Dear Reader,
 
I am currently in Washington, D.C. for meetings with 25 other great independent bookstores - the names you would know:  Powell's, Politics and Prose, Tattered Cover, Harvard, Vroman's and more.  Over the last 25 years, our industry has been battered by profound changes in trends and technology.  Yet, here we all are: sturdy-ish, energized, and fueled by the pure unadulterated pleasure of putting the right book in the right hand.
 
Why am I bringing this up?  The way in which we can continue to be vital and important to you as a consumer - as a reader - is to adapt and to be responsive.  We have many ways of being helpful and we always welcome your thoughts, comments, and suggestions.

In addition, there are an astounding number of fantastic books out this fall and I would like to share just a few with you.
 
E-Books and Audio Books
 
For a while, it seemed like e-books would bury us and for a time, they certainly hurt print book sales.  Lately, however, e-book sales have flattened or even declined.  Some people only read e-books, some only print, but most pick and choose: -e-books for travel and print at home.  What has experienced enormous growth are audio-books.  It should not come as a surprise that the major provider of audio books has been purchased by Amazon.  We have and will continue to sell CDs of books, but more and more, readers would rather stream their books digitally. (Some new cars don't even have CD players!)  
 
A new independent R.J.Julia partner, Libro.fm, provides seamless access for you to purchase best-selling titles quickly and easily.  Once you set up your account, download the Libro.fm app (from the App Store or Google Play) to any device you may listen from (phone or tablet, for example) and the books you've purchased online at Libro.fm/rjjulia will appear in your app, ready for your listening pleasure. (Please call us if you have any concerns with setting up an account or if you have any questions: 203-245-3959). 
 
I am currently listening to Ta-Nehisi Coates. Between the World and Me is read by Mr. Coates and I almost wish my drive to work was a little longer!  It has been truly wonderful to be able to supplement my print reading by easily "picking up" new titles for a drive.  This has been a bonanza to solving the perennial problem of too many books, too little time.
 
How do you discover books?
 
This is the buzz word, the hot topic online. Even poor Amazon hasn't successfully cracked this nut.  Sometimes "If you love this, you will love that" doesn't work.  Here is a question for you:  how do YOU discover books?  From R.J. Julia (hopefully)?  Reviews from newspapers and magazine? Friends and relatives?  Let us know at books@rjjulia.com.

Customers often mention how much they love reading our Staff Suggestions but can't get to the store as often as they'd like.  For that reason, we have created a fun quiz to help you pick your next read.  It's easy, quick, and updated often with all the new best sellers. Plus, you can answer the questions based on your current mood: something light and happy? Philosophical? Suspenseful?  Try it and let me know what you think.
 
Recent Nominations and Awards
 
Sandra Cisneros and Ron Chernow received National Medals of the Arts from President Obama the other day, which reminded me that The House on Mango Street by Cisneros is one of the books that resonates with me even 30 years after I read it - a small, powerful coming of age novel about Esperanza Cordero, a young Latino girl determined to leave her impoverished neighborhood, is inspiring, thought-provoking and remarkably contemporary.  It deserves to be re-discovered. Ron Chernow has obviously become a well deserved rock-star with his biography of Alexander Hamilton.  His biographies of John D. Rockefeller (Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller) and of J.P. Morgan (The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance) are just as fabulous and worthy of your attention.
 
Books I Am Loving
 
The Underground Railroad  by Colson Whitehead - deserving of all the attention.
 
The Sympathizer: A Novel by Viet Thanh Nguyen.  This book won the 2016 Pulitzer prize for fiction and is a must read.  With truly extraordinary writing, this debut tells the story of the fall of the South Vietnamese government and the exile of  a Vietnamese undercover communist agent.  You may be put off by my description, but please be assured, it will rewire your brain about the end of the war and the refugee experience. Nguyen is a very gifted writer capable of writing one exquisite sentence after another.
 
Lastly, if you want to have fun and be charmed, it doesn't get much better than Ian McEwan's new book Nutshell.
 
Keep in touch and as always, happy reading.

Roxanne J. Coady



P.S.  If you were unable to attend our Book Club Soiree last week and would like to peruse the list of discussed books, please click here.

 

 

 


It's important to us that you receive the information you find valuable. 
You can update your preferences by visiting our e-mail registration page here.

R.J. Julia Booksellers
(203) 245-3959 or 800-74-READS