From the Island Books newsletter April 17, 2019 I’ve been writing poetry, or something resembling that, consistently since I was eleven years old. I’ve always liked words, the energy, the power, and the meanings that all vary. Unlike prose writing, poetry offers up a canvas of possibility in its negative space. I found I was …
On Monday, April 1, booksellers from around the region gathered in Portland with authors and publishers following a booksellers’ education session from the American Booksellers Association. The Authors on the Map book signing and a happy hour hosted by Forest Avenue Press, Counterpoint Press, and Tin House Books were an opportunity for booksellers to meet …
Phinney Books in Seattle shared excitement about some spring titles in a recent newsletter. February 26 The Border by Don Winslow The arrival of this final volume is making it clear that Winslow’s epic trilogy about the drug wars on the US-Mexico border is one of the central fictional dramas of our time, closing in a storm …
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland on acid– I think that pretty well sums up this young adult novel. While this book is a debut for Ms. Albert, it is far from her first writing. Her occupation calls upon her to write extensively and she has written for magazines and more, including McSweeney’s. This book will be …
The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association, the regional trade association for independent bookstores, just concluded its annual fall trade show this week. This means that the PNBA Board of Directors gathered, and when that happens, there’s a tradition of going around the room to introduce ourselves and something we’ve read lately. Below are the books that …
I averaged three art classes a day during my last year of high school. It was the only thing that elevated my GPA above what could generously be called alarming. I spent the majority of those twelve semesters failing a lot of classes, or nearly failing them. A multitude of reasons were at play, but …
I had so much fun putting together a Fall Books Preview email last August that I thought I’d do the same for the spring (which, they assure me, is right around the corner). Fall gets all the attention as the big season for books, but, as you can see below, springtime is chock-full of splendid …
Erik Larsen has great talent in setting the scene, recreating a historic atmosphere long past. His books make history not only accessible to readers but tangible, bringing in details and perspectives previously unexplored. In Dead Wake he is in top form, recounting the story of the Lusitania’s final voyage in May of 1915. Alternating chapters …
If you stopped into your favorite indie bookstore last week and didn’t see all the regular faces, it may have been because folks were in New York City for the annual BookExpo America, a.k.a. BEA. When you see them now, they may look verrrry tired because they’ve been up late every night reading advance readers …
