Holy Moses on Steroids, how is it even possible that autumn is knocking at the door? After a stifling July and a mostly tepid August, we begin our turn toward the holiday season. And it all begins with mornings that start later and cooler, with more of a bite to air.

My birthday is mid-September. I view that date as start of the "happy season" that ends on January 2. Like a skier on a downhill slalom, we start at my birthday, whoosh around Peak Color, slide pass Halloween, fly over Novel Writing Season, whip past Thanksgluttony, rooster-tail through Christmas, then hit the tree immediately after New Year's Day. We go from hot to cold; green to white; frenetic to contemplative.

This is the best possible season to knock a few books off your to-be-read pile, by the way. If you need a few more titles to add to that pile — well, drop by. Our inventory is almost as large as our love for our customers.

(He says, with a straight face.)

Schedule Shenanigans

Two big things: We're closing every Friday in September for Very Important Things, and through the end of the second week of September, we may open a hair late on any given morning to accommodate Cade's daily radiation treatments.

Here's what's on deck for the month:

  • Monday, September 2: Labor Day. Closed. We shall not labor.
  • Wednesday, September 4: Salon. Game night!
  • Friday, September 6: Closed. Jason will be making courtesy visits to local indie bookstores.
  • Tuesday, September 10: Closing at 3p to take Theon and Kali to the vet.
  • Wednesday, September 11: Salon. Book club: The Importance of Being Earnest. Pre-read not necessary; we'll assign parts and read passages.
  • Friday, September 13: Closed. Family event.
  • Wednesday, September 18: Salon. Big Think discussion: Should businesses be political?
  • Friday, September 20: Closed. Jason will be in Illinois.
  • Wednesday, September 25: Salon. Craft workshop: Most Common Errors in Fiction Structure and Composition — and How to Fix Them
  • Friday, September 27: Closed. "Up North" camping trip.

Looking at the rest of 2024 —

We're not anticipating any closures in October. However, October and November will be a-hoppin' here given that the bookstore is a major venue for the West Michigan Author Alliance, which will be conducting a month-long novel-writing challenge in November. So more activities like author-prep seminars and group writing time will run from mid-October through mid-December.

We will close Wednesday and Thursday (but not Friday) of Thanksgiving week. We will be closed for our annual two-week inservice and inventory closeout at the end of December; doors close for the year on Friday, December 20, and will not reopen to the public until Monday, January 6.

Friendly Reminders

Before we check out of this update —

  1. We have plenty of (free!) crafters' shelves available.
  2. We welcome self-published author consignments, and notification of books orderable through the Ingram catalog.
  3. People are welcome to drop in anytime to write, edit, or research in peace. No RSVP or purchase required.