I have arrived in heaven and it’s snowing outside and I couldn’t be happier!!!! If you are ever in NYC make sure to stop by Housing Works Bookstore and Cafe because it’s magnificent and I never wanna leave
Jeannine A. Cook is the owner of Harriett’s Bookshop, an independent bookstore located in the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia. Established in February 2020, the bookstore, named for freedom fighter Harriet Tubman, is on a mission to “celebrate women authors, artists, and activists under the guiding light of [Tubman].”
“December 2020 I took my first ride on [horseback] in partnership with the Fletcher Street Riding Club. From there we’ve periodically found ways to bring together the world of horses and books. It is believed that Harriett Tubman stole a horse to deliver her elderly parents to freedom. There is a rich riding tradition among our ancestors and many indigenous cultures.
When Vancouver Soundscape was published in 1978, R. Murray Schafer & Co noted the quasi-musical aspect of telephone ringback tones, which then consisted of a 20 Hz fundamental with varying harmonics added over top, resulting in a unique pitch for each telephone exchange in the Lower Mainland. For instance, numbers corresponding to the Grandview telephone exchange with the 255- prefix would ring back at 698 Hz (on a piano, this is the F natural above centre-A), while the Richmond exchange (prefix 277-) rang an octave below at 349 Hz.
Since then, the city has become much louder, but also less musical. Which brings me to my first earwitness complaint and corresponding solution. The World Soundscape crew identified Muzak and seaplanes as the greatest menace to Vancouverites’ ears forty years ago, but they would surely have registered many decibels of disgust over the cacophony of dissonant chirps at any SkyTrain fare-gate. A solution: why not re-engineer the acoustic design in such a way that each station had a unique soundprint? A signature key (Granville would naturally be G-major), such that when a Compass card was scanned, the beep of assent as the gate allowed the rider to pass through would be either the tonic (G) or another note at a harmonious interval (ie: B and D). A balm for the ears! (A more radical but less melodic solution would obviously be no fare-gates at all). Translink, are you listening?
My secondary earwitness complaint is people who wander off noisy streets into quiet bookshops, declare them to be “a sanctuary”, then take advantage of said sanctuary to place a loud call on their cellphone and my corresponding solution is that they cease this philistinic behaviour immediately. (I attempt to communicate this problem and solution with a signature glare in the key of NO).
In honor of National Book Lovers Day, seven independent bookstores from across the country gave Vox’s Constance Grady their pick for the best summer read.
With their recommendations in hand, go forth and read.
Support your local literary community on Independent Bookstore Day this weekend! Looking for recommendations while you browse? We got you: http://bit.ly/2oUfd6X
I bought at least one thing from each bookstore. Which is great for me and tragic for my wallet. I replenished my stack of free indie bookmarks.
In Praise of Good Bookstores by Jeff Deutsch
Whip Smart by Melissa Febos
A Cup of Water Under My Bed by Daisy Hernandez
So Long a Letter by Mariama Bâ, translated by Marlupé Bodé-Thomas
Black Girl, Call Home by Jasmine Mans
The Crown Ain’t Worth Much by Hanif Abdurraqib
Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty by Dorothy Roberts
In the Margins: On the Pleasures of Reading and Writing by Elena Ferrante, translated by Ann Goldstein
Four by Four by Sara Mesa, translated by Katie Whittemore
Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen
Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak by Charlie Jane Anders
I also left with some wonderful zines (satirical/self-care amazement Essential Oils to Destroy the Patriarchy, Never Step in the Same River Twice: The South Branch of the Chicago River Across Time and Space which as a former rower on Bubbly Creek really interests me, Sick Tats,Our Friends the Bees! by Rachel Bard), a cute enamel pin, some great stickers, and an Independent Bookstore Day 2022 mug that I’m obsessed with.
Thank you to all the wonderful bookstores I visited today, and please send love to my bank account.
Independent Bookstore Day is Saturday! Who’s psyched? I’m going to be doing the Chicago bookstore crawl. Ten bookstores in 7 hours…and I get 10% off for the year at all of them!!
