September 2023 | Rooted in Community | |
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.
Period Power, Maisie Hill, $20
We'll have Dr. Jill O'Brien here on Wednesday, September 20, for an event/conversation surrounding the book Period Power, so of course we're featuring it here. Period Power is all about that mythical, infamous, sometimes wretched 28(ish)-day cycle that is the menstrual cycle. The book is simultaneously filled with educational info while remaining super accessible, offering practical advice on how to work with your cycle on a daily basis. Definitely join us for this event! (note: this is not an author event)
Salt Crystals, Cristina Bendek, $15.95
During August, we featured Women in Translation, building our collection of books by women from around the world not written in English. Salt Crystals is one of those such books, and as a bonus, it was translated by a poet (Robin Myers). In my experience, poets tend to translate according to rhythm and mood over linguistic rule, so couple that with the fact that this book is set on the tiny, isolated Caribbean island of San Andres (geographically closer to Nicaragua but actually part of Columbia), and you get a solid Midwestern armchair escape.
The World Saved by Kids, Elsa Morante, $24.50
Originally published in Italian in 1968, this book remains wildly relevant and experimental. Described once as "a political manifesto written with the grace of a fairy tale," this book reads like a modern epic poem, which may sound daunting, but once you get into it, it has the effect of climbing inside a song, and as you continue, it takes on the scope and shape of a full album. It'll exercise your reading muscle, but without strain. Like swimming.
American Prometheus, Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, $25.00
Since this is the summer of the Barbie/Oppenheimer blockbusters (shout out to the Rivoli for their Barbie extravaganza through most of August), we figured we'd balance by stocking the tome that inspired Oppenheimer. Exhaustively researched down to incredible detail, this biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer could easily carry you from September to Christmas, an extensive deep dive into this infamous, controversial physicist's life.
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Meet our growing Pearl Street Books Team
- Beth
- Rachel
- Sara
- Maya
- Bella
- Kazuya
- Cindy
- Sophie
- Amy
- Margy
- Ollie
- Henry
- Fiona
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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).
We have two new booktenders to introduce this month--Sophie and Cindy, so we'll have them introduce themselves, and then we'll get down to the business of talking about what we can't get enough of: books.
Hi I'm Sophie! I have always loved reading, and Pearl Street Books has been a favorite place to find great books for the longest time. I will be going to UW-L this year to study, and I am so excited to be working at the bookstore!
Hi, I’m Cindy and I am excited to be a part of the dynamic Pearl Street Books team, sharing the love of reading and community connections in the region! In June, I retired after 18 years as a children’s and teen librarian in the school district and bring this love of books and life-long learning to a new adventure. I read a variety of genres and challenge myself to read beyond my favorite (character-driven realistic fiction). My favorite book so far this year is Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin - great characters and one that adults and young adults can enjoy.
When I am not reading I enjoy being outside - gardening, hiking, experiencing new places, and beekeeping. I also enjoy playing card and board games and spending time with friends and family.
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Image of Sophie standing by wooden staircase in Pearl Street Books. | |  |
Image of Cindy standing outside in front of Pearl Street Books. | | |
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How to Resist Amazon and Why is a bestselling book by Danny Caine, owner of Raven Books in Lawrence, Kansas. If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend it. This well-researched book covers the history of the impact of box stores on independent stores. Specifically, he also dives deep into how Amazon chose a ruthless strategy to discount some items, like books, so drastically that authors, publishers and even Amazon would lose money. Danny also spells out a clear path to resistance in a world where independent businesses and consumers are struggling. I found the book inspiring and pragmatic.
Quite honestly, it also motivated me to use my small business owner voice in this world where corporate giants are winning big. I plan to talk more about this here in the future. For now, though, there is one thing you can do to help small businesses. Pay with cash or check when you can. This small act of resistance may seem just that - small. However, it is HUGE. Credit card fees eat up between one and two days of revenue each month. The fancier your card, the higher the fee put on us from credit card companies.
Unlike some businesses, I don't plan to pass these fees on to you/patrons. Instead, I will continue to educate, encourage and pass out a Werther's candy as a reward for cash because, well, it is worth it to us.
Remember:
Cash or check is best.
Apple pay and debit is good.
Regular credit cards are okay.
Fancy cards are welcome but they come at a huge cost to us.
Most importantly, thank you for choosing to buy your books at Pearl Street Books! Your money will stay local and we really do appreciate seeing you at our store!
~Beth
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Customer Corner: Zach
Greetings! My name is Zach and I’ve lived in La Crosse since 2020. I’m composing this while at Fenway Park (3-0 Sox in the bottom of the 3rd), I’m a huge baseball fan. I’m also wearing a shirt covered in birds, so all of my personality traits are fully represented. I’m also trying, and mostly failing to learn German.
My favorite part of Pearl Street Books is the suitcase full of works in translation. I always make sure to give it a glance when I’m in the store, and inevitably, something will catch my eye.
I’m currently reading Prom Mom by Laura Lippman. Lippman is one of my favorite authors in one of my favorite genres, mystery. Her more recent work has evolved to expand on the whodunnit formula to create some inventive and unpredictable thrillers. Before Prom Mom I read Old God’s Time by Sebastian Barry. It’s also a “mystery” but does not play by the genre’s rules, but rather spins a reflective tale of vengeance and the tolls of justice.
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