Reading from printed materials better than reading from screens, bookstore declares

The Guardian recently ran an article (https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/jan/17/kids-reading-better-paper-vs-screen) covering a research study examining qualitative differences in brain-patterns in a group of ~60 middle-schoolers reading a text either on paper or on a screen. For entirely self-interested reasons, we thought this subject worth posting about.

However, the Guardian article extrapolates much further from the experiment than the researchers themselves do; the full-preprint research paper can be read here:

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.30.553693v1.full

Specifically, I think the second paragraph of their conclusion is worth reading:

"For reasons related to study delimitations and limitations we think it too early to generate a set of recommendations for adaptation in the classroom. However, we do think that these study outcomes warrant adding our voices to those of Delgado et al. [2] in suggesting that we should not yet throw away printed books, since we were able to observe in our participant sample an advantage for depth of processing when reading from print. Applications for digital reading should not be dismissed, either: the observation of a potential print advantage does not negate the value of rapid access to information that could be supported by digital reading. It may be that classroom practices should strategically match reading strategies and mediums to task, such that printed media are employed when deeper processing is required while digital access to text is utilized for other needs."

Holiday Time Closures and Openings!

Just a notice that we’ll be closed Sunday, Dec. 24th and Monday Dec. 25th for it being a Sunday and Christmas Day, respectively. We will, however, be open Saturday, Dec. 23rd, and Tuesday Dec. 26th through the rest of the week for our regular hours.

We will be closed Dec. 31st because, it is, again, a Sunday, as well as Monday, Jan. 1st because of New Years Day, but then should be open for our regular hours and days the rest of that week.

I hope you all get to enjoy some time off!

Last day for special orders to arrive by Christmas - Friday, Dec. 8th

If you would like a special order in before the 25th of December, be sure to get it requested by noon on Friday, Dec. 8th! As long as the title is in stock at the publisher's shipping warehouse, we should be able to get it in before Christmas. If it turns out you need a last minute gift after that time, we plan on having plenty of good books in stock leading up to Christmas! (Although we will be closed Christmas day).

Closed today starting at noon, and closed all day tomorrow (Sat. Sept. 30th) - Another Wedding!

We have yet another wedding to attend this weekend in a far-flung place, so we’ll be closing early today (Friday, Sept. 29th) at noon, and we’ll be closed all day tomorrow (Saturday, Sept. 30th) as we attend that. Depending on travel, we may even be closed Monday, Oct. 1st, but we will most certainly be open for our regular hours again on Tuesday, Oct. 2nd!

We'll be closing early today, Sept. 22, and might be closed all tomorrow, Sept. 23

We’ll be closing early today, sometime around 3pm, so that we can attend a friend’s wedding! Depending on staffing, we might also be closed all of tomorrow, Sept. 23 - I’ll try and update this post when I know for sure.

UPDATE — We’ll be open our regular hours tomorrow, Saturday Sept. 23!

Wow, we've found a lotta bottles underneath our building

As Rebecca nears the end of shoring up our building’s foundation, I’d just like to point out the initial trickle of old bottles we found in the soil surrounding our buildings foundation turned into a deluge. And these are just the complete ones; I’d say the soil underneath our building is like 10% glass shards.That’s what we get for this building being a saloon 100 years ago.

We also found this interesting ornamental metal dealie!

And this incredible rusted metal spring (now with added sharp barbs)!

She's usually more friendly

Here’s my daughter, mean-mugging. I wouldn’t cross her, and neither should you.

You may have noticed a big hole next to our building - Foundation work!

Keen-eyed observers may have noticed a giant hole and pile of dirt next to our bookstore recently. Fear not! We meant for it to be there. The foundation our our building is more than 100 years old, and it needed a little work. After some debate, we concluded we weren’t interested in converting our bookstore into a Mystery Spot (although our daughter has had much fun placing balls on the floor and watching them roll into the northwest corner), so we contacted a contractor, and they are diligently excavating, pouring a new foundation, and stabilizing the whole building.

Fortunately it was not a pressing matter, so we were able to wait for an opportune moment to have the work started. Here’s to hoping the building remains standing for another hundred years! But I’ll settle for it making through these repairs.

We'll be closed Friday, April 21 and Tuesday, May 2 for Ridván!

Hello All! Just a quick note that the bookstore will be closed on Friday, April 21st and Tuesday, May 2nd in observance of two Baha’i Holy Days (the First and Twelfth Days of Ridvan, respectively). However, we will still be open on the rest of the days for our usual hours, so if you need a good book, stop by then!

Announcing the winner of our Essay Contest: Sawyer!

Today we are proudly announcing the winner of our essay contest: Sawyer! Sawyer wrote an essay on why we should carry the Hank the Cowdog series, which I’ve reproduced below. The picture above would have had a copy of the first book in that series as well, except we had already sold it within the day we had it in stock! So clearly, Sawyer has given us a great recommendation. Sawyer’s prize was $50 in cash and a $50 gift certificate to the store, generously sponsored by my aunt June. Now, on to his essay:

My name is Sawyer […], and I think you should carry the series Hank the Cowdog. First, I will tell you about the main character Hank. Hank is a dog that lives in the state of Texas. He is the one that tells the stories of his adventures. Hank calls himself “Head of Ranch Security” on his owner’s cattle ranch. He also thinks he has to bark the sun up every morning. He believes he is a “purebred top-of-the-line blue-ribbon cowdog”.

So now back to why I think you should carry this series in your bookstore. Here are three reasons why. The first reason is that they are pretty quick reads and all ages enjoy reading the series. My family laughs at the audio books when we listen to them.

Next, there is a lot of variety in the characters, both human and animal like Drover, Slim Chance, and Pete the barn cat. Hank’s sidekick is named Drover, a younger dog who also lives on the ranch. Drover is a small, stub-tailed, white dog who is actually a wimp and complains about his leg pain whenever it is time for action. But still a fun and lovable character. The next character I want to tell you about is Slim Chance. Slim works for Hank’s owner, High Loper, (the owner of the ranch). Slim is funny because he is a bachelor and has a very messy house. Both Hank and Drover have had many adventures with Slim. The last character I will talk bout is Pete the barn cat. Pete is notorious for getting Hank and Drover in trouble with Sally May (Loper’s wife). Pete likes to get the dogs in trouble for his entertainment, for example, the time he tricked the dogs into jumping over the fence into the yard where Sally May doesn’t want them. These are just my favorite characters, there are many more in the stories like the coyote brothers Rip and Snort and JT Cluck the rooster.

And last but not least, the books are also available on audiobook so people can listen to them while working or relaxing. The author reads the books with different voices for each character. There are sound effects, music, and singing. I have included a list of Hank the Cowdog books and two Youtube videos you can listen to the author read aloud a part of his books.

“The Boxer”; Hank the Cowdog Youtube channel

A Hank the Cowdog Christmas Reading: “The Wounded Buzzard on Christmas Eve”; Hank the Cowdog Youtube channel.

Thank you for taking the time to read my essay on Hank the Cowdog. I hope to see those books in your bookstore soon, especially the audiobooks. I’ve also included a list of all the Hank the Cowdog books and audiobooks. Also included is a map of the ranch Hank lives on and two coloring sheets to show you what the characters look like.

Closed today, March 21, for Naw-Ruz!

We are closed today, Tuesday, March 21st, in observance of Naw-Rúz, the Baháʼí New Year. We’ll be open again tomorrow and for our regular hours for the rest of the week. Happy new year, everyone!

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.