The Tiny Bookstore Fall Reading Challenge

We’ve created another low-pressure, high-fun seasonal reading challenge! We’d love to see how everyone is doing with it, so be sure to tag us (@tinybookspgh) in your challenge posts on social media!

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Special Events

Middle-Grades and YA Author Paula Chase will be joining us for a livestream on Saturday, November 6th, 2021 at 1:00 PM. We’ll be chatting about her latest book, “Keeping it Real.”

About “Keeping it Real”:

Marigold Johnson has always lived between two worlds, the elite private school she attends and the Black working-class neighborhood where her parents grew up—the neighborhood they still support. It’s a dance she’s used to. Mari is looking forward to attending a special program at her family’s business, Def Unlimited, for teens who love fashion. But Mari quickly realizes that she’s out of place with the three other trainees—and one girl, Kara, seems to hate her on sight. As tension builds and the stakes at the program get higher, Mari uncovers exactly why Kara’s been so spiteful. She also discovers some hard truths about herself and her family.

Keeping it Real is about the pressure to conform; how Black people are expected to erase their Blackness in white spaces, and the cost of that erasure when they re-engage with Black communities. It’s also a powerful exploration of what happens when parents pick and choose what they shield their children from.

Featured Preorder

Pittsburgh-native, lawyer, public speaker, and mental health advocate Brian Cuban’s debut novel is coming out December 7th.

Set in Pittsburgh, “The Ambulance Chaser” is the story of Jason Feldman: a troubled attorney with a troubling incident in his past. When his past literally catches up with him in the Cathedral of Learning, Jason ends up in a fight for his life and his career.

“The Ambulance Chaser” preorders are 20% off until November 7th.

About the author:

Brian Cuban, the younger brother of Dallas Mavericks owner and entrepreneur Mark Cuban, is a Dallas-based attorney, author, and person in long-term recovery from alcohol and drug addiction. He is a graduate of Penn State University and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.

Homebrewer’s Corner

What’s new

• We’re now carrying Omega’s Lutra Yeast for curbside pickup and shipping.
  

What’s brewing

• At my request, Bill brewed a fall-themed, pumpkin-flavored, Mad Elf clone variant that we modified from this recipe. We’ll update y’all to let you know how it turns out.
  

About holiday shopping…

It looks like this holiday season will be another challenging one due to supply chain disruptions. Seriously. It looks like there are hiccups happening at each step of the supply chain.

I’ve never been a fan of telling people that they should shop for the holidays early. It feels a little icky for me, and it’s and more than a little hypocritical since I’ve mastered the art of December gift-shopping. This year, my feelings are a little bit different: If there’s a particular present that you want to give someone for the holidays this year, order it now. Just keep in mind my advice for buying books as gifts: If you want to buy a book as a gift for a person over the age of 12, ask them for a wish list. Or just get them a gift card.

Here are our ordering deadlines for the holiday season:

Media Mail: Wednesday, November 24th

Priority Mail and Ground Shipping: Wednesday December 1st

Curbside Pickup: Wednesday, December 8th

We will have a special Holiday Shop page on the site, so you can buy books, gifts, toys, and collectibles for last-minute shopping for curbside pickup.

1. Image Text: Tiny Bookstore Fall Reading Challenge
   – Spend time reading outside or by a window with a view
   – Read something scary: Horror, Thriller, Suspense, Halloween themed. Anything you consider scary
   – Think with your stomach: Read a book about food or cooking
   – What’s going on: Read a book released in the last two years that’s about Politics, Philosophy, Current Events, or History
   – Go short: Read a book that’s under 150 pages or Read a short-story or essay collection
   – Give thanks: Read a book about gratitude
   – End the year strong: Read a book from your TBR ↩