It's a December to remember at Dolly's Bookstore in Park City, Utah. The holiday shopping season traditionally kicks into high gear the week before Christmas as vacationers descend on the popular ski town, but there was plenty of excitement this past weekend when Apolo Ohno, the author of Zero Regrets: Be Greater than Yesterday, glided into town for what turned out to be one of the store's biggest signings ever.
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| Dolly's Bookstore staff with Apolo Ohno, including manager Sue Fassett standing behind the little girl. |
The speed skater and Olympic champ was one of more than 20 authors making an appearance at Dolly's this month. Other headliners are former FBI agent Henry Foreman, author of the memoir Swimming with Sharks, and Gerald Elias, who turns out mysteries (Danse Macabre and Devil's Trill) when he's not playing the violin or acting as associate concertmaster of the Utah Symphony.
Fourteen area writers will be on hand December 21 when the store hosts its second Big Holiday Author Event. "Last year's event was so successful we decided to do it again," said store manager Sue Fassett. "It's a fun way to celebrate local authors." Shoppers can purchase and have signed copies of cookbooks, children's stories, adventure narratives and more, among them Jennifer Jordan's The Last Man on the Mountain: The Death of an American Adventurer on K2 and Letty Halloran Flatt's Chocolate Snowball: and Other Fabulous Pastries from Deer Valley Bakery.
This year for holiday gifting Fassett
stocked up on coffee-table books, something customers aren't as likely to
be reading on electronic devices. One of her favorites is Horse by photographer and equestrian Kelly Klein. Books
with a regional slant are also popular selections, such as Canyon
Wilderness of the Southwest by Jon Ortner
and The Art of Maynard Dixon by
Donald J. Hagerty.
Other top sellers are rocker Keith Richards's bio Life ("an interesting gift for men," noted Fassett), Jonathan Franzen's Freedom and an illustrated edition of The Night Before Christmas with a musical and narrative CD performed by Peter, Paul and Mary.
Late-night shoppers can stop by Dolly's until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The bookstore adjoins a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory shop via a connecting door (both businesses have the same owner). The confectionary often draws in customers strolling along Main Street after dinner, and once they satisfy their sweet tooth they head over to Dolly's to browse the shelves. "It's the ideal combination," said Fassett.
Staffers at Dolly's have a thoughtful present for parents who might be feeling frazzled this time of year. They'll "amuse the kiddos" during select story time sessions so that moms and dads can do their holiday shopping at the store.--Shannon McKenna Schmidt