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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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“If it's darkness
we're having, let it be extravagant.”
–
Jane Kenyon
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I have had, since I was young, a fascination with the storytelling tradition of Thousand and One Arabian Nights.
Part of this stems from my very name: Leila. It’s derived from the Arabic word for
night
, but the beauty of the Arabic language is that there is meaning in the shape of words themselves, and the way the letters reform themselves into my name renders it an adjective. Night-like, some might translate it. A woman like the night. As a professor of mine once said—night-ish. “1001 Arabian Nights” in Arabic is “alf leila w leila.” A thousand nights, plus one. (All nights in Arabic are, by default, Arabian.)
Beyond the allure of the prominence of my name in the title – and let’s just recall that this was a big deal for a kid whose name was
never
on those gift-rack tourist key chains – I loved Scheherazade’s bravery. The glimpses into a world far away from my own in both time, space and imagination had me rapt. The stories themselves—bawdy, magical, full of morals or anti-morals that felt just out of my grasp, populated by princesses and thieves and djinn and powerful artifacts—they felt like glittering jewels to rival Ali Baba’s hoard. Some are grotesque, violent, misogynistic in the telling, like many, if not all fairy tales. For a teenager? Heady stuff.
But the real allure, I think, is the frame. Not just the trope of the brilliant, brave storyteller, determined to save the girls of her kingdom, nor that of the wounded king, just looking for the right touch to heal. It’s the unraveling, the knowledge that after this one comes another, and another, and another. And that each of these stories is one thread in a narrative that shows you different, swirling images if you press your face close to see all the detail, or pull yourself back to see the entire pattern on the loom.
I feel a little like Scheherazade myself right now. Together, we put together this newsletter for you almost every night; these words come from all of us and many of our hands touch this newsletter, but I almost always give it a final read before we send it on its way. We’re telling a new story each night, and hoping, each night, that we’re getting closer to the time when we won’t need to weave the perfect tale to feel, for a moment, like we’re together again. We’re telling tales to pass the time until we reach the moment where we can just
be
together, again.
I would tell a thousand more stories over a thousand more nights, for you all--for my own sake, too. But I hope it will be many fewer until you can pick your own stories from our shelves.
Yours, Leila @ PSB
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Tomorrow night: Join our 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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Tonight was meant to be
a special evening. We were planning to gather - you, us, a few special guests - raise a glass, and remember a poet who's been a major source of inspiration and comfort for many of us: Jane Kenyon.
Published twenty-five years after her untimely death,
The Best Poems of Jane Kenyon
presents the essential work of one of America’s most cherished poets—celebrated for her tenacity, spirit, and grace. In their inquisitive explorations and direct language, Jane Kenyon’s poems disclose a quiet certainty in the natural world and a lifelong dialogue with her faith and her questioning of it.
As a crucial aspect of these beloved poems of companionship, she confronts her struggle with severe depression on its own stark terms. Selected by Kenyon’s husband, Donald Hall, just before his death in 2018,
The Best Poems of Jane Kenyon
collects work from across a life and career that will be, as she writes in one poem, “simply lasting.”
Jane Kenyon
is the author of
Otherwise: New and Selected Poems
and
A Hundred White Daffodils
. She lived with her husband, Donald Hall, in Wilmot, New Hampshire, until her death in 1995. We'd planned to honor her memory tonight with readings from Fred Marchant, Joyce Peseroff, and others. Instead, we'd like to offer you one of her poems:
Main Street: Tilton, New Hampshire
I waited in the car while he
went into the small old-fashioned grocery
for a wedge of cheddar.
Late summer, Friday afternoon.
A mother and child walked past
trading mock blows
with paper bags full of—what—
maybe new clothes for school.
They turned the corner by the laundromat,
and finally even the heel
of the girl’s rubber flip-flop
passed from sight.
Across the street a blue pick-up, noisy,
with some kind of home-made wooden
scaffolding in the bed, pulled
close to the curb. A man got out
and entered the bank. . . .
A woman sat
in the cab, dabbing her face
with a tissue. She might have been weeping,
but it was hot and still,
and maybe she wasn’t weeping at all.
Through time and space we came
to Main Street—three days before
Labor Day, 1984, 4:47 in the afternoon;
and then that moment passed, displaced
by others equally equivocal.
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Featured Staff Pick for Adults
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Wonderbook by Jeff VanderMeer
Trying to start that new sci-fi/fantasy novel during quarantine? Just looking for some inspiration to keep your spirits up? Do you enjoy reading snippets about storytelling from some of your favorite authors? How about creative and zany illustrations? This book's for you!--
Stacey
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Call Your Mother('s Day Bundle In)
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Yesterday, we broke the exciting news that we're now offering a variety of book bundles, with titles chosen by our ace booksellers! These included
Book Bundles for Kids
(pick one up for your own little one, or donate a bundle to a Somerville student!) and our
Josh Send You Three Paperbacks
package - comes with instant literary cred.
Now, we're pleased to add a new category to the list: Mother's Day bundles are now available! We've got bundles for cat-loving moms, dog-loving moms, moms who love cooking, political wonk moms - you name it. We're handling these a little differently: browse our site to see all your options, and then call us at
617-444-9929
where our friendly bookseller operator will take your order & payment info. Our phone line is open
1PM-5PM on Monday through Friday. Delivery will be free to addresses in Cambridge and Somerville. The deadline to order is May 2 so that we can get your mom her goodies on time!
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Digital Audio Books:
A terrific way to support local indies!
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Events are back, baby! Want to stay up to date on the full upcoming line up of virtual happenings? Make sure you're signed up for our events newsletter!
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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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Make your shopping easy by buying bundles, handpicked by our expert booksellers. We'll be adding more of these so stay tuned.
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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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Into the Multi-Read-Verse
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I don’t know about you, but I’ve been extremely distractible recently. My focus is shot—I can make it ten minutes, maybe, before I’m pulled in one direction or another. Gone are the days where I could pick up a book and lose myself in it for hours, resurfacing only for a snack break or when I’d reached the final page.
If you feel anything like me, you might be worrying about how to regain your reading mojo, to which I say A) don’t worry about it—it’s such a small worry to have in these trying times, but also B) embrace your inner multi-reader. If you’ve never read more than one book at a time, today is the day to give it a go. Switching focus between books is perfect for days when you want to be reading but can’t bring yourself to commit. I myself have ten (yes, ten!) books on my nightstand at this very moment. (That’s not a typo or a staged photo, it’s literally what was next to me when I started writing this note.)
What are you reading these days? What are you drawn to?
--Rebecca
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Why is it always the hardest to write when you actually have time?
I'm stuck at home, all plans canceled or moved remote. Yes, I have nigh-infinite access to streaming, but I stare at all the options and sigh because somehow none of them seem interesting. I keep finishing knitting projects and then having to find something new. I've even resorted to doing the dishes. Why can't I write?
The answer is actually pretty easy. It's really HARD right now. The world has changed. We're stressed out. It's hard enough to focus on getting out of bed, let alone stringing words together. And that's fine. Right here and now, I'm giving you complete permission to stop feeling guilty about not getting anything done. If the most creative energy you can muster is in figuring out whether the hole that's developed in your pajamas counts as "stylishly ripped," that's okay. Right now the most important thing is to take care of ourselves, and that means being kind to yourself. If even the idea of trying to write is too much to bear, skip the rest of this piece. Listen to your body. You're doing great.
But for me, and maybe for some of the rest of you, I know I feel better when I manage to push through and write. That creativity lights me on fire (metaphorically, don't worry!) and lets me be more engaged and energetic in all areas of my life.
Maybe you need a little encouragement. What I've been doing is giving myself a goal: 100 words a day.
It's not much. I'm already at twice that here. But it's better than 0 words, and it gets me started. Sometimes I struggle through to the hundredth word and then give up. Sometimes I make it in seconds and keep writing. Either way, I've written. I feel better for the rest of the day. I'm still stuck at home, but I'm happy.
Maybe 100 is still too intimidating. That's okay. See if you can do 50. Ten. One word. One letter. Every story is written one letter at a time, when you break it down far enough. Do it on your laptop between Netflix shows or on your phone while you're lying in bed or even in a notebook with an actual pen. Write an ongoing story, write about your feelings, just write "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" until you fill the page. It's all good. It's writing, and once you crack through your writer's block, the creative juice will start flowing.
If you don't believe in yourself, I'll believe in you for you. You can do it. --
Shana
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Last night Shana read from a favorite of theirs, Seanan McGuire's
Middlegame
!
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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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Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds with Ibram X. Kendi
Jason Reynold's "
Stamped
Jr" is a great resource for kids and adults who want to talk to kids about the systemic racism rooted in our country's history. Reynolds weaves together historical moments (some that students may have studied in other contexts, others totally new) in a way that connects them to a larger picture and to today. His playful asides make it feel far from textbook reading; perfect for at-home study. Highly recommend the audiobook from Libro.fm - you'll really feel like you're hanging out with Jason Reynolds in your living room! --
Leila
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We Want to Hear from You!
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When do you find yourself reading these days, when your time might be more unstructured??
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Before bedtime, to unwind
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With breakfast in the morning to start the day!
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I take breaks from work or other commitments to read for a bit.
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As soon as I'm done with my responsibilities for the day!
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I... are we not supposed to be reading all day in quarantine???
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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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