14 Memorable Moments from Our 2014 

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Well, well. We at Harvard Book Store had quite a memorable 2014 -- with hundreds of author events, thousands of books recommended and sold, and dozens of extraordinary, enduring memories.  

We'll be closing for the night on New Year's Eve at 9pm, and we're open on New Year's Day (Noon to 11pm). Still need a 2015 calendar? They are now on sale in the bookstore (25% off). We hope to see you soon.  

In the meantime, check out a few of the many wonderful moments we'll be remembering 2014 by, below... 

Our "Top 100" staff picks appear on Jeopardy!
February 2014: Our staff's list of 100 favorite books, compiled in 2010, was the source for a Jeopardy! category one winter evening. How many do you know?
  • $200: Get the Bronte beat with this title character's story, coming in at No. 1 
  • $400: This vintage Vonnegut "meal" from 1973 ranks No. 3
  • $600: This first novel by Carson McCullers takes 35th place on the list
  • $800: No. 55 is this Alan Moore graphic novel of aging superheroes
  • $1000 (Daily Double): This 1855 volume of American poetry rounds out the Top 100
Phil Klay reads from Redeployment
April 2014: Phil Klay reads in the store from his debut story collection, Redeployment, which would go on to win the 2014 National Book Award for Fiction.
Phil Klay reads from Redeployment at 2014 NBA Finalists Reading
Video: Phil Klay reads from Redeployment at 2014 NBA Finalists Reading
Thomas Piketty visits Cambridge
April 2014: Thomas Piketty, author of the runaway best seller Capital in the Twenty-First Century from Harvard University Press, presents his book in the bookstore as a part of our Friday Forum series of scholarly talks. (Watch video of his talk.)

Elizabeth Warren launches A Fighting Chance
April 2014: Senator Elizabeth Warren launches her Massachusetts book tour for her memoir A Fighting Chance with Harvard Book Store. The event is filmed by WGBH's Forum Network and segments filmed by ABC News air on This Week With George Stephanopoulos.


Roz Chast presents her graphic memoir
May 2014: New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast presents her acclaimed Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? to an excited crowd at the Brattle Theatre. It would go on to be named one of the New York Times 10 Best Books of 2014


Hillary Rodham Clinton stops by
June 2014: Secretary Hillary Clinton signs books for nearly 1000 lucky locals (forming a line that stretched up and down the streets of Harvard Square) one beautiful summer evening. Watch our video recap of the day.

Harvard Book Store supports Hachette authors
Summer 2014: Along with indie booksellers across the country and Stephen Colbert, Harvard Book Store enthusiastically put support behind Hachette authors amid the publisher's dispute with a certain online retailer -- a dispute that hurt readers and writers nationwide. Featured books include Edan Lepucki's California, a debut novel that could not be pre-ordered on Amazon due to the dispute.


Our chalkboard message goes viral one summer day
July 2014: A simple message on our sidewalk chalkboard is shared (and re-shared, and shared some more) by bookstores and libraries across the country on Facebook last summer, one very warm day.


We're named Boston's "Best Bookstore"
August 2014: Boston magazine names Harvard Book Store "Boston's Best Bookstore 2014." Yay!


Jason Segel brings down the house
September 2014: "Does that piano work?" Jason Segel wonders aloud. An impromptu performance of "Dracula's Lament" follows at the First Parish Church event, hosted by Harvard Book Store and 826 Boston. The multitalented actor was joined by 826 Boston's Karen Sama for a conversation on his frightening middle-grade novel, Nightmares! (Watch our video of the performance.)

Rainbow Rowell signs downstairs; Rowan Jacobsen talks apples upstairs
September 2014: Beloved YA novelist Rainbow Rowell signs copies of Landline, her latest novel for adults, on our lower level one bustling Friday evening as another packed event takes place in the bookstore's main event space. As Rowan Jacobsen presents his Apples of Uncommon Character, the fresh, crisp smell of apples wafts throughout the store and entices visitors to discuss (and taste!) New England's signature fruit.



Cornel West inspires hundreds
October 2014: Cornel West inspires a sold-out crowd at the First Parish Church, moving many to tears and greeting every person in the signing line like a dear friend.
Cambridge Hosts West On October 23, more than 600 people attended an event at the First Parish in Cambridge, Mass. for Cornel West's 'Black Prophetic Fire' (Beacon Press). Pictured (l. to r.), West; Helene Atwan, director of Beacon Press; and Jeff Mayersohn, owner of Harvard Book Store, which sponsored the event.
Cornel West; Helene Atwan, director of Beacon Press;
and Jeff Mayersohn, owner of Harvard Book Store

Amy Poehler comes home
October 2014: Actress, comedian, and Burlington, Massachusetts, native Amy Poehler discusses her book Yes Please on stage in Boston with her high school English teacher, Kathy Dalton -- to an audience of devoted fans, Harvard Book Store customers, and Amy's local friends and family.


Radio Boston tapes in Harvard Book Store
December 2014: Our head buyer Rachel Cass and kids book buyer Liz Sher join Radio Boston's Anthony Brooks and local author Celeste Ng (author of the acclaimed Everything I Never Told You) for a discussion of the best books of the year -- and the best bookish gift ideas -- on the cusp of the holiday season.



Check out audio from the broadcast: "Giving The Gift Of Reading: 27 Books That Make Great Holiday Gifts."
. . . And we can't wait to see what 2015 brings!
That's just a fraction of what we'll be remembering from 2014 in years to come. (Who can forget our Ice Bucket Challenge -- or our events with Atul Gawande, Jill Lepore, Randall Munroe, Steven Pinker, Michael Pollan, Sarah Waters, and so many more renowned writers?) Tell us your favorite bookish moments of 2014 here.
Thank you for choosing Harvard Book Store.

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