Top 10 Books of 2020
1. A Promised Land by Barak Obama
2. The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel
3. War by Margaret MacMillan
4. How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa
5. All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny
6. The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson
7. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
8. As I Walked About by Phil Jenkins
9. Indians on Vacation by Thomas King
10. Hamnet and Judith by Maggie O’Farrell
December Bestsellers
1. A Promised Land by Barak Obama
2. How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa
3. War by Margaret MacMillan
4. As I Walked About by Phil Jenkins
5. Scrub by Suzanne Belliveau
6. Agent Sonya by Ben MacIntyre
7. Ottolenghi Flavor by Yotam Ottolenghi
8. Coconut Lagoon by Joe Thottungal
9. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
10. V2 by Robert Harris
Greetings Book Lovers!
Happy New Year! It isn’t too late to say that, is it? We hope that 2021 is treating you well so far, despite the slightly bumpy start. Although it looks like this year will be more like the last than we might wish it to be, there are still lots of fun things to look forward to in the coming weeks and months. Not least of which are all the new books due to be published this year! Keep your eyes peeled for new offerings from beloved authors such as Eden Robinson (Return of the Trickster), Kate Quinn (The Rose Code), Andy Weir (Project Hail Mary), Jacqueline Winspear (The Consequences of Fear), Ross King (The Bookseller of Florence), and Peter Wohlleben (The Heartbeat of Trees), among many, many others. In amongst the new books, we will definitely be receiving lots of great new gifts, cards, and puzzles (so many puzzles) over the coming year as well. Although we’re in lockdown at the moment, we hope that it won’t be too much longer before we’re able to welcome you all back into the store to browse. In the meantime, we will do our level best to keep our social media pages, our website, and our windows fresh and filled with great new items as they arrive!
We may not have quite as many events to mark on our calendars this year, but we should all make sure that one of them is this year’s Canada Reads debate. Set to take place from March 8 to 11, this great literary program will be celebrating its 20th anniversary this year! We can’t believe it’s been twenty years! Time sure flies! In a nod to the past year (and the one ahead), the theme for the debates this year is “One Book to Transport Us” – a very fitting theme given how many of us have found comfort in books since the pandemic began. Featuring a mixture of fiction, non-fiction, and fantasy, this year’s list is a great one. Here are the 2021 contenders: Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuasi, Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots, Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead, The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk, and Two Trees Make a Forest by Jessica J. Lee.
As we’re sure we don’t have to tell you all, closing our doors again wasn’t exactly how we were hoping to start the new year, but the pandemic had other plans for us and our fellow retail stores. For as long as the province-wide lockdown lasts, we will be operating with a curb-side pick up system using our half of the vestibule we share with The SconeWitch. You can place orders by phone, online, or by e-mail and pick them up at our interior door once they’re all set to go. Purchases can be paid for prior to pick up by giving us your credit card number over the phone or you can tap your credit or debit card when you come by to collect your order. If you’re shopping using our online store, you can opt to pay by credit card or you can select to pay at pick up (options appear as you’re checking out). Please note that if you do submit your credit card number along with an online order, payment does not get processed automatically. We still have to put each sale through manually here in the store, and will only do so once the items you ordered are in stock. Similarly, for any orders that you request we ship to you or a friend, those items will only be processed once your order is complete and ready to go out the door in the capable hands of one of our couriers.
Lockdown How-Tos
- To order, call 613-742-5030, e-mail staff@booksonbeechwood.ca, or visit store.booksonbeechwood.ca.
- Payments can be made prior to pick up with VISA, MasterCard, or AmericanExpress. Payments at pick up can be made with Debit or Credit cards.
- Specific pick up times can be arranged by calling the store, or you can just show up any time during our normal business hours.
- Our hours are 10:00am to 5:00pm Monday to Saturday. Usually our inside door is propped open, but if it’s closed or you don’t see us up front, just give a knock and we’ll come help you.
- Our vestibule has a capacity of one customer at a time. If you come by to pick up and there’s already someone inside, please wait until they’re done before entering.
- Masks must be worn while making a pick up.
Though this month has definitely been a bit different than a normal January, one event that will still be happening is our Annual Inventory Sale! From Sunday, January 24 to Sunday, January 31, all in-stock books will be 20% off and in-stock gifts will be 25% off! So, if there were some books on your Christmas list that Santa wasn’t able to deliver, or if you’ve got a gift card burning a hole in your pocket, now is the perfect time to shop! We know it won’t be the same as a normal inventory sale experience as you won’t be able to come in and browse, but our online store is always open and you can always shop by phone and window! The only items that will be exempt from our inventory sale are CDs, magazines, and special orders. If you are shopping online and don’t see the discount pop up automatically on in-stock items you’ve added to your cart, don’t panic! We will be sure to apply the appropriate discounts to your order when we process your purchase in the store. On a slightly related note, all 2021 calendars, planners, and agendas are now 30% off! We still have a nice selection of different calendars in stock, so whether you’re on the hunt for cute animals, majestic scenery, or a bit of armchair travel, we’ve got you covered!
Though we’re a bit ashamed to admit that we haven’t been reading quite as much as normal these past few weeks (or months), that doesn’t mean that we haven’t been keeping our ears to the ground and making sure we have lots of great new releases for you to discover and enjoy. Here are just some of the recent and forthcoming titles that we’re excited about: Our Darkest Night by Jennifer Robson, The Push by Ashley Audrain, The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly, Trio by William Boyd, Land by Simon Winchester, Winterkeep by Kristin Cashore, The Fabulous Zed Watson by Basil and Kevin Sylvester, The Ice Chips and the Grizzly Escape by Roy and Kerry MacGregor, The City of Tears by Kate Mosse, Icebound by Andrea Pitzer, Gone to the Woods by Gary Paulsen, How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cherie Jones, A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes, Star Wars: Knitting the Galaxy by Tanis Gray, Murder in a Irish Cottage by Carlene O’Connor (January 26), The Girl From the Channel Islands by Jenny Lecoat (February 2), Life Lessons from a Homemade Sourdough Starter by Judith Stoletzky (February 2), Bookish Broads by Lauren Marino (February 9), The Iron Raven by Julie Kagawa (February 9), and A Fatal Lie by Charles Todd (February 16).
Finally, we wanted to take a quick moment to thank you so much for all your support this past year! When we shut our doors on March 19, 2020, we had no idea what to expect. What we got was something we couldn’t have come up with in our wildest dreams! Your book orders flooded in and haven’t stopped since! We’ve felt your love for our little piece of paradise so keenly, and we can’t believe how blessed we are to have such wonderful customers!
Despite having a bit of a rocky start to the year, there’s bright light ahead and we’re sure that we’ll be in the heart of it before too, too long. In the meantime, here’s to a year filled with the little things – the joy of reconnecting with friends by phone, rediscovering the world around us through the eyes of our pets, filling our homes with the mouthwatering smell of freshly baked bread, deep listening to our favourite albums, and, of course, heading off on great adventures and learning new things by reading lots of wonderful new books!
Wishing you all the best from our bookstore family to yours!
Stay Safe!
Happy Reading!
— The Staff at Books on Beechwood
Annual Inventory Sale
The Lockdown Edition
From Sunday, January 24 to Sunday, January 31
20% Off Books
25% Off Gifts
30% Off 2021 Calendars
** Sale applies to in-stock items only. **
Orders can be placed by phone, online, or by e-mail and can be picked up in our vestibule.
Hilary’s Bookshelf
What I’m Reading: The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk
“I don’t mean to be completely predictable here, but yes, I am reading yet another witchy book! Initially described to me by a friend as ‘Downton Abbey with witchcraft’, this novel is beautiful, magical, and enchanting! Centred around a strong female protagonist faced with a daunting life-altering choice, this story will draw you in and won’t let go until the last page. Beatrice is a lovely, sparky, and determined heroine, and she has quickly become one of my best fictional friends!”