|
Hello Reader,
Thank you for joining us this month, and for all of the times you have opened the newsletter over the past four years to read about what’s new in the book world. I’m Kristen, the coordinator of the newsletter committee, and I would like to offer a little behind-the-scenes peek at this monthly musing.
When we began planning for our first newsletter, there were a few things we wanted to accomplish. Namely, to provide well-curated lists of excellent books. We wanted an emphasis on Canadian, a celebration of local and all the latest bookish news and store happenings. In order to do this, we rallied an excellent team (Hi Dan, Heather, Trina, Nick and Caitlin!), sought guidance and input from our three store managers, as well as regular contributions from our staff members at all three locations. Now, with four years under our belts, we are a well-oiled machine, collaborating each month to bring you a unique mixture of book lists and book news.
Our little team of six meets a few times a month over Zoom to brainstorm the upcoming newsletters. We bounce around ideas for lists and themes, come up with questions, and talk about upcoming titles. Nothing you see here is sponsored. We choose to include books that we are truly excited about and curate lists of interesting titles that we love. For us, this culminates in a (rather long) monthly newsletter with a mix of staff picks, topical lists, news and events. What can we say? We are excited about a lot of books!
This month, three members of the crew share their thoughts on four books in the
On the Night Table section, as well as their favourite part of being on the newsletter team. We also have upcoming Canadian new releases, a
Before You Read selection, and our staff-favourite Ori London bags. You will also find the latest
Booksellers’ List and a page-to-screen feature, plus curated news and your local events.
Finally, we salute
you, our loyal readers! The average open rate for
BookmarkTHIS! is 3x the industry standard. Thank you for showing up each month, and for engaging with the content. We build these newsletters for you, so your feedback is essential. Do you have a favourite section? An idea for a niche list? You can email us thoughts and suggestions here. And please, keep telling us about it in store. We love hearing “I saw this in the newsletter!”
Thank you for joining us each month!
Kristen
|
|
|---|
|
Did you know…
- The newsletter comes out on the first Tuesday of each month.
- The book covers are clickable links.
- You can preorder anything in the newsletter and have it shipped to you or pick it up in store.
|
|
|---|
|
STAFF QUESTION: What is your favourite part of being on the newsletter team?
|
|
|---|
|
|
Trina
Besides the pleasure of regular newsletter planning meetings with booksellers from our other stores, I enjoy the brainstorming of ideas and learning about new-to-me authors. It’s always interesting as we tease out discussion ideas for newsletter features and then see how team members identify books our customers might enjoy. It’s gratifying to then chat with customers as they place or pick up an order for an item they saw first in the newsletter.
|
|
|---|
|
While the long summer days may be waning, we are in peak harvest season, a perfect time for more than a glance at this cookbook. Trine Hanneman is a Danish chef and food writer who writes about Scandinavian foods that have more than a passing familiarity for Maritime gardeners, foragers, chefs and bakers. The simple recipes are perfect for the time of year, in addition to being both tasty and portable.
|
|
|
|
Years ago I read many of Len Deighton’s spy thrillers, a compatriot to John Le Carre and precursor to the more contemporary Henry Porter and Daniel Silva. Following Deighton’s death earlier this year, an article in the May issue of the LRB caught my eye. At the author’s recommendation, I now have this “astonishing feat of planning and organisation” on my TBR.
|
|
|
|
|
I’ve been dipping in and out of the well-thought-out
Country Commonplace Book in part because of the September arrival of Miranda Mills’ follow up
Cosy Commonplace Book. In addition to being a pleasant read, it’s also been a popular display item in the store.
|
|
|
|
I love a good picture book and
Is this a Plum? satisfies many of the features little ones love as those reading to them appreciate - animals, humour and the potential for rousing call and response text as well as surprises on each page. For the 3-7 year old set.
|
|
|
|
|
Nick
A genial open-mindedness exists among our newsletter team. Maybe it's because we all know that each of us reads a bit (or
a lot) differently. Maybe it's because we aren't burdened by the searchability of our last names. Maybe it's because we know that we're representing three distinct brick and mortar places where anyone - ideally - should be able to find their new favourite pages. Many bookish pursuits - authorship, literary criticism, social media curation - are solitary pursuits. Making this newsletter every month with Kristen, Heather, Caitlin, Dan, & Trina is a truly collaborative endeavor.
|
|
|---|
|
I've read this a couple of times and I have some feelings. It’s a surprisingly frank take on mortality. Not many cute picture books could get away with a pungent reminder of bodily decomposition. The book takes subtle digs at quick-fix celebrity self-help culture
and functions as an ode to the innate curiosity of all sentient creatures. Here the sea is “just like the brine, but with less garlic." Hard to find new ways to describe the sea.
The Wise Pickle does it.
|
|
|
|
This book makes me feel aware of the 'thisness' of a good sentence. Aware of texture and syntax. Of dust motes that swirl atop of a little-used noun when it's set next to a verb whose motor is already running. This is Lisa Robertson's most accessible work to date, which doesn't mean it's heavy on plot or that it coheres to a singular statement. "One lives to read a book like this one," is what I texted to my small group of friends after I finished
Riverwork. And I meant it.
|
|
|
|
|
Yes, it is better than
Groundhog Day (And that was a pretty good movie!). Partway through volume two, I'm featuring part four on the night table in the same way one leaves a glass of water on the night table for the next morning. Will that glass of water still be there when I wake up? Such questions drive the narrative of this multi-volume cultural phenomenon. For those already trapped: November 18th forever.
|
|
|
|
My first Joy Williams short story collection. It’s still out in hardcover but the paperback is coming this fall. I've probably been thinking too much about the following description. "G hates air-conditioning. And he loves Susan Sontag. There you have it. Whoever you are. // G's modest fart is murmurous and comforting. When someone died, his grandmother would always say, 'Well, he'll fart no more.'"
If that description made you laugh, then you'll probably like this book.
|
|
|
|
|
Caitlin
One of my favourite tasks as a newsletter committee member is creating book lists for certain occasions throughout the year. It is definitely fun and exciting to discover and promote niche titles and books written by great international authors.
|
|
|---|
|
I will read anything that Claudia Piñeiro writes. One of my favourite contemporary writers.
|
|
|
|
I made a big claim this summer that I was going to read Ulysses. I’ve forced three other people to join me under duress.
|
|
|
|
|
I read a lot of horror novels and folk-horror is a weakness of mine. I am happy this is finally being released in North America.
|
|
|
|
I think everyone should read one heat-soaked book a summer. I’ve been looking forward to this one for a while.
|
|
|
|
|
The Bookseller’s List, Summer Edition
|
|
|---|
|
The summer edition of the Bookseller’s List is out with twenty more books that will be moving off the shelves and right to the top of your #TBR pile, as selected by hundreds of booksellers from across Canada. Watch for the remaining titles as they come in over the next few weeks.
|
|
|---|
|
When do you read the newsletter?
|
|
|---|
|
Last month, we asked readers about their favourite escapist reads for anti-boredom month. Murder Mystery was the top choice with over 100 votes. |
|
|---|
|
“I never understood the concept of a fluffy summer read. For me, summer reading means beaches, long train rides and layovers in foreign airports. All of which call for escaping into really long books.”
- Maria Semple
|
|
European Novels in Translation |
|
|---|
|
We are continuing our trip around the world with this list of European books in translation.
|
|
|---|
|
“I don't write a book so that it will be the final word; I write a book so that other books are possible, not necessarily written by me.”
-Michel Foucault
|
|
Pressed for Time? 20 Brilliant Books You Can Read in a Day
Last month we shared our newsletter team’s picks on books to get back into reading. Here’s a recent
Guardian article featuring another list of shorter books.
|
|
|---|
|
Booker Longlist
The longlist for the Booker Prize was announced in late July, and the shortlist will be posted September 22nd.
|
|
|---|
|
Giller Prize Longlist
Along with readers and booksellers across Canada, we eagerly await the Giller Prize longlist announcement on Sept 8 at 9am. In the meantime, for your fix of great Canadian titles, try their Canadian cravings.
|
|
|---|
|
The Canadian Children’s Book Centre Turns 50 This Year!
Fifty years of bringing great Canadian books and authors to readers, parents, librarians and teachers. Read more about the CCBC here.
|
|
|---|
|
How do you get good book recommendations, when social media will parrot the same books over and over, and your friends might not have the same taste as you?
"Stay away from social media! I’ve never been on BookTok, and have no plans to do so. The pace and vibe of social media strikes me as completely at odds with the kind of sustained attention that reading demands. One rewards distraction. The other patience.
The trick, I think, is to build a small ecosystem of trusted sources: reviewers, librarians or critics whose tastes consistently overlap with yours, even if you disagree with them a lot of the time. (Sometimes knowing who dislikes the same books you do is just as useful.)
To my mind, the best overlooked source is independent bookshops. Their staff and owners are often among the most knowledgeable readers you’ll meet. They’re used to handselling, and the better they know your likes and dislikes, the better their recommendations become. A lot also have a 'staff picks' wall."
- Emily Donaldson
Excerpted from “What you should read this summer”
Globe & Mail July 2026
|
|
One of the most enviable jobs in the bookshop is receiving - getting to open up boxes and see what’s new never gets old! Here are some Canadian titles coming this fall that we are excited to bring out of their boxes and get on to the shelves! |
|
|---|
|
As always, the fall lists have some long awaited or intriguing titles. Reliably, Louise Penny has a new Chief Inspector Gamache title in October. Bonnie Garmus and Barbara Kingsolver are among the many anticipated releases through the season. As always, we are happy to take preorders so you can pick yours up on release day. The titles below caught our attention since all three authors have strong histories and devoted readers. If you haven’t tried them before there’s still time before the new releases. |
|
|---|
|
For those who remember
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, a startling debut that wound up being an international bestseller, you may be interested to learn that there will be a follow up,
Life Out of Order, to be released in October. More than 20 years later, it’s described as a companion or a stand alone, your choice. Now may be as good a time as any to dust off the first of these, a most intriguing read! |
|
|---|
|
Several years ago, Irish poet Doireann Ní Ghríofa released
A Ghost in the Throat. A striking blend of biography, history, language and literature; a shape shifting memoir of the lives of women, it was a difficult book to categorise but unforgettable once read. Ní Ghríofa has a new work of prose coming in September. Available in Ireland and the UK since spring,
Said the Dead has received even more accolades than its predecessor. A blending of the historical and the contemporary, this witness to the lives and worlds of women promises to be every bit as lyrical, as entrancing as the first.
|
|
|---|
|
Sarah Addison Allen has published a number of books since her debut in 2008. She has developed and maintained a strong fan base, many of whom eagerly await the publication of
Paper Ghosts in September. Her enchanting blend includes horticulture, folklore and magic realism, all with a distinctly southern flavour, and has attracted the attention of fans of Alice Hoffman, Laura Esquivel and others. Before
Paper Ghosts arrives, you may wish to read
Garden Spells, then make your way through Addison Allen’s back catalogue. Books such as these are perfect companions as days grow shorter and twilight draws in.
|
|
|---|
|
Events
Dates, times and locations are current as of publication date. Please refer to www.bookmarkreads.ca for updates or changes. |
|
|---|
|
An Evening of Poetry in the Bookshop with Thomas O’Grady
Monday, August 31st at 7 pm
We hope you can join us in the shop (111 Kent Street) for a wonderful evening of poetry and celebration of Thomas O’Grady’s newest book of poetry
Coming Ashore: New and Selected Poems.
|
|
|
|
|
Book Launch with Nicholas Herring
Thursday, September 3rd at 7 pm
We are excited to be celebrating the launch of award-winning Island author Nicholas Herring’s new novel
Your Breath In Charcoal with an evening of engaging conversation between Nicholas and UPEI professor Greg Doran in Studio 1 at the Confederation Centre of the Arts.
|
|
|
|
|
If you love page-to-screen adaptation as much as we do, check out these titles making their way to big and small screens soon. Most will be out by the end of this year, with a few expected early 2027. Read before you watch so you can tell all your friends “the book was better”. |
|
|---|
|
"I adore book-to-film adaptations when they're done well, and I'm more lenient than many readers when it comes to what counts as 'done well.' For me, the most important thing is that the film maintains the spirit of the original book."
- Maggie Stiefvater
|
|
New at Bookmark Charlottetown and available by special order at Halifax and Fredericton!
Ori London bags are simple and sleek, with a focus on functionality, design features and colour, creating the ORI DNA. Designed to be lightweight and durable, Ori’s external recycled material is triple-coated and weather-resistant. Recycled Nylon is shiny and smooth and Recycled Canvas is matte and textured.
Ori London is a UK company with the enviable B Corp certification which addresses a business’s operations and covers five key impact areas of Governance, Workers, Community, Environment and Customers. The certification process is rigorous, with applicants being required to provide evidence of socially and environmentally responsible practices relating to energy supplies, waste and water use, worker compensation, diversity and corporate transparency.
Check out the new colours and all available styles here.
|
|
|---|
|
Overheard in the Bookshop |
|
|---|
|
Tracking a book down online isn't always easy. Sometimes a book is out of print. Sometimes it has changed distributors. Sometimes the book has an actual twin.
Take the 2022 romance novel
The Devil Wears Tartan. It is a tale of two prodigies from "warring highland dance schools," whose rivalry (and unspoken attraction) is rekindled in college "when a local highland dance association announces a scholarship for a life-changing amount of money." Sounds intriguing!
Problem is, there's another romance of the exact same title, a more traditional 'bodice-ripper,' published in 2008, about an 1870 arranged marriage at Edinburgh castle that starts in passion until "the pleasures of the marriage bed cannot protect them from the sins of the past."
When two books share the exact same title, you're going to try to distinguish them by the name of the author. But what if the author of the first title is named 'Katia Rose' and the author of the latter is the similarly-named 'Karen Ranney'? Seriously, what is going on?!
Alright then, let's have a read of some cover copy:
The Devil Wears Tartan (1): "Some couples are a match made in heaven. Moira and Kenzie are convinced the only place they're a match in is hell ... After all, sometimes the devil wears tartan."
The Devil Wears Tartan (2): "Fallen from grace, she had no choice but to become the bride of a devil in disguise."
In the end, sometimes it's best to just come down to the bookshop, hold two books in your hand, and engage in that classic romantic scenario: which one do you choose?
|
|
|---|
|
| |
|
|
 |
|  |
|
|
|
|
