Here at the Shop

Bookseller Recommendations Galore

 

NEW ARRIVALS

HARDCOVER

        

         

      

PAPERBACK

        

        

     


HOLIDAY HOURS

IN DECEMBER, Mrs. Dalloway's is extending its hours on certain days:
 
All Sundays: 11am-5pm (opening an hour early)
 
Thursday, 12/21: 10am-7pm (closing an hour later)
Friday, 12/22: 10am-7pm (closing an hour later)
Saturday, 12/23: 10am-7pm (closing an hour later)
 
We also will close early at 3pm on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve - please plan accordingly.
 

OUR NEW INSTAGRAM CAMPAIGN - MEET THE BOOKSELLER!

(Click below to see more)


MRS. DALLOWAY'S OWNERS FEATURED ON TV

A KTVU-TV news crew, doing a segment on Small Business Saturday for the 6pm news on Saturday, November 25, chose Berkeley's Elmwood district as its location. The reporter interviewed several business owners, including our own Jessica and Eric Green. Here’s the link and a photo of the TV interview set-up: https://www.ktvu.com/video/1372353


OUR STAFF CHOOSES SOME OF THEIR FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2023!

Click below to read what we liked - 36 titles in all!


OUR HOLIDAY RECOMMENDATIONS - FICTION, NONFICTION, CHILDREN & TEENS

  


STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS

Prophet Song by Paul Lynch. Set in Dublin -- could be Cambridge-turned-Gilead from The Handmaid's Tale. This chilling tale is centered around Eilish Stack and her family of 5, in which everything is going from normal to slightly off, to absolutely not normal, terrifying even, very quickly. When the government that is supposed to keep you safe turns on its citizens with cold-hearted precision, you just can't stop reading, with a shiver of dread.  Written in an unconventional flowing style, with uncanny relatable detail, the story propels you along with the intensity of a Hitchcock film.  For the Stack family and the reader, it all feels unreal but could absolutely happen to any and all of us! - Heida

The End of the World is a Cul de Sac by Louise Kennedy. Wow. This short story collection by Louise Kennedy (author of debut novel Trespasses) is simply fantastic. Kennedy's writerly chops are on full display in these breathtaking and haunting stories of women on the edge of control, struggling for selfhood, fighting for a marriage, at odds with life and their surroundings. To create a world, to introduce characters and make us care, and to instill tension in just a few pages is an art form, and with this collection Kennedy proves she is in the full power of her craft. Brava. - Hannah

Baumgartner by Paul Auster. Baumgartner is a quietly elegant character study, a novel about a man in his twilight years forging ahead, sometimes reluctantly, in the years after the sudden death of his wife. In the face of profound loss and his own mortality, Auster's 71-year old protagonist slips into tender memories of before, yet a desire to know others and a curiosity for life persists. Find me in the store so we can discuss the ending... - Hannah

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher. This delightful queer YA romance is set in historical Camelot but several hundred years after the time of King Arthur Pendragon. The Gwendoline and Arthur of this story have been matched for marriage by their families since birth, but as young adults they can't stand each other. A supportive friendship eventually emerges when they discover that they're both gay and may be able to help one another. Gwen is attracted to the knight Lady Bridget, and Art may have a thing for Gwen's brother Gabe. A fake engagement would seem to temporarily fool their families, until it doesn't. The characters feel fresh and modern, the supporting cast is terrific, and the story is smart and well-paced. There's even a nod to Mary Oliver that was a wonderful surprise. - Carolyn

Murder by Degrees by Ritu Mukerji. This debut mystery benefits greatly from its protagonist, Dr. Lydia Weston, and setting, 1870s Philadelphia. Weston teaches at a women's medical college and treats patients at a neighborhood clinic while fending off the misogyny of her male colleagues. When a chambermaid goes missing and the dead body of a young woman is subsequently pulled out of a river, Weston joins the police investigation - headed by a detective who's less than thrilled with her participation. In addition to a well crafted story, Mukerji offers an illuminating portrait of life and mores in late 19th century Philadelphia, which add to the enjoyment. - Hut
 

Orbital by Samantha Harvey. A single day, (which seems much longer due to being divided into 16 orbits), one space capsule, and six space station astronauts – likely the last of their kind as the space program has moved on to Mars. Through snapshots of their orbital observations and eavesdropping on their internal musings, Harvey brings the reader a deeply moving and thoughtful ode to Planet Earth and humanity’s humble existence on Her. Beautiful, touching, and meditative, it’s one that will linger with you. - Eric



SPECIAL OFFER ON AUDIO GIFT CERTIFICATES

(Libro.fm calls them credit bundles, but they're the same thing)


AUTHOR DROP-INS

TONY PIEDRA (right) and MACKENZIE JOY, co-creators of One Tiny Treefrog: A Countdown to Survival, dropped by the bookstore after a well-received school visit. The duo has crafted a dazzling spin on the life of one of nature’s darlings, the red-eyed treefrog, in this bold and visually arresting countdown book, which also invites budding naturalists to discover a wealth of treefrog facts, revisit the pages to spot other Costa Rican species, and check out a bibliography.

Hungarian-born artist  BALINT ZSAKO has created Bunny & Tree, a beautiful wordless picture book about an unlikely friendship that leads to a fantastical road trip adventure.


A ONE-OF-A-KIND GIFT FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN THE WORLD OF PUBLISHING AND BOOKSELLING!

Among Friends: An Illustrated Oral History of American Book Publishing and Bookselling in the 20th Century     

This 576-page deluxe, hand-numbered volume--a collectible edition limited to a single printing of 1500--pays homage to the creative and entrepreneurial spirit of the book business in the late 20th century.  In personal and informative essays, more than 100 prominent figures in publishing and bookselling (including Mrs. Dalloway's bookseller Hut Landon) recall their careers from the postwar period through the independent publishing revolution of the 1960s and '70s to the new millennium. The book is also  illustrated with original photography of vintage book jackets, archival photos and period graphics. Click here for more details or peruse our display copy in the store.


PREORDER OFFER FOR GORGEOUS SPRING 2024 RELEASE

Click here for details and to preorder your signed copy!


AUTOGRAPHED COPIES AT MRS. DALLOWAY'S

(Click on any cover to read more or order online)
 
       
 
     

We have lots more signed titles - click here to check them out!



LITTLE LIBRARY

Help start a library for a young reader in your life with Mrs. Dalloway’s Little Library subscription service! Every month for the length of your subscription, we'll gift wrap and send your recipient a book that fits their age and interests. Our experienced staff selects titles from our ever-changing inventory of new titles and rediscovered hidden gems. To find out more and sign up, click here.


LISTEN UP - Audiobooks from Libro.fm

We're delighted to be offering our customers an independent source for audiobooks, offered through our partnership with Libro.fm. Here's a little about the company, in its own words: 

"By choosing Libro.fm over other audiobook services, you support your local bookstore and invest in your local community. We offer over 125,000 audiobooks via our premium platform (which we built with love from scratch) and give you bookseller recommendations for great audiobooks. And when you contact us, you'll hear directly from one of our team members who will ensure your listening experience is unmatched."

Next Event

 

Join us at Mrs. Dalloway's Bookstore on Thursday, January 4th at 7:00 pm when local Berkeley author and UC Berkeley professor DACHER KELTNER will read from, discuss, and sign copies of his book Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life.

From a foremost expert on the science of emotions and consultant to Pixar’s Inside Out, it's a groundbreaking and essential exploration into the history, science, and greater understanding of awe. (Dacher's photo by Natalie Keltner-McNeil)

This is a free event, but you must pre-register at Eventbrite or in the store to attend.  Click here to preorder a paperback copy of Awe.

 

Awe is mysterious. How do we begin to quantify the goose bumps we feel when we see the Grand Canyon, or the utter amazement when we watch a child walk for the first time? How do you put into words the collective effervescence of standing in a crowd and singing in unison, or the wonder you feel while gazing at centuries-old works of art? Up until fifteen years ago, there was no science of awe, the feeling we experience when we encounter vast mysteries that transcend our understanding of the world. Scientists were studying emotions like fear and disgust, emotions that seemed essential to human survival. Revolutionary thinking, though, has brought into focus how, through the span of evolution, we’ve met our most basic needs socially. We’ve survived thanks to our capacities to cooperate, form communities, and create culture that strengthens our sense of shared identity—actions that are sparked and spurred by awe.

In Awe, Dacher Keltner presents a radical investigation and deeply personal inquiry into this elusive emotion. Revealing new research into how awe transforms our brains and bodies, alongside an examination of awe across history, culture, and within his own life during a period of grief, Keltner shows us how cultivating awe in our everyday life leads us to appreciate what is most humane in our human nature. And during a moment in which our world feels more divided than ever before, and more imperiled by crises of different kinds, we are greatly in need of awe.

If we open our minds, it is awe that sharpens our reasoning and orients us toward big ideas and new insights, that cools our immune system’s inflammation response and strengthens our bodies. It is awe that activates our inclination to share and create strong networks, to take actions that are good for the natural and social world around us. It is awe that transforms who we are, that inspires the creation of art, music, and religion. At turns radical and profound, brimming with enlightening and practical insights, Awe is our field guide, from not only one of the leading voices on the subject but a fellow seeker of awe in his own right, for how to place awe as a vital force within our lives.

DACHER KELTNER is a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and the faculty director of UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center. A renowned expert in the science of human emotion, Dr. Keltner studies compassion and awe, how we express emotion, and how emotions guide our moral identities and search for meaning. His research interests also span issues of power, status, inequality, and social class. He is the author of The Power Paradox and the bestselling book Born to Be Good, and the coeditor of The Compassionate Instinct.

THIS EVENT is free but pre-registration is requested. Registration ends at 5:00 pm on January 4th.

BECAUSE SEATING is limited, please register only if you plan to attend.

DUE TO SPACE limitations, we may not be able to accommodate every person at an event, so early registration is encouraged.

WALK-INS will be accommodated only if space allows.

WE ASK that attendees arrive between 6:45 and 7:00 PM for the event.

PLEASE leave your non-support companion animals at home.

OUR shared restrooms are not accessible after 6:30 PM, please plan accordingly.

 

Thursday, January 4, 2024 - 7:00pm to 8:30pm
Pre-Order Now Badge
Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life By Dacher Keltner Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9781984879707
Availability: Coming Soon - Available for Pre-Order Now
Published: Penguin Books - January 2nd, 2024