#baldwin’s book barn

[yagodichjagodic]

Something slumbers beneath it all.

[la-quotidienne-cest-moi]

Never enough books

[authortoberecognized]

            BALDWIN’S BOOK BARN

On the outskirts of West Chester, PA is an unsurpassed emporium of used books, Baldwin’s Book Barn. The store, located in an actual barn, is a rambling five-floor store of used books, almost exclusively hard cover editions. A booklover could easily get lost for hours of enjoyment. Name a subject and you will find shelves of books covering that topic. The reason I mention this bookstore is that…

[waywordsstudio]

Best of 2023 Reads: Fiction -

Best of 2023 Reads: Fiction -

30+ novels, but here are the best I read this year. . . .

[the-modern-typewriter]

can you rec us some books with very pretty prose?

Beautiful writing style is, of course, always in the eye of the reader. However, these are some books where I really appreciated the prose style because it was either pretty or in some way really compelling/interesting to me in some way:

Salt Slow by Julia Armfield

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M Danforth

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

The Song of Achilles by Madeleine Miller

The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde

The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

A Portable Shelter/Things We Say in the Dark by Kirsty Logan

Middlegame by Seanan McGuire

A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

Nightwood by Djuna Barnes

This Is How You Lose The Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

Bunny by Mona Awad

(These are all from my 'beautiful writing style' shelf on Goodreads. However, I have omitted any where I can't remember what happens in the book anymore or if I didn't love the book!)

[have-you-been-here]

Baldwin's Book Barn, West Chester, Pennsylvania, USA

[jakeperalta]

2024 books 📚 (be my friend on storygraph! / also this is my book account on instagram!)

giovanni's room - james baldwin (☆☆☆☆)

let the light pour in: morning poems - lemn sissay (☆☆☆½)

the anthropocene reviewed - john green (☆☆☆☆☆)

lessons in chemistry - bonnie garmus (☆☆☆)

wearing my mother's heart - sophia thakur (☆☆☆)

othello - william shakespeare (☆☆☆)

tiny beautiful things - cheryl strayed (☆☆☆☆½)

the death of ivan ilych - leo tolstoy (☆☆☆)

how not to be a boy - robert webb (☆☆☆☆)

the fellowship of the ring - j.r.r. tolkien (☆☆☆☆½)

the satsuma complex - bob mortimer (☆☆☆)

the two towers - j.r.r. tolkien (☆☆☆☆☆)

sapiens: a brief history of humankind - yuval noah harari (☆☆☆)

the return of the king - j.r.r. tolkien (☆☆☆☆☆)

funny story - emily henry (☆☆☆☆½)

the island - victoria hislop (☆☆☆☆)

everything I never told you - celeste ng (☆☆☆☆☆)

wish you were here - jodi picoult (☆☆☆½)

tales from the café - toshikazu kawaguchi (☆☆☆)

forever, interrupted - taylor jenkins reid (☆☆☆☆)

all about love: new visions - bell hook (☆☆☆)

unwell women - elinor cleghorn (☆☆☆☆☆)

seven days in june - tia williams (☆☆☆☆)

breasts and eggs - mieko kawakami (☆☆☆☆)

project hail mary - andy weir (☆☆☆☆☆)

lysistrata - aristophanes (☆☆☆)

the sense of an ending - julian barnes (☆☆☆☆)

dog songs - mary oliver (☆☆☆☆½)

carrie soto is back - taylor jenkins reid (☆☆☆☆☆)

you are here - david nicholls (☆☆☆☆)

the mysterious affair at styles - agatha christie (☆☆☆☆)

[iranondeaira]

« La personne, que ce soit un gentleman ou une dame, qui n'a pas de plaisir dans un bon roman, doit être intolérablement stupide. ” ~Jane Austen

« Baldwin's Historical Book Barn » (grange à cinq étages construite en 1820 avec plus de 300 000 livres)

[dumbdisassterbi]

Baldwin's Book Barn, West Chester Pennsylvania

[yagodichjagodic]

Val & I went to Baldwin’s Book Barn today. It’s a 200 year old barn with 4 floors of rare, antique, used, & just old magical books!

It was spectacular

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (28 Apr - 4 May 2024)

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

😍 Bound by Contract (BootsnBlossoms & Kryptaria) - 135K, 00Q00 - pt 2 of The Marketplace AU with Bond & Q figuring out how their relationship works for them and how Alec fits all while doing semi-canonical spy shit. Such a huge fan of this series.

😍 Out of the Dead Lands (orphan_account) - "Someone is building machines that look and act like people. Meanwhile, the Winter Soldier tries to be Bucky Barnes." - 62K, stucky, very angsty with a happy ending, robots, identity porn (of a sort) - SO GOOD! (thank you, unknown author, for orphaning your work instead of deleting it.)

💖💖 +207K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

February (xoxobuckybarnes) - MCU: stucky, 5K - Steve and Bucky celebrate Valentine's Day in Wakanda

if the bad times are coming let 'em come (suzukiblu) - MCU: shrinkyclinks, 9K - accidental interdimensional swap puts still recovering WS into 1940s with pre-serum Steve

Maybe Our Kind Don't Fit Round Here (Rainne) - MCU: shrunkyclunks, 5K - companion fic to above - 1940s pre-war Bucky with modern Steve

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

Um, Actually - s1, e21-32

Royal Pains - s8, e1-8

Ghosts (US) - s3, e10

The Brokenwood Mysteries - s10, e1

D20: Fantasy High: Junior Year - "The Name" (s21, e17)

D20: Adventuring Party - "Five Years in the Making" (s16, e17)

Dead Boy Detectives - s1, e4-8

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

⭐ Lost Notes - S1 Ep. 1: Louie Louie: The Strange Journey of the Dirtiest Song Never Written

Dinner’s on Me - Niecy Nash-Betts

Under the Influence - Ham on Wry: Sandwich Board Advertising

Under the Influence - Cars Are The Stars: Automobile Brands in Hollywood

⭐ Lost Notes - The True Story of ‘Tainted Love’

Worlds Beyond Number: Fireside - [One Shot] SPACE CRAM: Reasonable Hoop Dreams - "The Menlo County Summer League 3X3"

Pop Culture Happy Hour - Dead Boy Detectives

Homophilia - LOL LOL OMG LOL with Steve Yockey

WikiHole - Virginia (with Lauren Lapkus, Naomi Ekperigin and Mary Holland)

Switched on Pop - Best of 2024 so far: hip hop feuds, Hozier’s pop surprise and espresso shots

Pop Culture Happy Hour - Summer Guide

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Old Cahawba

Wild Card - Jenny Slate turns fear inside out

It's Been a Minute - How Chicago's Black press shaped America

Consider This - Judi Dench reflects on a career built around Shakespeare

Shedunnit - The Murder on the Links

Vibe Check - Every Girl Has A Good Gay

⭐ 99% Invisible #580 - Mr Yuk

Today, Explained - One Flu Over The Cowcow’s Nest

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Checking Into Hotel Imperial with Deborah Cohen

Pop Culture Happy Hour - The Idea Of You

Throughline - The 4th Amendment: Search and Seizure

⭐ If Books Could Kill - "Going Infinite": Michael Lewis Takes On Sam Bankman-Fried

⭐ You Are Good - My Own Private Idaho w. Cecil Baldwin

Dear Prudence - My Brother Is a Budding Alex Jones. Help!

⭐ Endless Thread - Episodes We Love: Doom Jelly

Pop Culture Happy Hour - The Fall Guy And What's Making Us Happy

Re: Dracula - May 3: Your Friend, Dracula

It's Been a Minute - An inside look at the campus protests; plus, Israel at Eurovision

Armchair Expert - Chris Pine

Re: Dracula - May 4: The Eve of St. George's Day

Today, Explained - The tourist tax

Welcome to Night Vale #247 - Rerun

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

The Who

Dua Lipa

Back to the Yacht

Endless R&B Throwbacks

Hozier

[authortoberecognized]

THE HORROR AT LAKE HARMONY: HORROR SHORT STORY, PART II

This story was published by Necrology Shorts in January 2010.                       THE HORROR AT LAKE HARMONY It began with an innocent trip to Baldwin’s Book Barn, a store which sold old and rare books.  Baldwin’s was located in a rambling five-story barn.  Set in the bucolic Pennsylvania countryside, it was my favorite haunt.  I was in love with books, the older the better.  I enjoyed…

[the-modern-typewriter]

Yo, I've seen your book rec posts on and off for a while, and I was wondering if you could (if you have time ^.^ if not, that's cool too) throw up a list of your favorite lgbt/neurodivergent/unique protagonist books? I don't think I've ever read a book outside of fanfiction where the lead/s weren't just some form of 'normal' or straight or whatever. Also, since you're one of my favorite authors I feel like I'd be more inclined to give one of them a go lol ^.^'

There are an increasing number of diverse books out there!

Here are some of my personal favourites in no particular order, by which I mean I have rated them 4 stars (I really liked it) or 5 stars (it was amazing) and then curated the list some more on top of that. E.g. I might have thought it was amazing at the time, but if I can't tell you anything that happened in the story years after reading it, it's not on the list. That doesn't mean it's not worth reading, just that I have a bad memory so if I remember it definitely did something right!)

You can find more books I've read on my Goodreads. There are books that fit what you've asked for on there, it just doesn't fit my personal curated favourites list!

LGBTQ books

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (m/m)

If We Were Villains by M.L Rio (m/m)

Girls Made of Snow and Glass and Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand (f/f + ace)

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado (f/f - non fiction)

Salt Slow by Julia Armfield (f/f)

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin (m/m)

Nightwood by Djuna Barnes (f/f - though be warned, this is a weird one! Rated highly more because I can't get it out of my head than that I liked it)

Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith by Sarah Waters (f/f)

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Peter Darling by Austin Chant (m/m, trans)

The Binding by Bridget Collins (m/m)

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J Klune (m/m)

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth (f/f)

The Greenhollow duology by Emily Tesh (m/m)

These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever (m/m)

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston (f/f)

(Obligatory read MY BOOK The God Key (m/m) here!) Obviously, this is my favourite ;)

Unique/Interesting protagonists:

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon

I Am Not A Serial Killer by Dan Wells

Middlegame by Seanan McGuire (Her Wayward Children series is also great and has a lot of LGBTQ rep!)

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang (MC has Asperger's)

A Spindle Splintered by Alix.E. Harrow (terminally ill MC, also f/f)

Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels

House of Leaves by Mark.Z. Danielewski

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon (Autistic MC)

Disfigured: On Fairytales, Disability and Making Space by Amanda Leduc (nonfiction)

[berryunho]

hii a longg while back I had sent a long ask about how much I enjoyed the answer and had asked about what other cults/writing/media had inspired you when developing the storyline and its characters. In your response you had recommended a list of books that you enjoy/inspire you and I just wanted to share that I bought two of the books you recommended:) The Secret History by Donna Tartt and The Long Walk by Stephen King. It was so exciting and I thought of you as soon as I saw them at Barnes and Noble lol. It meant so much that you replied and recommended some great books because I really do enjoy your work and reading about how you come up with stuff when you write. This is so silly but I got so excited and wanted to tell you haha. You inspired me to start my book collection!! If you have any more recommendations please feel free to share if you would like🫶 I hope you have a great weekend!

OMG!!!!!!! im literally honored seriously this is so awesome !!! i really hope you enjoy the books and pls lmk what you think after you read them :] im actually touched for real thinking about you thinking about me hehehe <33 putting a read more before more recs !!! hehe

im gonna be so real with you i REMEMBER answering your ask and i remember giving some recs but i have scoured my blog (as well as i can w tumblrs shitty search mechanism) and i cannot find it to save my LIFEEEE so ill give some more recommendations but pls forgive me if i repeat a couple bc i cannot remember ... what i said ... LOLLL

so in no particular order here are some more books !! hehe

a canticle for liebowitz by walter miller jr (this book is from 1959 but its actually so funny and the vibes are immaculate)

the langoliers by stephen king (technically a novella but tell me why i have an urge to write an au like this LMAO)

giovanni's room by james baldwin (not like other books i recommend but very good)

chaos by tom o'neill (if you feel like learning about charles manson and the corruptness of the us government)

people who eat darkness by richard parry (if you feel like learning about a japanese serial rapist)

(this one is controversial but. we're adults.) a mother's reckoning by sue klebold (if you feel like learning about the columbine school shooting from one of the shooters' mothers' perspectives)

i probably recommended this BUT if you find yourself really liking stephen king (or even moderately liking him lol) i would. H I G H L Y highly recommend the dark tower series. it is amazing and incredible and i loved every second i spent reading it.

im gonna be so honest rn. i read the entire acotar series. do i think they're good books. no. but did i enjoy reading them and laughing at sarah j maas's writing style. yes. so [shrug].

and to finish i am currently reading dune (like everyone else) and its quite good along with a clash of kings which is. game of thrones. so. hard to read but fun.

but yeah !!!! thank you so much for thinking of me and taking my recommendations hehe it really means a lot !! like i said pls lmk what you think of the two that you got bc those are truly some of my favorite books ever :] <3

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 7.30

Holidays

Asarnha Bucha Day (Thailand)

Comedy Day

Copperhead Day

Crater Day (Virginia)

Day of he Martyrs of the Revolution (Cuba)

Dia del Amigo (Paraguay)

Etherium Day

Father-in-Law Day

Feast of the Throne (Morocco)

Fire Department Employees Day (Tajikistan)

Gastroschisis Awareness Day

Healthcare Now! Medicare Day

International Day of Friendship (a.k.a. Friendship Day; UN)

Jimmy Hoffa Day

Kiss Your Car Day

Marseillaise Day

Martyr’s Day (South Sudan)

Medicare Day

National Climb a Mountain Day

National Golden Girls Day

National Graduates Day (UK)

National Norma Day

National Support Public Education Day

National Whistleblower Appreciation Day

Out & Proud Parents Day

Paperback Book Day

President’s Day (Republic of Molossia)

Share a Hug Day

Sunisa Lee Day (Minnesota)

Teacher Day (Latin America)

Throne Day (Morocco)

Where’s the Beach Day

World Day Against Trafficking in Persons (UN)

World Embroidery Day

World Snorkeling Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

International Chicken & Waffles Day

Loaf Day

National Cheesecake Day

Independence & Related Days

British Citizenship Act Day (UK; 1948)

Toronto (f.k.a. York, Canada; Foundation Day; 1793)

Vanuatu (from UK/France, 1980)

Virginia Legislature Day (Virginia; 1619) [1st U.S. Legislative Assembly]

5th & Last Tuesday in July

Simple Abundance Day [Last Tuesday]

Festivals Beginning July 30, 2024

Crop Over (Bridgetown, Barbados) [thru 8.6]

Hawaii Conservation Conference (Honolulu, Hawaii) [thru 8.1]

Feast Days

Abdon (Christian; Saint) [barrel-makers, coopers] *

Balor (Fomorian God of Sorcery; Celtic Book of Days)

Birthday of Isis (Ancient Egypt)

Demento Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Emily Brontë (Writerism)

Festival of Fortune Huiusque Diei (Fortune of the Present Day; Ancient Rome)

Froissart (Positivist; Saint)

Giorgio Vasari (Artology)

Hatebrand (Christian; Saint)

Henry Moore (Artology)

Herbal Ballooning (Shamanism)

Jean Patrick Modiano (Writerism)

Jullitta (Christian; Widow & Martyr)

Kronia (Festival of Kronos, God of the Harvest; Ancient Greece)

Lou Darvas (Artology)

Lughnasadh Bread Day (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Maxima, Donatilla, and Secunda (Christian; Saint)

Parmesan Day (Pastafarian)

Peter Chrysologus (Christian; Saint)

Robert Barnes (Lutheran)

Rufinus of Assisi (Christian; Saint)

Saint Ann and Gloosca Day (Micmac Peoples, Nova Scotia; Everyday Wicca)

Sennen (Christian; Martyrs)

Sir Steve, of the Kingdom of Gorf (Muppetism)

Tatwine (Christian; Saint)

Ursus of Auxerre (Christian; Saint)

Sennen (Christian; Martyr)

Solanus Casey (Christian; Saint)

Tyr’s Day (Pagan)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Prime Number Day: 211 [47 of 72]

Shakku (赤口 Japan) [Bad luck all day, except at noon.]

Premieres

Alice Picks the Champ (Disney Cartoon; 1925)

Batman: The Movie (1966)

Bird-Brain Bird Dog (MGM Cartoon; 1954)

Calling All Cuckoos (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1956)

Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (Film; 2010)

Coyote Falls (WB LT Cartoon; 2010)

Dinner for Schmucks (Film; 2010)

Doggone Tired (Tex Avery MGM Cartoon; 1949)

Enter Sandman, by Metallica (Song; 1991)

Flesh Gordon (Adult Film; 1974)

Flight of the Navigator (Film; 1986)

Flowers and Trees (Silly Symphony Disney Cartoon; 1932)

The Green Knight (Film; 2021)

Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (Film; 2004)

Inspector Lews (UK TV Series; 2006)

Is This It, by The Strokes (Album; 2001)

It’s the Natural Things to Do (Fleischer Popeye Cartoon; 1939)

Jungle Cruise (Film; 2021)

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (WB Film; 2013)

The Lifeguard (Film; 2013)

Little Boy Blue, a.k.a. The Big Bad Wolf (Ub Iwerks ComiColor Cartoon; 1936)

Man Out of Time, by Elvis Costello (Song; 1982)

Mister Roberts (Film; 1955)

Night Shift (Film; 1982)

Nobody Knows My Name, by James Baldwin (Essays; 1961)

An Officer and a Gentlemen (Film; 1982)

The Oily Bird (Noveltoons Cartoon; 1954)

Out of Our Heads, by The Rolling Stones (Album; 1965)

Out of the Frying Pan Into the Firing Line (Disney Cartoon; 1942)

The Paper Hangers (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1937)

Ready, Woolen and Able (WB MM Cartoon; 1960)

Rising Sun (Film; 1993)

Robin Hood: Men in Tights (Film; 1993)

Runaway Bride (Film; 1999)

Secret Agent (Fleischer Cartoon; 1943) [#17]

Sinbad the Sailor (Ub Iwerks ComiColor Cartoon; 1935)

So I Married an Axe Murderer (Film; 1993)

Sublime, by Sublime (Album; 1996)

The Trial of Donald Duck (Disney Cartoon; 1948)

Victory Vehicles (Disney Cartoon; 1943)

The Violent Bear It Away, by Flannery O'Connor (Novel; 1960)

War is a Racket, by Smedley D. Butler (Book; 1935)

A Wolf in Sheik’s Clothing (Fleischer/Famous Popeye Cartoon; 1948)

Wool, by Hugh Howey (Novel; 2011)

Today’s Name Days

Inga, Ingeborg, Petrus (Austria)

Anđa, Julita, Maksima, Petar, Rufin (Croatia)

Bořivoj (Czech Republic)

Abdon (Denmark)

Kerman, Kermo, Roland (Estonia)

Asta (Finland)

Juliette (France)

Inga, Ingeborg, Petrus (Germany)

Andronikos, Silouanos (Greece)

Judit, Xénia (Hungary)

Donatella, Pietro (Italy)

Madara, Renārs, Rosalinde, Valters (Latvia)

Abdonas, Donatilė, Nortautas, Radvilė (Lithuania)

Aud, Audhild, Aurora (Norway)

Abdon, Julia, Julita, Ludmiła, Maryna, Ubysław (Poland)

Margarita, Marina (Russia)

Libuša (Slovakia)

Pedro (Spain)

Algot (Sweden)

Syla, Sylvan (Ukraine)

Casey, Enrica, Enrique, Etta, Everard, Everett. Hank, Hendrick, Henrietta, Henry, Kacey, Kacie, Kasey, Reece, Reese (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 212 of 2024; 155 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 2 of Week 31 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Tinne (Holly) [Day 25 of 28]

Chinese: Month 6 (Xin-Wei), Day 25 (Yi-Wei)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 24 Tammuz 5784

Islamic: 23 Muharram 1446

J Cal: 2 Purple; Twosday [2 of 30]

Julian: 17 July 2024

Moon: 24%: Waning Crescent

Positivist: 15 Dante (8th Month) [Froissart]

Runic Half Month: Thorn (Defense) [Day 7 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 41 of 94)

Week: Last Week of July

Zodiac: Leo (Day 9 of 31)

[bohemian-nights]

Top ten favorite books?

I can name five(cause I don’t even have ten favorite books😬):

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë: Hands down my favorite book of all time. If I could only own one book for some reason this would be it and unlike a lot of classics(cough cough Jane Austen cough cough), this book is very readable for a 21st-century person(the language is exceedingly modern).

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott: This is the first “big” book I read by myself so it has a special place in my heart. It’s a classic and it’s a childhood favorite that I’ve never outgrown.

If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin(who is my favorite writer of all time; morbid, but outside of speaking to dead relatives he’s the guy I’d like to bring back to have a nice chat with): It’s short and beautifully written. It is sad, but the ending is ambiguous* so you can picture a happy conclusion.

*Unlike the movie, which I do love, it’s even sadder than the book so definitely read this if you have watched the movie.

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer (lol this is technically cheating cause it’s a four-book series🤣 ): In my humble opinion it’s the best YA Sci-fi book series(it’s fairytales with a Sci-fi twist so really what’s not to love 🤷🏽‍♀️).

The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough: It’s a really good stand-alone YA novel. If you love period romances in the YA genre then this book is for you.

It’s not very popular though so you’ll probably have to order it online if you want to read it(the last time I saw this book at a bookstore, and I always look for it every time I go into a store, was in Barnes & Noble back in 2016😬 This probably isn’t a real issue for anyone though, but I actually like buying things straight from the store).

*I don’t think Jane Austen is “bad,” I just think her work is boring and not as modern as people make it out to be(the exception being Persuasion which is her best novel IMO; Pride and Prejudice is almost unreadable which is probably why I love the 2005 movie so much because they “modernized” it).