| Greetings Book Lovers!
The weather outside may not quite be frightful, but the inside of the store is looking delightful! Our shelves are packed tight with books, games, mugs, toys, CDs, puzzles, and seasonal goodies for all your shopping needs, and our staff are all geared up to help you – and all the Santas out there – find the perfect gift for everyone on your list!
As we announced in our mini newsletter last week, we will soon be celebrating the season in classic book style with our Twelve Days of Penguin Random House Christmas! Starting on Wednesday, December 13, we will be featuring one Penguin Random House title at 30% off per day until Christmas Eve. Hitting some of this year’s book publishing highlights, our Twelve Days has a little something for everyone on your shopping list – the history buff, the fantasy lover, the spymaster, the baker, the YA fan, and the one who loves all things Christmas! Scroll down for a full list of titles and mark your calendars for this coming Wednesday when we’ll be kicking things off with The Book of Dust by Philip Pullman!
With so many books to choose from, it’s always hard to find that perfect read for the ones we love – or ourselves, for that matter. Luckily, there’s nothing we enjoy more, here at the store, than helping our customers find exactly what they’re looking for! So we thought we would highlight one top holiday pick each here, to give you all some inspiration before making your way down to the store.
Antoinette’s Pick:
Brother by David Chariandy
This is the story of two brothers growing up in Scarborough, Ontario where a wrong choice or move with local police can change many lives. It’s at once tender, heartbreaking, and poetic.
Bridget’s Pick:
Les Parisiennes by Anne Sebba
This book is a rich, insightful and fascinating look at the lives of women during the Nazi occupation of Paris. Some we know – Coco Chanel, Elizabeth de Rothschild, Jeanne Lanvin – and many will be revealed in all their complexity. Sebba rejects depicting the occupation as a black and white situation but a time of constant moral ambiguity. This is popular social history at its best.
David’s Pick:
Dark Run by Mike Brooks
Reminiscent of Firefly, this is a quick read in the classic space opera style. It features a maverick captain and his assorted crew and their adventures across space.
Hilary’s Pick:
Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling (ages 8-12)
This is perfection in book form! Funny, strong, charming, and sweet, Aven will steal your heart even as she makes you laugh till your sides split. This is easily my favourite book of the year!
Jill’s Pick:
Jane Austen: The Banker’s Sister by E.J. Clery
Janites and non-Janites alike will enjoy reading about the relationship between Jane and her banker brother, Henry, who supported and encouraged his sister in her determination to become a published author.
Stephanie’s Pick:
Three Pleasures by Terry Watada
It’s the 1940’s in Vancouver, the Japanese have bombed Pearl Harbour, and racial tensions are building. This is an intimate and passionate novel concerning a painful period in Canadian history.
Dickon’s Pick:
Dog Bingo
No, it’s not a book, but Dickon really isn’t much of a reader. He played this at a friend’s cottage over the summer and loved it. You match dog breeds (with pictures and descriptions) rather than numbers and letters. It’s a perfect family present and he begrudgingly thinks you should know that there are Cat, Bird, Bug, and Royal Family editions too.
Once you’ve finished your holiday shopping, if the thought of then sitting down and wrapping all your gifts has got you down, never fear! We can help you there too! As in previous years, we will be offering free Christmas wrapping for your bookstore purchases from now until Christmas Eve. Choose between festive wrapping papers and holiday themed gift bags for all your seasonal goodies! The availability of this service will depend on how busy our staff are at the time, but you can always leave your purchases with us and we will be happy to have them wrapped for you by the following day. On the other hand, if you’re like some of our staff and can’t think of anything you’d enjoy more than wrapping and decorating presents, don’t forget that we have some lovely rolls of gift wrap for sale in the store as well!
Even at this time of year, there are still new titles arriving every day and we’re busily sending out orders to keep our shelves stocked with all the highlights of the season, plus our staff favourites, of course! The deadlines for our final Christmas orders are fast approaching, so be sure to get your requests in soon so your special gift is safely wrapped and sitting under the tree come Christmas morning.
To further enhance your shopping experience, we’ll be observing some slight changes in our hours over the next two weekends. On Saturday, December 16 and 23, we’ll be open from 9:30am to 6:00pm and on Sunday, December 17, we’ll be open from 11:00am to 6:00pm. On Christmas Eve, we’ll be opening our doors at 9:00am and will be on site to help with any of your last-minute gift buying until 3:00pm.
It’s hard to believe that we’ve reached December already! As the old saying goes, time flies when you’re having fun! And there’s no denying that we have a lot of fun at the store every day! We’d like to take this opportunity to thank you all for the wonderful support you’ve given us over the last year. It’s only with loyal customers like you that independent businesses like ours can survive, and we can’t thank you enough for continuing to make our store a part of your daily life
From our bookstore family to yours, we wish you all a very merry Christmas, a happy holiday season, and a healthy and prosperous new year!
Happy Reading!
— The Staff at Books on Beechwood |
On My Shelf