Monday, July 1, 2013

'Tisn't that season, but...

"Could an available bookseller PLEASE change the music?" Paul paged urgently from the register a few days ago. "It's playing a Christmas carol!" We corrected the inadvertent musical time warp in short order; this past week was literally the furthest point in the year from Christmas, and our ambiance right now is of sunglasses and picnic accessories, not one of any winter holiday, beloved as they are in their own time.

But that wasn't the only time this week reminded me of the Season of Giving. When I printed the restock report for Friday's sales, the figures made my eyes bug out. I checked my work; I hadn't accidentally entered the wrong date anywhere. The last day of school for Brookline students really was like Christmas.

Apparently, when Brookline students have a half day, and they're about to head off to various summer destinations, their first stop is their local bookstore. They load up on school-sanctioned summer reading books, on Mad Libs for camp, on audiobooks for the car, on coloring books for the plane. They rush for long-anticipated sequels they'll now have time to pass around to their friends. They squee. (We have The Elite, the sequel to The Selection, you guys. I've heard enough jumping up and down to know that this is welcome news for many.) They share recommendations with friends. They empty our shelves of Big Nate books and Divergent and everything John Green has ever touched. They tell their parents that yes, their younger siblings are probably ready for the Magic Tree House books.

Keep it coming, folks. And if you're on your merry way for the summer, may it be merry indeed.

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