Out of an abundance of caution and concern for everyone, this year’s Seattle Independent Bookstore Day, originally scheduled for April 25, has been postponed. August 29, 2020, a Saturday, is the tentative new date. Visit our SIBD web page seattlebookstoreday.org. It lists all of the bookstores involved in this year’s event. Many, if not most, …
Kirkland, WA was the site of the first reported cases of coronavirus in the US. The governor of WA, Jay Inslee, declared a state of emergency (as have CA and MD). Large tech employers have instructed employees to work from home and one school district has closed for up to two weeks while they transition …
by Paul Constant for The Seattle Times (originally posted Jan. 21, 2020) Nourishing “long roots”: In a year, Madison Books has forged an essential role in one of Seattle’s oldest communities Decades before Seattle Center was built, Madison Park was where Seattle came to have fun. Early settlers in Pioneer Square would escape the hustle …
Last week, booksellers, authors, illustrators, and publishing professionals from around the country gathered in Baltimore for the American Booksellers Association annual education conference, Winter Institute. Among the featured authors was WA’s own Deb Caletti, promoting her upcoming young adult book, Girl, Unframed. On her way home, Caletti experienced a particularly uplifting experience. She posted about …
For adult fiction, and a tie for my favorite overall read of 2019 is The Guest Book by Sarah Blake. I’ve already written about it in a previous post, picked it for our birthday sale . . . and tried to sell it to anyone who asks me what the best thing is I’ve read lately. This is …
Ann Patchett’s newest novel gives us two separate portraits: one of a family and one of a house. Danny, the son of a self-made man, and presumptive heir to both his business and the luxurious Dutch House, narrates this story. I found I could never predict where the story was going to go. As soon …
Clare Meeker is a passionate researcher with a love for telling stories to children. She was the perfect local candidate to be the special guest at The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators meeting the last Sunday of September for their nonfiction craft talk. I realized that throughout my various interviews with authors, I …
It’s midsummer and high time to celebrate the publication of a new thriller by Seattle writer Kevin O’Brien. While he ventured to Lopez Island for his last novel, They Won’t Be Hurt, many of the twists and turns of his new book, The Betrayed Wife, take place in Seattle, including a key scene at the Century Ballroom, …
It’s not too late to celebrate Pride Month! Island Books of Mercer Island, WA has a great list of books for kids about acceptance and love on their website. You’ll find board books, chapter books, young adult books, and books for the young-at-loving-heart. Queen Anne Book Company in Seattle has been celebrating the days of …
Originally posted on the Island Books blog In July of 2018, I read about fifteen Young Adult (YA) books. I consumed them. Whether on audio, from the library, or the advanced copies from the store, I could not get enough. This was a new development. In high school I read some, mostly Cassandra Clare or …
