Happy 2013 and bye bye !!

Hi all,

Best wishes for 2013 and greetings for Makar Sankranti. Uttaraayan brings with it new beginnings and it’s time to move on.

Yes, its bye bye time!

Yes, twistntales will be downing its shutters shortly.

twistntales has been part of our lives for the past 11 years and has greatly enriched our lives. Living and being part of the neighbourhood where twistntales has been supported by the local readers, authors and educationists has been amply rewarding.

It has not been an easy decision. And it is with an aching heart that I write this. And with a tremendous sense of loss for this community that we are also part of.

But it is time to move on.

We, the team at twistntales (always a motley group of corporate drop-outs, housewives, students, senior citizens) will miss seeing you at our Store. Courtships, friendships, alliances, confidences and the so so many networking opportunities that twistntales provided the perfect venue for – yes, we will miss that too! The space that twistntales created for many like minded people to meet, bond, discuss, and sometimes just drop by for a chat will be missed, also by us.

The students who have worked here – from Tejal in 2002 to Richa now have added so much special character to this place, and it is to them that I owe a big thanks ! Thankyou, Tejal, Mridula, Shradda, Nandana, Ashok, Reena, Shefali, Neha, Samar, Riyaz, Geetanjali, Aarti, Rekha, Srikant, Akash, Tia, Jahnavi, Vidya, Neena, Resh, Shama, Poornima, Kshitija, Vernen, Anushree, Sharan, Madhavi, Lijya, Shahaji, Malhar and Richa. To each one of you, all of you have had a deliberate reason to be here, to work here – whether 6 months or 2 years – but the joy and energy that you got to twistntales, has been remarkable and we will not have come this far without you 

We have had tremendous fun these past 11 years. Our reading sessions, street plays, workshops, the all night sessions with Harry Potter – each one of these events, we have had great fun creating these unique events, fun with your children and you participating in them, watching your kids grow up in “their” bookstore, the tremendous joy we have had in connecting with each one of you, twistntales has grown to be an endearing part of our lives. We know that you will miss us too, and are now preparing for the black flag demonstrations that some of you have threatened us with ;-)

And to you, our readers. So many of you, who tell us that you come specifically to Pune, to visit us, sorry, we will miss you the next time you come around. And to those who live in and around, sorry, your favorite hang-out place is about to vanish. We will be around for another month or so, before we vacate the current premises. Whether it is for a birthday gift, or a workbook for your child’s skill building, we have also had tremendous satisfaction in identifying the right set of books for you, our special bond with parents and your faith in our recommendations has been touching. Thank you.

Reading and good bookstores, we hope, will continue to be. And we do hope that the community steps in and takes an active interest in vanishing relics of our time.

But for twistntales, the innings is completed. We will have a Stock Clearance sale starting today (15/01/2013), till stocks last. We have already stopped the sale of gift coupons. Kindly redeem the coupons that you may have in your possession. Everything will be on Sale, including racks, book stoppers, gift wrapping paper etc. Please check out your requirements. The yahoogroups, the blog and the facebook pages will be deleted shortly.

We have planned a couple of events even as we sign off, and we will send you mail on the events and dates.

And we take this opportunity to thank ALL our Customers, Business Partners, Vendors, Publishers, Authors, Media, Event partners, School Principals, Librarians, Teachers, Educationists, Social Activists, Theatre persons, Musicians – so many of you with whom we have worked closely. It has been a joy, truly - collaborating with each one of you to create and fulfill your requirements.

And it has given my family and me (Janaki) some amazing friendships, complete joy and happiness but this closure will leave a huge vacuum in our lives. But as we move on, we do hope that relationships will continue to be nurtured, and we can continue to meet in this neighbourhood.

From,

Janaki and the team at,

A BIG thank you !!!

Christmas is always special ! It gives us an opportunity to spread joy and happiness. In twistntales we are blessed with abundance. Joy, Fun and happiness (and food !) is always around. Our cup is always overflowing. Christmas time allows to take this overflowing cup and share it with the kids at Sunshine.

Nalini and Saira have created Sunshine (within the Pedaitric ward) and have been working tirelessly for the past 11 years. Twistntales has been supporting this activity for the past eight years. Every Christmas, Santa and the students who work in twistntales (both past and present) make a happy group and put together a variety entertainment programme to take to the kids @ the Pediatric ward. Simultaneously, we work with Dr. Aarti Kinikar, who is now the Head of Department of the Pedaitric Ward, to help identify the requirements that they have and that they can help accomplish with the help of donors.

Every year, we have been overjoyed with the response that we receive from you. This year, we have managed to raise close to 1.5 lakhs, apart from the things in kind that folks generously buy and give! Given below is a list of donors who have helped our cause this year.

Mrs. Geeta Sundaresh


R Systems Ltd.

Kimico Mehta

Hema Wagh

Sachin Samant

Lakshmi Ramamurthy/ Vivek Balaraman

N. Balaraman

Sangeeta Ganapathy

Vaishali Naik

Shuchita Basu

Tripuri Godbole

Rajeshwari Sharma

Namita Waikar

Gomathi Vishwanath

Shipa Kher

Dr. Anjali Raju

Chinar Wakhlaloo

Avanti Doshi

Meena Kalyan

Parag and Vaishali Edwankar

Tripuri Godbole

Thankyou all so much. It is a joy for us to see so many people turn up at our Store, with cheque book in hand/ or with toys/ crayons that our boxes overflow !

And the joy that they entertainment programme generates - Thanks to Lijya, Rucha, Rajeev, Prajakta, Mrinmayee, Chinar, Rukmani, Manmeet - for the joy you have given us all !

And to you, Mrs. Claus - you couldn't have a chosen a better person to marry ;-) Welcome Pritam, to the tnt family - you truly lived your role as Santa ! Thank you Santa !

As a token of appreciation, Nalini and Saira have written to the donors - this is for you :

Dear Janaki,


Sincere thanks from the children, parents and all of us working with the Pediatric department for yet another lovely Christmas Event. We are really overwhelmed with the response this year and the funds generated will go a long way and benefit the kids who most deserve it. The entertainment program was really enjoyed by the children and adults alike and Santa was a huge hit as always. Our thanks to all who contributed to make it a fun filled evening for the kids.

Best regards,

Nalini and Saira
Volunteers, Sunshine Group
Pediatric Dept, Sassoon hospital

Amen !

Midnite Sale and Celebrations !

Hi all,

Greetings of Gudi Padwa, Ugadhi, Sindhi New Year!!!! May the New Year be prosperous and joyous for all of you and your families.

Thank you for your great response to our Sale.. Many of you timing your work hours to synchronise with our happy hours  Makes us happy too!

And for all those of you who have not yet found the time, yes, there’s happy news for you too. Sat, 24th March is the last day of our Sale, and we will have happy hours from 10pm to 12 midnight. So, be there for our Midnight Sale, on Sat, 24th March when the Store will be open way past our normal working hours. And yes, there will be freebies too!


And please make time for us in the evening hours of 28th March, Wednesday when we actually complete our ten years. It’s been a long journey for us, and for many of you who have been a part of this magnificent journey for large parts of time. Do join us for the mega celebrations at the Store on Wed, 28th March.

For us behind the scenes in twistntales, it has been a joy and pleasure to connect with folks like you and build relationships and understand your book needs, both for you and your kids.

And our model of working mainly with students has been unique and extremely rewarding. Tnt-ians are now all over, accomplished in their respective fields and continue to stay in frequent touch or visit. You will see many of them on Wednesday, the 28th. All of us share wonderful memories of working together and twistntales has had the pleasure of handing over the “first salary cheque” to almost all these students. That these students have done brilliantly both in academics and in the real world is a matter of great pride and joy.

Many of these students are now returning “home” to join us in our party time.

Of them, Reshma Valliappan is one of them, who is truly a creative genius. Reshma is creating a unique graffiti abstraction on our shutter, which is a delight to see. We have been updating the progress on face book on a daily basis. For those who have not seen it on fb, you are most welcome to the Store before/ after Store working hours to see the shutter. We are sure that your kids and you can identify numerous characters on the shutter!

Books are not or have not been a profitable business. When you are faced with a scenario of bookstores closing down around the world, what is it that wants us to go on? Because we have you! Bookstores are a reflection of the times and cultures we live in.

Over time, twistntales has created a niche for itself and is an articulation of the “space” that we crave for. A safe place in the neighbourhood where you can be you, and we can be we. Some conversation, some activity, some re-charging. Something fresh, a liberal thought, a protest activity, a space for disconnects to connect. Yes, we have become a little more than a bookstore and it is your recognition and support for all these activities that makes us feel wanted and supported and gives us renewed energy to carry on.

Sometimes, when we think back and see how long ten years has been, well:

How come we have a hotmail id? Well, then there were only two! Yahoo or Hotmail! how come we have a yahoo group ? Well, msn didn’t have groups and google wasn’t born!

Do you remember a time when there was no google? Well, we have been around from before that?

Do you remember an Aundh with no DAV, no petrol pump, no Bonsai and no Crossword? Well, we have been around from before that!

In many things, we have been ahead of our times. Whether it was our mailer service, which is personally written and sent through yahoo groups or creating a net based book club. Long before Ecommerce became “happening”, our mailers through your inbox allowed you to select books and respond though mail. But we have been slow to allow freedom of purchasing on the net. Soon we shall have all books on the net, and give you the flexibility to browse from home and place orders with us.

We at twistntales feel robust and look to the future with confidence. Currently, we have no plans of adding more outlets anywhere. We prefer to stay small but do a good job. From the numerous responses that we receive from you, we know we are on the right track!

Thank you again for your support!

From the team at,

twistntales

Check this out !

http://www.punemirror.in/article/56/2012012220120122072240718add0a500/By-hook-or-by-book.html

Happy Happy 2012 !

Message sent to twistntales@yahoogroups.com on 3rd Jan, 2012

Hi all,

Here’s wishing your families and you a lovely start to 2012 and a great year to follow. Here’s hoping that prosperity, wellness and abundance fills your spirits and your lives. We at twistntales are always excited with the new year…. It means yet another birthday is round the corner, yes, very soon we shall be completing ten years and yes, a big party can be anticipated ;-)

This new year message also comes to you to let you know that twistntales will be working only in the evening hours (5 to 8.30pm) on weekdays and full days on the weekends with a break in the afternoons. So our timings will be Tues to Fri (5 to 8.30 pm) and Sat/ Sun (10.30 to 2pm and 5 to 9pm) with Mondays continuing to be our weekly off.

Books is increasingly being a tough business to be in and we rely on you to carry us through our tough times. We are extremely apologetic to our morning/ afternoon customers, and we hope that this is a temporary phase and should be back to full timings shortly. Kindly bear with us and do write to us if there are urgent requirements but are unable to make it to the Store in the evening hours.

Happy Reading and we do hope that your reading joys of 2012 overflows ….!

From the team at

twistntales

You Can’t Take What We Have! No Way!

This is the third burglary attempt at twistntales, and luckily for us, unsuccessful! In the last ten years, we have learnt our lessons, and inspite of the burglars moving from Plan A to Plan B to Plan C, they have not been successful. Tell–tale signs of every plan in evidence!

What is it they want from us? Books? I will gladly give away free, if they want to read! Money? We don’t have any! Our Ethos, values, love for books, people, brand? Try as hard as you might, you won’t be able to take that away!

Our Mood? For a little while, maybe! Even Yashoda, our maid says, “Mood-uch Karaab kele!” That’s the spirit – our folks keep smiling – you can’t take away that from us!

Diwali Hamper of new books !!

Hi all,

First of all, a big thank you to all of you who joined us for the Saraswati Puja on Dusherra day at the Store.

As school vacations begin and the festive spirit catches on, we at twistntales are ready and well stocked up in all sections. Do pay your favorite bookstore a visit and stock up your reading treasures for the Diwali break!

Lots of new books also happening in the next two weeks – the Steve Jobs (God bless his soul) book, the new Grisham thriller, a brand new book in the Wimpy kid series, the Sons of Neptune book in the Heroes of Olympus series (by Percy Jackson), “Inheritance” in the Eldest/ Eragon series by Christopher Paolini series – make sure you have your monies saved for these books! Do keep in touch for more frequent updates on our facebook page,https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=710923194

Apart from Chetan Bhagat, a lot has already happened in the past couple of weeks, Julian Barnes, “The Sense of an Ending” which won the Booker 2011 this week, all already in the Store. A few have been reviewed below.

Twistntales will be celebrating Diwali on 25th Oct, Tuesday evening at the Store and you are most welcome to join us. We will then be closed from 26th Oct (wed) to 31st Oct (mon). We will be open for business as usual from 1st Nov. The last couple of months have been tough on us (we are short staffed) and we had to keep the store closed on some afternoons. Going forward, Nov and Dec, we will be open full day as earlier. So feel free to drop in anytime.

Many of you know the many students who have interned with us in the past 10 years. Most of them join us in the first year of college, after 12th class, and stay with us during the first two years of graduation. When they leave, they take with them more than just the money we pay them. Many of them are equipped with basic managerial skills to start work as junior execs in the corporate world.

Lijya is one such person. She completes a year with us this month, and has earned her spurs to be our “Star of the Month” for Oct 2011. She has single handedly supported the operations of the Store, inspite of her own hectic college schedules and exams, all very willingly and with a smile. Kudos to her and she surely is an example to many youngsters on how to manage what you want to do without compromising too much on other things. Do visit the Store and congratulate her for her efforts :-)

Now on to new books:

Socio Eco

“Water: Asia’s New Battleground” by Brahma Chellaney @ Rs.699/- (pgs 386)

The battles of yesterday were fought over land. Those of today are over energy. But the battles of tomorrow may be over water. Nowhere is the danger greater than in water distressed Asia. Asia is home to many of the world’s great rivers and lakes, and the potential for conflict is further underscored by China’s unrivalled global status. Brahma Chellaney, one of India’s leading strategic thinkers from the Centre for Policy Research, presents a pioneering study of Asia’s murky water politics and the relationships between freshwater, peace and security.

“Capitalism 4.0: The Birth of a New Economy” by Anatole Kaletsky @ Rs.399/- (pgs 423)

Has the Global Financial Crisis ruined Businesses, Banks, and Nations and left you distraught? Is the Capitalist system doomed? If you think yes, then well ‘think’ again with this eye opening book by Anatole Kaletsky who explains how this crisis has contributed to the evolution of a stronger capitalist model- refreshed and reinvented; all set to take-off again! Tracing the development of capitalism through three distinct historical phases, Anatole Kaletsky shows us how these transitions, threatening though they may have been; have actually acted as a catalyst fueling Capitalism to emerge stronger, sharper and superior yet again!

Science

“The Magic of Reality: How we Know what’s really True” by Richard Dawkins @ Rs.1099/- (pgs 271) (Illustrated by Dave McKean)

Have you ever wondered what things are made of? Or for that matter ‘What is the Sun?’ The answer to these questions and much more is right here in this book and is sure to leave you amazed, dazzled and feeling inspired! With explanations of space, time and evolution this book presents the real story of the World around us capturing minds of young adults, adults and octogenarians alike! It is scientific reality spiced with magic and is simply wonderful!

“Knocking on Heaven’s Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking illuminate the Universe and the Modern World” by Lisa Randall @ Rs.999/- (pgs 442)

One of the most illuminating Science Books in years, Knocking on Heaven’s Door explains with wit and clarity the latest ideas in physics and cosmology. It tells of the aims of the biggest and most expensive machine ever built: the Large Hadron Collider, the enormous particle accelerator which contains within it the hottest and coldest spot in the Galaxy and features the most powerful supercomputer system of all time. Recounting the thrilling progress in our understanding of the universe and examining the role of risk, creativity, uncertainty, beauty and truth in Scientific Thinking ‘Lisa Randall’ leaves our minds sparked!

Personalities

“Controversially Yours” by Shoaib Akhtar @ Rs.499/- (pgs 280)

Chuuck- Chuuck! : It’s the Rawalpindi Express, with his take on the Game of Cricket, on his Peers, on the fraught tussles between bowlers and batsman and the institutions that control the Sport, including the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Pakistan Cricket Board. From the early days of his Struggle to the 2011 World Cup, this is Shoaib’s story in his own words, straight from the heart; making some headlines!

“Bishan: Portrait of a Cricketer” by Suresh Menon @ Rs.299/- (pgs 236)

The name Bishan Singh Bedi conjures up a picture of India’s legendary spin quartet of the 1970’s and here is a fine study of the Connoisseur by none other than India’s well known sports writer Suresh Menon! The biography covers Bedi’s incredulous magic with the ball, his forthright and outward character as well as his clashes and controversies! This is a remarkable portrait leaving no stone unturned!

Inspiration

“The Novice: A remarkable Story of Love and Truth” by Thich Nhat Hanh @ Rs.450/- (pgs 144)

Zen master, poet and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh retells here an ancient Vietnamese Folk Tale. The Story of Kinh- a devoted student and diligent worker at the temple monastery, whose fate, will transform our lives and offer hope is waiting to enlighten you! Read and be inspired!

“The Animator’s Survival Kit: A Manual of Methods, Principles and Formulas for Classical Computer Games, Stop Motion and Internet Animators” by Richard Williams @ Rs. 1295/-

This definitive working manual on animation from the triple Academy Award winning Director of Animation ‘Richard Williams’ provides the underlying principles of animation that every animator from beginner to expert, classic animator to computer animation whiz needs! Illustrating his points with hundreds of drawings the book is a standard work on all forms of animation for professionals, students and fans!

Food:

“Jamie’s Great Britain: Over 130 Reasons to Love Our Food” @ Rs.899/- (pgs 407)

So here is Jamie; wanting to share with you the real essence of British Food, done properly! With 130 of his favorite recipes; some indisputable classics, some versions of classics and others made up by simply picking from the great bounty of regional produce, Jamie’s Great Britain is simply Tempting! Come Indulge!

“Good Food Good Living” by Karen Anand @ Rs.250/- (pgs 188)

The Foodie’s Bible is here; set to satiate the palate of even the most exacting connoisseur. So get set to discover the stories behind those delightful recipes, along with their rich history, with the all important health angle of the food you eat with Karen Anand who brings it out uniquely with her very own original techniques! Slurp!

“Awakening: The Story of the Bengal Renaissance” by Subrata Dasgupta @ Rs.299/- (pgs 480) (History)

Here is a gripping, well researched narrative about the Bengal Renaissance recounted through the lives of its players from Rammohun Roy to Rabindranath Tagore. Well begun with a chronology, ‘Awakening’ tells with colour, drama and passion transporting you into that Golden Era of intellectual flowering!

Fiction
“Gods without Men” by Hari Kunzru @ Rs.599/- (pgs 383)

Here is a journey full with twists and turns of a handful of human lives set in the background of the Californian Dessert- a four year old autistic boy, a British Rock star on the run, a member of an extraterrestrial worshipping cult and a teenage Iraqi Refugee. Characters quite casual; yet wholly complex give Hari Kunzru’s new book that pacy, un-put-down able mysterious plot!
Hari Kunzru is the Best selling Author of ‘The Impressionist’, ‘Transmission’ and ‘My Revolutions’.

“B.T.Road/ The Hollow: Two Novellas” by Samaresh Basu @ Rs.350/- (pgs 294)
(Translated by Saugata Ghosh)

Presenting one of the stalwarts of Bengali Literature to a new readership this translation portrays two rich novellas. The first concentrates around the slum life at the jute mills of Bengal and the consequent trade union movement that grew around them. The second one is a portrayal of society and its mores through the eyes of ‘Biresh’ and his struggle to free himself from the confines of love, family, profession and politics. Absolutely Gripping!

“The Song of Achilles” by Madeline Miller @ Rs.499/- (pgs 352)

Reviving the Heroes of Greece and the classic story of the Helen of Troy Madeline Miller has woven this narrative in a contemporary and startling fashion! The story journeys Friendship, love, fear and tests all which one holds dear!

“Far from my Father’s House: Survival is Hard in a Land where No Woman can Live alone” by Jill McGivering @ Rs.299/- (pgs 311)

After the stupendous success of The Last Kestrel, Jill McGivering is now on to her second novel, on a terrain she knows best. As BBC’s senior news correspondent with assignments in Afghanistan and Pakistan, she is best placed to write on this region with some level of intimacy. It shows again with “Far from my father’s house” which is based in the Swat Valley of Pakistan. Touchingly written and achingly told, this is one of those books that give you an insight into what havoc can be caused if we let extremist elements control our politics.

Young Adults

“The Secret Diary of the World’s Worst Cook” by Subhadra Sen Gupta @ Rs.199/- (pgs 163)
By stumbling upon the secret diary of the world’s Worst Cook, discover how Rohin a boy of fifteen who wants nothing to do with Science realizes what it is that he wants to do with his own life. In a family full of MSc- ies, PhD-ies and Doctorates who have taken it for granted that Rohin is to take ‘the Science Stream’ after class ten, come be a part of Rohin’s journey of self discovery; unearthing on the way some hilarious stories of spotted eggs, lots of khanna and other culinary disasters!

“Really Daft Ideas” by D.I Saster @ Rs. 250/- (pgs 157)

I am sure that you shall roll off onto the floor laughing when you set your humble hands onto this book! ‘Really Daft Ideas’ is just Hilarious! Some ideas that should never have made it further than the half witted minds they originated from are here to make you laugh out loud and cringe!

“Stage a Poetry Slam” by Marc Kelly Smith with Joe Kraynak @ Rs.399/- (pgs 275)

Well its showtime! And ‘Stage a poetry Slam’ explains how to get the stage prepared for groups both large and small! Covering everything from finding an appropriate Venue, to Lighting and Sound, managing Performers and getting Publicity; this book puts it all together proficiently coming from the Father of Poetry Slam himself- ‘Marc Kelly Smith’!

“Take the Mic: The Art of Performance Poetry Slam and the Spoken Word” by Marc Kelly Smith with Joe Kraynak @ Rs. 399/- (pgs 295)

If you have ever climbed up the stage and struggled with the words in your mouth or felt apprehensive staring at that mic; fret not. As it’s here! - Your book, which will teach you everything you need to be a confident performer! From writing a powerful Poem to stage techniques ‘Take the Mic’ is carefully filled with lots of insider tips, backstage advice and tons of examples of slam poems that will surely wake an Audience and leave you inspired!

Other new books at the Store:

“The Tailor of Giripul” by Bulbul Sharma @ Rs.299/-
“The Shadow Market: How Sovereign Wealth Funds Secretly Dominate the Global Economy” by Eric J Weiner @ Rs.399/-
“Football- Bloody Hell: The Biography of Alex Ferguson” by Patrick Barclay @ Rs.399/-
“Crushes, Careers & Cell Phones: Quick Notes from a Mum to a Teenager, Rejoinders from 10 to 25-year olds across the World” by Manjiri Gokhale Joshi @ Rs.195/-
“Chapter Eleven” by Amit Shankar @ Rs.245/-
“TOI Bloggers’ Park” @ Rs.199/-
“Beyond the MBA Hype: A Guide to Understanding and Surviving B- Schools” by Sameer Kamat @ Rs.250/-
“Celebrate Dussehra & Durga Puja: Super Sories, Fab Folktales, Myths and Legends” @ Rs.195/-
“Revolution 2020 – Love, Corruption Ambition” by Chetan Bhagat @ Rs. 140/-
“The Best of Cadbury Bournvita Quiz Contest: 1000 Quiz Questions, 100 Fun Facts!” by Derek O’ Brien @ Rs.175/-
“Doing Business in India” by India Briefing (Dezan Shira and Associates)” @ Rs.299/-
“Constant Craving: What your Food Cravings mean and How to Overcome them” by Doreen Virtue @ Rs.350/-
“Time Riders: The Eternal War” by Alex Scarrow @ Rs.299/-
“The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Twelfth Grade Kills” by Heather Brewer @ Rs.250/-
“How did That Happen: Holding People Accountable for Results, the Positive, Principled Way” by Roger Connors and Tom Smith @ Rs.550/-
“The Obamas: The Untold Story of an African Family” by Peter Firstbrook @ Rs.399/-
“1888 Dial India” by Anuvab Pal” @ Rs.150/-
“The Arty Farty Party: 100% Proof High Spirits” by Pratik Basu @ Rs.295/-
“Birds, Beasts and Bandits: 14 Days with Veerappan” by Krupakar and Senani (Translation by S.R Ramakrishna) @ Rs.250/-
“Hive: Aftershock” by Mark Walden @ Rs.299/-
“You Can Create an Exceptional Life” by Louise Hay and Cheryl Richardson @ Rs.250/-
“The Path of Tibetan Buddhism: The End of Suffering and the Discovery of Happiness” by His Holiness the Dalai Lama @ Rs.299/-
“Wisden on India: An Anthology” Edited by Jonathan Rice @ Rs.599/-
“Babies From the Heart: A Complete Guide to Adoption” by Nandini Sengupta @ Rs.299/-
“The 3rd Alternative: Solving Life’s Most Difficult Problems” by Stephen R. Covey @ Rs.799/-
“Solving the Ice- Cream Dilemma: Help Your Child Choose the Right Career” by Steven Rudolph @ Rs.299/-
“Late for Tea at the Deer Palace: The Lost Dreams of my Iraqi Family” by Tamara Chalabi @ Rs.399/-
“Mothers Work: How to get a Grip on Guilt and make a Smooth Return to Work” by Jessica Chivers @ Rs.799/-
“Ithaca” by David Davidar @ Rs.499/- (pgs 276)
“The Fatal Eggs” by Mikhail Bulgakov, translation by Roger Cockrell @ Rs.299/-
“The Kite Runner: Graphic Novel” by Khaled Hosseini @ Rs.699/-
“The Death Relic” by Chris Kuzneski @ Rs.299/- (pgs 502)
“Shadow of the Moon” by M.M. Kaye @ Rs.399/- (pgs 614)
“Tattoo Nation: Portraits of Celebrity Body Art” by Rolling Stones @ Rs.695/-
“Garden Getaways: Havens at Home” by Michael Glassman @ Rs. 495/-
“Simply Stunning Beaded Jewelry” by Donatella Ciottic @ Rs. 495/-
“Ideas for Great Decorations” by Scott Atikson, Christine Barnes, Barbara J Braasch, Susan Lang @ Rs.995/-
“The Billboard Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music: From Rock, Pop, Jazz, Blues and Hip Hop to Classical Folk, World and More” edited by Paul Du Noyer @ Rs.1995/-
“Pilots, Man your Planes: The History of Naval Aviation” by Wilbur H Morrison @ Rs. 995/-
“Gross Me Out: 50 Nasty projects to Disgust your Friends and Repulse your Family” @ Rs. 399/-
“The World of Flowers in Wool” by Lily Simon @ Rs.495/- (pgs 128)
“Books: The Little Black Book; A Century of the greatest Books, Writers, Characters, Passages and Events that rocked the Literary World” edited by Lucy Daniel @ Rs.995/- (pgs 800)
“Management Tips” by Harvard Business Review @ Rs.395/- (pgs 214)
“The Sense of an Ending” by Julian Barnes @ Rs.499/- (pgs 150)
“India Inside: The Emerging Innovation Challenge to the West” by Nirmalya Kumar and Phanish Puranam @ Rs.795/- (pgs 177)

Happy Reading and see you at the Store,

Wishing all of you and your families a very happy, safe and prosperous Diwali,

From the team at


twistntales

Where do you want to shop ? Check out the coolest places !

This is a story which appears in "Simply Pune", a Pune supplement of India Today, 5th September issue. The cover story is "10 Cool Places to Shop in Pune"

An ode of thanks !

twistntales started in March 2002 with 5 lakhs capital and a small prayer on 28th of March. With the interiors then costing us 2.5 lakhs, we were left with half the amount to start and sustain our business.

As we enter our 10th year of operations, we look back at the last 9 years with an immense sense of satisfaction and pleasure.

It is a vindication of many things.

• That “good quality” will seek and find its own market.
• It is nice to be happy and spread happiness.
• “Word of mouth” is the best form of advertisement and it is free.
• And a “raving fan” gets you more raving fans.
• Folks understand difficult times.
• Relationships are nurtured through good interactions.
• “Old School” values which have stood the test of time, still has place in our lives.

All these and more. Over the years, you have given us place in your hearts and on the bookshelves. As a community bookstore, we have seen the neighbourhood children attend our workshops, grow into responsible young adults. Our monthly mails reach out to close to 3500+ persons, and an occasional hi/hullo from those beyond the far seas warms us up. Our students who are/have working/worked part-time at the Store from Tejal/ Mridula to the current Lijya/ Priyanka have grown tremendously richer in the process of their interactions with you. The pleasure that we have got in identifying good books for you to pick is incomparable. The intangibles far far outweigh the tangibles.

Will reading sustain? Will traditional independent bookstores continue to exist in a few years? If books are available as downloads, what value-add do we bring to your reading pleasure? Yes, these are questions that we need to find answers for.

We are still working this out. Based on some of your suggestions, a few opportunities are being explored. Do continue to write to us, and provide us with your feedback and suggestions.

We understand customers have a choice and respect it. And feel humbled when you choose us to buy your book. Thank you, we have survived, ridden over recessionary times and confidently look to the future - all because of you.

Do join us in our 9th anniversary celebrations tomorrow at the store, 27th Mar, Sun, 6pm onwards. To make sure your celebration is happy too, we will be offering 15% discount on all books in the Store for tomorrow (all day long).

From the team at

twistntales

Bookstore Bingo FTW

For all the employees, ex - employees and honorary employees as well as store - lovers, here's something you'll love and relate to!! Use the link to go to the site (it's pretty cool) but the write - up is below.

http://news.shelf-awareness.com/ar/theshelf/2010-07-14/bookstore_bingo_ftw.html

Years ago, when I worked at a large bookstore in Manhattan, I often muttered to myself: "Retail. Only the strong survive." Judging by the many, many wonderful entrants in yesterday's round of #bookstorebingo on Twitter--aka Crazy Things Customers Say, fueled by yesterday's Notes from an ER Bookseller--some things never change.

Apparently, quite a few customers just didn't pay attention in school:

GlennWhidden: Do you have (pause, consult reading list) Hamlet? It's by (pause, consult list again) Shakespeare?

LFrannie33: Overheard: "Can you tell me who the author of Shakespeare is?"


mmerschel: "Do you have Shakespeare in English?"

Bookdwarf: I'm looking for a book but I only know the title, not the author. It's called Dante's Inferno.

VillageBksBham: "Who wrote Jane Austen?"

ragesinggoddess: @Watermarkbooks had a summer-long Jane Austen bookclub. Had someone ask when she would be there.

delmorepilcrow: "Where do yall keep the true fiction?"

joebfoster: "I definitely don't want nonfiction. I like autobiographies and history."


Then there's those memorably weird (sometimes unsettling) queries:

Bookdwarf: "Do you have books on monkeys, monkeys doing things like people?" (turns out they wanted monkeys having sex)

joebfoster:"This is the only bookstore I've ever been in that didn't have a popcorn machine."

LFrannie33: "I'm here for a Bible, not the KJV or anything. I'm looking for the original. You know the one that God wrote."

joebfoster: One of my all-time faves: "My new girlfriend is pretty churchy. Would a Gutenberg Bible be a good gift?"

handeebks: Another fave from the brick & mortar days "Do you have any books with red covers? I'm redecorating my living room in red."

ChatNoirBooks: Cust asks about return policy so I ask her why.... "Well if I don't lose weight I should be able to return the book right?"

julialikesbooks: "I'm looking for white supremacy books. I tried to order them and they were stopped at the border. Can you imagine?!" #bookstorebingo

KatherineBoG: We keep getting emails from a guy who wants us to do an event w/ Pam Grier. He has no connection, just want to meet her

amyeureka: Overheard @EurekaBooks: Kid: "What is this place?" Mom: "It's a library."

Handeebks: "What do you mean? Why can't I leave my 3-5 yo (unattended) in your shop while I go next door?!?"

chelseathe: Customer asks where 'nonfiction' is. I say it's broken up into history/bio etc. She calls us a bad bookstore. Really?

corpuslibris: Most commonly asked non-book-related question: Do you have a copy machine? 2nd most common: Do you sell stamps?


And that saying about how "the customer is always right"? Not so much.

bookladysblog: My favorite #bookstorebingo mistaken title: The Glass Menage a Trois.

HFBooks: Customer asked for THE ONION IN THE CLOSET; wanted INDIAN IN THE CUPBOARD.

KatherineBoG: Woman asked for CRUCIBLE, I gave it to her, she said "not the screenplay. The REAL one."

joebfoster: 2nd week as bkseller, lady looking for the KITE WALKER. Was PISSED when I suggested that KITE RUNNER might be a quicker read.

ChatNoirBooks: Oooo Ooo - Tillers of the Earth. Was completely insulted when I suggested she might be looking for Pillars of the Earth.

3rdplacepress: "Do you have Atlas Rugged?". "Uh. No, don't you mean Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand?". "No. I need Atlas Rugged."

KatherineBoG: Woman was outraged that we had signed Susan Branch bks b/c she said Branch died 2 yrs earlier. We had her in the week before.

lauriemuchnick: When I worked at Waterstone's Charing Cross Road, people would ask, Is this Foyle's? I never said, Can you read the sign?


Sometimes, these experiences lead to rewarding moments of win:

ragesinggoddess: I like to think my ability to track down books from customer-provided cover colors is legendary.

ChatNoirBooks: I'm looking for a book. It had a chicken on the cover & my sister really liked it. Total WIN with no more info we found it.

GlennWhidden: Do you have those mystery novels by Angela Lansbury? I said yes and showed him the books by "Jessica Fletcher." He was happy.


And perhaps my favorite:

joebfoster: Someone once told me that the US government classified ANGELS & DEMONS as fiction to help the Vatican with the cover-up. --Robin Lenz

Mail sent to twistntales@yahoogroups.com today.

Hi all,

Even as board exams begin, and the season for paying taxes is on us, we at twistntales have reasons to celebrate!

As small independent booksellers, we have hiccupped, struggled, and slowly but surely taken a foothold in the reader’s mind in our neighbourhood. This has been largely due to our now numerous friends in this area and around. Most of you have started as first time walk – ins, liked us, stayed on to chat …. And now we have this large circle of well wishers, who in times of recession gently enquire if we are doing ok ….

This is amazing and touching. A big "thankyou" comes your way. We complete seven years in March’09 and if there’s a itch (7 years!), it is only to spur us on to do better. As mentioned in one of our earlier mails, we are almost done in the process of computerising our stocks, and we hope to start our billing system in April this year.

This will enable us to offer you twistntales on the net, for you – all our numerous friends who have either moved out of Pune or work long hours and are unable to visit us frequently. That’s our project for the following year, helping us reach out better and service your requirements better and faster.

But in the meantime, we have delighted in the process of searching, finding and sometimes chancing upon some absolutely "wow" books. Sharing this joy with you has been absolutely special for me and all of us who have been part of twistntales since we started. Many of us write on the twistntales blog (www.twistntales.blogspot.com) and we ask you to also share this exciting journey with us. If any of you will like to write on books, authors, styles, service deficiencies (yes!) service delights (yes, definitely), we will love to hear from you!

As part of our celebrations, we are happy to announce our Seventh Anniversary Sale starting on the 5th of March through till 15th March ‘09. Do make time and drop in to pick out from a vast selection and take advantage of the discounts that we are happy to give to all of you

As usual, we are looking for summer trainees, requirements for which have also been posted on the blog. Please check it out if you think your kids (min. Xth class) will be interested.

A few reviews have been done below – but a larger set of new and newer books have been listed – and many more to come! While Grisham’s new book (The Associate) is already in the racks, next week will see new Jeffrey Archer, Robin Cook, Wilbur Smith titles – True joy comes in pocket sized original versions, help us fight piracy. Join us, buy originals only!

New books

"The Silver Donkey" by Sonya Hartnett @ Rs. 195/-

Can ever a ‘Donkey’ could be anybody’s ‘Good – Luck Charm.? But yes, the soldier, Lieutenant Shepard, believes so …! The soldier is found, blinded by war, by the two sisters. They help him to reach home. In return, the soldier tells them the tales of bravery, loyalty and sacrifice perfectly connected to his keepsake – the tiny Silver Donkey! As the time passes, the sisters too learn the truth behind the object – it’s the symbol of honesty, loyalty and courage…! This is an excellent and marvellous novel for all ages.

"The Woman who thought she was a planet and other stories" by Vandana Singh @ Rs. 275/-

"I have had a revelation. I am a planet", she said with great dignity. Vandana Singh, brings various stories of fantasy and her unique imagination. In one story the woman thinks she’s a planet and that she is inhabited by small alien creatures.In another, a girl comes across a mysterious tetrahedron: is it a spaceship? Or, a secret weapon? Each story in this fabulous collection takes the reader on the hilarious and horrifying journey of both outer and inner space.

"The Summer Of Cool" by Suchitra Krishnamoorthi @ Rs.199/-

The Summer of Cool is a hip, funny story about friends, family and finding true love. Aimed at 13+ aged readers, the stories within a bustling apartment complex, in the course of school summer holidays – the various characters etched by the author are those that we can all recognise in our own neighbourhood and apartment complexes.

"China : A history" by John Keay @ Rs. 395/- (pgs566)

History has never been more fascinating than when story tellers recreate the stories of the past in a contemporary voice. John Keay has presented another masterpiece. China, our fascinating neighbour and the world’s largest nation merits the grand treatment. Early Chinese history still awaits a convincing re-write. But John Keay has done justice to his ambitious venture. Informed by the latest research, enlivened by anecdote and enriched by provocative comparisons, China : A History spans 3000 years of stop-start integration and extraordinary achievement !

"The Canon- A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science" by Natalie Angier @ Rs 399/-

"Science – Ugh! That’s why I took commerce! Haven’t we heard this before?" Here’s a book that gets you and your family really engrossed in the beauty that is science. Natalie Angier argues rightly so for an appreciation of the essentials of science just as much as Shakespeare or Beethovan. Written with remarkable wit and charm, it is a must read for science-phobes and science-philes alike! The Canon is an inspiring and imaginative tour through the basics of science, from astronomy to biology and beyond!

"A Mathematical mosaic – patterns and problem solving" by Ravi Vakil @ Rs. 250/-

Ravi Vakil is the winner of Canadian & American Olympiad. "Mathematical Mosaic" is really a mosaic containing math wonders and interconnected patterns, biographies of three greatest mathematician’s ever-Galois, Gauss, and Archimedes, portraits of young achievers of the past who had won the Mathematical Olympiads. It presents tiny tricks which help to solve big problems. It is a book to be read bit by bit and doesn’t require the perfect mathematical background.

"The 24X7 Marriage – smart strategies for good beginnings" by Vijay Nagaswami @ Rs. 250/-

Vijay Nagaswami, a psychiatrist, who has worked closely on Relations, writes on the ‘Smart Strategies’ of Marriages. In this book, he skilfully and humorously talks about some popular posed questions. He explains "Four Golden Rules" of clarifying expectations. In his opinion – "Marriage", as with any other field of endeavour, the trick is ‘Smart Work’, and not ‘Hard Work’. So whether you fall in love and get married or whether love comes to you after the wedding, it is the way you work on your marriage that determines how successful it will be…!

"The New Paradigm for Financial Markets – the credit crisis of 2008 and what it means" by George Soros @ Rs. 695/-

"This is the worst crisis since the Great Depression" writes Soros of the scale of the current financial distress. Moving from prevailing paradigms for financial markets and exploring a new conceptual framework of how markets really work, Soros makes an invaluable contribution in this concise essay. Soros is the founder of a global network of foundations dedicated to supporting open societies

"The Return of Depression Economics and the crisis of 2008" by Paul Krugman @ Rs. 399/-

Winner of the Nobel prize in Economics – Krugman shows why he can rightly be regarded as a true heir to Keynes. Lucidly describing the sequence of events in the money flows in the Asian crisis in 1990, this is a wake-up call for economically challenged policy makers. Brilliantly combining wit and clarity this is macro economics at its best. Taking on specific examples of countries, politics, speculators and currencies – Krugman writes an eminently readable and rattling good read.

"The Great Crash 1929" by John Kenneth Galbraith @ Rs. 399/-

Lending perspective to the daily headlines in the business pages is this book by Galbraith first published in 1954. Many of the companies on Obama’s bailout list have also starred in the earlier crash of 1929. This book is a remarkable account of those times, in turn lending perspective to recent events. Production, Unemployment, Money Supply and Currency are such strong market indicators and for those trying to understand what’s happening now in the current economic scenario, this book will serve as an excellent starter.

"Woodwinds of change – The authorized biography of Hariprasad Chaurasia" by Surjit Singh @ Rs. 600/-

One of the greatest and most important musicians of our times tells it as it was – and is- to long-time fan and music aficionado, Surjit Singh in this remarkable book, his only authorized biography. Eminently readable and brimming with anecdotes and memories, the book traces the long journey from wrestler’s son to music maestro, from AIR staff artiste to film studio sessions-man to music director to international guru. An invaluable document of music history from the man who turned the simple bansuri into a classical concert instrument par excellence.

"The Leadership Code: Five rules to lead by" by Dave Ulrich, Norm Smallwood, Kate Sweetman @ Rs.1380/- (Pgs. 190).

Another winner from Dave Ulrich. Published by Harvard Business Press, the authors have tried to synthesize large numbers of frameworks, tools, processes and studies of leadership to identify the essential rules that govern what all great leaders do. Through the process, they have discovered and validated the five essential rules that all excellent leaders must follow through a framework of knowledge, skills and values common to all effective leaders. Illustrated with various assessment methods, a strategic toolkit for leadership and for building tomorrow’s leaders, The Leadership Code is a valuable addition to the current leadership literature.

"Brands Under Fire" by Ivan Arthur & Kurien Mathews @ Rs.499/- (Pgs. 214)

Big brands, big companies, big budgets and yet things can go wrong. Major brand and marketing gurus from India come together in this Sumantra Ghosal foundation supported book. Case studies from the recent past including Coke, Cadbury’s have been discussed and deliberated upon. Contributions and fresh insights on brands of the 21st century come from Rama Bijapurkar, Pranesh Mishra, Shiv Visvanathan and other stalwarts.

Lots of new additions to our collection. Some listed below:

Fiction:

"Tandoor Cinders" by Vilas Sarang @ Rs. 199/-
"Twilight" by Azhar Abidi @ Rs. 399/-
"Me and Kaminski" by Daniel Kehlmann and translated by Carol Brown Janeway @ Rs 425/-
"The Charlemagne Pursuit" by Steve Berry @ Rs 295/-
"The marriage bureau of rich people" by Farahad Zama @ 295/-
"Private Eye Anonymous – A graphic novel" by Tejas Modak @ Rs. 250/-
"The Wind from the Hills" by Sethu (trs. Prema Jayakumar) @ Rs. 250/-
"Countries of the Body" by Tishani Doshi @ Rs. 150/-
"I am a Special girl" by Amitava Banerjee @ Rs. 195/-
"Divine Justice" by David Baldacci @ Rs. 460/-
"Superstar Babes" by Narinder Dhami @ Rs. 150/-
"Bhangra Babes" by Narinder Dhami @ Rs. 150/-
"The Wedding Gift" by Poonam Rau @ Rs.150/-
"One Dozen Stories" by Satyajit Ray @ Rs. 199/-
"The Associate" by John Grisham @ Rs. 230/-
"Family Values" by Abha Dawesar @ Rs. 325/-
"Next Door: Stories" by Jahnavi Barua @ Rs. 250/-
"First Proof 4" @ Rs. 250/-
"Thanks For The Memories" by Cecelia Ahern @ Rs. 250/-
"Divya" by Yashpal @ Rs. 299/-
"Heroes Of The Valley" by Jonathan Stroud @ Rs. 450/-
"Fugitive Histories" by Githa Hariharan @ Rs. 450/-HB
"The Watchmaker" by Nanak Singh @ Rs. 250/-
"The Storyteller’s Tale" by Omair Ahmad @ Rs. 225/-
"Fated To Love" by Qaisra Shahraz @ Rs. 299/-
"Love’s Fury" by Qaisra Shahraz @ Rs. 299/-
"A Silence Of Desire" by Kamala Markandaya @ Rs. 250/-
"Chinnery’s Hotel" by Jaysinh Birjepatil @ Rs. 325/-
"The Lost Flamingoes Of Bombay" By Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghavi @ Rs. 499/-
""The Story Of My Assassins" By Tarun J. Tejpal @ Rs. 495/-
"Inkdeath" by Cornelia Funke @ Rs. 395/-
"Nose uncle" by Jaspar Utley @ Rs. 200/-
"the Imperial Agent" by Timeri Murari @ Rs. 399/-
"In the country of gold digging ants" by Anu Kumar @ Rs. 225/-
"Cappuccino Dusk" by Kankana Basu @ Rs. 295/-
"The portrait of a lady" by Khuswant singh @ Rs. 350/-
"Nothing is Blue" by Biman Nath @ Rs. 295/-

Management:

"Marketing Through Minefields" by Harvard Business Review Case Studies @ Rs. 670/-
"Leadership In The Era Of Economic Uncertainty: The New Rules For Getting The Right Things Done In Difficult Times" by Ram Charan @ Rs. 375/-
"Employment Personality Tests Decoded" by Anne Hart With George Sheldon @ Rs. 199/-
"Meatball Sundae – How new marketing is transforming the business world" by Seth Godin @ Rs. 295/-
"Enough – Breaking free from the world of excess" By John Naish @ Rs. 350/-
"Damodaran On Valuation – Security Analysis for Investment And Corporate Finance" By Aswath Damodaran @ Rs. 499/-
"Andy Grove: Intel, Leadership and Life" by Richard S. Tedlow @ Rs. 399/-

New titles from Wiley India :

"Overcoming The Five Dysfunctions Of A Team: A Field Guide For Leaders, Managers And Facilitators" by Patrick Lencioni @ Rs. 249/-
"Play To Your Strengths: Stacking The Deck To Achieve Spectacular Results For Yourself And Others" by Andrea Sigetich And Carol Leavitt @ Rs. 249/-
"Strategic Interviewing: How To Hire Good People" by Richaurd Camp, Mary E. Vielhaber And Jack L. Simonetti @ Rs. 329/-
"Kellogg On Integrated Marketing" by Dawn Iacobucci And Bobby Calder @ Rs. 399/-
"Seven Secrets Of Inspired Leaders" by Phil Dourado And Dr. Phil Blackburn @ Rs. 299/-
"The Portable MBA In Entrepreneurship" by William D. Bygrave And Andrew Zacharakis @ Rs. 429/-
"Energize Your Workplace: How To Create And Sustain High-Quality Connections At Work" by Jane E. Dutton @ Rs. 329/-
"Marketing Insights From A To Z: 80 Concepts Every Manager Needs To Know" by Phil Kotler @ Rs. 349/-
"Performance Driven C R M" by Stanley A. Brown & Moosha Gulycz @ Rs. 329/-
"Finance For Strategic Decision Making: What Non-Financial Managers Need To Know" by M. P. Narayanan And Vikram K. Nanda @ Rs. 329/-
"The Leadership Pipeline: How To Build The Leadership-Powered Company" by Ram Charan, Stephen Drotter And James Noel @ Rs. 399/-
"Executive Stamina: How To Optimize Time, Energy And Productivity To Achieve Peak Performance" by Marty Seldman And Joshua Seldman @ Rs. 349/-

Others:

"Say it like Obama – The power of speaking with a purpose and vision" by Shel Leanne @ Rs 375/-
"Girl ology – A girl’s guide to stuff that matters" by Melisa Holmes & Trish Hutchison @ 295/-
"The Book of Moinuddin Chishti" by Mehru Jaffer @ Rs. 250/-
"Delhi: Adventures in a megacity" by Sam Miller @ Rs.499/-
"Eicher Pune Road Map" @ Rs. 75/-
"Whistling in the Dark – Twenty-One Queer Interviews" by R. Raj Rao & Bibyajyoti Sarma @Rs. 375/-
"Nationalism" by Rabindranath Tagore @ Rs. 199/-
"A Time Of Transition: Rajiv Gandhi To The 21st Century" by Mani Shankar Aiyar @ Rs. 599/-
"Character Development : Beyond Academic Achievement" by Stephen Curtis @ Rs. 250/-
"Oneness With All Life (Treasury Edition) – Inspirational Selections From A New Earth" By Eckhart Tolle @ Rs. 450/-
"Goodbye To Gandhi? Travels In The New India" by Bernard Imhasly @ Rs. 425/-
"Michelle Obama: First Lady Of Hope" By Elizabeth Lightfoot @ Rs. 295/-
"Monster" by Allan Hall @ Rs. 225/-
"Rogue Agent" by Nandita Haskar @ Rs. 299/-
"Speaking for Myself – An anthology of Asian Women’s writing" Ed. By Sukrita Paul Kumar @ Rs. 650/-
"The Rice Cookbook" by Anuradha Ravindranath @ Rs. 250/-
"Binu and the great wall" by Su Tong @ Rs 325/-
"Fear and Forgiveness: The Aftermath of Massacre" by Harsh Mander @ Rs. 299/-
"My family’s favourites" by Marie Noelle (Chotti) D’Souza @ Rs. 600/-

Phew! And there’s more that’s not even listed! Do visit us and check it out for yourself!

Thanking you once again,

Janaki and the big happy team at,
twistntales

Series of (un) fortunate events - 2

Some are not posting stories... but they are coming on mail ....
so i shall have to do it for them !

"Hey Boss...whats up??
The whole documenting stories idea is very cool but I think we may have a problem.

Firstly, there are those stories where I have messed up...hehehe ...those I would obviously not mention.
Then there are so many controversial stories, how are we going to pick???

Like we could mention the "you must be joking" story but then, what if Tia was joking???...We can never be too sure right?

Then we could write about the whole HK story..but there are so many of those..and I may be unnecessarily dragged in..also I dont think we'll ever see either of them around..hmm ;-)

or we can mention how Billo sneaks out during work to meet her friends near the corner bench ...but then..Billo is going to beat us up sooo badly...not a good idea

can we mention Akash dancing?...isnt that supposed to be top secret..our marketing strategy??...
Tripuri and Neha danced in the store also..but I think they chased away the customers

And Twisty..how he helped us get customers...We cant tell them that can we??

I wonder if Anushree would always want to be known as the Colin girl..maybe she'll become famous like the liril add..hehehe

Ohhh..and the customer (Kuldip Joshi??..I think) who thinks there's some magic in the store cuz we recognize him when he asks for ordered books..we cant tell him our secret

Ah Ha!!! I've finally got it.We do have stories we can tell.

We can tell people how our staple diet is chips and naturals. Then maybe they'll drop by with some food.

And the coolest story...My hair on the bus stop.Boss, you do realise that was the only thing that made people look at the hoarding....See i can use my head sometimes.

Bye
tc
Shama"

Series of (Un?)Fortunate Events

First Story of this Series is titled: Shama and the card machine

Shama had been working for quite a while at the store when this incident occurred. She had been working at the till, was used to the card machine and was struggling to remember Team tnt members.

One evening it was just Shama and me at the store when one such Team tnt member walks in. As usual, he selected a huge stack of books and plonked them down on the counter. Shama made the bill and was thrilled that she remembered his name and wrote it on the bill with a flourish. He gave his card to swipe, and Shama was so thrilled that she remembered his name that she forgot the policy!
After that there was complete mayhem for the next 15 seconds when she realised what had happened. What I remember is her jabbing at the red Cancel button on the card machine, saying "Oh shit! Cancel! Cancel! Cancel!!s"

Of course I shouldn't be one to say anything. Apparently when I started and Tia taught me how to work the card machine, I asked if I should swipe the other side as well.

"Where's your book ?" they say....

Often i have been asked this.... when are you going to write a book .... on the "twisted tales" of tnt ! Of course, i have a standard answer. Most author profiles describe the authors living in a house tucked away in the hills.... or beach houses living a tranquil life writing a few hours a day...

Sigh ! Till i have a house in the hills and a Ramu Kaka to look after my chai needs.... well, my book can wait. But my stories can't ! We have many stories here @ tnt and most of them worth re-telling. Almost prompting me to steal the line from another famous store - "We are not a store, we are a story!"

Since tnt staff is scatterred all over and each one of them know a few stories of their time - i ask you all to help ! please write the stories here - in this blog ... so we can start documenting them. I think i know many, but i also realise that i do not know many ! which i'm discovering !

To start with, i started putting a sequence to - who worked when, what shift @ the store, and realised that i was starting to get dates/ years/ months wrong ! So, please help !

We started with Tejal and Mridula, both part-time, plus Dhiraj and Sanjay and Nirmala. Tejal and Mridula started in Mar 2002, Dhiraj (weekends), Sanjay (thrice a week). Nirmala started in May 2002. Through that year we had Rina, Nandana, Shefali and Shradha - correct ? Shradha - u and tejal need to confirm this.

2003 saw Ashok, Nisha, Samar, Jharna, Saroj and Sameer. Nisha was our first full time employee - joined us in Apr 2003 ? Saroj with Samar and then with Sameer worked on for a year till June 2004 ?

2004 saw Shefali (2nd stint), Rekha, Aarti and Geetanjali.

then i'm little lost. Tia - July 2005 to Mar 2007 ? Now fit the others - Alisha, Akash, Shrikant, Rahul, Sharmista ? the 2 physics boys - friends of shrikant - the 2 Ashishs ?

Now i'm truly lost - Samar, tia, weed, anushree- please put a sequence to this !

Recession - so learn new habits ? why can't we do so otherwise ?

Cost Cutting & Redeployment Measures By Wipro, TCS, Infy

Wipro has asked the recruits hired for the tech services arm to join the BPO arm instead to avoid a delay in joining dates. Currently, this is being offered in Kolkata and it could be replicated in Orissa and Hyderabad as well. This will be a time bound offer that could extend between 12 to 18 months after which they will be able to join tech services again. Also, there won’t be any change in salary structure for such employees. On the other hand, Infosys has urged its employees to save $10 each by cutting operation cost and controlling expenditure. The company has also set up a portal for employees to send in cost cutting measures and suggesting bigger business ideas. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is planning a an austerity plan under which all capital expenditure will be re-examined.
Source: 03-12-08 www.ibnlive.com & Hindustan Times Business Compiled by www.naukri.com


This is a tragedy. When companies have to "tell" employees to save $ 10 by controlling exps. Why ? Becoz it is recession ? why not otherwise ? Because client is paying ? Now that clients are asking for 30% cuts, suddenly everybody is waking up.

Don't we need clean working habits always ? why can't we use both sides of A4s ? So much of printing stationery is wasted. So many cars - from the same organisation go from Pune to Sahar everyday. Can't we pool ?

Sometimes, you feel good about a recession ... its the only way we begin to value what we have.

At twistntales, we try to run our business with the economics of a marwari store, but at the same time give customers, the ambience of a Landmark. (we are not that big, but soon we'll get there !) Right from using re-cycled newspaper bags for our books. And when many of our customers return our bags to us, we accept them happily - to use them again.

All our telephone pads are made from one side used stationery. No Post-its in tnt, only for special occasions. We need to be this way always. Remember, we are in the books business ? We don't make too much money ?

But wasteful expenditure hurts. Anywhere and everywhere. In whichever form. Sometimes, midlle class virtues of saving every penny - and making sure each paisa goes a long way is best.

twistntales - in the future ?

Books and bookstores are supposed to be dying. But despite the internet and the dire economy, new bookstores have just opened in Plano and Oak Cliff. KERA's Jerome Weeks says that the new shops are not your typical booksellers. Not in North Texas.

For one thing, Legacy Books in Plano is big. Located at Legacy Road and the Dallas North Tollway, it has 24,000 square feet, and it stocks some 110,000 book titles. That's the size of a Borders or Barnes & Noble superstore. But Legacy isn't a chain store. It's independently owned. And most independents aren't that big. Elsewhere in the country, major independents are considered some of the best bookstores around - places like Elliot Bay in Seattle or Book People in Austin. But in North Texas, Legacy is the first (therefore, only) major independent.

The store in the Shops at Legacy is the brainchild of Teri Tanner. She practically grew up in retail. She worked for both Barnes & Noble and Borders most recently as the regional director of sales for Borders.

TANNER: "I've been building this store in my head for 25 years - because you listen to a bookseller or a cashier or the cleaning crew that says, "I just wish this" or "I just wish that" - and that's what we've tried to do here."

Construction continues because although Legacy Books is open, the official grand opening is November 7. Deanne Teeter led the Legacy design team for the firm, Morrison Seifert Murphy. She points out the store's demonstration kitchen as one of Tanner's innovations.

TEETER: "She really wanted to have chefs that are signing their books, that they can actually cook. So this was a real design challenge and an opportunity for the space. There's a camera over there, and it displays over the cooking section on the TV, and it can be back there on the TV. So if you can't actually get into this space to see it, you can see it here as well.

Other highlights are a caf that serves beer and wine and a third-floor gallery that displays books on photography and architecture as if they were artworks. Speaking of artworks, sculptures and paintings are on display by area artists Tamara White, Elizabeth McDonald and Seth Schwaiger.

But what distinguishes successful independents is their book selection and customer service. With the right mix and the right diligence, an independent can become a favorite, local cultural institution like a museum or library. Meg Smith is marketing director for the American Booksellers Association.

SMITH: "What people look to an independent bookstore for is a sense of real personalization - in selling, in choices of reading material. And it really takes on the identity of the people that shop there. And very naturally, independent bookstores have been a center for a lot of community activity."

One survey has found that the top two kinds of stores that people hope will open near them are bookshops and bakeries. That's good news for Jorge Alvarez and Gilbert Barrola. They've just opened Dicho's in the Bishop Arts District (It's at the corner of Seventh and Bishop the former home of the Naughty Dog coffeeshop.) In the back of the bookstore is a caf run by Cretia's, the bakery on McKinney Avenue. At only 1300 square feet, Dicho's is cozy and smells of cookies.

Dichos is Spanish for "old sayings" and the store features both English and Spanish-language books. (Alvarez explains that the odd apostrophe, which suggests there's someone named Dicho involved with the store, came about because the word, dichos, was trademarked in California.) Alvarez started a bookstore in Pomona, California six years ago with his partner, and then opened a Dicho's in Gainesville, Texas, near the Oklahoma border, that the pair still run. They commute to Dallas.

ALVAREZ: "One of our goals is to make our store feel comfortable and home-like. In California, we were in an art colony, so we were surrounded by art galleries and culture. When we came to Bishop Arts, we felt we were at home again."

In Plano, Legacy Books aims to be a destination store, a shrine for booklovers all over Texas and beyond. Dicho's aim is much smaller. There isn't a single Borders or Barnes & Noble anywhere near Oak Cliff.

ALVAREZ: "There's no general bookstore that services the community. So we definitely found a niche where we feel that people are eager to have a bookstore."

Many people believe that bookstores are doomed because of online sellers like Amazon.com, even though Amazon sells less than 10 percent of all books. Actually, a much bigger threat is posed by big-box stores like Wal-Mart or Target, which skim off the bestsellers.

Yet if anyone understands the risks and the low-profit margin nature of bookselling, it's Tanner or Alvarez. And they remain optimistic.

TANNER: "I have to tell you, in some of the cities that I've been in with Barnes & Noble and with Borders, if you can do what they do in some of these locations, it's impossible for me to believe that we will not be successful."

Laments of an employer !

When folks are students, their minds are free and uncluttered. They are willing to do anything, work at anything to dirty their hands to get the "experience" of it all !

What happens when they get qualified and educated ? They lose their ability to think, the fear of failure grips them hard, they get into conditioned responses and attitudes and invariably, become unemployable ! No qualification today, bar a CA or an IIM, MBA demands a rigorous grind frm the students. Any other degree is a easy route to the degree itself. If folks have made it with lesser degrees, it is because of the grind that they have put in - in their early years. Folks are increasingly unwilling to work on the grind anymore. They know it all. If at all, then they need to work in "corporate" jobs. In the meantime, they would rather be "umemployed" - small businesses, where you may end up doing a more meaningful role, are not in consideration at all ! And this is happening in "retail" - a complete sunrise industry.

Both my husband and me have been working for almost 22-25 years now, and can hardly remember "non-grind" years. If today we have a surplus both of time and money, its directly attributable to that grind. I do not see others younger do it anymore. Either they have too much money, or they rationalize things for themselves. Its sad.
This is a generation born when India has been booming for a consistent period. They do not know "want"

So, i find as i look around to employ people, that there a whole lot of folks un or underemployed, but not employable anymore.

As a retailer/ customer !

I write this as a consumer and retailer.

Many are our needs and requirements as customers. But the way we get serviced is pathetic. But the problem is we are beginning to accept shoddy service - if this is from small kirana merchants, it may still be ok.... But our/my experience shows they are damn good in service. Its the large format Store that's the issue. And this inspite of big Corporates with advanced systems running it. And they get away becoz we let them do it.

I have not got my card slip printout at "Bombay Store" because the machine ran out of paper. Its such a simple thing to load/ chk paper in card machine before a transanction. "Pulse" has misplaced my membership form 3 times. Now i am too tired to fill another form. I would rather pay a little more. Ditto with the big branded bookstore ! At "Reliance fresh", yesterday i was told, you get 1 kg sugar free, but we are out of sugar. In "More", when my husband didn't have membership number, coolly the points got added to some other member. We have the bills, and my husband has written to Aditya Birla Group, highlighting the corruption.... but no response.

My f-in law passed away in April, still my mom-in law is not receiving her pension (6 months), because "SBI" has misplaced papers TWICE ! Ditto with "ICICI bank" for demat. The less said about "Airtel" and "Reliance telecom", the better. And i'm not talking about the Subikshas and Big Bazaars of the world, where u are told clearly that this is a bargain hunt, do not expect service !

Phew, the list is endless ! I have got good service at Pankaj Varieties. And at Hanuman. And at Dhanashri. Everywhere else, i think we can teach a thing or two. I like to believe that we give good service. And that's why i am happier taking enthusiastic students rather tan "regular" employees.

Comments ?

That's my book !!!

"NONFICTION: McMurtry recounts life as reader, writer, bookseller

Sunday, Aug 03, 2008 - 12:02 AM


By JAY STRAFFORD
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

NONFICTION

For the true bibliophile, books are as essential to life as air. No book-lover would be caught in a doctor's waiting room, or an airport lounge, or even a traffic standstill, without something substantial to read. Pruning a collection that threatens to overflow one's home can be as painful as watching a child leave the nest, but spending hours in a bookstore -- new, used or specialty -- can be blissful (and never mind the coffee).
OK, so we're a bit obsessive. But as Virginia's own Renaissance man, Thomas Jefferson, once said, "I cannot live without books."
Neither can the distinguished American author Larry McMurtry, whose "Books: A Memoir" is the captivating story of his nearly lifelong devotion.
McMurtry's story, which begins on the ranch in northern Texas where he spent his early years (he was born in 1936), does not start with promise: "I don't remember either of my parents ever reading me a story." On the ranch, he writes: "Of books, there were none."
But one day in 1942, a cousin on the way to enlist in the military for World War II "stopped by the ranch house and gave me the gift that changed my life. The gift was a box containing nineteen books."
And the rest, as they say, is history -- and fiction, and screenwriting, and the eventual accumulation of a personal library of 28,000 volumes, and a sideline (although the word may not convey the depth of McMurtry's passion) as an antiquarian bookseller.
The focus of "Books: A Memoir" is on McMurtry's life as a bookman, but he gives us some insights into the worlds of reading and writing, too.
Reading, he says, gave him a window onto the larger world: "The reason is that, in our country isolation, I came to reading before I came to American popular culture generally."
And reading led to writing. His first book, 1961's "Horseman, Pass By," became the revered movie "Hud" with Paul Newman, Patricia Neal, Melvyn Douglas and Brandon De Wilde. But the prolific McMurtry (28 novels, two collections of essays, three memoirs and more than 30 screenplays) is probably best known for 1985's "Lonesone Dove" -- a book he rightly calls the "Gone With the Wind" of the American West -- and its successors, both sequel and prequels.
Still, the heart of this latest memoir is bookselling, complete with descriptions of the eccentric scouts who keep the antiquarian business alive. His main store is now in his hometown of Archer City, Texas, but he owned Booked Up in Georgetown with Marcia Carter for more than 20 years. The stories he tells of some of Washington's swells are priceless:
Janet Auchincloss, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' snobbish mother, wanted to sell some of the library of her late husband, Hugh D. Auchincloss. But she knew Carter and her mother socially, and she was horrified to find Carter "in trade" and couldn't bear the thought of doing business with her. It was left to the grande dame's latest fiancé to deal with the buyers.
Diplomat David K.E. Bruce owned substantial libraries at his Georgetown house and his family estate, Staunton Hill, in Virginia's Charlotte County. McMurtry's account of acquiring Bruce books in fits and starts is a lesson in diplomacy itself. But mediation was unnecessary in dealing with Bruce's widow, a social lioness in her own right. "Evangeline Bruce could not have cared less that we were in trade. She happily took our check, and banked it."
Despite Washington being a book-lover's dream town, only once, McMurtry writes, did he and Carter sell a book to a member of Congress: then-Sen. Charles McC. Mathias, R-Md. Then-Sen. Gary Hart, D-Colo., browsed from time to time but, to McMurtry's recollection, never bought.
As entertaining as "Books: A Memoir" is, though, at its heart lies sadness -- an elegy for the many independent bookstores that have closed, as well as a lament for reading: "Today the sight that discourages book people most is to walk into a public library and see computers where books used to be. . . . Computers now literally drive out books from the place that should, by definition, be books' own home: the library."
But as long as writers such as McMurtry can string together words such as those, reading will not die, and books will live on. Put this engaging memoir on your summer-reading list, and revel in the stories McMurtry tells of the lovable eccentrics known as bibliophiles."



Am looking for this book ? anyone ?

I cannot ask for more !

Our Infy exhibition finished yesterday. I could not have asked for more ... met our targets and more.

And that's thanks to the wonderful team that i had with me. Tia, Shama and kshitija were outstanding in their effort. To see some of these kids come out with such superlative effort testing physical and mental endurance, stamina time and again and coming out tops is extremely satisfying. I am extremely proud of them. Extremely proud is an understatement. Tia and Shama have done this before. To have these kids move from that experience to another level of experience, and though we were one hand short, we managed very well because of their previous experience.

Thankyou girls. I am really going to miss working with you.

Ofcourse, there was shradha and jahnavi who backed up very well. Rupali who dropped in in early stages to help with coding. Every bit helps.

But Tia, Shama and Kshitija - you were truly outstanding. I could not have asked for more !