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Musings from the Bookshop
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Listening to the morning news and hearing that five Nova Scotia libraries will be closing was heartbreaking. And frankly, maddening. While pulling my hair out at 6:30 a.m., I mentally listed what a library represents. Place to be warm, place to be cool, access to wi-fi, access to computers, place for children to play, place for children to imagine, book events, educational events, printing services, movies, music, 3D printing, BOOKS to name a few. To me they are what I want to see in the world: community. Where else can you go for hours on end with no expectation of spending money? You do not have to pay for the right to be in the library. That is a unique space in this world where most places are transactional.
Many of the libraries set to close are in rural areas or smaller towns. This will further limit access to services that those in larger urban areas may take for granted. Perhaps those who decided in favour of these closures have never been without a common meeting place or a place where they are always welcomed.
Picture me, a surly, curly-haired myopic child heading off to the Spryfield branch of the Halifax Public Library. I leave my brother, who is off to bounce around in the wave pool (it is next door to the library), and start scouring the stacks. I love watching the librarians check out books, help find the answers to the unknown questions, and moonlight as amateur puppeteers. It is a place for my childhood curiosity.
Curiosity is something to be cultivated and encouraged, especially in children. Curiosity begets knowledge and critical thinking. The library is one of the catalysts of that, therefore it is so incredibly vital to our communities.
Even as a child I loved dystopian novels. I still love them, but I am disheartened to feel like I am living in one. We cannot live in a world where knowledge is inaccessible. Maybe it is time to reread some of these cautionary tales (see below) and remind ourselves of what we are sacrificing for a data centre.
Caitlin
Supporter of Libraries, Community, and Knowledge
Halifax
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STAFF QUESTION: It's Anti-Boredom Month - What's the least exciting job in the bookshop?
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Ben
I think the least exciting part of working in the bookshop - from my perspective as a receiver, anyway - is stickering newly arrived product, especially when it's small finicky stationery items like stickers or bookmarks or something like that. It's mostly just time consuming and repetitive. That being said, the satisfaction felt upon completing a job well done is second to none!
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The latest entry in our "Ben Judges A Book By Its Cover" series, this one immediately hooked me when it arrived in-store. The world building seems strong, and I was sold as soon as I read the sentence "written by the South Korean JRR Tolkien". That cover too! |
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It was the back cover that got me on this one, laying out a tale that seemed to me equal parts
Leonard & Hungry Paul and
Little Miss Sunshine, which was unique enough to stick in my brain. So far so good, too- I'm about 40 pages or so in at time of writing this, and it's hilarious and heartfelt with a real intriguing undercurrent of darkness. |
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I assume by the time this issue of the newsletter comes out, the Blue Jays will be in first place in the division and well on their way to another world series appearance, but at time of writing the vibes are tough in Blue Jays land. Why not soothe our (my) pain by casting a look backward at some of the more colourful characters and moments of team history? |
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I'm currently undertaking a foray into Austen for more or less the first time in my life (give or take a
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies in my younger days) and various options for "best entry point" have been thrown around, but I figure that maybe the first novel is the best place to start. I've enjoyed the film adaptations I've seen (shoutout to the 2020
Emma in particular), so hopefully I have as much success with the novels themselves. |
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Molly
After a busy day where I do a lot of the things I enjoy, such as helping customers pick out books, it’s certainly a lot less exciting to have to tell the remaining customers and people just walking in the door that we’re going to be closing in five minutes.
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This is a lovely, feel-good novel with a very whimsical touch. It explores the love of books, the importance of books in everyday life, and the pleasure and fulfillment that reading can bring. Hika Harada takes joy in discussing real life authors she admires. As this novel was originally published in Japan, many of them are authors I hadn’t heard of before, but I was delighted to see a very familiar name slipped in as well! |
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I really enjoyed Kasia St Clair’s debut book
The Secret Lives of Colour, and was very excited to find out she had written a second one! In a similar vein, she explores multiple types of fabric, and their impact on the people and civilizations that produced, and utilized them. I found it very fascinating and informative. |
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This is a really heartfelt book, and does an excellent job contrasting how the momentous and the mundane so often occur simultaneously by following the lives of several long-serving members of the hotel staff over multiple decades, and how they witnessed and experienced Afghanistan’s history. |
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I very much enjoyed this book, and its exploration of four little known female authors, who wrote and published in England around the same time as William Shakespeare. It delves fully into their lives, from their childhoods, their possible sources of inspiration, and agendas behind their works, and how their different experiences might have shaped the various books, poems, and plays which they penned.
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Sarah
I’m someone who loves a “boring” repetitive task, and being the newest employee in Halifax, I’m still pretty enamoured with everything. But if I had to choose the least exciting job, I would say dusting, because it’s kind of never-ending. Someone needs to invent a bookshelf Roomba! |
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Currently on my night table,
Cathedrals by Claudia Piñeiro is likely going to be one of my favourite reads this year. I absolutely loved
Elena Knows, so when I saw this new release I immediately grabbed it. I have a feeling this work is going to be just as devastating as her previous work (I’ve already shed a few tears), but I love the way Piñeiro weaves complex social themes into mystery thrillers. |
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After finishing Deborah Levy’s memoir trilogy a couple years ago I went fully parasocial and was convinced we could be best friends. Since then I’ve been wanting to explore more of her novels and was excited to see this new work of hers which combines memoir with fiction. The novel is the result of her experiencing writer’s block while trying to write an essay about Gertrude Stein and I think it sounds wacky and great. |
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I don’t read a lot of non-fiction, except memoirs, but I’ve been trying to get into it a bit more, and this book was highly recommended to me while I was attending a cybersecurity conference. It’s a detective story about the beginnings of Russia’s cyberwar against Ukraine, and I’m honestly learning so much. I think it could be highly engaging for anyone, with or without an interest in computers and security. |
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The debut novel by local author Danica Roache, this is a beautiful and compelling story that got me out of a major reading slump. A coming of age story about a young Mi’kmaw woman balancing academia and motherhood, I found it was able to touch on the realities of grief and loss while also bringing in a lot of joy and wit. I absolutely loved all the characters in this book, I giggled and cried, and can easily recommend it to anyone. |
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Happy Pride! Or... should we say melancholic pride? These books aren't pure joy -- the solace of realism is sometimes even better. |
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It's Anti-Bordeom month - what is your favourite escapist read?
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Last month, we asked readers how they make room for more books in their homes. We can say definitively that you had OPINIONS! Check out the results below from our most popular poll to date. |
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The end of May and beginning of June was an exciting time of galas and ceremonies celebrating some of the best books published in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. How great was it to see Jaime Burnet’s novel
Milktooth, published by Nimbus, cap off an incredible year with the $30,000 Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Prize? We at Bookmark love to see an Atlantic Canadian author team up with an Atlantic Canadian publisher and thrive. We also love a good short story and poem, which is why our stores are proud to sponsor both
The Alistair MacLeod Award for Short Fiction, won this year by Heidi Wicks (
Here), and the biannual
PEI Book Award for Poetry, won this year by Bren Simmers (
The Work). Congratulations to all of the winners and nominated authors. |
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Atlantic Book Award Winners |
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Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award
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APMA Best Atlantic Published Book Award |
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Alistair MacLeod Award for Short Fiction
(sponsored by Bookmark) |
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Ann Connor Brimer Award for Atlantic Canadian Children’s Literature |
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Atlantic Independent Booksellers’ Readers’ Choice Award |
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J.M. Abraham Atlantic Poetry Award |
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Nova Scotia Book Award Winners
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Dartmouth Book Award For Fiction & Margaret
and John Savage First Book Award (Fiction) |
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Margaret and John Savage First Book Award (Nonfiction) |
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Evelyn Richardson
Non-Fiction Award |
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New Brunswick Book Award Winners
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The WFNB Nonfiction Award |
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The Fiddlehead Poetry Book Prize |
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Mrs. Dunster’s Fiction Prize |
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Books for Youth and Young Adults |
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Alice Kitts Memorial Award for Excellence in Picture Book Writing |
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Prince Edward Island Book Award Winners
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Poetry (sponsored by Bookmark)
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"I liked books – the respite and privacy of them –
...Whenever I sank into them I felt free."
- Tim Winton
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The Booksellers’ List
The Summer 2026 edition of The Booksellers’ List has arrived, featuring 20 highly anticipated new releases handpicked by indie booksellers across Canada.
Whether you're looking for a literary escape, a thought-provoking conversation starter, or a book you can't put down, there's plenty here to transport you this summer.
Leading the list with the most bookseller votes is
The Wild Beneath by Kelly Anderson, a spellbinding story of soulmates, homecoming, and the ancient bonds that tie us to the natural world. Stay tuned—this debut novel hits shelves on August 4!
Grab your tote, pick up an iced coffee, and head on down to Bookmark to start your summer reading adventure. See the entire list here.
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Let the Pictures Do Their Job
Just in time for summer reading, take a look at this recent article from The Guardian about the role of illustrators and the vital importance of picture books in child development.
‘I am very serious about being silly’: children’s illustrators on the art of storytelling.
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Bookmark on CBC PEI
Did you know that Bookmark Charlottetown is a regular on CBC’s Island Morning? Assistant Manager Heather Doran chats monthly with host Mitch Cormier on books in the news, books of seasonal interest, as well as not-to-be-missed titles. Catch Heather and Mitch’s conversation live, or listen to previous discussions on the CBC Listen app. Upcoming subjects include what’s a beach read anyway, nature books (including foraging), and mysteries. Here’s a recent example. |
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Pen and Paper Enthusiasts from Across Canada Flock to Montreal Convention
If you like pens and stationery, check this out!
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The End of Books
What happened when a dumpster arrived behind my university's library
“When I began my new job, I was assigned to an office that had no bookshelves. The building was new, LEED-certified, and the architects who designed it, I was told, assumed that professors no longer need or use books... I can’t think without my books, but more importantly, I wouldn’t want to try. This is something I aim to convey to the students who visit me in my office, the ones who ask Have you really read all those books? The answer is no, I haven’t, but that’s not the point. Books are fantasies. They’re there to remind me of my own desire for more knowledge.” |
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How I Learned to Read Way, Way More
I had to rethink my relationship to attention
“I don’t need to go on about the benefits of reading, but here’s a brief paean: it has dramatically improved my quality of life. I’m less anxious. My thoughts feel cleaner. Thinking itself is more pleasurable. Pain is less mysterious. My brain is just better. Books are a privileged medium. We’re grammatical beings. We talk to ourselves in sentences.” |
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“I read because one
life isn’t enough, and
in the pages of a book
I can be anybody;
I read because the
words that build
the story become mine,
to build my life;
I read not for happy
endings but for new
beginnings; I’m just
beginning myself, and
I wouldn’t mind a map;"
- Richard Peck, I read
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Canadian Kids Summer Reading |
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Read Canadian all summer with these great kids books.
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Have you or someone you know stopped reading books and want to start again? Are you having a difficult time concentrating and finding reading books hard? There are myriad reasons why reading is good for you - the latest statistic shared with me is “a 12-year study found that reading books for just over 3.5 hours a week is linked to a 23% reduction in mortality risk. Researchers discovered that the deep cognitive engagement required to get lost in a chapter provides a survival advantage that skimming articles or scrolling simply doesn't match." (Source: Bavishi et al. (2016), Social Science & Medicine)
The Reading Habit segment of our newsletter will provide suggestions for anyone wanting to escape a literary dry spell. The following is a list of recommended novellas that are short, entertaining and will give you a quick win on the way back to reading.
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Events
Dates, times and locations are current as of publication date. Please refer to www.bookmarkreads.ca for updates or changes. |
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An Evening with Emily St John Mandel
Thursday, October 22nd at 7 pm
We are thrilled to be welcoming bestselling author Emily St John Mandel to Charlottetown for the launch of her new book
Exit Party. We hope you can join us for a not-to-be missed evening of books and conversation in the Florence Simmons Performance Hall. If you joined our virtual event for the launch of
The Glass Hotel, you already know how wonderful this event is going to be. This is a ticketed event and there are two options, books with admission or admission only. |
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Mechanical Pencil Day is celebrated on July 5th every year. This day celebrates the invention and popularity of mechanical pencils, which are known for their precision and convenience.
Here are three unique mechanical pencils that are favourites of us mechanical pencil geeks:
The
Uni Kuru Toga mechanical pencil is many people’s daily carry pencil. We carry various iterations of this pencil in colours, designs and lead sizes but the technology, “engine”, built in all of them is the same. Developed by the Mitsubishi Pencil Company it features a unique mechanism which rotates the lead every time the tip is pressed and released from the paper surface, ensuring a consistently sharp point.
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The
Pentel Sharp Kerry features an elegant capped design that would suit a fancy fountain or rollerball pen. The cap snaps onto the back of the pen, and a refillable eraser is hidden under the button at the top of the cap. The lead is extended by clicking the button at the end of the barrel when the cap is unposted or the button on the top of the cap when it is posted.
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Tombow Wood Story Mechanical Pencil is a fun option for a mechanical pencil. A slim wooden shaft in pale colours with a hexagonal profile and silver metal clip and tip for precise, elegant writing.
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Overheard in the Bookshop |
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Tenth birthday, fifteen minutes, all the books you can carry…
“I believe the tradition of the 10th Birthday Bookmark Haul started with an attempt to capture the vibe of an old game show like Supermarket Sweep or the newer Mr. Beast videos where people rush to fill a cart with as much high value product as possible. On their 10th birthdays, both of our kids were allowed to go to Bookmark and load up with as many books as possible in fifteen minutes. Elsie, being the eldest, adhered more closely to the rules which stipulated that she could only get as much as she could carry. When it was Arthur's turn, we bent the rules for the youngest and helped him a little bit at the end with some of his heavier books. The kids quickly read all of their books, then reread again and again over the weeks to come. We appreciate having Bookmark in our community and have loved the books that we've found there over the years.”
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