"Books are lighthouses erected in the great sea of time."
—
E.P. Whipple
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Read our reopen procedures and policies!
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Thanks to all our friends who've visited so far - it's been wonderful to see everyone's face (well, the top half above the mask anyway) and we're so grateful to everyone who has been so respectful of our policies!
In-Store Shopping Hours, Starting
Tuesday, July 14:
Tuesday-Friday: 3PM-7PM
Saturday: 10AM-2PM, with 10AM-12PM set aside for vulnerable customers
We really appreciate your support.
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Join our next virtual events!
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Alaya Dawn Johnson with Kate Elliott
Trouble the Saints,
Monday, July 27th at 7PM
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Porter Square Books is delighted to present Alaya Dawn Johnson, author of the new novel
Trouble the Saints
, in conversation with Kate Elliott! This virtual event is hosted on Crowdcast, and is free and open to all.
The dangerous magic of
The Night Circus meets the powerful historical exploration of
The Underground Railroad in Alaya Dawn Johnson's timely and unsettling novel, set against the darkly glamorous backdrop of New York City, where an assassin falls in love and tries to change her fate at the dawn of World War II.
Amid the whir of city life, a young woman from Harlem is drawn into the glittering underworld of Manhattan, where she’s hired to use her knives to strike fear among its most dangerous denizens. Ten years later, Phyllis LeBlanc has given up everything—not just her own past, and Dev, the man she loved, but even her own dreams. Still, the ghosts from her past are always by her side—and history has appeared on her doorstep to threaten the people she keeps in her heart. And so Phyllis will have to make a harrowing choice, before it’s too late—is there ever enough blood in the world to wash clean generations of injustice?
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**Were you looking forward to last week's event with J. Courtney Sullivan and Joanna Rakoff for
Friends and Strangers
? Us, too! Unfortunately, we had some technical difficulties with our host platform - our first in all these months, and we're so sorry about it. The good news is that it's rescheduled for Thursday, July 30 - all the details
can be found here
!**
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Want to show your love of Porter Square Books? Order your very own Porter Square Books T-shirt!
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Visit your friends at Cafe Zing!
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Did you know our beloved Cafe Zing is open for customers? Now you know!
Open Wednesday-Saturday, 8am-2pm!
See you and your extra-shot, biggest-size-you-have iced latte at the cafe.
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Old Hollywood: From Page to Screen
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Hollywood Goes to War: The Civil War
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It’s often, and wrongly, said that 1939’s
Gone With the Wind
was one of the only movies ever made about the American Civil War. Since the beginning of moviemaking Hollywood found this war a fascinating topic for the silver screen and GWTW was just one of many such movies.
There were dozens of early Hollywood films that explored the American Civil War – all were silent. Three of the most important:
The House with Closed Shutters
(1910) and
In Border States
(1910) were produced by the Biograph Company and directed by famed director D.W. Griffith. In 1911 he directed
The Battle
, shot in Fort Lee, New Jersey; all three were original short films and are available to screen at the Library of Congress.
The most famous of Griffith’s Civil War dramas was
The Birth of a Nation
(1915) based on the book,
The Clansman
by Thomas Dixon, Jr. This film has been called, “the most controversial film ever made in the United States.” Its depiction of African-Americans was beyond despicable and it portrayed the KKK in a positive light, which unfortunately inspired its rebirth. Thousands protested this film in Boston and across the nation.
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The General
starring Buster Keaton was a 1926 silent comedy adapted from the memoir
The Great Locomotive Chase
by William Pittenger. The film received negative reviews, but has been reevaluated and is now seen an important Keaton movie.
The 1930’s saw a few Civil War pictures which stood out:
The Littlest Rebel
(1935), a drama starring Shirley Temple, adapted from the play by Edward Peple and
The Littlest Colonel
(1935) based on the novel (1895) by Annie Fellows Johnston. Both films showcased the sheer genius of Bill Robinson and Shirley Temple. Louisa May Alcott’s
Little Women
(1868) takes place during the Civil War, where Mr. March is serving as an Army chaplain. Katharine Hepburn and Joan Bennett starred in the 1933 M-G-M version. Interesting trivia: This novel has been adapted into seven films starting in 1917 and the latest being 2019.
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Dark Command
, a 1940 Western that takes place during the Civil War, was based on the novel (1938) by W. R. Burnett. Directed by Raoul Walsh, this film paired western icons John Wayne and Roy Rogers for the first and only time. The incandescent Claire Trevor co-starred. Famed director Michael Curtiz directed
Virginia City
in 1940, an original screenplay by Robert Buckner. This movie, about a Union soldier who escapes from a Confederate prison, starred Errol Flynn, Miriam Hopkins and Humphrey Bogart.
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Author Stephen Crane’s (1871-1900) vivid novel
The Red Badge of Courage
(1895) was adapted and directed by John Huston in 1951. Starring Medal of Honor winner Audie Murphy, the film was originally two hours, but oddly cut to a short 69 minutes guaranteeing bad reviews and limited box-office.
Friendly Persuasion
was a 1945 novel by Jessamyn West. The 1956 film was adapted by Michael Wilson and starred Gary Cooper, Dorothy McGuire and Anthony Perkins.
Jules Verne’s 1874 novel
The Mysterious Island
(
L’ile mystérieuse)
was adapted as a film in 1961 and shot in Spain and the UK. Based on the Southern Gothic novel
The Painted Devil
(1966),
Beguiled
was produced and directed by Don Siegel and starred Clint Eastwood in 1971. The 54
th
Massachusetts Infantry Regiment got the movie treatment in 1989. The film was based on the books
Lay This Laurel
(1973) by Lincoln Kirstein and
One Gallant Rush (
1965) by Peter Burchard, as well as from the personal letters of Colonel Shaw. Denzel Washington won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar and the Golden Globe for his riveting performance.
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Described as an epic war film
Gettysburg
was a 1993 movie based on author Michael Shaara’s 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning novel,
The Killer Angels
. Originally shot as a TV mini-series, this film had a theatrical release clocking over 254 minutes long. Charles Frazier’s bestselling novel
Cold Mountain
(1997) was adapted and directed by Anthony Minghella in 2003. Starring Jude Law, Nicole Kidman and winning her first Oscar, Renée Zellweger. Interesting trivia: the majority of the film was shot in Romania.
In 2012 Daniel Day-Lewis took on the role of Abraham Lincoln in Stephen Spielberg’s film
Lincoln
. Based on Doris Kearns Goodwin’s 2005 biography
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
, the movie was nominated for 12 Oscars and 7 Golden Globes. Day-Lewis won his third Best Actor Oscar. He is the only male actor to win three Best Actor Oscars in Hollywood history. Interesting trivia: In 2004 Day-Lewis was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to drama.
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I have never advocated war except as a means of peace.
Ulysses S. Grant.
--
Nathan
Next Up: Hollywood Goes to War, Part II – World War I
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Liya is a fiercely independent and successful engineer who is happily single and completely resistant to her parents' attempts to set her up. So when she realizes that the dinner they invited her to is actually a set-up with an eligible bachelor, she walks out—only to find out that she has to work side-by-side with the guy two days later when her company brings him in as a consultant. As the two spend more time together, chemistry starts to develop and they both start to fall for each other—but will their pasts come back to ruin things for them? Beyond their romance, the friendships and family relationships are nuanced and well developed, as is the vibrant and complex Texan desi community that the characters are immersed in. This is a funny, heartstring-tugging, banter-filled enemies-to-lovers romance that has a delicious slow burn and completely worth it pay-off at the end.
Perfect for fans of
The Kiss Quotient
or
Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors
.
--
April
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We want to hear from you!
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We're gearing up for a new look - on our website! What do you like least about our website now?
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The search function is hard to use.
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Those online orders sure get confusing.
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Where are the events again?
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It's hard to use on my phone!
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Porter Square Books is proud to partner with the
Prison Book Program to help provide access to books to people in prison. Order any title off this wish list and select the "Curbside Pick Up" shipping option and we'll give to the Prison Book Program to distribute.
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Antiracism Books: A Place to Start
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Mini Illustration Giveaway!
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The wonderful authors/illustrators
Ruth Chan
and
Elisha Cooper
organized #kidlitartsurprise. Through their efforts, we have received gorgeous mini illustrations (originals) by several illustrators who wanted to help support indie bookstores right now.
For every order with a hardcover kids picture book, you will receive one mini illustration chosen at random -- they're all lovely! You can get an original by one of the following awesome creators:
You don't have to get a book illustrated by one of the contributors, though they'd surely appreciate it (several have new books! Each name above is linked to the illustrator's work on our website). Check out some of the awesome illustrations below:
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A Burning
by Megha Majumdar, featuring a cast of readers
For readers of Tommy Orange, Yaa Gyasi, and Jhumpa Lahiri, an electrifying debut novel about three unforgettable characters who seek to rise--to the middle class, to political power, to fame in the movies--and find their lives entangled in the wake of a catastrophe in contemporary India.
“Majumdar’s suspenseful narrative holds a mirror up to society at large, reflecting the lies people tell themselves to rationalize sacrificing morality for personal gain. Unintended consequences from an impulsive social media post explode against a backdrop of deep economic insecurities and centuries-old prejudices. A searing debut, this novel is timely and timeless. It packs a punch way above its weight. Brilliant.”
--
Lisa Johnson, Penguin Bookshop
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Digital Audio Books:
A terrific way to support local indies!
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Want book recommendations, personalized
just for you?
Fill out our 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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Our 'get 3 paperbacks' bundle options have expanded to include Caleb, Meaghan, and Shana! Get 3 paperbacks handpicked by the bookseller that fit in with their theme. You can find all bundles.
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EXPANDED OPTIONS:
Journals, Stationery & Crafts
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Sometimes a new notebook is what it takes to get the juices flowing!
We have now made a much wider variety of notebooks, journals, and even calendars available for order from our website,
like this classic Moleskin
. Now, along with items with an inventory status of "On Our Shelves Now," you can order journals, notebooks, diaries, calendars, planners, and more with an inventory status of "Available at Warehouses."
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Face Masks
Face coverings are going to be with us for a while, so
we’re now offering non-medical grade cloth masks (including kid size) from a variety of makers. Right now quantities are limited, but additional styles are on the way. We’ll keep you posted!
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Book Bundle Offerings
Make your shopping easy by buying bundles, handpicked by our expert booksellers!
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We saw this tweet circulating recently, and we cosign! There's lots of great material to dig into. Why not start with Daisy Ridley reading a picture book about BB8 to you??
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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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They're here! Check out our bookseller's favorite books this month, and enjoy that sweet, sweet discount.
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We Ride Upon Sticks is one of my favorite releases of 2020 so far! Quan Berry’s characters are wonderful and real and she absolutely nails the dynamics of high school sports. Though the focus of winning a championship is one many of us can relate to, the thread of supernatural suspense holding this together kept me turning the pages faster than you can say Emilio Estevez!
--
Caleb
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A delightfully sassy historical look at Black hair culture, its racialization and colonization, and a call to free the locks.
--Stacey
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See you next time here at Shelf Stable!
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Did you miss an installment, or want to share with a friend? The Shelf Stable Archive has all our past issues!
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And don't forget to subscribe to our Events Newsletter for the full line up of events coming up, and our Kids Newsletter for
all the latest on events, new books, reviews, and more for young and young-at-heart readers.
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Looking for other ways to keep up with us? Check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube:
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25 White St. Cambridge, MA 02140
617-491-2220
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