Hi friends,
My grad school program started last month, and now that I am in the full swing of things, I thought I should mention a few updates.
First of all, I decided to close my PangoBooks store, I Capture the Story, just while my classes are in session. I’ll still list books for sale when I’m between semesters, but for now it made sense to let go of this time-consuming pursuit.
While I was putting my shop on holiday, I discovered a fun new feature on PangoBooks that I am using and that I wanted to share with you. PangoBooks now has a way to group books together in what they call “Shelves,” so it’s like a virtual library. You can curate these shelves however you want. For example, one of my favorite quotes by Dodie Smith, the author of I Capture the Castle, seemed perfect as a starting point for curating books that are set in the English countryside and have that cozy, cottagecore vibe.
“What is it about the English countryside -- why is the beauty so much more than visual? Why does it touch one so?” ― Dodie Smith
I added several books to this shelf, and it made me ponder what other shelves I should curate. Do you have any suggestions? In case you are curious, here is a list of some of the books on my English Countryside Shelf.
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (obviously)
Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Thrush Green by Miss Read
Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie
Emma by Jane Austen
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford
There are a few more on my shelf, but here is one more I wanted to add but couldn’t since no one seems to be selling it on PangoBooks.
Mr. Finchley Discovers His England by Victor Canning
If you could curate a shelf, how would you go about it?
Besides closing my PangoBooks shop for now, I have a few other updates to mention.
One of my poems was published by Kind Over Matter. Three more will be published by them this year. Stay tuned for publication dates. You can read it right here.
My old Instagram, @caitlin.gemmell, is on pause for now. I updated my bio to let everyone know I am on hiatus. I just don’t have the time to dedicate to it now that I am studying library science full time. I have kept my bookstagram, @icapturethestory, going because I’m still having lots of fun with it, and because of #girlsinwhitedressesbookclub.
Some of my poems were published in an anthology! It was such an honor to be included in this anthology that released just in time for Valentine’s Day. If you’d like to order it in paperback or as an e-book you can do so right here.
I will continue to offer letters from a selkie witch to my paid subscribers, plus two exclusive articles per month. All subscribers will have access to one article per month, plus a monthly Muse Monday feature. That means there will be four articles a month for paid subscribers, and two for all subscribers. I’m not sure how my content will change over time. I’m sure it will change to reflect my current reality as a grad student. With that in mind, there is a possibility I might change my Substack newsletter name from Musings of a Selkie Witch to something more bookish to reflect my life as a librarian-in-training. I’m not sure yet, but I welcome you to share your thoughts about this.
If you vote for changing my newsletter name to something bookish, do you have any ideas for a name? I welcome your thoughts.
Here’s one more poll so you can help me decide what to write about.
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts, either in the polls or in the comments.
Have a lovely day, friends!
I would suggest a fairy tale shelf, naturally:) . And I’m not sure about changing the name; things like that are always tricky for me, but whichever you choose, I’m sure it will be lovely. Best of luck in your classes!