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 April 7. Other options: try  Indiebound.org  or  Bookshop.org - keep it indie!
Shelf Stable: March 30
“You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, who had ever been alive.”
 – James Baldwin
Hello friends,
 
I promise to end this on a high note, so hold in there.
 
This isn’t a great week for me. I’ve tried not thinking about it, tried writing something else for the newsletter, tried powering through, but sometimes it doesn’t work that way. This week marks the anniversary of me losing someone very close to me, so spending it holed up in isolation, where the quiet starts to scream in my mind is not ideal. It makes me tired. I’m tired of being far from friends and family, I’m tired of trying to spin things.
 
I’m tired.
 
This social distancing thing just magnifies what it feels like to have lost someone, taking that feeling of being robbed and sprinkling it through all the nooks and crannies of my life. 
 
But sometimes losing leads to finding. That’s what I found out when I lost my friend. She was a writer, and she was a reader, and those things were an important part of our friendship.  I love that I can still find her in books , whether it’s the books she was writing or the books she loved to read. Books are so, so important in that way. They bridge us to others in so many ways, whether it’s people we can’t talk to anymore or people we can’t see for the foreseeable future.
 
I think that’s an awfully nice silver lining. We might not have a lot of options as far as where we go and who we see right now, but then again, we have more options than we think. Find a book that will help you find a friend. It’s what I’ll be doing.
 
Here’s to keeping your favorite books closer than six feet,
Caleb @ PSB
Events We Missed
Stephanie Wrobel
Darling Rose Gold: Fiction

Tonight, we were meant to host  Stephanie Wrobel to discuss her debut novel,  Darling Rose Gold , in conversation with Mako Yoshikawa . It's been sad to cancel all these events, but there's something especially tough about canceling events for debut authors like Stephanie, who was planning to be here on book tour from the UK, where she now resides. And Stephanie studied at Emerson's MFA program, where she wrote Darling Rose Gold, so this would've been a bit of a homecoming for both author and book. We're really hoping Stephanie might be able to stop by when the paperback comes out, instead.

In her compulsive, sharply-drawn debut, Stephanie Wrobel peels back the layers of the most complicated of mother-daughter relationships.

For the first eighteen years of her life, Rose Gold Watts believed she was seriously ill. She was allergic to everything, used a wheelchair and practically lived at the hospital. Neighbors did all they could, holding fundraisers and offering shoulders to cry on, but no matter how many doctors, tests, or surgeries, no one could figure out what was wrong with Rose Gold.

Turns out her mom, Patty Watts, was just a really good liar.

After serving five years in prison, Patty gets out with nowhere to go and begs her daughter to take her in. The entire community is shocked when Rose Gold says yes.

Patty insists all she wants is to reconcile their differences. She says she's forgiven Rose Gold for turning her in and testifying against her. But Rose Gold knows her mother. Patty Watts always settles a score.

Unfortunately for Patty, Rose Gold is no longer her weak little darling... And she's waited such a long time for her mother to come home.

Hit the pause button on The Tiger King, and pick up Darling Rose Gold.
Featured Staff Pick for Adults
Night Boat to Tangier by Kevin Barry

Why spend time with the cement-headed thugs in this book? You will be pleasantly dazzled by how Mr. Barry can turn a phrase, and you may even care for the sorry blokes after this story leaves its imprint. 
- Molly
Last week, Bear dazzled you all with their work from home tips and tricks. But, Bear being the good sort, they worried this would make you think you must be working every moment of this quarantine. Thus, Bear wanted to demonstrate a good work-life balance (and their ability to strum a mean ukulele tune).
Bear feels that maintaining normal personal hygiene habits right now is important for their mental wellbeing. So here they are, squeaky clean after a shower.
Here’s Bear watering some of their indoor garden. They like to think they have a green thumb...er...paw.
Here’s Bear trying to tackle their TBR bookcase.
Maybe taking that "tackling" a little too literally...
And of course, Bear is prioritizing spending time with the people (and bears) they love, even if that means taking a different approach than usual. Here's Bear's Zoom call with Teddy and Francis. Even seeing their digital faces helps brighten Bear's day - hope this thread does the same for you!
Digital Audio Books:
A terrific way to support local indies!
Kids' Newsletter
For all the latest on events, new books, reviews, and more for young and young-at-heart readers.
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!
The Power of Preorders!
Preorders are a great way to support PSB while we're not able to actually be at the store for two reasons:
  1. They bring in income now while the store is closed.
  2. We can deal with them later!
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.
Need some inspiration?
Let's face it: as much as we all probably were hoping that we could use this hiatus from real life to put our noses to the grindstone and get a lot done, work-wise and personal project-wise, it's a lot easier said than done. If you're like this PSB bookseller, you're spending a lot of time sitting around thinking about all the things you could or should be doing, all while unable to actually move to do said thing. I've even found myself sitting with my finger earmarking a page of a book - but not able to open it! Strange times, indeed.

And compounding the stress that's making us less productive? We miss and worry about the people in our lives! We're Zooming and FaceTiming away; we've got family text chats running at all hours; we're monitoring social media like hawks. Yet it still feels so distant and intangible.

Well, here's my pitch for tackling both at once: let's start writing letters again. If you're like me, you have boxes of stationery you've never touched sitting somewhere, or at least a couple of envelopes around. ( You can even order some boxed notes from our warehouse! ) It's something profoundly different from all other modes of communication, holding something in your hands that someone who loves you wrote specially for you. Especially if it's handwritten. These days, you might not even know the handwriting of some of your friends. Learning the slash of their Y's and the way they curve their S's feels like getting to know a side of them you missed.

The recipient isn't the only one benefiting, though. We may be talking about our anxieties and worries and daily routines with the people we live with or connect with virtually; writing them is a different beast. I've found it a struggle to figure out where to start and how to frame how social distancing and isolation, fear and self-comforting have become a part of daily routine. When I picked up a pen to write about it to a friend, though? It was easy to dive in. I wasn't writing about the way I was feeling, I was writing to someone I know. Someone who'd forgive me jumping around from topic to topic, mood to mood; who'd celebrate small victories and not judge me for the mingled panic/guilt I'd felt about going to the grocery store - somewhere both very ordinary and very terrifying, that brave workers are manning every day for us to have this privilege to mostly stay safe at home.

And finally, you are adding primary source material to a living historical moment. Who knows--your letters might be found many years from now as our descendants study this strange blip in human history. Put your words in an envelope and send them to a friend. You might be surprised how this connects you to something much larger. - Leila
More PSB Cribs!
Check out Meaghan's collection! And let's all give Meaghan a round of applause for finally saving her video, so that we can share it with all you good folks. Hooray, Meaghan!!
Bedtime Story: Winnie the Pooh
Oh, bother! Kate and her dulcet tones are back to bring you an adorably ursine tale--j ust watch out for Woozles. Don't forget to tune in live at 8:45pm on weeknights on our Instagram story for more bedtime storytelling!
Support Cafe Zing baristas!
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?

They're our family, and they could use a hand. If you are able, please considering donating to the Cafe Zing GoFundMe; 100% of proceeds go to baristas. What might you have spent at Zing over the past weeks if it we were in normal times? If that $10 is still in your wallet, consider putting it in their tip jar. We love you, Zing!
Featured Staff Pick For Kids
The Oracle Code by Marieke Nijkamp, illustrated by Manuel Preitano Rin Chupeco

Barbara has to tackle challenges ranging from making friends to chasing ghosts, all while resentfully getting used to life in a wheelchair. A story that both warms and wrenches the heart about one of the most prominent disabled superheroes in comics.-- Shana
We want to hear from you!
Got a great Porter Square Books story? A favorite memory, purchase, interaction you'd like to share? We'd love to hear them! Send us a paragraph and let us know if you're OK with us sharing. We'll try not to cry!
Audio Book Of The Month
Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore

" Oona Out of Order is a work of fiction that genuinely encouraged me to reflect upon my own mortality and the trajectory of my life. Oona wakes up on her birthday every year in a different part of her life. The difficulty this imposes is fascinating. Pop culture and music is ever-present, as Oona is a musician and chapter titles are taken from song titles or lyrics. What would it be to live your life out of order? To instinctively want to second guess and redo what you saw as failures? At the heart, Oona Out of Order is about mastering the art of living in the moment and it is a terribly fun romp."
-Rachel, Avid Bookshop
See you next time here at Shelf Stable!
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
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25 White St. Cambridge, MA 02140
617-491-2220