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Our returning to weekly email -- Special Snow Edition

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Dear %%First Name%%,

This week's special--San Francisco in the '40s

What could be a more delightful setting for a mystery than San Francisco in the '40s? This Week's Special will introduce you to a feisty femail PI who stumbles across crime in the city's Chinatown--a crime that no one wants solved. Save 20% and get free shipping on This Week's Special, an entertaining series debut.

Help! The weather is killing us.

As you know personally if you live in our area or as you've no doubt seen on TV, Pittsburgh was socked by last weekend's and Wednesday's snowstorms. Although we certainly did better than Washington and other East Coast cities we got our share and the store was closed last Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday. In addition, three of our book club meetings were cancelled.

The good news is that no one associated with the store was injured or suffered any great losses. The bad news is that our sales for February have sunk right out of sight. Unfortunately, this comes on top of a rather poor January, partly as a result of some very cold weather that kept down our in-store traffic.

We could really use your help right now.

We have received an above-average number of web orders over the past week or so and that's been a big help but it's not enough.

If you have any need for books of any sort for yourself or as a gift--now would be a good time to order them from us. Just because a book isn't on our website doesn't mean we aren't happy to order for you. Just send us an email, or call, and we'll be happy to get that book and send it with a regular order of by itself.

Book Club schedule changes

During this past week three of our book clubs had their meetings cancelled. We've revised the schedule for future meetings and updated book lists are available on the Book Club pages on the website.

Get your red-hot MLB News

The Febuary-March issue of the MLB News is up on the website, ready for download in PDF format.

You can your very own edition of the News from the site in exactly the format of the printed News. You can view it online or print it if you like. If you do print, please remember to use the Adobe Reader print button not the print function of your browser.

The return of Staff Picks

A number of customers have wondered what happened to Staff Picks. Well, to tell you the truth, after a strenuous year and a busy holiday season, Staff Picks was just pooped. He (or she) just didn't same to have that old pep, the old moxie. Just couldn't seem to get his (or her) act together for December or January. However, after a little R&R in Maui Staff Picks is completely back to normal and ready to take his (or her) place on the website.

Thus, we fondly announce the triumphant return of Staff Picks for February with a full assortment of interesting choices in mysteries picked by our staff. Thus the name. We hope that you'll get some good ideas for new authors in our Staff Picks for February.

As always, we wish to thank Judi, who is the real brains behind Staff Picks, for berating the staff into picking books for this popular feature. Also, thanks to the staff who pick.

Publication party for Heather Terrell

Local writer Heather Terrell celebrates publication of her third novel, Brigid of Kildare, with a party on Saturday, Feb. 27 starting at 5 pm. Note: this is a change from the previously announced time.

Here's what Mary Alice had to say about Heather's new book:

For all who love a richly detailed historical puzzle, you will be spellbound by Brigid of Kildare by Heather Terrell. For those who think all Irish women are goddesses, you can add bishop to that title held by the brave and strong female who is the very foundation of the church of Ireland. In a present puzzle about the origin of holy manuscripts that could rewrite church history and back to the anger of Rome over this pagan influenced Christianity defying them, weaves a tale totally absorbing.

Brigid of Kildare is available now as a trade paperback original ($15) and would make a terrific choice for your book club.

Please join us at the party if you can.

Edgar Award nominees include local writer

The Mystery Writers of America have announced their nominees for the 2010 Edgar Awards and we're pleased to say that Pittsburgh's own Kathleen George has been nominated in the category of Best Mystery Novel for her most recent Pittsburgh-set mystery, The Odds.

Kathy's series is set on the North Side where she lives and features an ensemble group of cops who first appeared in Taken. The Odds is the fourth book in this series.

Another friend of MLB who was nominated was Hallie Ephron who received a Mary Higgins Clark Award nomination for Never Tell a Lie.

The winners of the 2010 Edgar Awards will be announced at a banquet on April 29. Of course, we'll be there picking up our Raven award.

MLB launches new morning book club

We're pleased to announce the formation of a new book club at MLB, the Wednesday A.M. Book Club. The group will meet at MLB on the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 10 am. The group will be reading and discussing books in a variety of genres including fiction, mystery, history, biography and others.

Our Wednesday A.M. Book Club was a victim of this weeks' snowstorm so the initial meeting was cancelled. A revised schedule of meetings is available on the website.

Please contact us via email or phone (412-828-4877) if you are interested in joining the group. Membership is open to any interested reader.

We sponsor seven book clubs at MLB. If you're interested please check our the complete listing on our website of bookclubs, schedules and books.

What our customers are reading - MLB Best Sellers

Up on the webiste you'll find our December MLB Best Sellers along with the Best Sellers of 2009.

Naturally, our December Best Sellers were dominated by sales for the holidays. Signed copies of Sue Grafton's U is for Undertow led the hardcover sales. We have only a couple of these left. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, the conclusion to Stieg Larsson's best-selling trilogy, stayed on the list. This British import has been a hot item since its publication in October. Lisa Scottoline hit the list with her collection of humorous columns, Why My Third Husband Will be a Dog.

Paperback's in December featured two books with local connections: Names of Pittsburgh and Paris of Appalachia by Brian O'Neill. Sandwiched inbetween was The Trader Joe's Companion: a Portable Cookbook which we couldn't keep in stock all through the holidays. Christmas mysteries took their share of spots as well including Donna Andrews's Six Geese a Slaying and Rita Mae Brown's Santa Clawed.

For the year 2009, Lisa Scottoline was the undisputed champion of hardcover sales with Look Again. Lisa will be back at MLB on March 23 to work her magic at an event to be held at the Oakmont Carnegie Library. Former Pittsburgher Jeffrey Siger also took a spot on the list along with MLB favorite Diane Davidson.

Pittsburgher Kathy Haines got all three of her Rosie Winter books onto the list for trade paperbacks. Hank Phillippi Ryan also put all three of her Charlotte McNally books on the list through a virtual signing program that she marketed aggresively.

Several authors from the Festival of Mystery posted books on the Best Sellers of 2009 including Kimberly Frost, Lorna Barrett, Louise Penny, Judi McCoy and Elaine Viets.

Be sure to take a look at our Best Sellers for December as well as our Best Sellers for 2009. You're sure to find some interesting reading.

We're on Facebook, become a fan (370 already are)

Finally, we've put a profile up on Facebook for Mystery Lovers Bookshop. Nows the time for all you Facebook folks out there to demonstrate the power of social networking by becoming a fan of MLB. If you do, it will be another way for us to stay in touch.

We'll be using Facebook to notify fans about events in the store and perhaps to make special deals available only to fans.

All of our upcoming events are also listed and we would love for customers to post comments or photos about events that they attend.

New Arrivals

More New Arrivals as we continue to get February books. Heather Terrell's new historical, Brigid of Kildare is here along with new titles by Peter May, Alex Berenson, Robert Harris, G.A. McKevett and others.

News books for February will keep arriving over the next week so check our New Arrivals page often for everything new at MLB.

Coffee & Crime series wraps up in February

Our Winter Coffee & Crime series comes to an end in February but a new one starts in the Spring.

Each of these events begins at 10 am and includes a contintental breakfast and author talk and signing. Cost is $5 and reservations are essential.

What's on the website now

Here's what you can find at www.mysterylovers.com:

Upcoming Events

Feb. 20 - Joanne Dobson
Feb. 27 - Heather Terrell
Mar. 5 - Nancy Martin

More events...

Start off the new year right--with a book
Richard, Mary Alice and the MLB Staff

Did we mention that we won a Raven Award?

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