"Some books are so familiar that reading them is like being home again."
—
Louisa May Alcott
|
|
A few months ago, I had a discussion with a friend about books that take place where we grew up, or in places that feel like home. He’s from the west of Ireland, and was telling me about how well Sally Rooney captured a Dublin timestamp in
Conversations with Friends
and the experience of secondary school in West Ireland in
Normal People
. And I didn’t have an analog. I grew up on the North Shore in Beverly, which means I essentially also grew up in Salem and Danvers; I went to high school in Peabody; and spent a lot of time in Gloucester and Rockport. These places are home and I had never come across books set in these places, or at least not ones that piqued my interest. But I wanted to know what that was like.
I tend to read for escapism; I’m not always interested in stories about people whose lives are like mine. I’m already living that, so I’m more intrigued by stories outside of my sphere. (This is at least part of why I read a lot of sci-fi and fantasy.) At the same time, any time I have read books set in Boston, the setting becomes more of a distraction. I am extra vigilant to see if the author got it right, and authors point out street names and landmarks to excess, as if you say “Look! I did my homework!” I’m uncertain whether this is a thing people writing about other cities also do, but doesn’t stand out much to me, or if it’s something about Boston.
Since having this conversation, two books that take place even closer to home have fallen into my lap. The first is
The Line Tender
by Kate Allen, about a girl who tries to continue her shark expert mother’s work after her death, set in Rockport and Gloucester. The other is
We Ride Upon Sticks
by Quan Barry (currently Caleb’s staff pick!), about the 1989 Danvers High School girl lacrosse team and their brush with witchcraft. (In one chapter, the team plays against my high school. I may have gasped very loudly when Josh showed me the chapter title.) I haven’t read either yet, so I can’t report whether either got the setting right, or if my familiarity with these places was immersive or distracting. I’m going to the beach in Gloucester this weekend (there will be masks and safe distances) and decided it was finally time to crack open
The Line Tender
, reading about a place I love while I’m sitting in it. And I’m hoping it will provide a different kind of escapism, a jump back to the time before the pandemic, in a setting that will feel even more tangible because I’m intimately familiar with it.
--
Meaghan
|
|
|
Read our reopen procedures and policies!
|
|
It's been almost a full first week of being partially reopened - 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 and made this week (almost) easy!
As a reminder, tomorrow, Saturday, 10am-12pm is reserved for vulnerable shoppers! If you have concerns about visiting the store with the general public, this is a great time to come visit. We are asking folks to please use their discretion about coming in at this time - we won't be quizzing you on why you're vulnerable as we know it's personal! If you aren't a part of the vulnerable population (or a caregiver to someone in this population) we ask you to please plan to visit after 12pm to allow these customers the safest experience possible.
In-Store Shopping Hours, Starting
Tuesday, July 14:
Tuesday-Friday: 3PM-7PM
Saturday: 10AM-2PM, with 10AM-12PM set aside for vulnerable customers
|
|
Join our next virtual events!
|
|
Lindsay Ellis with Caitlin Doughty [Ticketed!]
Axiom's End,
Thursday, July 23th at 7PM
|
|
Porter Square Books is delighted to present a virtual talk with Lindsay Ellis, author of the highly-anticipated debut novel
Axiom's End
, in conversation with the world's coolest mortician, Caitlin Doughty (
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
)!
This event takes place on Crowdcast, and is ticketed. Your ticket includes entry to the virtual event as well as a signed copy of
Axiom's End
shipped directly to your home! (Psst - there's a coupon code to remove the shipping charge if you're local!)
The alternate history first contact adventure Axiom's End is an extraordinary debut from Hugo finalist and video essayist Lindsay Ellis. It’s fall 2007. A well-timed leak has revealed that the US government might have engaged in first contact. Cora Sabino is doing everything she can to avoid the whole mess, since the force driving the controversy is her whistleblower father. Cora neither knows nor cares whether her father’s leaks are a hoax, and wants nothing to do with him—until she learns just how deeply entrenched her family is in the cover-up, and that an extraterrestrial presence has been on Earth for decades. Realizing the extent to which both she and the public have been lied to, she sets out to gather as much information as she can, and finds that the best way for her to uncover the truth is not as a whistleblower, but as an intermediary—the first and only human vessel of communication. Their otherworldly connection will change everything she thought she knew about being human—and could unleash a force more sinister than she ever imagined.
|
|
**Were you looking forward to our scheduled event with J. Courtney Sullivan and Joanna Rakoff last night 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 we're working to reschedule it now, so stay tuned!**
|
|
|
|
Want to show your love of Porter Square Books? Order your very own Porter Square Books T-shirt!
|
|
|
Visit your friends at Cafe Zing!
|
|
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.
|
|
Old Hollywood: From Page to Screen
|
|
Prolific and profitable, Hollywood has found Stephen King a gold mine of material to transfer from page to screen. Many of his works have been adapted for television, but this exploration will concentrate on his books and short stories shot as feature films.
One of the first of King’s books to be adapted to film was
Carrie
, his 1974 epistolary novel of the same name. Produced by United Artists and directed by Brian De Palma in 1976 it was a critical and box office success; its star Sissy Spacek was Oscar nominated. An unnecessary remake was produced in 2013 to negative reviews.
|
|
|
In 1980 acclaimed director Stanley Kubrick directed
The Shining
, based on King’s bestselling novel. Jack Nicholson starred. Interesting trivia: Robert De Niro, Robin Williams and Harrison Ford were considered for the role of Jack Torrance. In 1982 Warner Brothers produced
Creepshow
, with screenplay by Stephen King. The same year the novel
Cujo
(1981) was released. In 1983 the thriller,
The Dead Zone
, (1979 novel) directed by David Cronenberg, opened to good reviews. A TV version was produced in 2002. Christopher Walken starred and received stellar reviews.
Christine
(1983) was released the same year as the novel and was directed by famed director John Carpenter with author Bill Phillips writing the screenplay.
|
|
Other novels and short stories adapted into film in the 1980’s include:
Children of the Corn
(1977 short story) and
Firestarter
(1980 novel) in 1984;
Silver Bullet
(1983 novella) produced in 1985;
Pet Sematary
(1983 novel) adapted and released in 1989. In 1986 director Rob Reiner’s coming of age film,
Stand By Me
, produced King’s 1982 novella called
The Wolf
. Oscar and Golden Globe nominated, this film was a financial and critical success.
Kathy Bates won her Oscar for
Misery
in 1990 adapted from King’s 1987 psychological thriller. Also starring James Caan and Lauren Bacall. Interesting trivia: this is the only film based on a Stephen King work that has won an Oscar. Produced in 1994, the prison movie
The Shawshank Redemption
(1982 novel) was released by Columbia Pictures to steller reviews. The title of the book was:
Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption.
Based on the novel (1992) of the same name
Dolores Claiborne
was released in 1995.
Time Magazine
hailed it as one of the ten greatest Stephen King adaptations.
The Green Mile
(1996 novel), described as a fantasy crime drama, opened in 1999 with Tom Hanks and with screenplay by Frank Darabont.
|
|
More and more adaptations will be produced in the future. For many fans there are a lot of new productions to look forward to:
The Boogeyman
(1973 short story and part of a 1978 collection called
Night Shift
);
The Dark Half
(1989 novel) is a remake of a film first produced in 1993 and directed by famed director George Romero. After decades fan favorite,
The Talisman
(1984 novel with Peter Straub) is finally being made into a film. The allegorical
The Tommyknockers
(1987 novel), first made into a TV mini-series in 1993 will soon hit the big screen.
Maine’s writer hero Stephen King has sold more 400 million copies of his many novels and short stories and there have been dozens of adaptations and remakes of his work into film. As has often been said: Read the book, then see the movie.
Check out our titles here.
--
Nathan
Next Up: Hollywood Goes to War, Part I – the Civil War
|
|
|
|
I recently saw an Instagram tutorial where an influencer made a dress (or a picnic muumuu as she called it) in about twenty minutes. Boy, am I envious! I don’t own a sewing machine, let alone know how to operate one. I barely know how to handle a regular old needle and thread. But I love a good dress, and a fun pattern, and that picnic muumuu looks perfect for hot summer days! Maybe someday I’ll learn how to read a pattern or follow a video. In the meantime I can daydream about patterns I’d make and wear. These books all have dresses and projects I’m drooling over:
Additionally, this spring I purchased one of John’s staff picks,
Make and Mend
, in an effort to try mending some jeans. I feel like this book is a great intro to hand sewing and getting comfortable with patterns.
--
Heather
|
|
We want to hear from you!
|
|
|
We're gearing up for a new look - on our website, that is! What features would you like to see?
|
|
More ways to browse and discover new books - interactive displays by genre, etc!
|
|
|
|
|
Less "stuff" - keep it streamlined, please, and just make sure it's easy to use.
|
|
|
|
|
I don't know, but it better work on my phone!
|
|
|
|
|
Noooooooo, keep it the same!! It's CLASSIC!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
Antiracism Books: A Place to Start
|
|
Mini Illustration Giveaway!
|
|
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:
|
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
 |
Digital Audio Books:
A terrific way to support local indies!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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!
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
EXPANDED OPTIONS:
Journals, Stationery & Crafts
|
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."
|
|
|
|
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!
|
Book Bundle Offerings
Make your shopping easy by buying bundles, handpicked by our expert booksellers!
|
|
|
|
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 here! Check out our bookseller's favorite books this month, and enjoy that sweet, sweet discount.
|
|
|
All Ida Mae Jones wants to do is fly--but her dream seems impossible until the United States enters World War II. In order to join the new women's pilot program, Ida decides to "pass" as white. But things never turn out exactly as hoped... Perfect for readers looking for a new angle on a well-covered historical period.
--Rebecca
|
|
|
|
The kind of romance that befriends you right away – perfect for reading cover-to-cover in a sun patch. Bonus: you can
buy the audiobook on Libro.fm
to have one more thing in common with sweet Zafir, a former rugby player with general anxiety and a love of romances-on-tape.
--Leila
|
|
|
|
See you next time here at Shelf Stable!
|
|
Did you miss an installment, or want to share with a friend? The Shelf Stable Archive has all our past issues!
|
|
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.
|
|
Looking for other ways to keep up with us? Check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube:
|
|
25 White St. Cambridge, MA 02140
617-491-2220
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
