My recent vacation to Cape Cod was highlighted by visits to two great bookstores: Titcomb’s in East Sandwich, and Eight Cousins in Falmouth.  

Titcomb’s is celebrating its 40th anniversary this summer. To see their amazing line-up of authors check out their website here — really one of the best five months of events I’ve ever seen.  It was so nice for me to spend sometime with my bookseller friends outside of the two trade shows. I love looking at other bookstores and seeing what books are selling well for them, what sidelines are doing well. But most of all, I love talking about the book business. Call me a dork, but it’s really fun.

I had the pleasure of going to Titcomb’s because my partner, Elizabeth Bluemle, was reading from her third book, How Do You Wokka-Wokka?

Vicki Uminowicz, Titcomb’s esteemed owner, was a gracious hostess, who greeted us with possibly the
happiest face in bookselling.   The story hour was loads of fun and it culminated in a very cute craft activity, lead by Elizabeth, but organized by Titcomb’s Story Hour Queen, Edye, who had all the crafts ready to go — the sign of a real children’s bookseller is always having red fabric balls and glue on hand to make dog noses.  All the participants had a grand time.

Elizabeth signed many books while I explored all the loveliness that is Titcomb’s. The store carries a mix of old and new books. The old books all seemed like treasures and I found myself having just walk away before I spent all my money. I was smitten with the sidelines area. It was full of interesting, fun and educational toys, puzzles and games that I hadn’t seen yet.

One thing I must say is, I actually had a hard time looking at the whole store because it was full of families looking for yummy treasures to take home on a rainy day. I mean, the store was packed. Kids in every corner, adults happily browsing for their own books, folks searching for used books. What a great store. 

We left East Sandwich and drove just a short way to Falmouth to visit with Carol Chittenden at her store, Eight Cousins.  Elizabeth was there to sign stock, but actually spent more time handselling. Jennifer Polk and Amy Green are regulars at the Flying Pig, and it was a surprise to all of us that they were the first people we saw at Eight Cousins. Elizabeth helped them find books. In fact, we had to remind her to sign stock. 

Carol’s store is a treasure right on Main Street in downtown Falmouth. To know it’s special is to sit outside in the metal ABC chair sculpture. It can hold many children, is made out of metal, and invites readers to sit with their books, beauty and fucntion and an homage to words. What could be better.

Eight Cousins was as crowded as Titcomb’s. Again, rain anywhere is very good for bookstore business. That’s the only good thing about rain in the summer — people buy books.  

Luckily for me, though, it didn’t rain every day on vacation and I was able to get outside and play. But it did rain enough for me to finish The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and am now poised for Tuesday’s on-sale date to get started with The Girl Who Played with Fire. Here’s hoping a day off and a deluge.