Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Free Local Holiday Shipping

Just because a store is local, doesn’t mean it’s easy to get to. You can want to support your local independent bookstore, but if the bus or the train or the traffic doesn’t line up, sometimes you just can’t get here. (Hello everyone in Winter Hill, Union Square, East Cambridge, Inman Square…) And with everything else everyone has to do to get ready for the holidays (on top of jobs, school, daily life) it’s hard to be mad at someone who reaches the end of his or her day and decides to just do his shopping online. To make shopping with us convenient for our community members who can’t get here and to thank everyone for all of the support over the years, we will be offering FREE SHIPPING or hand delivery for all online orders placed between now and December 12 of $25 or more, shipped to Cambridge or Somerville. If your order qualifies you’ll get a “Shop Local Holiday Shipping” option. Just select it and away you go. These orders will be delivered between December 16-December 19th.

You can also have friends and family members who live elsewhere use this shipping option. As long as the books are shipping to Cambridge or Somerville, it doesn’t matter where the billing address is. Along these lines, did you know you can create a shareable wish list? Anyone can give you the books you want to read from the store you want to support. Click here to set up your wish list

We can also gift wrap the books and include messages if you want. Just use the order comments in the form for any special instructions. Click here if you have any other questions. You can also give us a call at 617-491-2220 or send us an email at info@portersquarebooks.com

Finally, and most importantly, thank you all for all of your support all of these years.

Monday, November 18, 2013

Gift Suggestions for Book Lovers

Maybe you're not sure what book to buy for your erudite friend. Maybe you need a little something extra to accompany that stack of books you just picked out. Or maybe you need a party gift for that librarians-only shindig coming up next week. Whatever the reason, here are some smart gift ideas with a bookish theme.



Fabric Bookmarks by Pandora's Craft Room: for those who like to protect (and beautify) their book's pages, while supporting a local artisan. Everything from hedgehog prints to holiday-themed designs.








 

Nerd Glasses Wares: For those nerdy and proud! Available as totes and zipper pouches.            
                         



It's a non-brainer: Literary Bandaids are fun, intellectual, and practical --and a staff favorite. We've got 'em in Shakespeare, Austen, or Poe.







For the stylish reading set, we recommend our Bookworm Totes & Pouches, featuring classic book cover art and a library-nostalgic pouch that's sure to please. 







And for that librarian soiree, what could be better than this Card Catalog Notecard Set? Reproductions of original Library of Congress notecards come enclosed in a keepsake replica box. 




So what are you waiting for? Get shopping! And remember you can always find these and other gift ideas on our Pinterest boards.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Bookstore Schottenfreudes

Ben Schott of Schott’s Original Miscellany fame has compiled an irresistible book, a collection of all those fascinating and complex German terms so perfect for describing the nuances and complexities of life. For example, who hasn’t felt “luftfahrtorigaminiedergeschlagenheit: the sense of deflation when your diligently folded paper airplane beaks immediately to the floor or “deppenfahrerbeaugung: the urge to turn and glare at a bad driver you’ve just overtaken?”

There are definitely experiences here at the store that have no english equivalents and so, inspired by Schott, here are some Porter Square Books specific “Schottenfreudes.”

BeobachtendasZinglinieniekürzer: Never being able to get coffee from Cafe Zing because you’re waiting for the line to go down and it never does.

Buchdasgekauftwirdbevoresadactagelegtist: A book that is so intriguing someone on the staff buys it before it gets shelved.

Zeitillicitybuchgerade: The extra time it takes to shelve books because you have to stop and look through them as you go.

Nureinweiteresbuch: When you have to go back to the register to buy a book you saw on your way out of the store after buying a bunch of other books

Eshateitgesichtdarauf: Figuring out the title of a book based on a very vague description of the cover.

IchhörteesaufNPR: Figuring out the title of a book based on vague and sometimes mis-remembered details heard on the radio.

Dieparteiistbereitsimgange: When you help someone pick out a book for a child they have never met

Falschesgerätfürdirumwelt: Reading a Kindle while hanging out in an independent bookstore.

Woistdietoilette: Using a bookstore for everything (bathroom, playground, meeting place, magazine reading) except for buying books.

Enttäuschtromantischenmarkenkauf: Break hearts, sell books.



Got any bookstore or reading "Schottenfreudes" of your own? Share them in the comments.

Sunday, November 3, 2013

We Want Morrissey!


With the news that rock legend Morrissey's Autobiography is being published in hardcover in the U.S. on December 3, we would like to offer Porter Square Books as a venue for his U.S. launch.

We know you love independent bookstores, Morrissey, and we know we'd be a great place for you to have an event. Our cafe offers vegan snacks and our staff is full of dedicated fans.

We would be so honored to help launch your book! Visit our webpage at portersquarebooks.com to learn more about our great store and staff!

In the mean time, please visit the Pinterest board we made just for you, with books you may be interested in!


Friday, November 1, 2013

There has been a hiatus in notifying everyone of new audiobooks. Here is what is new this week. I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai Stitches by Anne Lamott The Death of Santini by Pat Conroy A Short History of the Twentieth Century by John Lukacs Abominable by Dan Simmons Purgatory by Ken Bruen The Hunter and Other Stories by Dashiell Hammet A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy Lots of great listening! Thanks.

Blog Archive