Wrapping Up the Holidays

For those caught in the shopping frenzy that colors this month green, local bookstores offer a place to wonder and wander. Who can resist the glitzy displays of books, CDs, tapes, calendars, millennium posters and the dummy and chicken soup books for every conceivable soul. Those who succumb to the buying urge often end up at the gift-wrap table.

At Adventures for Kids in Ventura, complimentary gift-wrapping is a given whatever the season. “It’s our fun as staff--we get to play with the stickers,” employee Jeri Lupton said.

Not surprisingly, the books most likely to be wrapped this year are the Harry Potter bestsellers. Another popular book has been Frederick Thury’s “The Last Straw” (Charlesbridge, $19.95). Owner Jody Fickes Shapiro described it as a charming little story about a grumpy old camel--actually the fourth camel in the Christmas story.

At Barnes & Noble Booksellers, community groups take on gift-wrapping chores to raise funds. Representatives of Boy Scout Troop 753, local high schools and the New West Youth Symphony Orchestra wrap gifts at the Thousand Oaks store, while gift-wrappers at the Ventura store include representatives of St. Augustine’s Academy, Community Presbyterian Church and Future Leaders of America.

According to staff members at Barnes & Noble, the 1999 holiday gift favorite is “The Ultimate Lego Book” by publisher Dorling Kindersley, priced at $19.95.

Borders Books & Music also uses volunteers from area nonprofit organizations as gift-wrappers. Working at Borders to raise funds for their groups are the Conejo Valley Garden Club, Soroptimists and the Interscholastic Equestrian League. The Interfaith Youth Development group will tapped for the hectic Christmas week.

Hot items at Borders are the Guinness Book of Records, Almanac books, calendars and the top tens of almost everything. There’s also been a resurgence of interest in “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom since the TV version of the book aired this month. At Mysteries to Die For, Jane Becher noted the popularity of cat and dog mysteries, citing “The Cat in a Jeweled Jumpsuit” by Carole Nelson (Forgy, $24.95) as a prime example.

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If you have maxed out on shopping and want to revive the brain, check out Local Hero Bookshop in Ojai today. Local author Marlene Evangeline will discuss and sign her short story collection, “The Whiskey Eaters” (MiddleMarch Publishing, $15.95). The stories are set in and around Wilson, Wyo., where Evangeline lived for a number of years. “The underlying theme in the collections, I would say, is survival,” Evangeline said. Her stories deal with the bartenders, waitresses, carpenters and working culture of the community around the Jackson Hole area.

Evangeline grew up in Redlands, eventually earning a master’s in fine arts from the University of Alabama, where she wrote her yet-to-be-published novel “Mandolin Wind.” Since moving from Wyoming to Ojai, she has been working on a collection of poems and is writing a novel that’s based in California. Another current work in progress is “The Poetics of Modern Fiction and the Dynamics of Voice.”

Defining her eclectic writing interests as a form of cross-training, Evangeline confessed her first writing endeavor was a collection of country-western song lyrics--and she was certain Willie Nelson would sing them. It never happened. Compare that with her “Deconstructive Analysis of Plato’s Phaedrus,” published by Pig Iron Press. As for “Whiskey Eaters,” her prose has been described as poetic and provocative, ranking somewhere between the literary tradition of Jack Kerouac and Sylvia Plath.

Her current plans are trying to survive and just write, she said. And it seems that Ojai fits the bill.

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Meanwhile, as you make room for new books on your shelves, why not donate the used books you don’t want or need to your local chapter of Friends of the Library.

HAPPENINGS

* Today: 2 p.m. Signing and discussion of “The Whiskey Eaters” by author Marlene Evangeline. Local Hero Bookshop, 254 E. Ojai Ave., Ojai, 646-3165.

* Monday: 11 a.m. Create holiday gifts at an elves workshop, inspired by Michael Garland’s “An Elf for Christmas.” Borders, 125 W. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, 497-8159.

* Monday: 7 p.m. Discussion group based on Neale Donald Walsch’s best-selling “Conversations With God” series. Led by Jim Newell and Jim Michael of the Interfaith Church of Today. Borders, 497-8159.

* Tuesday: 10:30 a.m. Story time at Adventures for Kids, 3457 Telegraph Road, Ventura, 650-9688.

* Tuesday: 7 p.m. The short stories group will focus on Sherwood Anderson’s “The Strength of God.” Borders, 497-8159.

* Tuesday: 7 p.m. The Partners in Crime Mystery Group will focus on Cecile Lamalle’s “Appetite for Murder.” Borders, 497-8159.

* Wednesday: 9:30 a.m. Story time will feature “Rolie Polie Olie” by William Joyce. Ventura Barnes & Noble, 4360 E. Main St., Ventura, 339-9170.

Information on book-signings, writers’ groups and publishing events can be e-mailed to anns40@aol.com or faxed to 647-5649.