In addition to books for all ages and a wide range of interests and tastes, we have lots of fun gifts – some you can only find in store during the lead up to the holiday season. Come see what’s new!
There are art supplies and tarot cards, puzzles and games, socks and crafts and swag with our name on it. We’re happy to help you find just the right gift for everyone on your list, and wrap it for you! Or add a Books & Books tote bag to your gift for instant eco-minded wrapping.
And, if you’re just not sure, a gift card is always a perfect fit!
Through Oct. 12, vote in store or online for the winners in our 6th annual Art Contest. The art showcases a wide range of style and approaches, all on a distinctive 4-inch by 12-inch canvas, the same shape as the store bookmarks that will eventually feature the winning art.
This year the winners will be selected in two categories – the most online votes and the most in-store votes. All contestants are eligible for the grand prize. One grand prize winner will appear on a special edition bookmark, have their canvas show in the bookstore through the end of the year and receive a $25 Art Supply gift card from Books & Books.
Want a great piece of art with a cool backstory? Some of the canvases are available for purchase. Contact us if you’d like more information about buying one.
Do you love weird animal facts? Do you love academia? Do you love sticking it to the patriarchy?
This book boasts all three with panache and grace.
Cooke is an accomplished zoologist who interviews a bevy of scientists across the globe in order to expose the glaring gap in knowledge about the female of any species (from insects to mammals to birds). Her writing is feisty, fierce, and witty without being grandiose or over-embellishing facts.
Learn about murderous meerkats, polyamorous birds, and frisky bonobos, all while discovering how scientific studies contradicting the patriarchy have been dismissed, hidden, or unfunded. I can’t get this book into your paws fast enough!
Unseen Magic by Emily Lloyd-Jones (Greenwillow Books), picked by social media manager Robin
Written for a middle-grade audience, Unseen Magic will also appeal to adults looking for a charming mystery with Scooby-Doo vibes.
Aldermere is the first place that’s ever felt like home to 11-year-old Finley, but it has a few quirks: you have to remember to pay the ravens, and you should be wary of unmarked doors, they could lead anywhere.
Fin doesn’t mind a few random rules. She has a list of her own – things to avoid – certainly, adults who look angry, but also ringing phones and knocks at the door. Fin manages her fears with the help of a special tea from the roving, magic tea shop. Then one day, the tea shop owner gets hurt, and Fin’s attempts to make the tea herself result in a monster made of tea.
In order to find out who the monster really is, Fin will have to face her fears, rely on her friends, and discover she is braver than she knows.
Unseen Magic is a middle-grade monster romp that will appeal to fans of Rick Riordan and Kelly Barnhill. It’s insightful, fast-paced, twisty, and fun.
Courtesy of the American Library Association, ala.org
The goal of Banned Books Week is to draw attention to the fact that books are often challenged or banned, pulled from school and community libraries, with relatively little fanfare. But this year, book banning has not been quiet.
In 2021, the American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom said it received reports of 729 challenges, representing 1,597 books. This up sharply from the 2020 numbers of 156 challenges, representing 273 books.
PEN America reports that it found 1,586 book bans in 86 school districts in 26 states between July 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022.
This is a tactic designed to push marginalized writers and readers off the page, and to shut down discussions about race and sexuality, among other topics, that many people find controversial. But what one person finds controversial, another may find enlightening or affirming. The goal of Banned Books Week is to encourage people to read widely and make up their own minds — and to encourage us all to stand up for the right of everyone to read freely.
Celebrate your right to read with us September 18 – 24. You might be surprised to see many old favorites in our banned books display, including several of Judy Blume’s books, as she is one of the most frequently challenged authors of the 21st century. Pick up a book that someone else doesn’t think you should read. Read dangerously!
If you want to make your voice heard, standing against censorship, you can join booksellers and their customers in a petition condemning book banning. Also, check out the ALA’s new campaign, Unite Against Book Bans.
Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher (Tor Books), picked by Bookseller Camila
“The trees were full of crows and the woods were full of madmen. The pit was full of bones and her hands were full of wires.”
first line, Nettle & Bone
I was browsing for a summer read amongst our new releases when I came upon this brief description on the back jacket of one of our bestsellers.
“This isn’t the kind of fairy tale where the princess marries a prince. It’s the one where she kills him.”
Well, that grabbed my attention and I started Nettle & Bone that very evening. Marra is our princess and the hero of this story, or rather dark & twisty fairy tale. She is the youngest of three sisters in a kingdom struggling to maintain its power. Marrying off the sisters seems to be the only way to keep it safe from invasion, even if the marriage is to a powerful yet abusive prince. We follow our hero Marra while she plans a rescue mission to save her sister, murder a wicked prince, and topple his throne. In order to receive the help she needs to fight such an evil adversary, Marra needs to succeed in this insurmountable quest:
Build a dog of bones
Sew cloak of nettles
Capture moonlight in a jar.
Along the way she meets new friends and gathers a fierce team of the quintessential fairy tale variety which includes a courageous yet disgraced ex-knight, a fairy godmother with unreliable magic, a dog of bones, an ornery grave witch, and a demonic chicken. Can they save her sister and survive this mission? Will they have their happy ending?
I loved reading this dark fantasy and devoured it within one sitting. Nettle & Bone is a perfect summer read… especially if you like a blend of fantasy, horror, unforgettable characters, humor, and a brave feminist protagonist. Enjoy the journey, I sure did.
The fun thing about Romance is there is something for every mood – as long as you’re in the mood for love. Here are some new and notable romances, plus a few older favorites:
Like your favorite second-chance romances, Bookstore Romance Day is back! Sat. August 20, 2022, join us or one of more than 300 participating indie bookstores to celebrate all things bookish and romantic.
On Bookstore Romance Day, we’ll be featuring a great display of our favorite romances, ansd some fun activities.
Blind Date with a Book, a carefully curated selection of titles, each wrapped so you can’t see the cover and featuring a fun blurb teasing the book’s plot. Don’t judge a book by its cover and take a chance on new (book) love!
Want to shout your love from the rooftops for your beloved beau, favorite author, can’t-live-without book? Come get creative at our Valentine Station and pen that love note! We will have little Valentine cards ready for your amorous confession. Dedicate a note to your loved one(s) and bring it home, or pen a heartfelt note to a book or author. Then you can place the note on display & someone looking for some bookish love can enjoy your recommendation!
Don’t forget to set the mood for your Romance Read! We have various bath salts and eye masks available for purchase to indulge in a self-care date! So, pick up a steamy new read, and indulge in a pampering reading session.
Throughout the month, enter our romance raffle! No purchase required, win a fun bundle of goodies — in store only.
If you won’t be in Key West on the 20th, visit Bookstore Romance Day for a list of participating stores, and check out the slate of online panels featuring some of your favorite Romance writers.
For early summer reading, I chose a glorious romp of a novel. Not a rom-com, but something different for me. I’d read good reviews and it’s hard to beat that cover. Turns out LOVE MARRIAGE by Monica Ali was just what I craved.
The story of two young doctors, engaged to marry, set in London. She is from a conservative middle class British/Indian family. He is the son of a wealthy, liberal, famous feminist. Both families approve of the marriage. That’s not the problem.
Everything else is. Plenty of humor, political satire and sex. It all comes together and makes for a great read. I loved it!
George just finished RIVER OF THE GODS by Candice Millard. At first I told him to stop telling me the story. I wanted to read it myself. But his stories about the characters and their adventures were so fascinating I encouraged him to tell me just a little bit more each time.
We both wish you many happy hours of reading this summer.
~ Judy Blume, store co-founder
About RIVER OF THE GODS, George writes:
The fabulous true story of the brave, obsessive Englishmen who discovered the source of the Nile, and of the role played by heroic Africans who guided and supported them.
“Compulsively readable, and ultimately heartbreaking.”
