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Open for Shipped Orders!
Our physical store is closed, but you can still get many books shipped to you directly from our warehouse. Here's how:
1. Only order titles with an inventory status of "Available at the Warehouse"
2. Select the "
UPS/USPS Ground Shipping"
option
3. Pay with a credit card
We are happy to fulfill other orders, but will not be able to process them until at least May 4. Other options: try
Indiebound.org
or
Bookshop.org
- keep it indie!
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“I can survive well enough on my own – if given the proper reading material.” –
Sarah J. Maas
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To Binge or Not to Binge
The other day a friend of mine told me she had become addicted to Cheez-It crackers; particularly the Extra Toasty variety. She said she had a case of them delivered and was eating her way through it; plus she found some at Walgreens and Target so she bought their entire stock. Why Cheez-It I asked? She claims they comfort her when she’s stressed. They’re salty, crunchy and calming to her. However, she thinks there might be some secret, and addicting, ingredient in them. But she doesn’t care. She’s blithely Cheez-Iting her way through the crisis.
On the other hand, I’m not that fond of Cheez-It, but having newly acquired Netflix I decided to binge watch
The Crown
– I watched all three seasons in a matter of days. The first two series starred Emmy winner Claire Foy and I loved her characterization of Queen Elizabeth II from young princess to her elevation to the throne. Her performance was understated, subtle and discreet. The third series stars Oscar winner Olivia Coleman, who is wonderful, but all too often stares quietly into space, or out of a window, looking trapped.
What I came to realize – I know this is a work of what they call “real” fiction – is how hard Queen Elizabeth II works! Every day she’s handed those bloody red boxes full of state secrets that she must digest and often comment upon. Not only does she have her official duties, but she was saddled with a petulant husband, who she made a Royal Highness in order to make him feel important. Her late sister Princess Margaret Rose, was a handful – falling in love with a once-married man, drinking, smoking, hanging out with “Bohemians”…not at all veddy proper indeed. Plus, both her Uncle David (Edward VIII) and Prince Philip’s uncle, Lord Mountbatten had both entertained the idea of an overthrow. Yikes!
For me this was a most enlightening, and less fattening, binge and I plan to buy a few books (check out our website for titles) and read more about this remarkable woman, who just recently rallied her nation with a warm and encouraging speech.
Cheerio, Nathan @ PSB
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Don't miss our next virtual event!
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Jennifer Finney Boylan
with Jodi Picoult
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Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs: Memoir
We are so excited to present our event for Jennifer Finney Boylan's new memoir
Good Boy
in
virtual form
,
taking place on
Friday, April 24th at 7pm, right on your computer screen.
And Jennifer will be joined in conversation by no less than
Jodi Picoult!!
From bestselling author of
She’s Not There
,
New York Times
opinion columnist, and human rights activist Jennifer Finney Boylan,
Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs
, is a memoir of the transformative power of loving dogs.
Good Boy
is a universal account of a remarkable story: showing how a young boy became a middle-aged woman—accompanied at seven crucial moments of growth and transformation by seven memorable dogs. “Everything I know about love,” she writes, “I learned from dogs.” Their love enables us to pull off what seem like impossible feats: to find our way home when we are lost, to live our lives with humor and courage, and above all, to best become our true selves.
Professor
Jennifer Finney Boylan,
author of more than a dozen books, is the inaugural Anna Quindlen Writer in Residence at Barnard College of Columbia University. Her column “Men & Women” appears on the op/ed page of the
New York Times
on alternate Wednesdays. She serves on the Board of Trustees of PEN America. From 2011 to 2018 she served on the Board of Directors of GLAAD and also provided counsel for the TV series
Transparent
and
I Am Cait
. Her 2003 memoir,
She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders
was the first bestselling work by a transgender American. A novelist, memoirist, and short story writer, she is also a nationally known advocate for human rights. She lives in New York City, and in Belgrade Lakes, Maine, with her wife, Deedie. They have a son, Sean and a daughter, Zai.
Jodi Picoult
is the #1 bestselling author of twenty-five novels including
My Sister's Keeper
,
Nineteen Minutes
,
The Storyteller
,
Leaving Time
, the acclaimed #1 bestseller,
Small Great Things
, which explored the issues of power, privilege and race, and has sold more than 1.5 million copies. Picoult's most recent novel,
A SPARK OF LIGHT
., published on October 2, 2018, was her tenth consecutive instant #1 New York Times bestseller, and was praised as “Picoult at her fearless best” by the
Washington Post.
This event is free (although if you love us and want to support more virtual programming, you can contribute a few dollars!) and hosted on Crowdcast. Register at the link below!
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Today, we were meant to host Sue Monk Kidd for her newest novel,
The Book of Longings.
We've been Sue Monk Kidd fans since forever, so we were especially disappointed to have to cancel this one. The good news is - we're still partnering with Sue, virtually! We're joining her
virtual book club
, running through the month of May. You can read along with Sue and a host of other booksellers guests! Learn more in the video below.
"I am Ana. I was the wife of Jesus." So begins the new novel from the number one
New York Times
bestselling author of
The Secret Life of Bees
and
The Invention of Wings
, an extraordinary story set in the first century about a woman who finds her voice and her destiny in a time of great despair and great hope.
In her mesmerizing fourth work of fiction, Sue Monk Kidd takes an audacious approach to history and brings her acclaimed narrative gifts to imagine the story of a young woman named Ana. Grounded in meticulous research and written with a reverential approach to Jesus's life that focuses on his humanity,
The Book of Longings
is an inspiring, unforgettable account of one woman's bold struggle to realize the passion and potential inside her, while living in a time, place and culture devised to silence her.
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Featured Staff Pick for Adults
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If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha
Frances Cha's debut is completely transporting. Featuring four women who live in the same building in Seoul, it's a glimpse into four very different lives intertwining as each faces the challenges and expectations of social and economic hierarchy in modern Korean culture. Fascinating and vivid.
--Leila
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We've been parted from one of our closest friends, Bear, for far too long. In an effort to close the distance and keep Bear apprised of our doings, the team sent our most heartfelt missives.
PSBTV is proud to present the epic 5-part documentary mini-series event of the Spring, "Letters to Bear." If you need a smile, we're pretty sure these will do the trick.
Letters to Bear, Episode the Fifth: Caleb Rolls to the Outpost
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Digital Audio Books:
A terrific way to support local indies!
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For all the latest on events, new books, reviews, and more for young and young-at-heart readers.
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Virtual Bookseller
Looking to get some good book recommendations, personalized
just for you?
Check out our Virtual Bookseller! Just fill out the form with your likes and dislikes, genres and favorites, and we'll crowdsource a bunch of great picks for you with our crack team of
real life
booksellers. Give it a whirl!
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Preorders are a great way to support PSB while we're not able to actually be at the store for two reasons:
- They bring in income now while the store is closed.
- We can deal with them later!
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You can see all of the books from the future we're excited about here.
But you can preorder more than just what we're excited for. Any book with an inventory status (who knew you'd have to get to know our online inventory statuses so well) of "Coming Soon--Available for Pre-Order Now" or "On the Horizon--Available for Pre-Order Now," is, uh, available for preorder now.
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Miss one of our bedtime stories? Or one of the tours of our libraries in the epic YouTube series PSB: Cribs? Good news! We've made playlists on YouTube so you can catch up on all of them.
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Are you missing out on our recommendations, pining for our Staff Pick display?? Our April crop of staff picks is now live on our website! We'll feature titles throughout the month, but you can browse the full list at the link below. As ever, all staff picks are 20% off - so go crazy!
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Speaking of our good friend Bear -- all those horoscope reading suggestions got them thinking! They gazed into their crystal ball, pondered the night sky and charted the position of the planets, all to bring you .. Bearoscopes!
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Now seems like the right time to revisit the coloring book craze of a few years ago. Many of our gift and card makers are stepping up with free, printable coloring pages. Here are a few of our favorites.
Head over to
Badge Bomb
’s website for more stay home themed coloring pages, Coronavirus reward stickers, and activity sheets from their group of artists including Gemma Correll.
You can download a
seven page coloring book
from Kikkerland featuring drawings of some of their most iconic products, including the Solar Queen (Happy 94th birthday to Queen Elizabeth II!)
From Rifle Paper Co, you'll find
printable greeting cards
in Rifle’s signature floral style to color and send to loved ones.
This one isn’t free, but for $6 you can buy and download a highly detailed
National Parks coloring book
complete with prompts and questions you can explore with the kids to learn more about our national parks.
Happy coloring! --
Katie
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There are plenty of creative things you can do or make on your own during self-isolation. But what about those of us with hobbies that, you know, require interacting with other people?
I’m talking directly to you, theatre kids™. Look, despite the stereotypes of cozy, highbrow introvert versus raucous, spotlight-loving extrovert, I know there’s actually a significant overlap between book people and theatre people. I’m one of them. And as much as I love reading and analyzing playscripts, there’s something so different about speaking the words aloud--and having another human being respond to you. You can find so much more in the text when it becomes a conversation.
My friends and I have had a really great time doing scene readings over Zoom or Hangouts. Shakespeare is always a big hit, with meaty lines, bawdy jokes, and plenty to discuss afterward. We’ve been using the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s database of scenes, which you can sort by play or number of characters. If you want a paper copy, I suggest the Arden Third Series.
Here’s their paperback edition of Shakespeare’s complete works
.
My voice teacher has been doing a thirty-day song challenge, choosing a song and recording a new video every day. You don’t have to film yourself--you can sing to yourself, in the privacy of your own shower, or just listen to a song that fits the theme every day.
And check out the Porter Square Books twitter account tomorrow, where I’ll be tweeting out book recommendations to go with your favorite musical! --
Kate
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And of course, don't forget to meet us over at our Instagram story at 8:45pm for tonight's live bedtime reading!
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Support Cafe Zing baristas!
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Although Cafe Zing is its own business separate from ours, we really don't see it that way: Zing workers are part of the Porter Square Books family. They keep us well supplied - very well supplied - with caffeine, kindness, and some great tunes. Sometimes they give us staff picks; sometimes we give them exact change because we've bought the same, perfect, comforting, delicious beverage twice a day five days a week for how long, now?
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Featured Staff Pick For Kids
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The Deceivers by Kristen Simmons
Private academy for teenage con artists! What's not to love? Fast-paced, fun, diverting, and there's a sequel once you've finished this one! --
Rebecca
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We Want to Hear from You!
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What's the ultimate crime against books?
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Writing, highlighting, underlining on the very sacred pages!! Why!
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Dog-eared pages. Go get a bookmark!
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Leaving a book face down and open. Are there chiropractors for book spines??
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Borrowing a book and never returning it!!!!!!!
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The only great crime against a book is leaving it unread.
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Deacon King Kong by James McBride
“Deacon King Kong is a quintessential New York story. Set in the Brooklyn projects in 1969, a perpetually inebriated deacon called Sportcoat aims a gun at the neighborhood’s main drug dealer in the public plaza and pulls the trigger. Incredibly well-constructed and hilarious at times, McBride’s story entwines a number of storylines that are kickstarted by this central event. The local Italian gangster, the veteran cop, the meddling churchgoers, and the drug pushers all have their own agendas, hopes, and dreams that are affected. And though Sportcoat doesn’t remember his actions and is always under the influence of gut-rot moonshine, I couldn’t help but root for him as I was reading this. His delightful ineptitude and absence of clarity made this book impossible for me to put down. If you’ve never read McBride before, this is a great introduction.”
--Stuart McCommon, Novel.
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See you next time here at Shelf Stable!
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We'll get out our next issue as soon as we can. In the meantime, don't forget about all the other places you can catch up with us from afar, on
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube
:
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25 White St. Cambridge, MA 02140
617-491-2220
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