World Paperback Day

Chapter Two bookstore with window in background and bookcase underneath beside two larger bookcases

To celebrate this book holiday, my husband took me to a new and used bookstore in the mountain town of Canmore, Alberta.

Even though Banff National Park (the first national park in Canada!) is nearby and much more well-known, there seems to be no existing bookstores left within the town of Banff—at least none that I could find in my research as the Indigospirit (mini version of a Chapters Indigo store) in Cascade Shops closed down a few years prior and the gift shops only supply a few local area interest books.

In terms of charm and everything that you can picture for bibliophiles, Café Books in Canmore hits the mark. The staff kindly let me take pictures of my excursion today, including the one above of their children's and fiction used books. Café Books is divided into two storefronts that are connected by a hallway with the front store entrance containing new books and book-related merchandise, and the back section an area for used books in a store that is unsurprisingly called Chapter Two. Once upon a time, Chapter Two hosted afternoon tea and served drinks and food, but it appears that this stopped around the time of the pandemic. The café seems to be a relic of those days, but the books certainly live on.

My hope was to find a paperback book to add to my shelves; however, there weren't many Christian books—they're the ones housed in the white cage-like bookshelf below with some non-Christian titles mixed in. While I was unsuccessful in finding a title, I'm grateful that we can celebrate paperbacks as they are a much more accessible and affordable way to read books. To learn that the history of this day originated with Penguin paperbacks made the picture of the classics books more special (the sign on the door behind the staircase is a directional sign toward Narnia 😉).

Café Books storefront with flowers and plants on the left side and a paperback book carousel on the right side and open doors in the middle

wooden staircase housing books in from of sealed door with bookcases to the right of staircase and door

arched bookcase unit with glass door holding books on top of dresser beside bookcase of business books

bookshelf on the left side of picture with middle table housing book-related puzzles and more book displays on the right side

Since this is the only bookstore near the Banff area, it's well worth exploring and admiring all of the interesting book displays. I imagine this is a popular stop as visitors are greeted with a large display of Out of Print merchandise when they enter, showcasing a love of literature. It was fairly busy, so I didn't capture any pictures of the front, but the back area leading to the children's section has an entire table filled with puzzles that are book-themed!

Caveat: In checking for any other bookstores in the Banff townsite area that I might have overlooked, it looks like there are two located in Lake Louise, Alberta. If I'm missing any others, I'm happy to hear about them so I can pay a visit!

Comments

Review: Breath of the Almighty

I've had the pleasure of revisiting my love of poetry through reading poignant and touching collections of Christian poetry that I've been introduced to on Instagram. I'm grateful that Breath of the Almighty by Shay McNally came at just the right time for me, tugging on my heart and my mind through verses that point back to God in every breath and poem. Many thanks to the author for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. Content to be aware of : SA Book Synopsis Breath of the Almighty is a debut collection of free verse, confessional Christian poetry born from a life that's seen both deep wounds and deeper mercy. These poems move through topics such as family, grief, soul searching, healing, love, marriage, calling, spiritual warfare, prayer, forgiveness, and the ordinary places where Christ shows up when we least expect it. Each poem is rooted in Scripture and lived-in faith, and grounds lofty theology to an eve...

Theological Backgrounds

Have you ever wondered about the theological background of authors? I am sometimes curious, especially if there are things that pop up in their books that make me pay attention (either positively or negatively). What I've found is that it's not always easy to find out. Some authors will openly share what church or denomination they belong to, whereas others don't seem to mention it—which for privacy concerns, I completely understand. In terms of how important this information may be for readers, or not at all for some, it does make me think about the role that this could play when deciding which books to read and buy. On the one hand, I think not specifically knowing which theological stream an author comes from but still being aware that they fall within the broader evangelical umbrella is fine with me. There's so much to learn as believers and I wouldn't want to be limited to only simply what I know. On the other hand, not knowing much beyond "Christian"...

Reader Observations

In reading a fair amount of fiction, I've noticed certain commonalities (and quandaries) over the years. Although I'm writing more about fiction than non-fiction so far on this blog, it seems to be easier to find similarities in stories than in teachings, though I'm sure I could put some thought into repeated non-fiction concepts. A few things that I have observed in reading fiction that either puzzle me or amuse me are the following (please be assured that none of this is meant to be scathing but rather something to poke fun at): The concept of grey (or even purple) eye colour. I can't recall meeting someone who hasn't had brown, blue, green, or maybe hazel eyes. Hazel to me is a mix of the above colours, and as I'm not terribly well-versed in further distinctions, I wonder if I'm missing a whole subsection of the population with these aforementioned eye colours. Recessive genes being dominantly featured. Surely there are more brunettes and brown-eyed peopl...

Christian Shelves

Search This Blog