Apr
25
to Sep 7

NOBBT Slow & Steady Challenge!

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Join the North of Boston Book Trail 3rd Annual Passport Challenge: Slow & Steady!

Pick up a passport at a store on the NOB Book Trail (or print one at home!) & collect stamps all Summer long! Once you collect all 20 store stamps, fill out a finisher form with a bookseller and be entered to win a Gift Card Bundle (with a $500 value!)

Check out the website for store list & more info: www.northofbostonbooktrail.com

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Jun
4
6:30 PM18:30

Alex Knudsen @ The Bookstore

We’re thrilled to welcome photographer Alex Knudsen to The Bookstore on Thursday June 4th from 6:30pm-8pm to celebrate his new photo book MOURNING DOVE - published by Dust Collective. Please save the date and join us in store to hear more about the project and enjoy some complimentary food & drink.

Mourning Dove by Alexander Knudsen reflects on the intertwined memories of family and place. Knudsen writes, “My grandfather taught me how to cup my hands together, thumbs pointed to create a mouthpiece to mimic the coo of the bird that calls each morning. The mourning dove is thought to be a harbinger of deliverance, or a spiritual message of hope. Its soft, sorrowful call marks the beginning of a new day.”

The daily sound of a mourning dove forms a rhythm for life in Ipswich, Massachusetts, where the artist lives with his family and where his mother and grandfather before him also called home.

Made along the tidal banks, river paths, and marshlands of Cape Ann, these photographs show the textures of this coastal landscape. Morning walks, fleeting encounters, and Craigslist connections weave together with intimate family moments to create a layered portrait of place.

Both personal and universal, the book shows how place and memory intertwine, and how noticing becomes an act of remembrance and grace.

Books will be available for sale at the event!

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Jun
6
10:30 AM10:30

CAM Pride Picnic @ CAM Green

We excited to partner with Cape Ann Museum for their Pride Picnic on Saturday June 6th! Join us & many other community partners at CAM Green from 10:30am-1:30pm for a day of activities, community events, & BYO picnic as we celebrate Pride together. The Bookstore will have a table of books for sale & an updated Pride Pamphlet featuring books by queer authors!

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Jun
18
5:30 PM17:30

Tim Crellin @ SFL

Join us on Thursday June 18th at 4:00pm in Sawyer Free Library’s Community Room for an author event with Tim Crellin! Crellin’s new novel THE LAND OF THE LIVING follows three generations of a Sicilian immigrant family settling in Massachusetts during the 20th century. Crellin will discuss the book and how his personal story inspired it:

“In this moving and timely lecture, Timothy Crellin, the author of The Land of the Living, weaves together memoir, history, genealogy, and cultural reflection to explore one enduring question: Who are we, really? Beginning with the myth of America as a “melting pot,” he traces his Sicilian family’s journey from the slopes of Mount Etna to upstate New York, uncovering stories of migration, war, resilience, and love. Blending personal narrative with social history and contemporary insight, this powerful talk invites audiences to reflect on their own family origins, the immigrant experience that shapes the nation, and the deeper connections that bind us together in a time of division.”

The Bookstore will have copies of the book for sale at the event! Preorders always welcome.

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Jun
30
5:30 PM17:30

June BotM Meet Up @ The Bookstore

Our June Book of the Month Meet Up will take place on TUESDAY JUNE 30TH! Please note the day change, as we avoid the Fiesta foot traffic. The June Book of the Month is going to be THE LILAC PEOPLE by Milo Todd! Milo will be in Gloucester for a talk on FRIDAY MAY 8th at Sawyer Free Library; we will have books for sale and Milo will be signing books!

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Jul
16
5:30 PM17:30

Eric Jay Dolin @ SFL

We’re very excited to partner with Sawyer Free Library to welcome Eric Jay Dolin for an author talk & book signing! Join us in the Community Room at SFL on Thursday July 16th to hear about Eric’s latest nautical nonfiction book THE WRECK OF THE MENTOR!

Registration link to come…

The Bookstore will have books for sale at the event. Preorders always welcome.

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Jul
23
6:30 PM18:30

Poetry Night with Matthew E Henry & Whitney Rio-Ross @ The Bookstore

We’ll be welcoming Matthew E Henry back to the store for another Poetry Reading! He’ll be joined by Whitney Rio-Ross at The Bookstore Thursday July 23rd at 6pm! Matthew will read from his latest collection PROMISES TO KEEP & Whitney will read from her latest collection THUNDER MAKES US.

We’ll have books for sale at the event! No registration required.

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Nov
19
5:30 PM17:30

November BotM Meet Up @ The Bookstore

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Save the date for our November Book of the Month Meet Up! Please note this Meet Up is the THIRD Thursday of the month to avoid Thanksgiving; it is also the final BotM Meet Up until 2027! Enjoy a book discussion & complimentary snacks and tea with fellow readers.

The book will be announced at the beginning of November.

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May
9
1:30 PM13:30

Gloucester Lyceum Presents: OUR DEMOCRACY @ Kyrouz Auditorium

Save the date for a program by Gloucester Lyceum on Saturday May 9th at Kyrouz Auditorium in City Hall.

Where does democracy come from? What are its strengths? How is it challenged? What can we learn from history to sustain democratic values and institutions? In keeping with the charge of the Gloucester Lyceum to sponsor marquee events on topics of pressing importance, we hope that our Forum, Our Democracy, will inspire our city of inquiring minds and concerned citizens to address these questions.

Harvard Professor Steven Levitsky will be speaking from his work on a new book The Great Abdication: How America Lost its Democracy. His talk will argue that the United States descended into competitive authoritarianism in 2025 and 2026. It then discusses why this happened, centering on the acquiescence and retreat to the sidelines of much of the American elite. Callie Crossley, well known for her work as a local journalist and commentator, will respond to Professor Levitsky with her insights and facilitate dialogue with the audience.

Doors open at 1:30 PM - Registration required via Sawyer Free Library: CLICK HERE

The Bookstore will have books for sale at the event and in store.

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May
8
5:30 PM17:30

Milo Todd @ SFL

We’re excited to partner with Cape Ann Pride, Gloucester Writer’s Center, & Sawyer Free Library for this lecture & book signing with Milo Todd, author of THE LILAC PEOPLE! Milo will give a lecture - "A Trans History of the Weimar Republic" - that ties into his award-winning debut novel on Friday May 8th in the Community Room at SFL at 5:30pm.

REGISTRATION REQUIRED! CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

The Bookstore will have copies of THE LILAC PEOPLE for sale at the event. Preorders always welcome!

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May
2
11:00 AM11:00

From the Deep @ Downtown Gloucester

We’ll have a festive arts & culture window display for FROM THE DEEP - a Downtown Gloucester Arts Party! You can also stop in to view the May Art Wall with paintings by Robin Koral Wright, as all as a number of other local artists featured around the store. We’ll also have a 10% off Art Books (excluding consignment books) sale!

Happening downtown 11am-5pm - The Bookstore will be open 9am-6pm! List of events and promos will be listed at www.harbortownculturaldistrict.org

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Apr
25
to Apr 26

NOBBT - INDIE BOOKSTORE DAY WEEKEND @ The Bookstore

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We’re back on the North of Boston Book Trail! The 2026 Passport Challenge begins on Indie Bookstore Day Weekend: April 25th & April 26th. We’ve joined forces with 20 independent bookstores North of Boston for this fun trail with lots of great prizes up for grabs. (Visit NOBBT website for more details)

We will have extended hours for the weekend: SATURDAY APRIL 25th - 9am-7pm & SUNDAY APRIL 26th 9am-6pm! We’ll have some fun treats in store - we hope you come out and celebrate INDIE & LOCAL.

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Apr
24
6:00 PM18:00

Stephanie Hersh @ Cake Ann

Cake Ann is hosting Stephanie Hersh, Julia Child’s longtime assistant, to talk about all things food, recipes, and Julia on Friday April 24th from 6pm-8pm. Refreshments courtesy of Cake Ann will be served. Ticket fees will be donated to Open Door! TICKETS HERE

The Bookstore will have some of Hersh’s favorite Julia Child’s cookbooks for sale at the event!

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Feb
13
1:00 PM13:00

Fred Kepler @ The Bookstore

February Art Wall artist Fred Kepler will be in store to celebrate his show on Friday February 13th from 1pm-4pm. The public is welcome to stop by during those hours to speak with the artist. Fred’s paintings are on view at The Bookstore for the month of February.

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Feb
7
to Feb 8

3rd Annual Glosta So Schweeeet

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Stop downtown Saturday Feb 7th & Sunday Feb 8th for schweeet deals and free treats! Many of our neighbors will be open with sales and discounts! The Bookstore will have complimentary sweet treats, plus FREE ARC & discounted Blind Date with a Book! Stop down 10am-6pm on Saturday & 10am-5pm on Sunday for some early Valentine’s shopping or a treat for you.

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Feb
5
5:30 PM17:30

Doug Most @ SFL!

We’re partnering with Sawyer Free Library once again to offer an author talk & book signing! Please join us in the SFL Community Room on Thursday February 5th from 5:30-6:30pm for an author talk with Doug Most! He will be discussing his recent book ‘Launching Liberty: The Epic Race to Build the Ships That Took America to War’ and will highlight local connections!

The Bookstore will have copies of the book for sale at the event. Register today by visit Sawyer Free Library’s website or giving them a call at 978-325-5500.

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Jan
24
to Jan 25

5th Annual Gloucester's So Salty!

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5th Annual Gloucester’s So Salty

Saturday January 24, 2026 & Sunday January 25, 2026

Free and open to the public

Join us in celebrating the fish city’s recognizably salty character with the 5th Annual Gloucester’s So Salty, a festival sponsored by the Cape Ann Museum in partnership with Discover Gloucester.

This annual event brings over 2,000 people to the downtown area each January to shop at local stores, enjoy family friendly activities, visit the Museum, and find each of the ice sculptures sponsored by local cultural institutions and businesses.

We’re excited to partner with CAM again for the 5th Gloucester’s So Salty! We’ll have 10% off select Salty Reads + special delivery of ‘salty’ candles from A Tale of Two Candles!

To see the full schedule of events, map of ice sculptures, and list of participating businesses, visit Cape Ann Museum’s website!

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Jan
8
5:30 PM17:30

Peter Swanson @ SFL

Join us at Sawyer Free Library on Thursday Jan 8th for an Author Interview and Q&A with local mystery writer Peter Swanson! He will talk about a number of his murder mysteries, including the latest book ‘Kill Your Darlings’

We will have copies of Peter’s books for sale at the event for you to get signed!

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Dec
11
10:00 AM10:00

Gloucester's Mens Night!

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Join us downtown for all day & late night shopping! Specials, sales, & complimentary drinks and treats available in many shops.

The Bookstore have complimentary drinks & cookies (courtesy of Bookstore friend Mary Anne McCormick) starting around 4:30pm. We’ll also have 10% off Gift Certificates all day! Plus, a refresh on Blind Date Books.

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Dec
6
12:00 PM12:00

Literary Cape Ann's Holiday Book & Author Fair!

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We’re so pleased to join Literary Cape Ann again at their Holiday Book & Author Fair at Brackett’s Oceanview Restaurant in Rockport! On Saturday Dec. 6th from 12pm-3pm, we’ll be selling books by local authors & other holiday goods & a selection of authors will be present to sign & personalize their books! This is a perfect opportunity to shop for the bookworms on your list. A variety of genres and books for different aged readers will be available.

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Dec
4
10:00 AM10:00

Gloucester's Ladies Night!

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Join us in downtown Gloucester for one of the most fun nights of the year! Downtown shops stay open all day and late into the evening with special offers, light bites and refreshments for holiday shoppers.

The Bookstore will have complimentary drinks & cookies (courtesy of Bookstore friend Mary Anne McCormick!) starting around 4:30pm. Keep an eye out of more specials to be announced!

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Oct
25
2:00 PM14:00

Mark Kurlansky @ SFL

You won’t want to miss this one! Mark Kurlansky is back in Gloucester to discuss his new book The Boston Way: Radicals Against Slavery & The Civil War! Join us in Sawyer Free Library’s new Community Room on Saturday October 25th from 2pm-3pm.

Registration through Sawyer Free Library is open now! Space is limited, sign up today!

The Bookstore will have books for sale at the event.

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