ON THE UNIVERSE (AUG 22)

“There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known.” - Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot

Dear Readers,

It's August. The deep exhale of summer. Heated days that rest heavily on our shoulders demand a slower pace, an unwinding, a pause before the bustle of autumn. It's one of my favorite times to read, to write, to contemplate the universe around us, and my small corner of it. You've all seen the incredible photos of the James Webb Telescope - an image the size of a grain of rice on Earth holds a thousand galaxies beyond us. It's awe-inspiring, and makes me want to read awe-inspiring books. Books that make us understand the world differently, that question our place in it. Books that challenge us to think outside of what we already know and inspire us to ask new questions. Books that remind us of how precious we all are, how extraordinary our planet is, and ponder our great connections. I want to read books which remind me that for this singular moment in time, for this intimate space in our expansive universe, we all share the same great breath of life, we are far more the same than we are different, and our time together is incredibly precious.

This month we're creating a booklist of awe-inspiring books. What books make you challenge yourself to think differently and wonder at the beauty of it all?  


As tradition, we are taking August off from author events, and that leaves a lot of room in the schedule for other things! First and foremost, our annual End-of-Summer sale is August 12-15th! Enjoy big discounts in store and online for this long weekend! We clear out a lot of books before the flood of fall releases, so come stock up your TBR shelf with us! We also have a few more spots left in the Nicole Meier Writing workshops on August 9th and 19th, and we're hosting our first ever lit trivia night on August 18th! Sign up for both on their Eventbrite links below.

Thank you to everyone that showed up for Harry Potter trivia and Where's Waldo celebrations! What a magical and busy day it was at the shop with all of you. If you haven't been in to see the new remodel yet, August is the perfect month to come read a book on our couch or sit on the patio with an awe-inspiring book and an iced latte. Don't forget to watch the Perseids meteor shower in the middle of the month and think of how lucky we are to be part of it all. Mostly though, I hope you all get to enjoy every moment of down time during this last deep rest of summer. You deserve it. 

Yours in Reading
Cassie

Staff Pick Badge
Bewilderment: A Novel By Richard Powers Cover Image
$27.95
ISBN: 9780393881141
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: W. W. Norton & Company - September 21st, 2021

Properties of Thirst By Marianne Wiggins Cover Image
$28.00
ISBN: 9781416571261
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Simon & Schuster - August 2nd, 2022

The Sparrow: A Novel (The Sparrow Series #1) By Mary Doria Russell Cover Image
$19.00
ISBN: 9780449912553
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Ballantine Books - September 8th, 1997

Cosmos By Carl Sagan, Neil deGrasse Tyson (Foreword by), Ann Druyan (Introduction by) Cover Image
By Carl Sagan, Neil deGrasse Tyson (Foreword by), Ann Druyan (Introduction by)
$18.99
ISBN: 9780345539434
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Ballantine Books - December 10th, 2013

The Alchemist By Paulo Coelho Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9780062315007
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: HarperOne - April 15th, 2014

One Hundred Years of Solitude By Gabriel Garcia Marquez Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9780060883287
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Harper Perennial Modern Classics - February 21st, 2006

The Goldfinch: A Novel (Pulitzer Prize for Fiction) By Donna Tartt Cover Image
$20.00
ISBN: 9780316055444
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Back Bay Books - April 7th, 2015

Staff Pick Badge
Never Let Me Go (Vintage International) By Kazuo Ishiguro Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9781400078776
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Vintage - March 14th, 2006

The Road: Pulitzer Prize Winner (Vintage International) By Cormac McCarthy Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9780307387899
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Vintage - March 28th, 2007

Tenth of December: Stories By George Saunders Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9780812984255
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Random House Trade Paperbacks - January 7th, 2014

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind By Yuval Noah Harari Cover Image
$24.99
ISBN: 9780062316110
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Harper Perennial - May 15th, 2018

When Breath Becomes Air By Paul Kalanithi, Abraham Verghese (Foreword by) Cover Image
By Paul Kalanithi, Abraham Verghese (Foreword by)
$26.00
ISBN: 9780812988406
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Random House - January 12th, 2016

Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival & Hope in an American City (Pulitzer Prize Winner) By Andrea Elliott Cover Image
$20.00
ISBN: 9780812986952
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Random House Trade Paperbacks - May 17th, 2022

How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy By Jenny Odell Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9781612198552
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Melville House - December 29th, 2020

Man's Search for Meaning By Viktor E. Frankl, Harold S. Kushner (Foreword by), William J. Winslade (Afterword by) Cover Image
By Viktor E. Frankl, Harold S. Kushner (Foreword by), William J. Winslade (Afterword by)
$16.00
ISBN: 9780807014271
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Beacon Press - June 1st, 2006

A Brief History of Time By Stephen Hawking Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9780553380163
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Bantam - September 1st, 1998

Brave New World By Aldous Huxley Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9780060850524
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Harper Perennial Modern Classics - October 17th, 2006

The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit By Michael Finkel Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9781101911532
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Vintage - January 30th, 2018

Underland: A Deep Time Journey By Robert Macfarlane Cover Image
$17.95
ISBN: 9780393358094
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: W. W. Norton & Company - August 18th, 2020