Shelf Stable: September 11th
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"Every story I create, creates me. I write to create myself." - Octavia E. Butler
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Processing online orders can be monotonous, but it has highlights: discovering books someone has ordered that I want to read, getting to add a special post script for a friend, selling my staff pick, and seeing the local sales trends.
Today, that trend is for Dune. I've no doubt it's because the movie trailer was just released, but every time I see one, I have flashbacks to reading the series. I read the first book the summer before 9th grade. We were on vacation in Colorado, staying at my aunt & uncle's house, and, having finished all my books on the flight there, I pulled it off a shelf and devoured it.
I spent math class that year reading the rest of the series...on top of the desk. As long as I got A's, my teacher didn't care what I did, so I spent the year reading through the series: some yellowed paperbacks, but mostly the huge hardcovers, covers crinkling from Mylar library sheets. When I finished the original series I moved onto the prequels. While I liked the details about the world they provided, the writing was nowhere near as good, (most were done by Herbert's son) and I eventually moved on to other series.
The series, like any older sci-fi, has problems, but what I liked about the series was the thorough world building: not only did Herbert build societies on multiple worlds, but also politics, religion, history, sacred texts, and manuals.
As a writer, I know how much one accumulates when writing- even if you're not doing extensive world-building. When I look back on my time with Dune, I realize it taught me ways in which the developmental documents can be used in a published text, but also what doesn't need to be included. Many works of sci-fi and fantasy need additional editing to remove the developmental writing an author wrote into their manuscript, amounting to an info dump. Now, this writing is important. Often, you need to write through an idea or struggle, but editing is where it gets cut.
To everyone who ordered Dune this week, thank you for reminding me of the time I spent with this series, and what I took from it.
Marika
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Read our reopen policies and hours!
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Thanks to all our friends who've visited so far -- it's been wonderful to see everyone's face (well, the top half above the mask anyway) and we're so grateful to everyone who has been so respectful of our policies!
Updated In-Store Shopping Hours:
Monday: CLOSED
Tuesday-Friday: 3PM-7PM
Saturday: 9AM-6PM, with 9AM-11AM set aside for vulnerable customers
Sunday: 3PM-7PM
Curbside Pick Up: Daily, 3PM-7PM
We really appreciate your support!
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Join our next virtual events!
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Tuesday, September 15th at 7pm
Virtual: Carol Hay with Tiziana Dearing, Think Like a Feminist
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Porter Square Books is pleased to bring you a virtual talk with Carol Hay, author of the new book Think Like a Feminist, in conversation with Tiziana Dearing! Think Like a Feminist is an audacious and accessible guide to feminist philosophy—its origins, its key ideas, and its latest directions. This event takes place on Crowdcast, and is free and open to all.
Think Like a Feminist is an irreverent yet rigorous primer that unpacks over two hundred years of feminist thought. In a time when the word feminism triggers all sorts of responses, many of them conflicting and misinformed, Professor Carol Hay provides this balanced, clarifying, and inspiring examination of what it truly means to be a feminist today. She takes the reader from conceptual questions of sex, gender, intersectionality, and oppression to the practicalities of talking to children, navigating consent, and fighting for adequate space on public transit, without deviating from her clear, accessible, conversational tone. Think Like a Feminist is equally a feminist starter kit and an advanced refresher course, connecting longstanding controversies to today’s headlines.
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Want to show your love of Porter Square Books? Order your very own Porter Square Books T-shirt!
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Independent Bookstore Day Exclusives
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We celebrate independent bookstores everyday, but there's only one day a year where it's celebrated across the country. It couldn't be quite the party it usually is this year, so if you missed it here's another chance at some of this year's exclusive items!
Every year we create our signature "Bad Citizen" Graffiti Stencil to highlight the authors and the words that push us to think, read, and be disruptive when necessary. This year's stencil features a timely quote from Toni Morrison.
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Featuring artwork by Jon Klassen!
Open a Book, Open Your Mind Socks
Space Bandits (issues 1-5) : Special edition with exclusive cover and vinyl sticker
Thena Khole and Cody Blue are among the universe's most-wanted felons. Each the leader of their own criminal ops, they run heists across the galaxies-hopping from ship to ship to fleece everyone inside. But when both women are betrayed by their crews, the bandits only have one thing on their minds: REVENGE. Collects SPACE BANDITS #1-5
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This is the first semester in 7 years I'm not teaching. I miss it, but it's also an excuse to share some activities with you. Here are directions for making a simple folded book; all you need is paper, glue, scissors, drawing utensils, and cardboard (cereal boxes work well.
If you want a challenge, you can glue additional folded pages together where you would glue the covers.
If you try this, we'd love to see what you make!
-Marika
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Visit your friends at Cafe Zing!
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Did you know our beloved Cafe Zing is open for customers? Now you know!
Open Wednesday-Saturday, 8AM-2PM! See you and your extra-shot, biggest-size-you-have iced latte at the cafe.
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Antiracism Books: A Place to Start
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Our bookseller bundles have expanded again! For the kiddos Stacey will send you three middle grade (ages 8-12) paperbacks. They'll be quirky or heartwarming or maybe creepy or maybe esoteric or maybe all of the above! But whatever they are they'll be great books. Kate will send you 3 paperbacks from all over the store. Type a word or phrase in the order comments and Kate will pick out three paperbacks for you. Kate reads widely, but you may especially like her picks if you enjoy slightly-off-kilter fiction, works in translation, poetry, and little books about big landscapes.
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Porter Square Books is proud to partner with the Prison Book Program to help provide access to books to people in prison. Order any title off this wish list and select the "Curbside Pick Up" shipping option and we'll give to the Prison Book Program to distribute.
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When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole, read by Susan Dalian & Jay Aaseng
Rear Window meets Get Out in this gripping thriller from a critically acclaimed and New York Times Notable author, in which the gentrification of a Brooklyn neighborhood takes on a sinister new meaning…
“Cole’s thriller exposes the underbelly of gentrification and prosperity, taking a searing look at systemic racism. When a pharmaceutical firm plans to move its headquarters to a historically Black Brooklyn neighborhood, an influx of rich white people displace Black residents from their homes and their roots. Timely, groundbreaking, and thought-provoking, When No One Is Watching is essential reading for the #BlackLivesMatter movement.”
--Alyssa Raymond, Copper Dog Books
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Digital Audio Books:
A terrific way to support local indies!
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Want book recommendations, personalized just for you?
Fill out our form with your likes and dislikes, genres and favorites, and we'll crowdsource a bunch of great picks for you with our crack team of real life booksellers. Give it a whirl!
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EXPANDED OPTIONS:
Journals, Stationery & Crafts
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Sometimes a new notebook is what it takes to get the juices flowing!
We have now made a much wider variety of notebooks, journals, and even calendars available for order from our website, like this classic Moleskin. Now, along with items with an inventory status of "On Our Shelves Now," you can order journals, notebooks, diaries, calendars, planners, and more with an inventory status of "Available at Warehouses."
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Face Masks
Face coverings are going to be with us for a while, so we’re now offering non-medical grade cloth masks (including kid size) from a variety of makers. Right now quantities are limited, but additional styles are on the way. We’ll keep you posted!
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Additional Book Bundle Offerings
Make your shopping easy by buying bundles, handpicked by our expert booksellers!
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Shana recommends this delightful webseries about a bunch of classic authors trapped in a murder mystery at Edgar Allen Poe’s house. Think Clue meets dream dinner party!
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Check out what our booksellers are loving this month.
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Featured Staff Pick for Children
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I fought off a whole bunch of staff members (including but not limited to Kate, Leila, and Stacey) in order to pick this book. And then I spent half the month trying to figure out how best to turn all of my feelings into words because this book was so good and so important. This is the queer latinx ghost romance story you didn't know you were missing from your life. Read it. You won't regret it.
Shana
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Featured Staff Pick for Adults
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The Crossing Places: When bones are found near her house, forensic archeologist Dr. Ruth Galloway is called in to help the police. She becomes enmeshed in the search for two missing girls and continues to get entangled with police investigations throughout the series. This series has revitalized my reading life; I can't put them down.
April
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See you next time here at Shelf Stable!
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Did you miss an installment, or want to share with a friend? The Shelf Stable Archive has all our past issues!
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And don't forget to subscribe to our Events Newsletter for the full line up of events coming up, and to our Kids Newsletter for all the latest on events, new books, reviews, and more for young and young-at-heart readers.
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Looking for other ways to keep up with us? Check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube:
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25 White St. Cambridge, MA 02140
617-491-2220
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