I am delighted to have my
book, The Happy Clam, featured in the New England Independent Booksellers
Association (NEIBA) 2024 Holiday Catalog! Please stop by and support your local
bookshop! #HolidayCatalog2024
I had the chance to attend the NEIBA conference in September at the Newton Marriott, and share a table with other authors and publishers from the Independent Publishers of New England (IPNE). But, what a day! The exhibit hall was cavernous and filled with tables piled high in books, each publisher or vendor sharing their wares.
In an
industry known for its slim margins, fierce competition, and sheer struggle to
survive, the booksellers share a labor of love. In this room, they are treated
like royalty, and offered as many books as they can carry, to give them a
read.
There are
books for everybody, all genres, all tastes. Do you like literary fiction?
Thoughtful narrative nonfiction? Humor? History? Memoir? They had it all.
Here are a
couple of books I recommend for this holiday gift-giving! Both are about
travel, one is a true story and the other is fiction, and one looks back and
one looks far forward.
The Ride of Her Life, by Elizabeth Letts, tells the true story of Annie Wilkins who travels across the country in 1955, from Maine to California, riding on horseback, at a time when the automobile was starting to take over the roads, and interstate highways were just being built. It’s like a trip back in time as well as across the country.
The Last
Gifts of the Universe, by Riley August, is a story about a couple of
siblings and their cat traveling across the universe in their spaceship. Wildly
imaginative, it does what a book should – makes you want to turn the page to find
out what happens next!
What is
next?
Happy
Holidays, and may the new year hold promise of hope and peace for all!
Calendar:
The Annual Holiday Gift Faire is being
held Sunday December 1st at the American Legion Nonantum Post 440, located
at 295 California Street, Newton, MA. Hours are 10 AM to 4 PM. Plenty of free
parking! Stop by my table for books, bows, and geodes.
A couple
of gifts of song –
The surprise duet by Tracy Chapman and
Luke Combs at the Country Music Awards, what a treat, and how unexpected, as the
first chords of the song began, and then you saw her, radiant and smiling, her
voice silky smooth, still so beautiful after all these years. That was a gift.
https://youtu.be/zEqb6xbeuCo?si=-pSo2a2JytjmEDZN
And for all those missing Russo’s
especially during this holiday season, and can relate to remembering a
different place and time that once existed, the sounds and smells as you walked
in the door, check out my blog from December 2017.
Do you remember Gilly Assuncao’s singing
the song, “It’s Time to Say Goodbye,” at the store? Here’s the best recording
of that performance I’ve found (Sunday, Dec. 17th, 2017). I was so lucky to be
there. Another gift.
© 2024 Rosemary A. Schmidt
Rose Schmidt is the author of The Happy Clam (© 2020), and Go Forward, Support! The Rugby of Life (©
2003), both published by Gainline Press. The views expressed herein are solely
those of the author, and do not reflect the views of any other agency or
organization. Use of individual quotes with proper citation and attribution,
within the limits of fair use, is permitted. If you would like to request
permission to use or reprint any of the content on the site, please contact me.
Twitter: Rosebud@GainlineRS
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