Porter Square Books

PSB hosted Ananda Lima earlier this week for the publication of her debut collection of strange, surreal, and often humorous short stories. Anyone who purchases a copy of Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil will receive a tote bag and a pair of devilish sun glasses (supplies limited).

Photo 2 is not part of the promotion, but how can we not include this devil + cheese tote in this post?

COVER REVEAL for PRIDE MONTH!!!!
Illustrated by Aiyana de Vera and designed by Julia Feingold, here is the cover of Kate Fussner's forthcoming middle grade novel-in-verse 13 WAYS TO SAY GOODBYE!
A new q***r middle grade novel-in-verse by the author of THE SONG OF US.
Nina always followed her older sister, Lily. But just before her thirteenth birthday, Lily died, leaving Nina behind forever.
In the three years since she lost her sister, Nina has completed Lily’s secret Before Birthday lists to continue in her footsteps. But now Nina is catching up. When Nina flies to Paris, France and completes tasks that Lily never finished, Nina finds herself magically transported inside of her own memories, face-to-face with the ghosts of her past.
With her birthday looming and the last list running out, Nina is torn between visiting her sister in her memories and adventuring in the present, including crushing hard on her art classmate, Sylvie. Should she follow Lily’s instructions or try something new? And what happens when she finishes the list?
Pre-order at the link in our bio!

***rbooks

It can be hard for people who love books to remember that a book list, especially for a holiday like , is just a beginning. We make a display, we make a page on our website, we post a book pile on Instagram & it feels like something has been accomplished. And in a way it has. The first step is, still, an accomplishment. But only if it is followed by a second step. What will your second step be?

We are excited to announce that we will be hosting a Midnight Release Party for .mcquiston’s upcoming book ‘The Pairing’ 🥳

The event will be held at our Boston location with 10 PM on August 5th. This event will feature trivia, prizes, snacks, refreshments, and more! Additional details, prizes, and activities to be announced soon!

RSVP at the link in our bio! ✨

To celebrate our 20th anniversary, all Biography/Memoir titles are 20% off. Here are some recommendations to start off your search:

Patti Smith - A Book of Days
Robert A. Caro - The Power Broker
Alan Rickman - Madly, Deeply
Alex Haley - Malcolm X

We’ll be doing some more book recommendations via our stories today!! Once that’s posted, drop a mood, color, trope—whatever you can think of—and we’ll give you some ideas for your next read!!

Here’s a head start, Engel recommends these four titles:
👻 Last Date in El Zapotal by Mateo Garcia Elizondo
🩸 A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson
🐦 O Caledonia by Elspeth Barker
🌊 Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Father's Day is this Sunday! The Hollow Beast is your official Weird Bookstore Dad recommendation for your weird dad. A rollicking, madcap avalanche through family lore, small town history, generations-long feuds, hockey, whiskey, & hallucinations. Bernard clearly had a blast writing it & you'll have just as much fun reading it.

We turn 20 years old this fall! We're kicking off the celebrations by discounting different sections in the store by 20% each month. In June Memoir & Biography, Film & TV, and Music are 20% off. In store only so make sure to stop in!

Is birding always this easy? The bird just perches near an identification poster. It's not always this easy, right?

The late morning view of the shelves ☀️📖 … and also a sneak peek of some of the blind date books we’ll have available at the Seaport Summer Market this weekend! Word around the store is that each blind date book will also come with a postcard full of recommendations for similar books? 🤔 You’ll just have to buy one (or a few) to see!!!

Stop by our booth at 88 Seaport Boulevard between 11 AM and 7 PM this weekend to see our wares! We hope to see you there!!

Will the algorithm show this to any mystery readers? That's the real mystery! If this gets to you here are three very different but very great mysteries!
1. In a Lonely Place by Dorothy Hughes. If this were a just world we would think about American noir in terms of Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammet, AND Dorothy Hughes.
2. The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo. Yokomizo is one of Japan's most popular mystery writers. This tightly plotted story starring a Columbo-like detective is a great intro to reading works in translation.
3. The Red Handler by Johan Harstad. The weirdest detective book I've ever read. Weird on so many levels & in so many different ways.
Handy link to all 3 in bio!

Forever shocked every time a new month is about to start. We’re here to remind you that it’s almost June and we have events! RSVP and view more details at our link in bio.

What books have you been reading this long weekend?

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!! ☀️🕶️

Take advantage of the great weather this weekend and stop by either of our locations for some books, some shade, and a treat from the cafe!! Word is that there’s a fresh round of blind date books available at our Seaport location… 🤓🕵️‍♀️📚❓

It's National Maritime Day! Come enjoy the warm weather by the sea with a good book! Jen is reading newest poetry collection, Rangikura. Porter Square Books: Boston Edition has your bookish (and oceanic scenery) needs covered!

As Spring begins to change to Summer, consider introducing some new cookbooks into your collection to celebrate the warm weather!

Chris Colfer fans! Join us at PSB: Boston Edition for a book signing with Chris on June 5 to celebrate the release of Roswell Johnson Saves the World! Purchase tickets and review event guidelines at the link in bio. Tickets include admission plus 1 copy of Roswell Johnson Saves the World!

Wednesday, June 5 at 6:30 pm
Porter Square Books: Boston Edition
50 Liberty Drive, Boston, MA 02210

A post for those who like to plan ahead! Here are some books coming out in the Fall (well, one comes out in June) that Josh is excited about! Check out the link in bio for any that catch your eye
Log Off: Why Posting & Politics (Almost) Never Mix by Katherine Cross. As someone whose recent activism has been driven by social media, I can feel myself pushing back BUT it's important to read books like that.
The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister. Been chasing that Ashe of Rings high for years and I've got high hopes. I mean The Bog Wife. THE BOG WIFE! Who could say no?
Ceremony by Damir Karakas trans. by Ellen Elias-Bursac. Atmospheric. Claustrophobic. Dense. Ceremony puts us right in the skin of a character who fought for the Nazi-allied Ustasa force, exploring how he made that choice & asking us how we might make the same one.
Season of the Swamp by Yuri Herrera trans by Lisa Dillman. Yuri is a genius. Get every book he writes.
The Repeat Room by Jesse Ball. Ball is a genius. Get every book he writes.
The Plains by Federico Falco trans by Jennifer Croft. Feels very much an "environment as untrustworthy character" type of book, so sign me up.
Oh look! Renee Gladman!
Link in biooooooo!

Happy pub day to Zoë Schlanger, climate journalist and staff reporter at The Atlantic whose new book The Light Eaters examines the hidden intelligence of plant life! She’ll be in conversation with fellow Atlantic staff writer Katherine J. Wu on May 21 at 7 pm at our Cambridge store.

RSVP and view more info at portersquarebooks.com/event

Renee Gladman ( ) is one of the most important experimental writers working in English today. Her work is like open heart surgery on the ideas of language, meaning, & communication. Alas, far too few readers are aware of her work. So to celebrate her work & introduce more readers to it, we are hosting a Renee Gladman Symposium on September 5, in conjunction with the publication of My Le***an Novel & the reissue of TOAF (from ). Link in bio for more info & stay tuned for more from us about this amazing writer.
If you are already a Renee Gladman fan (a GladSTAN perhaps), we encourage you to submit an essay to the Symposium. All submissions will be published online & our favorites wi be presented at the event on September 5. Info in that same link. Please share & help us spread the word!

We are turning 20 years old this fall! We're kicking off our celebrations with this new t-shirt design by This design imagines PSB as an indie band trying to drum up a crowd for their show at Uni Uni basement this Saturday. Stay tuned for more 20th anniversary announcements!

May events are here! View more details and RSVP at our link in bio.

Congratulations to Katie H winner of this year's Great Bookseller Bake-off. The triumphant dish was an Almond-Lemon Tea Cake!

Join us tomorrow at 10pm for our FUNNY STORY Midnight Release! Thus event will be held at our Boston location in the Grubstreet Center of Creative Writing and will include Trivia, a Scavenger Hunt, prizes, and more! Which Emily Henry book is your favorite?

Celebrate with two major complete collections.
The Collected Poems of Denise Levertov brings together the entire career of one of the most influential 20th century English language poets.
The Complete Poetry of Aime Cesaire is the definitive edition of the complete work of a master of Caribbean poet. The bilingual edition give readers the opportunity to read Cesaire's original French.

So excited to share a space with .cafe! Come down to our Boston store to grab your next read and one of Travel Mug's delicious tres leches cold brews!

How 'bout a little stack of books that push on the boundaries of their genres? As a treat. (Do people still say that?)
1. Those Beyond the Wall by Micaiah Johnson. Sure with a multi-verse plot & plenty of unfamiliar tech, this should be an easy fit in Sci fi BUT most of the time it FEELS like reading a grimdark fantasy. More Mad Max: Fury Road than Star Wars.
2. Traces of Enayat by Iman Mersal tran. by Robin Moger. You could get away with calling this a "literary biography" but Mersal's project is about more than just recounting the life of an author. It's about a cultural moment, the way history remembers or forgets, how the dead share space with the living, how it's possible to live for creation and yet have your last act be self-destruction. And, it is as much about Mersal's investigation as it is about her discoveries.
3. The Red Handler by Johan Harstad tran by David Smith. Perhaps the strangest detective story I've ever read. Even to call it a "detective novel" isn't quite right because the detective never does any, you know, detecting. An absolute must for fans of weird s**t.

It's only March and it's already an incredible year for absolute units, just total chonks. Remember to lift with your legs, not your back.
1. Praiseworthy by Alexis Wright
2. Case of Cem by Vera Mutafchieva translated by Angela Rodel
3. Miss Macintosh, My Darling by Marguerite Young

Happy St Patrick's Day!

And Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers is officially in the Great Tome of Great Tomes, inscribed by Manasa the libromancer who originally staff picked it!