Back in the old days, I used to manage an independent bookstore, and Cal used to manage a Starbucks, and we were always trying to steal each other away from each other’s businesses. Even before we owned our own coffee shop/bookstore, we both loved coffee and books. We have complementary management styles (I’m good at planning to prevent chaos, and Cal’s good at dealing with the inevitable chaos that happens anyway). But the main reason I wanted Cal at my bookstore is he’s really, really good at talking about books. He reads more than almost anyone else I know, and he likes to really delve into the philosophy of a book.
Neither of us is all that interested in sharing books just because they’re popular or critically acclaimed — we like connecting the right book with the right person. We’re lucky that we know a lot of our customers well enough to be able to do that. But sometimes it’s hard to really talk about all the books we love between serving Breakup Cookies and making cappuccinos, so we’re going to try something new. Next Tuesday (June 24), Cal and I are going to host a Book Hangout upstairs at the shop.
What’s a Book Hangout?
Cal and I are going to present a few of our favorite books to read right now. Some of them will be new books coming out this summer, some will be books I learned about at Book Expo, and we’ll probably throw in one or two that have been out for awhile but we’re just discovering. We’re going to pick our choices based on things we think you’ll love to read this summer, so hopefully the recommendations will be perfect for what you’re looking for right now. We’re also going to take questions about books, so if you’re trying to discover something new in a genre we don’t talk about, we’ll have that covered, too.
When is this happening?
The Hangout is Tuesday, June 24 at 7 p.m. at Church Street. You can buy tickets and get more information here — they’re $10, and that includes a free coffee, a free pastry, and a coupon for $10 to put toward any book in the shop (you can use the coupon that night or at a later date). We hope to see you there. Because I’m there, we’ll be super-organized. And because Cal’s there, it’ll be a lot of fun.
Cal Morris and Carrie Rollwagen are co-owners of Church Street Coffee & Books, and independent coffee shop and bookstore in Birmingham, Alabama.