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!
Shelf Stable: April 19
“… the kind of novel that, once you're done, you may go visit while wandering though a bookstore and touch on the binding, just to remember the emotions you felt while reading it.” – Aimee Bender
In 1999 when I was a junior in college, I was majoring in Spanish and doing a horrible job of it. That same year, Steven Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower came out, and my life was never the same. But Spanish. Somehow I convinced myself that studying Spanish, French, and Russian all at the same time was somehow a good idea. Spoiler alert: it was not. That February when I found myself buried in Spanish-language short stories, learning the conjugations of every French verb ever, and trying to figure out the Cyrillic alphabet, I stumbled across The Perks of Being a Wallflower . It had just come out that Tuesday, and my local indie bookstore (the venerable Village Books in Bellingham, Washington) had multiple copies faced out on the shelf. I bought it for the cove. When I got home that night, rather than working on my Spanish homework, I read Perks . When I finished, I started over and read it again. And when I finished it that time, I read it a third time.

Long story short, I failed Spanish.

But the very next term, I changed my major to English and I’ve never looked back.

To that end, I thought now might be a good time to share some of my all-time favorite books—the ones that I re-read over and over again. The ones where you just say, screw life, I’ve got a book to read, and you disappear into the pages. I’m often asked what I look for in a book (I also work in publishing), and my go-to response is to recall the movie The Neverending Story . Here’s the trailer for ol’ times’ sake. In it, the lead character Bastian skips his classes and secrets himself away in the school attic to read a book. That’s the kind of book we’re talking about here.

What are some of your favorite books to re-read?

Here’s my list.

·        Ender’s Game
·        The Neverending Story
·        The Book Thief
·        Maniac Magee
·        Frindle

-Carter @ PSB
Don't miss our next virtual event!
PSB Pets Recommend

We're staffed by some pretty savvy readers who make great recommendations. Sometimes, though, even we have to outsource it to the experts. Just chalk it up to their animal instincts.
Need some inspiration?
Like many of us, I have been spending more time on social media than ever, and while sometimes I tell myself I need to get off my phone and read, I’m also just letting myself have that time when I need it. My particular social media of choice tends to be Instagram, in part because for the last few years I have been very involved in what people call “bookstagram,” which is—you guessed it—a corner of Instagram devoted primarily to pictures of books. Right now, I’m finding a lot of joy in bookstagram because I like that it’s full of pretty pictures of books—my favorite thing! And full of people who want to talk about books with me! I may not be able to be in the bookstore talking about books right now, but I’m enjoying getting to talk to people online about them. 

If you want more pretty pictures of books in your life, and a little interruption from constant news, head over to Instagram and search #bookstagram, #books, or any genres that you like (#yabooks, #kidlit, #romancenovels are all ones I like). You can also look up some of your favorite authors—one of my favorites, Maggie Stiefvater, has been posting rewritten segments of her books where she replaces parts of the texts with COVID-19 advice, and they’re pretty wonderful (you can look up #sociallydistancedravenboys for all the posts). I hope that you find some pictures of books in your life or find the chance to talk about books today. -- April
Bedtime Stories
Due to some technical difficulties, we weren't able to capture video of Kate's live reading from Beatrix Potter's The Tailor of Gloucester last night. You had to be there!

Speaking of storytimes you'll want to schedule your calendar around - starting tomorrow, PBS Kids & Penguin Random House are hosting Mondays with Michelle, where our beloved First Lady will be reading some of her favorite children's books. You can tune in on PBS Kid's Facebook page   or YouTube channe l. She'll be there reading live every Monday at noon for the next four weeks!
And of course, don't forget to meet us over at our Instagram story at 8:45pm for tonight's live bedtime reading!
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
My Friend Earth by Patricia MacLachlan and Francesca Sanna

With its tender, lyrical text, gorgeous illustrations, and fun die-cut windows on each page, this book is the perfect reminder that the earth keeps turning and spring will come again. Send it as an Earth Day present to someone you love, or pick it up for yourself and let it transport you to prairies, mountains, forests, and oceans. -- Kate
We Want to Hear from You!
What aesthetic touches on a book will make you swoon?
Deckled edged, spray painted - I love it when the pages themselves have flair.
Nothing like a leatherbound tome!
Metallic cover touches--all that glitters, you know?
An unexpected size - very small or extra large - always catches my eye.
A gorgeous illustrated jacket - books are art!
I thought we weren't supposed to be judging books by their covers?!
Audio Book Of The Month
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.
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
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