Pilloroo: The pillow with a surprise pouch!

It all started with a gift...

When Pilloroo creator/founder Vicki needed a special gift for her 6 year-old nephew she created a cuddly pillow with a hidden zippered pouch where he could hide his army men. The gift was an instant hit and Pilloroo was born!

With over 15 unique pillow designs, each with a coordinating themed toy surprise inside, these pillows will be the perfect gift for a special little one. Pilloroo pillows are soft, adorably designed, and good for all ages. A perfect on-the-go one of a kind gift.

Here at Fig Garden Bookstore we carry a variety of designs for both boys and girls.

Isn't this Great!

As "a tribute to American booksellers, librarians and educators who supported" The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, Penguin Group recently built and opened a primary school in Arababshirali, Afghanistan, about 150 miles from Kabul. Penguin worked in partnership with the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR and the U.S. Association for UNHCR. Some 270 students in grades one through six are attending the school. Before it was completed, the students, a third of whom are girls, were taught outside.Hosseini, who spent some of his childhood in Afghanistan and has lived in the U.S. since age 15, was honored two years ago by the UN Refugee Agency and named a U.S. envoy to UNHCR. He said, "Over the past few years, I have been humbled by the outpouring of empathy and compassion from my readers for the people of my homeland. It is a great honor to me when readers write me to say that they have found a personal connection to Afghanistan and the suffering of its people through my novels. To me, this school is the physical expression of that connection."Susan Petersen Kennedy, president of Penguin Group (USA), commented: "Changing the world can sometimes start with a single act of kindness. Our hope is that this new school is one of those acts."

Books to Retire With

The slowing economy, retirement planning and thou. The Wall Street Journal featured five books on retirement, advising that, "At times, media coverage of the economic crisis can be too much of a good thing: too much detail, too many experts. Taking a step back can help bring some perspective to the story."

Buh-bye Brown Bags

These brand new lunch bags just arrived in the store and I couldn't love them more!

My Lunch tote bags by Upper Canada Soap Company. These adorable, stylish patent leather purse-shaped lunch bags are to die for! Coming in 7 delicious colors these bags put a brand new spin on taking your own lunch. Insulated to keep food warm or cool.

So save some change, take your own lunch, & kick that brown bag look for good!

Coming Next Week

Selected new titles appearing next Monday and Tuesday, November 10 and 11:

Just After Sunset by Stephen King (Scribner, $28, 9781416584087/1416584080) is the latest collection of King's horrific short stories.

A Mercy by Toni Morrison (Knopf, $23.95, 9780307264237/0307264238) centers on the newly established slave trade in 1680s America.

YOU: Being Beautiful: The Owner's Manual to Inner and Outer Beauty by Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz (Free Press, $26.99, 9781416572343/1416572341) provides holistic methods for achieving beauty.

The Hour I First Believed: A Novel by Wally Lamb (Harper, $29.95, 9780060393496/0060393491) follows two teachers who start working at Columbine High School in 1999.

The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck (Threshold Editions, $19.99, 9781416594857/141659485X) is a story about Christmas during childhood.

Big Boy Rules: America's Mercenaries Fighting in Iraq by Steve Fainaru (Da Capo Press, $26, 9780306817434/0306817438) is by the Washington Post writer and winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting.

The Bodies Left Behind: A Novel by Jeffery Deaver (Simon & Schuster, $26.95, 9781416595618/1416595619) takes place in rural Wisconsin where a vacationer and a deputy must escape ruthless criminals.

Call Me Ted by Ted Turner and Bill Burke (Grand Central, $30, 9780446581899/0446581895) chronicles the life and career of a renowned entrepreneur.

Rickles' Letters by Don Rickles and David Ritz (Simon & Schuster, $25, 9781416596639/1416596631) is a collection of comedic (and fake) correspondence. For example: "Rickles to Mrs. Lincoln: 'Sorry you had problems at Ford's Theatre last night, but could you get me a couple of aisle tickets for the Saturday matinee?' "

Election Day