|
|
The month of August...
The month of August had turned into a griddle where the days just lay there and sizzled.
- Sue Monk Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees
Welcome to the August edition of The Bennington Bookshop Newsletter! Phew! It's been hot the last few days. That dog has found the perfect spot!
In this edition of the newsletter, we feature a poem by Barbara Kingsolver, How to do absolutely nothing. Phil reviews Such a Fun Age, by Kiley Reid. And we have some reminders: the Bookmark Challenge; the new bag policy; and COVID 19. We really appreciate everyone's cooperation in sanitizing hands before entering the shop, and wearing masks and social distancing while in the shop. The response has been tremendous. Thank you.
FYI: While we were shut down in March, April and May, online traffic was up 15-fold over the same three months of last year. It has dropped back a bit now that we have reopened, but still remains higher than in previous years. Click here to Shop 24/7
As always, thank you for your continued support of The Bennington Bookshop - your local independent bookstore.
|
|
How to do absolutely nothing
Barbara Kingsolver
Rent a house near the beach, or a cabin
but: Do not take your walking shoes.
Don’t take any clothes you’d wear
anyplace anyone would see you.
Don’t take your rechargeables.
Take Scrabble if you have to,
but not a dictionary and no
pencils for keeping score.
Don’t take a cookbook
or anything to cook.
A fishing pole, ok
but not the line,
hook, sinker,
leave it all.
Find out
what’s
left.
|
|
Book review
 Such a Fun Age
Kiley Reid
Reviewed by Phil
Emira is celebrating her friend Shaunie’s twenty-sixth birthday when she receives a call from Mrs Chamberlain, the woman for whom she babysits three afternoons a week. It’s late, almost 11pm, she’s dressed for a party, and she’s already had a few drinks. But it’s an emergency, and Mrs Chamberlain is offering double pay. With just a few dollars left in her bank account, and the rent due soon, Emira agrees to look after three-year old Briar until things calm down at the Chamberlain’s house.
Emira takes Briar to the corner convenience store, one of their favorite hangouts. There’s so much to explore, so many smells and colors and shapes to investigate. But it’s late, and Elmira is black and Briar is white, and just what do they think they are doing at this time of night? The security guard confronts Emira and, egged-on by an older white woman, accuses her of kidnapping Briar. The altercation is loud and heated and is only resolved when Mr Chamberlain arrives to sort things out.
And all this in the first few pages. But there’s more. The incident is filmed by another late-night shopper, Kelley Copeland. Kelley offers Emira the video, suggesting it’s worth at least a year of free groceries. Emira is reluctant. For her, this was a private moment of hurt and humiliation. She wants nothing more to do with it. Kelley sends her the video anyway, before showing her he has deleted it from his phone.
“Such a Fun Age” is a sparkling examination of privilege and race and gender. In exploring the relationship between Emira and Mrs Chamberlain, Reid shines a light on the casual racism that is endemic in our society. But she never lectures. This is a fast-paced and absorbing read. A book for our times.
“Such a Fun Age” is Kiley Reid’s debut novel. Reid worked for six years looking after the children of wealthy New Yorkers. She was born in Los Angeles and lives in Philadelphia with her husband.
Buy Such a Fun Age
|
|
Don't forget the Bookmark Challen ge!
Please send in your photos of our bookmark displayed creatively wherever you may find yourself this summer. We will award a prize to the person who sends in the most interesting bookmark photo. The winning entry will receive a $25 gift certificate for the bookshop. Send entries to phil@benningtonbookshop.com with the subject line Bookmark Challenge. Entries must be received on or before Labor Day.
|
|
Reminders
New bag policy
As a result of new regulations that went into effect in Vermont on July 1st, we are required to charge 10 cents for paper bags and can no longer offer plastic bags to our customers. Please bring a bag when you shop.
COVID 19 
We are open to customers but, for the health and safety of others, we ask that customers wear masks in the store and sanitize their hands before entering. We have provided hand sanitizer at the door. We also ask that people maintain social distancing in the shop and use credit cards for payment if possible.
|
|
Etcetera
- Book Bank: Our Book Bank is a flexible way to ensure your loved ones receive a book on a regular basis. Books are gift-wrapped and mailed with an accompanying card. You can choose any genre – children’s picture books, children’s fiction, young adult, adult fiction and nonfiction – paperback or hardcover. Book Bank packages start from $100 and rise in increments of $25. Simply call the bookshop (802 442 5059) to open an account and pay your chosen amount by credit card. We will then send a book a month to the person you indicate until the funds are used up. We select books from the latest releases and the bestsellers list for the Book Bank program. Book Bank customers receive a 10% discount off the price of books purchased as part of the program.
- Secondhand news: We are connected with booksellers across the country and are often able to source books that are out of print or secondhand copies of long-lost favorites. Just let us know what you are looking for and we will endeavor to find it for you.
- Peepers: We stock a great line of reading glasses with strengths ranging from +1.0 to +3.0.
- Newsletter archive: You can find earlier editions of our newsletter and links to various media coverage here: Newsletters
- New releases: Every Tuesday, we get shipments of new releases to put on the shelves. Come on down and check them out!
- Orders: We usually submit orders to our wholesaler on Monday and Thursday mornings. If you place an order before 11am on these days, we can have the book in The Bookshop by the next afternoon in most cases, or in three days if it is held at our Tennessee warehouse.
- Book Clubs: We offer a 20% discount to book clubs that register with The Bennington Bookshop and then order and purchase at least four books. We are happy to ship for a small cost. Check out what the other clubs in the area are reading here.
- Dorothy's List: Vermont Public Radio compiles a list of books and reviews suitable for children. You can find the list here. We are happy to order books from the list for you if we don't have them in stock. There is no extra charge for special orders.
- Best Sellers: We update the bestseller list each week. You can find the latest list here: Best Sellers
- Looking for a book to read? Check out the Reviews and Recommendations page on our website.
- Ordering online: To order books online, simply visit our website (www.benningtonbookshop.com), enter the name of the book you wish to order in the "Look for Books" window (in the right-hand column on each page), then enter your address details and credit card information as prompted. There is a small charge for postage or, if you're a local, you can opt to pick up the book in the store. Please note: Books appearing in the on-line search are not necessarily in stock at The Bookshop. We may have to order them in, but can ship most books in 1~5 days. Please call us if you want to confirm immediate availability: 802 442 5059
- Real Estate:
|
|
Store Hours
Monday~Saturday: 10.00am~6.00pm
Sunday: Noon~4.00pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
