"Kindness can become its own motive.
We are made kind by being kind."
~ Eric Hoffer
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A few weeks ago, artist Betsy Petersen drew mini-portraits of everyone on the staff. We updated our Staff Picks Page (click image to view), and we've never looked better! As Matt and I looked at the faces on the page, we just kept thinking of how we were looking at the backbone of McLean and Eakin. This business doesn't run itself. From putting the books on the shelf, to cleaning the bathroom, to creating interesting displays, these booksellers work hard to make the store appealing, friendly, clean, and stocked with excellent titles. They are the rock that kept the store going through the pandemic. They keep our community of book lovers happily reading new titles and coming back through our red doors another day. They influence everything from our inventory, to keeping our passion for discovering new books alive. As Matt so eloquently put it, "They are the engine AND the fuel." Whether you're in our bookstore, or another retail establishment this week, we hope you are fortunate enough to have a friendly face like these to help you. We are lucky to work with such a talented group of kind-hearted, and truly lovely people. Have a great week!
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The Library of Congress has announced that Ada Limón will be the new U.S. Poet Laureate. Click here for a full list of her titles. The Hurting Kind is her most recent book of poems, and NPR said it, "asks for our attention to stay tender. To know that the world is here to both guide us and lead us astray. Just be open to what you may find. And know that the world is watching you, too."
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In the wake of a tragic death and a kidnapping, a dysfunctional family at the center of Georgia high society discovers painful truths in the shadows just beyond Savannah’s historic gas lamps and gazebos. Green’s novels may not come around often, but when they do, they hit hard and stay with you long after the end. ~ Starred Kirkus Review
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Inside the perfectly curated fortress of privilege that is the estate of a Hollywood billionaire, threatening tremors of a #MeToo earthquake are felt. Riveting details of a fascinating hidden world support a ruthless takedown of misogyny and entitlement. One hell of a debut. ~ Starred Review in Kirkus
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Bad City, a startling tale of people looking the other way and behaving ever so badly, never lets up. It is one whopper of a true-crime story, written with an immediacy bound to win readers. ~ New York Journal of Books
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On August 12, Five Days at Memorial will air on Apple TV, and that means you have just enough time to read it before then. Back in 2013 when it was first published, Kirkus said, "With apparent effortlessness, Fink tells the Memorial story with cogency and atmosphere."
Click below to watch the trailer.
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Tomorrow's Titles... Today!
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We had to cancel our event last week, and we will let you know when we reschedule. In the meantime, if you order any of Wade's/Viola's titles, we will include a signed bookplate. Thanks so much for all of the orders you've already placed!
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We never thought there was a reality show we would actually watch, but with Kwame Alexander hosting a show for aspiring writers to pitch book ideas, we're in! The winner
will go home with $2,500, but more importantly, the chance at a book deal. Alexander's next book, The Door of No Return comes out in September. There is no date yet for the airing of America's Next Great Author, but the show is taking submissions (click here for more info.)!
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Results from the "How Many Pages Do You Give a Book?" Survey:
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Choices were:
a- 50 pages
b- more than 50 pages
c- 100 pages
d- you can give up?
It turns out that you're a forgiving bunch. Even the people who quit by 50 pages said that they will likely come back and give the book a chance later. The person with the most logical answer said 10% because the number of pages read will vary based on how long the book is. And it turns out that I should have added an "e" for "less than 50 pages," because there is a whole group of carpe deim readers out there who all reported that life was too short. My favorite response was from Lee, who is 94. According to the Nancy Pearl formula, she is allowed to quit after 6 pages, and you know what? She went back through her recent reads, and it's true!
Winners:
Mike, your logic wins you a pile of free books for responding 10%.
Lee and Linda, your taste wins you a pile of free books (Lee is 94, and Linda gives a book 5-10 pages.)
And Linda and Deb both win a pile of free books for finishing all of their book club books, even though they usually quite much earlier.
Reply back to this email with your address if you're a winner I need to mail books to. Stop in and pick them up at our lower level counter if you're here! (Warning! Sidewalk Sales are Friday and Saturday, the 29th and 30th.)
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Feed Your Good Wolf:
These are customer recommendations from last week's email question, "What is the best self-help book you've ever read?" Enjoy!
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If you're a fan of psychological cults, mass manipulation via social media, and the turmoil of what repeatedly running into ex boyfriends would do to a woman, then look no further! Lola is in her late thirties, engaged, and honestly having a bit of a mental breakdown. But only just slightly. She's on the verge of one, really. It's not that serious. As a resident of New York City, the chances of running into an ex are small. Possible, but small. Three exes in a week?
This book is so weird and so fun. If you're a fan of Kurt Vonnegut, Cult Classic reminded me so much of Cat's Cradle. Life seems normal, then before you know it, you're stranded on a deserted island, pressing the bottom of your foot to a stranger's. That's the kind of weird I'm talking about, and if that kind of weird is your jam, then you've got to pick up this book. Click here for the full review.
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My heart beats for this writing duo. They make some of the best romances of all time (hello, Unhoneymooners). Something Wilder is no exception. It is the absolute perfect summertime read. This time, they are taking us along the journey of facing the ex who broke your heart. Lily was abandoned, and left to run a dude ranch on her own. Leo left, never checked in, and the last she heard from him was when he told her he'd get in touch in a few days... ten years ago. Leo thinks she's the one who never returned his phone call after he got things with his family sorted.
With miscommunication like that, how could these two NOT rekindle their lost romance while on a treasure-hunting horseback tour through the wild wild west? This book is so much fun, full of snarky comebacks, conveniently inconvenient opportunities for Leo and Lily to be forced together, and horses. What is there to resist? How could you possibly? If you're looking to feel all those squishy love feelings that a good romance can drum up, look no further. Fall into the arms of Something Wilder. I promise you won't regret it. Click here for the full review.
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If you're tired of self-help books, we just can't recommend these two highly enough. Snorts of laughter await.
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Shop with us any time of day at:
Visit us:
10am-7pm Monday-Saturday
11am-5pm Sundays
307 East Lake Street
Petoskey, MI 49770
or email us at:
background image credit: Patrick Tomasso @impatrickt
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