The Purple Couch Bookshop

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Emily Austin, the bestselling “queen of darkly quirky, endearingly flawed heroines” (Sarah Haywood, author of&nbsp;The Cactus), returns with a luminous new novel following a librarian who comes back to work after a mental breakdown only to confront book-banning crusaders in an empowering story of grief, love, and the power of libraries.
Darcy’s life turned out better than she could have ever imagined. She is a librarian at the local branch, while her wife Joy runs a book binding service. Between the two of them, there is no more room on their shelves with their ample book collections, various knickknacks and bobbles, and dried bouquets. Rounding out their ideal life is two cats and a sun-soaked house by the lake.
But when Darcy receives the news that her ex-boyfriend, Ben, has passed away, she spirals into a pit of guilt and regret, resulting in a mental breakdown and medical leave from the library. When she returns to work, she is met by unrest in her community and protests surrounding intellectual freedom, resulting in a call for book bans and a second look at the branch’s upcoming DEI programs.
Through the support of her community, colleagues, and the personal growth that results from examining her previous relationships, Darcy comes into her own agency and the truest version of herself.&nbsp;Is&nbsp;This a Cry for Help?&nbsp;not only offers a moving portrait of queer life after coming of age but also powerfully explores questions about sexuality, community, and the importance of libraries.

Local Event: Fiction Book Club – Is This A Cry for Help? by Emily Austin

Essex County

North Andover

Massachusetts

Fiction Book Club – Is This A Cry for Help? by...


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Emily Austin, the bestselling “queen of darkly quirky, endearingly flawed heroines” (Sarah...

Fiction Book Club – Is This A Cry for Help? by Emily Austin

Join our Horror Book Club as we discuss ITCH! by Gemma Amor.

Something moves on the forest floor . . .
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Josie is at rock bottom. Burned out, heartbroken and recovering from an abusive relationship, she lives a haunted existence after returning to her isolated hometown on the edge of the Forest of Dean.
But the tall, dense pine trees are not the only things casting shadows across her skin.
Josie’s hopes of a fresh start are horribly derailed when she stumbles across a dead woman’s decaying, ant-infested body in the woods. The grim discovery sends her into a downward spiral, forcing her to face uncomfortable truths about the victim and her own past – all whilst battling the swarming black ants that seem to have burrowed into her mind . . . and her flesh.
As Josie struggles with infestations of all kinds, she scratches the surface of an age-old mystery – a masked predator stalks the forest around Ellwood, a place deeply gripped by ancient folklore and strange customs. So when the village dresses up for its annual festival, Josie gets closer and closer to unveiling a monster, and begins to ask herself:
Are these dark crawling insects leading her to uncover the truth? Or is she their next victim?

Local Event: Horror Book Club – ITCH! by Gemma Amor

Horror Book Club – ITCH! by Gemma Amor

Join our Horror Book Club as we discuss ITCH! by Gemma Amor.

Something moves on the forest floor . . .
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With traditional book clubs there’s the scramble to finish the selected book, and the pressure to have something smart to say. Wouldn’t it be great to have a book club where you could just enjoy books and friends —without any homework?
At Silent Book Club, there’s no assigned reading. All readers are welcome—ebooks, audiobooks, textbooks, comic books… it’s BYOBook. Join us at the Purple Couch Bookshop to socialize from 6:00-6:30pm. Staff will be on hand to help you find a great read if you need one. Then, from 6:30-7:30, pick a spot and read whatever makes you happy. The store will stay open until 8:00pm for those who need to finish one more chapter or are ready to find their next great book.
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Local Event: Silent Book Club

Silent Book Club

With traditional book clubs there’s the scramble to finish the selected book, and the pressure to have something smart to say....

“A book that demands to be read, shared and celebrated.”—PinkNews
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There’s nothing Zeke Chapman wants more than to tarnish the perfect reputation his father is so obsessed with. He quit the baseball team, started fighting at school, and nearly flunked junior year. Newly out as gay, Zeke isn’t sure where his queer identity fits in with his bad-boy persona. His father has always told him to stay quiet and not attract attention, but his friends are pushing him to be just as out and proud as they are. Most days, Zeke isn’t sure how to be a “good gay” or what that even means.
When his best friend, Sawyer, begs him to help the QSA plan Pride Day, he obliges—mostly to piss his dad off. But then the mayor announces an ordinance that cancels all LGBTQ+ celebrations. Angered by the injustice—and his father’s support of it—Zeke decides to put his rebellious ways to good use and plans a series of underground “Pride Speakeasies”.
As the speakeasies grow, and the community comes together to declare him “King of Pride”, Zeke finally feels like he’s doing something that matters. But friendship drama, a mysterious cyber-crush, and rising tension with his rival and ex Cohen “Coco” Fisher threaten to undermine his newfound pride. When his final party ends in near-disaster, Zeke must ask himself what he’s really trying to do. After all, there’s a reason that the first pride was a riot.

Local Event: Queer Book Club - Rebel's Guide to Pride by Matthew Hubbard

Queer Book Club - Rebel's Guide to Pride by...

“A book that demands to be read, shared and celebrated.”—PinkNews
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
There’s nothing Zeke Chapman wants...

Queer Book Club - Rebel's Guide to Pride by Matthew Hubbard

We invite you to hold space with us on select Sunday mornings from 10am -12pm.
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With traditional book clubs there’s the scramble to finish the selected book, and the pressure to have something smart to say. Wouldn’t it be great to have a book club where you could just enjoy books and friends —without any homework?
At Silent Book Club, there’s no assigned reading. All readers are welcome—ebooks, audiobooks, textbooks, comic books… it’s BYOBook. Join us at the Purple Couch Bookshop to socialize from 10:00-10:30am. Staff will be on hand to help you find a great read if you need one. Then, from 10:30-11:30, pick a spot and read whatever makes you happy. The store will be opening to the public at 12pm for those who need to finish one more chapter or are ready to find their next great book.

We invite you to hold space with us on select Sunday mornings from 10am -12pm.
CLICK HERE TO SAVE YOUR SEAT
With traditional...

Our Fantasy Book Club for May &amp; June is a two part series as we read Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil from V. E. Schwab, the #1 New York Times bestselling author.
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This is a story about hunger. 1532. Santo Domingo de la Calzada. A young girl grows up wild and wily—her beauty is only outmatched by her dreams of escape. But María knows she can only ever be a prize, or a pawn, in the games played by men. When an alluring stranger offers an alternate path, María makes a desperate choice. She vows to have no regrets. This is a story about love. 1827. London. A young woman lives an idyllic but cloistered life on her family’s estate, until a moment of forbidden intimacy sees her shipped off to London. Charlotte’s tender heart and seemingly impossible wishes are swept away by an invitation from a beautiful widow—but the price of freedom is higher than she could have imagined.This is a story about rage. 2019. Boston. College was supposed to be her chance to be someone new. That’s why Alice moved halfway across the world, leaving her old life behind. But after an out-of-character one-night stand leaves her questioning her past, her present, and her future, Alice throws herself into the hunt for answers . . . and revenge.This is a story about life—how it ends, and how it starts.

Local Event: Fantasy Book Club – (1st half) Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by VE Schwab

Fantasy Book Club – (1st half) Bury Our Bones...

Our Fantasy Book Club for May & June is a two part series as we read Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil from V. E. Schwab, the...

Fantasy Book Club – (1st half) Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by VE Schwab

One of&nbsp;NPR‘s Best Books of 2016, winner of the Shirley Jackson Award, the British Fantasy Award, the This is Horror Award for Novella of the Year, and a finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, Locus, World Fantasy, and Bram Stoker Awards.
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People move to New York looking for magic and nothing will convince them it isn’t there.
Charles Thomas Tester hustles to put food on the table, keep the roof over his father’s head, from Harlem to Flushing Meadows to Red Hook. He knows what magic a suit can cast, the invisibility a guitar case can provide, and the curse written on his skin that attracts the eye of wealthy white folks and their cops. But when he delivers an occult tome to a reclusive sorceress in the heart of Queens, Tom opens a door to a deeper realm of magic, and earns the attention of things best left sleeping.
A storm that might swallow the world is building in Brooklyn. Will Black Tom live to see it break?
“LaValle’s novella of sorcery and skullduggery in Jazz Age New York is a magnificent example of what weird fiction can and should do.” — Laird Barron, author of&nbsp;The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All
“[LaValle] reinvents outmoded literary conventions, particularly the ghettos of genre and ethnicity that long divided serious literature from popular fiction.” — Praise for&nbsp;The Devil in Silver&nbsp;from Elizabeth Hand, author of&nbsp;Radiant Days
“LaValle cleverly subverts Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos by imbuing a black man with the power to summon the Old Ones, and creates genuine chills with his evocation of the monstrous Sleeping King, an echo of Lovecraft’s Dagon… [The Ballad of Black Tom] has a satisfying slingshot ending.” – Elizabeth Hand for&nbsp;Fantasy &amp; ScienceFiction

Local Event: Horror Book Club - The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle

Horror Book Club - The Ballad of Black Tom by...

One of NPR‘s Best Books of 2016, winner of the Shirley Jackson Award, the British Fantasy Award, the This is Horror Award for...

Horror Book Club - The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle

Local Event: Fantasy Book Club - Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by VE Schwab

Fantasy Book Club - Bury Our Bones in the...

Fantasy Book Club - Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by VE Schwab

Katherine

Chris Rhatigan 

Boston Metropolitan Area

Andover

Middlesex County

North Reading

Tewksbury

Wilmington

Reading

Lynnfield

Scott Souza

Danvers

Rockingham County

Tony Schinella

Salem

New Hampshire

Peabody

Wakefield

Take a journey with artist James Dargan, where he centers female composers through a music and spoken word celebration!
Artist...

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Posting Activity

Fiction Book Club – Is This A Cry for Help? by Emily Austin

APR

23

7:00 PM

The Purple Couch Bookshop, 350 Winthrop Ave, North Andover, MA

Horror Book Club – ITCH! by Gemma Amor

MAY

3

1:00 PM

The Purple Couch Bookshop, 350 Winthrop Ave, North Andover, MA

Silent Book Club

MAY

7

6:00 PM

North Andover, MA

Queer Book Club - Rebel's Guide to Pride by Matthew Hubbard

MAY

13

7:00 PM

The Purple Couch Bookshop, 350 Winthrop Ave, North Andover, MA

Silent Book Club

MAY

17

10:00 AM

The Purple Couch Bookshop, 350 Winthrop Ave, North Andover, MA

Fantasy Book Club – (1st half) Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by VE Schwab

MAY

17

3:00 PM

The Purple Couch Bookshop, 350 Winthrop Ave, North Andover, MA

Horror Book Club - The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle

MAY

31

1:00 PM

North Andover, MA

Fantasy Book Club - Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by VE Schwab

JUN

21

3:00 PM

The Purple Couch Bookshop, 350 Winthrop Ave, North Andover, MA

“Ladies Only” Concert by artist James Dargan