On Wednesday, November 16, Next Chapter Booksellers will be hosting a 6:00pm reading to celebrate the release of the thirteenth volume of the Saint Paul Almanac, entitled A Path to Each Other! We've gathered a TON of contributors to read their pieces from this wonderful anthology, and then we'll mingle!

"A Path to Each Other is a beautiful and formidable collection. It is a love letter to memories, places, and people who make possible our collective understanding of belonging. The voices in this book speak their truths in these tumultuous times, declaring the value of their words, holding safe the pieces of our world."

– Kao Kalia Yang, author of The Latehomecomers: A Hmong Family Memoir, The Song Poet, and Somewhere in the Unknown World

Joe and Hank say... Shop Early, Shop Local! Starting your holiday shopping now is the best way to support Next Chapter Booksellers and make sure you get the books you want for the people you love! Preordering upcoming titles is also a great help to us!

For your holiday shopping convenience, we will be staying open until 6pm on weekdays, starting November 1st. We'll continue to open at 10am on weekdays, and our weekend hours will remain unchanged (10am-5pm on Saturday; 12pm-5pm on Sunday).

Stop by the store today, browse our website, or call us at 651-225-8989. We'd love to suggest a book for that relative that's got you stumped, or order an out-of-stock title for you at no additional charge. We also offer free gift-wrapping!

The Passenger – Cormac McCarthy

In 1980s Mississippi, coast guard Bobby Western discovers a sunken jet, with nine bodies still buckled in their seats. Missing from the crash site are the pilot’s flight bag, the plane’s black box, and the tenth passenger. A collateral witness to machinations that can only bring him harm, Western is shadowed in body and spirit—by men with badges; by the ghost of his father, inventor of the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima; and by his sister, the love and ruin of his soul. Traversing the American South, from New Orleans to the Florida coast, The Passenger is a breathtaking novel of morality and science, the legacy of sin, and the madness that is human consciousness.

Inciting Joy – Ross Gay

In these gorgeously written and timely pieces, prize-winning poet and author Ross Gay considers the joy we incite when we care for each other, especially during life’s inevitable hardships. Throughout, he explores how we can practice recognizing that connection, and also, crucially, how we expand it. In “We Kin” he considers the garden as a laboratory of mutual aid; “Share Your Bucket” explores skateboarding’s reclamation of public space; and in “Through My Tears I Saw,” he recognizes what was healed in caring for his father as he was dying. In an era when divisive voices take up so much air space, Inciting Joy offers a vital alternative: what might be possible if we turn our attention to what brings us together, to what we love?

Go-To Dinners: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook –  Ina Garten

Cooking night after night during the pandemic, Ina was inspired to her to re-think the way she approached dinner. Now, she shares her strategies for making satisfying, uncomplicated meals. Many, like Overnight Mac & Cheese, you can make ahead and throw in the oven right before dinner. Dinners like Tuscan White Bean Soup can be prepped ahead and assembled at the last minute. You'll also learn to turn leftovers from one dinner into something different and delicious the second night. These recipes will give you the confidence to create dinners that bring everyone to your table.

The Song of the Cell – Siddhartha Mukherjee

From the author of The Emperor of All Maladies, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, comes an exploration of medicine and our radical ability to manipulate cells. Rich with revelatory and exhilarating stories of scientists, doctors, and the patients whose lives may be saved by their work, The Song of the Cell is the third book in this extraordinary writer’s exploration of what it means to be human. Mukherjee tells the story of how scientists discovered cells, began to understand them, and are now using that knowledge to create new humans. Told in six parts, laced with Mukherjee’s own experience as a researcher, a doctor, and a prolific reader, The Song of the Cell is both panoramic and intimate.

And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle – Jon Meacham

Hated and hailed, Abraham Lincoln was at the pinnacle of American power when secessionists gave no quarter in a clash of visions bound up with money, race, identity, and faith. In him we can see the possibilities and limitations of the presidency. This book tells his story from his birth on the Kentucky frontier to his tragic assassination: his rise, self-education, loves, bouts of depression, political failures, deepening faith, and persistent conviction that slavery must end. Lincoln’s story illustrates the ways and means of politics in a democracy, the roots and durability of racism, and the capacity of conscience to shape events.

The Light We Carry – Michelle Obama

Drawing from her experiences as a mother, daughter, spouse, and First Lady, Michelle Obama shares the habits she has developed to successfully adapt to change and overcome obstacles. She details practices like “starting kind,” “going high,” and assembling a “kitchen table” of trusted friends. With humor, candor, and compassion, she also explores issues connected to race and gender, encouraging readers to work through fear, find strength in community, and live with boldness. A rewarding blend of powerful stories and profound advice that will ignite conversation, The Light We Carry inspires readers to examine their own lives, identify their sources of gladness, and connect meaningfully in a turbulent world.

Learning about your health doesn’t have to read like a colonoscopy (informative, but difficult to sit through without sedation). Staying healthy is serious business, but it doesn’t have to be boring. This must-read guide provides actionable advice, so you can stop worrying about your health, do something about it, and get on with your life. You’ll learn how to eat right, address your risks for heart disease, exercise effectively, manage your weight, reduce stress, deal with back pain, avoid the three cancers that men commonly develop, know if your T levels are right, and handle getting older­ – not unscathed, but with a sense of control and dignity. Think of it as the ultimate checklist for your next checkup.

Dr. Craig Bowron, MD, FACP, is a practicing physician and a board-certified internist. He works with first-year medical students at the University of Minnesota Medical School and trains resident physicians at the Internal Medicine Residency Program of Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. His writing has appeared in the pages of Forbes, Slate, Washington Post, Huffington Post, Minnesota Monthly, and MinnPost. A member of the Association of Health Care Journalists and a fellow of the American College of Physicians, Dr. Bowron lives in St. Paul, Minnesota. Kerri Miller is host of MPR News with Kerri Miller and Talking Volumes. She was the political reporter for KARE 11 television in Minneapolis-St. Paul before coming to MPR in 2004.

Sinister Graves — Marcie Rendon

Join us to celebrate the third book in Marcie Rendon’s Cash Blackbear series, which follows the titular 19-year-old Ojibwe woman as she helps her guardian Sheriff Wheaton in his investigations. A snowmelt has sent floodwaters down to the fields of the Red River Valley, dragging the body of an unidentified Native woman into the town of Ada. The only evidence recovered from the body is a torn hymnal written in English and Ojibwe. Cash's search for justice for this victim takes her to the White Earth Reservation, a place she once called home, where she is pulled into the lives of a malevolent pastor and his troubled wife. Marcie Rendon is an enrolled member of the White Earth Nation; an author, playwright, poet, and community arts activist; and a speaker on Native issues, leadership, and writing. Her second novel in the Cash Blackbear mystery series, Girl Gone Missing, was nominated for the Sue Grafton Memorial Award. Rendon was recognized as a 50 over 50 Change-maker by the Minneapolis AARP and Pollen in 2018. She lives in Minneapolis.

“This month we celebrate a sliver of the contribution Asian women make to the literary community of the region,” says Stan Kusunoki, co-host/curator of the Literary Bridges reading series. “I hope this reading will encourage readers and writers to take a deeper dive into the diverse Asian community that enriches Twin Cites.” The roster will include Lia Rivamonte, Wang Ping, Npaus Baim, and Minna Zhou.

NCB Manga Club: Look Back

Come to NCB at 5pm on the second Saturday of every month to talk manga with other weebs! Hosted by our resident manga experts Emily and Graham (yours truly), the Manga Club provides free Japanese snacks, a 10% discount on ALL manga in the store, and most importantly, a forum to discuss a new title every month. For the wistful late fall, we're discussing an artist's manifesto in manga form, a standalone story by modern manga master (and Chainsaw Man creator) Tatsuki Fujimoto. Look Back is a perfect little cup of tea: rich, sweet, complex, and just a little bitter. If you've ever had complicated feelings about art, mourned a lost friendship, or shared a dream, don't miss this month!

The Bloater –  Rosemary Tonks

Reckless and raunchy, with razor-sharp wit! "Why do the only men I know carry wet umbrellas and say 'Umm?' Quick: the first bookshop for a copy of the Kama-Sutra." We're out of stock, though we can order it -- I think you should buy The Bloater instead.

-Emily

A study of six-week-old puppies found that 80% of them were able to interpret a human's pointing finger as a signal of where to look for a hidden treat. Since puppies at this age have been only minimally exposed to people, this indicates that the ability to follow a pointed finger is inherited. This is true more generally as well: dogs' incredible comprehension of human body language seems to be genetic.

The Year of the Puppy: How Dogs Become Themselves, by Alexandra Horowitz

She could see the grain of the wood. She closed her eyes and opened them again. She was lying on the living room floor. What was she doing on the floor? She patted her apron pocket for her list, but it wasn't there. [...] She felt hungry and went back to the kitchen. A sign on the faucet said Right to turn on, left to turn off; another sign to one side said Left, and to the other side another sign said Right. The milk was out, on the stove, and the sign on the milk said Keep in the refrigerator. There was a list a little farther on, but it wasn't her list, the list of important things. This list said You need to put the bag of milk into a bowl so the milk doesn't spill. She wasn't sure she still wanted any milk, so she stopped reading and threw the list int0 the trash. Then she heard a rumbling sound behind her. Quiet but still perceptible to Lola, who was alert and knew her space. She heard it again, this time coming from the ceiling, and again, much closer, surrounding her entirely. It came and went like a rough, deep snore, like the breathing of a large animal inside the house. She looked at the ceiling and the walls; she peered out the window. Then she spoke aloud, reminded herself that she had already heard that sound and that it was delaying her more and more in what she had to do. She told herself she couldn't allow any more distractions. What was it she had to do?

-Samanta Schweblin, "Breath from the Depths" (collected in Seven Empty Houses)

Have you seen our ad in The Villager?

Once more, thank you so much to everyone who voted in this one. We got more votes than usual and I really appreciate all of your help!! Thanks to you, it seems we can reconsider whether we want to be running ads in The Villager, ha ha ha. I know it's a little lame to use this fun little poll to conduct something as soulless as "market research"... But for what it's worth, we're a very small, shoe-strings operation (with a near-nil advertising budget) so this sort of feedback is invaluable to us.

Now for this week's poll! Click on "Select" to choose your answer! The results will be in the next newsletter. And our question is: