We’re ready for the Christmas rush but don’t leave everything until the last minute! The shelves are stocked. The staff are ready with advice. The store is buzzing. Or you can avoid the crowds and buy at our on-line bookstore. We’ve added to our collection of cards and calendars. The boxed card sets from UNICEF are going fast but there are many other interesting choices. A calendar featuring Ottawa photos from 1938 has been a best seller. We have jigsaw puzzles and various other games. The Great Penguin Bookchase is the newest game. It is a kind of trivial pursuits for booklovers-recommended for adults. A very popular series of kits for children have been the wooden construction sets of models derived from Leonardo’s drawings such as a siege catapult and a flying machine. The former won an award as one of the best toys for 2013. Our electronic gift cards are selling well –the best solution when you don’t really know quite what to buy.
In the meantime, there are lots of events still going on in December. Please check our newly upgraded Calendar page for details. There are several book signings planned in December. You can click on any item on the calendar to see full details of the featured books. The very successful Books ‘n Brew series at the Clocktower Pub has switched to Sundays in December-see the calendar. (The previously planned event for Dec 8th with Mark Abley will now be held in the store from 1.00-3.00p.m).There will be a pause in this series in January but we hope to resume later since there has been such a great response.
The November bestseller list for the store is given below. It is heavily influenced by our special events with a dominance of Biography and Politics. Since it was the season for literary awards-Nobel Prize, Booker Prize, Giller Prize and so on- the award winners dominate the fiction category.
We will be closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day to catch our breath a little but are planning some special events in January to celebrate the end of year 1 of the new ownership. We close at 3.00p.m. on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
Greetings from all our staff for the Holiday Season. May you have a wonderful celebration.