One fine night...

Our first open mic night was a lot of fun. We set up the stage in the café area of our store and a nice group gathered, some strangers, and some old friends. The cafe was open and we offered our usual selection of coffees, soft drinks and pastries. There were a lots of families and groups in attendance and the space was great for mingling and making new friends.

We all enjoyed an varied mix of electric and acoustic acts, and some read poetry and prose. One person even wandered off for a few minutes and browsed our shelves, returning to read a poem from our collection. We wee also graced with a great narrative poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay and a few haiku.

We had a guitarist perform some great instrumentals on electric guitar, one gentleman who played the banjo, and a singer-songwriter who surprised us with her beautiful voice, performing two covers and an original song. Another featured duo sang a couple Beatles songs and some nineties hits.

It was a fun night all in all. We’re planning on making it a monthly event, on second Fridays, so come by February 12th at 7pm to join in!

Unfinished Desires

I've never read anything by Gail Godwin before, but I picked up Unfinished Desires because I love books set at schools. The closed environment, cliques (and other adolescent behavior), and bad teachers all make for good drama.

The book had a less dramatic plot than I expected, and the events were all pretty low key. All throughout Unfinished Desires, characters kept referring vaguely to the freshman play by the class of 1951: the class, as headmistress Mother Ravenel puts it, was "toxic," and they did something almost unspeakable that year. Their actions and the result, she admits, were partially her fault, but the events and behaviors leading up to it are so complicated and subtle that we doubt that anyone's at fault. That's the problem at the heart of the book: everyone's forgiven, and no one is in the wrong, but none of the characters can stop confessing and obsessing.

Open Mic Night-- this Friday!

Wellington Square Bookshop Open Mic Night
Friday, January 15th from 6-9pm
Grab your guitar and spend an evening enjoying the talent of the community over a cup of coffee! Performers are also welcome to dazzle us with non-musical acts, so feel free to recite a favorite poem or your original work.
All ages welcome!

This Friday, you’re invited to sing, play an instrument, or read aloud in the cozy café area of our bookshop. Share your talent and your passion with the community!

Like all open mic nights, we embrace musical acts at our event. Since we’re a bookshop, however, we’re also welcoming you to read to us from your favorite book. When else do you get to share the passages or poems that moved you most?

While you’re here, be sure to try one of our delicious coffee drinks and indulge in a pastry from our café.

Huh?

January Storytimes!

Every Tuesday at 10am, we invite children of all ages and their parents to our storytime and craft sessions. Come hear a story in our cozy and colorful children's area! Storytime usually lasts for about 45 minutes.

Storytime Schedule
January 2010

Tuesday, January 5th ∙ 10:00 am
I Want to be an Astronaut by Byron Barton
A young narrator dreams of becoming an astronaut. In simple, brightly-colored illustrations, Byron Barton gives us a glimpse of zero-gravity, ready-to-eat food, and space walks. After being "up there" for a while as a member of the crew, it's time to come back down to earth.

Tuesday, January 12 ∙ 10:00 am
Jamberry by Bruce Degen
The whimsical rhymes of Jamberry are lots of fun to read aloud. A boy joins a bear on a delicious romp through Berryland, where the landscape is overflowing with wildly-colored fruit. We'll find blueberries, raspberries, jazzberries, razzmatazzberries and more!

Tuesday, January 19 ∙ 10:00 am
Freight Train by Donald Crews
Presented in blocks of brilliant colors, the multihued train in this Caldecott Honor book undertakes a dazzling journey before disappearing from the final page.

Tuesday, January 26 ∙ 10:00 am
A Hat for Minerva Louise by Janet Morgan Stoeke
On a snowy morning, Minerva Louise, an inventive and curious chicken, searches the barnyard for a hat. After trying out a flower pot, a garden hose, and several other silly options, Minerva Louise settles on a pair of mittens: one of which she uses to warm her tail!

Byron Barton

Who is Byron Barton? I found very little information about this author while searching on the internet for his biography (the closest Wikipedia entry is on former congresswoman Beverly Barton Butcher Byron). Most biographies of him mention only the books he's published and his background in television animation. One thing's for sure: Barton's deceptively simple style is radical in the children's book world. His technology and transportation-focused books never become complicated or allusive, but that's not to say that there's no emotion in his work. This Tuesday, we'll read Barton's I Want to be An Astronaut at our 10:00 am storytime. In this book, a young girl tells us about wanting to be "up there" in space, where you can float around, eat freeze-dried meals, and then come back down to earth. Her confident descriptions and goals make it an empowering read for kids as well as a great introduction to outer space.