Category: Blog

Chitchat of interest to readers and writers

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A Peek At Fall

Much as we would love to just surprise you, we just have to offer a little glimpse of the season ahead. We’re getting pretty excited!

First, here is a snapshot of our forming writer’s space! If you happen to be nearby, you can sneak upstairs for a test run. No wifi yet, and resources are not complete, but it is definitely a pleasant spot.

Nearly-ready, waiting, and well-lit!

For events, writers will soon be able to sign up for our first Reading and Writing group, a very relaxed evening of reading our work aloud. And readers can sign up NOW for the Fall Book Club! On the evening of Thursday, October 4, we’ll be discussing The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, which has already been well-received by customers for its dreamy prose, vividly imagined fantastic setting–and reputation as one of fall’s must-reads. Please sign up at the Meadowlark counter, or via email to info@cuppapulp.com.

Fobbit, by David Abrams

A brief and cagey fall preview: we had a difficult time choosing from among the excellent books available this fall! Not to ruin the surprise completely, we’ll simply say that our final list includes Depression-era romance, dragons, witches—and a new release that is reputed to be the Catch-22 of the Iraq War, Fobbitby David Abrams. The title refers to a derogatory term for soldiers that serve exclusively from the relative safety of the Forward Operating Base—out of the line of fire. We are so excited about this debut novel, by a 20-year Army veteran and Army journalist. His Baghdad journals became the blueprint for his story of a soldier working to “spin” the war for the media back home.

This post is about fall, but summer is not over yet! State of Wonder by Ann Patchett continues to wow our readers, which thrills us to bits, since Ann is practically our patron saint! A popular and critically lauded author, she made book selling news last year when she took over part of a defunct Borders in her native town of Nashville. On the virtues of a small bookstore, she said, “You can go in to a small store with an intelligent staff …. [and] well-displayed, well-chosen books, and come out with five books that you’re dying to read. And that’s what we’re going to do.” (Do I hear an Amen?) Look for other Ann Patchett titles on our shelves, coming soon.

We still have copies of local sensation Emmy Laybourne’s Monument 14, surprise debut author Chad Harbach’s Art of Fielding, and rising auteur Lauren Groff’s Arcadia available on our Summer Features table. Enjoy 10% off all new hardcovers now through September 30!

 

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Blog

A Warm And Wonderful July

Our new logo! Thanks to Dale Hushbeck for his artistry and expertise.

Thank you to our authors and customers for getting Cuppa Pulp Booksellers off to an exciting start this summer!

First item: we are so pleased to once again have occasion to congratulate Monument 14 author Emmy Laybourne! Monument 14 received a glowing review from the New York Times this month, and was subsequently named as an Editor’s Pick. Read more on Emmy’s blog.

Next, an announcement for Ann Patchett fans: State of Wonder is back on the Summer Features table at the store, after suddenly selling out last week. We apologize for the inconvenience!

Finally, we are pleased to announce our first Fall Book Club. The Night Circus was selected by local blogger and author Julie Goldberg (Perfect Whole) for discussion on Thursday evening, October 4. Read more about The Night Circus and find out how to sign up here.

Coming up for fall: new seasonal features, and for your convenience, the debut of our online store.

Please visit us again upstairs at Meadowlark. The last sultry days of summer provide perfect reading weather!

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Blog For Writers

Welcome to Cuppa Pulp-Or, It All Began With The Writer’s Space

In the years before I began writing “seriously,” I wished for a supportive, free place to write. There are surprisingly few options, here in the outer suburbs of New York City. You get a free deal at the library, which is full of books, to boot, but you don’t necessarily get support. You may meet more writers at a coffee shop (wired ones, at that) but it isn’t free, you get terribly addicted to caffeine, and you end up talking more than writing. Or you can cross the river for writing programs in Westchester or New York City. Generally, you end up withdrawing back into your kitchen, where you inevitably get yanked at by the laundry, the yard, the errands, and the phone. And you’re not writing.

When I finally committed to an MFA program across the Hudson, I asked advisors and other writers what they thought of my yen for that free, supportive space. Everyone agreed it would be great. But how to support such a place?

A very wise-or possibly very foolish-teacher told me, “Retail.”

All that remained was for some kind, generous local store owners to appear and say, “Why, of course! We’d love for you to sell books and offer a free writer’s space in our store!”

Enter the amazing Ingrid Hopkins and Bern Weintraub, and Meadowlark Toys/Sunbridge Books, who host Cuppa Pulp Booksellers and the Writer’s Space upstairs at Meadowlark. We now boast five shelves of proudly curated new and used fiction and nonfiction, as well as a well-lit writer’s desk, complete with a shelf of writer’s resources on craft and marketing. We even offer free wifi for internet research.

We hope you will enjoy and support Cuppa Pulp Booksellers and the Writer’s Space by writing here, attending our events, shopping at the store or online, and just generally participating in an amazing outer-suburban reader’s and writer’s community!  Don’t hesitate to contact us at info@cuppapulp.com with your suggestions for what writers and readers need, but can’t always get. We want to support your literary life.

To start with, here is a short list of writer’s resources on the Internet. More in the months to come.

Thanks for visiting!