what's new

Nov

1

2018

The Book of Snakes

Face Out

The Book of Snakes by Mark O’Shea

First, we have Mark O’Shea’s Big Book of I Don’t Think So. O’Shea is a herpetologist, which is someone who knows the difference between a stick and a snake. In fact, O’Shea is so good at telling the difference that he’s put together a comprehensive guide of over six hundred species of snakes. That’s right. Everything from Scolecophidia (the blind ones) to Henophidia (the old ones) to Caenophidia (the new ones). We don’t understand how taxonomy works, really. But apparently, it’s more than Big Snakes, Snakes You …

Oct

31

2018

Small Spaces

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Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

When are scarecrows truly creepy? When it is close to Halloween! And– when they stalk children and seem to have been making people disappear for over a hundred years. But I get ahead of myself. Eleven-year-old Ollie finds a distraught woman threatening to throw a book into a raging river. Ollie saves (steals) the book …

Oct

30

2018

Kristine Kaufman

The Front Table

The Shoulder Season

Autumn has finally arrived here in the Northwest corner, sneaking up on us perhaps because so much of October was dressed up in summer-like weather, but it’s still the perfect time to look back at some favorite reads from the summer just passed. Lining them all up, it seems that although I didn’t actually get …

Oct

29

2018

The Order of the Day

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The Order of the Day by Éric Vuillard

The Prix Goncourt is France’s highest award for fiction, and the most recent recipient was Éric Vuillard for The Order of the Day. It’s an interesting choice for at least three reasons. First, it’s really good, like prize-winning good, written in crystalline sentences ably translated by Mark Polizzotti. Second, it’s not a bog-standard war story about generals and …

Oct

26

2018

The Storefront

Happy 45th Anniversary, Island Books!

On September 17th, Island Books of Mercer Island, WA began their “45 to 45,” which means every day for 45 days leading up to their birthday on November 1st they have a special deal or happening at Island Books. This week, they’re celebrating with discounts around the store. On November 3, they’re throwing a celebration in …

Oct

25

2018

House with a Clock in Its Walls

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The House with a Clock in Its Walls
by John Bellairs

Having seen the trailer for the upcoming movie with the same title, I learned it was a book first published in 1973. A great yarn filled with spooky and magical elements that many 8-12-year-olds love to read. Lewis Barnavelt, an orphan, comes to live with his uncle Jonathan and discovers a world totally new to …

Oct

24

2018

In the House in the Dark of the Woods

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In the House in the Dark of the Woods by Laird Hunt

How about some fairy tale horror set in Colonial New England? In Laird Hunt’s In the House in the Dark of the Woods, we have the story of a woman named Goody, who goes out one day to pick berries. Naturally, she stays out after dark and gets lost. But she gets found by a …

Oct

23

2018

Books Around the Corner Gresham logo

The Storefront

Books Around the Corner Opening
in Gresham, OR November 2

From the Books Around the Corner Newsletter 10/19/18 LATEST NEWS The sign is up and it’s [less than] two weeks until Books Around the Corner opens its doors. We have over $500 of donations through our Indiegogo Campaign and another few hundred received in donations at the Gresham Farmer’s Market. While we don’t want to …

Oct

22

2018

Ball Four

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Ball Four by Jim Bouton

I couldn’t tell you who won last year’s World Series, because I don’t follow baseball. But this sports book has earned a sterling reputation as a classic that transcends the game. Author/knuckleball pitcher Jim Bouton has the humorist’s eye for telling, pithy detail, and the memoirist’s courage in sharing honest and sometimes unflattering anecdotes about himself …

Oct

19

2018

Laurie Frankel's purse and matching WA State Book Award

Award Winners

2018 Washington State Book Award Winners

Washington State Book Awards winners were announced on Saturday, October 13, 2018 at the Seattle Public Library. The Washington State Book Awards honor works of outstanding literary merit by Washington authors. An award is given based on the strength of the publication’s literary merit, lasting importance and overall quality to an author who was born in …

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