Half Price Books is having its big annual clearance sale at its Greenwood warehouse this weekend. Located at 9241 Greenwood Ave. N., the warehouse will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

On Saturday, everything is $3 or less, and on Sunday prices drop to $1 or less, and we have end of sale specials (fill a tote bag for $20) starting at 2pm on Sunday. We have books, CDs, DVDs, VHS, software, lots of kid’s books, and comics. Cash, checks or charge ($20 minimum purchase is using a charge card).

Get there early. Here’s a picture of the line outside of last year’s event.

Santoro’s Books, 7405 Greenwood Ave. N., is hosting a Book Fair from 12-6 p.m. Saturday, to benefit the Ballard Preschool Co-op, a program of the Phinney Neighborhood Association. Twenty percent of the book fair’s total sales will be donated to the co-op for future book purchases. Teachers will have story times at 2:30 p.m., 3 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

You do not need to be a co-op family to participate, just mention the co-op when making your purchase so they get the credit.

When the Couth Buzzard book store closed in September of 2008 after 20 years as a Phinney Ridge fixture, no one could have foreseen its comeback the following year. Couth Buzzard Books Espresso Buono Café re-opened at 8310 Greenwood Ave. N. just before Christmas last year, and last Saturday, it celebrated its one-year anniversary.

“We survived and thrived in a bad economy with a used book store and a café,” co-owner Theo Dzielak, 59, said from the back of the store on Saturday. As blue grass duo Pickled Okra performed “pickled” Christmas songs in the front, he added, “It’s our first-year anniversary, and we’re celebrating.”

“Our music — well, we throw songs into the pickle jar for a while, and they come out a little different,” performer Todd Gray said in between sets with wife and band mate Paisley Gray. With a laugh, the Greenwood couple added, “It’s an acquired taste.”

Performances from children’s music to blue grass went all day during the anniversary celebration. For the evening, Spanish wine tasting and a free concert were scheduled with performers Stew Hendrickson, Pint and Dale and headliner Jim Page.

Dzielak, a former store manager at the original Couth Buzzard, re-opened with original owner Gerry Lovchik, 73, and café owner Penny Wight, 59, on Dec. 15, 2009.

“We wanted to re-open, but not without a café person,” he said in reference to a conversation he had with Lovchik when the two were looking for a new location. “This was a no-go unless we could find a coffee person.”

He gestured to Wight and then explained her expertise as one of the main components to the store’s recent success.

“We couldn’t have made it as just a used book store,” he admitted. Wight, already a coffee shop owner in Lynnwood, had the “perfect” background to help the new store survive.

“Between the three of us, we have decades and decades of experience,” Wight said as she typed on her laptop next to Dzielak. “We were able to survive by becoming part of the community.”

She said the new store has “added events where people can show off their talents in a comfortable way — the kind of place where everyone is welcome.”

Aside from the café, which serves local beer and wine, the new store is still centered on using trade as a way to build value in their product and help customers feel a sense of ownership.

Dzielak said customers bring in used books for trade, are assigned store credit, and then use it towards the purchase of other books in the future. Customers can only use store credit to pay for 50 percent of the price of each item; the rest is out of pocket.

Customer records are kept in an old notebook — in a “trade log like the old days,” Dzielak said. “We’re kind of like a recycling center that way,” he added. “This system was started in the late 1960s and early 70’s in San Francisco.”

“But we’re a cleaned-up and amped-up version of the old one,” Wight explained. “I think it’s a stroke of genius.”

Long-time customer Rich Levinski, 42, said, “They give you more value than other local book stores, and a better deal in the long run.”

“And our baristas are so kind and considerate,” Wight said as she got up to relocate moveable book shelves to make room for the evening concert. “They make homemade baked goods and soups — the whole nine yards.”

“Our café is just fun, and we have the freedom to experiment and make things,” barista and cook Jason Studstill, 26, said as he took a tray of brownies out of the oven. “We are surrounded by eccentric artists, and that carries over into our work.”

“The reason this place is becoming a draw is because it has a nostalgic twinge,” artist Brian Prosser said as he sketched the ongoing blue grass performance. “People come in here every day and are excited that their old book store is back.”

“Opening up a business is almost like having a child all over again,” Dzielak said. “All these crises and decisions come up every day, and you’re counting the days until it goes off to kindergarten and you can finally take a breather.”

“Now that we have a system going,” Wight said, “we won’t have to work 80 hours a week to keep it going.”

Tyler Steele is PhinneyWood’s intern. He is a journalism student at the University of Washington.

Humor writer and Wedgwood resident David Volk just released “The Cheap Bastard’s Guide to Seattle,” the latest travel book in a national series targeted at not only tourists, but locals looking to have fun without breaking the bank.

“I think it’s for everyone in Seattle,” Volk said while relaxing at Espresso Express in Ravenna. “Times are tough, and it doesn’t look like things are changing anytime soon. It’s really all about doing the things you’d already do for less, and working within the system while having a good time doing it.”

After the series received commercial success in New York, Chicago and Boston, Globe Pequot Press decided to tackle the Northwest.

“We needed an insider’s perspective for the book,” Editorial Director Amy Lyons said by phone from Guilford, Connecticut. “This one is very much for the person that lives in Seattle.”

“I’m the perfect person to do this book because I know how to pinch pennies till they scream,” declared Volk, who makes his living as a freelance journalist. “I wrote about what I’ve been doing for years — surviving on cheap haircuts and happy hours.”

A resident of Seattle for the last 20 years, Volk highlighted some of his favorite spots for free fun, inexpensive furniture and cheap tours in the Greenwood and Phinney Ridge neighborhoods:

• Couth Buzzard Books and Espresso Buono at 8310 Greenwood, Ave. N.: It features open mic nights every Wednesday, Celtic jams every other Saturday afternoon, and an occasional cabaret on a Saturday night every few months (pg.36).
• Wayward Coffeehouse at 8570 Greenwood Ave. N.: Science fiction geeks have a place to call their own on the first Friday of the month when this sci-fi/fantasy themed coffeehouse shows a sci-fi or fantasy movie (pg.59).
• Armadillo Consignment at 12421 Greenwood Ave. N.: Since the store prefers to keep items no longer than 60 days, it cuts prices three times to keep things moving along. At 30 days, the discount is 15 percent. After 45 days it drops 25 percent and at 60 days it’s 50 percent off, which can make for a great bargain (pg.200).

“There’s a lot of stuff in Greenwood — something for everyone,” Volk said.

Volk will discuss his book from 7-9 p.m. tonight at Couth Buzzard Books, 8310 Greenwood Ave. N. And you can read an indepth profile on Volk on our sister site, Wedgwood View.

Tyler Steele is PhinneyWood’s intern. He is a journalism student at the University of Washington.

Students from the Greenwood writing and tutoring program 826 Seattle have some of their questions and advice featured in a new book addressed to First Lady Michelle Obama. “I Live Real Close to Where You Used to Live: Kids’ Letters to Michelle Obama (and to Sasha, Malia, and Bo)” will be published on Dec. 15.

Good advice is a powerful thing. It can keep you focused, help encourage you to move ahead despite bumps and bruises, and remind you there are people out there rooting for you. Children tend to be very good at giving advice because they’re living through the peak skinned-knee phase of life. Who better, then, to give advice to First Lady Michelle Obama than 826 National’s young authors?

As featured in the New York Times, I Live Real Close to Where You Used to Live (available for preorder online) features kids’ letters to the president’s wife, written during 826 workshops and after-school programs. The letters provide advice, observations and questions on everything from dealing with parents’ divorce to healthy eating habits, with a joke about blue elephants in there just in case.

To honor its students whose letters were included in the collection—including budding illustrator Renea Harris-Peterson, who designed the cover—local nonprofit 826 Seattle is holding a reading party Friday, December 10 at 7pm during Greenwood neighborhood’s Shop for a Cause event. We invite you to join us in celebrating our young authors and maybe even scratching some gifts off your holiday shopping list, all while supporting a good cause.

826 Seattle is located inside the Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co. at 8414 Greenwood Ave. N. They’re having a book release party from 6-9 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 10.

Santoro’s Books is creating a “boutique bookstore” inside the Phinney Neighborhood Center on Saturday, featuring 20 Northwest authors in person ready to talk to you about their books and sign your purchased copies.

The Seattle7Writers Holiday Book Signing event is from 3-6 p.m. Saturday in the blue building at the PNA, 6532 Phinney Ave. N., with cookies and author readings.

Authors at the event include: Garth Stein, Stephanie Kallos, Jim Lynch, Erica Bauermeister, Erik Larson, Carol Cassella, Kevin O’Brien, Jennie Shortridge, Elizabeth George, Randy Sue Coburn, Dave Boling, Thea Cooper, Laurie Frankel, Kit Bakke, Maria Dahvana Headley, Bob Dugoni, Sean Beaudoin, Kathleen Alcala, Suzanne Selfors and Susan Wiggs.

The Seattle7Writers is a group of 30 authors who encourage and promote Northwest literacy and literature with the rallying cry of “Read Local.” At Seattle7Writers events, readers can discover new favorites or keep abreast of what their favorite authors are currently doing, while supporting local literacy programs such as Writers In The Schools and pocket libraries in unconventional places. With camaraderie and enthusiasm, Seattle7Writers encourages you to support your local writer, writing programs and independent bookstores.

Greenwood author Nathan Crowder has written eight novels and a number of short stories, and was most recently published in the anthology “Close Encounters of the Urban Kind” in April. Now, Crowder and fellow Greenwood resident and editor Caroline Dombrowski have started their own publishing company, Timid Pirate Publishing, along with Art Director Jeremy Matthews.

Timid Pirate’s first release is coming out on Oct.1. The anthology of superhero fiction, “Cobalt City: Timeslip,” features seven authors: Crowder, Erik Scott de Bie, Michaela Hutfles, Rosemary Jones, S. Aarron Kemp, Dawn Vogel, and Jeremy Zimmerman. It’s the lastest in the “Cobalt City” series, which Crowder created.

History comes alive with a time-swept librarian knight, zap-gun wielding alien princess, a faceless spy-smashing vigilante, Norse gods, the young archer facing down steamwork ex-presidents, and a bitter heroine trying to recapture her youth.

Their release party, book reading and author signing is set for 7-10 p.m. Oct. 9 at Wayward Coffeehouse, 8570 Greenwood Ave. N. The book will be available through bookstores, Amazon.com, and Timid Pirate’s website on Oct. 1.

Crowder says the Timid Pirate name comes from a friend who had a fascination with pirates, but was also scared every time he went to downtown Seattle. He and a friend even wrote a children’s book called “The Timid Pirate,” which was never published. “It’s a very fun book,” Crowder said. “Maybe we’ll publish it ourselves someday.”

Crowder said he’s been self-publishing his own novels for friends and family for years and decided to take the plunge into an actual publishing house. “It sort of grew from me wanting to see if we can make this an actual publishing venture. It just seemed like a logical progression,” he said.

He said print-on-demand technology is so much better now than the old warehouse method of publishing. You can literally be anywhere in the world. They’ll be using the Lightning Source print-on-demand service.

“You don’t have to warehouse thousands of books. You don’t have to do these big print runs which are very cost prohibitive and have kept small publishers out of the business for so long,” he said.

Timid Pirate’s next anthology of Biopunk is now accepting submissions. It will be published in April 2011. Crowder says Biopunk is “biology-based science fiction,” not to be confused with Steam Punk. “Steam Punk is fine and fun, but that market is glutted. We have the opportunity to really define what Biopunk is,” he said.

Timid Pirate will remain small, with plans to publish two anthologies next year, and eventually four each year. Crowder doesn’t anticipate quitting his day job writing product copy for a dot-com.

“It’s just a labor of love,” he said of Timid Pirate. “We want to tell fun stories that don’t necessarily appeal to a large audience. We’re not doing it for the money. We’re doing it to share these stories with an audience that might not see them otherwise.”

Santoros Books is hosting a publication party for local author Elizabeth Mills’ new book, “The Spooky Wheels on the Bus.” The party is at 10 a.m. Saturday at Santoros, 7405 Greenwood Ave. N. Children are definitely invited.

Please join us in celebrating neighborhood author Liz Mills’ most recent book: a Halloween take on the children’s classic, Wheels on the Bus. There will be treats and a rowsing sing-along complete with guitar accompaniment. Liz is the author of dozens of books for children. Her most recent books include: Don’t Lose Your Shoes and The Everything Kids’ Easy Science Experiment Book.

Come on foot, by bike, by car if you share…
Or take a spooky bus… if you dare!

Phinney/Greenwood author J. Elizabeth Mills has just released her 30th children’s book. “The Spooky Wheels on the Bus” is now on sale at Santoro’s Books, which will host a book launch party on Sept. 11.

THE SPOOKY WHEELS ON THE BUS is a humorous retelling of the popular reschool song. Filled with gently spooky monsters, witches, ghosts, bats, and more, it is the perfect sing-aloud for preschoolers who love to wriggle and dance.

A Wedgwood author and Ballard illustrator have teamed up to write a children’s book, “Edsel McFarlan’s New Car,” and they’ll be doing book readings during Saturday’s Greenwood Car Show.

Max Holechek and Darrell Toland will read from the book at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., and “How to Draw a Car” tutorials are at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. in the Kids Zone at Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church at 7500 Greenwood Ave. N. The hardcover book, for children ages 4-8, will be available for $15 (it will retail for $16.95 when available at bookstores in late July.)

The story follows the adventures of Edsel McFarlan, a young car enthusiast who receives, from a mysterious source, a model car kit that matches the full-scale of his automotive passion.

Memories of his childhood provided inspiration for author Max Holechek while writing Edsel McFarlan’s New Car. “I remember how my friends and I would imagine miniaturized version of ourselves driving our toy trucks, living in a doll house, or sailing swimming pool ships. I wondered: “What would happen if a kid got a model car kit that assembled into a life-sized automobile? And what funny things might happen once it’s built?”

There’s a lot happening at the Seattle Public Library these days, including a new online career resource center and the Summer Reading Program.

SPL’s new Workplace911 is an online career resource covering all aspects of work, from finding a job to handling a difficult boss.

Workplace911 is a joint partnership between author and work expert Bob Rosner, Brainfuse and The Seattle Public Library. The resource is free and will be available from the Library’s website at www.spl.org by selecting the “Job hunting resources” Quick Link.

Rosner is a Seattle-based (Queen Anne) bestselling author and award-winning journalist. He is author of “The Boss’s Survival Guide” and “Working Wounded: Advice that Adds Insight to Injury.” Rosner has a unique perspective on today’s workplace, having personally responded to over 50,000 emails from employees and employers. He is a regular contributor to the Today Show and CNBC, and has been featured in People, the Wall Street Journal and Fortune.

Rosner also will facilitate a series of workshops about employment and the workplace at several local libraries.

The Library also has a program that provides personalized reading lists for teens.

To get your list, go to www.spl.org and then to the “Teens” page under “Audiences.” Use the “Ask a Librarian” e-mail form to tell us about a few books you love or ones that have put you to sleep. Tell us your favorite genres. Fantasy, horror, romance? What else?

In a day or two you will receive a list of five recommended books just for you. You can use the personalized list service as many times as you want, and it’s always free!

For more information, call the Teen Center at 206-615-1410.

The Library system also just kicked off its Summer Reading Program, with the theme “Where Does Reading Take You?” The annual program encourages everyone to read during summer, especially children. You can sign up in person, at any of the 27 Library locations or online.

Children can track books online, or get a reading log from any Library location and collect a sticker for each book read. Teens and adults can also track books online or in-person at their local branch.

Children who participate in the Summer Reading Program will receive a free paperback book and a pass to the Burke Museum after reading 10 books. Children who read 10 books by Monday, July 26 will be entered into a drawing for the city librarian’s popular Breakfast of Champions event held at the Sheraton Hotel in August. One winner from each Library location will be selected.

This year’s Summer Reading Program includes hundreds of free programs for families at Library locations. Here are the programs scheduled for the Greenwood Library.

• Heart and Soul of Mexico – Experience a fun, interactive show that covers many regions and aspects of Mexican culture. The musicians of La Mariachi Mexico will perform familiar songs on a variety of authentic instruments. For ages 6 and up. 2 p.m. Sunday, June 6.
• Games Around the World – Celebrate the differences and similarities among cultures by playing games from around the world with W.E. C.A.R.E. Sports. Discover new games that use luna sticks, diabolos, pelele (fling-it nets), lariats, takraw balls and petecas. For ages 5 and up. 4 p.m. Tuesday, June 29.
• 20,000 Volts Under the Sea – Sing, dance and laugh with the Brian Waite Band. This deep-sea rock musical is fun for the whole family and filled with interactive games, zany characters and, of course, great lives music. For ages 3 and up. 4 p.m. Wed., July 7.
• Robot Challenge – Explore the world of robotics with educators from the Pacific Science Center! How do scientists use modern robots to investigate other planets and dangerous places on earth? Analyze the features of these robots then program one to maneuver through a simulated hostile environment. Compete in teams against other programmers to be the robot champion. For ages 12-18. 2 p.m. Wed., July 14.
• Save Our Amazing Raptors (SOAR) – Educators from the Woodland Park Zoo will introduce you to live raptors (birds of prey) and explain their natural history and special adaptations. Ask questions and check out skulls, feathers and owl pellets. For ages 5 and up. 4 p.m. Tuesday, July 20.
• Read the Book, Watch the Movie! – Join us as we watch a beloved movie and briefly discuss the movie and the book that inspired it. “The Princess Bride,” 2:30 p.m. Saturday, July 24.
• Paper Airplanes – Drop in on the Museum of Flight as we pitch, roll and yaw through hands-on activities that explore the science of flight! Learn about aerodynamics and discover the motions and controls of airplanes while building paper airplanes, two-loop gliders and straw rockets. For ages 6 and up. Groups and drop-ins welcome. 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 8.
• Zinery 101 – A zine is a self-published magazine. Learn the basics and make your own zine with Lucy Morehouse of Ong Ong Press. For ages 12-18. Limited to 20 people. Please register with the branch. 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 22.

Balderdash Books and Art at 8536 Greenwood Ave. N. is celebrating its five-year anniversary with a big sale.

All children’s books and hardcover books are 50% off! Softcover books are 25% off. Regulars with a credit account will get up to 75% off on all hardcover and children’s books!

In the 5 years that Balderdash Books has been open we have increased the floor space by 500 square feet, added a new back entrance, and doubled the Science Fiction and Fantasy section. You can park in the lot behind our building for FREE and enter through the back door. Please come help us celebrate our 5 year anniversary and take advantage of an awesome sale. Or just come visit the cats.