Dear Gentle Reader,

May is cranking! Lots going on in McIntyre’s. Book Club Night on the evening of May 15th is almost sold out (and might be so by the time you get this missive). We have planned giveways, great book recs, wine and the kind of cameraderie that good books bring. And don’t let Book Club Night as a title deter you from possibly attending– this get together is a great way to add to your summer reading pile. If you are out of luck this time, please know we are planning our fall get together tentatively for mid October.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, from 1:30-3:30pm, our favorite writing guru Margot Lester will be holding her monthly office hours. Stuck on a writing project and need a nudge? This is your chance to make some progress with a professional writing coach. Margot’s consultations are free and invaluable.

This Saturday, May 10th at 2pm, we welcome Betsy Small who will discuss her memoir, Before Before: A Story of Discovery and Loss in Sierra Leone (Law, Meaning, And Violence), about her time in the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone as a yound woman and subsequent return there as a mother. “When JFK established the Peace Corps he had modest expectations of fostering mutual understanding between Americans and people of other nations and cultures. He underestimated the impact it was to have on those of us who served. Betsy Small’s masterpiece tells that story. In a small village in Sierra Leone she finds her resilience, empathy, understanding, and grit. In the Krio and Kono languages Learn and Teach are interchangeable—a fitting metaphor for this extraordinary book.” — Donna E. Shalala, Peace Corps Iran 1962-1964; former US Secretary of Health and Human Services  Betsy Small is the Executive Director at Creating Friendships for Peace.

This weekend we celebrate Moms. Traditional moms, grandmothers, dog moms, cat moms, adopted moms, and all kinds of mother figures. If you are looking for a last minute gift or card, we have some ideas for you. And we are open this Sunday 10-5, so if you are out this way and want to take mom out for breakfast, high tea or a mimosa, swing by McIntyre’s.

Those who preordered The Covenant of Water for Abraham Verghese’s event on Wednesday, June 4th at 7pm can start picking up their books this week. We also don’t mind holding your books until the event, so don’t worry if you can’t make it early.

Craig Johnson makes his annual visit for his latest Longmire mystery, Return to Sender,on Sunday, June 1st at 2pm. With your purchase of Return to Sender, you and a guest can attend our event with Craig in the Barn. Pete and Keebe really enjoyed this installment

Thank you to all who came by to help us celebrate national Independent Bookstore Day. We enjoyed Andrew Taylor-Tourtman‘s event last weekend and thought to share his kind words with you.

The Usual Suspects,

Pete, Johanna, Sarah G., Tyler, Amy, Sarah C. and Keebe