Check out Northshire Bookstore’s recommendations for the best books to read in the bathtub. Why? This Sunday, February 9th, is Read in the Bathtub Day!
For those of you who don’t have this obscure holiday on your calendars, the friendly folks at Northshire Bookstore helped us pick out the best books to read in the bathtub. Read up on their favorite picks, then head downtown to get a copy for yourself – and don’t forget the bubble bath mix!
We start with recommendations from Nancy Sheemaker, Northshire’s General Manager, and work our way through the recommendations of the fine booksellers.
“For me, reading in the tub requires shorter clips that allow me to accomplish the entire piece in one submersion, so at times I pivot toward poetry, followed by the limitless choices available in short story collections. I recommend Jane Kenyon Collected Poems currently, just because I can turn to any water stained page and find a verse that resonates.
As for short stories the list is long, but I absolutely love the collection created by Karen Russel entitled, St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves – they are collectively original and dark, unsettling and strangely satisfying; Rebecca Lee’s stories entitiled Bobcat for entirely different reasons, and Nathan Englander’s collection called, What We Talk About, When We Talk About Anne Frank. Though not short stories, Cheryl Strayed recently published, Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar – some of the best excerpts from her advice column at The Rumpus with other bits of interesting writing thrown in.”
– Nancy Sheemaker
“The Vintage Book of Contemporary World Poetry edited by JD McClatchy
because the volume includes so many of my favorite writers, including Chilean Pablo Neruda, Carribean-born Derek Walcott, & Africa’s Breyten Breytenbach. No matter from what challenges we are seeking solace, it is comforting to read the verse of another soul who has found light in the dark.”
– Bonnie Winchester
“Charlotte’s Web, Harry Potter, Winnie the Pooh, Corduroy, anything fun and light to pass the time.”
– Jess Krawczyk
“Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear. This is a great mystery – atmospheric and transporting – and full of delicious (and historic) London fog. Perfect for a long leisurely soak, as well as Lord Perfect by Loretta Chase: a romance that is both funny and sweet, full of history and humor. Escape fiction at its finest.”
– Rachel Person
“Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe, by Bill Bryson. While you luxuriate in the suds, dream about the places you could visit! In this humorous travelogue, Bill Bryson retraces the footsteps of his younger self across Europe, 20 years latter. He tells stories of his ’70s backpacking misadventures, and explores the Europe of the new millennium. Each chapter is a self contained tale, making for a good bath read!”
– Leah Moore
“If I was planning on a good long soak, I would probably take one of my go-to books that I have read so often I can pick it up and put it down at random and enjoy it for however long I’m in the tub for. I have two books that match this: Our Mutual Friend, and Great Expectations.”
– Jennifer Armstrong
So, what book will you be choosing to take a long soak with? Northshire is known for their epic amounts of staff reviews and recommendations, as well as their variety of book selections. Even if you aren’t looking to read in the tub this Sunday, you should still head down there the next time you need a suggestion.
Check out their website here or visit them at 424 Broadway in Downtown Saratoga Springs.
