We had visitors from Portland at our house last weekend. My friend and her husband left Seattle about four months ago and she took a job at a sportswear company. I used to share an office with her, and our book-related roles led into a friendship that has long outlasted that period of employment. We …
No, this is not a picture of Island Books (thank goodness). This, my friends, is what happens when you tackle some home reorganization. Far too many of your possessions get shoved into the home office. Don’t be misled by the bookshelves. That’s only a fraction of the books in my house. The rest are in …
December is a time of list making, be it goals for the upcoming year, holiday gift recipients, or to-dos-before-the-kids-come-home. At Island Books, a good portion of our time is spent assisting others who need to check off their lists. “I need the perfect book for my sports-obsessed father-in-law, my three-year-old niece, and my hairdresser,” are …
I’ve been spending many nights with unreliable narrators this past year, be it Amy and Nick Dunne from Gone Girl or Nora Eldridge from The Woman Upstairs. Books like those keep me up at night, plagued by increasing anxiety about the reality outside the character’s head. One of the best unreliable narrators is Humbert Humbert …
Summers at Island Books can be on the quiet side. Our owners and staff members take vacation, as do many of the locals (although the smart ones know there are twelve weeks of spectacular weather around here and it pays to stick around). The rhythm of kid traffic is the one thing that picks up, …
Here at Island Books, we host a monthly story time that’s usually targeted towards kids three and up. It’s magic to watch the faces of pajama-clad kiddos light up as local storytellers and musicians take over our children’s section. These are the kinds of events that lodge themselves into children’s memories, and a good reason …
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 …
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 …
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 …
