Today, on the seventh anniversary of the day we first opened our doors, we kicked off our week-long birthday celebration by awarding a $25 gift card to the seventh customer of the day. That's her in the picture! Her name is Cynthia Prochaska, and she was purchasing a copy of Festival Days by Jo Ann Beard when informed that she was our first winner, whereupon she immediately spent the gift card picking up a copy of The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow. Cynthia and her husband are visiting from California for their daughter's Northwestern graduation this afternoon. She says they always loved browsing at Bookends & Beginnings when in town to see their daughter and they wanted to pay us one last visit because they're going to miss us when they don't have a great excuse to travel to Evanston anymore. We were awfully touched to hear that, and happy we made that last visit pay off!
Our seventh birthday celebration continues all week! Every day, through Sunday the 20th, the 7th customer to make a purchase in the store will receive a $25 gift card to Bookends & Beginnings.
Then, on Saturday and Sunday (June 19 and 20), everyone who makes a purchase in the store will be entered into a drawing for a $77 gift card, with one Saturday winner and one Sunday winner.
Customers in the store on Saturday will also receive a chocolate-covered pretzel goodie bag from Kilwins with their purchases, while supplies last.
Also, a reminder that tomorrow (June15) at 11 am, ticket sales will close for the virtual book launch of In the Heights with Lin-Manuel Miranda! The event is tomorrow night at 7 pm. If you 've already purchased your ticket, you'll be getting an email shortly with the Zoom link and with details about book pick-up and delivery.
More details below, so read on in the newsletter.
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And, as always, read on!
Yours,
Nina
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Upcoming June Virtual Events
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Tuesday, June 15, 7 – 8:00 pm
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Before Hamilton became a global phenomenon, before Lin-Manuel Miranda became a household name, a little show called In the Heights shook up Broadway with its hip-hop and salsa soundtrack and big, bilingual heart. In the new book In the Heights: Finding Home, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Quiara Alegría Hudes, and Jeremy McCartertell the story of the show’s humble beginnings, from rehearsals in a bookstore basement to the Broadway smash (and soon-to-be feature film!) that created an unbreakable community and a new kind of family for everyone involved.
Join Miranda, Hudes, McCarter, and special guest moderator America Ferrera for the In the Heights Virtual Book Launch on Tuesday, June 15 from 7:00 to 8:00pm CT on Zoom. Sure to be an unforgettable conversation on creativity, community, and finding home, this is your chance to hear directly from the creative team behind the timeless story of how one neighborhood—Washington Heights—can speak to the world.
Your ticket includes admission to this exclusive event, a hardcover copy of In the Heights: Finding Home ($40 retail price), as well as sales tax, shipping, and handling (if applicable). Please contact us with any questions you have for the authors. We can’t wait to see you there!
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Tue, Jun 15, 2021 7:00 PM CST
IN THE HEIGHTS Virtual Book Launch
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Thursday, June 24, 6 – 7:00 pm
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Immigrant. Socialite. Magician.
Jordan Baker grows up in the most rarefied circles of 1920s American society—she has money, education, a killer golf handicap, and invitations to some of the most exclusive parties of the Jazz Age. She’s also queer and Asian, a Vietnamese adoptee treated as an exotic attraction by her peers, while the most important doors remain closed to her.
But the world is full of wonders: infernal pacts and dazzling illusions, lost ghosts and elemental mysteries. In all paper is fire, and Jordan can burn the cut paper heart out of a man. She just has to learn how.
Anyone is welcome to join our Science Fiction Book Club, led by Brooke, who is excited to share her passion for diverse science fiction books. If you haven't looked at the science fiction or fantasy shelves in a while, you may be surprised at the influx of talented women, POC, and LGBTQ+ writers that are writing some of the most interesting and compelling works in the genres. Brooke's goal is to highlight these traditionally underrepresented groups. Each month, we'll explore a new read from a diverse SF/F author. Stop by the store to chat with Brooke if you want more info about the club, or send her an email at brooke@bookendsandbeginnings.com.
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Thu, Jun 24, 2021 6:00 PM CST
Sci-Fi Book Club: The Chosen and the Beautiful
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What Are We Reading This Month?
Whether you're curious about what we read, need a recommendation, or just want to scoff at our taste, here's a list of what your favorite booksellers are reading! If you see something that interests you, let us know! We're more than happy to talk about these titles.
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Still reading Dillard. Still getting blown away. I feel like I can only read so much of the book at one time, because after a while I get the urge to just set it down and go for a walk. Use my eyes, move my body, all the sorts of things she talks about. Overall: excellent thus far.
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Tom Lin's debut novel is a intense, gripping narrative situated in the American west, following a man's search for revenge and the fantastical things he encounters along the way. The plot is straightforward and somewhat restrained; there are many times where Lin touches on a deep concept but never quite follows through to a larger thematic payoff. That being said, Lin is a talented writer—the way he conveys the American west makes it seem like a mythic alien landscape. The images he paints of a blasted, ancient region of incomprehensible depth and magnitude is one that will stick with me for quite some time. This is a solid first novel and I'm excited to see what Lin has in store for the future.
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An erotic romance retelling of Hades and Persephone? Yes please! This book is sure to get the blood pumping and is great for mythology lovers and those who are fans of the webtoon Lore Olympus.
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This is the start of a brilliant new series by Becky Chambers (author of the Wayfarers series). Centuries ago, the robots on Panga developed self-awareness and disappeared into the wilderness. Now one has resurfaced to check in and ask: "what do people need?". As you might imagine, that's an extremely difficult questions to answer. This is a thoughtful, tender little book that will give you hope for the future.
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Just finished my advance copy of Cloud Cuckoo Land, the forthcoming new novel by Anthony Doerr, author of All the Light We Cannot See. It's a masterpiece, and I don't say that lightly. Yes, you are going to want it in hardcover, and you're going to want to give it to everyone you know for the holidays, so why not just pre-order a few?
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Books You Could be Reading...
...and Buying from Us!
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Pre-order these books and get them when they're released! |
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Bookends & Beginnings is a community-centered and community-sustained, full-service, general-interest independent bookstore, now in our sixth calendar year. We are a member of the Chicago Independent Bookstore Alliance (ChIBA), the Great Lakes Independent Bookstore Association (GLIBA), and the American Booksellers Association (ABA). Show your support by shopping in our store (and other Chicago-area independent bookstores), by trading in or donating books of quality and in good condition, by bringing your local and out-of-town friends and family to shop with us, by attending our events, and by "liking" us on Facebook and posting reviews on other social media. Remember that you can always see event photos and news updates on our Facebook page, which is updated almost daily. There you can also subscribe to our events feed with a single click.
Above all, keep reading good books!
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Bookends & Beginnings
1712 Sherman Ave Alley #1
Evanston, IL 60202
224-999-7722
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