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Store Hours
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Mon - Wed 9:30 - 6:00
Thursday 9:30 - 9:00
Friday 9:30 - 6:00
Sat 9:30 - 5:00
Sun Noon - 5:00
Open 24/7 online at:
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Upcoming Events
6/13 (Thursday) at 7pm-
Pulitzer Prize winning author Joseph Ellis discusses and signs Revolutionary Summer: The Birth of American Independence
6/14 (Friday) at 7pm-
J. Courtney Sullivan (Commencement, Maine) presents her
new novel, The Engagements
6/20 (Thurs) 6-7:30pm
Drop-in customer-led group discusses articles and essays in The Sun Magazine
6/20 (Thursday) at 7pm-
Amy Brill presents The Movement of Stars. The event will be introduced by Tracy Winn, author of Mrs. Somebody Somebody
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Greetings! Ah, spring in New England ... it's like all four seasons rolled into one! No matter the weather, we're here for you. Our store hours are listed on the left sidebar; note, we're open every Thursday night until 9pm, and 24/7 online. This week's newsletter features short fiction from Alexander McCall Smith; an artist's memoir of a Greek island; and a gorgeous classic favorite, illustrated by N. C. Wyeth - newly back in print! We have signed books from Nathaniel Philbrick, Claire Messud, Erika Robuck, Sue Halpern (and Pransky!), and Sarah Dessen. Explore our "signed books gallery" when you're in the store for extra special gift ideas. A reminder about some upcoming events at the Bookshop: - Thursday, June 13 - Pulitzer Prize-winning author Joseph Ellis discusses Revolutionary Summer
- Friday, June 14 - J. Courtney Sullivan and The Engagements
- Thursday, June 20 - Amy Brill and The Movement of Stars
A full list of scheduled events is on the sidebar of this newsletter. Remember, if you're unable to attend an event, but would like a signed/inscribed copy of the featured book, we'll be happy to arrange that for you - just call us (978-369-2405), or send an email to books@concordBookshop.com.
We've learned that R. J. Palacio's Wonder has been selected as the  "all school" required summer reading for students at Concord Middle School and Curtis Middle School in Sudbury. You'll find Wonder in our Young Readers section - this staff favorite is an amazing story of friendship, empathy, compassion, and acceptance.
Take a peek in our community window to learn more about the Emerson Thoreau Amble which is being dedicated this Friday.
We look forward to chatting with you in the Bookshop -- when you come in to take a closer look at an item mentioned here, please tell us "I saw it in the newsletter."
Comments are always welcome via email to
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Our next event: Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Joseph Ellis
Thursday, June 13 at 7pm
Join us at the Bookshop on Thursday, June 13 at 7pm when we welcome historian Joseph J. Ellis, with his new book, Revolutionary Summer: The Birth of American Independence. Mr. Ellis won the Pulitzer Prize for Founding Brothers.
The summer months of 1776 witnessed the most consequential events in the story of our country's founding. While the thirteen colonies came together and agreed to secede from the British Empire, the British were dispatching the largest armada ever to cross the Atlantic to crush the rebellion in the cradle. The Continental Congress and the Continental Army were forced to make decisions on the run, improvising as history congealed around them.
In a brilliant and seamless narrative, Ellis meticulously examines the most influential figures in this propitious moment, including George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Britain's Admiral Lord Richard and General William Howe. He weaves together the political and military experiences as two sides of a single story, and shows how events on one front influenced outcomes on the other.
Revolutionary Summer tells an old story in a new way, with a freshness at once colorful and compelling.
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Upcoming event: J. Courtney Sullivan presents The Engagements
Friday, June 14 at 7pm
Join us at the Bookshop on Friday, June 14 at 7pm when we welcome J. Courtney Sullivan - New York Times best-selling author of Maine and Commencement - with her new novel, The Engagements.
This is a gorgeous, sprawling novel about marriage - about those who marry in a white heat of passion, those who marry for partnership and comfort, and those who live together, love each other, and have absolutely no intention of ruining it all with a wedding.
As these lives and marriages unfold in surprising ways, we meet Frances Gerety, a young advertising copywriter in 1947. Frances is working on the De Beers campaign and she needs a signature line, so, one night before bed, she scribbles a phrase on a scrap of paper: "A Diamond Is Forever." And that line changes everything.
A rich, layered, exhilarating novel spanning nearly a hundred years, The Engagements captures four wholly unique marriages, while tracing the story of diamonds in America, and the way - for better or for worse - these glittering stones have come to symbolize our deepest hopes for everlasting love.
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New short fiction from a favorite novelist
Trains and Lovers by Alexander McCall Smith
Here is Alexander McCall Smith at his most enchanting, exploring the nature of love - and trains - in a collection of romantic, intertwined stories.
This is a "stand-alone" book, not part of a series; perfect for both those who are already fans of McCall Smith, and those who'd like to dip into his writing.
As they journey by rail from Edinburgh to London, four travelers pass the time by sharing tales of trains that have changed their lives.
Alexander McCall Smith is the author of several series, including No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Isabel Dalhousie, Portuguese Irregular Verbs, 44 Scotland Street, and Corduroy Mansions. He is professor emeritus of medical law at the University of Edinburgh and has served with many national and international organizations concerned with bioethics. He lives in Scotland.
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Looking at a Greek island through an artist's eye - and his heart
The Greek House: The Story of a Painter's Love Affair with the Island of Sifnos by Christian Brechneff
The Greek House is a celebration of place and an honest narrative of self-discovery. In its pages, a naïve and inexperienced young man comes into his own. Weaving himself into the life of the island, painting it year after year, he finds a place he can call home.
When Christian Brechneff first set foot on the Greek island of Sifnos, it was the spring of 1972 and he was a 21-year-old painter searching for artistic inspiration and a quiet place to work.
There, this Swiss child of Russian émigrés, adrift and confused about his sexuality, found something extraordinary. In Sifnos, he found a muse, a subject he was to paint for years, and a sanctuary.
In The Greek House, Brechneff tells a funny, touching narrative about his relationship to Sifnos, writing with warmth about its unforgettable residents and the house he bought in a hilltop farm village. This is the story of how he fell in love with Sifnos, and how it became a haven from the complexities of his life in Western Europe and New York. It is the story of his village and the island during the three decades he owned the house. And it is the story of the end of the love affair - how the island changed and he changed, how he discovered he had outgrown Sifnos, or couldn't grow there anymore.
Born in the Belgian Congo in 1950, Christian Brechneff was educated in Switzerland and the US. He received his master of arts degree from the Royal College of Art in London, and has exhibited worldwide; his paintings appear in public and private collections all over the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Brechneff is also the author of Homage: Encounters with the East, a book of travel drawings. He lives in Connecticut.
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Keepsake edition back in print - illustrated by N. C. Wyeth
The Last of the Mohicans
written by James Fenimore Cooper; illustrated by N.C. Wyeth
A gorgeously crafted edition of a great American classic - James Fenimore Cooper's epic tale of frontier life during the French and Indian War, complete with lush tip-in illustrations.
Chingachgook and Uncas are the last living members of the great Mohican tribe. Hawkeye, a colonial scout, is their companion and loyal friend. In the midst of the French and Indian War, these three will risk everything to lead the two daughters of a British colonel to safety through the battle-torn northern wilderness. When the girls are captured by the vicious Huron tribe, Chingachgook, Uncas, and Hawkeye determine to do whatever they can to save them - no matter the cost.
This keepsake edition of James Fenimore Cooper's acclaimed novel showcases magnificent illustrations by N.C. Wyeth.
James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851) was a prolific and popular nineteenth century American writer who wrote historical fiction of frontier and Native American life. He is best remembered for the "Leatherstocking Tales," one of which was The Last of the Mohicans.
N.C. Wyeth (1882-1945) began his artistic career as a young adult. Born in Needham, Mass., Wyeth traveled the American West extensively and drew what he saw. His prolific career includes three thousand works and more than one hundred book illustrations.
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We New in our Signed Books Gallery
Bunker Hill: A City, a Siege, a Revolution by Nathaniel Philbrick
 We were in attendance at Mr. Philbrick's event at the Concord Museum last week, and have signed copies of Bunker Hill (and other works, including Mayflower, In the Heart of the Sea, Sea of Glory, and The Last Stand).
With passion and insight, Philbrick reconstructs the revolutionary landscape-geographic and ideological-in a mesmerizing narrative of the robust, messy, blisteringly real origins of America.
We know many dads who've been hinting at this for a Father's Day gift ...
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The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud
Despite the torrential rain and hockey playoffs last Friday, a  store full of enthusiastic readers greeted Claire Messud when she arrived to introduce us to her new novel. Ms. Messud read three short sections of the book, then engaged in a hearty Q&A ... it was a wonderful evening!
Narrated in the first person by Nora Eldridge, an unmarried elementary school teacher, this is the riveting confession of a woman awakened, transformed and betrayed by a desire for a world beyond her own. Told with urgency, intimacy and piercing emotion, this brilliant novel of passion and artistic fulfillment explores the intensity, thrill - and the devastating cost - of embracing an authentic life.
Signed copies of The Woman Upstairs - and her previous novels, The Emperor's Children and When the World Was Steady - are on our shelves.
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Call Me Zelda by Erika Robuck
 We enjoyed an afternoon with Erika Robuck, hearing about the inspiration for her new historical fiction. The novel is set in Baltimore during the time that Zelda Fitzgerald is undergoing in-patient psychiatric care. This well-researched novel is told from the perspective of a fictional nurse caretaker.
Signed copies of Call Me Zelda and Hemingway's Girl are in the Bookshop!
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A Dog Walks Into a Nursing Home: Lessons in the Good Life from an Unlikely Teacher by Sue Halpern
We had the pleasure of attending an offsite event with Sue  Halpern - and Pransky! - and their book, A Dog Walks into a Nursing Home. Funny, moving, and profound, A Dog Walks into a Nursing Home is the story of how one faithful, charitable, loving, and sometimes prudent mutt - showing great hope, fortitude, and restraint along the way (the occasional begged or stolen treat notwithstanding) - taught a well-meaning woman the true nature and pleasures of the good life.
Sue Halpern is the author of five previous books. She lives with her husband, the writer Bill McKibben, and Pransky in Vermont.
We have signed books, complete with Pransky's paw print.
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The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen
 Here's one for our readers of Young Adult fiction - Sarah Dessen's new novel!
Dessen's devoted fans will welcome this story of romance, yearning, and, finally, empowerment. It could only happen in the summer.
Signed editions of The Moon and More are in the Bookshop.
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In our window
Emerson Thoreau Amble - Opening Ceremony
Friday, June 14 at 3pm marks the official opening of the Emerson Thoreau Amble at Heywood Meadow on Lexington Road.
The Amble is a wonderful new trail that runs from Heywood Meadow through the Hapgood Wright Town Forest and ultimately to Walden Pond. The Amble is the result of years of work and cooperation between several groups including the town, the Emerson family, the Mill Brook Task Force, the Trails Committee, the Heywood Meadow Stewardship Committee, and many dedicated individuals.
The Amble Opening Ceremony promises to be a special event.
Richard Forman, world-renowned founder of landscape ecology, and Jayne Gordon, director of Education and Public Programs at the Massachusetts Historical Society, are the featured speakers. There will be refreshments, a ribbon cutting, a guided walk along the Amble, and mystery guests.
Following the ceremony, there will be an opportunity to walk the trail and visit the newly refurbished Concord Independent Battery Gun House. Also, the Concord Museum has offered Amble ceremony attendees free admission to the Museum to enjoy a special exhibition: "Early Spring: Henry Thoreau and Climate Change."
Handicapped parking is available at the Gun House on Heywood Meadow for the Opening Ceremony. All others should plan to park in Concord Center, at the Town Forest, at Alcott School, or at the County Courthouse. A shuttle will be available to transport people from Alcott School to the Meadow before and after the event.
Join the town June 14 to celebrate and amble on this new trail. For more information contact the Division of Natural Resources at 978-318-3285.
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