Every year, our marketing department works with our booksellers and book buyers to put together our Winter Catalog, a collection of our favorite books of 2014 along with recommendations for holiday gifts. Booksellers submit competing essays about their favorite books and the winners are featured in the full-color, glossy pages of the catalog. Tons of brainstorming goes into determining the catalog’s theme and setting up the big photo shoot.
This year’s theme is DIY, inspired by Amy Sedaris’ book, Simple Times. Throughout December, we’re highlighting the catalog’s featured booksellers here on the blog, as well as providing a bit of behind-the-scenes info on its creation.
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Tomoko’s favorite book of 2014: Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace
“Pixar! Is there anyone who has not fallen in love with the characters they’ve given us? Been completely floored by their emotional heights and particularly unique style? But did you know that the blockbuster animation studio was originally just a computer – the Pixar Image Computer? And that Ed Catmull’s dream of a computer-animated feature film took nearly 25 years before the fantastic Toy Story broke box-office records and lodged Woody and Buzz firmly in our hearts? Creativity, Inc is one of the greatest stories of the year because it’s so intrinsically human; it’s about perseverance in the face of difficulty and dismissiveness, it’s about how to lead and engender the best environment for productivity, and it’s about the creation of art that challenges and advances technology. Best of all, Mr. Catmull has a great sense of humor amid the lessons. It’s my new favorite book!”
How we shot it:
Tomoko is a highly skilled artist. Her impressive work is on display throughout the store on eye-catching staff selection cards for book and gift items. She was also a finalist in Sock It To Me’s design contest this year! We wanted to show the artist at work and asked Tomoko to work up a sketch based on the book. What she brought to the shoot was incredible – a full color drawing inspired by the characters of Toy Story. We set her up with an easel in our Creativity section and snapped the photo. Easiest shot of the day.
More About Tomoko:
Fans of My Book Would Also Enjoy:
The Art of Pixar: The Complete Color Scripts and Select Art from 25 years of Animation by Amid Amidi
Six Word Bio:
Small town girl found her anywhere.
Favorite Literary Hero:
Capt. Mal Reynolds
Favorite Literary Villain:
Achilles from Ender’s Shadow. I found him to be an incredibly frightening psychopath not only because he’s charming and extremely smart, I was also about his age when I first read the book.
My Idea of a Happy Ending:
Good wins. Characters rise to the challenge and discover that when they have self-belief, or friends, or love, they have the strength to combat a great evil (and save the world!) Boss fight, self-realizations, and ultimate triumph.
Dream Dinner Party Guest List:
1. Will
2. Hayao Miyazaki
3. John Lasseter
4. Neil Gaiman
5. Sir Ian McKellen/Gandalf
BookPeople 
好 靓嘅笑容呀
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