Bobzbay Books' BobzBlog

Bobzbay Books is excited to join local artists in creating cards for the Midwest Food Bank’s Disaster Relief Boxes, and we want your help too!

MFB distributes family food boxes and other supplies throughout the year to help in times of disaster. The community is invited to create Cards of Hope to be included in disaster relief boxes given to those affected by disasters. These handmade cards filled with hope remind those facing temporary uncertainty that there are others who care and better days ahead. We invite you to assist in making cards and there are two ways of participating—in person or on your own!

In-Person: Every day until end of day 1/23/26 Bobzbay Books will host a card-making station in-store, stocked with all materials needed to make a thoughtful card!

On Your Own: If you'd like to make cards on your own, they can be dropped off at Bobzbay Books throughout the month of January! Cards may include a general note of encouragement, or be left blank for Midwest Food Bank to write an appropriate message.

We’re so excited to welcome local nonfiction author Christopher Sweet to the shop for a book signing in celebration of the release of 'A History of Bicycling in Illinois: 160 Years of Booms and Busts' -- out on January 6, 2026!

Join us at the bookstore on Saturday, January 24th from 10am - 12pm to meet the author, check out a very cool antique bicycle, and take home a signed book or two! Books will be available for purchase at the event but pre-orders are highly encouraged! To reserve your copy, head to this link!

Carey

This week is one of those weeks where you have to identify the small things that bring you joy and hold on to them tightly. My dad turns 70 today (Happy Birthday, Dad!). One of my favorite bands, The Protomen, has a new album out today. I’ve been waiting over a decade for them to complete this album, so I’m thrilled to finally hear it! For Christmas, my spouse and I bought a dishwasher, so I’m looking forward to my life being 2% easier. I’ve been playing lots of Dungeons & Dragons lately, and the collaborative storytelling and teamwork has felt really healing. I’ve also started working on an exciting art project—I’ll have more information to share about it in the coming months! I’m including a picture of my baby pigeon Mochi, who recently figured out that the space heater is their favorite warm place. Snuggle your pets, snuggle your loved ones, and give your brain time to rest.

Liz

Everything has been a lot for the past… well. Awhile.

I know it feels like it’s getting worse, and I need to remind you that our brains were not designed to take on the 24 hour news cycle, humans have been through crisis before but not by being constantly bombarded by information.

I am not an expert, but I know the things that help me are -

in-person connection: this can look like meeting up with a friend to go grocery shopping at the same time, going to trivia with a group, yapping with someone about books or movies (I like horror, so stop by the bookstore and chat with me!), or a small act of kindness for a stranger.

cutting back on the internet: I do not need to know news the minute it happens, I strongly suggest deleting social media apps from your phone - they’re a PITA to navigate on a mobile browser so you’ll use them less, don’t read news comments anymore they’re usually bots meant to rile you up.

Evil people want you to no longer be motivated, they want your joy gone, they want you to hide. Don’t let them win. Continue to have joy when things seem dark.

Stay informed, stay engaged, but stay healthy.

McKenzie

💙 This week I’ve been reflecting on things that are much bigger than myself, things somehow both too big to carry and too big to set down, things that make me feel smaller and smaller every day. They overshadow all of the other little things in my life that I love, like my cup of coffee at mid-afternoon (the only time I drink it), the my dogs sleeping at my feet, the sound of my clicky-clack keyboard as I type. I wonder, sometimes, why I’m drawn to cozy stories when I am feeling my smallest. Not only the purely feel-good kind (though I certainly enjoy those as well), but also the defiantly feel-good kind. Now I think it’s where I find hope. I think those stories remind me why I keep going.

If you’d like some fantasy book recs with little hopeful moments, I’ll include a list below. If you can’t read anything at all, give yourself permission to honor that, too 🫶🏻

*The House in the Cerulean Sea

*The Tea Dragon Society (I just finished the third one last night and BAWLED)

*Nimona

*A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping

*The Keeper of Lonely Spirits

Bloomington - Gender Affirming Clothing Swap @ Bloomington Public Library (1/24) Presented by Gender Euphoria & Prairie Pride Coalition. Bring clothes and accessories that no longer fit you or your style and walk away with ones that do! Bring a bag to carry it all!

Prairie Pride Coalition has begun the process of adding events to their community calendar located here!

Normal - Lagers & Literature: Presented by Destihl and Bobzbay (2/1) "Where good books meet great brews. Join us for a laid-back morning in the Barrel Room, celebrating local authors, small businesses, and craft beer from DESTIHL.

Browse bookish vendors and local artisans, enjoy a beer from the bar, hear live readings from featured authors, and stop by our Build Your Own Bookmark craft station to create something fun and personal to take home." Find more info here.

Bobzbay Books will of course, be at this event!

Normal - Madelyn Rosenberg: A Morning with the Author (2/7) "Join children’s book author Madelyn Rosenberg for a morning of stories, movement and a craft. Madelyn will read from her book Take Care, published by Albert Whitman & Company, and lead activities focused on being kind to the earth and others. Geared to ages 3-7, but all are welcome!

Madelyn's visit is sponsored by the Moses Montefiore Temple and made possible by the Sol Shulman Jewish Education and Life Endowment grant." Find more info here.

Bobzbay Books will be the on-site bookseller for this event!

Downtown Bloomington - Day Off, Art On (2/13) "Join the McLean County Museum of History and artists Hannah Johnson and Aianna Zachary for a day of learning about, interpreting, and creating art!

This free program is designed to give your middle school student a fun, engaging day off, even when you don't get the day off with them. We are offering two sessions of this program: Monday, January 5 and Friday, February 13 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day. Please only register your student for ONE of the two dates." Registration closes 2/2 and should be done at this link.

Bloomington - Mardi Gras Mystery: A Sober 18+ Fundraiser for Rainbow Village* (2/13) "New Orleans food, drinks, music, and a fun mystery to solve! bring cash for speciality drinks and hints." *Rainbow Village provides short term housing and wraparound supports for transgender individuals and their families who are relocating to our community and do not have the personal or financial resources to do so independently. Get tickets now!

Normal - Collaboration in Progress: 50 Years of Normal Editions Workshop @ University Galleries (throughout Jan & March) "Collaboration in Progress: Normal Editions Workshop at 50 is an exhibition that celebrates the 50th anniversary of Normal Editions Workshop, a non-profit, professional, collaborative print research and publishing workshop within Illinois State University’s Wonsook Kim School of Art. The exhibition features 50 prints created at Normal Editions by visiting artists, emeritus faculty, current faculty, and alumni." find more info here.

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Our local libraries also have an incredible line-up of events, and we encourage you to check out their event calendars! View Bloomington's, Normal's, & Towanda's!

The Normal Theater has a TON of great movies, and I encourage you to check out their monthly schedule & support a great community staple we have here in town... I know I do :)

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Have bookish news or a local event you think will be of interest to our readers? Share it with us and we’ll try to include it in the newsletter!

The Bobzbay Books pet of the week this week is Bluey (although he's much larger now). I love this photo of him because it looks like he's pouting!

Tag us on social media or text us (309-434-9515) photos of your book loving pets and we'll try to share them in upcoming newsletters.