Posts by Robin Wood | Books & Books

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Key West Yoga Sanctuary

January 28, 2022

A Q&A with Erika Hawks

The newest place to find books from Books & Books is the Key West Yoga Sanctuary, which is run by Erika Hawks. We asked Erika, who is also a long time Books & Books volunteer, for some background on this partnership and to share a bit about the Yoga Sanctuary.

Q: Tell us a little about yourself, if you would?

A: Born and raised in Miami, I moved to Key West from Miami Beach in 2014. I’ve been practicing yoga for over 2 decades – yikes, acknowledging that makes me feel old.

Q: When did you buy the Yoga Sanctuary? How did that come about?

A: I started teaching at KWYS about 7 years ago, and when my dear friend Gretchen Mills decided to relocate to upstate New York this Spring, it was a natural decision to keep this community alive and take on the business. After a long hiatus for Covid, we re-opened our doors this Fall.

Q: How would you describe your philosophy for the Yoga Sanctuary? What makes it different?

A: The Key West Yoga Sanctuary is a school dedicated to offering the community a space to practice and experience the 8 limbs of yoga. So, we are much more than just a place to come and do poses (Asana) and move your body, although we do have lots of that on the daily schedule, we strive to bring world class instruction in yoga philosophy, meditation, pranayama and more to our tiny little island.

Q: How is the business doing given Covid? How are you coping?

A: Covid has had a huge impact on our industry world wide, but we managed to pivot and thrive during this unprecedented time. We closed the doors of our space at 612 Fleming St. in March of 2020, but we continued to offer daily yoga online and have had the Zoom program running continuously and uninterrupted since then. In June of 2020 we began to offer outdoor classes in the park at Truman Waterfront 3 times a week, and we kept those going until we reopened our doors. Our biggest shift came this Summer when we built a yoga platform in our garden at 612 Fleming Street and now we can offer daily yoga outdoors in our very own garden. It’s been amazing to see this all unfold. We are so grateful for the community of students around us!!!

Q: What will we find in your store besides books? Why did you decide to add books?

A: Our partnership with Books & Books is really exciting for me because I love books, but also because I love sharing books and yoga with my friends and students. The collection of books that we keep in stock at KWYS includes a selection of titles that represent the different styles of yoga that we offer here, as well as covering all aspects of yoga philosophy and Ayurveda (Yoga’s sister science for whole body wellness). You can also find all the tools that you might need to support your yoga practice in our shop, including yoga mats, blocks, bolsters etc…, as well as some handmade local products.

Q: What are you reading and recommending these days?

A: I am preparing to lead our upcoming Teacher Training, so I am mostly immersed in yoga titles right now, but beyond yoga I am reading Brene Brown’s Atlas of the Heart, she really inspires me. Her book Dare to Lead helped prepare me to take on my new role at KWYS and her newest book is informing the way I interact with the world every day. For a good, very accessible yoga read, pick-up Eddie Stern’s book One Simple Thing.

Our favorite books of 2021

January 1, 2022

by Robin Wood

2021 is in the books, and for us, it was all about books. Here are the books we read and loved last year and are still thinking about and recommending.

Tag us on social media (@booksandbookskw) and tell us what you loved. Even though we are replete with books, we’re always ready to add another to the TBR pile.

Judy

Our Country Friends by Gary Shteyngart

Six months in the country (waiting for the pandemic to end) with a cast of characters who will have you laughing, crying and cringing. His best book yet and that’s saying a lot!

The Magician by Colm Toibin

I thought I wouldn’t be interested in the life of Thomas Mann. How could I have been so wrong? Brilliant – the book, the man, and his family.

Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau

It’s the 70’s! Get ready to meet Izzy, the best five year old in modern fiction, her way out parents, their summer guests (a rocker and a movie star) and Mary Jane, the summer nanny. Hilarious, endearing, with enough going on underneath to change Mary Jane’s life. I loved this one.

And a picture book — The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess by Tom Gauld

You will love reading this story to the young ones in your life. And they will love it too.

George

A Bright Ray of Darkness by Ethan Hawke

A deep dive into into the travails of masculinity against the backdrop of a master class in the life of the stage. Hawke may be an actor, but he is a damn fine writer, too. His marriage dissolves, but Shakespeare (Henry IV) triumphs. Fascinating. (Out in paper 1/18.)

Burning Boy by Paul Auster

Takes us richly into the brief but astounding life and works of Stephen Crane, a man who redefined the meaning of the word “writer.” Both a biography that leaves us in awe of this intensely dedicated man, and, through examination of his work, an eye-opening course in modern writing.

The Hummingbird Gift by Sy Montgomery

The author of Soul of An Octopus takes us to another startling world, that of the champion of flying. Able to hover for as much as an hour, these fiercenessly competitive birds are warriors in their endless quest for food/fuel.

The Netanyahus by Joshua Cohen

It’s the 50’s and Bibi Neyanyahu’s father is an unwanted academic seeking an appointment at a second rate college in Upstate New York. His antics are the stuff of comic gold. Though a novel, it’s based enough in fact to provide perceptive insights about Israeli history and American Jews.

Emily

Infinite Country by Patricia Engel

The most realistic story of immigration I’ve read. It’s not a thriller or extreme drama. It’s just the life of a family and their journeys.

The Good Hand by Michael Patrick F. Smith

“I went to work in the oil field for the same reason most people go to boomtowns, I wanted to make money fast and I was out of options. You could say my demons were catching up to me. I was surprised by what I found, because it wasn’t much money. It was better than that. . .” Michael Patrick F. Smith discussing his book, The Good Hand. Read our Q&A with him from March 2021.

Editor’s note: Emily highly recommends The Good Hand as an audiobook.

The Queen’s Gambit by Walter Tevis

The book came out 1983 but I read it in 2021, and it is so good that I’m afraid to watch the show despite everyone telling me how good it is.

Lori

Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward.

A mind blowing psychological thriller/horror story about a man and his very unusual family. It kept me off balance until the end…and after.

My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

One of my favorite horror novelists did it again with an homage to the slasher films of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. I was rooting for the heroine, Jade, the whole time. Look for the sequel, Don’t Fear the Reaper, coming August 2.

Little Devil in America by Hanif Abduraqib

A great exploration of the past, present and future of African-Americans in the performing arts. Dance, poetry, music, even preaching in church are covered by a dynamic cultural observer.

Gina

Salty Piece of Land by Jimmy Buffett

I’m a constant re-reader and Tully’s story needed to be finished.

Home at the End of the World by Rita Troxel

All I can say is I envy the people who discovered Key West before everyone else did!

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

One of the most powerful stories I’ve read – we all saw shades of this happening in 2020 – and are still seeing it in 2021 – constantly reminds me to never lose my voice.

Riona

The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu by Tom Lin

This is everything I need in a great Western: a troubled & mysterious leading man, a traveling circus, and a splash of magical realism perfectly entwined with revenge and self-actualization. Ming stayed with me for a long time.

Girly Drinks: A World History of Women & Alcohol by Mallory O’Meara

I love beer, books, and history. O’Meara presents a fantastic and inclusive history of women and alcohol, covering such topics as the scientific process, brewing as a means to financial independence, and drinking habits reflecting change in society.

Editor’s note: Don’t miss this one as an audiobook.

Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff. I keep describing this book to friends as a Death Metal album. Beginning in media res, Empire of the Vampire plays with timelines, the power dynamic between humanity and vampires, and the control organized religion imposes on its followers. Bloody, fun, and heartrending, I couldn’t put this down.

Camila

Gladys the Magic Chicken by Adam Rubin, Illustrated by Adam Rex

My son Cannon & I loved this funny story about a magic chicken. Is she really magical? Or did the characters make their own magic? This is my new favorite picture book and we LOVE Gladys!

The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman

I loved this final book about the Owens sisters. It’s a beautiful celebration of family and magic.

Brood by Jackie Polzin

I was drawn to this beautifully written book mostly because of the chickens. She captures the trials and tribulations of chicken tending so perfectly, and also tells a story of loss and grief.

Animal by Lisa Taddeo

Not about magic or chickens, but a book that left me a little disturbed and unsettled. Hard to put down.

Robin

The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe

Despite some heavy issues (that contribute to it’s thriller-ness), the writing style is light. Oceans8 for the YA reader. A page-turner about surviving and defining who you want to be.

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

Masterful world-building, politics, poetry and a mystery. I recommend it to people who enjoyed The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson. The sequel to A Memory Called Empire, A Desolation Called Peace, successfully changes venue from murder mystery to first-contact with a war threatening. Also, highly recommended.

A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark

A police procedural in magical, steampunk Cario. And queer to book. Marvelous fun.

What we read when we read about food

December 31, 2021

by Robin Wood

One of the things that makes A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers delicious is the descriptive writing, worthy of its food critic protagonist.

“Craddock’s Corpse Reviver #2 is an exquisite drink that sits on the lintel of anarchy: what makes it also breaks it. The splash of absinthe propels the Corpse Reviver #2 into the territory of the faintly hallucinogenic–the absinthe also dates and places the drink.”
– A Certain Hunger

In fact, the protagonist, Dorothy Daniels, would favorably place herself in the company of the outstanding practitioners of her craft.

“I am a great food critic, one of the greatest, and, I should add, a great food writer; Gael Greene, Ruth Reichl, Sam Sifton, R.W. Apple, and the rest can collectively kiss my delectable ass.”
– Dorothy Daniels, A Certain Hunger

A Certain Hunger (Unnamed Press) is the staff pick of the month for January 2022. Read store manager Emily’s full review.

Coincidentally, New York Times food editor Sam Sifton is speaking and headlining a fundraising gala for the Friends of the Key West Library on Jan. 31. Learn more about that event and the full 2022 speaker series at the FOL website. If you aren’t able to attend an event, watch for replays on the FOL YouTube channel.

For foodie mysteries of a cozier type, don’t miss the Key West Food Critic Mystery series by Lucy Burdette. The most recent one is A Scone of Contention, which takes you off the island, all the way to Scotland, but most of this series is set in Key West and gives you a fun tour of our island paradise, along with a murder or two. Read the Q&A we did with Lucy a couple of years back, and watch our social media feed for occasional sightings of Lottie, the author’s canine companion.

The next Key West Food Critic Mystery, A Dish to Die For, comes out in August, but you can preorder it now. We can preorder almost any book once it has a confirmed publication date. Check out this handy list of a few of the books we are looking forward to this year.

If all of this talk about food has made you hungry, we always have a wide range of cookbooks in store. Come in and browse for something new for your dinner table.