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 …
A Delicious Indie Assortment: Strange Planet by Nathan W. Pyle Imagine a set of cartoon characters who appear to be alien beings but who experience many of the same daily joys and frustrations that we do. Then imagine that these beings are somehow naive and curious AND wise, with complex vocabularies and gentle senses of …
When your stand-up comedy routines fail to entertain and your career is on the fritz, there’s nothing left but to join a gang of vigilante thieves and steal the luck from winners. When Theo Potiris gets sick and tired of the family grocery business and he can’t get a laugh out of anyone, his life …
On Saturday, October 12, 2019, booklovers gathered at the Seattle Public Library Central Library to celebrate books at the 2019 Washington State Book Awards ceremony and reception. The event was recorded for a podcast; as of this posting, it was not yet live on the website, but we will continue to check back here. The …
We know you’re never at a loss for what to read next, but just in case you want some summer reading inspiration, look at the wonderful titles by Washington authors and illustrators selected by bookseller and librarian judges. The 2019 Washington State Book Awards (WSBA) are for outstanding books published by Washington authors in 2018, …
This British cozy mystery series focuses on a talented but deeply flawed detective. Agatha Raisin smokes, drinks, and is incredibly vain–on the other hand, she sure loves her cats! She doesn’t do much investigating in this one, focusing mostly on her always messy love life, but as a fan I enjoyed spending time in Agatha’s …
My 20th reading of this existential classic (I read it once a year). A story whose narrator rides waves of sorrow, dread, and sometimes joy. Ultimately empty, but with hope. Exploring and explaining a world that both makes sense to human probing, but denies it at the same time. Favorite quote: “My memories are like …
On Saturday, September 8, 2018, Auntie’s Bookstore in Spokane, WA celebrated its 40th anniversary. The store opened in 1978– originally under the name Book & Game Co. and owned by Chris O’Harra and Shannon Ahern. The store moved to its current location, the historic Liberty Building in downtown Spokane, in 1994. John Waite purchased the …
Independent bookstores take pride in connections to their communities. Stores donate books to causes or host fundraisers throughout the year, but some stores have special holiday season drives, wish lists, or angel trees for the holidays. Studies show that for every $100 you spend at one of our local businesses, $52 will stay in the …
The world has gone wacko lately, and in the fictional world of The Marriage Pact, a secret group forms that ostensibly seeks to protect the integrity of marriage. With guidelines to follow to keep the worst from happening, it isn’t long before newlyweds Alice and Jake find themselves in trouble. One of them breaks a …
