Why let a pandemic stop you from buying the books you love? Even if you’re not planning on leaving your house right now, you can still indulge in the satisfaction of finding a good read at Northshire Bookstore. Although it’ll be closing its brick-and-mortar on March 20 due to COVID-19 concerns, it’ll continue offering free shipping to your doorstep.
Up until recently, Northshire had been offering curbside deliveries à la many of the local restaurants, but in an announcement late Thursday, the bookstore said it would be closing indefinitely on Friday. Trying to figure out what to buy? Here are the top sellers among Saratogians, who were taking part in their curbside delivery and/or getting their wares shipping.
Adult Fiction
Deacon King Kong: A Novel by James McBride (published in March 2020)
The Dutch House: A Novel by Ann Patchett (September 2019)
Normal People by Sally Rooney (August 2018)
The Overstory: A Novel by Richard Powers (April 2018)
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris (January 2018)
Adult Non-Fiction
The Velvet Rope Economy: How Inequality Became Big Business by Nelson D. Schwartz (published March 2020)
The Splendid and the Vile: A Sage of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson (February 2020)
A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trump’s Testing of America by Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker (January 2020)
Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe (February 2019)
Women Rowing North: Navigating Life’s Currents and Flourishing As We Age by Mary Pipher (January 2019)
Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover (February 2018)
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann (April 2017)
If you’re already reading a tome or have kids at home to entertain, Northshire also has a number of puzzles and games available, too. Fun, curriculum-based Brain Quest workbooks and illustrated Harry Potter books are also a hit at Northshire right now. Or, maybe, this unexpected downtime is calling you to order a new journal to track your day-to-day life. According to Northshire’s General Manager Nancy Scheemaker, parents are purchasing journals for their children to help document their feelings during this troubling time.
In the meantime, while Northshire is shut down for in-store service, you can still support the local business in other ways, by browsing its books through select literary service sites such as kobo.com and bookshop.org. Also, new memberships at libro.fm is granting 100 percent of the profit of book sales to local bookstores like Northshire, in the wake of COVID-19.
You can still place an order online at northshire.com or even phone in to order a book for free curbside pickup between 10am and 6pm (if you’re not sure what you want, ask about their current staff picks). If you’re parked somewhere near the store, Northshire will run your goodies out to you. Gift certificates are also a great way to support local businesses during this time. And just because we’re social distancing, doesn’t mean you can’t still attend an event (online, that is): Northshire is currently reviewing ways to virtually host its scheduled author visits over the coming weeks.
