Go See The Bookstore, A Delicious Play

 

Is a life well-lived defined by the people in their life or the books they have read?  

Well, it is some measure of both. Perhaps our reading is done in proportion to our loneliness, though plenty of people live active lives, socialize, and read many books.  

In a delightful new play for bibliophiles, The Bookstore explores why people read books and examines if it matters what they read.  Books shape who we are.

The play centers around a woman who owns an indie bookstore and runs it with the help of two young women, both aspiring writers. The owner also befriends a young gay man (played by Quentin Chisholm)  who sought refuge in the store after being the victim of a hate crime. The four of them form a family-like bond, where books connect them in ways that blood just can’t. 

The play is an ode to books and what they mean to us, but it is also about loneliness and defining what it feels like to truly be alive, and how books can comfort us in sickness or in health.  

So many questions were aroused by viewing this play: Are we the sum of the books that we read? Are we to be seen based on what we say we have read— even if we had not read some of those books? Are books a mirror to reflect who we are or a window into who we are not? Is reading a book active living? Does it supplement our lives or get in the way of living them? 

The set was great – you felt like you were in the bookstore, where all of the action takes place. Produced by New Jersey Repertory Company, the lead was played well by Janet Zarish and I loved everything about the acting of Ari Derambakhsh, a beautiful woman with a wonderful character. Arielle Goldman was very believable as the frustrated writer who spends much of her time away from the bookstore, alone, working on her novel that never se4ems to be quite ready.

If you love books, and value the indie bookstore, you will enjoy a play that serves up a love letter about all things books.  

It has a limited engagement at the newish and intimate theatre, 59E59, in New York’s midtown, on the East side. Go see it.  

 

Do You Need Book Marketing Help?

Brian Feinblum can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator! 

 

About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 5,400,000 page views. With 5,500+ posts over the past 14 years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs  by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2026.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum