Welcome, Spring
“There is only one question:
how to love this world.”
- Mary Oliver, “Spring”
» March 20, 2026 «
My favorite sign of spring’s arrival is not the murky mounds of snow melting away in my yard, nor the tiny purple buds of crocus scattered everywhere, nor the delighted shrieks of kids rediscovering the Patriots Park playground.
It’s poetry and paperbacks.
Last week, bookshoppers drifted like pollen-drunk bees to our poetry section, as if answering some atavistic call. Rumi, Szymborska, Glück, Lorde, Merwin, to my great delight, all received some much-deserved attention.
Meanwhile, the seasonal parade of paperbacks has begun with last year’s bestsellers, award winners, new romances, and beach-friendly thrillers, demanding that you lift your winter-weary heads from chilly gothic tomes. Table your Tolstoy! Put aside your Proust! It’s time read something propulsive, something unputdownable, something endorsed by a television personality!
So whether you’re devouring Dickinson or feasting on McFadden, your first great read of the spring awaits.
Staff Recommendations
VIGIL
by George Saunders
“Back in novel form, Saunders delivers his unique blend of clever and compassionate metaphysical satire that has secured his place among America's best modern writers. Small but mighty, Vigil is a masterclass in empathy and a tender rumination on Life's Big Questions.”
- Chris
Half His Age
by Jennette McCurdy
“This bold, propulsive, and heartbreaking story about the relationship between a high school student and her creative writing teacher was unlike any experience I've ever had, yet I related so much to every thought, tic, frustration, and emotion exhibited by this very human teenager.”
- Michael
Lost Lambs
by Madeline Cash
“The Flynns are in trouble. Bud and Catherine are in a loveless marriage and their three teenage daughters are in various stages of crises (boy troubles, building explosives, conspiracies involving a local billionaire…you know, classic kid stuff!). It is impossible not to fall in love with the deeply dysfunctional, profoundly flawed, absurdly funny Flynn family.”
- Cara
Orlanda
by Jacqueline Harpman
“A wry and quirky character-driven novel about a woman settled in the doldrums of middle age when, one day, the repressed part of her consciousness splits and takes over the life of a younger man. Inspired by Virginia Woolf’s Orlando: a Biography, this quasi-pastiche is an entertaining story of identity, age, and sexual awakening—from the posthumously bestselling author of I Who Have Never Known Men.”
- Chris
Local Happenings
Justin Townes Earle and the History of Americana Music
Sunday, March 28, 5-6pm @ The Tarrytown Music Hall
We’re delighted to partner with the Tarrytown Music Hall on a music-themed book discussion and signing with Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone journalist and author of What Do You Do When You're Lonesome: The Authorized Biography of Justin Townes Earle.
Bernstein will give a short reading from his book, talk about the tumultuous life and prolific career of JTE, and discuss the evolution of Americana music.
Space is limited. Click here to RSVP for the event and pre-purchase the book here.
Discount Movie Tickets at The Burns
We’ve got exciting news for SciFi fans, Ryan Gosling fans, and—well, I guess that accounts for pretty much everyone.
Our friends at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville are offering Transom Bookshop customers a discount on tickets for this weekend’s opening of Project Hail Mary. Use the code HAILMARY to get $5 off up to two tickets.
And if you haven’t read it yet, drop us a line here to reserve your copy of Andy Weir’s bestselling sci-fi adventure.
