A Bookshop Interview with Daniel Sennis

October 20, 2020 by James Duncan in Bookshop Interview

Poet and rhyme-master extraordinaire Daniel Sennis has a funny and scathing new collection out called O Conman! My Conman! Sick Rhymes for Sick Times that is perfect for this fraught and befuddling year, and I asked him to share his favorite bookshop with me. I wasn’t surprised by his pick because it’s one of my favorites too.

Favorite Bookstore: Northshire Bookstore (Saratoga Spring, New York and Manchester, Vermont)

1. How did you discover the shop, and what did you enjoy about your first experience there?

My extended family would often visit Manchester when we had family up from New Jersey. Northshire was the best part of the trip for me. The shop was a wonder. A completely different experience than the little corporate chains in the mall we usually frequented. There was so much to see. Multiple rooms, all spacious, with delightful novelty items spread throughout. At the end, we’d always get something at the cafe.

In 2013, I was about to move back to Saratoga from New Paltz when I discovered that both Northshire was opening a new location in Saratoga and that Northshire offers self-publishing services. Since I wanted to self-publish a book of humor, I was incredibly excited that I could do so while supporting a business I loved (and having my book in a bookstore I loved). I published my second book with Shires Press this year!

2. Does the shop have a particular vibe, theme, or atmosphere that stands out?

Grandiose may be too grandiose a term, but, something like that. There’s a lot—bookwise and otherwise, to empty your wallet.

3. What books have you bought there in the past?

It’s hard for me to remember all of the books I’ve purchased at Northshire. Some recent purchases are The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, Ani Difranco’s memoir No Walls and the Recurring Dream, and Let’s Pretend this Never Happened by Jenny Lawson.

4. Is there a specific part of the shop you run to first, a section that really makes the place unique?

When my son is along, we go straight to the kid’s section, which is the whole upstairs floor. He loves it, though he is mostly enamored by toys at this point. When I can sneak away, I check out YA upstairs and then go down to the first floor and check out the front tables with new releases and bargain books. Then I’ll hit politics and fiction.

A Review of Saratoga $1 Book Warehouse

September 10, 2018 by James Duncan in Bookshop Review

Stone Blvd. (?) Saratoga Springs, NY

This shop, more than any other I’ve visited in my life, has me torn about my experience. On one hand, you have a large selection of used books in pretty good shape that are one dollar each. This could be a goldmine for the right person. Dollar books are no joke for bookworms and there were some major deals on those shelves. But on the other hand, my experience at the Saratoga $1 Book Warehouse left me feeling…well, to put it mildly, a little unsettled.

A Review of Northshire Bookstore (Saratoga)

July 30, 2018 by James Duncan in Bookshop Review

424 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY

Northshire Books began as a big, gorgeous bookstore out in Manchester, Vermont, but about five years back they opened a satellite branch in Saratoga Springs, NY, a beautiful little city known for horseracing, summer concerts at SPAC, and a bustling downtown filled with cafes, restaurants, and shops of all sorts. Northshire Bookstore may appear to be a smaller shop from the sidewalk, but it’s a lot bigger than expected and has all the diversity, discounts, and fun extras of the parent store. And it’s an excellent addition to an already fun downtown experience.

A Review of Lyrical Ballad Bookstore

July 02, 2018 by James Duncan in Bookshop Review

7 Phila Street, Saratoga Springs, NY

If you have never explored the shops and cafes of downtown Saratoga Springs, then the Lyrical Ballad Bookstore is going to be an exciting treat for you. And if you’ve been there before, you already know how enchanting and sprawling this shop can be. And when you walk down that side street and through the front door, you may find the first few rooms are piled with books on every surface, shelves of all sizes, and even on the floor, but those rooms are only the beginning.