Books I Bought This Weekend
And the bookstores I bought them in.
The past few weeks have been busy! Visits from friends, visits from relatives, birthdays, celebrations, dinners, travel. All of this has precluded me from reading almost anything. I think I finished one book and have started one since I last wrote. Alas. Such is life.
But one thing I *DID* have time for was buying books. Buying books is a funny thing, because, like many readers I’ve come across, my pace of reading books has never once been higher than the pace of my acquiring books. I love reading and I love books, but I also love collecting books. Consumption is not a hobby, nor should it be, but when it comes to collecting books, I convince myself that this is, in fact, a viable and even admirable hobby (it’s not).
I’ll spare you the rant on capitalism and consumption and instead say this – I’ve made my peace with book-buying. I do it because it fuels the fire of what I love to do, which is read. I collect books because the ones I have read and love are dear to me, and I want to be able to lend them to friends so I can expose people to new authors and stories and, selfishly, talk to more people about great stuff I’ve read and want to discuss.
I try to enforce some rules for myself when I buy books – only buy second-hand and from indie bookstores, or if I have a gift card to a bookstore. I try to use the library above all else. I also tend to let travel be a time when I let my freak flag fly, so to speak, in that I’ll buy books as “souvenirs” from indie bookstores in other cities and countries. It’s an excellent hack/workaround if you’re looking to buy more books, but a terrible hack if you’re looking to avoid paying large fees for oversized luggage.
All of this to say, one of my dear friends, who is also an avid reader, came to visit this past weekend. Between Philly and a quick day trip to New York, we hit 4 bookstores and I bought 8(!!!!) books. Here’s every store we went to and what I came home with.
The Head and The Hand
Location: Fishtown, Philadelphia
Why it’s cool: The Head and The Hand, affectionately known as H&H Books is a nonprofit independent bookstore/publisher. As such, they are a small space that offers new and discounted used books, but they have an excellent and eclectic selection, complete with buzzy new titles, small-press publications, a local author section, and lesser-known titles. They have sections for fiction, non-fiction, poetry, essays, and a kids section. Also, they’re dog-friendly!
Beyond their selection, though, they have great events and readings that are frequently held at the shop – I’ve seen Tess Gunty, author of The Rabbit Hutch, and Tony Tulathimutte, author of Rejection, do readings there, which were incredible. H&H’s small, intimate atmosphere makes for a wonderful experience where you can interact with the authors doing the readings in a way that feels meaningful.
Last but certainly not least, they have a Date Night at a Bookstore offering, which is probably the coolest thing I’ve ever seen a bookstore do. Basically, you can rent out the shop for a date night and after-hours browsing. The staff will supply wine/beer, a custom playlist (with your input!), and a candlelit ambiance. You just bring the food and yourself – it’s so much fun and SO special!
What I bought:
The Unworthy by Augustina Bazterrica. It’s written from the perspective of a woman who lives in a cell in a convent, against the backdrop of a world that has been destroyed by climate catastrophe. She is among the House of the Sacred Sisterhood, and while her life there is cold and unforgiving, at least she is alive… right? As she starts to unravel her past and the secrets of the convent, the path to enlightenment the convent (her jailers?) has promised seems less appealing and all the more doomed.
Bazterrica is the author of Tender is the Flesh, which I read a few years ago and loved. I highly recommend it if you’re into post-apocalyptic nightmare shit. I have been meaning to get into Bazterrica’s other work for some time; she also has a book of short stories that came out in the past year or so. Anyway, I came across this book at H&H and the salesperson’s eyes lit up when she saw it in my hands. “Ooooh, that’s a good one,” she said. I basically had no choice but to buy it.
The Strand
Location: Union Square/East Village, NYC
Why it’s cool: Almost 100 years old, the strand started in 1927 Fourth Avenue on what was then called “Book Row,” a 6-block span of 48 bookstores (dream). Since then, the strand has been a family business that offers new and used books; books from small publishers, and rare editions. They employ real book-heads, and their staff-picks section is always one of my favorites to peruse.
What I bought: Went a bit overboard here!!!! But god I love Strand, their selection is just too good!!
An Excellent Host by Chelsea G. Summers. Ever since I read Chelsea G. Summers’ debut novel, A Certain Hunger, I have been obsessed with her. An Excellent Host is more of a novella/short story, but when I heard about it I was desperate to get my hands on it. It’s weirdly hard to find online— I think they only did some small batches of publishing? Anyway, I saw it on a display table and snatched it up immediately. It’s about an elegant evening at a posh Airbnb– an intimate, extravagant dinner party planned for a select few. But the night may be more than they all bargained for in this retelling of a Greek myth in the context of modern dating.
The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon. I have been meaning to read this for a while, and what do you know, there it was on a display table at The Strand labeled, “Better late than never,” ie, books you need to read haven’t, for some inconceivable reason. I honestly don’t know much about this book, but one of my favorite Philly bookstores (more on that later) is named after this book, so I really had no choice in the matter! Gotta be about it if you’re gonna talk about it.
Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre. Another one I know not much about. I came across this book when Melissa Broder posted it on her Instagram and gave it a 5-star rating on Goodreads. Any Broder endorsement is an easy sell for me. And while I am vaguely aware of Sartre, I have never read his work, so figured what better place to start?
Nausea is about “a French writer who is horrified at his own existence.” Relatable content, amirite!??! It’s written in diary entries, and is deeply existential, reflective, and provides a nihilistic commentary about the world at large. I get the sense this is a book for readers; one that focuses on the writing more than the plot. Also, it seems this is somewhat philosophical? We’ll see how that goes. I’m interested to see how I feel about this, as every so often a super heady, introspective read can scratch a specific itch.
McNally Jackson (SoHo)
Location: There are five locations across Manhattan and Brooklyn, though we went to the SoHo location. Personally, I’m a big fan of the one in Williamsburg.
Why it’s cool: McNally got its start in 2004 as the US arm of a Canadian bookstore, McNally Robinson. In 2008, it became its own entity and has grown significantly since then. McNally is just chic as fuck, honestly. All its locations are different, yet stay true to the same ethos of minimalism, excellent curation, stunning displays, and a wide range of offerings. They also have a publishing arm, McNally Editions, which resurrects out-of-print “hidden gems” that didn’t get their due credit when they were originally published. I LOVE McNally Editions, I have yet to be disappointed by one of their titles. Highly recommend Lord Jim at Home by Dinah Brooke and Rent Boy by Gary Indiana
What I bought:
Constant Reader by Dorothy Parker. McNally Editions FTW! This is a collection of book reviews originally published in The New Yorker by Dorothy Parker. Parker was a native New Yorker and writer-woman about town. She became famous for her comic poems, her short stories, her reviews, and later, her screenwriting. I love good writing, and lately, I have enjoyed collections like this; reviews from the past. Reading good, thoughtful works of criticism is such a treat; I always feel like my brain is getting stronger when I read them.
On the Calculation of Volume (Book 1) by Solvej Balle: Another one I don’t know much about, but all the cool (smart) people seem to be reading it! Apparently, it’s the start of a 7-volume series, though only books 1 and 2 are currently out. It’s the classic time-loop plot; a woman endures the same day over and over, but the buzz around this one got me, and it seems like Balle has a clever bend to this that goes beyond the traditional tropes of this plotline. I’m looking forward to it and hoping the whole series is compelling.
Lot 49 Books
Location: Fishtown, Philadelphia
Why it’s cool: Have you ever walked into an independent bookstore and felt like everything on the shelves was pulled from an algorithm of everything in your brain that you’ve ever read, wanted to read, heard of, or been interested in? As if every thread of interest, untapped path of thought, and potential to pique your interest is captured right there, tangibly, at your fingertips? That is how Lot 49 feels to me. It’s such a special place, I love it so much and I always come away with something weird and interesting and off the beaten path that I can’t wait to read. I have a longer piece on this store coming up (stay tuned!!) so I won’t say too much about it, but it feels like such a gift to have this place in my neighborhood.
What I bought:
Person/A by Elizabeth Ellen. This was a beautiful situation of plucking something off the shelves, reading the back, and deciding to give it a go. I have never heard of this book or author, but when I read the back of the book, which describes it as, “A novel about the complexities of being a woman, an artist, a mother, and a wife; a novel about persona and obsession and loyalty and repression; an exorcism,” I was sold. Sometimes you gotta take a risk!
The Suicides by Antonio di Bendetto. As you may have guessed, I’m in my translated/off-the-beaten-path/weird books era. This is a NYRB publication, which has been popular in resurrecting classics – this book was originally published in 1969, in Spanish. It came recommended by the Lot 49 shop owner, Drew, whose taste I trust immutably. This book is about a reporter investigating a slew of unconnected suicides—which leads to an exploration of the phenomenon of suicide itself.
Whew! That was a long one. Sometimes the wheels come off, know what I mean? What books have you bought lately? What are you looking forward to reading? tell me in the comments!
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📖 Currently reading:
The Unworthy by Augustina Bazterrica
📚Recently finished:
Portrait of a Mirror by A. Natasha Joukovsky. So good, such a sharp, intelligent read. Loved the art history element woven into this – reminded me of The Goldfinch.
💌 Email me book recs and other literary thoughts at emilygatesjohnson@gmail.com
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Immediately recognized H&H!! Love that one. I also don’t count book purchases when I’m traveling, but they certainly count when I’m home and drowning in my tbr RIP
I can’t believe you haven’t taken me to Lot 49 Books or H&H Books!!! We’re going next time.