Join us in supporting the Katonah Chamber of Commerce Holiday Drive. The Chamber provides so many of the events throughout the year that you’ve come to love. Art Walks and music in the gazebo and Chili nights and Holiday lights and strolls and gatherings and music and happy community!!! Please consider making a donation to help fund the lights…and ALL that they do throughout the year. Katonah is the best because the Chamber is so active and involved.

The shelves are FULL, we are bursting at the seams, and we are ready to add a little light to your Holiday Season. We will be closed Thursday for Thanksgiving, but ready to caffeinate you at 7:30am for Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Giving Tuesday, The Peppermint Parade, Holiday Strolls and so much more. Come to Katonah for the Holidays.

Come get our recommendations for our favorite stacks this year. Mine is “Tales from Muggleswick Wood,” a sweet rhyming collection of stories a grandmother tells her little listeners. Reminiscent of Winnie the Pooh, mixed with a little Shel Silverstein, with mystical creatures and happy little people. Perfect for every age.

Add these adorable cards to the seats at your Thanksgiving table. There’s a lot to be thankful for, these will help you and the kids remember to take a minute, and you can keep them to remember what was at the top of the mind this Thanksgiving.

Grab your advent calendar this week so you’re not scrambling. December 1st is exactly a week away, next Sunday! We love this Elf on the shelf with chocolates.

Join us for an ornament making workshop with Ashlyn of The Simple Sunday to start off your Holiday Stroll through Katonah. December 13th at 5pm. $100 includes all materials and a lesson. Ashlyn uses book pages to create her gorgeous ornaments which are the perfect gift for the bibliophile in your life. Come learn her tricks! Make them to decorate your presents, to give with a book, to craft your homemade Holiday gifts this year! RSVP a must. Please sign up at the link below. No refunds or cancellations due to the small space and limited capacity. This will fill up quickly!

This Holiday we will again be collecting book donations in support of the families involved at Hour Children. Hour Children supports incarcerated moms and their children in maintaining their bond within and beyond the prison walls. A core component of our programming is “Card Shop”, where we provide materials for moms to hand make cards, and once a month a mother can select a book to send to her children. Many of the children are not able to visit. Hour Children pays the postage. Incarcerated workers make .16 cents an hour, meaning it could take them up to a half day to earn the cost of postage, so this is an essential service helping moms stay in touch with their children. These children go through so much, we want them to have the best. Purchasing a NEW book for a child supports their relationship with their mother while encouraging literacy! Stop by and pick a paperback book to donate or donate below and we’ll pick some books for you.
And on December 3rd from 4-7pm in celebration of GIVING TUESDAY, we encourage you to bring your child to pick out and purchase a book for a child whose mother is in the program.
* Currently Hour Children is in particular need of books for adolescents and babies.

Workshop: $25/person. Please sign up ahead. Explore the joy of mindfulness drawing with Neurographica and Zen Tangle. Learn the basic principles of each method and apply them in your own unique way. A calming, insightful, and uplifting practice you may want to practice each day. Drawings will be done in black fine point pen with the option of adding color with paint, pencils, or markers. TWO sessions: November 21st at 1pm OR November 22nd at 6:30pm.

Please bring or let us know if you’d like to buy:

• Waterproof fine point black pens in at least two sizes.

• A pencil.

• Watercolor supplies including a few sheets of small watercolor paper OR Colored pencils or markers and appropriate drawing paper.

November 16th at 3pm, join us for a Classics discussion centered on “The Ballad of the Sad Cafe.” “A classic work that has charmed generations of readers, this collection assembles Carson McCullers's best stories, including her beloved novella "The Ballad of the Sad Café.” A haunting tale of a human triangle that culminates in an astonishing brawl, the title novella introduces readers to Miss Amelia, a formidable southern woman whose café serves as the town's gathering place. Among other fine works, the collection also includes "Wunderkind," McCullers's first published story written when she was only seventeen about a musical prodigy who suddenly realizes she will not go on to become a great pianist. The Ballad of the Sad Café is a brilliant study of love and longing from one of the South's finest writers.”

Join us for a Romantasy chat, November 30th at 12:30pm. “When Ilara's abducted by the hated crown prince, she's faced with an impossible choice-enslavement to her nemesis or war for the kingdom. Being a defective marks me in the eyes of the Solis Fae. Wingless. Magicless. Weak. To my kind, I'm nothing-not when strength is needed to survive the perpetual snow and ice that shrouds our northern continent in endless winter. But I've persevered, living a meaningful yet simple life with my sister…until the hated Crown Prince of the Winter Court thunders into our village. Prince Norivun's massive black wings and potent magic cloud my senses and steal my breath. He's beautiful yet brutal, so when he whisks me away and locks me in his castle I'm certain my death is tomorrow's promise. Yet my end doesn't come, not when the prince looks at me with hunger in his gaze while revealing the true reason for my abduction. Now I'm faced with an impossible choice-either join forces with the hated prince who's robbed me of everything I love or watch our kingdom start a devastating war.”

Join us November 23rd at 3pm for a discussion of “Dungeon Crawler” by Carl Matt Dinniman. “You know what's worse than breaking up with your girlfriend? Being stuck with her prize-winning show cat. And you know what's worse than that? An alien invasion, the destruction of all man-made structures on Earth, and the systematic exploitation of all the survivors for a sadistic intergalactic game show. That's what. Join Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, as they try to survive the end of the world--or just get to the next level--in a video game-like, trap-filled fantasy dungeon. A dungeon that's actually the set of a reality television show with countless viewers across the galaxy. Exploding goblins. Magical potions. Deadly, drug-dealing llamas. This ain't your ordinary game show.”

“This intimate and hopeful collection of meaningful, smart, funny, sad, emotional, and inspiring essays from today’s authors and advocates explores what it means to be Jewish, how life has changed since the attacks on October 7th, 2023, and the unique culture that brings this group together.”

Authors (scheduled to appear):  Barri Leiner Grant, Stacy Igel, Jane Rosen, Amy Blumenfeld, Rachel Levy Lesser, and David Christopher Kaufman.

We will have books for sale at the store before the event as well as on hand that night. Tickets for the event available at the Playhouse: here. To reserve a copy for that night please pre-order below.

“If you’ve seen a film by acclaimed Academy Award director Pedro Almodovar then you already know he’s capable of producing the most unique, insane, gripping, and beautiful stories possible. If you haven’t seen a movie by Almodovar then these short stories will have the same effect of seeing his fantastic movies. Written with instant gratification and love, Almodovar takes the reader to a million places at once. Mystery, heartbreak, revenge, motherhood, childhood, death, hope, and identity. Almodovar never holds back.” - Spenser

Pop by for a home made crossword, an inspirational quote, a poem and more to go with your barista drink. Sit here for a visit, spend some time with us, find community. Add $1.50 to “super size” your drink or pastry with these “treats”.

Join us on November 15th at 6:30pm for a book signing and visit with Mark Bittman, author, food journalist, and former NY Times columnist. Pre-order your copies of “Kids Cook Everything” to hold for signing below. We will have a limited number of books for sale as well but pre-order your copy to be sure! Click here to pre-order.

Signature scents workshops with Viktoria Fisch of Ebba. Sign up for the 5:30 OR the 6:30 event. Great for all ages, suggested for ages 11+ at the youngest. Registration required. $40 per person. Sorry, no refunds or cancellations possible. Sign up below and we will send a link to pay.

“Dang. What a book. “Burn” is at once a political statement about division and factions, as well as a story of friendships and lifelong stories. Of the way we reassess and review our lives when we are faced with an uncertain future. Great read if you’re looking to go down a survivalist rabbit hole at election time. Deep and dark.” - Gretchen

Our newest community engagement offer. You buy a book. You read the book. You enjoy and covet the book as long as you want. Your bedside table stacks start to falter. You need to get rid of the book to make room. NOW we are offering a trade back option. You give us your used book, we give you 15% off a new book. Life is grand and the universe is in balance. Our trade works with books of all ages and interests, with the only caveat being the book you trade must be in our system already (ie: no text books or old and dusty books people might not want to buy used). Only one discount per book.

It always creeps up on me. The timing, the planning, the many sides and pies and people. This year we are offering PIES for pre-order and pick up here through our partnership with the amazing Nora of 351 Bakery. Pre-order by November 17th for pick up November 26/27th.

With our kitchen closed, the Speakeasy space upstairs offers a lot more space for fun. Plenty of seating, lots of opportunities to stop in for casual visits with friends, quiet time alone, even get some work done if you must. The space is yours to use as you like. Come check it out sometime.