Hi Everyone-

As you read this, I am continuing on my massive road/business trip to Oxford, Mississippi. I'll write about my wacky adventures when I get back, but in the meantime I wanted to mention a major new promotion starting this Friday, the 7th, in all our stores.

Here's how it works: when you buy two paperbacks from Penguin (or its sister publishers, Plume and Riverhead), you get a third (of equal or lesser value, natch) for free! And these folks publish some fantastic books: Penguin has its great classics line, featuring the very finest in literature, such as the brilliant recent translation of Anna Karenina, Borges' kaleidoscopic Collected Fictions, and all three volumes of Robertson Davies' beloved Deptford Trilogy: Fifth Business, The Manticore, and World of Wonders.

Penguin's contemporary books include dazzlers like Mark Kurlansky's Cod, Jared Diamond's massive bestseller Collapse, Sue Monk Kidd's The Mermaid Chair, and Geraldine Brooks' newest novel March. Plume featues great work like the recent Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, The Jane Austen Book Club, and Lance Armstrong's It's Not About the Bike. And Riverhead publishes favorites like The Color of Water, the compelling medieval mystery An Instance of the Fingerpost, and Sarah Waters' new novel Fingersmith.

We've ordered in a bunch of extra Penguin titles for you to peruse. There'll be lots of up-front displays in our stores (you can't miss them), but feel free to browse the shelves as well, or to ask our staff for suggestions. It's a huge promotion for us, and a fantastic deal for you, so shop early and often, starting Friday, and enjoy the April of the Penguins.

See You Soon,

Joe Murphy
Head Book Buyer