Happy mid-summer! May your warm-weather months be filled with nothing but joy and excellent reading.

(I just bought a copy of Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. She was interviewed on The Ezra Klein Show and she sold me on this book as her gift to, and mirror of, Appalachia.)

Some news you can use:

  • We will be closed on Friday, August 25, and Saturday, August 26, because Jason will be in Ohio on business.
  • On Saturday, Oct. 7, we're closed all day to attend a special event in Illinois.
  • We're taking the bookstore on the road this autumn. We'll be a vendor at G.R. Comic Con, Nov. 3-5, 2023, at DeVos Place. We'll be bringing a mix of new and used books to our booth — and Cade and I reserve the right to cosplay while we shop our wares. (Thoth feels right to me, but "tee bee dee" as the kids say these days.) Because we'll be at the con, our retail operation at The L&G Center will be closed those days.
  • The bookstore will close to the public on Saturday, Nov. 11, to accommodate the Day of Knockout Noveling for the Grand Rapids region of National Novel Writing Month. DoKN is a day-long "write in," potluck, and silent auction to support aspiring novelists in the West Michigan area. DoKN attendees who wish to purchase books will be welcome to do so.
  • Folks who wish to sell books to us that will total more than $50 in cash may be asked to leave their books for us to inspect first. To reduce security risks, we limit the cash we keep on hand, but the buyback program has been wildly popular. So big boxes might require a day to turn around so we can accommodate payouts without incurring undue risk.
  • We've recently welcomed Apollo d'Snek Jones, PhD, to the office. He's a five-foot-long grey rat snake. He's very securely kept in the conference room in the back of the building and does not make appearances in the bookstore. However, if you're super into reptiles, you can ask to visit his enclosure.
  • Need advice on new books to consider? We're a part of the American Booksellers Association and each month they give us leaflets for our customers, celebrating new releases and highlighting special celebrations. Grab your copy next time you're in the bookstore.

Keep reading! Keep writing! Keep drinking coffee!

Better yet, keep doing all three of those things simultaneously, at Jason's Books and Coffee. :)