January 2026
A new year, and the end of Purple Cash

"We're glad you're still here."

It's something that people say with somewhat disconcerting regularity in the store. I usually try to receive it in the spirit in which it is offered. Sometimes, it seems to express gratitude that there is still an independent bookstore to visit and in which to find things and occasionally talk about them. Other times, I take it more like "We're glad that *this* store that I love hasn't gone away." (We are too.)

But lately, I find myself taking the question in its most existential resonance. I'll stare into the distance for a quiet second and say "... *Am* I?... " And then we both laugh because they have picked up *my* implicit meaning. In an instant of recognition, we are sharing a moment of laughter in a safe place full of interesting things and beautiful distractions and the most durable comforts of community. When the world seems to have gone crazy (and it has been doing that a lot), I really am glad that I'm still here, but I'm also glad that we are as well, and it is a seriously magical thing.

Which is another way of saying: we're glad you're here.

Store News

Used Books: No More "Purple Cash"

We're transitioning from paper credit slips (aka "purple cash") to digital tracking for used book trades. Your balance will be tracked digitally—no more lost slips! Choose 20% of cover value towards used and new books, or 30% for used book purchases.

Book Club Updates

Clubs with 5+ members receive 20% discount on selections. Register your club on our website so your members can be reminded of the current book and purchase at a discount.

Calendars are all 15% off

There's still time to get your 2026 sorted out.

Author Event
David Guterson: Evelyn in Transit
Saturday, January 24, 2026 · 7:00 PM
"Carver Room, Port Angeles Library"

The RSVPs have really been coming in for David Guterson returns to the North Olympic Library System on Saturday, January 24. If you haven't let us know you want to be there for David discussing his new novel Evelyn in Transit with Tim McNulty, don't wait until it's too late! The event is in the Carver Room of the Port Angeles Library. David's new book is beautiful and worth the wait. You don't want to miss this.

RSVP Here

Books for Young Readers

Conventional wisdom tells us that January is a very lean time for new books, but tell that to this ragtag group of new books.

The Wildest Thing
by Emily Winfield Martin

This calming bedtime read-aloud for little ones with untamed spirits is gathering a lot of fans.

A Waffle Lot of Love! (A Narwhal and Jelly Book #10)
by Ben Clanton

The duo Dav Pilkey himself called "the most lovable since Frog and Toad" are back for three new stories.

Bored
by Felicita Sala

Utter boredom leads one imaginative girl to inspiration in this clever story.

For the Fans! (KPop Demon Hunters): Official Storybook
by Angela Song (Adapter)

Happy fans, happy Honmoon! (We were assured you all would know what that means).

Moomintroll Builds a House
by Golden Books

The beloved Moomin characters star in their very own Little Golden Book!

Ms. Rachel's Birthday Book
by Ms. Rachel

The YouTube sensation's storybook comes with more than 25 stickers.

Jane Goodall: 5-Minute Genius Stories
by Heather Alexander; Illustrated by Sally Walker

Kids can travel to Tanzania with a young Jane Goodall and study chimpanzees alongside the world's leading expert.

What a Small Cat Needs
by Natalia Shaloshvili

I think the "cutest cat in the kids section" title has been sewn up for 2026. Beautiful and adorable.

The Moon Without Stars
by Chanel Miller

Seventh grader Luna creates zines with her best friend that catch the attention of the popular crowd, forcing her to decide what she's willing to sacrifice to belong.

A Barista's Guide to Love & Larceny
by Caroline Bonin

A college student with a secret ability helps investigate a company's harmful product while falling for a new crush, in this sweet and cozy YA fantasy romance debut!

Dragon Cursed
by Elise Kova

The first installment of a new young adult fantasy duology from bestselling author, Elise Kova. You thought a bookstore could get to the end of a list of new books without a dragon being involved? Think again!

Staff Picks

by Nicholas Triolo

by Scott Campbell

New Books

New year, new books. We don't care how many books your loved one got you over the holidays, there's room for one more.

Cover of Football
Cover of Half His Age
The First Time I Saw Him
by Laura Dave

Dave's sequel to the bestselling The Last Thing He Told Me, is earning even better reviews than the first installment.

The Storm
by Rachel Hawkins

Hawkins wrenches every ounce of gothic suspense out of a steamy gulf coast locale in this thriller about a beach motel where hurricane season can be murder.

The School of Night
by Karl Ove Knausgaard

Remember when Knausgaard only wrote about himself? He's on quite a  streak of non-autofiction now, with this Doctor Faustus-echoing tale of an ambitious photographer in London.

Cover of Twelve Months
Detour
by Jeff Rake & Rob Hart

A group of astronauts and civilians are thrown together for a desperate mission to save the world, backed by the wealthiest man on earth (who is also running for president)... when they return, the world they left behind has changed in ways that seem almost impossible to believe. Think: if Project Hail Mary turned out to be an episode of "The Twilight Zone." First book in a series (which will absolutely also be a TV Series soon, we will take on all bettors).

Call Me Ishmaelle
by Xiaolu Guo

Feminist reimagining of Moby-Dick is not on this list because there is a Melville obsession brewing in the store, but because wholesale re-imaginings (like Kingsolver's Demon Copperhead) are just fun.

Beautiful Ugly
by Alice Feeney

We're told the "shocking twists" quotient is very, VERY high. [Spoilers redacted]

Cover of How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder
Is This a Cry for Help?
by Emily Austin

Book bans, questions about sexuality, community and the importance of libraries and featuring a darkly quirky, endearingly flawed heroine"... some of you have already purchased this book before getting to the end of this sentence.

American Reich: A Murder in Orange County, Neo-Nazis, and a New Age of Hate
by Eric Lichtblau

A deeply reported exploration of the violent resurgence of hatred and white supremacy through the story of one brutal murder in Orange County.

The Light of Day
by Christopher Stephens & Louise Radnofsky

This is the story of the first man to come out voluntarily, using his own name, to the entire British public.

The Hitch
by Sara Levine

What, you think it's impossible that a 6-year-old is inhabited by a deceased family pet? What if I told you it was a corgi? See, not so hard to believe all of a sudden. This will sit right next to Nightbitch on the shelf of absurdist, clever, and damn funny contemporary tales of human/canine psychic overlap.

Homeschooled: A Memoir
by Stefan Merrill Block

An intimate and brutally honest memoir of a complicated son-mother relationship.

Cover of Vigil
Cover of Neptune's Fortune

Famous Last Words

"Are there any questions?"
Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale


We don't have any answers in the sense of Margaret Atwood's unsettlingly ambiguous closing, but we do have some ideas for taking your reading game to the next level.

Next month we'll be announcing our own 2026 reading challenge. But if you're looking to shake up your reading habits right now, Libro.fm has launched their 2026 audiobook challenge. It's a good way to support us through our partner, Libro.fm.

Hope to see you soon!
--Steven and everybody at Port Book and News