American Book Store in Brisbane City | Book shop

American Book Store

Locality: Brisbane City

Phone: +61 7 3229 4677

Address: 197 Elizabeth St 4000 Brisbane City, QLD, Australia

Website: http://www.americanbookstore.com.au

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22.01.2022 Phillip is very pleased at the many messages he received from his many loyal customers wishing him every success with his coming relocation in September. One of the nicest messages was from a former employee saying that the American Book Store was the best place he had ever worked - thanks Johnno! I finished reading All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr and enjoyed it so much that I have recommended it to a few customers and they have already agreed with me and thanked... me for recommending it to them. The book I am reading at present is Me, Myseld and Why: Searching for the Science of Self by Science writer Jennifer Ouellette. She dives into the miniscule ranges of variation to understand just what sets us apart. She draws on cutting edge research in genetics, neuroscience and Psychology to explore the mysteries of human identity and behaviour. Jennifer has an easy reading style of writing for the non-scientist and it is interlaced with humorous anecdotes which makes for an enjoyable read. With the second semester for TAFE starting I have not had so much time to read, but have looked and read the first few pages of many books looking for other good books to read. More next post. See more

16.01.2022 Phillip is finally over the dreaded flu and is happy celebrating the second birthday of his grandson Zachary. I have just read Teach Your Baby to Read and Teach Your Baby Maths by Glen Doman and I am trying to decide whether to use these with Zachary. Has anyone had experience with these? If so, please let me know what you think. I have read a couple of books - the first, a novella called Family Life by Akhil Sharma about an Indian family moving to America. The story has been... done many times, but the language, the humour and the sophistication, the empathy and insight made this in a class above the others. Well worth a read. The second book is completely different - Force Benedict by Eric Carter is the story of the very top secret mission sent by Churchill in the Second World War to save Stalin by sending two squadrons of RAF Hurricane fighters with their pilots and ground crew to defend Murmansk and allow convoys of British and American ships to resupply Russia in its fight against Germany. It is well written with photos and documents, which reveals what it was like to live in the largest city above the Arctic Circle, a real hell on earth. It is amazing how so many secrets about the Second World War are still surfacing even today. The last book I have just started, to be again completely different, is The Skeleton Cupboard: The Making of a Clinical Psychologist by Tanya Byron. As I know many psychologists, I thought it might be interesting to see what it is they do on a daily basis and I have to say it is a most intruiging book with many case studies in a variety of clinical settings. I am certainly enjoying the read so far. See more

12.01.2022 Phillip says that ever since the Budget in May, business has been quiet. Is it just me or do you all feel that people are not spending due to all the uncertainty? Well life and reading still go on so I have read the following this last month. China Dolls by Lisa See is a novel of the life of three Chinese girls performing in night clubs in San Francisco just before and during the Second World War. In the words of Amy Tan "it is an achingly beautiful story, a marvel of imagin...ation of a real and secret world that has only recently disappeared. It is a story so mesmerising that the pages float away and the story remains clearly before us from beginning to end." Well worth a read. Then for something completely different, American Gun A History of the U.S. in Ten Firearms by Chris Kyle (author of American Sniper). It reveals the many fascinating ways guns have shaped American History from the Revolution to the present and it is also full of amazing stories of American soldiers, cowboys and heroes. A very interesting and different read. Lastly I have re-read The Red Tent by Anita Diamant which I originally read 10 years ago. It is the imagined story of the only daughter of the biblical Jacob who is remembered for having 12 sons who became the 12 tribes of Ancient Israel. Only a brief mention of made of Dinah in the Bible, but Anita Diamant has made a truly remarkable novel of her life and what might have happened to her. I enjoyed it as much this second time as I did the first. See more

06.01.2022 Phillip has the sad news that after 55 years in the CBD of Brisbane, the American Book Store will be consolidating to The Book Garden and moving to Toowong, at Unit 7, 39 Campbell Street on 20th September. We will continue to operate as before but more as a virtual bookshop, as more and more of our valued customers are interacting with us via the phone, e-mail or web. We will deliver the same level of service and knowledge, but will be able to offer free delivery to the south... east Queensland and reduced postage to the rest of Queensland. Hopefully we will also be a bit more competitive on pricing for bulk orders. More news of this as we get closer to the move. This week I have read Neil Armstrong A Life of Flight by Jay Barbree about the man who made President Kennedy's bold prediction of putting a man on the moon within a decade, a reality. The book is the intimate, definitive biography by one of America's great space journalists, who was also a close friend. They worked on this book for over 20 years, and even though much has already been written on Neil Armstrong, this is the authorized version which focuses more on his love of flying and his need for understanding all he did. It is a truly great read about a most remarkable man. Secondly, I read the new book of short stories by David Guterson, the man who wrote Snow Falling on Cedars. It is titled Problems with People. These 10 stories are filled with his gift for characterization, psychological nuance, emotional suspense and description of the natural world. Each story is very different and together make for an enjoyable read. I am in the middle of another enjoyable read called All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. It is about a blind French girl who's father is the Master of Locks at the Museum of Natural History in Paris, who flee to the coast carrying a dangerous secret. The other major character is a German orphan, who is a wiz at electronics and wins a place to a brutal Nazi military academy and learns that his way out of obscurity is built on suffering. More details next post. See more

01.01.2022 Phillip has been very busy with second semester text books for TAFEs and Universities, so I have not had a lot of opportunity to read. However I have read one eye opening book. Dirt Cheap Life at the Wrong End of the Job Market by Elisabeth Wynhausen, a Sydney journalist who took 12 months off from The Australian to work at jobs to give her an insight into how the "working poor" cope. It is quite a very interesting book and even though, as she acknowledges, it is not totally real, she is able to piece together the huge problems the casual workforce and the underemployed face daily. It is a book that makes you think and hopefully change your mind and attitude towards the people who are in the many service industries that provide for most Australians. Even though written in 2005, it is as relevant or even more relevant today.