To brighten up your day and give you some inspiration, we share this post from Island Books of Mercer Island, WA. May you find rituals that replenish you. “In the midst of so much daily uncertainty and chaos, I’ve found it grounding to make and keep to these small appointments, like reading one story and …
Now in paperback! Kelleen and I both loved this. When an eccentric and Edgar Allan Poe obsessed billionaire dies, his will is published in the paper, promising an inheritance to anyone who can untangled his clues. The writing is fantastic and the characters are beautifully layered. This would be a perfect October read. –Lori, Island …
In My Autobiography of Carson McCullers author (and former bookseller!) Jenn Shapland discovers love letters McCullers wrote to a woman named Annemarie. This discovery leads Shapland to look at a part of McCullers’s life never fully discussed publicly, and in part examine her own life. I love the way Shapland wove her life in with …
This summer a highly anticipated title is the YA debut by the author of the adult title Mem. Morrow sets her story in a contemporary alternative world where portions of the population have various mythical abilities and identities. Inherent in these identities are built in assumptions and prejudices, the most heightened of which are towards “sirens,” …
From the Island Books blog June 26, 2020 So our doors are open. We can better serve the public. You can buy what is on our shelves directly, instead of through Instagram or our website. That is fantastic! But, your books are still taking weeks if not months to get here. We aren’t able to …
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 …
