child
10.)Act Like a Lady, But Think Like a Man, by Steve Harvey

New Vera Bradley patterns for winter

Dear Vera Bradley-toting customer,

Judging from your enthusiasm in our store, the release of Vera Bradley's three patterns for fall - Carnaby, Blue Rhapsody, and Pirouette - was a success!

I'm happy to announce that we now have the three latest patterns - Imperial Toile, Paprika, and Symphony In Hue - available in our store. Take a look at the pictures below, then stop by the store and let us know what you think. I hope you're as pleased as I am with this latest round of designs from the creative team at Vera Bradley.

When you're in the store, be sure to look at the all new Reversible Tote. You'll also find the new Mini Laptop case, the perfect way to carry one of those little netbooks everyone is getting. Check out the new jewelry case, too!

Imperial Toile is our new favorite pattern. Here it is, featured on many familiar bag styles.

The wonderful Let's Do Lunch bag in all-new Paprika and Symphony In Hue.

The beautiful interior fabrics of Vera Bradley bags are featured in the new Reversible Tote. Here, next to a Carnaby tote, a tote in Imperial Toile has been reversed to reveal the accent fabric.

Stop in and see us soon!
Your Gift Specialist,
Brian

A Fantastic Followup to Pride & Prejudice & Zombies

One of the only things more delicious than smart satire is parody of smart satire. When Jane Austen satirized the society of her time, who knew 200 years later a parody of that satire would come in the form of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters? It seems quite appropriate that the Dashwood sisters had to survive the money and status hungry sharks of Austen's world and now they must survive a different sort of aquatic villain in Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. As if Regency England wasn't frightening enough for young ladies of modest means, this hilarious tongue-in-cheek take of the beloved classic puts Barton Cottage on an island infested with terrifying sea creatures, finds the repulsive but respectable Colonel Brandon with tentacles, and left me laughing out loud. I don’t think I’ll ever look at Sense and Sensibility in quite the same way again.

--Heather