Avid Bookshop is Athens, Georgia’s only independent bookshop. Join us for book clubs! We love books a Now open 6 days per week!
(339)
Avid Bookshop is here to serve you in-store, via our website, and with personalized phone service. Visit us Mondays-Thursdays, 11am-6pm and Fridays & Saturdays from 11am-7pm. Order virtually any book in print as well as a bunch of cool gifts at http://www.avidbookshop.com
We appreciate your business; we thank you for voting with your dollars.
Next Thursday (1/11/24): The University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism MFA Narrative Nonfiction Program, in partnership with Avid Bookshop, Historic Athens, and The Lark Winespace, presents author Emily Strasser for a public reading and book signing featuring Half-Life of a Secret: Reckoning With a Hidden History at 6pm.
Ready to spend your Avid Bookshop gift cards you received for the holidays? We're open and have signed copies of local author Lindsey Harding's debut, Pilgrims 2.0.
It's our last day to highlight our booksellers’ favorites books of 2023.
Today we're featuring our bookshop owner and founder Janet's favorite books of 2023!
Ryan and Avery by David Levithan
Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age By Katherine May
Time's Mouth by Edan Lepucki
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfield
Is This Normal?: Judgment-Free Straight Talk about Your Body
By Dr. Jolene Brighten, NMD
We sure appreciate Luis's cozy chalkboard artwork! We're open 11am-7pm today, Saturday, December 23rd, and have lots of books (and puzzles!) to keep you warm this winter.
HOLIDAY HOURS
Sun., 12/24, closing early ✨ open 10:30am-4pm
Mon., 12/25 closed ✨
Sun., 12/31, closing early ✨ open 10:30am-5pm
✨ Closed January 1-3, 2024 ✨ Mon.-Wed. ✨
From Janet: After we closed last night, I had such a delightful time in the back of the shop, home to most of our books, puppets, and puzzles for kids, plus our all-ages array of greeting cards, stationery, and calendars. I leafed through picture books, reorganized shelves, updated displays, ogled our boxed notecards, and wondered which 2024 wall calendar I’d hang in my bathroom next. (For the last 11.5 months,, I’ve brushed my teeth next to the 2023 Cats on Catnip calendar—I may have to get the 2024 edition, considering how much this year’s photos make me smile.)
Nights like this make me think of winter nights in the early years of owning a bookstore, particularly the first holiday season we were open, when I tended to be work the shop by myself most of the time. I spent the darkening evenings in the light of the fabulous book balloon at , realphabetizing books, hand-drawing signs, and wondering why every time I dared to take a potty break a customer would walk in for the first time in an hour. 😂
These days we usually have more than one bookseller on the sales floor, plus a few of us working behind the scenes. Avid’s reach and mission have grown beyond my wildest dreams, and I thank y’all for that. Your purchases over the next few days will be what sustains our payroll for the first several weeks of the new year—spending money here vs. a chain truly does have a direct impact on the humans who work at Avid (including me!).
Thank you for supporting little shops like mine, and for keeping me in a job that regularly puts me in a state of blissful flow, which was the case tonight as I revamped the shelves and took a moment to feel grateful for it all.
❤️,
Janet
Avid Bookshop owner/founder
For the next few weeks, we'll be highlighting our booksellers’ faves of 2023.
Today we're featuring Shae's favorite books of 2023! Read on to see why Shae loves these books.
Hi, all! It’s Shae here; to be completely honest, this year was dedicated to pretending the real world doesn’t exist. Because why would you want to live in the real world when you could read about DRAGONS?
That’s right, 3 of the BEST 4 books I read this year were dragon centric (4 out of 4 were q***r, because “read q***r all year” is stamped on my genetic code)!
My absolute ✨favorite✨ book of the year was To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose. The first book in a series, the narrative voice is absolutely enchanting, spinning readers through an alternate history of colonialism, with Anaqus and Kasaqua - an Indigenous young woman and the dragon that chooses her - as they attend a dragoneer school on the colonizer’s mainland. Vibrant characters and streets you can walk down, magic and dragons. This is one of the greatest fantasy books I’ve read in such a long time.
⚔A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon (): The standalone prequel to fantasy epic The Priory of the Orange Tree, Samantha Shannon writes worlds you can reach out to touch with characters you sometimes want to shake by the shoulders.
🐲Sir Callie and the Dragon’s Roost by Esme Symes-Smith: I had the truly wonderful experience of reading the first book in this series earlier in the year, so when the second book came out I gobbled it up. One of the first times I’ve ever gotten to see neo-pronouns used in a book, and the first time I’ve seen it in a middle grade book. The characters Symes-Smith has created live in my heart always, and I am so grateful they’ve found their home on my shelf.
👻The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White (): Brutal and cathartic in the way that only Andrew Joseph White knows how to be, this book gave me nightmares in the BEST way possible. His unflinching commitment to voicing trans pain and resolving it by any means possible is a beautiful, bone crunching, and bloody promise he means to keep.
Shop local for the holidays! It’s the gift giving tradition that keeps on giving by keeping YOUR DOLLARS in our COMMUNITY!
For the next few weeks, we'll be highlighting our booksellers’ faves of 2023.
Today we're featuring Ian's favorite books of 2023! Read on to see why Ian loves these books.
1. WHALE by Cheon Myeong-kwan
"This post-WWII recently-split-Korean fantasy comes baked-potato loaded with all of the tall-tale toppings, heated in a crumpled tin foil history."
2. AT THE EDGE OF THE WOODS by Kathryn Bromwich
"I’d love to say I didn’t repeatedly think “but where is this even going?” throughout, but really that’s the kid-in-the-backseat reaction that just adds flair to the magnificent destination."
3. COUSINS by Aurora Venturini
"My kinda fare: a colorful palette of characters reminiscent of school days when you mush all the cafeteria food together on the tray then dare your neighbor to eat it."
4. THE HOUSE OF LOVE AND PRAYER by Tova Reich
"Somehow taking both the scenic and shortest route, never landing in view of each story's launch site, House flips the glycemic dream of taking a frozen orange tube of juice concentrate from the freezer, eating it like an apple and sugar-flying to the sugar-moon in the comfort of your living room into a bibliophilic reality."
5. THE GARDEN OF SEVEN TWILIGHTS by Miguel de Palol
"As the stories accrue, the seemingly-unrelatedness dissolves into one massive story, a sci-fi romance mystery that has more twists than a [reviewer’s note: find most twisty thing ever to insert here. thanks. -ian]."
For the next few weeks, we'll be highlighting our booksellers’ faves of 2023.
Today we're featuring our incredible book buyer, Hannah's favorite books of 2023! Read on to see why Hannah loves these books.
1. THE BOOK OF (MORE) DELIGHTS by Ross Gay
"Do we need a book of more delights? Yes, yes, yes. This book is a ray of sunshine, a juicy peach, a warm hug, a sunflower growing out of a crack in the sidewalk."
2. MY WORK by Olga Ravn
"This stunning novel perfectly encapsulates the hazy, heady, often lonely experience of mothering infants and small children, and it unflinchingly examines those blurry lines between art and life as a writer-mother. Incredibly intimate and wholly unique!"
3. THE LOST JOURNALS OF SACAJEWEA by Debra Magpie Earling
"But in Earling’s deft hands, Sacajawea’s tale also sparkles with resilience and beauty—the power she holds through her unshakeable connection to the land, her deep kinship with other Native women, and her staunch will to survive."
4. MENEWOOD by Nicola Griffith
"More emotionally-wrought than the first book, this one won me over with deep introspection on what it means to mother, to lead, to rise up when you have lost everything. A beautiful, violent, deep-thinking epic, well worth the long wait!"
5. TRANSLATION STATE by Ann Leckie
"If you’re looking for sci-fi with incredible characters and intricate world-building, look no farther than Translation State. If you haven’t read the entire Imperial Radch series, fear not! This is a true standalone story and can be enjoyed by anyone."
6. EVE by Cat Bohannon
"With each chapter, Bohannon reveals a variety of “Eves” from which humanity sprang. Scientific rigor is blended with a sharp sense of humor, making this hefty book a joy to be immersed in."
For the next few weeks, we'll be highlighting our booksellers’ faves of 2023.
Today we're featuring Rachel's favorite books published in 2023! Read on to see why Rachel loves these books.
TOM LAKE by Ann Patchett
✨ "Early in the pandemic when all we could do was hunker down in our familial pods and hope for the best, unexpected time with loved ones provided a space unlike others. This is where Ann Patchett's Tom Lake begins. The book unravels the story of a young love affair. Lara's romance with the famous actor Peter Duke is family lore but her three grown daughters have never heard the entire tale start to finish. When the girls come home in spring 2020 to northern Michigan, Lara shares (most of) the details as they pick cherries on the family farm. Tom Lake is Patchett at her finest. She has crafted a superb story of family and belonging that is extremely satisfying to read."
��HAPPILY: A Personal History-with Fairy Tales by Athens, GA author Sabrina Orah Mark
✨ "In Happily, Mark spins magically surreal sketches of motherhood, art, and life. Woven from fairy tales refracted into reality, each essay shimmers with wit, candor, and whimsy. As sharp as a spindle, as ethereal as an eggshell—this gemlike collection of memoir-fables will leave you enchanted."
BIG SWISS by Jen Beagin
✨ "Read Big Swiss before HBO and A24 adapt it to the screen. Jen Beagin’s book is filled with crushes, s*x, grief, inappropriate behavior, miniature donkeys, and honeybees. I loved it. Not for the faint of heart, this is definitely fun if you’re into dark humor and a touch of horror."
THE BOOK EATERS by Sunyi Dean
✨ "The Book Eaters is an extraordinary debut by Sunyi Dean. This horror story is very much in the genre of modern-day fairy tales as we witness what a mother will do to keep her son alive in a world where there are those who eat books and those who eat minds. Set in the modern-day United Kingdom, there are physical and mental battles as well as an exploration of chosen family, q***r identity, and misogyny. The audio version (we suggest from Libro.fm!) includes an intimate and exclusive conversation between the author and narrator about the book and neurodivergency among other topics."
HE/SHE/THEY: HOW WE TALK ABOUT GENDER AND WHY IT MATTERS by Schuyler Bailar
✨ "Schuyler Bailar's book He/She/They is absolutely necessary reading. He uses his personal experience as a trans man as well as science, history, facts, and footnotes in this guide to understand gender identity, trans rights, and more. A truly gifted educator and communicator, the kind and compassionate manner Bailar employs means his message is not diluted. He is changing the world one person at a time. Very highly recommend."
✨✨Rachel's #1 favorite book published in 2023: ✨✨✨
NORTH WOODS by Daniel Mason
✨ Daniel Mason's North Woods is a masterful literary art form exploring the four-hundred-year history of the woods surrounding a particular house in western Massachusetts. Mason uses songs, journals, letters, medical notes, and other techniques to share the lives of those who live, love, suffer, create, and die there. The manner in which this book reveals the life cycles of flora and fauna is lyrical, respectful, and full of wonder and awe. Throughout North Woods humanity shapes and changes the environment, but the natural world very much reveals itself to be omnipotent.
For the next few weeks, we'll be highlighting our booksellers’ faves of 2023.
Today we're featuring Luis's favorite books of 2023! Read on to see why Luis loves these books.
1. CROSS STITCH by Jazmin Barrera
"A delicate coming-of-age story that is both elegiac and an ode to craftwork, womanhood, and friendship. Much like the characters in Cross-Stitch, Barrera and translator MacSweeny have yet again come together to craft another gift to treasure. One of my favorite reads of the year."
2. PIG: POEMS by Sam Sax
"Playful, titillating, and absolutely inspired. A celebration of pigs with a sense of humor and a sense of self, exploring pigs in the literary canon, on the farm, between the sheets, and in Sax’s family history. There’s an infectious amount of wit and exuberance on display here but never without an accompanying feeling of curiosity and profundity to roll around in. I’m particularly taken with the poem 'Miss Piggy.'"
3. OUR SHARE OF NIGHT by Mariana Enriquez
"What begins with father and son on the run from a cult plunges into a family history full of occult rituals, competing motives, and sweaty nightmares. Our Share of Night will thrill and confound readers with an unsettlingly arousing grasp. Under Enriquez’s gaze, the anxieties and unspeakable horrors of Argentina in the shadow of fascism feel remarkably prescient for our uncertain times."
4. FAMILY MEAL by Bryan Washington
"At times heartwarming, others heartrending, this tender work from Washington is delectable. Lust, hunger, grief, and a longing for belonging squeeze up against the forces that seek to tear us apart, but, what Family Meal serves is a generous familial communion made up of the people we love and those who, despite our flaws, love us back. A restorative novel to be shared, undoubtedly set to bring its readers together."
5. BLACKOUTS by Justin Torres
"A beguiling collage of intimate conversations, lost histories, censored documents, imagined movies, regrets, and passions bound together with utmost care and a disarming tenderness. With Blackouts Torres has struck a perfect balance between generosity and restraint that will invite conversation, curiosity, and a hope for the future. Truly fine art."
6. CHAIN GANG ALL STARS by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
"Taking after genre-defining books like Battle Royale and Running Man, Chain-Gang All-Stars depicts a not-too-distant future where incarcerated people fight each other to the death for freedom and absolution. A deeply cutting critique of the prison industrial complex and reality TV competitions where the stakes are high and the brutality of our twisted sense of justice is on full display. Thrilling, gut wrenching, and not to be missed."
7. CREEP: ACCUSATIONS AND CONFESSIONS by Myriam Gurba
"While the essays in Creep are populated with deplorable misogynists, racists, and abusers, the heart of the book and what makes it special comes from details such as the time when Gurba and her cousin start a two person gang called “Pocas Pero Locas.” Bold, unrelenting, and–let’s not forget–funny."
update for tonight's 7pm 12/4/23 Athens Regional Library System event with Raquel Willis: The in-conversation partner will be Elise Robinson. ✨
Elise Robinson recently completed her PhD in Performance Studies and Women’s Studies at the University of Georgia. A committed scholar of feminist activist performance, Dr. Robinson’s research on the British Women’s Suffrage movement demonstrates that the militant suffrage movement was fundamentally a performance movement and must be analyzed as such. Dr. Robinson is currently the PR and Program Coordinator for the Institute for Women's Studies at the University of Georgia, where she also teaches both introductory and upper-level courses. Prior to her arrival at UGA, Dr. Robinson taught Theatre and Performance at the college level for over twenty years, at institutions across the United States. In addition to her scholarly work in theatre and gender studies, Dr. Robinson has also directed over 30 productions and regularly speaks at regional and national conferences on feminist activist performance, neurodiversity, and q***ring the curriculum. Outside academia, Dr. Robinson is an avid novel reader, gardener, and amateur potter. She lives in Athens with her partner, two daughters, three cats and one overly large dog.
avidbookshopDid you know this week (Nov 29-Dec 5) is Read Palestine Week?
Wednesday kicked off with the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, and we at Avid Bookshop wanted to share a few of our favorite Palestinian titles to inspire your Read Palestine Week!
Books featured are available in store as of posting, but we're also able to order whatever book(s) you've got on your TBR.
Children's Books Featured:
Sitti's Bird: A Gaza Story by Malak Mattar
Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine by Hannah Moushabeck, illustrated by Reem Madooh
--
Nonfiction Books Featured:
Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement by Angela Y. Davis
Gaza in Crisis: Reflections on Israel's War Against the Palestinians by Noam Chomsky & Ilan Pappé
Hamas by Paola Caridi (New & Updated!)
--
Adult Fiction Featured:
The Skin and Its Girl by Sarah Cypher
Mother of Strangers by Suad Amiry
Palestine +100: Stories from a Century after the Nakba edited by Basma Ghalayini
Check out publishersforpalestine.org, creators of Read Palestine Week. They have over 35 ebooks by Palestinian authors and about Palestine available in nine languages.
See you in the shop!
For the next few weeks, we'll be highlighting our bookseller's faves of 2023.
Hullo! Mikey here with my "Best of the Year" list. Read on for the full list and some notes about why I love it.
1. WILD GEESE by Soula Emmanuel
This book captures the mundane in the most beautiful way, following a weekend filled with epiphany. WILD GEESE guides the reader through the craggy shoreline of what it means to attempt to leave a full past behind, especially when it comes back for you.
2. DON'T FEAR THE REAPER by Stephen Graham Jones
I am fully obsessed with this book and this trilogy. If you've told me you like horror, I've probably put this (or the first in the series) in your hands. Slasher horror made for slasher fans (though you don't have to have seen every slasher movie to enjoy it).
3. THIN SKIN by Jenn Shapland
While reading these expansive and beautiful essays, I found myself struck by the beauty of how interconnected we all are in the world. We have signed copies of this exquisite and brilliant observation of the world.
4. THE FRAGILE THREADS OF POWER by V.E. Schwab
Schwab's Shades of Magic series has been one of my all-time favorites, so of course when I heard there would be more in this world I was ecstatic! I love this new story in this incredibly built world. Feel free to jump in here and read the original Shades of Magic trilogy as a prequel.
5. JONATHAN ABERNATHY YOU ARE KIND by Molly McGhee
What starts as a workplace novel turns nightmare-ish (literally!) as the relationships between these compassionately rendered characters unfolds. If you love a re-imagination of modern life through a darkly surrealist lens, pick this up!
Today's Staff Review Thursday highlights the incredible National Book Award winner BLACKOUTS, by Justin Torres.
"A beguiling collage of intimate conversations, lost histories, censored documents, imagined movies, regrets, and passions bound together with utmost care and a disarming tenderness. With BLACKOUTS Torres has struck a perfect balance between generosity and restraint that will invite conversation, curiosity, and a hope for the future. Truly fine art." - Luis
We have copies of BLACKOUTS on our shelves today! Stop by to pick up your own copy and join the conversation.
Did you know we have a newsletter? Check out our latest newsletter and consider signing up to get all of the details about our events, recommendations from the Avid Crew, and more directly to your inbox.
Can you believe that it’s already the holiday season? You can see all of our holiday hours on our website. Plus, the recommended last day to order for Christmas delivery is Friday, December 1! We will still have plenty of books and gifts on our shelves throughout the entire season, but if you’re...
Did you know Avid Bookshop brings really big-deal authors to Athens, Georgia due to our close relationships with publishers? E.g. Raquel Willis will be at the public library TWO WEEKS FROM TODAY (12/4 at 7pm) to discuss her new book, The Risk It Takes to Bloom. This author visit is co-sponsored by the Athens-Clarke County Public Library and Athens Pride and Q***r Collective. Join us and get there EARLY to get a good seat in Appleton Auditorium.
Hanukkah begins this year on December 7! We have some great cards and delightful kids books that would make great gifts! Stop by to take a look.
🏆 Thank you Red & Black readers for voting us into your Hall of Fame along with Athens staples Walker's Pub & Coffee and Jittery Joe's Coffee! We are honored to be in such good company and love putting books into the hands of avid readers. 🥰
This Staff Review Thursday features Luis and one of his favorite books of this year, FAMILY MEAL by Bryan Washington.
"At times heartwarming, others heartrending, this tender work from Washington is delectable. Lust, hunger, grief, and a longing for belonging squeeze up against the forces that seek to tear us apart, but, what Family Meal serves is a generous familial communion made up of the people we love and those who, despite our flaws, love us back. A restorative novel to be shared, undoubtedly set to bring its readers together." - Luis
There are copies on the shelves today! Come by and share in this beautiful, communal novel.
Avid Bookshop is happy to once again participate in “Be a Santa to a Senior," a program created by Home Instead Senior Care. Take an ornament from our wreath and return the unwrapped gift back to Avid with the ornament attached by the end of the day on December 1st.
Suggested gifts are necessities such as postage stamps, slippers, blankets, stationery, and toiletries.
Welcome back to our Staff Review Thursdays, our weekly series highlighting some staff favorites! This week Rachel recommends the unique and gorgeous LAND OF MILK AND HONEY, author C Pam Zhang's second novel. LAND OF MILK AND HONEY touches on food & climate.
From Rachel: "C. Pam Zhang's Land of Milk and Honey is set in the near future, with the world dying, and animals and plants rapidly hitting extinction due to the climate crisis. The protagonist is a talented female chef who takes a job working for one of the global elite trying to save himself with outrageous secret plans. A book about finding redemption you don't deserve, LAND OF MILK AND HONEY was full of delicious and grotesque meals (literally) and you'll find it truly captivating."
Swing by this weekend to pick up a copy for yourself! Avid Bookshop is closed today (11-9), but we'll return to normal hours on Friday!
📢 Avid Bookshop will be CLOSED on Thursday, November 9 for Staff Development and a spruce up! 📢
The Avid crew will be doing some general spruce ups in the shop and preparing for the holiday season. We will be open for our regular hours* after today (11/9).
*Friday & Saturday, 11-7 and Sunday - Thursday, 11-6
It's time for our weekly bestsellers! We love seeing three books by local authors at the top of the list. Stop by and pick up our number on bestseller, and then head on over to the Book launch 🚢 party at Ciné on 11/15/23! Have you read any of these books? Let us know in the comments.
Here is the full list below:
1. Pilgrims 2.0: A Novel by Lindsey Harding
2. Ghosts of Athens: History and Haunting of Athens, Georgia by Tracy L. Adkins
3. Ghosts of Athens and Beyond: History and Haunting of North Georgia by Tracy L. Adkins
4. The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store: A Novel by James McBride
5. Cool Town: How Athens, Georgia, Launched Alternative Music and Changed American Culture by Grace Elizabeth Hale
6. When Women Were Dragons: A Novel by Kelly Barnhill
7. Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
8. In a Garden Burning Gold by Rory Power
9. Let Us Descend: A Novel by Jesmyn Ward
10. Start Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook: A Cookbook by Sohla El-Waylly
Book launch 🚢 party at Ciné! Set sail with us at 7pm on 11/15/23 to celebrate local author Lindsey Harding's debut, Pilgrims 2.0.
"Harding's debut novel sets an unsettling mood from the start, with short chapters that propel the story along. The inclusion of multiple characters' perspectives--from passengers to crewmen to doctors to the AI system itself--gives a full picture of good intentions, deep sadness, and even some less-than-noble motives. Book clubs may find much to discuss about the nature of our relationships with ourselves and others and the dissonance between improved physical appearance and contentment.
-Booklist
Mark your calendar! ✏️
In honor of , Avid Bookshop and the Athens-Clarke County Library invite the public to an author event & book signing with Esra Mirze Santesso for her book Muslim Comics and Warscape Witnessing published by Ohio State University Press. Esra Mirze Santesso will be in conversation with Aaron Meskin, who is the head of Philosophy at the University of Georgia
11/13/23 📚 7pm 📚 Athens-Clarke County LIbrary
Literary events bring books to life and we're thrilled to welcome Jenn Shapland back to Athens next Wednesday (11/8/23) at the Athens-Clarke County at 7pm. She'll be in conversation with our friend and local author Sabrina Orah Mark discussing her new book of essays, Thin Skin. Please help us spread the word!
📚 Enjoy Mikey's review below:
"Shapland weaves together moths in the closet to the beauty of New Mexico to interviews about nuclear testing in a gorgeous narrative about the ways we can be human to each other. While reading these expansive and beautiful essays, I found myself struck by the beauty of how interconnected we all are in the world. Read this important and gorgeous work, and remember to look around and view the world with compassion." -Mikey
We're back with Staff Review Thursdays! Today's pick is one of Shae's* favorite scaaaaary stories, HELL FOLLOWED WITH US by Andrew Joseph White. Shae writes: "A gory love letter to the trans community that bites back at fundamentalism and reminds q***r readers that family doesn't have to be about DNA, even if it's often forged in blood." Pick this one (and the sequel) up and keep the spooky season going.
*Shae is also the artist behind our amazing Ghostface chalkboard!
It's time to share our weekly Avid Bookshop Bestsellers! We have quite a few event books in the Top 10 this week! Have you read any of these books? Let us know in the comments.
We still have signed copies of our #1 bestseller, The Comfort of Crows! Signed books make great gifts too, especially as we move into gift giving season.
Here is a copy of the list below as well!
1. The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year by Margaret Renkl
2. The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
3. Let Us Descend: A Novel by Jesmyn Ward
4. Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America by Heather Cox Richardson
5. Creature, Wing, Heart, Machine by L.S. McKee
6. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
7. Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
8. Big Swiss: A Novel by Jen Beagin
9. You, Again: A Novel by Kate Goldbeck
10. Demon Copperhead: A Novel by Barbara Kingsolver
🎃 Happy Halloween! What book are you dressing up as this year?
Do you seek out independent bookstores when you travel? We do, too! Janet and I drove to New Orleans this week for bookshop meetings and stopped for lunch with our friends from Thank You Books in the Crestwood neighborhood in Birmingham, AL. Longtime Avid readers will recognize these former interns and booksellers! -Rachel
Pictured: (l.-r.) Laura Cotton (co-owner, Thank You Books), Janet Geddis (owner/founder, Avid Bookshop), Rachel Watkins (operations director, Avid Bookshop), Will Walton (former bookseller at Thank You Books and Avid Bookshop), Tyler Goodson (former manager at Avid Bookshop, now sales operations associate at PRH).
Hello Sidney! What's your favorite scary story?
Whether you're a fan of a slasher, a psychological thriller, or monsters, our Horror section has got you covered. Make sure you're prepared for Halloween with a stack of spooky reads. Our booksellers would be delighted to find the perfectly spooky story for you. We're open 11-6 today and tomorrow, and 11-7 Friday and Saturday.
🎨: Bookseller Shae
We love gift wrapping books and gifts for you! This week we got in ~100 new sheets of gift wrap from some favorite creative companies. (The ones featured here are reversible!)
For a nominal fee* (to cover our material and labor costs), you can leave the shop with a beautiful wrapped gift (&, if you’d like, any leftover paper to boot!).
Steps 🎁:
1. Choose a full sheet from our display.
2. Take it to the checkout along with whatever you want wrapped.
3. Want multiple gifts wrapped? We charge by the sheet, not the gift, so we can wrap as many items as we can using the sheet you purchase. (You can buy multiples as well!)
4. Browse a bit longer while a bookseller lovingly wraps your present(s).
5. Leave with the gift in hand (plus something just for you!) and a smile on your face.
6. Watch your loved one beam in anticipation of something special from their favorite little shop.
*$5.75 per sheet; includes wrapping service and some bonus Avid touches!
We ship nationwide, so let us know if you want your gifts, unwrapped or not, sent far, far away!
Happy birthday to Avid! To celebrate, here's a peek at some Avid Bestsellers from our Kids, Middle Grades, and Young Adult sections over the past twelve years. Scroll through to see our Kids bestsellers and our Middle Grade & Young Adult bestsellers.
1662 S. Lumpkin Street
Athens, GA
30606
| Monday | 11am - 6pm |
| Tuesday | 11am - 6pm |
| Wednesday | 11am - 6pm |
| Thursday | 11am - 6pm |
| Friday | 11am - 7pm |
| Saturday | 11am - 7pm |
| Sunday | 11am - 6pm |
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Avid Bookshop posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Send a message to Avid Bookshop:
We love gift wrapping books and gifts for you! This week we got in ~100 new sheets of gift wrap from some favorite creative companies. (The ones featured here are reversible!) For a nominal fee* (to cover our material and labor costs), you can leave the shop with a beautiful wrapped gift (&, if you’d like, any leftover paper to boot!). Steps 🎁: 1. Choose a full sheet from our display. 2. Take it to the checkout along with whatever you want wrapped. 3. Want multiple gifts wrapped? We charge by the sheet, not the gift, so we can wrap as many items as we can using the sheet you purchase. (You can buy multiples as well!) 4. Browse a bit longer while a bookseller lovingly wraps your present(s). 5. Leave with the gift in hand (plus something just for you!) and a smile on your face. 6. Watch your loved one beam in anticipation of something special from their favorite little shop. *$5.75 per sheet; includes wrapping service and some bonus Avid touches! We ship nationwide, so let us know if you want your gifts, unwrapped or not, sent far, far away!
Back by popular demand: Moleskine planners! A stylish yet understated yearly planner will keep you feeling grounded during these continually unpredictable times. How so? 🗓 Analog planners allow you to focus solely on your life, your plans, and your schedule. Most of us rely on smartphone calendars, but opening your iCal app usually means you’ll end up checking email, then social media, then email again, before you put the phone down without having checked your schedule in the first place. 🗓 Writing down your plans helps you remember them—you can still set your smartphone alerts, but you’ll rely on them less as you get in the habit of using a paper planner to write down meeting times, social hour details, medical appointment times, and upcoming birthdays. Stressful times can affect your memory—counteract that by not relying solely on technology. 🗓 This year, we stocked planners that have your dated weekly view on one side and lined notepaper on the right. Pencil in commitments and things to remember on the lefthand page. On the right, you may want to scribble notes from an important conversation, compose a shopping list, or even start an informal gratitude journal. 🗓 Another bonus to this format? Your notes are tied physically and mentally to whatever week you’re focused on, meaning you’ll be able to look back and have an accurate record of when exactly you were working on something in particular. Nearly every person we know is seeking more calm and clarity. Planners, journals, and (of course) BOOKS can help. https://www.avidbookshop.com/search/site/Moleskine%20planner%202022 Order online, buy at our walk-up door service, or call us at 706-850-2843. Supplies are limited, so we encourage you to grab one of these today!
We just got another shipment of Folkmanis puppets large and small, and they are going fast! How cute are these? Drop by during our browsing hours to check them out: Tuesday-Saturday, 11-4. Not able to come in? Give us a call at 706-850-AVID if you see a puppet in this post that you’d like to buy over the phone. Folkmanis® believes imagination is the key to a healthy childhood, encouraging play and discovery to develop the skills necessary in life. The company has been making the most innovative and engaging specialty puppets in the world since 1976, delighting imaginations and winning nearly every industry, child development, and kid-tested award—many repeatedly.
From Janet: I’ve been almost entirely behind the scenes since we reopened in August. Like many of you, I’ve been on the verge of burnout (if not actually burned out!) time and again for the last couple of years. One anticipated perk of closing Avid on Prince at the end of 2019 was to be able to establish a calmer, more predictable workflow for myself and the Avid staff. I don’t need to tell you how quickly that plan was put on the back burner. 🤦♀️ Much of my workload these days requires uninterrupted pockets of time—I spend many hours entering and paying bills, working on current and not-yet-launched projects, having meetings on Zoom, strategic planning, and brainstorming ways to keep the business sustainable for the long haul. But spending time at a computer is not why I opened a community-focused, independent bookstore. Sometimes I just need to go into the shop, to see people’s faces (their eyes and foreheads, at least 😷), to put my hands on the books, to rearrange displays and create cute little signs and shelf talkers. On Sunday, I spent a few hours in the shop by myself, listening to music and doing some hands-on work that could never be accomplished remotely. It felt so good to be in the real world. I so fervently wish we could have a pre-pandemic-style December, the shop filled to the brim with books and browsers, neighbors’ smiles fully on display as they run into longtime friends and exchange book recommendations. Perhaps that wish will come true in 2022. 🔮
On this Labor Day, we suggest you learn more about the labor movement. Avid Bookshop's Racial Justice, Labor, and the South Book Club meets every fourth Sunday of the month. As an extension of the Racial Justice Centering Committee of UGA's United Campus Workers union, we read books with challenging ideas. Join us by emailing [email protected].
From Janet: I was one of five independent booksellers asked to interview Stacey Abrams as a way to commemorate the paperback publication of her book Our Time is Now. Hope you enjoy our brief conversation! And be like Stacey, who loved indie bookstores: buy yourself (or the activist you love) a copy of Our Time is Now from Avid Bookshop. https://www.avidbookshop.com/book/9781250798466
We are honored to have been featured in filmmaker Mason Engel’s documentary called The Bookstour. Mason is one of many book lovers who used to rely on Amazon but then did an about-face after learning of how harmful Amazon’s practices are across the board—and after learning about how essential independent, locally-owned bookstores are. Preorder the 30-min digital film now (link I below). All proceeds go to the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (Binc), a nonprofit helping indie bookstores and comic shops and their employees. Avid has called on Binc’s help more than once over the last several years, and we love being able to direct donors to them. They do amazing work. Enjoy this clip and please learn more about the documentary here: https://www.thebookstourfilm.com/
It's time for Match Book Monday! As you can see, Avid Reader Grayson loved the recommendations Luis gave her. We work so hard to provide excellent, bookish customer service, so getting responses like this make us feel so warm and fuzzy. Try out #avidmatchbook for yourself today! https://www.avidbookshop.com/avidmatchbook
It's Match Book Monday! On occasional Mondays (or maybe every Monday, who knows?), we will share a highlight related to our Avid Match Book, the service we created to help connect readers to a list of books just for them. (Get your own matches here: https://www.avidbookshop.com/avidmatchbook) Our customer Courtney has this to say about the book list our expert booksellers created for her: "This is truly so cool. Thank you. <3" What are you waiting for? This service is free (though of course we hope the matches are so good you decide to buy a book or three from the list we give you!), and it's the best way we've found to mimic the in-store recommendation process that our booksellers miss so much.
It's time for a new feature: Match Book Monday! On occasional Mondays (or maybe every Monday, who knows?), we will share a highlight related to our Avid Match Book, the service we created to help connect readers to a list of books just for them. (Get your own matches here: https://www.avidbookshop.com/avidmatchbook) Our customer Hannah has this to say about the book list our expert booksellers created for her: "Thanks so much! This is lovely and I'll have to snag a couple. You definitely nailed my taste..." What are you waiting for? This service is free (though of course we hope the matches are so good you decide to buy a book or three from the list we give you!), and it's the best way we've found to mimic the in-store recommendation process that our booksellers miss so much. #avidmatchbook
University of Georgia Performing Arts Center
River Road
The Lewis Room at Tweed Recording
E. Clayton Street
Party For A Purpose at Hope Haven
Newton Bridge Road
UGA Double Bass Symposium XXVI
River Road
