Hi, {{first_name | friend}}!
Welcome back to Bookstore Pix, where we celebrate independent bookstores and share their booksellers’ best reads.
Happy first week of August! It’s Women in Translation Month, and I’m hoping to get to When the Museum Is Closed by Emi Yagi (about a museum worker who falls in love with a statue of Venus) and La Bastarda by Trifonia Melibea Obono (about a queer orphan’s quest of self-discovery, and the first novel by an Equatorial Guinean woman to be translated into English).
I’m currently reading When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson (the third in my current favorite detective series) and listening to Erasure by Percival Everett (a satire of race and publishing, which became the film American Fiction).
Now, let’s take a journey to Maine.
Francesca McDonnell Capossela
The Shelf Talker
A bookstore to soothe the soul
Photo provided by Arctic Tern Books
Located in the heart of idyllic Midcoast Maine, Arctic Tern Books is where book-loving visitors say they want to live. From the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves to the creaky wooden floors to the cozy seating area and expertly curated inventory, this is a bibliophile's dream. Add to that an adorable beagle/dachshund pup named Stella and staff that make you feel like family, and this is a place that feels like home.
Allison Worden opened Arctic Tern Books in November, 2021 following a series of personal losses that included both of her parents, her only sibling, a cherished friend, and a beloved dog. Beyond opening a bookstore, Allison wanted to create a place that offered people comfort; a place where guests could enter and leave their worries at the door; a place where visitors could feel themselves embraced by safety, hope, and calm. Those desires guide every choice Allison makes and are what make her little shop feel like no other place on earth.
Hotel Spotlight
Together with Inside Hotels
Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa
Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa
The Vibe: The Pinnacle of Hill Country
The Location: Austin, TX
Instaworthy Activities:
Set amidst 4,000 acres of rolling hills sits Austin’s premier destination, Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa. All 493 Hill Country-inspired rooms provide breathtaking views of rolling hills and scenic vistas that make up the Texas Hill Country. The stunning infinity pool and four (yes, you read that right) distinct 18-hole golf courses both make for perfect photo ops! In the afternoon, venture deeper into the hills to tour the wineries of the Texas Wine Trail or take a short drive into downtown Austin to experience the charm of the “Live Music Capital of the World”.
Arctic Tern Bookseller Picks
“Contemplative and wondrous”
Searching for Stars on an Island in Maine
by Alan Lightman
“Imagine yourself lying next to a world-renowned physicist under a star-studded sky on an island in Maine. He’s considering what lies beyond what science can measure and quantify. He asks you to consider this with him. It’s a lovely invitation and for the time you’re together, there’s no place you’d rather be”
“Sublime”
The Presence of Absence
by Simon Van Booy
“A writer receives a terminal diagnosis. Before sharing the news with his wife, he processes it the best way he knows how - through writing. What emerges is a tender, generous meditation on the relationships between writers and readers, the present and the absent, life and the mystery of what lies beyond. Far from morose, this short novel has the calming effect of a worry stone. We pick it up, touch the pages, and as they turn, we feel the book holding and carrying us as lovingly as we are carrying it.”
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Arctic Tern Bookseller Picks
“Enriching. Delightful. Restorative.”
Raising Hare
by Chloe Dalton
“This touching, intelligent memoir shares the author’s experience raising an orphaned baby hare in the English countryside. In learning to feed and care for the leveret without estranging it from its natural habitat, she develops an enduring bond with her charge—a bond that amplifies her capacity for loving the wider world.”
“Heartwarming. Nostalgic. Idyllic.”
The Summer Book
by Tove Jansson
“A young girl and her grandmother fill the long, aimless days of summer at their island cottage. Life slows down. Naps are possible. The luxury of boredom is filled with microadventures and make-believe. This is a summer retreat you’ll want to return to year after year.”
Until next time!
I want to read all of these immediately, starting with Searching for Stars on an Island in Maine.
We’ll see you in two Sundays to explore the shelves of Tennessee’s first romance bookstore and book truck (spoiler alert: there is a VERY cute puppy involved). Until then, thank you for supporting indie bookstores!
See you then,
Francesca
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