“Bookstores remain places of genuine wonder.”
– Richard Russo
Dear Readers,
Happy New Year! January is the perfect time for both looking ahead and reflecting on the past. January was named after the two-headed Roman god Janus, a diety of doors, archways, beginnings, endings, and transitions. We also see January as a cozy wintertime enchantment for all ages, a moment to slow down, have some herbal tea or hot-cocoa, relax and curl up with a favorite book. Serenity now.
Although we live with an intense amount of daily chaos and anxiety, we can still find a measure of peace and refuge in the pages of great books.
Bookstores live in a fragile ecosystem often under attack from many angles. Most indie bookstores are a labor-of-love project with a neverending need for new books and customers, a system mostly unchanged since medieval days. Books can help bring peace of mind, diverse ideas and culture. Bookstores are like a living organism- bringing together readers of all ages and backgrounds, a testament to the enduring power of shared knowledge and collective imagination. Anytime a bookstore or library shuts down is a tragedy, and a deep loss can be felt across the community.
And so we are saddened to learn of the closing of our local Pages Bookshop after ten years in business. The owner posted she was retiring to Sedona and we wish her well and good luck on her new chapter. Pages was a well-loved bookstore in the area and will be missed not only by the store’s local readers but by the Detroit community of indie bookstores.
Our newsletter this month pays homage to Bob Setlik, who passed away in December. Setlick was the owner of Car City Records a vital fixture in East Detroit until it closed in 2011. For nearly thirty years it was an iconic record shop, a collector’s delight, and a place were ideas flowed between musicians and music lovers of all kinds, especially Jazz lovers. We’ve asked former friends and co-workers to share their memories.
Back from teaching in China, Tom Bowden has produced column #53 of his off-beat small press reviews. You can read them at i arrogantly recommend…
Save the Date! We will be hosting a reading on Sunday, March 9 at 3 PM for Detroit songwriter, philanthropist, and author ofThese are the Developments of the Human, Ethan Daniel Davidson. His new book is And They Arose Early To Do Sexual Violence: My Personal Mirror of Torah, a book dealing with “instances of sexual violence in the Classical Jewish Texts, and the responses to that violence: sometimes measured and appropriate, sometimes uncontrolled and disproportionate. We will be sending updated info soon. Copies of And They Arose Early To Do Sexual Violence: My Personal Mirror of Torah are in stock and free with the purchase of a new book.
Save the Date! As we look ahead to February, we’re thrilled to announce a special event with acclaimed poet Anne Carson. Known for her boundary-defying works such as Autobiography of Red , Glass, Irony & God, Red Doc, Decreation, and recently Wrong Norma, Carson’s poetry blends classical influences with striking modernity. Join us for a reading, Q&A, and signing on Saturday, February 22 at 6:30 PM, where we’ll celebrate the artistry of one of today’s most innovative literary voices. Joining Anne Carson will be local poets Monica Rico and Stephanie Glazier. Stay tuned for more details—we can’t wait to see you there!
Just in time for flu season we’ve put together a list of common ‘Immune Boosting Tips‘ we try to follow. These are only suggestions and offered under the spirit of ‘keeping healthy’ as a New Year’s resolution.
Support your local bookstore this January—your purchases make a difference not only to us but to the entire community. As Neil Gaiman reminds us, “A town isn’t a town without a bookstore.”
We hope to see you soon, browsing the shelves or sharing your latest read with a fellow book lover. Let’s make this a year filled with the joy, hope, and wisdom that only reading can bring. Don’t buy into the bad vibes. Stay Well. Cheers for the New Year!
Warm wishes,
~Cary, Colleen and the Book Beat staff
Bookslists for the start of the New Year:
The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. As voted on by 503 novelists, nonfiction writers, poets, critics and other book lovers — with a little help from the staff of The New York Times Book Review.
Publisher’s Weekley selected 150 Best Books of 2024 arranged by Top Tens in 15 categories.
Reading Groups at Book Beat
The Sub-Rosa group focusing on women writers meets in-store on the last Saturday of the month and will be discussing Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck, translated by Michael Hofmann, and winner of the International Booker Prize. The World Lit reading group meets via Zoom on the last Wednesday of the month and will be discussing Mr. President by Miguel Ángel Asturias the 1967 Nobel Laureate. Both groups are free, open to the public, and books are discounted 15%.
BOOK BEAT HOURS, CONTACT AND ORDERING INFO
• Book Beat store hours are: Mon – Sat 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM, Sun 12:00 – 5:00 PM.
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• Book Beat Backroom is our store central with News Events and all things Book Beat.
• Order almost any book in print from our affiliate page at Bookshop.org.
• Shop our selection of rare and out-of-print books at biblio.com.
• Shop a selection of signed books, art, out-of-print rarities, and local authors at Book Beat Gallery.
• Audiobooks purchased at Libro.fm will help support Book Beat, thank you!