In a recent post, my esteemed Island Books colleague James Crossley confessed to a disproportionate number of male authors in his home library. He concluded with “You (which is to say, I) have to actively redress it by seeking to add women’s voices to the chorus.” Admirable goal? Yes. Sustainable goal? I doubt it. While …
“The New England witch hunts endure as a fascinating piece of history, and before I graduated to The Crucible, The Witch of Blackbird Pond whet my appetite for fiction about the era. Set in the late 1800s, this coming-of-age story follows the orphan Kit from her home in Barbados to a Puritan community in Connecticut. The death of …
Congratulations to Island Books webmonkey and NWBL columnist Miriam Landis and her husband, Daniel! Twins Stephen Marc and Lynne Dena were born September 21, weighing 5lbs 3 oz and 4 lbs 13 oz respectively. Everything went well and the babies and “a very happy mom” are recovering nicely. Miriam says she hasn’t read them their …
We’re spoiled by today’s expectations that an author should publish a book once a year, and I blame overachievers like Nora Roberts, James Patterson, and Lee Child for setting us up to anticipate such a rapid rate of productivity. On the other end of the spectrum, there’s a certain breed of writer who doesn’t seem …
The Island Books staff recently had a summer barbecue, and between flipping burgers, watching dogs play, and laughing at cute kids came the book talk. The sun was shining and to finally have some leisure time outside the store to revel in our favorite subject (reading, of course!) felt like a luxury. This year there …
Thanks to Miriam Landis at Island Books for putting together this Fourth of July reading list in the store’s journal, Message in a Bottle. Her stack includes 1776 by David McCullough, Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson, Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow and Paul Revere’s Ride by David Hackett Fisher. “Our country, the sweet land of …
Some independent bookstores are known for their variety of events, rare book collections, or cozy cafes. My local bookstore and employer for the last year, Island Books, has always been about comfort and connecting. There are other qualities that make the place special, like the knowledgeable and friendly staff, the curated selection, cozy décor, and …
Welcome to the revamped NWBookLovers.org! As you take a look around the new site, you’ll see that it feels more like a traditional blog than the old version and that we’ve got a bunch of new voices—all while hanging on to the best of the old site: the Face Outs, the author interviews and essays, …
Cheers to Island Books’ Miriam Landis, who just published her second ballet-themed novel, Breaking Pointe. The Mercer Island Patch featured a nice profile about Landis this week, covering her interesting career, from professional ballerina with the Miami City Ballet to pre-med student, then novelist, ballet teacher and bookseller (next up: mom; Landis is pregnant with …
