In Praise of Independent Bookshops

Don't let them disappear!

Dear Readers,

It happened! My book Unexpected Abundance: The Fruitful Lives of Women Without Children has launched. Last week on release day, The Little Bookshop in Midlothian hosted an event for me and over sixty people came—most of whom read this newsletter (thank you!). My sister Wendy was there from Arizona; my friend Michael Spear-Jones from Tennessee; Erika Takacs from North Carolina; and others from the northern part of Virginia as well as the southern part, all of which meant hours in the car for them. I couldn’t believe it and couldn’t believe the local turnout either: so many from church, including a baby with a middle name chosen in my honor (!) whom I hadn’t met yet since I’ve been out for over seven months. Two girls who made me congratulatory cards. All of these people as well as my closest local friends!! I got to sit for the entire event, which was a godsend, and I didn’t get sick, which felt like a little miracle. For me this was a Life Event, up there with my wedding and ordinations, so I was grateful to have so many of my dearest friends and family there.

I want to share a story with you that I shared with them before I started talking about my book.

When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer three and a half years ago, I was inundated with information, which any of you who live with or have experienced cancer will understand. Everyone wants to tell the story of their own cancer (which can be helpful) or someone else’s cancer (not helpful) and want to offer something. All of the information can be overwhelming.

I learn best from books. Doctors tell patients to avoid Google, but I searched online for books the same day I was diagnosed. The best place I turned was not online, but to The Little Bookshop. I told them what was going on and asked them what I should read.

If you had asked them this question, they might have come up with different answers, because that’s a gift of real booksellers: they know that not everyone shares the same taste. “Breast cancer” doesn’t mean the same four books for everyone. Mary and Laura had known me for about a year and a half by then and knew that I was finishing an MFA in creative nonfiction and am especially partial to memoir and essays. They recommended four books:

Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy by Geralyn Lucas

The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan

The Bright Hour: A Memoir of Living and Dying by Nina Riggs (this one came with a warning from Laura: the author died before the book came out; I bought it anyway and am so grateful that I did)

I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death by Maggie O’Farrell (not about cancer at all, but perfect for me to read at that time)

These four books were exactly the titles I needed to read at that time and were the result of independent booksellers who knew and had a relationship with me, recommending titles they had read or knew about in that subject area. Amazon did not come up with those four titles with its algorithms, and the four titles wouldn’t have been gathered together in a shelf or section of a large book superstore. None of the four were in stock: Mary and Laura ordered them for me, and I devoured them as soon as they came in. I’ll never forget that in dark time I turned to a bookshop. They hugged me when I came in to pick up the books and have shown they care about me every time I have encountered them since.

Please, think about this the next time you click on a book on Amazon. In this newsletter, I link to Bookshop.org when I recommend titles, where I’ve chosen The Little Bookshop as my indie of choice. Bookshop.org is an online alternative to Amazon that benefits local shops directly. Best of all, however, is to find the shop nearest to you, meet the people there, and browse and buy directly from their curated stock. Order books from them that you read about online or that they don’t have in stock. Paying a little more and waiting a little longer is worth it. I worry about a world without independent bookstores. The Little Bookshop in Midlothian recommended the perfect books when I most needed them and hosted an event that gathered my loved ones from all over the country. I’m eternally grateful!

Blessings,

Elizabeth

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What I’m Reading

Some great books have come out since my last newsletter. I haven’t finished any of these but bought and recommend all of them:

What You Sow Is a Bare Seed by Celeste Kennel-Shank. I read an early version of this book and loved it. Church as it should be.

Vaulting Through Time by Nancy McCabe. A YA novel with gymnastics. Can’t wait!

West of Apocalypse by Bill Blume. This one might sound a little different than books I typically read and recommend, but Bill is such a great writer that he had me at the edge of my seat for two different YA novels featuring vampires and a teen-age vampire hunter, so I trust that this one will be fabulous as well.

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What I’m Writing

I head back to the pulpit this Sunday after not preaching since January 15th. I’m nervous and excited and hopeful that my stomach will behave as well as it did at the book launch. (I’m also hoping for an epic nap Sunday afternoon.) So next month I should (finally!) have links to sermons again!

Until then, here’s a link to a Grow Christians article about Clare of Assisi and Rules of Life

And of course please order and read Unexpected Abundance from Bookshop.org (and leave reviews of it on Amazon and Goodreads!) Deep thanks to those who have already reviewed it. The goal is to reach 50 reviews/ratings on those platforms. I’m sure that sounds hypocritical from someone who just begged you to support your local independent bookstore. Please, do. But reviews will help others to find the book.

I had my first podcast interview today, for Old Books with Grace. It will be out September 13, so watch for that and I will link next month.