Who's going to tell them?

There absolutely is a Nobel Prize in literature, Daily Telegraph.

"What Book Should We Carry?" An Essay contest for young readers with a cash and book prize!

Dear younger readers,

The Canterbury Book Store is hosting an essay contest, and accepting submissions from readers in the age range of 11 to 17 years old; the essay should be on the topic “What specific book(s) should the Canterbury carry in its store?” That is to say, you should try and make the case for why we should have one of your favorite books on our store’s shelves'; anything from Seuss’s Hop on Pop to Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time. If you prefer, you could also argue for us carrying a series of books, or a specific author’s entire body of work.

The winner of the essay contest will win $50 in cash and a $50 gift certificate to the Canterbury Book Store. The essays will be jointly judged by Jesse Traub and Rebecca Bender, so feel free to try and tailor your argument to our sensibilities. The prize money was donated by June McCall, a schoolteacher, educator, and promoter of reading everywhere! (And also the aunt of Jesse!)

There are no strict requirements as to format and length of the essay, beyond that it should have your name and contact information (phone number/email) somewhere on it. The essay should be long enough to contain a fully-developed argument, and no longer; if you would find more specific (but arbitrary!) guidance helpful, let’s say roughly 300 words long. You are welcome to be more conversational in tone; do not feel obligated to maintain a strictly formal style.

The submission deadline is March 21, 2023. Essays can be dropped off in person at the Canterbury Book Store, mailed to us, or contact us via our Contact Us Page and we can get you set up with a digital submission.

Good luck!

Rebecca Bender and Jesse Traub

Canterbury Book Store

Snow Storm? More like no storm! (Open until 4pm today!)

With the much-threatened snow storm failing to materialize, we should be open until 4pm today! As long as Old Man Winter doesn’t make me eat my words!

Merry Christmas, all!

We should be back open on Monday Dec. 26th!

Sip and Shop event tonight downtown from 4pm-7pm!

Plenty of shops open late tonight for the Sip and Shop event being held downtown! Shops will be providing beverages to shoppers; we should have a pot of hot chocolate going. Come on by, we should be open until at least 6pm ourselves.

Story hour on Sat., Dec. 3rd at 1pm at Escanaba Public Library

The Bay College Multicultural Club is hosting another story at the Escanaba Public Library this Saturday, Dec. 3rd, starting at 1pm! See below for details; should be an excellent time!

Local Author Fair at the Library Oct. 15th

This Saturday, Oct. 15th, the Escanaba Library is holding a local author fair, where writers from around the area can gather to showcase and sell their books to the public! It should be a fun event (they’ll have refreshments!) and a good way to see what literary works are being created right here in our backyard. A listing of authors and their titles can be seen by clicking on this link.

Going on a summer vacation for a month! But slower deliveries, possibly occasionally closed

Hello everybody! We’re going on a vacation starting the middle of next week, and won’t be back until mid-August. We’re trying to take advantage of my brother and sister-in-law being Stateside for the first time in 6 years, as they spend a month in Nashville.

There will still be the other two workers keeping the store going, so that’s a mercy. However, as they have lives of their own, they may not be able to pick up my shifts, so feel free to call in to see if we’ll be open on a given day before stopping by, especially Tuesdays and Fridays. Also, with me being remote, deliveries of special orders will slow down a little bit, so we ask your forbearance during this time. I’ll still try and keep up with some business from time to time, though, so feel free to contact us through the “Contact” page of this website if you have a question or concern that the other two workers can’t address.

See you all again in the late summer!
-Jesse

Closed April 29 and May 2 (but open April 30!) in observance of Holy Days

Hello All! Just a quick note that the bookstore will be closed on Friday, April 29th and Monday, May 2nd in observance of two Baha’i Holy Days (the Ninth and Twelfth Days of Ridvan, respectively). However, we will still be open on Saturday, April 30th for our usual hours, so if you need a good book, stop by then!

Newspaper clippings from 1918 in the walls!

Doing some bookstore renovations recently, we were intrigued to find several front pages from the Daily Press circa 1918. That gives a pretty definitive date of when the last time anyone did any renovations on the bookstore, and also that insulation science has definitely improved over the past century. Below, some pictures of the most amusing headlines:

As you can see above, headlines related to war, inflation, honeybees, and whether to adopt “The Star-Spangled Banner” as the national anthem (it would take another decade and a half before it was). One hundred years later and these are still our favorite subjects to write about.

Canterbury Book Club for Feb-Mar 2022: 'The Stranger' by Camus

The Canterbury Book Club is back, and this time we’ll be reading The Stranger by Albert Camus! Originally published in 1942, the story would eventually become considered part of the canon of existentialist literature (although in a series of interviews with Philip Thody, Camus rejected that label and considered his philosophy more closely aligned with absurdism).

The story centers around the character Meursault and his underlying alienation from the society which surrounds him, an alienation which society easily overlooked until he found himself at the center of two jarring events.

The book club is open to all who are interested, whether you’ve participated in past ones or not. If you are interested and would like to order a copy of the book, please send us a message or give us a call by the afternoon of this Friday, February 18th. The first discussion the book will probably take place the first week of March. Hope all is well with you all!

What Gets You Up in the Morning?

For some people, finding a reason to get up in the morning can be a challenge. A great cup of coffee can really help in the effort. The idea that someone else needs you is often a great motivator. Having a really good book that you are excited to finish always gets a person up.

For a lot of us, catching a beautiful sunrise moves us to get out of bed. According to Wikipedia: “Sunrise is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning.” With the start of another day, and a clean slate, anything can happen.

Add a great cup of coffee and an extraordinary book, and you may just approach perfection. The best part is all of these elements can be found right here in Escanaba.

Head to Canterbury Book Store to find that book; walk down the street to UP North Roast and grab some excellent coffee, and set your alarm for sunrise. Then all you need to do is enjoy the day with someone important to you.

Cheers!

Our friend Olivia's video-series on books!

My friends’ daughter Olivia recently started creating a video series on books and reading, and she just released the first installment! It’s linked above. It combines the Canterbury’s two main interests of books and favoritism ;) But in all seriousness, Olivia is just the best. She even has a regular release schedule! At the time of writing, she just released another episode, this one on cats! The link for that one is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMgt_5Dzh54

Slowing Down, Anticipation, Reward

How often do we think of something we’d like to get and wonder how quickly we can lay hands on it? Is it better to be able to get it right away or does the bit of a wait before something arrives add to the excitement?

Sometimes slowing down and having to wait for something desired is better than being able to get it right away. According to University of Wisconsin psychologist, Shilagh A. Mirgain, it can actually enhance the experience. “When you’re excited about something and anticipating it, some researchers feel that the overall experience is enhanced due to this anticipation.” (from https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/the-psychological-effect-of-the-countdown-clock)

From my own experience, there have been times when waiting for the package, watching the mail or front porch, is the exciting part. Sometimes, once it arrives, the excitement is past, but if it’s something I have really wanted or something purchased for someone else, the arrival of the item is wonderful. The wait does enhance its eventual arrival and the build up to presenting it.

Understandably, there are times when we need what we are looking for right away - if we’ve waited too long to do our shopping or found out last minute that we needed to make that purchase. When it comes to ordering books, Canterbury Book Store does its best to have a good selection on hand, and we do our best to get them in as quickly as possible for customers.

Being a small, independent bookstore makes it difficult to always have what everyone wants. Those who specifically check with us for a book, knowing it will take longer if we have to order it, do much to support the store and are certainly appreciated. And now we can say that unless stress is involved, that wait can enhance their enjoyment of their book.

All in all, it makes you wonder if slowing down, waiting, anticipating can bring us more enjoyment in life, overall…

I think so.

MK

Friday, Dec. 10 at noon is deadline for Christmas orders

Hello all! The deadline to get your order placed and still have it arrive before Christmas is Friday, December 10th at noon. And that is provided that the title is in stock at one of our suppliers’ warehouses, which is no guarantee either. Any orders placed after that probably won’t arrive in time to be under your tree on Christmas morning. Although if you’re placing a non-Christmas present order, just contact us whenever!

And if you do miss the boat, we plan to have plenty of titles on our shelves and be open our regular hours on Christmas Eve for those last-minute gift buyers out there! (We will be closed Christmas Day, though, so don’t push it too far.)

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

J. L. Hyde Booksigning at the Library Nov. 10

J. L. Hyde, author of Delta County and Underground, will be holding a book signing at the Escanaba Public Library on Nov. 10 from 4:30pm-6pm. Delta County has been a runaway hit in the area, and now is your chance to meet the author herself!

Canterbury Book Club | The Rose Code

We hope that autumn finds you returning to a cozy routine; some combination of pumpkins, warm socks, apple cider and good books. If you are looking for more opportunity to read and discuss books with others, consider joining the Canterbury Book Club! We have been meeting virtually week-by-week to explore the characters and ideas that make each book worth reading. Our next book for October/November will be The Rose Code, by Kate Quinn.

The Rose Code features three women drawn into the war effort during World War II as code breakers with the British forces. It promises a mix of interpersonal complexity and espionage, and Kate Quinn is well-known for quality historical fiction.

Please give us a call or email this week if you would like to join for virtual and in-person meetings with the Canterbury Book Store (906-786-0751 or our contact form at this link

Happy reading!

~Rebecca

Books are still cool - including Richard Wright's previously unpublished novel

Not much out of the ordinary to report here at the Canterbury - the weather is fine as summer fades to fall, the apples are dropping from trees, and books are still cool.

But there are always new good books to read! I thought I might use this space to promote Richard Wright’s The Man Who Lived Underground. A previously unpublished novel by Wright, it is a welcome addition to an otherwise all too short oeuvre. Wright is one of the unparalleled master’s of the English language; every page, every sentence that he wrote is elegance married to penetrating insight.

But enough of me being a fanboy. Come stop in the store the next time you’re passing by, even if only to say hi!

Final 'Canterbury Tales' this Thursday at 1pm at the Library

As a reminder, the final ‘Canterbury Tales’ book discussion group will be this Thursday, Aug. 26th, at 1pm at the Escanaba Public Library. Join us as we discuss any and all books related to the topic “Trees”. All are welcome! This is also the final event of the “Summer Lawn Series”, so get your last breath of summer before it fades into fall!