Dear Readers,

First of all THANK YOU for celebrating Independent Bookstore Day with us last weekend! It was great fun to see the store full of life and we so appreciate the love and support you continue to show by forgoing the easy one-click option and shopping local at Barrett.

In weather news, take one look around town and you'll see that Spring has sprung in more ways than one. It's undoubtedly true that as the mercury rises and the sun shines longer each day, life feels more manageable. And after months squirreled away in our homes, we are finally being given the green light to gather safely. Some of us are hugging parents without fear. Others are opening their homes to friends again. Human contact feels a bit less fraught. So while this week's Friday Five is all about hitting the open road, we understand if you prefer to hang out at home for a bit longer, basking in the joy of being with the ones you love. And no, we've not lost it; we are sending this newsletter on Thursday. Just a quirk in the schedule (if you want to save the Friday Five until tomorrow for leisurely perusal, we won't hold it against you).

If you are planning to take to the road and children factor into your plans, make sure you scroll all the way down to the bottom of the newsletter to learn more about the fantastic Outdoor School series, perfect for a stroll in the neighborhood or a
cross-country trip.


Be well.
Featured Event
Gina Hamadey: I Just Want to Thank You
TONIGHT Thursday, April 29
8PM
Barrett Bookstore and Make-Modern are thrilled to welcome author Gina Hamadey for a special book + crafting event to celebrate the release of her new book, I Want to Thank You: How a Year of Gratitude Can Bring Joy and meaning in a Disconnected World. Attendees will hear from Hamadey about:

  • How Writing Notes to Neighbors Can Solidify Your Place in the Community.

  • How Writing “Remember When?” Postcards Reestablishes Bonds and Heals Wounds.

  • How Writing Letters to the Village Can Make for a Happier Parent.

  • How Writing Notes to Healers Can Help You Appreciate Life.

  • How Writing Notes to People Who’ve Enhanced Your Life Can Enhance Theirs.

In addition to hearing from Hamadey, Make-Modern lettering expert Robin Gilbert (@pensandneedlesrg) will lead you through a few exercises to improve your handwriting and discuss how to choose the best pen + paper for your correspondence. In addition, Make-Modern has put together a beautiful kit including Robin's favorite selections: a Rhodia dotted tablet along with four German + Japanese writing pens from fountain to fine tips. This set offers an opportunity to discover which pen is most comfortable for your letter writing. Everything is packaged in a Make-Modern 100% cotton bag and includes Robin's custom hand lettering guide featuring different alphabet styles. 
Friday Five
Our homes have taken a serious beating over the past year, as outlined in minute detail by New York Times Books Editor Pamela Paul. This extended pandemic-induced staycation has many thinking about when we can get out of our homes and back onto the open road. Before we proceed, I should be clear: the below books are *not* idealized versions full of hazy summer road trips, relaxed and wondrous in their pace. This is an eclectic mix of staff-approved narratives, common in theme but diverse in approach.

We kick off with a timely pick: Nomadland. The film adaptation of Jessica Bruder's book swept the admittedly odd (though charming in parts - Youn Yuh-jung delightful ribbing of Mr. Brad Pitt?? Amazing.) Oscars for good reason. The book is a deeply researched piece of investigative journalism that highlights the struggles that so many itinerant American's face as they drive from one locale to the next in search of sustainable employment. If you haven't yet seen the movie, how about doing the book-before-movie thing and then, as Frances McDormand suggests, seeing the visually stunning film on the biggest screen possible.

Next up, Lost Children Archive. The story centers around a blended family whose intensely close quarters during a road trip create a fissure in the structure of their familial unit. Immigration and border issues loom large; Luiselli introduces complex situations and refuses to give pat answers resulting in a meaningfully sticky read. The skill with which the children are sketched is tremendous. A magnificent feat of writing.

The Memory of Running is the first of Sheila's two picks for this category. I'd never read it nor admittedly heard about this novel so over the weekend I downloaded it from our friends at Libro.fm. The deceptively light tone of the narrator (note: this is not a frothy read) kept me company as I engaged in a different sort of road odyssey, that of racing between sports fields (the art of which I lost a bit of skill during months of lockdown). The narrator, an overweight alcoholic deep in the throes of grief, impulsively sets off on a cross-country journey via bicycle. Author Ron McLarty was not only an author but also an actor and prolific audiobook narrator, evident in the joyous recitation of the audio version of this book.

Our beloved owner also recommends The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving. Ben is doing everything he can to avoid signing the divorce papers his wife is attempting to serve while trying to put his life back together after the tragic death of his children. He lands a job as a caregiver for Trevor, a young man struggling with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and along the way agrees to accompany Trevor on a road trip to see his estranged father. Short chapters, snappy banter, and hitchhikers picked up along the way result in a fast-paced read that deftly deals with heavy emotional content.

Finally, the latest from master storyteller Chang-rae Lee, My Year Abroad: a sweeping narrative about a young man who leaps from his small suburban New Jersey life into the midst of an international get-rich-quick scheme in Shenzhen, China. There are cars, there are planes, there are automobiles, there are legs that run as fast as they can. Leaping to and fro between disparate locations is the frame on which the narrative hangs. It's great fun, if a bit unsettling to be along for the ride.
New on the Shelf: Fiction
New on the Shelf: Nonfiction
Featured: Children's Picture Book
Hello World! is a beautiful picture book that celebrates the people in our lives and the meaningful connections we make; it is the perfect reminder that the journeys we take through life are all about the people we will meet along the way. Not only do we adore this book, we're also counting the days until we are in conversation with Kelly and creator/host of the WYNC podcast Death, Sex, and Money, Anna Sale - sign up in the link below!
New on the Shelf: Outdoor School
Get ready to re-wild your life with the OUTDOOR SCHOOL series: interactive, definitive skill-building books for exploring the world! Great for elementary and middle school students.