Amidst the chaos that was 2020, one constant remained: to READ. And now, with 2020 (mostly) in the rearview mirror, the desire to read more, learn more, and enjoy more, has only increased.
After all, we’ve already binged our way through Netflix and HBO Max, we’ve watched Hamilton (some of us more than once, just sayin’). We’ve done the puzzles, we’ve planted gardens. We’ve cooked. And cooked. Maybe we’re even still learning a language (and may soon be able to travel again to use it before we lose it).
But reading a good book, well that can drive us wherever we want to go. Whether it’s a fictional escape to another city or another world, or a non-fiction read to expand our knowledge or our skills or our mindsets, reading is the tool that improves everything else. In a way, what we read becomes our own story. So let’s all set some reading goals for this year and let the adventure continue!
For myself, I expect to read 100 books, split pretty evenly between fiction and non-fiction (always have one of each on the nightstand). Do you have a reading goal? Share it with us at mainstreetreads@gmail.com or tell us when you stop by – we’re interested in each of your reading stories!
And to help you reach your reading goals, we have a couple new tools we hope you’ll enjoy and take advantage of in the months to come:
1. Book Reviews to Keep You “In the Know”
The new Southern Bookseller Review site is live, offering up hundreds of quick reviews of favorite books to give you the most up-to-date intel of great book recommendations from booksellers who love sharing their favorite reads! None of us can review every new book out there (no matter how lofty our reading goals). But working together, booksellers from across the southeast are offering up great insights and solid recommendations. Enjoy!
2. Your Personal Wishlist/Book Registry
We’ve noticed that sometimes when you visit Main Street Reads, you see a book you may want but aren’t ready to add to your stack yet. Or, a friend comes in and wants to grab you that perfect book but they’re not sure what that book is. By filling out this quick form, we’ll keep a wishlist for you, and mark off when you grab anything on the list (much like a wedding gift registry).
If you see a book or books in the store you’re not ready to take home yet, or just want to share your Goodreads “want to read” list, we can add those to your personal wishlist, too. No more forgetting what that book was you just had to read! The form below will let you get started right away, or visit the store and we’ll set up your initial list in seconds!
Coming Up This Week!
Two amazing virtual Reader Meet Writer events this week featuring legendary authors, plus Main Street Writes, Stories on the Square, AND the Pulpwood Queens weekend conference and book fair! Questions about any of the events, email mainstreetreads@gmail.com or call us at 843-875-5171.
Main Street Writes
January 11 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
NOTE: VIRTUAL ONLY UNTIL MARCH 2021
For the inner writer in all of us, our regular Monday evening writers group that’s growing every week! Come on out any/every Monday at 6:30 p.m. and bring a few pages with you to share with fellow scribes, or just listen in and learn! Anyone wanting to join in via Zoom instead, use the following credentials: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83115591753?pwd=bGwyNlJITDZvNUcxdU9kckNDSE1Zdz09 Meeting ID: 831 1559 1753 Passcode: 29483 If you’d prefer to send your pages in advance (no more than 2 single-spaced or 4…Find out more »
Reader Meet Writer:
The Uncollected Stories of Allan Gurganus
January 12 @ 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
VIRTUAL EVENT
Email us for your personal link to attend this event FREE! One of “the best writers of our time” (Ann Patchett) offers this hilarious yet haunting cycle of stories—all previously uncollected. Since the explosive publication of Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All, Allan Gurganus has dazzled readers as “the most technically gifted and morally responsive writer of his generation” (John Cheever). He has been praised as “one of America’s preeminent novelists, our prime conductor of electric sentences” (William Giraldi). Above…Find out more »
Wednesday Stories on the Square!
January 13 @ 9:30 am – 10:00 am
Main Street Reads, 115 S. Main St.
Join us every WEDNESDAY morning at 9:30 a.m. for “Stories on the Square, our outdoor storytime adventure with reading by Colleen Rackleff – kids of all ages welcome! Treats served and student discounts to ALL attendees! Colleen’s Storytime at Main Street Reads has become one of our featured events, held outside to ensure proper social distancing. We have lots of chairs for younger listeners, hoola-hoops for distancing and plenty of juice boxes and fruit snacks to munch…Find out more »
Pulpwood Queens Girlfriend Weekend:
Zoomathon and Book Fair!
January 14 @ 2:00 pm – January 17 @ 8:00 pm VIRTUAL EVENTS OFFICIAL PROGRAM: PULPWOOD QUEENS AND TIMBER GUYS BOOK CLUB 2021 GIRLFRIEND WEEKEND ZOOMATHON SLUMBER PARTY JANUARY 14-17, 2021 Email: thepulpwoodqueen@gmail.com Website: www.thepulpwoodqueens.com All attendees, including featured authors, presenters, special guests, and keynotes are encouraged to wear their pajamas. Please note that Zoom meeting links will be posted and sent to each paid individual attendee’s registered email early morning prior to the launch of each day’s events and are not to be shared. At the conclusion of the event, each paid attendee…Find out more »
Reader Meet Writer: Wilmington’s Lie with David Zucchino
January 14 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
VIRTUAL EVENT
Email us for your personal link to attend this event FREE! From Pulitzer Prize-winner David Zucchino comes a searing account of the Wilmington riot and coup of 1898, an extraordinary event unknown to most Americans. By the 1890s, Wilmington was North Carolina’s largest city and a shining example of a mixed-race community. It was a bustling port city with a burgeoning African American middle class and a Fusionist government of Republicans and Populists that included black aldermen, police officers and…Find out more »
This Month’s Featured Reads:
Click on a Book to Learn More!
You can also view the full list of favorite January picks at our online shop HERE. Enjoy browsing online, or call 843-875-5171 to pick up your choices at the store.
Join Our VIP Club!
Treat yourself to discounts ALL YEAR LONG Our VIP Believe in Your Shelf Club lets you name a shelf for you or a favorite reader, plus gives you a 10% discount off anything in the store, free shipping, extra gifts, a $50 gift card and more! CLICK HERE to learn more.