Friends,

What can one say about February? It’s an indecisive month, certainly, unsure just how many days it ought to have (but sure it doesn’t want to be like all those other months). The excitement and activity of the holidays are now indisputably behind us, but the greens and golds of springtime remain yet months away.

I find myself, most Februaries, itching (nearly always in vain) to be creative—to do anything to stave off the feeling that, from here out, it’ll be “[a]lways winter and never Christmas,” to steal a phrase from Lewis. I often become desperate enough even to scrounge for half-decent writing-prompts as some have sought the Fountain of Youth or El Dorado: mad with the futile hope that one must exist and, if it exists, that I can find it as easily as anyone. (Unfortunately, this second assumption only holds true because the first does not.)

Even without a stellar prompt, though, one has to start somewhere. Dorothy Parker has often been quoted as saying that “genius can write on the back of old envelopes but mere talent requires the finest stationery available”; a good pen doesn’t hurt, either. I’m fond of Clairefontaine’s “Triomphe” line, and have been rolling around the idea of treating myself to some J. Herbin ink—maybe their “Éclat de saphir”—to tide me over until the sun comes back.

And, of course, the best place to find inspiration isn’t in prompts nor even in fine stationery; rather, it’s in living well and, especially, in reading good writing. We’ve plenty of that on hand already, with yet more hitting the shelves as the month progresses. Of particular note to my entirely-subjective taste, February will see the release of an English translation of Ivana Sajko’s “devastating and darkly comic” Ljubavni roman (translated by Mima Simić as Love Novel), a reflection from Goose Lane on the work of painter Donald Andrus, and Sheila Heti’s Alphabetical Diaries.

Finally, no discussion of February would be complete without mention of the fourteenth. This year, Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday coincide; whether you’re a light-romance-with-a-cartoon-cover reader ( Check & Mate, anyone?), someone who’d rather a good old-fashioned classic with some good old-fashioned catharsis ( The Age of Innocence, perhaps, or Shragge’s translation of Medea), or the sackcloth-and-ashes type (Bellitto’s Humility keeps catching my eye), we’ve got you covered.

That’s all from me; I’ll see you when we all thaw out.

Ryan

Fredericton bookseller

From our Fredericton shop

Alas, we are sad to announce that we are saying goodbye to our bookseller Ryan Tapley who is going on to the green velvet pastures of library work.  We know Ryan for his unflappable good humour, rapier wit, and passionate embrace of all things book related. It is worth noting his retro style is impressive as well.  Good luck and au revoir "Fancy" Ryan, we will miss you!

We have made the first in a series of planned renovations to our store space, our lighting had been updated to LED lighting, improving the lighting in the store and saving money. Please feel free to come in and check it out! All the better to see our copious stock of books and sundry items with! 

From our Charlottetown shop

We are looking to hire a full-time bookseller. If you are a voracious reader and enjoy talking about books, enjoy serving customers and building relationships in a retail environment, are creative, detail oriented and can handle heavy lifting, this may be an opportunity for you. If you are interested, please email dan@bookmarkreads.ca to receive a complete job description. 

The year Charlie Mackesy’s The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse was released I gave it to several of my nearest and dearest as a gift: sister, daughter-in-law, friend, etc. The response was universally positive. Having encountered Mackesy’s work on Instagram pre-publication, I was delighted with the form of his published book. As a bookseller, I’ve recommended the book numerous times: for a 10 year old’s birthday, graduations, and grievers. Again, the response has been unanimous.