West Side Books presents

The New Primal Mates Trio

May 3 @ 7:30 PM

Chris Lee- vibes – percussion,

Colleen O’Brien – cello / voice

and Eric Erhardt – clarinet, bass clarinet & flute.

A contemporary chamber jazz ensemble featuring original compositions and lyrics as well as music by some of their favorite composers; Ralph Towner, John Surman/Karin Krog, Annette Peacock, Kenny Wheeler and Dave Holland to name a few.

There will also be a book release and signing party for Megan Blalock’s new book Trauma and Abuse Decoded: A Poor Person’s Guide to a World-Class Healing on Wednesday, March 28 at 6:30.

For the musically minded we have Three Little Words, a trio comprised of Mike Fitzmaurice (bass), Mark Harris (saxophone), and Glen Taylor (pedal steel) on Friday, April 20th

Also… Stay tuned for details on a presentation by Dennis Gallagher, Thomas Jacob Noel, and James Patrick Walsh on their new book Irish Denver in late April!

See you all soon!

Can identical twins possibly survive their first year of middle school when they’re only alike on the outside? Nerdy Emma is all about winning the GeoBee, spelling bee, and becoming a super Mathlete, while Payton just wants to have the cutest clothes and be in the “popular” clique at their school. How can each of them be an individual when no one can even tell them apart? An enjoyable, funny, and honest book about finding yourself and being yourself, no matter what!

Reviewed by Maddie

Becoming an almost teenager is a good thing, right? Well,
that’s what eleven-year-old Rory thinks. But on the actual day
of her twelfth-birthday (finally!) things really start taking a
turn for the worst. First, her little brother Sawyer just won’t
leave her alone and never understands why she needs her
space. Second, things start to get ugly with friends when they
join the popular group, and she doesn’t! Add in a few more
parent troubles, and middle-school drama, and she’s got the
most wild, annoying, drama-filled year of her life!

Dear West Side Bookies,

‘Tis the season for festivities with family and friends, the season where personal warmth helps us get through the cold outside our doors. But sometimes, seeing how the season is described in various media outlets, one may get the impression that what we’ve really entered is the season for strange mass marketing campaigns and designated shopping holidays. We encourage you to shop whenever you want! We also encourage you to think about where you want to shop. Whether your Fridays be Black and your Christmases be White, and however your Hanukkahs and Kwanzaas and Festivii may arrive in between, we hope your individuality shows in where you spend your time and money, and what kind of gifts you share with your loved ones. Many alternatives to big box-store mania have been proffered by different groups; there’s Plaid Friday, Small Business Saturday, Buy Local Week and Buy Nothing Day, just to name a few. We appreciate the sentiments of all of these alternatives for various reasons, but we think that you should shop whenever you want, and call it whatever you want. You don’t have to call it anything at all! Gift giving is an intimate act, and the experience of selecting that perfect gift can be made easy and enjoyable by locating a smaller business with specialized knowledge and inventory and a staff who share a  passion with the person you are shopping for.

We’re shopping at small, local businesses this year, because it’s a lot more fun, a lot more personal and rewarding, and the gifts we end up giving are much more personally tailored than they would be in a box store or chain outlet.  We look forward to seeing you out there on the streets, and we look forward to seeing you here in the store!

Happy Holidays,

West Side Books

Come and get ‘em!

We’ll stay open until 8 pm Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through Christmas, and until 9 on December 10, when 32^nd Avenue Decks the Halls: specials, events and everyone open late all up and down the avenue.