DECEMBER GRACE NOTES
On the necessity of book clubs in plague time —
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Thank you for your continued support and for choosing to shop indie & local 
Covid has upended our traditional ways of doing business
We are committed to safe occupancy limits and distancing
Here are some tips for Fall, Winter & Holiday shopping at Mac's
~ Shop early!
~ Shop solo or in pairs
~ Choose curbside pick-up or mail-order
Right now we are open 7 days a week from 12-6 p.m.
Here's how you can support us:
Order online 24/7: Books or merchandise mailed directly to your home
PLEASE READ: When you order online you will receive a confirmation. We will send a separate email when your order is on the hold shelf. Wait for that email before you pick-up the order. :)
Or choose (contactless) curbside pick-up. We share the spaces out front with Tommy's. Call when you arrive and we will bring your items out to you.
Telephone orders: Call us with your requests and you can prepay and pick-up curbside, in-store or we can mail them to you.
In-store browsing: We need to limit the amount of shoppers to insure 6 ft separation.
~ Staff will be wearing masks and they will be required for in-store browsing.
We are selling cloth masks from local seamstresses :)
~ We have reorganized our main floor to make for safe distancing while browsing.
Used Book Trades
We have resumed taking book trades but ask you to limit your trades to one box or one bag per visit.
We will consider your trades Monday-Saturday from 12-6 p.m.
Because we will be "quarantining" the books for several days we will be very selective with what we are taking in right now.
Here is an overview of our trade policy and a guide to what we look for. https://www.macsbacks.com/trading-policy
Detailed onling ordering instructions:
We can ship to you for FREE (media mail) on pre-paid orders of 50.00 or more from this website. It's super easy!
Just use the search bar or browse our book boxes for recommendations
You can also email suzanne@macsbacks.com
Tips for ordering:
1. Use the search bar to look for whatever you want to read. This site has a database of millions of titles.
2. Check the publication date. Many titles have a future release date. You are able to pre-pay now & we can process those orders at pub date.
3. Check the format and choose paperback or hardcover. Keep in mind that some titles are listed but not yet available in paperback.
4. If it says "special order" or "email store" that may mean the title is temporarily unavailable.
Thank you for being our customer and for your good will during this extraordinary time!
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NOVEMBER GRACE NOTES
Art by Austin Kleon "Overheard on the Titanic"
OCTOBER GRACE NOTES
Fall is the perfect time to curl up with a great work of historical fiction. This month we look at Maggie O'Farrell's rich new novel -
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
Hamnet Shakespeare’s sliver of a life ended at age eleven, probably due to bubonic plague. While his name appears on the cover of Maggie O’Farrell’s (I Am I Am I Am) latest novel, the book is really about his mother, Agnes.
September Grace Notes
This month, in celebration of the much-anticipated publication of John "Derf" Backderf's Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio, we turn our focus on graphic novels as a conduit for gaining new perspectives on history -
August Grace Notes
This month, we focus on the work of Latinx writers. The rich trove of books by authors and poets from Spanish-speaking countries and the U.S is one well worth diving into. We begin with one of our book club favorites -
Review -
Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli
July Grace Notes
One thing that we hear repeatedly from many customers the past couple of months is that they are having a hard time focusing on reading. Maybe it’s the underlying stress of living in uncertain times, maybe it’s the lack of structure and the ennui inherent in having an entire day yawning in front of you with no social commitments.
June Grace Notes
It's Pride Month! Celebrate all things LGBTQ+ with some great reads by queer authors. Here are a few of my favorites:
Review - On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
Whew! What words can possibly be used to describe this book when the author has already used the most beautiful ones?
May Grace Notes
In these weird days of social distancing, I've been reading a lot of historical fiction. It's a great source of escape, comfort, and perspective to read about how people dealt with and overcame adversity in the past. Here's a great one that came out a couple of months ago -
Review - The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
April Grace Notes
When I began, way back at the beginning of March, thinking of a theme for this month’s blog post, coronavirus was just some background noise in newsfeeds. Now that we are in nearly full shutdown mode, the world is a different place. We need to come up with new ways of working, of going about the everyday logistics of life, and of relating to those around us from a safe distance. I hope you are all staying safe and healthy. We miss all of our customers and look forward to the day when we can open our doors again and welcome you all in.