In 2008 I quit an all-consuming sales position in Missoula and tried to move with my husband to Lake Pend Oreille in the slim Idaho panhandle, where we hoped to rededicate ourselves to our writing. Mother nature had other plans for us, blanketing the Inland Northwest with record-breaking snowfall and rendering our little cabin in …
To celebrate Banned Books Week (September 25- October 1), Auntie’s Bookstore in Spokane posted photos of its staff holding beloved books that have been banned or challenged. The books pictured: Lolita The Catcher in the Rye Catch-22 Animal Farm and 1984 The Kite Runner The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Watchmen Fahrenheit 451 …
I sit back and read the announcement’s first paragraph, that whole thing about If Not for This being “crowned.” I reread that, all royalty. But then I get to the killer line, the Jurassic-scale fly in the ointment; “…we would like each winner to choose his or her favorite PNBA member bookstore…” Seriously? One? I …
Communities all over the country are using Where’s Waldo to promote local businesses. Waldo-seekers pick up a passport, then go from shop to shop finding Waldo cut-outs (and a bonus of his dog, Woof in some places!) throughout the month of July. Most venues will hold a big Waldo party at the end of the …
Does your local indie bookstore have the Kids’ Next Indie Next list? Most do! It’s a quarterly newsletter compiled by the American Bookseller’s Association, with recommendations from booksellers all around the country. The Spring Kids’ Next List just came out, and Washington booksellers are well-represented. Hooray, us! To see the full lists, click here. Below, …
51 a. According to recent census numbers, Spokane, Washington is a city of 209,000 in a county of 476,000 in a metropolitan area of roughly 670,000. b. I am roughly one of those people. c. Almost five years ago, I wrote a now comically out-of-date essay (or was it a short …
“As a self-proclaimed introvert, I couldn’t pass up reading this book. Quiet by Susan Cain contains a fascinating history of our culture’s extrovert ideal, psychology and brain science comparing introverts and extroverts and, most inspiring, case studies of successful introverts. Without introverts we wouldn’t have Apple computers or iPods, Harry Potter or the Cat in …
“If you are anything like me, you might wish you knew some of the people in this book. Yes, they are a figment of Justin Taylor’s imagination, but there is an element here that reminds me of NPR’s “This American Life.” I can see how these characters’ experiences, although much more exciting, reckless and cavalier …
