It has been amazing having you back in the shop, seeing you browse the shelves, and welcoming little ones back into the kids room!

We are thankful to everyone for helping us keep our commitment to your young readers' health by continuing to mask up. It's been great seeing you and hearing your stories again — it's been nothing short of heartwarming.

One of our favorite things about the end of the year are all the fabulous year-end book lists! We're adding ours to the mix. This was a fantastic year for books. With many 2020 publication dates pushed to 2021 it was a crowded field, so your friendly neighborhood booksellers have done our best to sift through the stacks and recommend the can't miss titles.

Finally, for those of you curious about what your neighbors are reading, we've included our best selling books of the year. We are beyond proud to see so many local authors on this list - including River Bend favorites Megan Collins, Sam Taylor, Kat Chow and Deborah Freedman! Also of note, poet Amanda Gorman was a knock-out at the Inauguration, and all three of her 2021 books made our bestsellers list. Come pick up your copies today - we still have plenty of books in stock at the shop.

Thank you and welcome back.