Dear Friends,
Who knew, a year ago, what was coming? Who knew George and I would have to stop working at the store on March 14 and wouldn’t be able to get back for almost 12 months? We’ve missed being there so much. Yesterday we got our 2nd doses of the vaccine and in three weeks we plan to be working at the store again. It’s been a long year for all of us and we hope you’re safe and well.
So – February! The month of love – with Valentine’s Day coming up. Get your honey a book this year. Maybe love poems, maybe not. Maybe a great novel. I just read the latest from Vendela Vida, We Run the Tides, in our store now. I read it after hearing George chuckling while listening to the audio book. “Oh, you’re going to love this book!” he kept saying. And he was right. From the first paragraph I was hooked. The voice – that ephemeral quality we talk about when we talk about fresh, original, unforgettable – in this case the voice is 14 year old Eulabie’s. Her neighborhood is in the Sea Cliff area of San Francisco. The adults are equally well drawn, and the situations – you want to stop her and shake her and say, Don’t! Funny, honest, heartbreaking, yet satisfying.
And how about a Valentine treat for the little ones in your life? If you can’t come in to browse, tell us the age and interest and we’ll find a picture book for you. Or a middle grade story. For older teens, Jennifer Niven’s latest YA, Breathless. She says it’s her ode to Forever but I like it better. Sexy and romantic. You don’t have to be a teen to enjoy this book. But you may wish you’d had a first love like this one.
Then there are the two authors I’ll be talking to in the next month. First, Lily King, whose latest novel, Writers and Lovers, a book I liked so much I read it twice in a row, is now out in paperback. I’ll be talking to Lily on a Zoom as part of the Friends of the Library series on Feb 15.
And on March 2 I’ll be chatting with Susan Conley in a virtual event for Books & Books – about her new book, Landslide, another novel I devoured and highly recommend to all. Susan and Lily are friends, they live in Maine, the setting for Susan’s book. A stormy story in many ways, a marriage that may or may not survive, parenting teen boys, work, and a nor’easter that sets it all in motion. You’ll be thinking about these characters long after you read the last page.
Our bookstore will celebrate its 5th birthday on Saturday, Feb 13. With a drive by, walk by, bike by party. Can you believe it’s been five years? We can’t. We’ll be there in our mini with the top down for masked and socially distanced greetings. Hope you can stop by. And maybe even buy a book.
We have to thank our loyal and hard-working staff for keeping the store going this year. Emily, Gianelle, Lori, Robin. You are the best! And big thanks to you, our loyal customers for doing your part. A special shoutout to Meg Cabot, who told her readers to order her books from our store. We love you, Meg!
Let’s hope it won’t be long until we can meet in person for store events. For now, we’re open and ready to help in any way we can.
Stay well.
