September proved eventful. We celebrated the bell-ringing ceremony for Cade; his cancer treatment – the major chemotherapy and radiation parts – has concluded and he's been deemed cured. But also, our beloved Guard Pup, Chloe, crossed the Rainbow Bridge.
Chloe was Cade's best friend for nearly 17 years. The bookstore was one of her favorite places to go; she will be deeply missed here. We've set up a special shelf with a picture of her, a little sign, and her water bowl filled with fortune cookies. Those cookies were her favorite food! So if you happen to be depressed or face a large decision, think about Chloe and listen for the echo of an "arf!" from her side of the Rainbow Bridge. Then, take a cookie and reflect on your fortune. We trust she'll watch over you just like she watched over Cade and our book carts.
State of the Stacks
We recently received another big delivery of books. It appears that the overwhelming majority of them are mid-century Protestant theology texts, mostly popular stuff intended for working ministers, but there are a few obscure gems in there, too, as well as books in other non-fiction categories. It'll take us a hot second to get all of these new books (probably around 500 or so) sorted and shelved, and we'll probably acquire a few new carts. So it may be a bit messy in here for a while.
Scheduling Notes
Now that Cade's treatment has concluded and Jason's horse is comfortably settled, our need for scheduled closures has diminished.
THAT SAID, we're closed on Thursday, September 26, and Friday, September 27. On Thursday, we're having major utility work done; we received very short notice, alas. On Friday, Jason will be "Up North" camping with his brother.
For October, please note the following:
- Wednesday, Oct. 2 – closed from 12:30 to 3:30 for a medical appointment (will reopen for the salon). Salon program is Game Night.
- Tuesday, October 8 – closing early (3 p.m.) to take Kali d'Cat to the vet.
- Wednesday, October 9 – Salon program is Book Club. This month's book is (checks notes) is "The Left/Right Game" on Reddit.
- Tuesday, October 15 – closing early (3 p.m.) to take Theon d'Cat to the vet.
- Wednesday, October 16 – Salon program is the Big Think Club. This month's topic is "Does Voting Matter?"
- Saturday, October 19 – Fall Writer's Conference, 9a to 4p. The fall conference focuses on craft, with a special emphasis this year on the interplay of creativity and authorial anxiety. Sponsored by the Lakeshore Literary Foundation and its West Michigan Author Alliance program. For more information or to sign up, check out the conference on Eventbrite.
- Wednesday, October 23 – Salon program is Craft Talks. The topic this month is: "What Every Editor and Agent Wished Debut Authors Knew About Publishing, but Were Afraid to Tell Them." This is the final Craft Talk of the year; we'll be closed for both Thanksgiving and Christmas for the fourth Wednesdays of November and December.
- Wednesday, October 30 – Salon program is our fourth and final Fifth Wednesday Surprise. We'll enjoy a round-table conversation on the topic of "Grokking the Zero Draft: How to Make the Most of a Novel Writing Challenge."
- Thursday, October 31 – we reserve the right to close early for Halloween.
"That November Thing" and the Holiday Season
November and December will be interesting.
In November, we're a primary host for "That November Thing," a novel-writing challenge sponsored by the West Michigan Author Alliance. We'll share a detailed calendar at the end of October, but be aware that we'll be seeing a lot more writers come-and-go in November. TNT is the local program replacing National Novel Writing Month. NaNoWriMo is mired in mismanagement and scandal; we cannot support NaNoWriMo ethically, but we enthusiastically support TNT.
We'll be closed on the Wednesday and Thursday of Thanksgiving week, but open on Friday and (potentially) Saturday.
In December, we close the final two weeks of the year to unwind, count inventory, deep clean, set plans, close the financial books, and all that other good stuff.
Jason's Parting Thought
Although I've never really advertised the bookstore – it's a hobby endeavor, and often subject to last-minute scheduling shenanigans – we welcome a surprisingly large number of "regulars" who brighten the day here.
It's been a singular joy to get to meet so many wonderful book-lovers. Your support of Cade and Chloe over the last year have warmed the shriveled cockles of my heart. Thank you.
I'm excited for what lies ahead in 2025. It's hard to believe we're sliding – kicking and screaming – into an election and then a new year, but here we are. No matter how chaotic things get, though, remember: Books are your friend.
So if you need a friend, come here and buy a book or five. Better yet, stay for a salon and make human friends that last a lifetime.
