da Shop Talk: Journal

da Shop Turns 4!
da Shop Turns 4!

By da Shop Staff on Mar 07, 2022

We look back at some highlights of year 3... We welcomed authors, illustrators, storytellers from near and far into our bookstore. Autographed copies of their books can be found around the shop. Follow o...

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Catherine Toth Fox: What Am I Reading?
Catherine Toth Fox: What Am I Reading?

By da Shop Staff on Feb 23, 2022

Catherine Toth Fox, author, Kai Goes to the Farmers Market in Hawaiʻi (BeachHouse Publishing, 2019).  Hey Cat, what are you reading? Cat: Narrowing down my favorite book is like asking me to pick a ...

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Setting Our Direction for 2022
Setting Our Direction for 2022

By da Shop Staff on Jan 06, 2022

January: Navigation Where are the winds of the new year guiding you? To us, January feels like it’s all about navigating new waters: orienting in space & time, gathering our tools, and setting our direc...

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Reading in the Present, Reading as a Gift by Kristen Namba Reed
Reading in the Present, Reading as a Gift by Kristen Namba Reed

By da Shop Staff on Oct 03, 2021

During the pandemic, I’ve read many books that were welcome escapes but also quickly forgotten. A handful of stories, however, have resonated so deeply with me that they have taken root in my mind, growing ...

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An Ode to Picture Books (+ Staff Picks)
An Ode to Picture Books (+ Staff Picks)

By da Shop Staff on Sep 04, 2021

We are unabashed fans of picture books so it’s little surprise that an opinion piece in The New York Times was quite a point of conversation amongst our staff.  The article, entitled “Your Kids Aren’t Too Ol...

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da Shop Talk with Sara Ackerman, Author of Radar Girls
da Shop Talk with Sara Ackerman, Author of Radar Girls

By da Shop Staff on Aug 05, 2021

Sara Ackerman is well-known for her compelling historical fiction novels about romance, friendship, and courage in WWII-era Hawai‘i. Her latest novel, Radar Girls, is based on the inspirational stories of t...

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The End by Michelle Regan
The End by Michelle Regan

By da Shop Staff on Jul 21, 2021

Let’s start at the end. With the abject terror of leaving something behind. The next thing is scary. There, I said it. But endings aren’t endings unless we let them be. Instead of inhabiting the fear that lu...

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da Shop Talk with Julie Abery, Author of Sakamoto's Swim Club
da Shop Talk with Julie Abery, Author of Sakamoto's Swim Club

By da Shop Staff on Jul 20, 2021

With summer upon us and the Olympics just around the corner, we've been diving into a fresh, new picture book about Maui's famous Three-Year Swim Club.  Sakamoto's Swim Club: How a Teacher Led an Unlikely Te...

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da Shop Talk with Michelle Sterling, Picture Book Author
da Shop Talk with Michelle Sterling, Picture Book Author

By da Shop Staff on Jun 30, 2021

We immediately fell in love with When Lola Visits as soon as it arrived in the bookstore!  This vibrant picture book lovingly depicts the relationship between a young Filipina, her lola, and the memories the...

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Breath in the Real World by Michelle Regan
Breath in the Real World by Michelle Regan

By da Shop Staff on Jun 23, 2021

Inhale. Exhale.  Mindfulness begins with the breath. We start here because it’s simple, accessible, and something we rarely consider closely.  But maybe it’s not that simple. Breathing itself is automatic. W...

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Just Curious by Michelle Regan
Just Curious by Michelle Regan

By da Shop Staff on May 26, 2021

I talk to a lot of people. More than most, probably. In my day job, I tell other people’s stories, the kind you may not have heard because there’s no spectacle and no recognition. It’s my favorite type of st...

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Wabi-sabi  and the Art of Not Creating by Michelle Regan
Wabi-sabi and the Art of Not Creating by Michelle Regan

By da Shop Staff on Apr 30, 2021

Recently, a friend taught me the Japanese word wabi-sabi. He described it as the appreciation of imperfection through understanding that every moment is fleeting. This moment will come and pass and never hap...

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