November Bestsellers
1. State of Terror by Louise Penny and Hillary Clinton
2. What Strange Paradise by Omar El Akkad
3. A Line to Kill by Anthony Horowitz
4. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
5. Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard
6. Silverview by John Le Carre
7. Fight Night by Miriam Toews
8. The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield
9. Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout
10. The Two Michaels by Fen Hampson and Mike Blanchfield
Greetings Book Lovers!
Happy December! Can you believe we’re here already? It seems like only yesterday we were prepping our summer reading lists, and now we’re living in woolly socks and reading in the soft glow of twinkle lights! Where does the time go? Of course, the fact that this is the first newsletter we’ve written in a number of months certainly doesn’t help with our sense of time. We’re sorry we’ve been so incommunicado. Life has been a bit topsy-turvy for us over the last five months – both at the store and at home – and it’s been hard to find the time to sit down and write. Thankfully, we’ve finally gotten back to it and we’re very excited to tell you all about how our December is looking!
First up, we’re so happy to announce the return of our 12 Days of Penguin Random House Christmas promo! Starting on Monday, December 13, we’ll be featuring one Penguin Random House book per day at 25% off so we’ll be able to count down the days to Christmas together with some of our favourite books! On this year’s list you’ll find great fiction such as Klara and the Sun, Beautiful World, Where Are You?, and Got Tell the Bees That I Am Gone, fascinating memoirs like Talking to Canadians, and unique coffee table books like Renegades: Born in the USA! This promo will be available in store and online, and each book will only be discounted on its specific day. Keep your eyes on this space and our social media pages for daily announcements on when each book is stepping into the spotlight! (Please note that since we’re closed on Sundays, our December 19th promo will only be available online.)
So, there have been a lot of stories in the news recently about supply chain issues and stores sporting empty shelves. We just wanted to assure you that although we’re not unaffected, you won’t be greeted by an empty store next time you come to visit us. Being less than two weeks out from the 24th now, we’ve already passed the majority of our guaranteed Christmas delivery dates for book orders, but that doesn’t mean that books will stop arriving. We still expect to receive lots of deliveries between now and Christmas Eve, though we may not be able to get the specific book you’re looking for in time. It never hurts to ask though. Orders to our last two “in time for Christmas” suppliers will be going out on Thursday of this week, so be sure to contact us before then if there’s a certain title you’re looking for and we’ll do our best to get it for you. If you’re not on the hunt for something specific, rest assured that our staff are still more than happy to help you find that perfect something for that special someone from the large collection of books on our shelves!
As booksellers, we love every time of year, but nothing quite compares to the holiday season. Once September comes, some of the most highly-anticipated books of the year (Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr, These Precious Days by Ann Patchett, and Off the Record by Peter Mansbridge, to name a few) start rolling in, then October and November see the announcement of prize nominations and winners for works of fiction and non-fiction in Canada and beyond (What Strange Paradise by Omar El Akkad, The Strangers by Katharena Vermette, The Promise by Damon Galgut), and finally December hits, ushering in a month of overflowing shelves and tables groaning under large piles of great reads – the sight of which always makes us happy! Add to that the arrival of all sorts of fun gifts, games, and puzzles, and it’s hard to imagine a more exciting time of year!
Of course, with all the good things, there are always a few unforeseen hiccups that show up in the last month of the year. Much like last year, 2021 has presented us with various challenges – shipping delays, supply chain issues, slow book reprints, unfulfilled orders, and all the unknowns associated with an ongoing pandemic. Despite all the tough bits, though, we’ve made it to the finish line, and we can’t thank you all enough for your patience and support through these last 18 months. It’s because of all of you that we’re here, doing what we love everyday!
So here’s to a wonderful Christmas and a New Year filled with health, happiness, and lots of great new books!
Happy Reading!
Take good care,
The Staff at Books on Beechwood
We will be open on Christmas Eve from 10:00am to 3:00pm.
We will be CLOSED from December 25 through January 2 to give our staff a well-deserved break.
Regular store hours will resume on Monday, January 3.
Hilary’s Bookshelf
What I’m Reading: The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox
“This book was first described to me as ‘The Great British Baking Show meets Gilmore Girls‘ and it turns out that paints a pretty accurate picture.
When twin sisters find themselves each in a bind before the holidays, what could be more natural than to hearken back to their childhood and switch places to try to sort things out? But when the sugar starts to fly and love enters the mix, will their switch fall flat or produce the most delicious outcome imaginable? What a sweet read!”