Marie is a good example of a “growing up with ABC” customer: niece of our Sophie, she has known the ABC since she was born. Her ABC store may have changed from The Hague to Amsterdam, where she moved to study and work, but her loyalty remains the same. [...]
"Oslo, 2018. Former long-distance runner Sonja Nordstrom never shows at the launch of her controversial autobiography, Always Number One. When celebrity blogger Emma Ramm visits Nordstrom's home later that day, she finds the door unlocked and signs of a struggle inside. A bib with the number 'one' has been pinned to the TV. Police officer Alexander Blix is appointed to head up the missing-persons investigation, but he still bears the emotional scars of a hostage situation nineteen years earlier, when he killed the father of a five-year-old girl. Traces of Nordstrom soon show up at different locations, but the appearance of the clues appear to be carefully calculated ... evidence of a bigger picture that he's just not seeing... Blix and Ramm soon join forces, determined to find and stop a merciless killer with a flare for the dramatic, and thirst for attention. Trouble is, he's just got his first taste of it..."
"All her life, Annie has played it nice and safe. After being unceremoniously dumped by her long-time boyfriend, Annie seeks a fresh start. She accepts a teaching job that moves her from Manhattan to a small village upstate. Her new home is picturesque and perfect. The people are all friendly and warm. Her new apartment is lovely too, minus the oddly persistent spider infestation. Then Annie meets Sophie. Beautiful, charming, magnetic Sophie, who takes a special interest in Annie, who wants to be her friend. More importantly, she wants Annie to stop apologizing and start living for herself. That's how Sophie lives. Annie can't help but gravitate toward the self-possessed Sophie, wanting to spend more and more time with her, despite the fact that the rest of the town seems... a little afraid of her. And, okay. Sophie's appearance is uncanny and ageless, her mansion in the middle of the woods feels a little unearthly, and she does seem to wield a certain power . . . but she couldn't be . . . could she?"
Here we go again with our 5(ish) favorite reads of 2022. We try very hard to keep to 5, but it’s not always possible. So, there may be 5 or 6, an A and a B list, memorable reads or just plain marvelous books. We hope you enjoy it and [...]
ABC’s Christmas of 1973 was quite eventful. Mitch, who had co-founded ABC the year before, went back to Baltimore for the holidays and left me in charge while we were renovating. He and the landlord, Jacob Kroonenberg, had agreed to level out the ground floor, which had been split-level, and to [...]
written by Emma ‘Tis the season for Christmas standards including trees, stockings, presents and carols. But when it comes to books, we all have different tastes. That’s why we compiled a list of varied Christmas books for you to read during the holidays. Pay a quick visit to the world of [...]
The Gift Season is finally here, so for this month’s Staff Picks we’re picking…you guessed it…gifts! From games to tarot sets and even a few books, prepare yourself for some top tips and a stellar list. Games Steven is our special orders guy, and besides reading tons, [...]
Lauren Lauren is not only a customer but also our blog editor. She’s an avid reader, so when she moved to the Netherlands back in 1996 to work as a journalist, she just had to find the ABC. ABC Lília: Hi Lauren, great talking to you! Lauren: Thanks, [...]
written by Ester Are you, just like me, in the habit of keeping an online library, with your read books and your TBR (To Be Read) piles? And is Goodreads – owned by Amazon - the only one you know? Then here are some great independent alternatives to look into. As [...]
written by Lília Halloween may be over, but we’re still in a ghostly mood. If you’re looking for some horror recommendations to counter all that holiday good cheer, read on… Syarah, from Amsterdam, recommends Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz. Set in Edinburgh in 1817, it tells [...]
