Working retail in the holiday season has a horrible reputation, but honestly, working in a bookstore in the holiday season is really a delight. For us, these winter holidays are really just the extra excuse everyone needs to share the love of books and reading with others. We have customers who just buy their one favorite book for everyone on their list, or painstakingly select a different book for 20 people on their list, or buy a dozen gift cards to give to their co-workers or staff. And this year, a customer bought one book and one chocolate bar for everyone in her family, saying that they were going to celebrate the Icelandic tradition of Jolabokaflod—“Christmas Book Flood”—which says that getting cozy with a book is the fundamentally best way to celebrate the holiday.
Whatever you’re doing, we’re here for you. We can help you pick books, in person or through our concierge service. We’ll wrap everything, so you don’t have to—and on two Saturdays, December 11 and 18, we’ll have volunteers from The League of Women Voters on hand to help with the wrapping. And from now through December 21, we’re offering $10 Holiday Home Delivery to any Evanston, Rogers Park, Wilmette, or Skokie zip code.
For more info on all these services, our last 2021 events, and our gift suggestions, read on in the newsletter.
On a really personal note: At a time that’s supposed to celebrate joy, love, and peace on earth, the news a few days ago that five teenagers had been shot in Evanston, one of them fatally—followed two days later by the high school shooting in Oxford, Michigan—has many of us feeling heartbroken, troubled, and possibly at a loss. We were approached yesterday by members of the National Council of Jewish Women, who are supporting efforts by the violence prevention group Mothers Against Community Gun Violence to donate books to local children and young adults who are coping with the trauma of gun violence in their lives. MACGV runs Chicago-area grief support groups, and the donated books will be distributed through these groups. This book donation project is being held in conjunction with the 9th Annual Interfaith Vigil for All Victims of Gun Violence, which will take place on December 11, 2021, 5:00-6:00 pm, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 3637 Golf Rd, Evanston. Here’s a list of the books MACGV is collecting. They are all available at Bookends & Beginnings, and if you choose to purchase them through us we’ll make sure they get to MACGV.
It’s been a few rough years for everyone. I hope you get to hold your loved ones close this holiday season, and that we all can give and receive the human kindness we deserve.
Yours,
Nina
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Donate Books to Children Affected by Gun Violence |
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This holiday season, join the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) in giving back to the gun violence prevention group Mothers Against Community Gun Violence (MACGV) by donating books to local children and young adults who are coping with the trauma of gun violence in their lives. If you purchase these books at our store we can donate them directly to MACGV Chicago’s grief support groups for you.
This book donation project is being held in conjunction with the 9th Annual Interfaith Vigil for All Victims of Gun Violence, which will take place on December 11, 2021, 5:00-6:00 pm, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 3637 Golf Rd, Evanston. The vigil can also be also be attended virtually.
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LAST CHANCE TO PURCHASE TICKETS!
A Virtual Event
Co-Sponsored with Random House
Thursday, December 2, 7:00 pm
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Bookends & Beginnings is partnering with Random House to bring you an evening with New York Times bestselling author Dr. Brené Brown for a special, one-night-only event to launch her new book Atlas of the Heart on Thursday, December 2, at 7 pm (CT) on Zoom. This is a ticketed event. The ticket purchase includes admission to the event and a hardcover copy of Atlas of the Heart.
In Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience, Brown takes us on a journey through 87 of the emotions and experiences that define what it means to be human. As she maps the necessary skills and an actionable framework for meaningful connection, she gives us the language and tools to access a universe of new choices and second chances—a universe where we can share and steward the stories of our bravest and most heartbreaking moments with one another in a way that builds connection.
She writes, “In a sea of constant uncertainty and change, Atlas of the Heart is a book about finding the solid ground within us, and safely navigating our way back to ourselves and each other. This book offers a collection of tools, including new language that helps us more accurately talk about our emotions and experiences and a new model for cultivating meaningful connection.”
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Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston, where she holds the Huffington Foundation–Brené Brown Endowed Chair at the Graduate College of Social Work. She is also a visiting professor in management at the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business. Brown has spent the past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy and is the author of five number-one New York Times bestsellers. She hosts the Unlocking Us and Dare to Lead podcasts, and her TEDx talk, “The Power of Vulnerability,” is one of the top five most-viewed TED talks in the world with more than 50 million views. Her Netflix special, The Call to Courage, is the first filmed lecture by a researcher on the streaming service.
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A Virtual Event
Thursday, December 9, 7– 8:00 pm
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Shizuka Satomi made a deal with the devil: to escape damnation, she must entice seven other violin prodigies to trade their souls for success. She has already delivered six.
When Katrina Nguyen, a young transgender runaway, catches Shizuka's ear with her wild talent, Shizuka can almost feel the curse lifting. She's found her final candidate.
But in a donut shop off a bustling highway in the San Gabriel Valley, Shizuka meets Lan Tran, retired starship captain, interstellar refugee, and mother of four. Shizuka doesn't have time for crushes or coffee dates, what with her very soul on the line, but Lan's kind smile and eyes like stars might just redefine a soul's worth. And maybe something as small as a warm donut is powerful enough to break a curse as vast as the California coastline.
As the lives of these three women become entangled by chance and fate, a story of magic, identity, curses, and hope begins, as they find a family worth crossing the universe for.
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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Looking for the perfect gift? Ask the concierge! |
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Are you struggling to find the perfect book for your nephew who's obsessed with Minecraft? Your mother-in-law who has read every thriller under the sun? Your best friend who's a cookbook connoisseur? We can help!
The free Bookends & Beginnings concierge service makes it easy to find the right book for everyone on your list. Fill out our survey to let us know who you're buying gifts for and we will put together a stack of recommendations tailored to what you tell us about your recipients. We will then consult you about our suggested gifts in whatever format you prefer, whether via email, Zoom, or in person. When you have selected your presents we can gift wrap and home deliver them too. Impress everyone with your gift-giving prowess this holiday season! Please email concierge@bookendsandbeginnings.com with any questions.
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We will be closed on the following days:
- Christmas Eve after 3 PM
- Christmas Day
- December 26
- New Year's Eve
- New Year's Day
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
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Bookends & Beginnings is a community-centered and community-sustained, full-service, general-interest independent bookstore, now in our eighth 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 60201
224-999-7722
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