Happy May Day from Pearl Street Books!

May 2023 | Rooted in Community

Bits from Beth

Happy May Day! May 1st represents the half way point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. It serves to connect us with nature, our mother earth, and the solar system beyond us. It also signals the start of the growing season for those of us who live in the Midwest USA. Further, it reminds us to pay tribute to historical labor movements and to pause to celebrate workers around the world. And it falls just after we, in the Independent bookstore world, celebrate Indie Bookstore Day (the last Saturday of April each year). I note this connection, because you will surely find books representing all of the topics associated with the many May Day traditions within the walls of the independent bookstore nearest you. In fact, this is an important reason why we exist and need to continue to exist.

At Pearl Street Books, we aim to curate books that are important to our community, region, and world and not just the books that make a mainstream best selling list. We aim to amplify voices and topics that may otherwise not be heard. We identify our book choices with the help of readers like you. So please feel free to communicate to me what you wish you would see more of on our shelves - specific books/authors or just general observations.

We have grown a few sections of our store since last year based on what we heard from readers like you. Specifically, you will find more books about the intersection of race, gender, and class with climate change issues and injustice. You will also find more books on social critics and current events (including a peace path section). And we have expanded our poetry, science fiction (Sci-fi), climate fiction (Cli-fi) as well as horror (as if our nonfiction climate books are not scary enough) sections. We look forward to developing more sections as our roots grow stronger and deeper within our community.

May your May be filled with lots of growth! Happy Reading! ~ Beth

Tsundoku

Tsundoku is Japanese for the act of acquiring reading materials and letting them pile up in one’s home. We thought it a perfect heading for this section, as we’ll feature books that are new or popular in the store. If you’re like us, tsundoku is a constant state of being.

Poverty, by America, Matthew Desmond, $28.00

The latest book by the Pulitzer-prize winning author of Evicted, Poverty, by America posits that poverty persists because of how it benefits the whole. Desmond, a sociology professor at Princeton, elegantly argues this thesis throughout the text while also offering solutions, calling for all Americans to be "poverty abolitionists."

Screaming on the Inside, Jessica Grose, $28.99

Subtitled The Unsustainability of American Motherhood, this book is a blend of personal experience, research, interviews, and reportage as Grose explores the hardships and impossible standards of modern-day motherhood. A solid read for this month of celebrating mothers.

Old Babes in the Wood, Margaret Atwood, $30.00

The latest story collection from a living legend. Here are fifteen new stories with Atwood's classic combo of sharp tongue/sharp mind. The collection--folkloric, warped, and witchy--is divided into three sub-sections; the second one titled "My Evil Mother." Just a little acerbic Atwood wink.

The Language of Trees, Katie Holten, $29.95

Published in April, The Language of Trees is part art book and part essay compilation, including works by Winona LaDuke, Zadie Smith, Radiohead, Ursula Le Guin, and Jorge Luis Borges, to name a few. Holten created a tree alphabet to accompany the text--her personal take on the rewilding concept. A feast of a book, and a final Mother's Day nod to Mother Earth.

Ask a Booktender

Our goal for this section is to have a regular dialogue amongst our booksellers (booktenders, if you will) and our customers. Feel free to send us a message via email, Facebook, or Instagram asking about books, genres, plots, characters, anything (within reason).

I'm new to the bookstore, my name is Sara. I've only been here for a month and my "to read" queue has quadrupled! When I'm not at the bookstore, I'm probably silversmithing, gardening or enjoying the outdoors. I'm passionate about backpacking and conservation and have a degree in land and resource management which has fueled my obsession for environmental issues and books. I've spent the last 5-6 years working seasonal positions for WisCorps and Mt. La Crosse. In 2021, in took a summer off to hike 2,653 miles across the US on the Pacific Crest Trail!

I grew up loving older dense fantasy, such as the Belgariad series by David Eddings and any Tolkien books I could get my hands on. I still love fantasy but also enjoy books on poetry, music, personal growth, magical realism, and philosophical fiction. One of my favorite recent reads is World of Wonders by poet and essayist Aimee Nezhukumatathil. I'm excited to branch out and read more genres that I am not as familiar with so please don't hesitate to make recommendations. I look forward to helping continue to cultivate community through books!

Image: Sara, our newest team member holding World of Wonders.

Monthly Pearl

Featuring our Community

Here’s our chance to play Mr. Rogers and be a good neighbor. This month we're featuring the Rivoli Theatre and Pizzeria.

Under new ownership as of last summer, we love the changes Jonathan, Clara, and Philip (all siblings) have brought to the movie scene in La Crosse. They've really sharpened the mix of classic, cult, and new feature flicks, and it's a true delight to check out their monthly calendar of shows.

Since films and literature often go hand in hand, we've carried the book versions of several of their featured films, and they've put our name in lights! You can look for our new promos on the big screen over the next few weeks, so grab some popcorn and enjoy a show in a truly unique movie house.

[Below image of counter displaying movie posters at The Rivoli Theatre and Pizzeria in La Crosse, WI.]

Customer Corner: Ollie and Henry (brothers)

Who am I:

My name is Ollie. I am in 8th grade at Longfellow Middle school. I am really into soccer and Marvel.

My name is Henry, I am a sixth grader at Longfellow Middle School, and I volunteer at Pearl Street Books on the weekend. I like playing soccer with my brothers and am a Chicago sports fan.

My favorite part of Pearl Street Books:

Ollie: My favorite part of the bookstore is the children’s section, more specifically the graphic novels and comics.

Henry: My favorite part of the bookstore is the comic section. I also love the children's fantasy novels section.

Book I would recommend:

Ollie: One of my book recommendations would be the Hunger Games. It is such an exciting, high energy, fast paced book. I really loved it, and the others in the series.

Henry: A book series I highly recommend is Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson because it's full of humor.

[Below image of Ollie and Henry standing with their family of readers at Pearl Street Books.]