With Twice the Love, Dessie Mei: A Conversation with Justina Chen

Island Books is delighted to host our longtime friend and author, Justina Chen, for the release of her brand-new middle grade novel, With Twice the Love, Dessie Mei, on Tuesday, May 7th at 6:30pm. Not only is this inspirational and heartfelt book set in Seattle, but it's also filled with characters that bring home the issues of our times.

I loved this book from start to finish. Dessie Mei has always known she's adopted from China. When her family has to move to Seattle to help a grandparent with memory issues transition into assisted living, she is uprooted in the middle of the school year to a new school. Hopeful that making a new friend in 6th grade won't be too hard, imagine Dessie Mei's surprise when she walks into her first classroom and finds a girl who looks EXACTLY like her. Donna is also adopted, and the two form an immediate bond. They look so much alike that they can't help but wonder... are they twins?

With that intriguing start I was completely hooked, and I’m so glad Justina Chen was able to take the time to sit down with me and talk about her wonderful new book!

Lori: Welcome Justina! I absolutely loved With Twice the Love, Dessie Mei. Can you tell us about the inspiration for your book?

Justina: My beloved Mama—who we lost a few months ago—was such a beautiful force of community. I saw that in the way she embraced my two stepdaughters who were adopted from China into a white family. She scooped them to her heart. So when one of my dear friends told me in close conversation that she and her daughter—both adopted, one from Korea, the other from China—had never felt welcome in the Asian American community, well, that was a dagger in my heart. With the rise of anti-Asian violence, the need to write this story became urgent. We’ve become so good at calling people out at a time when we must be exceptional at calling people into community. That’s the heart of this book. I hope that every reader who picks up With Twice the Love, Dessie Mei knows with utter conviction at the Mama-level that: YOU BELONG.

L: I love that, “calling people into community.” I really saw that as I read. You are delving into quite a few challenging topics. What was the hardest part to write?

J: I knew I was handling the most sensitive material in my entire writing career: adoption and adoptees. So I listened intently to the people I love most in the world who are adopted. I found a counselor who’s adopted and who works with a number of adolescent adoptees. She gave me an incredible reading list, and from there, I dove into abandonment and belonging, complex PTSD and attachment theory, identity-formation and community-building. It was important to me that adoptees were represented in my entire team: my agenting team to my editorial team, including my authenticity reader.

L: As a reader, it was so rich to see the contrast between Dessie Mei and Donna’s adoptions, in a way that made clear everyone has a unique experience; there’s no one “right” way. So, what was the easiest part to write?

J: The story itself came to me in a flash: I knew the emotional throughline. I heard the characters and I saw the plot so clearly, I wrote the first draft in an eight-day fever dream. Aside from North of Beautiful, words have never poured out of me that fast. So fast, my fingers could barely keep up with the paragraphs that were falling out of me fully formed. Of course, the second draft took a good year to write. In that draft, I had to make sure that every word was nuanced, every sentence finessed, every idea stood on solid research. L: The care you took with your polishing really shows. I loved that you said in your author’s note that this was the book you wrote for your 10-year old self — I've read your YA and wonder if you could talk about the difference in voice between writing YA and writing Middle Grade?

J: Such a good question! In my mind, the YA voice can be snarky, but the MG voice is sassy. There is a delightful indomitability in that middle grade voice that I relish—and as a grown woman who is still growing, I strive to recapture and live that middle grade spirit. L: That is a good distinction! I can see that in Dessie Mei: she really has a willingness to try to find a way, no matter the circumstances. The title of your book is so distinct, can you share how you came to it and the meaning of "with twice the love"?

J: It took forever and a day to come up with the title, and that phrase represents so much. The long-lost twins. The love of all their different families. The expansiveness of love itself. And of course, for Dessie, it is the perfect sign-off to an important and brave open letter she writes.

Thank you so much Justina!

Join us on Tuesday May 7th at 6:30pm to see Justina Chen in conversation with Shari Leid and celebrate the publication of With Twice the Love, Dessie Mei!

— Lori

Book Notes: Funny Story

A new book from Emily Henry is the perfect way to finish up the month of April, and this is definitely one of those times when the bookseller perk of getting to read Funny Story early was a wonderful treat!

Daphne Vincent thought all the pieces of her life were falling into place. She’s engaged to a wonderful man, moved to his hometown of Waning Bay, Michigan, and landed her dream job as a children’s librarian. The wedding is only months away and Daphne is settling into her future when Peter comes home after his bachelor party and tells Daphne he’s leaving her. For his childhood best friend, Petra. Suddenly Daphne has a week to move out of the house that she thought she’d grow old in, but only has his name on the papers. And she’s trapped in Waning Bay until the end of the summer because of the Library Read-a-Thon, a fundraiser she’s been planning since she started her job. After that she can leave and never look back. Her ex’s new girlfriend not only participated in breaking up Daphne’s engagement, but she’s left her own boyfriend, Miles, behind to be with Peter. Daphne needs somewhere to stay, and Miles needs someone to cover the rent Petra is no longer paying. They say misery loves company and who better to be miserable with than the person in the same position you are?

Yet it takes being blindsided by invitations to Peter and Petra’s upcoming wedding to push Miles and Daphne into a building a tentative friendship. He's chaotic, she's buttoned up, but a drunken night out, two RSVP’s to the wedding neither of them want to believe is happening, and a teeny tiny little lie (they’re dating each other, they don’t need plus ones for the wedding) puts these roommates on the same team. Emily Henry excels at creating characters with good hearts trying to do their best in relationships while also working through the baggage of their past. In spite of his chaos, Miles is an absolute delight. When he finds out that Daphne is planning on leaving Waning Bay as soon as the summer is over, he takes it upon himself to share with her all the things he loves so much. His pleasure in life, even with his recent heartbreak, spills over into Daphne. As she makes friends of her own and finds her footing in Waning Bay, she starts to reconsider what might come next. I loved these characters and I loved their story and the audiobook is read by my favorite, Julia Whelan. What more could a romance-lover ask for?

To celebrate the release of Funny Story, Island Books also has some fun related merchandise for sale from Out of Print. T-shirts, tote bags and zip pouches, all in pops of color and just right to show off your Emily Henry love! I’ve snagged a T-shirt for myself, and am definitely eyeing a tote bag to pack up with spring and summer reading. Stop by Island Books and preorder your copy of Funny Story, out Tuesday, April 23rd. I can’t wait to hear what you think!

— Lori

Sarah: A New Bookseller Appears!!

I’ve been a reader for as long as I can remember. I have wonderful memories of visiting the old downtown Bellevue Library on Main Street, signing up for the annual summer reading program at the Eastgate KCLS branch, and running my fingers along the spines of books at the University Bookstore whenever my family ate out at the nearby Azteca restaurant. My mom almost always bought me the latest Baby Sitter’s Club or Sweet Valley Twins book. I was such a devoted reader that I used to force my friends to lounge under our family’s ping-pong table and listen to me read aloud some of my favorite novels, including Fantastic Mr. Fox, James and the Giant Peach, and Wendy and the Bullies. It was a surprise to no one when I became a 6th grade reading teacher and then an elementary librarian!

In late 2020, deciding I needed a break from education, I applied to the Master’s in Children’s Literature program at Simmons University, not knowing where it would lead me, but excited by the prospect of a grand adventure. In July of 2021 my husband, daughter, dog and I moved across the country to Newton, MA so I could study children’s literature and, while I am so grateful for everything I learned and all the fabulous people we met, I can’t wait to be back in the Pacific Northwest, especially because I’ll be working at Island Books! I have always wanted to work at an independent bookstore, so having an opportunity to grow the children’s department, connect readers with books, and meet even more people who are passionate about kidlit is beyond exciting.

I love all kinds of kids' books, from picture books to young adult novels, but I gravitate toward middle grade stories. I even produce the Happy Reading podcast, which spotlights middle grade books by topic. Some of my all-time favorite books include The Westing Game, the Vanderbeekers series, Boy Meets Boy, and Should I Share My Ice Cream? (an Elephant & Piggie book). Some more recent five-star reads include The Mona Lisa Vanishes, The First State of Being, The Color of Sound, and Dear Mr. G (I’m a sucker for picture books that make me cry).

When I’m not reading or browsing the shelves at my local library or bookstore, I also enjoy crocheting (I taught myself a few weeks ago and love it), baking, building with LEGO, planning our next Disney vacation, walking our adorable dog Jefferson, and watching movies with my family while snuggled up on the couch.

I can’t wait to start the next chapter of my life at Island Books!

Find me on Instagram as @kidlit_lover and via my podcast website: https://happyrdng.blogspot.com/

— Sarah Threlkeld

Independent Bookstore Day 2024!

As we welcome April, we know all you Indie Bookstore aficionados are getting ready for your (and our) favorite day of the year: Independent Bookstore Day! Celebrated across the country, here in the Puget Sound area we have so many fantastic Independent Bookstores to visit, it really is an embarrassment of riches for book lovers. Whether this is your first—or tenth—Independent Bookstore Day, we hope you stop by to see us at Island Books and enjoy a day of discovering new bookstores or revisiting old favorites.

At Island Books we’ll have lots of treats and snacks throughout the day. We’ll have some of the famous Island Books typewriters set up for visitors to try. Plus a $100 gift card to Island Books will be hidden in our children's section! Our staff rec shelves will be stocked and you can check out all our seasonal tables and browse our various sections, including our new romance section, to find that perfect serendipitous read!

If you're an audiobook fan, as many of the staff at Island Books are, we are one of the lucky stores to have a Libro.fm Golden Ticket (good for 12 free audiobook credits) hidden away in our shelves. And check out the Libro.fm website for a limited time offer for those starting a new membership!

For those of you who REALLY want to celebrate all of our amazing Independent Bookstores, once again we will be doing the Passport Challenge! Pick up your passport at any bookstore starting Saturday April 27th, and you have until Monday May 6th to visit all 28 participating bookstores, get a stamp, and earn a one-time 25% discount at each participating store, valid until April 25th, 2025. For past champs, if you haven’t used your current discount yet, you’re running out of time! There will also be an intermediate prize for those who make it to five participating bookstores — check out the Seattle Independent Bookstore Day 2024 website for all the details and other FAQ’s.

So mark your calendars, make lists of those books you’ve been meaning to pick up, plan your routes, and we’ll see you on April 27th!

— Lori

Book Notes: A Suffragist’s Guide to the Antarctic

My reading in the first quarter of this year has had an inadvertent theme of suffragists and polar exploration. I haven’t gone out searching for them; these books keep finding me. Which was made all the more obvious when I picked up Yi Shun Lai’s YA historical, A Suffragist’s Guide to the Antarctic.

Clara Kettering-Dunbar is 18 years old and the sole female in a British expedition to the Antarctic in the close of the year 1914. An American veteran of the suffrage movement in Britain, posing as a Canadian, Clara knows she is already pushing the boundaries of what women are societally expected to do. She does have supporters amongst the expedition crew, namely the captain, but just as many who expect her to fail. It will take all of Clara’s strength of will, and an ability to reach beyond her own well-earned beliefs, to see the lessons to be learned from the Antarctic and from her fellow crew.

The account is told as journal entries, and Clara lays bare not only her various experiences, but also her unvarnished feelings in these circumstances. She slowly reveals her unconventional upbringing, her complicated parents, and how she became involved in the suffrage movement. In all that she faces, Clara boldly stands up for her beliefs. Despite coming up against unrelenting misogyny from certain members of the crew, she will not relent in demonstrating her fitness to be part of the team. And then there’s the cold. I could feel it in my bones reading about all the many layers Clara puts on to keep herself warm, and the constant juggling required to keep the crew marginally protected and fed. Let’s just say that the Antarctic is something I’d much rather read about than actually experience. If you’re looking for a YA historical (that’s not World War II) taking on an unexpected pocket of history, give A Suffragist’s Guide to the Antarctic a try!

And if you’d like to meet the author in person, you’re in luck! We’re happy to welcome Yi Shun Lai to Island Books on Saturday, April 6th at 4:30pm. She’ll be in conversation with Justina Chen, and it’s sure to be a fascinating talk. We look forward to seeing you!

— Lori

Book Notes: Belles of London Series

Some of you may have noticed a new addition to our store �� Island Books now has a dedicated romance section and I couldn't be happier. Cheerful covers in bright colors, containing stories where all kinds of people find their HEA (happy ever after) or HFN (happy for now). As a person who decidedly prefers books to end on a happy (or at least hopeful) note, romances are a genre I can count on. And often an author will write a series that lets you watch everyone out of a friend group find love, allowing me to linger in a delightful fictional world.

One series that I just discovered, a little late to the party, is Belles of London by Mimi Matthews. Lil recommended the first book, The Siren of Sussex, a few years ago, and I was finally able to pick it up. I barely needed Cindy’s "first page test" to be hooked and quickly finished it. I then raced through the next two books, The Belle of Belgrave Square and The Lily of Ludgate Hill, in this planned four book series. (The fourth being The Muse of Maiden Lane, coming out 11/19/24).

Set in Victorian England, all the heroines are equestriennes, and finding the marriage mart challenging for a variety of reasons. The Siren of Sussex features Evelyn Maltravers, the second daughter of an impoverished family. After her older sister embroiled herself in scandal instead of making the advantageous marriage she was supposed to, Evelyn is tasked with snaring herself a wealthy husband and saving her family. But she knows her best chance to catch the eye of eligible noblemen is not in the ballroom but on the back of her horse, a place she always feels confident. And to really make an impression, she needs the most fashionable riding habits she can afford.

Enter Ahmad Malik, who only needs the right influential woman of the ton to wear his designs to help him finally realize his dream of owning his own dressmaker's establishment. When Evelyn commissions him to make her riding habits, he decides to take her as his muse and dress her for the season. It's not long before fitting sessions blossom into something more, but Evelyn is bound by financial constraints. And Ahmad is reluctant to entangle his own heart with a woman society says he could never have. The path of true love never did run smooth!

I loved the way Mimi Matthews took on the challenges of an interracial couple with significant class differences as the heart of her romance. And I also loved every lushly described detail of the gorgeous clothes Ahmad designs for Evelyn. Throughout The Siren of Sussex, enough teasers are dropped for the other heroines of her series (and their prospective beaus) that I was eager to continue on and see what romances lay in store for them. Matthews builds romantic tension masterfully and employs a dual point-of-view so the reader can appreciate the inner journeys of both leads.

Pick up The Siren of Sussex if a swoony Victorian historical romance series sounds like the escape read you need right now. Or come check out our new romance section and see what else catches your eye!

— Lori

Cookbook Book Club: Nosh

And we're back! I know it's been a while since our last Cookbook Book Club, but we have a great author event lined up for our next one. We really love having the author of the cookbook attend for that extra something special. Micah Siva, author of Nosh: Plant-Forward Recipes Celebrating Modern Jewish Culture, will be in town as part of her debut cookbook book tour, and her Seattle stop is Island Books! This gorgeous book came out last Tuesday, and we'll keep a stack in stock all month so you can pick up a copy to peruse before our book club meeting. Join us Wednesday, April 3 at 6:30 for an excellent time with Micah and some delicious food.

Nosh focuses on plant-forward versions of Jewish favorites, as well as innovative, modern takes on the recipes Micah grew up with. She is a trained chef and a registered dietitian, and she's turned her passion for both into a successful recipe blog and business. This is her first cookbook, and it's full of gorgeous photography (she's also a professional food photographer), concise explanations and definitions (and she's a professional recipe writer; a woman of many talents), and food that has my stomach rumbling. In fact, I already have a list of recipes I'm planning on making leading up to our book club meeting in April. From Lemony Blintzes and Vegan Potato Latkes, to Chickpea and Olive Shakshuka and Olive Oil, Pistachio, and Ricotta Cornmeal Sheet Cake, as well as several types of kugel, Micah's book is stuffed with colorful recipes that are suited for a variety of occasions and will delight everyone who comes to your table.

We can't wait to meet together again and share all of the amazing dishes made from the recipes in this book. Pick one that intrigues you, have fun making it, and bring it to share while Micah tells us about her book and the inspiration behind it. She'll stick around to sign copies while we mingle and eat delicious things. We'll also have copies of her children's book 1, 2, 3 Nosh With Me on hand for signing if you want to introduce your little ones to traditional Jewish foods. Can't wait to see you there!

— Becca

Book Notes: Expiration Dates

Sometimes you pick up a book on a whim and feel, almost against your will, pulled into the plot. Unable to extricate yourself because each chapter expertly leads you into the next until you’re in so deep you have to find out what happens. Such was my experience with Rebecca Serle’s forthcoming book, Expiration Dates.

Daphne Bell’s romantic relationships have all been bound by one thing: a piece of paper that appears before or in the initial moments of meeting a man telling her how long they’ll be together. So far, the papers have never been wrong. And then one day, on her way out to the door to a blind date set up by a friend, Daphne gets a paper with no expiration date. Just the name of the man she’s going to meet — Jake. Suddenly Daphne has all the time in the world to explore a relationship with Jake, and all the confidence of believing she’s guaranteed a lifetime with this person. But as things move along with Jake, Daphne wonders how much knowing you're meant to be with someone impacts truly wanting to be with them.

Rebecca Serle does an excellent job with the slow reveal, and she uses first person, which isn’t something I encounter too often in adult fiction. To begin with I experienced Daphne as a person with abundant self-confidence yet detached and without much personal passion. But the further I got into the book and the more Daphne revealed about herself, I began to appreciate how her life had shaped her. I kept turning down pages for lines I loved for their authenticity, until, by the end, it was all just so real and vulnerable I could have turned down every page. Expiration Dates is not a conventional romance by any means, but the pleasure of it comes from both the intricacy of the construction (which would lend itself to rereading) and the deceptively straightforward prose. This would be the perfect book to buddy read with a friend because there’s so much to discuss.

Expiration Dates comes out March 19th, so put in your preorder now and have a great book to look forward to!

— Lori

Book Notes: Where the Dark Stands Still

The adult and young adult fantasy genre has seen so many iterations of fairytale retellings. And many of us are happy to discover our favorite fairytales in inventive new frameworks and settings again and again. I finally noticed the ones I always gravitate towards have a strong Beauty and the Beast theme. From Robin McKinley’s two Beauty and the Beast retellings (Beauty and Rose Daughter, both excellent) to Uprooted by Naomi Novik, to A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer, there’s something about a girl and a sentient house and a curse just begging to be broken that I find immensely satisfying. 

Enter the newest addition to my list, A. B. Poranek’s debut YA Fantasy, Where the Dark Stands Still. When Liska enters the Driada, a forest rumored to be infested with demons, it’s in search of the fabled fern flower. For Liska, the wish the flower grants is her only hope to rid herself of the magic she’s had all her life, magic considered demonic by her pious village. If she wants any chance to live a normal life, the magic must go. So Liska braves the tricksy forest and its dangerous inhabitants. But in discovering the fern flower, she also encounters its forbidding guardian, the powerful Leszy. His bargain for the flower is one year of service to him in his House Under the Rowan Tree, shrouded in decades of neglect. Liska reasons she can endure a year of servitude to be free of her magic, and makes the bargain. Of course, there’s more to the house, the Leszy, and the forest than Liska can know. A year of forced proximity brings to light many secrets, not the least of which is the true origins of the Driada itself. 

As Where the Dark Stands Still draws significantly from Polish folklore, I found myself quickly out of my depth, both in pronunciation and in familiarity. I’d heard of rusalka and hearth spirits from other Slavic inspired fantasies, but the Leszy, the strzygon and many others were unknown to me. It was enjoyable to have a new-to-me framework paired with elements of Beauty and the Beast. And beyond that, Poranek’s writing was filled with delightful moments of wry humor and wisdom, not to mention a simmering romantic thread. It was a pleasure to watch Liska comes into deeper knowledge of herself and her inner strength. For those of you looking for a reading experience with no cliff hangers or loose ends, Where the Dark Stands Still is that rare thing in YA Fantasy these days: a standalone novel. It is the perfect read for fantasy lovers to curl up with during these rainy evenings!

— Lori

Book Notes: The Women

One of the perks of bookselling I was unaware of when I came into the business is author dinners. When a publisher is trying to build momentum for a book, they can host dinners with local booksellers and other people in the book world. It allows them to highlight their featured author, giving that author a chance to talk books—and Their Book—with people in a direct position to make a difference to sales. And provide said booksellers with a nice meal at a nice restaurant. As a person who usually prefers to spend evenings cozy with a book, these events have to have an author I really want to meet before I'll sign up to go. So when the invite to an author dinner with Kristin Hannah for her new book, The Women, dropped into my email inbox last July, I immediately accepted.

To prepare, I set aside several of my cozy evenings to read the book. On paper, the plot isn't an immediate fit for my interests, but let me tell you: once I started The Women, I could not put it down.

Nurse-in-training Frankie McGrath comes from a family of proud military service. The men of the family, that is. So when her brother signs up to go to Vietnam, she utilizes her nursing profession to follow him to the battlefield. But nursing in a combat zone is a rough awakening for Frankie, and news of her brother's death only adds to her disorientation. She's thrown in the deep end, eventually making fast friends with two other nurses who help her acclimatize and survive in Vietnam. When she finally returns stateside, she finds a family ashamed of her service, a country at odds over the war, and a military that refuses to acknowledge her as a veteran. Frankie's journey to healing, belonging and respect for all that she's gone through takes so many turns. Breathlessly turning the pages, eager to see what would happen next, I learned so much about the women involved in Vietnam. I felt Kristin Hannah was able to find the perfect balance of conveying the horror of this particular war without gratuitously dwelling on it, as well as exploring the physical and emotional toll war takes on any person involved.

At the dinner (wonderful by the way), Kristin Hannah shared with us that in writing about the Vietnam era, she was writing about a period of history that is very immediate for her, because she lived through it. It was delightful to chat with her about The Women, be asked what books I'm reading and recommending, and hear about how much she loves talking with booksellers. Getting to have a personal conversation with such a well-known and beloved writer felt so special, and now I know I'll think of that moment with every book of hers I read and every book of hers I sell. On that note, we still have copies of The Women at Island Books, so stop by and pick one up today!

— Lori

Lillian's Next Chapter

I cannot tell you how many times I've been told how wonderful our children's section is, how thoughtfully curated, how delighted people are to find unique books and gifts for the children in their lives. And that is primarily down to one person: our children's specialist, Lillian. So we're sad to say (although happy for her) that Lil is moving onto a new chapter in her working life. After 20 years in the book industry, she'll be shifting to work for a Design/Build firm in Wallingford, running their small home goods store and project-managing for their interior designers.

Lil and I started working at Island Books at roughly the same time, but since she came with 12 years of experience to the book industry and I came with none (beyond being a lifelong reader), she was always willing to walk me through the many new things I had to learn.

Lil shared with me some of the things she’s been thinking about as her time at Island Books comes to an end:

Lil: “When I think about things I'll miss the most, one will definitely be the many picture books I've read over the years. Conservatively, I’ve probably read 3,000-4,000 while at Island Books. Which sounds like a crazy number, but given the buying schedule for the kids' section, and checking the math, that is probably right.”

Lori: “Reading picture books is one of those unexpected delights of working in the kids' section. And the amount you read just goes to show how the kids' section is so well curated, because the time goes into thoughtfully selecting what goes on the shelves.”

Lil: “For sure. The curation comes from the store choosing to invest the time. Island Books has always made it a priority to have people in the kids' section who make it their job to take the time TO curate the kids' section so well. Luckily, we’ve been a team of 3 back in the kids' section for a few years now, so 2/3rds of us will still be here.”

Lori: “So getting exposure to all those amazing picture books, that’s something on the running the kids' section side. What about on the personal side?”

Lil: “Without question the thing I will miss the most is just the day-to-day talking to people — coworkers, customers, anyone — about books. In a single day I can have conversations covering queer representation to the value of graphic novels to what new rom-com I want to read on my lunch break.”

Lori: “I agree, talking with people about books is one of the best parts of the job. I know our chats about the books we’re reading, and want to read, are always so fun. How do you choose the books you read for your own enjoyment?”

Lil: “When I started this job, I gave up letting anyone or anything tell me what to read; that's how I’ve continued to love reading outside of work. I don't believe in the word "should" when it comes to reading.”

Lori: “Wise words. On that note, any parting recommendations for us?”

Lil: “When I thought about what I kept recommending over and over again, these were the books I reached for:

Lillian's Favorite Recommendations"

What are the books that you remember Lil recommending? She’d love to hear if there was a book she put in your hands that was memorable. You can stop by Island Books on Thursday, February 29th, until 5pm, to wish Lil well in her next chapter!

— Lori

A Celebration of Robin Oliveria

Now, several of you will likely recognize the name Robin Oliveria. This may be because she's a wonderful local author, or because we've had the honor of hosting her several times, or because you're a lover of historical fiction. However it is that you know her, she'll be here at Island Books once again on Thursday, February 15 from 6:30 to 7:30, to celebrate the release of her newest book, A Wild and Heavenly Place! We are always excited to welcome friends and supporters of the store who happen to be amazing local authors as well *wink*, and love having them for book signings and Q&As.

A Wild and Heavenly Place is a historical fiction that begins in Glasgow, Scotland with the happenstance meeting of two individuals from very different walks of life. Hailey MacIntyre, the daughter of a rich banker, has everything. Samuel Fiddes, on the other hand, is raising his sister in the tenements of Glasgow while trying to survive. But when Samuel saves Hailey's younger brother from a runaway carriage, their lives become intertwined. When Hailey's father impulsively moves them across the world to the burgeoning coal town of Seattle after the City of Glasgow Bank fails in 1878, Samuel follows. As they try to make a life for themselves in this unfamiliar place, their roles reverse and they have to deal with the many challenges that come from living in a rough frontier town. Full of Seattle history and featuring Newcastle and the San Juan Islands, this is a book I can't wait to read!

Robin Oliveira is the New York Times bestselling author of My Name Is Mary Sutter, I Always Loved You, and Winter Sisters. She got her BA in Russian and an MFA in Vermont. If you want to learn more about her and her love of the places she's lived, check out this recent Seattle Times article (which provides some excellent behind-the-scenes looks into her inspiration). You can preorder A Wild and Heavenly Place now, and we'll have it ready for you on February 13 when it is released. Or you can pick it up when you come for the event on February 15, where there will be chocolate, bubbles (both of the alcoholic and non-alcoholic varieties), and books galore. We can't wait to see you there!

— Becca

Book Notes: Little Women

I’m sure I’m not alone in having a long-standing relationship with Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. My first introduction to the March sisters was the 1933 film starring Katherine Hepburn as feisty Jo, a VHS borrowed from the library as many times as I was allowed. Then I was given a lovely hardcover illustrated edition that I read to pieces. After that I sought out all the other Louisa May Alcott books I could find, scouring the shelves of the library and the corners of used bookstores. I followed the continuing story of the March sisters through Little Men and Jo's Boys. And soon became as enamored with Alcott's many other charming family stories laced through with morality, like Eight Cousins, Jack and Jill, and A Garland for Girls.

Of course, I loved the 1994 Little Women film with Winona Ryder. When I went to college across the country, I left my hardcover Little Women behind and purchased a paperback to take with me, for comfort reading in the midst of all my coursework. While on the East Coast, I visited Orchard House in Concord, and wandered around the rooms, picturing Louisa and her sisters (and the fictional Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy) within its walls. I continued to look for more obscure Alcott titles any time I browsed a used bookstore. And in the years since, I kept turning to Little Women, for the coziness of family togetherness despite hardship, the dreams of the girls as they grow into women, the trials of domestic life, and the silver linings in the midst of adversity. I may have put the March family on a bit of a pedestal. 

They say a marker of growth can be reading a beloved book as you age and seeing how it changes with you. As the years keep going by, I've grown to see the complexities of Little Women, and of the life of Louisa May Alcott herself. Some of that is certainly due to novelists who took on Little Women, or the Alcott family, bringing a fresh viewpoint to the familiar story. Books like March by Geraldine Brooks, The Other Alcott by Elise Hooper, and So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix by Bethany C. Morrow. Greta Gerwig’s 2019 adaption added to the mix, and now, over 30 years after my first encounter with Little Women, I love it still, but with a love that is more expansive and accepting of the humanity of the characters and the author. 

Island Books has a table filled with all things Louisa May Alcott in celebration of the Mercer Island High School Drama’s production of Little Women, adapted by Thomas Hischak. Check out this link for times and tickets!

— Lori

Book Notes: A Fragile Enchantment

Imagine the romance of Bridgerton, with its intrigue and dresses and anonymous gossip column, then add a dash of magic, and you’ll have Allison Saft’s newest YA fantasy, A Fragile Enchantment.

Niamh Ó Conchobhair has been selected to be the royal tailor to His Royal Highness Prince Christopher on the occasion of his betrothal and marriage to the Infanta Rosa during the height of the Avlish social season. Niamh has been chosen not only for the exquisite quality of her work, but also for her magical ability to stitch enchantment into her garments. She can use her gift to craft clothing that coax both the wearer and the beholder into seeing and feeling what she intends. Niamh has also been chosen because she is from Machland—a neighboring island to Avaland, only recently independent after years of colonization and ruthless exploitation—where grievances still run deep. And the Avlish royals like the optics of granting a Machlish person such a distinguished position, hoping it will dampen some of the unrest. Avaland still provides opportunity and money, and Niamh knows she must take this chance to provide for her mother and grandmother, however much they may dislike the means.

When Niamh reaches the royal household, she finds not only beauty right out of the fairy tales she devoured as a child, but also a family at odds with itself, and with the future of the country. Prince Christopher’s marriage is a political one, not a love match, and the longer Niamh spends with him, the more she sees past his prickly, thorny exterior to the young man beneath. She begins to wonder whether the worlds they come from, seemingly so far apart, could ever find some common ground.

The cadence of Allison Saft’s prose enfolded me into her world of magical gifts which come at a cost, enchanted cloaks, and boys with thistles at their fingertips. A world of difficult choices and toxic cycles begging to be broken. A world where love must be brave and go where it wills. A world where you don’t have to be sacrificed or sacrifice yourself to the betterment of the greater good. A world with friends who tell you the hard truths. Allison Saft has crafted a fantasy as intricate and honest and enchanting as one of Niamh’s creations.

Pick a copy up today; it’ll be the perfect book to curl up with while the rain mists away outside!

— Lori

Book Notes: Recipe for a Charmed Life

As I type these words, I’m watching the rain/snow come down out of a grey sky and thinking how good it is that so many different books exist. I can choose if I want to complement the day or season, or if I want something to take me away. I’ll have something for you cold-lovers soon, but for today, I’ve got the perfect read to immerse you in the smells of the kitchen and the beauty of the San Juan Islands: local author Rachel Linden’s latest novel, Recipe for a Charmed Life.

We begin in Paris, the city of Julia Child’s culinary heart, where American chef Georgia May Jackson is on the brink of getting the only thing she’s ever wanted: a restaurant of her own. But when a shocking betrayal causes Georgia to snap at the worst possible time, it appears as though she’ll lose everything. It’s at this moment that Georgia receives an email from her mother, a woman who left her family decades ago. "Come home," she says, "I have things to tell you about our family." Her mother’s made a home and life on San Juan Island, and Georgia decides to fly to the Pacific Northwest, take the ferry out to San Juan to regroup, and see if anything can be made of the tattered remnants of her restaurant dream. Because it’s not just Georgia’s lapse in professionalism that’s standing in her way; she’s also lost her ability to taste the nuance of flavor. And what’s a chef without her sense of taste?

Rachel’s writing is light of spirit and not lacking in depth. Georgia, and other characters, are at a moment where circumstances force both a reckoning and a reassessing. The things they’ve worked hard for might be nearly within their grasp, but is that still what they want? How have they changed in the pursuit of their goal? How can they make room for their dreams to change with them? What choices have been made out of fear or protectiveness or a misplaced sense of guilt that need to be faced? Anchoring all this self-discovery is the gorgeous depth of her descriptions, from all the delectable food Georgia makes (and eats) trying to recover her palate, to the picturesque San Juan farmhouse her mother lives in, surrounded by gardens and fields and… well, if you can’t take a trip to the San Juans in person, you can take yourself there in the pages of Recipe for a Charmed Life. The hint of magic Rachel sprinkles deftly throughout gives it a touch of wonder and whimsy. And for those of us who like some romance along with introspection, there’s a grumpy oyster farmer just down the way. 

Join us Wednesday, January 31st at 6:30pm to celebrate Rachel Linden and Recipe for a Charmed Life. She’ll be in conversation with me, and knowing Rachel, she’ll bring some delicious treats along! 

— Lori

Looking Back: Top 20 Bestsellers of 2023

Hello everyone! It's that time of year again. We've compiled our lists, we've gone over them with highlighters, and now we present to you: Our Top 20 Bestsellers of 2023! This list is a reflection of the people who frequent our charming store. It shows us what was purchased again and again. It’s full of books that we couldn’t stop recommending, as well as books that were popular across the country due to celebrity book clubs, word of mouth, or social media (see Honorary #21 at the bottom of this post for an example). Either way, it’s a list of books you (and we) loved reading.

At the top of the list for its second year is Lessons in Chemistry, which continues to be the bestseller by a long shot. Others on the list include The Thursday Murder Club (loved by the entire staff and which you can read about here), No Two Persons (a Lori favorite that she wrote about here), The Wager (our current go-to non-fiction recommendation) and Taylor Swift: A Little Golden Book Biography (a title that was fun to see in the top 20). Also, a big shoutout to Honorary #21 on our list, The Fourth Wing! A breakout hit with two different editions published in 2023, it sold over 100 copies when you combine the sales for each edition.

If you need something to help jumpstart your reading for the year, you can’t go wrong with these titles. Besides, we might as well get a head start on influencing the Top 20 list for next year!

— Becca

With Love and Thanks for 2023

It’s hard to believe we’re already at the end of 2023. It’s been such a special year for Island Books: celebrating our 50th anniversary all year long and looking back at our history and the people who shaped our store into the landmark it continues to be. We’ve had Saturday morning story times with Nancy Stewart and another wonderful Independent Bookstore Day in April. A whole July full of Waldo seekers, plus the many fantastic authors we’ve hosted. Book fairs and book clubs, and so so many books read and then recommended.  The 2024 Typewriter Fixation Calendar, created by Cindy with assistance from her intern, Anna, filled with delightful facts about several of the specimens from our collection. Our wonderful 50th anniversary party, attended by so many of our bookstore friends from near and far. Thank you to all of you loyal readers, who help make Island Books the special place it continues to be. We truly could not do what we do without you.

And now we’re in the end of December. The longest night is behind us, but there’s still time to find a cozy pair of socks, an Island Books hoodie or mug, or the perfect BOOK to give to your loved ones. We’ll be here right up until 4pm on December 24th, ready to do our best to help you!

Check out our holiday hours below and note we’re taking a little break over the New Year. Maybe we’ll make a dent in our own stacks of unread books?

Wishing you all the perfect read to see you through the New Year!

— Lori

Sunday 12/24 - 9am to 4pm

Monday 12/25 - CLOSED

Tuesday 12/26 - CLOSED

Wednesday 12/27 through Friday 12/29 - 10am to 4pm

Saturday 12/30 through Monday 1/1 - CLOSED

Tuesday 1/2 - normal hours resume