Category: News

Audiobooks that Support Your Favorite Indie Bookstores

May 16, 2021
by Robin Wood

There’s an indie option for audiobooks. Libro.fm partners with your favorite indie bookstores, including Books & Books @ The Studios. Libro.fm provides access to a wide selection of digital audiobooks. Find out more here: Libro.fm account set up.

Powered by our audiobook partner Libro.fm, membership is $14.99 per month. You’ll get to select from 150,000+ audiobooks, including New York Times bestsellers and hidden gems curated by indie booksellers. Check out our staff favorites on audiobook: Click here.

Membership highlights:

  • Over 150,000 titles
  • $14.99 monthly fee (one audiobook/month)
  • 30% off additional audiobooks
  • Free Libro.fm iOS and Android App
  • Membership credits never expire
  • DRM-Free (listen on multiple devices)

Judy Blume on the 50th Anniversary of Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret

January 7, 2021
by Robin Wood

Dear Friends,

I hope you made it through the summer and that reading good books helped you and your family. Between Covid news and the upcoming election it’s been hard to focus except when I’m in the middle of a good novel. I’ve been reading political books, too. Michael Cohen’s Disloyal is next on my list. George says it’s a must read. I reminded him that I’m the one who ordered it for us.

I’ve been trying to celebrate all the little things. A busy bird feeder seen on my morning walk, a Little Free Library made from a brightly painted filing cabinet, the pesky squirrels of Cambridge, MA. One of them ate a hole in my daughter’s trash can for easy access. I spend a lot of time watching them in the garden of the house we’re renting.

Judy recently tweeting about a Little Free Library she noticed on a morning walk.

And here’s something that caught me by surprise. This month is the 50th Anniversary of the publication of Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret. Fifty years! I’m having trouble getting my head around that but I’ve done the math so I know it’s true. 1970 sometimes feels like yesterday (but not when I squat to get something off the floor and try to get back up). I was living in suburban NJ then – married with two little kids. My first two books had been accepted for publication when I sat down at my college typewriter to start Margaret. I knew next to nothing about writing. But I knew a lot about being in sixth grade. Or thought I did. My memory for the details of life at 12 was so fresh. And I knew what I didn’t want to write. I didn’t want to follow the rules and regulations for writing a children’s book. I remember thinking I’m going to be honest. I’m going to tell the truth. Well, my truth anyway. The story isn’t autobiographical but the character of Margaret, both physically and emotionally is pretty close to the girl I was. The first draft came out quickly and spontaneously, in about six weeks. These days I can’t write a six page essay in 6 weeks. But then it was all so new, so exciting, so close to the surface. Margaret is the book that changed my life. It gave me my career. It brought me my first loyal readers. I would never have dreamed then that kids would still be reading it 50 years later. I remember being asked in an early interview by a snarky reporter – Do you think your books will still be around in 20 years? I laughed. What a crazy idea and who cared anyway?

Don’t blame me for the shocking pink leather commemorative edition. Publishers like to celebrate big anniversaries. I’m actually okay with it. As I said, I’ll celebrate just about anything these days. Lately I’m asked by grown fans to write about Margaret in menopause. But Margaret is never going to grow up. She’ll always be 12. Except for one thing — when I’m asked What would Margaret say? That’s a question I can answer. She would tell us to vote early in what might be the most important election of her lifetime. (And certainly of mine.)

The movie based on the book was supposed to be filmed over the summer. The writer-director was thrilled with the young actor she’d found to play Margaret. Now, like most productions, we hope it will be next spring or summer. Will our Margaret sprout up and out by then? Who can say?

Artwork courtesy of the American Library Association, www.ala.org

With Banned Books Week coming up I’m reminded that when Margaret was first published I was so proud I gave three signed copies to my children’s elementary school. Later, I found out the books never made it to the shelf. The male principal decided that the book was inappropriate because of the discussion of menstruation, never mind how many 5th and 6th graders already had their periods. My first experience with having a book banned. But not my last. Visit our display of Banned Books. You’ll be surprised by what you see. Celebrate the Freedom to Read!

I’m homesick for Key West, and missing the store and staff more than I can say. We won’t stay away much longer. I just want to get back to work, to petting the books, arranging displays, and greeting all of you.

Stay well.

Love,

Those We’ve Lost

January 5, 2021
by Robin Wood

The Literary Pantheon we dedicated last February celebrated the memory of forty-four deceased members of our community whose accomplishments had brought honor to Key West and helped establish it as one of the country’s noteworthy cultural landmarks. The sadness of the months since then has been compounded by the loss of four more extraordinary individuals whose names will be added to the frieze above our bookshelves.

Terrence McNally (1938-2020) has been described as “the bard of American theater” and “one of the greatest contemporary playwrights the theater world has yet produced.” McNally was a long-time seasonal resident and homeowner in Key West, and was recognized as “part of the theatrical fabric of this community.” Most recently, a new production of his play “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair De Lune” was scheduled to open at the Red Barn Theatre on the day of his death, but was cancelled, like him a victim of the novel corona virus.

 

J. Seward Johnson, Jr. (1930-2020) was a man of huge talent and creativity, known principally for his ultra-realistic bronze sculptures. He wintered for many years in Key West, and was a well-known and popular member of the artistic and literary community. Johnson left his mark in Key West with a number of installations, including the assemblage of figures over the tarmac-side entry to the airport that welcomes passengers to town. Perhaps his most photographed local installation is the figure of Marilyn Monroe in front of the Tropic Cinema.

 

Robert D. Richardson (1934-2020) was a distinguished historian and biographer, focusing on leading American thinkers of the 19th Century, including William James, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. He was winner of the Bancroft and Francis Parkman Prizes (the most prestigious in the field of history). If you wanted one word to describe Bob, it would be “gentlemen,” in both senses of the word. He was certainly a man — a distinguished leader — but he was a gentle friend to the many in town who knew him.

 

Alison Lurie (1926-2020) described by the New York Times as a “tart-voiced novelist of manners,” who “wrote about academics and intellectuals, straying spouses, snobs and artists, in novels of close observation and sharp prose.” She was the author of 11 works of domestic and black comedy, including the 1984 Pulitzer Prize winning novel FOREIGN AFFAIRS. Noted for her sly wit and generosity of spirit, she was a vivid member of the Key West literary scene for decades. Perhaps her last public appearance was a store event in February 2020, just before the pandemic closure, where she very charmingly discussed her final book WORDS AND WORLDS, essays on topics from autobiography to zippers.

A 47-page Guide to the Key West Literary Pantheon is available for purchase at the store.

~ George Cooper, store co-founder

Read the Feb. 2020 article about the Pantheon dedication.

Hours, policies & procedures

June 3, 2020
by Robin Wood

The store is open daily from 10am to 6pm. For the time being guests entering the store are encouraged to wear a mask but it is not required.

Mask are available at the store entrance for those who want them.

We are delighted to have shoppers back in the store, but we ask for your patience and cooperation. Please maintain social distance while in the store, keeping safely back from staff and other shoppers, except as necessary to complete your transaction.

Individuals with signs of illness such as coughing, fever or other flu-like symptoms are asked not to enter the store. Thank you for understanding.

Not ready to join us in store (or shopping from out of town?) We are still offering shopping online and by phone, with free media mail shipping for online purchases of $20 or more, home delivery to Key West and Stock Island and curbside pickup.

Place orders by phone
Staff will be answering phone calls daily from 10am to 6pm to take orders for shipping and home delivery. 305-320-0208

Place orders online
Our online store will remain open 24 hours a day for free shipping or home delivery.

Home delivery
Orders placed by noon of in-stock items are eligible for delivery to your door that evening, Monday – Friday to Key West and Stock Island addresses. With the store reopened, deliveries will come a bit later, but we anticipate that we will make deliveries by 7pm. Be sure to include in the comments that you would like home delivery.

Signed Judy Blume books
Judy will continue to sign select editions of her books. Orders placed for signed Judy Blume books will be signed regularly and are eligible for shipping and home delivery based on signing times.

Purchase a gift card 
Not sure you need anything right now, but want to support us? Purchase a gift card and give it as a supportive sheltering-at-home gift or use it yourself in the future. Click here to purchase a gift card online or call the store 10am to 6pm daily.

Reader Meet Writer – Virtual Event with S.A. COSBY

May 15, 2020
by Emily Berg

Let us deliver authors to your living room.

S.A. Cosby – BLACKTOP WASTELAND [order here]
TUESDAY JULY 28th at 5PM EDT

The next author in the Reader Meet Writer series is S.A. Cosby.  You may have read Cosby’s earlier work: My Darkest Prayer and Brotherhood of the Blade.

Cosby will be talking with us TUESDAY JULY 28th at 5PM EDT about the his new book BLACKTOP WASTELAND as well as answering your questions.  Cosby is one of many authors we’ll be bringing into your living room.

BLACKTOP WASTELAND is about a diamond heist schemed up by an uneasy alliance of poor men and women.  Black and white, they live in the Virginia Tidewater region in a town where the desire to be more, have more, leave and live large haunts. With breakneck twists, heartbreaking intents and the missteps of its indelible characters, S. A. Cosby weaves a story about black male identity, about what it means to be from the South and have its history not include your story, and about the pull of family and its confusing messages about love and inheritance.  

Shawn A. Cosby is a writer from Southeastern Virginia, now residing in Gloucester, Virginia.  His short fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines. His short story “The Grass Beneath My Feet” won the Anthony award for best short story in 2019. His writing is influenced by his experience as a bouncer, construction worker, retail manager and for six hours a mascot for a major fast food chain inside the world’s hottest costume. When he isn’t crafting tales of murder and mayhem he assists the dedicated staff at J.K. Redmind Funeral home as a mortician’s assistant. He is an avid hiker and is also known as one hell of a chess player.

To attend please RSVP here

You can also RSVP by emailing booksandbooks@tskw.org with the subject line “RSVP for S.A. COSBY”

Attendance is limited.

If you elect to attend, we will email you on Tuesday morning (7/28) with the link to attend this virtual event, plus the link to purchase books.  If you purchase the book through our website we will automatically send you the login information you need to join the event. If you ordered by phone please RSVP above.  

Happy Reading!

A *VIRTUAL* Evening with Mamta Chaudhry

May 15, 2020
by Emily Berg

Books & Books and Miami Book Fair presents…
“AN EVENING WITH MAMTA CHAUDHRY & RUSSELL BANKS”
discussing Haunting Paris

Thursday, June 11 at 7PM

 

REGISTER HERE

If you missed Mamta Chaudhry’s incredible event at the store in February you’re in luck as she joins again virtually for an in-conversation event with Russell Banks.
Chaudhry’s debut novel, Haunting Paris, has been praised as “elegantly wrought,” by The New York Times and “a heart-wrenching love letter to Paris” by Publishers Weekly.  Books and Books’ own Mitchell Kaplan calls it “so fresh, so musical and so moving.”
The two writers sit down to chat about Haunting Paris, and the dark days of Nazi occupation during World War II that continue to haunt the City of Light.
Paris, 1989:  Alone in her luminous apartment on Île Saint-Louis, Sylvie discovers a mysterious letter among her late lover Julien’s possessions, launching her into a decades-old search for a child who vanished in the turbulence of the Second World War. She is unaware that she is watched over by Julien’s ghost, his love for her powerful enough to draw him back to this world, though doomed now to remain a silent observer.  Sylvie’s quest leads her deep into the secrets of Julien’s past, shedding new light on the dark days of Nazi-occupied Paris. A timeless story of love and loss, Haunting Paris matches emotional intensity with lyrical storytelling to explore grief, family secrets, and the undeniable power of memory.

 

About the Author:
MAMTA CHAUDHRY‘s fiction, poetry, and feature articles have been published in the Miami Review, The Illustrated Weekly of India, The Telegraph, The Statesman, Writer’s Digest, and The Rotarian, among other publications. Much of her professional career was spent in television and classical radio at stations in Calcutta, Gainesville, Dallas, and Miami. She lives with her husband in Coral Gables, Florida, and they spend part of each year in India and France. Haunting Paris is her first novel.

About the Moderator:
RUSSELL BANKS, twice a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, is one of America’s most prestigious fiction writers, a past president of the International Parliament of Writers, and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His work has been translated into twenty languages and has received numerous prizes and awards, including the Common Wealth Award for Literature. He lives in upstate New York and Miami, Florida.

Presented in collaboration with

 

A *VIRTUAL* Evening with Chanel Cleeton

May 15, 2020
by Emily Berg

Books & Books and Miami Book Fair present…
An Evening with Chanel Cleeton
In Conversation with Renee Rosen discussing

 

The Last Train to Key West
Thursday, June 18, 7pm 

In partnership with Lit Hub, Culture Crusaders, and Miami DDA

REGISTER HERE

About the Book:

In 1935 three women are forever changed when one of the most powerful hurricanes in history barrels toward the Florida Keys.
 
For the tourists traveling on Henry Flagler’s legendary Overseas Railroad, Labor Day weekend is an opportunity to forget the economic depression gripping the nation. But one person’s paradise can be another’s prison, and Key West-native Helen Berner yearns to escape.

After the Cuban Revolution of 1933 leaves Mirta Perez’s family in a precarious position, she agrees to an arranged marriage with a notorious American. Following her wedding in Havana, Mirta arrives in the Keys on her honeymoon. While she can’t deny the growing attraction to her new husband, his illicit business interests may threaten not only her relationship, but her life.

Elizabeth Preston’s trip to Key West is a chance to save her once-wealthy family from their troubles after the Wall Street crash. Her quest takes her to the camps occupied by veterans of the Great War and pairs her with an unlikely ally on a treacherous hunt of his own.

Over the course of the holiday weekend, the women’s paths cross unexpectedly, and the danger swirling around them is matched only by the terrifying force of the deadly storm threatening the Keys.

About the Author:

Originally from Florida, Chanel Cleeton grew up on stories of her family’s exodus from Cuba following the events of the Cuban Revolution. Her passion for politics and history continued during her years spent studying in England, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Richmond, The American International University in London, and a master’s degree in Global Politics from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Chanel also received her Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

About the Moderator:

Renee Rosen is the bestselling author of historical fiction. Her novels include Windy City Blues, White Collar Girl, What the Lady Wants and Dollface as well as the young adult novel, Every Crooked Pot. Her most recent novel is Park Avenue Summer (April 30, 2019 from Penguin Random House/Berkley). Renee is a native of Akron, Ohio and a graduate of The American University in Washington DC.  She now lives in Chicago where she is at work on a new novel, The Social Graces, a story about Mrs. Astor and Mrs. Vanderbilt vying for control of New York society during the Gilded Age. (Coming soon from Penguin Random House/Berkley).

 

Reader Meet Writer – Virtual Event with TJ KLUNE

May 15, 2020
by Emily Berg

Let us deliver authors to your living room.

TJ KLUNE – THE EXTRAORDINARIES [order here]
THURSDAY JUNE 11th at 4PM EDT

The next author in the Reader Meet Writer series is TJ Klune.  You may have read Kune’s earlier work: THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA and others.

TJ Klune will be talking with us THURSDAY JUNE 11th at 4PM EDT about his newest book THE EXTRAORDINARIES and answering your questions.  TJ is one of many authors we’ll be bringing into your living room.

TJ KLUNE is a Lambda Literary Award-winning author (Into This River I Drown) and an ex-claims examiner for an insurance company. His novels include the Green Creek series, The House on the Cerulean Sea and The Exraordinaries. Being queer himself, TJ believes it’s important—now more than ever—to have accurate, positive, queer representation in stories.

The Extraordinaries is Klune’s YA debut, a queer coming-of-age story about a fanboy with ADHD and the heroes he loves. Nick Bell? Not extraordinary. But being the most popular fanfiction writer in the Extraordinaries fandom is a superpower, right? After a chance encounter with Shadow Star, Nova City’s mightiest hero (and Nick’s biggest crush), Nick sets out to make himself extraordinary. And he’ll do it with or without the reluctant help of Seth Gray, Nick’s best friend (and maybe the love of his life).

The House in the Cerulean Sea is an enchanting love story, masterfully told, about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.

Linus Baker is a by-the-book case worker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He’s tasked with determining whether six dangerous magical children are likely to bring about the end of the world. Arthur Parnassus is the master of the orphanage. He would do anything to keep the children safe, even if it means the world will burn. And his secrets will come to light.

To attend please RSVP here

You can also RSVP by emailing booksandbooks@tskw.org with the subject line “RSVP for TJ KLUNE”

Attendance is limited.

If you elect to attend, we will email you on Thursday morning (6/11) with the link to attend this virtual event, plus the link to purchase books.  If you purchase the book through our website we will automatically send you the login information you need to join the event. If you ordered by phone please RSVP above.  

Happy Reading!

Reader Meet Writer – Virtual Event with LISA WINGATE

May 7, 2020
by Emily Berg

Let us deliver authors to your living room.

Lisa Wingate – THE BOOK OF LOST FRIENDS [order here]
THURSDAY MAY 28th at 7PM EDT

The next author in the Reader Meet Writer series is Lisa Wingate.  You may have read Wingate’s earlier works: BEFORE WE WERE YOURS, BEFORE AND AFTER, TENDING ROSES and others.

Lisa Wingate will be talking with us THURSDAY MAY 28th at 7PM EDT about her newest book THE BOOK OF LOST FRIENDS and answering your questions.  Lisa is one of many authors we’ll be bringing into your living room.

This new novel inspired by historical events and brings to life heart-wrenching stories from actual “Lost Friends” advertisements that appeared in Southern newspapers amidst the destruction of the post-Civil War South, as freed slaves desperately searched for loved ones.

Wingate is a former journalist, an inspirational speaker, and the author of numerous novels, including the #1 New York Times bestseller Before We Were Yours, which has sold more than 2.2 million copies. The co-author, with Judy Christie, of the nonfiction book, Before and After, Wingate is a two-time ACFW Carol Award winner, a Christy Award nominee, an Oklahoma Book Award finalist, and a Southern Book Prize winner. She lives with her husband in North Texas.

To attend please RSVP here

You can also RSVP by emailing booksandbooks@tskw.org with the subject line “RSVP for LISA WINGATE”

Attendance is limited.

If you elect to attend, we will email you on Thursday morning (5/28) with the link to attend this virtual event, plus the link to purchase books.  If you purchase the book through our website we will automatically send you the login information you need to join the event. If you ordered by phone please RSVP above.  

Happy Reading!

How Books & Books will continue to serve Key West (and beyond) at this time

April 4, 2020
by Emily Berg

To help slow the spread of COVID-19 to our staff volunteers and customers Books and Books at the Studios has made the difficult decision to close our doors to the public until further notice. 

Everyone needs books (and puzzles and art supplies) now more than ever! Here’s how we will continue to serve Key West: 

Place orders by phone-
Staff will be answering phone calls from 10am to 3pm daily to take orders for shipping and home delivery. 305-320-0208

Place orders online–
Our online store will remain open 24 hours a day for free shipping or home delivery.

Home delivery–
Orders placed by noon of in-stock items are eligible for delivery to your door by 4pm. As of now this extends just to the island of Key West but we hope to expand our delivery area soon. Click here for more information.

Signed and personalized Judy Blume books-
Judy will continue to personalize her books. Orders placed for signed Judy Blume books will be signed daily and are eligible for shipping and home delivery.

Purchase a gift card-

Not sure you need anything right now, but want to support us? Purchase a gift card and give it as a supportive sheltering-at-home gift or use it yourself in the future. Click here to purchase a gift card online or call the store 10am to 3pm daily.