Nov 14

Back to Where it all Began

By Ann Kingman bookstores., events. 4 Comments »

Michael and I both think that we have the coolest jobs in the world, we admit it. And one of our favorite parts of the job is talking with readers. This past Thursday, we were honored to be able to share some of our favorite books with more than 50 customers of Books on the Common, a very cool independent bookstore in Ridgefield, CT.

We do many of these events, but this one was special — because it was at last year’s Books on the Common event that Books on the Nightstand was born. (In truth, I didn’t connect the store name with the blog name until just now, but it is a lovely bit of serendipity). After last year’s event, Michael and I ended the evening with dinner at a local restaurant, where we talked about how much fun it was to get bookstore customers excited about the books we love. And how we wished that we could do it more often.

And that’s where I came up with the big idea. “We should do a podcast,” I said.
Michael laughed and said “yeah, right”.
But I was persistent. And by the end of the meal, he was game.

It took us about six months to work out the details, number 1 being “how do you actually do it?”, and now here we are. I supposed it’s an anniversary of sorts. We owe our thanks and gratitude to Ellen and Darwin, owners of Books on the Common, their fantastic staff, and their amazing customers who have inspired us to “take our show on the road,” in a virtual sense.

We’d love to meet you

Michael and I are doing a few other bookstore events in December, where we will talk about our favorite books to give as holiday gifts. If you are near to any of these stores, we’d love to meet you, and maybe have a coffee or something before or after. Please do come and say hello.

December 1: The Other Tiger Bookstore, Westerly, RI
December 3: Island Books, Middletown, RI
December 4: RJ Julia Booksellers, Madison, CT (Ann is doing this one alone, and it’s actually a “trunk show” format. I will be mingling with guests, but won’t actually be speaking).
December 11: Northshire Bookstore, Manchester Center, VT

(These events may not yet be listed on the store websites; please contact the store for the exact time of the events).

4 Comments »
Oct 29

Our world looks a little different now

By Ann Kingman bookstores., work. 8 Comments »

One of the best parts of our jobs is hanging out with booksellers. We spend most of our days in bookstores, which is heaven, but it’s really the people that make the stores. I like to say that we talk about books all day to people who love to talk about books. So it’s no wonder that our bookstores and the people that work there become our friends as well as our customers. This week brings mixed news about some of our friends.

You may remember our post this summer about the tragic fire that swept through Bunch of Grapes Bookstore in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. I was touched by so many of you that posted in the comments and on your own blogs about the bookstores that you hold dear. Well, this week heralded some wonderful news for our friends on Martha’s Vineyard: Bunch of Grapes has a new owner and the store will reopen in the same location sometime this spring. To top it off, they are going to have a temporary location open in time for holiday shopping. They have even started a blog, to document the rebuilding process, and it’s a fun and informative read. Thank you to Susan at Edgartown Books for telling me about the Bunch of Grapes blog — I know that everyone is excited to once again have two great bookstores on the island.

On a sad note, this week also marks the announcement of the closing of the Jeffrey Amherst Bookshop in Amherst, Massachusetts. The store, which opened in 1937, had a wonderful mix of general books, academic titles, and anything and everything related to Emily Dickinson. I will miss my visits to the store and talking books with Marie, the buyer, and the rest of the staff.

The next time you’re in your local bookstore, just stop for a moment and take a look around. Imagine how it would be to sit down and talk books with the staff for an hour or two — to share details about the books you love, and to hear from them what has them excited. If you do this, you’ll get a tiny glimpse into what our lives are like almost every day. Pretty cool, huh?

8 Comments »
Oct 15

Not Your Ordinary Bookstores

By Ann Kingman bookstores. 20 Comments »

A few weeks ago, Michael wrote about a site that featured photos of some amazing libraries.

I figure it’s time to give bookstores their due.

Josh, who is a bookseller, photographer, and friend of Books on the Nightstand, pointed out a website called Most Interesting Bookstores of the World. I can’t speak for the selection or the service, but these stores are worth a visit for their aesthetics, if nothing else. It’s worth the time to click through.

I admit to feeling a bit claustrophobic just looking at the interior photo of Paris’ famed Shakespeare & Co., but I would still go out of my way to visit.

Do you know of any bookstores that have particularly interesting architecture, features, or “character”? Let us know in the comments so that we can add them to our list of stores to visit someday.

photo credit: stukinha via flickr
20 Comments »
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