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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!
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“Let there be a good supply of books and food to last the year, and let me not waver nor sway with the hope of each uncertain hour.” –
Horace
*
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Amidst the countless quiet hours of recent days, I have returned to visit an old and ancient friend, the great lyric poet of ancient Rome: Horace. A more welcome companion to me now than he was in my school days, when another old poem spelled only more glum monotony through which we would feel ourselves compelled to wade, his voice now offers solace, his words a kind understanding.
Nearing the end of the eighteenth letter of his first book of
Epistles
, I came upon the lines quoted above. The letter was nominally addressed to his friend Lollius, a sort of protégé, instructing him in the art of winning a patron to which he could successfully attach himself, as Horace himself had done. The letter itself reads like a kind of 1
st
-century-BC
How to Win Friends and Influence People
for well-mannered parasites. Still, after due instruction on the habits that will best set Lollius upon his chosen course, there arrive these lines of exceeding beauty. Living alone in his quiet village by its icy stream, Horace asks his friend:
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"What do you think I feel? For what do you think I pray? I pray for what I now have, or even less, and to live out what days are left to me, if the gods will that any remain. Let there be books and food for the year, and let me not despair, however uncertain all that surrounds me. But it is enough to pray to Jove, who gives, and who takes away: may he give me life, and may he give me means; a calm and equal mind I shall fashion for myself."
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Best known to many for a phrase still known to almost all, “
carpe diem
,” these words give voice to a profound way of experiencing the world, one that is mostly forgotten because it is so hard to remember. This philosophy tells us that it is possible to find, if not happiness, then at least calm even amidst uncertainty and despair. To find steadiness, no longer tossed about by the winds of chance. Meet the day with a level mind, victim neither to your hopes nor fears. Be of good faith. Take this day as it comes, greet it kindly, and don’t count on any more. Then leave all else to whatever powers may be.
Listening to his words now in my own time, I am still afraid. I am afraid of losing those I love, and of being left without them. I grieve for those I have lost. I fear for my future, the coming years suddenly made so much less certain. I am terrified of a thousand other things, truly, and I long for ten thousand more. And yet I have a good supply of books and food to last the year – the most recent delivery my mother and I have just now unpacked and dutifully disinfected – and Horace tells me to place my feet solidly upon the ground, steady against this uncertain and doubtful storm.
I will try.
James @ PSB
* For those who might still recall their high-school Latin:
sit bona librorum et provisae frugis in annum
copia, neu fluitem dubiae spe pendulus horae.
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Once Upon a Simpler Time..
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Abby Wambach & Glennon Doyle
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Are we the only ones getting nostalgic over past adventures? Just a year ago (April 10th, 2019) we gathered with
850 of you
to hear from the hyper-talented Abby Wambach and her equally brilliant wife Glennon Doyle. We haven't even seen 8 people in the past week, let alone 850!
It was truly an event for the books; Abby's an incredible inspiration for all who aspire to be leaders and especially for young women. And Glennon is as hilarious as she is wise! A few special highlights from the evening included Abby breaking down successful team dynamics; hearing Abby and Glennon discuss their co-parenting strategies; Abby's epic call out of her friend and former teammate Kristine Lilly in the audience; Glennon's stance on 'labels' and her position that everything from sexuality to spiritually is a spectrum in flux. And Glennon's shoes! It was the kind of evening where you leave with your cheeks hurting from smiling for the full hour.
We're so grateful to have these memories and we can't wait until we can create more with you all. In the meantime, if you missed the event or want to revisit these memories, may we suggest checking out Abby's book
Wolfpack
, or sending Glennon Doyle's new book
Untamed
to the strong woman in your life? Trust us, you will be glad you did!
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Featured Staff Pick for Adults
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The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre
Imagine keeping a secret when everyone could be an informant, and every room could be bugged. A page turner and a nail-biter if there ever was one.
--John
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Old Hollywood: From Page to Screen
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After World War I ended, a new decade of prosperity came to Hollywood. The 1920’s proved to be a pivotal time for the industry, which grew by leaps and bounds.
One of most everlasting stars of the early Twenties was the legendary Rudolph Valentino (born Rodolfo Alfonso Raffaello Pierre Filiberto Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguella). His 1921 film
The Sheik
–
book by Edith Maude Hull
–
cemented him in the American psyche – he was a new kind of hero – European, suave and a bona fide heartthrob.
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Hollywood continued to mine literary works, as films were made of such classics as: Robert Louis Stevenson’s
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
(1920) starring John Barrymore; Victor Hugo’s
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
(1923) starring Lon Chaney; James Fenimore Cooper’s
The Last of the Mohicans
(1920) starring Wallace Beery,
Ben-Hur
(1925) based on the 1880 book by General Lew Wallace and starring Ramon Navarro, and the first version of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s
The Great Gatsby
(1926) with Warner Baxter. Unfortunately, this film has been lost to time.
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Gloria Swanson was another star epitomizing this dazzling era. During her heyday she was the silent screen’s highest paid actor. She starred with Valentino in author Elinor Glyn’s
Beyond the Rocks
(1922) and her
Sadie Thompson
(1928) short story by W. Somerset Maugham, was a box office and critical success. Speaking of Elinor Glyn – she was an author and screenwriter best known for creating IT – that is IT meaning personality and sex appeal. Think: Clara Bow.
Next up: The Golden Age: the 1930’s.
-Nathan
*The editor regrets that the first installment of this series ran with an erroneous title. The correct title is "Old Hollywood: From Page to Screen."*
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It's Like We're Famous or Something
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We might be closed, but we've been keeping plenty busy! You may have seen our name come up in a few places lately, like...
The Boston Globe
, which gave a nice writeup of our PW Bookstore of the Year win!
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The
Cambridge Day
, which ran a really lovely piece on our quarantine efforts, featuring an interview with Josh!
Boston.com
included us in a spotlight on local businesses adapting to closures!
And of course we're still rounding up our recommended reads for you - featured here with some of our local bookstore friends on
WBUR's The ARTery
.
You knew us when!!
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Digital Audio Books:
A terrific way to support local indies!
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For all the latest on events, new books, reviews, and more for young and young-at-heart readers.
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Virtual Bookseller
Looking to get some good book recommendations, personalized
just for you?
Check out our Virtual Bookseller! Just fill out the 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!
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Preorders are a great way to support PSB while we're not able to actually be at the store for two reasons:
- They bring in income now while the store is closed.
- We can deal with them later!
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You can see all of the books from the future we're excited about here.
But you can preorder more than just what we're excited for. Any book with an inventory status (who knew you'd have to get to know our online inventory statuses so well) of "Coming Soon--Available for Pre-Order Now" or "On the Horizon--Available for Pre-Order Now," is, uh, available for preorder now.
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Miss one of our bedtime stories? Or one of the tours of our libraries in the epic YouTube series PSB: Cribs? Good news! We've made playlists on YouTube so you can catch up on all of them.
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Are you missing out on our recommendations, pining for our Staff Pick display?? Our April crop of staff picks is now live on our website! We'll feature titles throughout the month, but you can browse the full list at the link below. As ever, all staff picks are 20% off - so go crazy!
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It's okay to do nothing during a pandemic. Honestly, if there is a time to do nothing, now is that time. If you can't bring yourself to clean the house, learn a new language, home cook all your meals, then you're doing fine. But can I suggest some great k-drama (Korean drama) to help you get through this if you want to try something new?
- Itaewon Class (2020): this has everything you want in a drama. Handsome protagonist (Park Sae-ro-yi) beautiful scenery of South Korea, LOTS OF FOOD, and a pretty diverse cast, including a transgender supporting character (Ma Hyeon-yi)! The first episode is all you need to get going in this series. Quick summary: It's about a boy who runs into trouble by doing the right thing. There is a hint of romance but it's not the highlight of the story. The season is all about how Park Saeroyi handles missteps and setbacks when he tries to build the best restaurant empire in South Korea. His enemies will get in the way every time. (Available on Netflix)
- Crash Landing On You (2019-2020): I would be surprised if you haven't heard of this one. When released on Netflix, the show amassed a huge following even amongst viewers who didn't like reading subtitles. You'll need to give yourself time to get into this one, it's slow to start but by episode 3, you'll be in it for the long haul. Romance is at the core but the supporting characters really steal the show. There are a lot of moments that are light and funny that you wouldn't think would be in a North Korean backdrop. Quick summary: South Korean heiress (Yoon Se-Ri) ends up in North Korea and she needs to find a way back without getting caught and killed. There's a North Korean soldier ( Ri Jeong-Hyeok) who might just be able to help her. (Available on on Netflix)
And, of course, recommended readings to go with these TV shows:
- The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo
- Searching for Sylvie Lee by Jean Kwok
- What We Were Promised by Lucy Tan
- Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
--Sinny
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Here's a bedtime story you definitely don't want to miss - Kate's back with a reading from
The Hobbit
!
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Meet us over at our Instagram story at 8:45pm for tonight's live bedtime story with Meaghan!
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Support Cafe Zing baristas!
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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?
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Featured Staff Pick For Kids
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Sunny by Celia Krampien
A colorful, silly story about a girl who makes the best of everything. A good story for looking on the bright side of things.
--Stacey
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We Want to Hear from You!
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You're stranded on a desert island! Luckily, a magic book genie offers you a bargain...
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100 books, but you've never heard of any of them before
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10 books only, but you know you love (or will love) them
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A different book every day - but only for 1 day each
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One single book - but it grows and never ends!
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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.
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See you next time here at Shelf Stable!
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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
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube
:
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25 White St. Cambridge, MA 02140
617-491-2220
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