Image from The Boy, the Mole, the fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackery
Greetings, esteemed readers!
December is here, bringing with it a season of reflection, celebration, and connection. As we navigate the final month this year, there’s much to consider—from the lessons of history that shape our present to the cultural traditions that bring us together.
Why do we read? It’s a question that appropriately named author Shannon Reed asks in her recent bestselling memoir and collection of essays Why We Read : On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out. The book is filled with humorous stories and Reed tells us we read for many reasons; to escape, to learn, to encounter new worlds, discover new recipes, to find connection across difference, or simply to pass a rainy afternoon. No matter the reason, books have the power to keep us safe, to challenge us, and perhaps most importantly, to make us more fully human.
In one essay while Reed is teaching The Diary of Anne Frank to her classroom, a student brings the class to silence by admitting she didn’t think she would have the courage to protect Anne Frank and her family, “every one of us grasped that protecting innocent fellow humans was the only morally correct choice. Yet only one of us was willing to admit what had to be true: that if this had been asked of most of us, we wouldn’t have done it.” There is a stark but subtle power in the act of reading. It asks of the reader to think and question their own thoughts, and in doing so, to make the reader an active participant in this project of humanity.
This season, we invite you to stop by and discover our fall and winter book recommendations—stories to inspire, comfort, and transport you through these cozy months. There’s no better time to find your next great read or the perfect gift for a fellow book lover. We look forward to welcoming you soon!
Below you will find a few recommendations compiled by the staff at Book Beat and a list of upcoming events. The Wednesday signing with poet Molly Peacock came to us last week and we are excited to sell her books. Her 18th century biography The Paper Garden is a store favorite. In December we take a break from our in-store reading groups. Our final meetings of the year will be held Wednesday and Saturday night.
While Tom Bowden is away teaching in China for the winter, we are grateful to have received another long distance installment of his small press reviews in his monthly column i arrogantly recommend…
Thank you for your continued support, peace and happy holidays!
—Cary, Colleen, and the Book Beat Staff
UPCOMING EVENTS
HOLIDAY GIFT RECOMMENDATIONS
From the Book Beat Gallery Catalog
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“Books can truly change our lives: the lives of those who read them, the lives of those who write them. Readers and writers alike discover things they never knew about the world and about themselves.”
-Lloyd Alexander, Time Cat