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Split Rock Books

@splitrockbks

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An indie bookstore in Cold Spring, NY owned by Heidi & Michael Bender. Open 7 days a week! Posts mostly by Heidi. Jewish owned.

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Super honored and psyched to be a part of this awesome event on Thursday!!! Oct 29th at 7pm in Cold Spring, NY at the fabulous @splitrockbks !!! The short story winnere will read their stories, and I'll read an excerpt from RAVENOUS. See you there? Can't wait!!! 🤩🤩🤩

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Come with me on my favorite fall day trip from NYC 🍁🍂🎃⛰️

Take metro-north from Grand Central to Cold Spring! $16 one way ticket off peak, 80 minute ride 🚊

Walk a couple blocks through town until you turn left on Fair Street 🧡🌻🎃

Take in the holiday decor while walking about 15 minutes up Fair Street… don’t forget to duck for this spooky spider that comes down out of the tree 🕷️🕸️

Arrive to the hiking trails less than a mile from town! 🥾⛰️

Take Washburn Trail east of the highway to the Bull Hill loop 🏕️

Trail is very well-marked for hiking rookies! ❌

Leaf peep some of the most stunning fall foliage on your way up…. 🍁🍂🌳

… while also taking plenty of breaks because the incline is pretty steep 😅

But the view is so worth it!! You can see the entire town of Cold Spring and West Point across the river. Perfect spot to sit in the sunshine before heading back down to the next trail.

Head down and back across the road to Little Stony Point ⛰️

And take the Overlook Trail on the left…🌳

For another stunning view of the Hudson & Storm King State Park! ⛰️🍁

After completing the Little Stony Point loop head back into town to enjoy the shops 🛍️🍁

And more importantly… lunch. My favorite in town is Brasserie Le Bouchon by a mile! 🇫🇷🥖

Not juuuuuuust because of the French fries… but they help 🍟

Time to shop! Cold Spring has many awesome antique stores but my souvenir typically comes in the form of a book from @splitrockbks. I can’t resist the bookstore smell OR the bookstore cat!! 📖🐈‍⬛

Finally a sweet treat from @sweet_tambourine for the train home (duh) 🍬🍫🍭

And back on metro-north to head back to NYC. My legs are always happy for the rest and my soul is always happy from the hike! 🥾⛰️🍁🚊

My favorite way to spend a day off in the fall, no bull. Thanks for coming along! 💛🐂

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I’ll be at @splitrockbks this Friday — Early Voting Eve! — to chat and answer your questions. Stop by and join us!

@philipstowndems @putnamvalleydems_ny @putnamcountydemsny

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⭐ Exciting news! ⭐

My next book, THISTLE AND GOOSE: THE FLYING START, is soaring onto shelves May 11, 2027! It is the beginning of a chapter book series starring Thistle, a routine-loving cat witch, and Goose, a chaotic Canada goose.

I've been having a great time writing and illustration for a slightly older audience. This book is 120 pages long (!) and has 4 main stories tucked between short comics (called Goose Interludes). I think it's a fun format. I hope readers will agree!

You can pre-order signed and personalized copies of Thistle and Goose: The Flying Start from my friends at @splitrockbks. You can find a link on my website: jessiesima.com

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The Sea Witch Prophecy event at @splitrockbks was incredible! So many amazing readers turned up and we talked about the series, the grand finale and what’s next for my books! We also had an extra special guest, Steven! He did a great job greeting all the readers, hanging out with Buster the bookstore cat without growling and then falling asleep during my talk (rude 😋) Thank you soooo much to everyone who came out 🖤 It’s nights like these that reinvigorate my love for writing and remind me who I do this for!

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Tonight! If you’re in or near Cold Spring, NY come celebrate the release of The Sea Witch Prophecy (Witchlings 5) with me and special guest, Steven!! Hope to see you there ☺️💕

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From social feeds to crowded streets: Cold Spring’s holiday weekend 🍂

Cold Spring was packed with visitors Saturday, Oct. 10. While photographing Main Street, our team asked people where they were from, whether it was their first visit and how they discovered the village.

We spoke with visitors from Iceland, Argentina and China. Several credited Instagram, TikTok and RedNote, a platform popular in China. Others said they asked ChatGPT for a weekend plan—and Cold Spring was suggested.

Their answers show how social media and AI are shaping travel plans. Influencers’ videos and recommendations shared on internationally popular apps can introduce this small village to audiences worldwide—and may inspire more people to visit.

Long lines also formed at the public restrooms at the end of Main Street. Locals have described similar crowds and waits in community Facebook groups. Does Main Street need more public restrooms?

During this Oct. 10–12 holiday weekend, dispatch reports included an injured-hiker call mapped to Nelsonville and a separate report near Little Stony Point involving a 20-year-old with a head injury and dizziness after a fall. Entries also described a hiker with a possible broken ankle on Undercliff Trail.

On Oct. 11, three unattended gift bags at Cold Spring station prompted a request for officers to check. With gift shops lining Main Street, forgotten purchases are another consideration: unattended bags can require a security response. The report did not confirm a threat.

Dispatch information is preliminary; repeated entries may concern the same incident.

For background, editor Holly Crocco’s September story, “Cold Spring ‘Hammered’ By Tourism,” covered an earlier weekend’s two mountain rescues, congestion and other calls. A trustee described a restroom line stretching across the street, while officials raised concerns about strained resources.

Read Holly’s September coverage:
https://bit.ly/coldspringtourism

Residents: Have you experienced long lines or other challenges during heavy tourism seasons? What has your experience been, and what would help? Tell us in the comments.

Photos: Chloe Wareham-Gordon / Putnam Press & Times

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📚✨𝐔𝐩𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 | Oct 10-11

You can find a map for all bookstores in the region on our website at www.bookedupriver.com under the bookstore tab!🗺️

As always, please make sure to visit the respective bookstores pages to get more information on their events and leave a comment if you have any other upcoming weekday events! ⬇️

#supportlocalbookstores #indiebookstores #bookedupriver #midhudsonvalley #bookish

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In the first few lines of Amanda Petrusich’s brilliant @newyorkermag essay, “Around A Dark Corner” she introduces readers to what she thinks to be “a profound articulation of grief”—the fourth verse of Leonard Cohen’s “So Long, Marianne”:

Your letters, they all say that you’re beside me now
Then why do I feel so alone?
I’m standing on a ledge and your fine spiderweb
Is fastening my ankle to a stone.

For those who haven’t read the whole piece, please do. (DM me if I can help with accessing it.) For those who have, you know how full and wise and beautiful it is.

And…about last night.

By my side, in our sweet village bookshop, with a crowd of friends and neighbors in the room, was Amanda. We talked about letters, our very own “spiderwebs” and grief. We covered mothering, writing, art-making, being “out-of-order” and, as promised, the charms and serious intellectual nourishment that can surface from having a greasy diner breakfast with a friend. We chatted on about wanting, wondering and waiting.

I am grateful to all who made it happen—the Split Rock team ( Michael, Heidi, Mae and Carmen), the coolest Thursday night bookshop audience ever and, of course, to the writer by my side last night. I was in good hands and felt held by a soft heart.

Thanks to @jessllounsbury for 📷 number 2: a full-on favorite of mine!❤️
And to Jimin and Ines for some of the other pics here, smiles all around.

#whatareyouwaitingfor #anthology #multigenre #waiting #writersofinstagram

@ann_imig @i_am_here_too______ @carlazanoni @michel_carluccio @chrisllvaughan @cooper_lee_bombardier @bookishcrystals @dewarmacleod @hala.n.alyan @iogarden @isabellabannerman @jess_pavia @drkatesweeny @kathykatemayer @lcheuk22 @mcayler @flowermariela @millievonplaten @natserianni @pattydannwriter @sarah_mccoll @socialicon @chief_duckdog @terriellle @zanta_nk

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✨ A delight to represent The Writing Institute in Putnam County last night! ✨ Instructors and authors Jimin Han and Ines Rodrigues, alongside Director Courtney Gillette, came out to celebrate Kathy Curto’s anthology at @splitrockbks ❤️❤️❤️

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📚✨ 𝑼𝒑𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑾𝒆𝒆𝒌𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕 | Oct 5-9

You can find a map for all bookstores in the region on our website at www.bookedupriver.com under the bookstore tab!🗺️

As always, please make sure to visit the respective bookstores pages to get more information on their events and leave a comment if you have any other upcoming weekday events! ⬇️

#supportlocalbookstores #indiebookstores #bookedupriver #midhudsonvalley #bookish

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Thank you @splitrockbooks for such an amazing event tonight. It was the perfect combination of education, period action, and bookish crafting!! We learned about the health aspects of menstruation and packed period product kits for schools and community organizations with @pphphealth We also talked about FREE PERIOD, my @scholastic middle grade comedy about friendship and period equity, while crafting cuterus uterus bracelets and keychains. And of course everyone got a photo with the 6ft tall crochet cutie in her spooky season witch hat. My fave was when someone held her up to her full height – sometimes I still can’t believe I made her lololol I spent the entire drive up squealing about the leaves changing – this is the perfect time of year to head to Cold Spring for a fun day of shopping at Split Rock Books (check out the signed copy of Katie the Catsitter by @colleenaf @quezzie that my peanut snagged!), paying tribute to Buster – the world’s cutest cat, eating one of the best pizzas slices you will ever have outside of New Jersey (I said what I said!), and enjoying all the gorgeous scenery of the Hudson Valley.

Happy reading!!! ali heidi and the 6ft tall crochet cutie at split rock books

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