Chuckanut Reader - Spring 2014

The

Spring 2014

r e d a e R t u n a k c u h C

CHILDREN'S

BOOK WEEK

Spring Reading Recommendations

POETRY MONTH Author Events and much more!

tion ks Publica o o B e g A Villa 1 sue Vol. 21 Is

e ine for th A Magaz ders Avid Rea t s o M s t’ s Northwe

2

Spring 2014

Building Community One Book at a Time

Dear Reader, The old saying "don't believe everything you read in the newspaper" has never been more true than when considering what is being said about the demise of independent bookstores. In mid-January we had the opportunity to spend a few days with our colleagues from bookstores around the country at Winter Institute #9—this time in Seattle. Most of us, including Village Books, were celebrating the best holiday season in years.

And contrary to stories about indie bookstores going away, several of the attendees were from new stores that are part of the three-year net gain in independently operated bookstores.

Now, only a few months away from our 34th anniversary, we're already excited about entering our 35th year. You'll even find the announcement of a special anniversary event on page 5. Also in this issue you'll find information about a revised publishing program (page 25), our new Signed First Editions Club (page 22), the 4th Chuckanut Writers Conference (page 27) and 2nd Teen Writers Conference (page 62), VB's Top Ten Stories of 2013 (pages 9-10), the VB 2013 bestseller list, and much more. As always there are many previews of forthcoming books from our buyers, and reviews by staff members of recent and new books. We believe you'll enjoy this issue.

We have no illusions that we would be here without you, Dear Reader. Thank you for your support of Village Books/Paper Dreams and all local, independently operated businesses. It's clear that you know what they contribute to the livability of this community.

In This Issue...

Dear Reader Spring Activities in Fairhaven & Beyond An Awesome New Bench in the Children's Section Top Ten Stories for 2013 Fiction, Mystery, and Spec Fi (highlights & reviews) What Whatcom Was Reading 2013 The Signed First Editions Club The Chuckanut Radio Hour The Village Books Publishing Program The Chuckanut Writers Conference Get on Board the READ-cycle Train — Used Books!

Book Getaways at the Willows Inn Gardening, Cooking, & Food (book reviews) Body, Soul, & Mind (books, talks, & more) Science and Nature, (books) April is Poetry Month - Enjoy! eBooks for Independent Readers Current Events, Biographies, and History (books) Good Time Girls Open Storefront Downtown Show, Create, Discover (books & reviews) PNBA Books Awards Great Books and Awesome Activities for Kids One Books Pledger Literature Live! Author Events at VB

3 4-6 7 9-10 11-20 21 22 23 25 27 28 29 31-35 36-39 40-41 42-43 44 45-49 50 53 55 56-63 64 65-70

Extended Hours Start May 1st!

Monday - Saturday: 10am - 10pm and Sundays: 10am - 8pm 360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • www.villagebooks.com

Have a great spring!

–Chuck, Dee,

and the Entire Village Books/ Paper Dreams Family

VILLAGE BOOKS

The Chuckanut Reader Spring 2014

Publishers: Chuck and Dee Robinson Production Design: Kelly Carbert

Contributors: Jenny Blenk, Hana Boxberger, Kelly Carbert, Charles Claassen, Christina Claassen, Brendan Clark, Kelly Evert, Robert Gruen, Anna Halleen, Rachel Hanley, Paul Hanson, Sarah Hutton, Sam Kaas, Rachel McCausland, Claire McElroy-Chesson, Lindsey McGuirk, Laura Picco, Robin Robertson, Chuck Robinson, Dee Robinson, Rem Ryals, Joan Terselich, Jonica Todd, Lauren Van, Terri Weiner, Cindi Williamson, Anna Wolff Cover: Winslow Carbert LOVES the new bench in the children's section at Village Books. Yay RE Store! Come in and check it out.

Content except art & book covers ©Village Books 2014 Printed by the Lynden Tribune on paper made from 50% post-consumer waste

360.671.2626 800.392.BOOK (US & Canada) fax: 360.734.2573

browse & shop anytime!

VillageBooks.com

Village Books in Historic Fairhaven 1200 11th St., Bellingham, WA 98225

Spring 2014 3

Spring into Action!

Fairhaven Activities...

Saturday, March 29th, 10am - 3pm

The 26th Annual Fairhaven Neighbors

New Location!

PLANT & TREE SALE

Now celebrating its 26th anniversary, the plant sale that the Fairhaven Neighbors stage each year has become a real community tradition. With more than a dozen vendors, the sale provides a wide variety of plant material from bedding plants to trees. But beyond the gardening aspects, the event also gives folks a chance to get together and raise money for the neighborhood association. The plant sale will take place on Saturday, March 29th, in the Hillcrest Chapel parking lot on the corner of 14th & Old Fairhaven Parkway. For more information about the event or about being a vendor, contact Thom Prichard at 671-5517 or at joanandthom@yahoo.com. You can also check out their Facebook page FairhavenPlantAndTreeSale.

Sunday, April 27th

Dirty Dan Day Seafood Festival

Celebrate the unscrubbed founder of Fairhaven during this event-packed day!

The Dirty Dan Festival is Fairhaven’s annual celebration of seafood and of the community founder, Dirty Dan Harris.

This year’s festivities will feature great food, contests, and other family-fun activities including a salmon toss for adults & kids at 11:30am, a cupcake eating contest at 1:30pm, and a Dirty Dan look-a-like & 1800's dress contest at 3:30pm.

You also don't want to miss the beer garden from noon to 4pm next to the Green on 10th St. and the everpopular Chuckanut Chowder Cook-off from 2-3:45pm. Tickets to sample the chowders ($10) will cover a taste of each on hand, and a bowl of your favorite, with a piece of bread alongside. Tickets also allow for an opportunity to vote in the People’s Choice contest for best chowder.

For a schedule and details visit fairhaven.com/events/detail/6387/

Girls Night Out in Fairhaven

Save the Date!

4 Spring 2014

Stephanie Johnson

There will be vendors, and live music on the Fairhaven Village Green between 10am and 4pm. At "high noon," the always exciting uphill piano race will take place!

Friday, June 27th, 4-11pm Have an evening of fun in Fairhaven and help raise money for the PeaceHealth St. Joseph Cancer Research Center at this year's Girls Night Out. Look for details in the Summer Chuckanut Reader.

Store Hours through April: Mon–Sat 10am–8:30pm • Sun 11am–7pm

Literacy Trivia Bee ?

Friday, March 28th

?

??

and Silent Auction

Have you heard the buzz?

?

? ? ?

The Whatcom Literacy Council’s 18th Annual Trivia Bee is happening on Friday, March 28th.

The Trivia Bee is the Literacy Council’s annual spring fundraiser for know-it-alls, know-a-little-bits, and fun lovers of every stripe. Dozens of teams sponsored by local businesses––including Village Books’ team, The Village Idiots––converge at Bellingham High School and compete against each other while the witty remarks of co-hosts Scotty VanDryver of KAFE Radio and Jeopardy champion Ken Jennings provoke laughter and competitive spirit.

The evening begins with a Silent Auction offering tables full of great items. Bidding in the Silent Auction begins at 6pm and the Trivia Bee starts promptly at 7pm. You’ll have a great night of fun and you’ll help the WLC help others. All proceeds go to support the Whatcom Literacy Council’s efforts to provide literacy tutoring to adults in Whatcom County.

Tickets are $10—or $25 for a family—and will be available at Village Books, at the WLC office (3028 Lindbergh Ave., on the BTC campus), online through whatcomliteracy.org, or at the door.

For more information regarding the 18th Annual Trivia Bee and Silent Auction or to learn more about other ways you can promote literacy, call Katherine at the Whatcom Literacy Council at (360) 647-3264 or visit www.whatcomliteracy.org.

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Special Anniversary Benefit for Literacy Council June 18 — Boundary Bay Beer Garden Village Books and the Atlantics will celebrate the beginning of their 35th year with an evening in the Boundary Bay Beer Garden. That's right, VB and the Atlantics—first known as Eddie and the Atlantics—were both launched in 1980. This will be the second time the two have done some anniversary celebrating together, the first being in 2005 for the 25th anniversary.

This one will be a fundraiser for the Whatcom Literacy Council and will be limited to 100 celebrants. The $35 admission will include appetizers, the first beer (or other beverage) and an evening of music by the boogie, poprock and blues-playing Atlantics. Tickets are available now in the store and on Brown Paper Tickets. Act now as these limited tickets will go quickly.

360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • www.villagebooks.com

Spring 2014 5

FAIRHAVEN

STEAMPUNK FESTIVAL

The Fantastical Mr. Flip's Carnival of Wonders and Curiosities

Save the Date !

Keep an eye on VillageBooks.com for details.

Saturday, July 19th At Village Books & on the Fairhaven Village Green Join the Bellingham Steampunk Society and Village Books for a day of music, vendors, author readings, food and fun!

Mark Twain in

Fairhaven

Presented by the Old Fairhaven Association

Three-peats!

Leon Charbonneau will reprise the lead role when Mark Twain in Fairhaven returns this summer for its third season at the Firehouse Performing Arts Center in Fairhaven. Charbonneau played Twain at the Lynden Pioneer Museum in 2009 and again last summer at the Firehouse. The play, written by former Bellingham resident Joseph Lenz, is loosely based on Mark Twain's visit to Fairhaven in 1895. The popular show will be directed by Angela Mills, who was the assistant director last year.

Performances will be held over three weekends in August, beginning on Thursday, July 31st, and continuing each Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon through August 17th.

Three-peats

Tickets will be available May 1st at Village Books and online at brownpapertickets.com.

Claire McElroy-Chesson

6

Spring 2014

Shop 24 hours a day at www.villagebooks.com

BENCHES MAKE

GOOD

READERS A new reading tool has arrived at Village Books...

The Bench in the Children’s Section!

Made locally from entirely re-purposed materials, this will be the go-to spot for families when it comes to checking out the magic of books.

A queen-sized bed headboard has been converted into the back of the bench, the side rails of bunk beds became the boards for the deep seat and orphaned table legs form part of the under-structure. In addition, miscellaneous sign board lettering, saved alphabet, number and building blocks that form a “village,” picture frame corners, old trombone bells, school crossing guard flags and a salvaged, vintage cut-out lend detail to this homey base for instant imaginative mind-travel.

This piece was built by Eberhard Eichner, lead designer and builder at The RE Store of Bellingham. The furniture making departments and skill building shops of The Revision Division at the stores in Bellingham and in Seattle have been now for three years the state’s leading and award-winning forces behind innovative re-use, re-purpose and re-building with materials from the waste stream. The designs for the over 500 pieces of furniture that were built for and placed in homes and businesses across the region, range from the classy to the whimsical, but are always functional and one-of-a-kind.

More then 50,000 pounds of materials have been converted through this stylish work each year!

You can view the gallery and video library on The RE Store’s website (re-store.org) and attend the regular Saturday demonstrations in the store's showrooms. A variety of ready-built pieces are on display, and available for purchase. Custom orders can also be taken. Additionally, any DIY projects will be met with enthusiastic and detailed technical support. This can become an essential start-up tool, or be of ongoing assistance to you in the fun and resource-saving skill of re-purpose.

Be a reader, be a re-reader - read it on a re-purposed bench!

DISCOVER

Restore. Recycle.

Repurpose.: Create a Beautiful Home

by Randy Florke, Nancy J. Becker

the Magic of Creative Reuse

Live Performances • Exhibits • Lectures • Classes With sustainability and recycling being the heart and foundation of Bellingham, the second annual Recycled Art and Resource Expo (RARE) is finally here. RARE is a festival that celebrates creative reuse in the arts and other industries. The event will take place on April 4, 5, & 6 around downtown Bellingham. The Expo will consist of green art, science, and design alternatives with a big focus on artists and their diverse works, educational workshops, exhibits, speakers, performances, and an expo hall full of business and artist booths with creative green goods and ideas.

360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • www.villagebooks.com

April 4th-6th

Spring 2014

7

Mount Baker Theatre

EVENTS GRE HITSATEST RARITAND TOURIES

Memphis: The Musical May 20-21 Bring it On: The Musical ........................ Mar 05 Ask Mrs. Honey B (Walton Theatre) ......... Mar 13-23 Lightwire Theatre ................................ Mar 23 The Addams Family .............................. Mar 27 Pink Floyd Experience ........................... Mar 28 Pink Martini........................................Apr 15

Arlo Guthrie ........................................Apr 25 HAIR .................................................Apr 27 Ira Glass ........................................... May 03 Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers feat. Edie Brickell ............................ May 10 Karla Bonoff & Jimmy Webb................... May 15 www.thepinkfloydexperience.net

Mount Baker Theatre | 360-734-6080 |www.MountBakerTheatre.com

Season Sponsor

The premier guide to arts & entertainment happenings in the region!

Click on the cover of the magazine at ennw.info to download or read online.

Pick up a copy at one of nearly 200 locations in Whatcom & Skagit Counties.

Visit ennw.info for reviews, updates and advertising info.

8

Spring 2014

Building Community One Book at a Time

Top Ten Stories for 2013 Authors at the Willows

#10

Our partnership with the Willows Inn on Lummi Island launched in a big way with authors including Nancy Pearl, Jim Lynch and Rick Steves. Guests enjoyed intimate interaction with the authors and the early success has prompted a continuation of the program. Nancy Pearl will return for a two-day getaway in March, and we'll also welcome author Jamie Ford in April. Turn to page 29 or see villagebooks.com for more information.

#9

And in this Corner

The "Writers Corner" has been a great addition to the mezzanine level of the store.

The area includes a table reserved for writers, which also may be reserved for writing group meetings. The writing book section is also located there, as is a beautiful rolltop desk that was donated by James Patterson (OK, not THAT James Patterson—he's the father of Jill Patterson, a former VB staff member).

#8

Fairhaven Gives Back

On November 14 nearly twenty businesses in the Fairhaven Historic District donated ten percent of their sales to fifteen local nonprofits. The group collectively raised about $2000 on that day.

The project was considered so successful in its first year that Thursday, November 13, has been set as the date for the second annual Fairhaven Gives Back event.

#7

#6

Teen Writers Conference Debuts The inaugural 2013 Write On! Teen Writers Conference with Whatcom Young Writers drew more than 50 teens from Whatcom, Skagit and King counties. From graphic novels and improv to science fiction and poetry, this all-day conference culminated in a public open mic that inspired even the most microphone-shy to jump up and share their work. As one attendee said, "My favorite part of this entire conference is that I got to meet with people who are serious about their writing. I don't meet a lot of people like that."

The Chuckanut Radio Hour

2013 was a big year for the Chuckanut Radio Hour. The show moved from its long-time home at the Leopold's Crystal Ball Room to the Heiner Theater at Whatcom Community College, and the college became a sponsor of the show. In addition, we did a couple of "off-site" shows—one at Sudden Valley and one at Bellewood Acres. And, in April the Chuckanut Radio Hour was presented with the Mayor's Arts Award.

CONTINUED...

360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • www.villagebooks.com

Spring 2014

9

#5

continued from previous page

99¢ Shipping

Any number of books in one package now ship to a single address for 99¢. That means you would have to ship at least 80 packages via the big river company's "prime" program to beat that deal. Send a book—or any number of books—to a friend, or have them shipped directly to you, all for 99¢.

#4

99¢

SHIPPING USPS Media Mail

Indies First Program Great Success

Last fall our friend Sherman Alexie issued a challenge to fellow authors—"volunteer to work in an independent bookstore on Small Business Saturday and sell books you love." The response was overwhelming. More than 1000 authors participated at more than 400 indie stores across the country. Village Books hosted Jim Lynch, Abbe Rolnick and Clete Smith. Janet Oakley, who was stuck in Walla Walla, and Julie Trimingham came to the store the following Saturday to recommend books to readers.

#3

Shifting Type — VB's Publishing Program For more than four years, the store has been engaged in helping local authors publish and sell their books. Part of the program involved the Espresso Book Machine on which we printed and bound books for folks. While VB will continue to work with authors and assist in getting their books published, and will continue to publish its own books, the store will leave printing and binding to others more qualified. See the article on page 25 for a more thorough explanation of our publishing program.

#2

Come Together

With this being the 50th anniversary of the Beatles' first visit to the U.S. you might think that was the meaning of the title here. Instead it refers to the integration of some parts of Village Books and Paper Dreams.

The most visible part of this move has been the migration of the cooking section from the lower level of the bookstore to the south wall of the Paper Dreams section of the store. You may have also noticed our new logo (shown here) that incorporates elements of the two parts of the store.

#1

10

Spring 2014

Big Staff Changes A lot happened with staff during 2013! Jim Speidel retired; Paul Hanson became General Manager and married Kelly Evert, another member of our Leadership Team; and Jessica Williams left in December, awaiting the birth of her first child (Ethan Alexander was born on January 9th). Laura Picco took over Jim's role as remainder buyer and Rem Ryals became our lead used book buyer. With a few other internal shifts we now have what we believe is the strongest team we've ever had at the stores.

Building Community One Book at a Time

FICTION brand new

FICTION

Wake: A Novel

by Anna Hope

available now, hardcover, Random House

Wake: 1) Emerge or cause to emerge from sleep 2) Ritual for the dead 3) Consequence or aftermath. A brilliant debut novel in which three women must deal with the aftershocks of World War I and its impact on the men in their lives: a son, a brother and a lover. Their tragic connection is slowly revealed as the book unfolds.

All the Birds, Singing

by Evie Wyld

available in April, hardcover, Pantheon

Evie Wyld's protagonist lives alone on a craggy British island with her dog and a flock of sheep, haunted by her vaguely tragic past. When a mysterious enemy begins killing off her sheep, the haunting takes a more literal turn. Through alternating twin narratives, Wyld examines this solitary lifestyle on one hand, and the harrowing journey that led to it on the other. A piercing character study of an indomitable willpower, impressively crafted and resounding with human resilience. —Brendan

The UnAmericans: Stories

by Molly Antopol

available now, hardcover, Norton

Again and again, Molly Antopol’s deeply sympathetic characters struggle for footing in an uncertain world, hounded by forces beyond their control. Their voices are intimate and powerful and they resonate with searing beauty. Antopol is a superb young talent, and The UnAmericans will long be remembered for its wit, humanity, and heart.

Love and Treasure

by Ayelet Waldman

available in April, hardcover, Knopf

Amid the shadowy world of art dealers who profit off the sins of previous generations, Jack gives a necklace to his granddaughter, Natalie Stein, and charges her with searching for an unknown woman—a woman whose portrait and fate come to haunt Natalie, a woman whose secret may help Natalie to understand the guilt her grandfather will take to his grave.

360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • www.villagebooks.com

hardcover FICTION

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

by Gabrielle Zevin

available in April, hardcover, Algonquin

I seldom finish a book in one day, but reading The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry was a Christmas Day present to myself and I only put it down to refill my wine glass. A guy could be cynical about the plot—grumpy bookseller has rare book stolen, finds baby left in his store, falls for sales rep to whom he's been extremely mean… But it's a book that's sweet without being saccharine and sentimental without being sappy. And, OK my watery eyes weren't caused by an allergy. It's clear that booksellers love this book, and I can't imagine anyone who cares about books loving it less. —Chuck I totally adored this book by Gabrielle Zevin. Ok, Ok, as a bookseller, how could I not? This is a perfectly told story of a bookseller's love for his family, his friends, and his quaint independent bookstore. So order a Queequeg, cozy up in a comfy chair, and enjoy. —Kelly E.

At Village Books

A Free Event!

GABRIELLE ZEVIN Tuesday, April 8th, 7pm

The Book of Heaven

by Patricia Storace

available now, hardcover, Pantheon

From the author of the classic travel memoir Dinner with Persephone: Travels in Greece, here is a stunningly original novel of heartrending lyricism about four women who invite us to enter into a new and powerful imagination of the divine: what if "a woman's point of view" was also God's?

The Wind Is Not a River

by Brian Payton

available now, hardcover, HarperCollins

Leaving his wife behind in Seattle, a journalist heads north to investigate the Japanese invasion of Alaska's islands, a story censored by the U.S. government.

His plane is shot down over the island of Attu and, in the days ahead, he must battle the elements, starvation, and his own regrets while evading discovery by the Japanese.

Spring 2014 11

FICTION

That Part Was True

by Deborah McKinlay

available now, hardcover, Hachette

The Secret of Raven Point

Jack Cooper is guy who really doesn’t have it together. What with writer’s block and being recently divorced from his now lesbian wife, things look a little down. But in the midst of this midlife crisis he receives a letter from a fan and a connection forms. The book follows Jack as he discovers what he truly wants out of this life, and how Eve helps him find it. —Anna

by Jennifer Vanderbes

available now, hardcover, Simon & Schuster

The Secret of Raven Point is a haunting war saga that explores the experiences of soldiers in the field after the battles have ended. And as few novels have done, it depicts the ravages of war through the eyes of a young woman coming of age in a time of unrelenting violence.

The Invention of Wings

To Rise Again at a Decent Hour: A Novel

by Sue Monk Kidd

by Joshua Ferris

available now, hardcover, Viking

available in May, hardcover, Hachette

Sue Monk Kidd has written another stellar novel about women transcending difficult situations. In this story we meet Sarah Grimke, a white woman, and Hetty Grimke, her black slave.

Based on true people, this is a tale of resistance and escape from the cruelty and subjugation of 19th century slavery and human trafficking. Yes, this was our American heritage— crimes against humanity. Once free, these two brave women become outspoken feminists, ahead of their time. Their story captures a time in history when most women were silenced, but not Sarah or Hetty. A good read! —Cindi

An emotionally stunted dentist has his life hijacked by an unknown person who has created a new (and better) version of his personality on the internet. "Ferris once again dazzles us with a beautifully written, perfectly constructed absurdist souffle.

His novel focuses on the implications of identity in a digital world." —Tom McIntyre, HBG Sales Rep

The Girl with a Clock for a Heart

by Peter Swanson

available now, hardcover, HarperCollins

"What do you say when a woman who broke your heart years ago and is wanted for questioning in connection to a murder pops back into your life to ask a favor? The Girl with a Clock for a Heart is a twisty, sexy, electric thrill ride and an absolute blast from start to finish." —Dennis Lehane

The Book of Jonah

by Joshua Max Feldman

available now, hardcover, Henry Holt and Co.

Meet Jonah, a young, successful corporate attorney in Manhattan.

Poised for partnership in his firm and with two beautiful ladies vying for his love he seemingly has it all. Until one night at a party, in a drunken stupor Jonah has a vision that try as he might, he simply can't ignore. Is he being called by God? Or is he simply going insane? Regardless, after the vision it is impossible to return to life as he knows it and Jonah finds himself on a journey that will take him to Amsterdam and finally, Las Vegas. This modern re-telling of the biblical Jonah's story is a totally compelling read for all faiths...or none, for that matter. —Claire

The Wives of Los Alamos

by TaraShea Nesbit

available now, hardcover, Bloomsbury

This is a story about the wives that were transferred to New Mexico, put into army barracks without addresses, and surrounded by barbed wire as their husbands were working on the Manhattan project—a total secret to the wives. The book does not have individual characters, but instead, it is written in a single, plural character. It is a chorus of voices telling one story, a story about our American past that should not be forgotten —Kelly E.

12 Spring 2014

Store Hours through April: Mon–Sat 10am–8:30pm • Sun 11am–7pm Store Hours through Mon–Sat 10am–8:30pm Extended StartingApril: May 1st: Mon–Sat 10am-10pm •• Sun Sun 11am–7pm 10am–8pm

FICTION

Lost Lake

by Sarah Addison Allen available now hardcover, St. Martin’s Press

Lost Lake is about moving ahead in life by looking back and remembering the past. The cast is a mélange of people who at first glance have little in common but their visits to the lake. But when this place they love is threatened, they quickly band together to save their paradise. —Anna

Shotgun Lovesongs: A Novel

Steal the North: A Novel

by Heather Brittain Bergstrom available in April, hardcover, Penguin

Emmy is a shy, sheltered sixteen-yearold sent to eastern Washington to an aunt and uncle she never knew she had.

Emmy goes reluctantly, but before long she knows she has come home. She feels tied to the rugged landscape of coulees and scablands. And she meets Reuben, the Native American boy next door.

by Nickolas Butler

available in March, hardcover, Macmillan

There is conflict here between longtime buddies, between husbands and wives, and told with writing that is, frankly, gut-wrenching, and even heartbreaking.

But there is also hope, healing, and at times, even heroism. It is strong, American stuff, not at all afraid of showing that we can be good, too—not just fallible and compromising.

Frog Music: A Novel

by Emma Donoghue

available in April, hardcover, LittleBrown

Summer of 1876: San Francisco is in the fierce grip of a record-breaking heatwave and a smallpox epidemic. Through the window of a railroad saloon, a young woman called Jenny Bonnet is shot dead.

In thrilling, cinematic style, Donoghue's lyrical tale of love and bloodshed among lowlifes captures the pulse of a boomtown like no other.

Strange Bodies

by Marcel Theroux

available now, hardcover, Faber and Faber

Imagine for a moment that a person's very soul could be duplicated and transposed inside another living human being. What would be the outcome of these two overlapping identities? In a psychiatric hospital outside London sits a man who claims to be the deceased Nicholas Slopen, professor and Samuel Johnson scholar who was killed in a car crash in 2009.

However, due to something called the Malevin Procedure, it appears as though he is alive and inhabiting a different body. This strange story asks profound questions about the soul and identity and is a thrilling mystery to boot! —Claire

360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • www.villagebooks.com

Clever Girl

by Tessa Hadley available in March, hardcover, HarperCollins

In this book Stella, the clever girl of the title, struggles to break out of her working class background. I waited for some transformative event or a conventional climax. Instead Stella ricochets through a series of choices and accidents and ends up in a place she didn't expect. Oh, sort of like real life. And the transformation is in Hadley's insightful prose.

Artistic rebels, conservative tories, mothers, daughters—she breaks through stereotypes and always surprises me. —Rem

The Good Luck of Right Now

by Matthew Quick

available now, hardcover, HarperCollins

"The Good Luck of Right Now has everything I relish in a story: a flawed but sympathetic protagonist, a pageturning plot, and a cast of emotionally scarred characters for whom I rooted wholeheartedly. I loved this novel from its quirky and unconventional opening to its poignant, tear-inducing conclusion."

—Wally Lamb

The Colour of Milk: A Novel

by Nell Leyshon

available now, hardcover, HarperCollins

Mary, the spirited youngest daughter of an angry, violent man, is sent to work for the local vicar and his invalid wife. Her strange new surroundings offer unsettling challenges, including the vicar's lecherous son and a manipulative fellow servant.

Told in the fierce, urgent voice of the irrepressible Mary, this is a literary tour de force of power, class, and fate.

Spring 2014 13

FICTION

Shovel Ready

by Adam Sternbergh

On Leave: A Novel

available now, hardcover, Crown

by Daniel Anselme, translated by David Bellos available in March, hardcover, Macmillan

When published in Paris in 1957, as France's engagement in Algeria became ever more bloody, this book told people things they did not want to hear, vividly describing what it was like for soldiers to return home from an unpopular war. The book disappeared. With no outcome to the war in sight, its power to disturb was too much to bear.

Spademan was a garbageman, back when Manhattan needed garbagemen.

That was before a dirty bomb crippled the city, sending the rich into hiding and the poor into the streets. These days, he's a different kind of garbageman - a quick, confidential contract killer with little conscience and even less mess.

That is, until he gets called into a job involving the daughter of a wealthy televangelist. Sparse, dark (and darkly funny) urban noir at its very best. —Sam

The Kept: A Novel

by James Scott

Above

available now, hardcover, HarperCollins

by Isla Morley

Set in rural New York state at the turn of the century, this is a propulsive novel in which a mother and her son embark on a quest to avenge a violent tragedy that has shattered their secluded family. "James Scott's debut is a celebration of bracing action, evocative rendering of the past, and literary precision." —Julianna Baggot

available in March, hardcover, Simon & Schuster

A 16-year-old girl is abducted from her rural Kansas life and locked underground by a conspiracy theorist who believes he is saving her from the end of the world. After seventeen years of abuse, loneliness, and the trials of raising a child in captivity, she escapes with her son to a radically changed world.

Three Souls: A Novel

by Janie Chang

available now, paperback, HarperCollins

MAR 30 4-6:30 @BAAY – FLORIAN HOEFFNER GROUP Florian Hoeffner, piano; Matt Marantz. saxophones; Sam Anning, bass; Peter Kronreif, drums | Sponsor: BOEING MATCHING GRANTS

APR 27 4-6:30 @BAAY – KENDRA SHANK / JOHN STOWELL DUO Kendra Shank, voice & electronic looper; John Stowell, guitars, with guests Jeff Johnson & Jud Sherwood | Sponsor: COMMUNITY FOOD CO-OP

MAY 26 4-6:30 @MBT ENCORE ROOM – GRANT & MATHENY DUO

Darrell Grant, piano; Dmitri Matheny, flugelhorn | Sponsor: DOROTHY SHERWOOD

Ms. Chang’s amazing debut is an historical novel set in China before World War II. The narrator, Leiyin, awakens after her death, expecting to be on her way to an afterlife, but is stuck on earth to atone for sins she cannot remember. Under the guidance of her three souls, she reviews her short life, and the reader sees China during its civil war: the communists and the nationalists, a war with Japan, poverty and wealth, and the fate of seemingly powerless women as they prepare for a changing world. I tore through the story and adored Leiyin, who the author says is based on her own grandmother.

This is a beautiful, poetic telling of a complicated time. —Terri

At Village Books

JANIE CHANG Illustration by Christopher Woitach

A Free Event!

Sunday, March 23rd, 4pm

The series is underwritten, by the the City of Bellingham Tourism Lodging fund. • For more information on Jazz Project programs: (360) 650-1066 • The Jazz Project is a 501(c)3 Non-profit Organization • All concerts produced by Jud Sherwood, Jazz Project Director.

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Spring 2014

Shop 24 hours a day at www.villagebooks.com

FICTION The Enchanted

by Rene Denfeld

available in March, hardcover, Harper

The narrator of Rene Denfeld's debut novel is confined to the subterranean dungeon of an ancient stone prison. But when this mute death row inmate presses his ear to the walls, he perceives much that goes unnoticed: rampant corruption, the echoes of abuse, strange creatures in the plumbing, and an investigator unearthing a condemned man's past. Like the golden horses her narrator feels galloping beneath the building's foundation, Denfeld finds genuine humanity in even the most horrific places. I was captivated (and kept up very late at night) by her story's hypnotic detail and propulsive energy. —Brendan

The Girl in the Road

by Monica Byrne

available in May, hardcover, Crown

A young woman living in a futuristic Mumbai wakes up with five snake bites on her chest. She doesn't know how or why, but she must flee India and return to Ethiopia, the place of her birth.

Having long heard about The Trail—an energy-harvesting bridge that spans the Arabian Sea—she embarks on foot on this forbidden bridge. What awaits her in Ethiopia is unclear; she's hoping the journey will illuminate it for her.

Vienna Nocturne

by Vivien Shotwell

available now, hardcover, Ballantine Books

Set in Vienna, London and Italy, this debut novel is an aching, exhilarating love story between a thirty-year-old Wolfgang Mozart and a young English soprano named Anna Storace, who was one of the greatest stars of the day, and for whom the composer wrote some of his most beautiful songs.

Redeployment

by Phil Klay

available in March, hardcover, Penguin

Redeployment, a favorite of the publisher's sales reps, takes readers to the front lines of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, asking us to understand what happened there and what happened to the soldiers who returned. Interwoven with themes of brutality, faith, guilt, fear, helplessness and survival, the characters in these stories struggle to make meaning out of chaos.

360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • www.villagebooks.com

The Orenda

by Joseph Boyden available in May, hardcover, Knopf

History reveals itself when, in the seventeenth century, a Jesuit missionary ventures into the Canadian wilderness in search of converts—the defining moment of first contact between radically different worlds. What unfolds over the next several years is truly epic, constantly illuminating and surprising, sometimes comic, always entrancing and ultimately all too human in its tragic grandeur.

Citadel

by Kate Mosse available in March, hardcover, HarperCollins

The bestselling author of Labyrinth delivers yet another captivating historical novel. In France, during World War II, eighteen-year-old Sandrine organizes a group of women to do what they can to thwart the Nazis. Like Mosse’s earlier works, this is a lengthy novel but the short chapters, not to mention the story itself, make this a fast read. —Rachel H.

Rules for Becoming a Legend:

by Timothy S. Lane

available in March, hardcover, Penguin

Jimmy "Kamikaze" Kirkus is a basketball star—seemingly born for the sport. But Jimmy soon confronts the "Kirkus curse" when tragedies begin to emerge. Not even basketball can save him from his family's sorrow-filled past. Populated with complex, compelling characters, Rules for Becoming a Legend is proof that every hero is human, and sometimes triumph is borne from tragedy.

Chop Chop

by Simon Wroe available in April, hardcover, Penguin

A recent and aimless graduate, trying to escape both the 'depreciation of cul de sacs' and the 'frustration of fathers' which plagued his youth, gets a job in a restaurant kitchen populated by a gang of lovable but shocking lowlifes and presided over by Bob, the sadistic head chef. If you think you read this book when it was a memoir called Kitchen Confidential, think again. As our hero becomes embroiled in both the turmoil of the kitchen and the London underworld's endless cycle of revenge and debt, he finds that success and redemption often take strange forms. A study of love, violence, family and collective nouns, this is one of the funniest and most authentic novels I have read in years. —Sam

Spring 2014

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9

New Hardcover Fiction

GU

A Tales of the City Novel

by Armistead Maupin

by Nancy Horan

available now, hardcover, HarperCollins

available now, hardcover, Ballantine Books

From Nancy Horan, New York Times bestselling author of Loving Frank, comes her much-anticipated second novel which tells the improbable love story of Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson and his tempestuous American wife, Fanny. The shared life of these two strong-willed individuals unfolds into an adventure as impassioned and unpredictable as any of Stevenson’s own unforgettable tales.

NANCY HORAN

A R A N TEE

The Days of Anna Madrigal:

Under the Wide and Starry Sky: A Novel

At Village Books

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A Free Author Event!

Wednesday, March 19, 7pm

The Days of Anna Madrigal, the suspenseful, comic, and touching ninth and final novel in Armistead Maupin’s bestselling “Tales of the City” series, follows one of modern literature’s most unforgettable and enduring characters— Anna Madrigal, the legendary transgender landlady of 28 Barbary Lane—as she embarks on a road trip that will take her deep into her past.

Spring into FICTION!

“Such an amazing experience— I need to come back to get more!”

Nicole Cohn Bellingham, WA 2013 Conference Attendee

Inspiration into Action Friday and Saturday June 27 and 28, 2014 Whatcom Community College Bellingham, Washington

Faculty: Alice Acheson Bruce Barcott Claire Dederer Brian Doyle Elaina Ellis Felicia Eth Karen Finneyfrock Thor Hanson Kristiana Kahakauwila William Kenower Joanna Kenyon Gary Luke Jim Lynch Rose McAleese Peter Mountford Anastacia Tolbert Elizabeth Wales Lidia Yuknavitch

www.chuckanutwritersconference.com presented by

COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Left: Original serigraph titled “Along Chuckanut Drive” by Nancy McDonnell Spaulding, commissioned by Chuckanut Bay Gallery, www.chuckanutbaygallery.com

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Spring 2014

Building Community One Book at a Time

Fiction The Parallel Apartments

by Bill Cotter

available now, hardcover, McSweeney’s

Justine Moppett is 34, pregnant, and fleeing an abusive relationship in New York to dig up an even more traumatic childhood in Austin. Waiting for her there is a cast of more than a dozen misfits. A Texan with tragicomic twists reminiscent of John Kennedy Toole, Bill Cotter writes some of the most visceral, absurd, and downright hilarious sentences to be found in fiction today.

Delicious!

by Ruth Reichl available in May, hardcover, Random House

After the cooking magazine Billie Breslin works for is shut down, she is offered a new job: staying behind in the publication's deserted downtown offices to uphold the "Delicious Guarantee"—a public relations hotline for complaints and recipe inquiriesuntil further notice. What she doesn't know is that this boring, lonely job will be the portal to a life-changing discovery.

The Rise & Fall of Great Powers

by Tom Rachman

available in May, hardcover, The Dial Press

Tooly Zylberberg, the young American owner of an isolated bookstore in the Welsh countryside, fills her life with much reading material but few human beings.

After all, books are safer than people, who might ask awkward questions about her life. She prefers never to mention the strange events of her childhood, which mystify and worry her still.

The Painter

by Peter Heller

available in May, hardcover, Knopf

Jim bloodies the nose of Dell, a man he encounters beating a small horse, but then cannot shake his rage over the incident.

The next night he returns to the creek where Dell has his camp and kills him. As Jim tries to comprehend what he has done, he must evade the police, navigate his own conscience, and escape the members of Dell's clan set on revenge.

The Word Exchange

by Alena Graedon

available in April, hardcover, Doubleday

Anana Johnson works with her father, Doug, at the North American Dictionary of the English Language, where Doug is working on the final edition that will ever be printed. Doug is a luddite who remembers the days when people used e-mail—or even actually spoke to one another, for that matter. One evening, Doug disappears from the NADEL offices, leaving behind a written clue: ALICE. And thus begins Anana's journey down the rabbit hole.

Black Moon

By Kenneth Calhoun available in March, hardcover, Hogarth

Somehow—slowly, unnoticeably—the world has stopped sleeping and people are starting to lose their grip. Matt Biggs, however, is one of the few who can still sleep. His marriage, already tested by his wife's inability to have a child, is now at a crossroads: Carolyn has succumbed to the sleeplessness, gone mad, and run away.

Desperate to find his wife, he ventures out into the bizarre new world in which he lives.

Outside

by Barry Lopez Illustrations by Barry Moser available in March, hardcover, Trinity University Press

One of the few fictional story collections Barry Lopez has written, this is a collection of spare prose with a reverence for our exterior and interior landscapes, addressing issues of intimacy, ethics, and identity. These stories offer profound insight into the relationships between humans and animals, creativity and beauty, and, ultimately, life and death. These landscapes are as familiar as our own backyards, and as wild as our imagination.

360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • www.villagebooks.com

The Osage Orange Tree: A Story

by William Stafford available now, hardcover, Trinity University Press

This never-before-published book by William Stafford (with accompanying beautiful block prints) is about shy, young love complicated by misunderstanding and the insecurity of adolescence, set against the backdrop of poverty during the Great Depression. Published in celebration of the 100th anniversary of William Stafford's birthday, this book celebrates the Northwest's very own national Poet Laureate.

Spring 2014

17

FICTION paperback

FICTION

The Spinning Heart

FICTION

My Wish List

by Donal Ryan

by Grégoire Delacourt, translated by Anthea Bell

available now, paperback, Steerforth Press

available in March, paperback, Penguin

The Spinning Heart speaks for contemporary Ireland like no other novel. Wry, vulnerable, all-too human, it captures the language and spirit of rural Ireland and with uncanny perception articulates the words and thoughts of a generation. Technically daring and evocative of Patrick McCabe and J.M. Synge, this novel of small-town life is witty, dark and sweetly poignant.

Jocelyne lives in a small town in France where she runs a fabric shop, has been married to the same man for twenty-one years, and has raised two children.

Then she wins the lottery. Without telling anyone, or cashing the check, she begins to make a list of all the things she could do with the money. Does she really want her life to change?

The Quarry

Ordinary Grace

by Iain Banks

by William Kent Krueger

available in April, paperback, Redhook

Iain Banks was a brilliant writer, and I love many of his books. This last book echoes his first, Wasp Factory, as well the best from his many other books.

The idea behind this story started as a pithy, social rant by a man reaching the long end of middle age. But before it was completely fleshed out, Iain found out he had terminal cancer. Beyond the obvious irony, Iain's fight to finish this book before his death becomes so much a part of the story and dialogue. That the main character is also dying of cancer allows the author to share so much more of himself and this experience with us. If you are a fan of Iain Banks, this is a must read. But if you're leery about the subject of death, you might want to give this a pass. —Jonica

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A R A N TEE

The Dismal Science: A Novel

by Peter Mountford

available now, paperback, Tin House

The Dismal Science tells of a middle-aged vice president at the World Bank, who publicly quits his job over a seemingly minor argument with a colleague. An exploration of the fragile nature of identity, this is a story about the terrifying speed with which a person's sense of self, as well as those same rationales applied to the world of finance, can be annihilated.

18 Spring 2014

paperback

available in March, paperback, Simon & Schuster

Small-town Minnesota, 1961. A young boy and his family live a quiet, happy, pious life until his sister goes missing one night, triggering a wave of lies, violence and secrets. Krueger paints a portrait of innocence lost in the most wrenching of ways, showing us the gradual disintegration of a family and a town when its loveliest light is lost.

The Mary Smokes Boys

by Patrick Holland

available March, paperback, Hawthorne Books

Set in the Australian outback, this is a heartrending and unforgettable suspense story of horse thieves and broken promises, of love and tragedy, of the fragility and grace of small town life, and how one fateful moment can forever alter the course of a life. Although the story is wrenching at times, the writing is brilliant, mesmerizing, and particularly beautiful.

At Village Books

Peter Mountford Saturday, March 29th 4-5pm: WRITING WORKSHOP "Breathing Fire Into Your Novel or Memoir" $10 - Register at the main counter or call 360-671-2626.

5-6pm: Book Reading & Signing - Free & Open to All

Store Hours through April: Mon–Sat 10am–8:30pm • Sun 11am–7pm

FICTION paperback

FICTION

paperback

FICTION

Monument Road

Minister Without Portfolio

available now, paperback, Torrey House Press

available now, paperback, Penguin

and

In a quest to find meaning in an emotionally arid life, Henry travels to Afghanistan as an army-affiliated contractor, where he becomes embedded in the regiment with which his friends are serving. But everything changes during a tragic roadside incursion. Henry is the only survivor and knows in his heart that he is responsible.

by Michael Winter

by Charlie Quimby

The Full Ridiculous

by Mark Lamprell

available in May, paperback, Soft Skull Press, Inc.

"Bad things happen to good people" is such an overworked cliché, but is still undeniably true. Death, abandonment, confrontation and helplessness, all hurt us to our core and beg the question why? Then, in the aftermath, what now?

These two wonderful books present very different aftermath stories. Monument Road is about a long-married man of 70 who loses his wife to cancer. Full Ridiculous is about a family man, hit by a car, whose life suddenly transforms into an absurdity play. Neither story pretends to have answers for the rest of us, but they give us beautifully written stories about how these particular men set about answering "what now." Far from being sentimental, these are honest stories of ordinary men with extraordinary hearts. —Jonica

The Weirdness

by Jeremy P. Bushnell

available in March, paperback, Melville House

Being Esther

by Miriam Karmel available now, paperback, Milkwood Editions

Now in paperback, this is one of literature's finest portraits of the last months of a woman's life. Born to parents who fled the shtetl, Esther has led a seemingly conventional life—marriage, two children, a life in suburban Chicago. Now at the age of 85, her husband deceased and her children with families of their own, Esther's life still has its moments of richness and memorable characters.

At Village Books

Jeremy Bushnell

A Free Event!

Billy Ridgeway still hasn't gotten around to Saturday, March 1st, 4pm becoming a writer; he thinks too much to get anything done. But then the Devil shows up with fancy coffee one morning, promising to make Billy's dream of being published come true—as long as Billy steals The Neko of Infinite Equilibrium, a cat-shaped statue with magical powers, from the most powerful warlock in the Eastern United States.

The River Swimmer

Burial Rites

available now, paperback, Grove Press

available in April, paperback, Little, Brown & Co.

Now in paperback, The River Swimmer is Jim Harrison at his most memorable.

Two men, one young and one older, confront inconvenient loves and the encroachment of urbanity on nature.

Written with freshness, abundant wit, and profound humanit y, Harrison ventures into the magical when one of the characters is irresistibly drawn to swimming as an escape, seeing otherworldly creatures in the water.

This suspenseful novel is based on the true story of a young woman sentenced to die for murder in Iceland in 1829.

When Agnes is sent to a farm to await her death, the family there isn’t happy about the intrusion by a convicted, violent criminal. With masterful pacing, Kent demonstrates how in close quarters judgments about strangers can shift into deeper understanding and unexpected bonds. —Rachel H.

by Jim Harrison

360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • www.villagebooks.com

by Hannah Kent

Spring 2014 19

MYSTERY The Black-Eyed Blonde:

Cold Storage, Alaska

A Philip Marlowe Novel

by John Straley

by Benjamin Black

available now, hardcover, Soho Press

Self-described as a screwball comedy writer, John Straley brings us another crime mystery set in Southeast Alaska.

The issues in this story could easily seem overwhelmingly dark: drugs, crime, family secrets, dark Alaskan winters, sibling animosity, and that dead-end feeling that occurs when living in a tiny village at the end of nowhere. But with his light touch, these become humorous, and even absurd. This was so much fun to read! —Jonica

available in March, hardcover, Macmillan

Chandler was once famously quoted as saying, "I don't seem to care who killed Professor Plum with a lead pipe in the library. All that matters to me is how the thing is written." John Banville (Benjamin Black) has taken that to heart and the style is the thing here.

The Deliverance of Evil

by Roberto Costantini

available now, hardcover, Quercus Publishing

A Darker Shade of Sweden edited by John-Henri Holmberg available now, hardcover, Grove Atlantic

Ever since Stieg Larsson and Henning Mankell shone a light on the brilliance of Swedish crime writing, readers around the world have devoured fiction by some of the greatest masters of the genre. In this landmark publication, Sweden's most distinguished and best-loved crime writers have contributed seventeen never-before published (in English) stories in an anthology that promises to thrill all with the dark side of Sweden.

Winner of the Scerbanenco Prize for the best Italian crime thriller, The Deliverance of Evil is a masterful psychological thriller about an edgy policeman's personal evolution—or devolution—as seen through the lens of a devilish case that consumed him early in his career and continues to haunt him twenty-four years later.

Speculative Fiction

A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent

by Marie Brennan

Dark Eden

available now, paperback, Doherty, Tom Assoc., LLC

This combination fantasy adventure and scientific study is a great read even for people who don't usually like fantasy.

Witty, smart, and with no regard for propriety or gender norms, the famous dragonologist Lady Trent tells a poignant, exciting account of her first dragon-based expedition. It's the first of what will be a series of memoirs by the lady who brought dragons to the forefront of modern science. I especially loved her snarky asides about societal propriety and taboos! –Jenny

by Chris Beckett available in April, paperback, Broadway Books

Five hundred people live in a single community in an enclosed valley on the sunless planet Eden where, over a century ago, their two ancestors were marooned.

Calling themselves Family, they still cling to the hope that one day someone will come and bring them back to Earth, where light and heat do not come from trees but from a bright star in the sky.

“The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible.”

—Oscar Wilde 20 Spring 2014

Store Hours through April: Mon–Sat 10am–8:30pm • Sun 11am–7pm

WWAS READING 2013 HAT WHATCOM VB’s Top Sellers

1. Wild by Cheryl Strayed 2. The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin 3. Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walters 4. The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown 5. Quiet by Susan Cain 6. Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple 7. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate 8. Bellingham Impressions by Mark Turner 9. Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver 10. Aliens on Vacation by Clete Smith 11. Proof of Heaven by Eben Alexander 12. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 13. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein 14. Mockingbird by Julie Trimingham 15. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green 16. The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson 17. The Stud Book by Monica Drake 18. Santa is Coming to Bellingham

by Robert Dunn 19. Mink River by Brian Doyle 20. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

21. Divergent by Veronica Roth 22. Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher

by Timothy Egan 23. The Mountain Runners (DVD)

by Todd Warger and Brian Young 24. Sweet Thunder by Ivan Doig 25. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain 26. Hiking Whatcom County by Ken Wilcox 27. The Bartender's Tale by Ivan Doig 28. Mount Baker by John D'Onofrio and Todd Warger 29. I Could Pee on This by Francesco Marciuliano 30. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck by Jeff Kinney

360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • www.villagebooks.com

Last year we noted that 40% of VB's top 40 books were by Northwest authors. This year it's 55% (including seven of the top ten), and the authors of more than half of the books have been part of our Literature Live program. We chose to list the Mountain Runners DVD this year since it's in our top 40 for the second year in a row. The list also answers the question "are young folks reading?," with 20% being books for kids or young adult readers. How many of these books have you read? You may want to add some of them to your 2014 reading list.

31. Must-See Birds of the Pacific Northwest

by Sarah Swanson and Max Smith 32. The Language of Flowers

by Vanessa Diffenbaugh 33. Rail Trail Walking Guide: Fairhaven to Bellingham by Karl Kleeman and William Rink 34. Truth Like the Sun by Jim Lynch 35. Alien on a Rampage by Clete Smith 36. Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed 37. Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown 38. Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin 39. Haunted Fairhaven by Taimi Gorman 40. The Round House by Louise Erdrich

Spring 2014 21

VILLAGE BOOKS’ our Signed First JoinEditions Club!

Signed FIRST EDITIONS CLUB

As a member, you’ll receive a newly published signed first edition fiction book six times a year. Our qualified buyers work together to select books based on literary quality and potential collectability.

What does it cost to join? - Nothing! You pay for the books, but not for the membership. The list prices of the books vary around an average $25-$35 range, but members only pay a flat $25 for each book. Each selection also comes with a protective dust jacket cover. $150 covers full membership for a year including shipping.

Can I give a membership as a gift? - Absolutely! This would be an ideal gift for the bibliophiles in your life, especially the book collecting kind, and maybe even for someone who isn’t obsessed with books…yet. Memberships last for a year and you, as the gift giver, will be charged $150 for that year. After that, the gift receiver can decide whether or not to continue the membership on his or her own... or you can renew the membership.

How do I sign up? - You can register online at VillageBooks.com/signed-first-editions-club), by phone, or in-store.

You're bound to have more questions about this program, so check out our FAQs at VillageBooks.com/ signed-first-editions-club.

A

lthough it's not customary for us to reveal the titles of our forthcoming Signed First Editions Club, we are so excited by this book, this author, and this opportunity, that we just could not resist.

We've selected Anthony Doerr's All the Light We Cannot See as our third book for the club. This stunningly ambitious and beautiful novel follows a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II. All the Light We Cannot See will be released on May 6th. We will host a special reception for 40 guests to share wine, hors d'oeuvres, and scintillating conversation with the author on May 9th at 5:30pm in Chuck and Dee's home above Village Books. The price for attending this event is $40 (which includes a copy of the book) and members of the Signed First Editions Club may attend for FREE (but must register ahead of time). A free public event will follow at 7pm in the Readings Gallery.

Anthony Doerr Reception

Friday, May 9, 5:30pm Tickets $40 (includes book) FREE for First Editions Club Members

7pm: FREE EVENT in the VB Readings Gallery

22

Spring 2014

Tickets for this reception are available online only at brownpapertickets.com.

Hope to see you there!

Paul, General Manager, Village Books & Paper Dreams

Happy Reading!

Building Community One Book at a Time

Chuckanut Radio Hour

The

Winner of the Mayor's Arts Award, The Chuckanut Radio Hour is a radio variety show recorded live in front of an audience. It's a lot of fun so check out our spring line-up and join us!

The following shows will all take place in the Heiner Theater at Whatcom Community College

Thursday, March 27, 6:30pm

Carol Cassella –Gemini

Come see bestselling novelist and doctor Carol Casella as she discusses Gemini, her latest novel filled with intricate medical detail and set in the Pacific Northwest. Casella is the author of Oxygen and Healer. Receive one FREE ticket w/ each pre-event purchase of Gemini. —LIVE MUSIC by Old Radio Tunes.

Friday, April 25, 6:30pm

Linda Greenlaw –Life-Saving Lessons: Notes from an Accidental Mother Join Linda Greenlaw as she’s interviewed about her new book Life-Saving Lessons, a dramatic story of perhaps the most unexpected of all of Greenlaw’s many adventures—becoming a mother. Linda is America’s only female swordfish boat captain and was featured in the book and film The Perfect Storm as well as in the Discovery Channel’s Swords: Life on the Line. —MUSIC by Stirred Not Shaken.

Friday, May 16th, 6:30pm

Tickets $5.00 Tickets for all shows are available at Village Books & BrownPaperTickets.com

Bill McKibben –Wandering Home: A Long Walk Across America's Most Hopeful Landscape and Oil and Honey: The Education of an Unlikely Activist This month’s special guest is Bill McKibben, author of a dozen books about the environment, beginning with The End of Nature in 1989, regarded as the first book for a general audience on climate change, and most recently, Oil and Honey and a memoir, Wandering Home. He is a founder of the grassroots climate campaign 350.org. —Enjoy LIVE MUSIC by Dana Lyons.

Thursday, June 26th, 6:30pm

Brian Doyle –The Plover

Author of Mink River, Brian Doyle, will kick off the Chuckanut Writers Conference as a guest on the Radio Hour. He’ll be interviewed about his latest novel, The Plover, a story of a sea voyage that becomes a rapturous, heartfelt celebration of life's surprising paths. Receive one FREE ticket w/ each pre-event purchase of The Plover. —Enjoy LIVE MUSIC by Sarah Goodin.

A HUGE thanks to our amazing sponsors!

KMRE FM 102.3

The Chuckanut Radio Hour airs every Saturday evening at 6pm, and Sunday at 9pm on KMRE 102.3FM.

360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • www.villagebooks.com

Spring 2014 23

WRITING

Now Write! Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror: Speculative Genre Exercises from Today's Best Writers and Teachers edited by Laurie Lamson

available now, paperback, Penguin

Now Write! has been a popular series for writers for years, collecting advice and writing exercises from numerous established authors. Following on the heels of the original’s success, genre-specific Now Write! books have been coming out over the past few years, but finally we have the one targeted towards speculative fiction writers! Whether that means science fiction, fantasy, or horror, if you write speculative fiction, you’re going to want this on your shelf. —Rachel

VB Writes...

Village Books hosts multiple writing groups. Choose which group most reflects your writing genre then come and share your work in a supportive environment. Groups are free and open to everyone. They meet on the mezzanine level of Village Books in our Writers' Corner.

SpecFic/SciFi Writing Group

This group meets 2nd & 4th Tuesdays from 6-8pm.

Poetry Writing Group

This group meets the 1st & 3rd Thursdays of each month from 5:30 to 7pm.

Whatcom Young Writers

Friday Night Writes for Teens

Open to students ages 15-18. This group meets most Fridays from 6-7pm.

Read more about each group at villagebooks.com.

I'm writing a book. I've got the page numbers done.

—Steven Wright

Looking for an Engaged Audience?

Advertising in Adventures NW Magazine ensures that you will reach 60,000 very active members of our community.

Folks who live large and like to shop locally. Your kind of people.

Mention the Chuckanut Reader for a 50% Discount on your first ad when you purchase four.

CERTIFIED

100%

PURE BELLINGHAM

Contact Sue Cottrell at 360.303.3777 or sue@adventuresnw.com 24 Spring 2014

Fiction Writing Group

This group meets 2nd & 4th Thursdays from 6-8pm.

NonFiction Writing Group

This group meets the 1st & 3rd Tuesdays of each month from 6:15-8:15pm.

Subscribe to our

Just Write! eNewsletter Our monthly newsletter gives tips for every stage of writing—from craft to publication to presentation. Hear from local and national writing gurus and keep abreast of VB events, workshops, classes & conferences for writers.

How? Go to Villagebooks.com and click on the "Sign Up for our Weekly eNewsletter" icon. When you receive the confirmation email, follow the link to update your profile and check the box next to "Just Write!"

Store Hours through April: Mon–Sat 10am–8:30pm • Sun 11am–7pm

The Village Books

Publishing Program Your One-Stop Shop for Independent Publishing

by Brendan Clark, Publishing Director

F

or the past four years, Village Books has utilized print-on-demand technology to produce paperback books for local authors, and to publish our own line of titles under our Chuckanut Editions imprint. Last summer, these efforts were temporarily stalled by the loss of our Espresso Book Machine. Undaunted, we have since pursued several alternative printing options and expanded our services to accommodate a wider variety of authors. We are thrilled to announce that our Publishing Program is now fully back in business.

Two offsite printers form the mainstay of our book production efforts. One of the bookstore's distributors, who has kept our shelves full for decades, now not only provides our self-published clients with freshly bound books, but also acts as their nationwide distribution channel. We've also proudly partnered with a local printing company, whose expertise, efficiency, and commitment to quality have earned them a formidable reputation throughout Whatcom County. These dual resources allow us the flexibility to offer color page printing, glossy laminate covers, bulk discounts, an assortment of paper choices, and hardbound books with dust jackets.

Along with production, our Publishing Program targets numerous hurdles in the process of connecting authors to a wide range of readers. When approached by new clients, I sit down with them and personally determine how to most effectively address the unique goals and needs of every project.

In-house, authors have access to ISBN, Library of Congress, and copyright registration; placement on our shelves and website; publicized reading events; and affordable file setup.

We've expanded our roster of local professionals to include graphic designers, copyeditors, and developmental editors.

Talk to us, and we can get you a discount on a book review from nationally-respected Kirkus Indie. And, through our partnership with Kobo, we help authors convert their manuscripts into ebooks and boldly step into the digital world.

Put all these services together, and you've got more than mere self-publishing. You've got independent publishing, which maintains the author's right to editorial control while also drawing from an assortment of experts and resources, to enrich and invigorate the author's creation. To put it bluntly, we here at Village Books believe that folks who publish themselves shouldn't have to face the challenge alone. We've done our best to assemble a star lineup of publishing services under one roof.

Looking forward, we hope to enable creativity in our community to find its voice, for many years to come.

If you're writing a book, we'd be honored to help you get it in print.

Please email brendan@villagebooks.com with questions or to arrange a consultation.

You can check out our other resources for writers in this issue of the Chuckanut Reader and at villagebooks.com!

Questions? Contact Brendan at brendan@villagebooks.com 360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • www.villagebooks.com

Spring 2014 25

Award Winning Beers & Great Food

St C e . Pa t

of tles t Beer t o B anu ow N ck Chuailable Av

Live l e b r a t y ’s M t Mar usic & i o n ch 1 Dan c 5& 17 e

CHUCKANUT BREWERY & KITCHEN

Monthly Locavore Menu Features Local Products

Family Friendly HoPPY Hour Sun-Thurs 4-6pm 601 West Holly St. • Bellingham, WA 360-75-BEERS (752-3377)

ChuckanutBreweryAndKitchen.com

Loud, scary fun for the whole family. ows h s er Loud, scary fun azapp eg pm for the whole m family.

2:30 day r u t sa ows very h s ay! er e d zapp n u mega 2:30 pm ay &s turd y sa ever unday! &s

1312 BAY STREET BELLINGHAM WA 98225 www.sparkmuseum.org 360-738-3886

1312 BAY STREET BELLINGHAM WA 98225 www.sparkmuseum.org 360-738-3886

1312 Bay Street • Bellingham, WA www.sparkmuseum.org 360-738-3886 26

Spring 2014

Building Community One Book at a Time

Register Today for the

CHUCKANUT

WRITERS CONFERENCE

By Anna Wolff, Conference Chair and English Faculty, Whatcom Community College

P

icture this: You, in sunglasses, scribbling furiously in your notebook in the sunshine, a summer spent writing, autumn blowing in as you finish the first draft of your masterpiece. The Chuckanut Writers Conference is the perfect first step to achieving this vision! The two-day conference will start your summer of writing off right at 10am on Friday, June 27, with featured speakers, panels, breakout craft sessions, signings, and a faculty reading. The conference will conclude Saturday evening, June 28 with concurrent open-mics for the participants at venues in Bellingham’s historic Fairhaven District.

Now in its fourth year, the conference emerged out of Whatcom’s strong tradition of excellent Community Education writing classes. Co-presenters Village Books and Whatcom’s Community and Continuing Education Department have been thrilled with the tremendous positive response from past attendees and faculty alike. Building on past success, the conference promises to again offer a weekend committed to its motto: Inspiration into Action. Attendees can expect high quality workshops and inspiring plenary talks as well as significant amounts of interaction with faculty authors and agents. Sessions will cover a range of topics, from inspiration to the minutia of craft to the business of writing. There are also opportunities for pitching to agents, marketing consultations, and for Washington State K-12 teachers to earn 16 clock hours. For a full conference program, visit www.chuckanutwritersconference.com.

2013 attendee Riley Richards sent us this message after last year’s conference: “It was absolutely swell. I have not been so completely inspired and invigorated in a long, long time. My passionate hobby transformed into my passionate dream.

And despite spending two days in a star-struck stupor, it was amazing to actually be able to meet real-life authors, and spend time surrounded by people who care about writing as much as I do.”

Our real-life authors this year include: Bruce Barcott, Claire Dederer, Brian Doyle, Elaina Ellis, Karen Finneyfrock, Thor Hanson, Kristiana Kahakauwila, William Kenower, Joanna Kenyon, David Laskin, Jim Lynch, Rose McAleese, Peter Mountford, Anastacia Tolbert, and Lidia Yuknavitch. We will also be joined by agents Elizabeth Wales and Felicia Eth, publisher Gary Luke, and marketing specialist Alice Acheson.

Register Now!

For more information about the Chuckanut Writers Conference, including registration, conference schedule, faculty bios, literary agents, and sponsorship opportunities, visit the conference website at www.chuckanutwritersconference. com, contact Whatcom’s Community and Continuing Education program at (360) 383-3200 (9 am – 5 pm PST weekdays), “like” the conference on Facebook/CWCNW, or send an e-mail to comed@whatcom.ctc.edu.

360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • www.villagebooks.com

Spring 2014

27

Bo ok yt

he

e Bo

Bu

READcycle

th ok

by Rem Ryals, Lead Used Book Buyer

ad

Get on the READcycle Train

Re

ALL ABOARD!

Sell the Book

T

he recent debate in the book world has centered on whether new books or e-books are the "greener" choice. But it seems to me the best choice is to recycle the books that have already been printed. A few years ago I came to the fork in the road that all book lovers arrive at. Unless I moved into a mansion or wanted to star in my own episode of "Hoarders," I needed to cull my book collection. And these were no longer second string books, but ones I had loved and vowed to reread someday. "Someday" never came; and it suddenly dawned on me that, rather than letting them pine away on my dusty and bitter shelves, I should send them out into the world where another lucky person could "discover" them as I once had.

"Book collecting is an obsession, an occupation, a disease, an addiction, a fascination, an absurdity, a fate.

It is not a hobby."

-Jeanette Winterson

We give up to 30% of the cover price in store credit (and 15% in cash) for your gently-read books. The ones we don't buy we can donate to the Friends of the Library if you wish, further fueling the READcycle train. With the store credit you can buy more books, and then sell those back to us or pass them on. It amounts to a discount on every book you buy, as well as allowing you to be the curator of your own personal "lending" library.

In this vein we also sell Brodart protective covers for those books you really want to cherish, and journals of every shape and size to write down quotes and your own Deep Thoughts.

(It makes me cringe now to think how I used to write in books.) We've switched over to GREEN LABELS on our used books to symbolize this commitment to sustainability, and next time you're in the store check out our large selection of once-loved books. We guarantee that, among the shiny new upstarts, you'll find some hidden gems.

READuce, R

EADuse, RE

ADcycle

Used Book Buying Hours: noon-7pm daily

Get on the READcycle train!

but you can drop your books off any time.

Look for both green and blue dots/labels during our transition to all green.

28 Spring 2014

Store Hours through April: Mon–Sat 10am–8:30pm • Sun 11am–7pm

BOOK GETAWAYS Village Books has partnered with The Willows Inn on Lummi Island to provide a unique food and literary experience connecting readers to some of their favorite authors in a more intimate setting. Each event includes delicious meals, created by the talented staff of The Willows Inn, with a variety of options for overnight lodging.

For more information about booking these events, check out our event calendar at villagebooks.com or visit willows-inn.com.

Join us for a two-day

Getaway with

Nancy Pearl at the

Willows Inn REGISTER NOW for Wednesday, March 19 & Thursday, March 20

Join Nancy Pearl at the Willows Inn on Lummi Island for a two-day book discussion getaway. Immerse yourself in two books recommended by Nancy, The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich and The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli.* The getaway package includes a Wednesday evening discussion; a specially-prepared dinner by the Willows Inn sous chef; followed by a Thursday morning book discussion.

Evening and morning discussion with Nancy Pearl, two books and private dinner at the Beach Store Cafe is $125/person + overnight stay (rates starting at $135/ night). For details see VillageBooks.com or www.willows-inn.com. Call the Willows Inn to register, 360-758-2620. *Each registrant will be sent a copy of both books shortly after registering.

Join bestselling author Jamie Ford for an early evening discussion at the Willows Inn on Lummi Island. Jamie will talk about his book, Songs of Willow Frost, newly released in paperback, and will also share some of his favorite authors and books to read. Stay to enjoy dinner at the Beach Store Café and informal conversation with Jamie.

Check VillageBooks.com for more information and pricing.

Wednesday, April 23rd, 4pm 360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • www.villagebooks.com

Join us for an

EVENING with

Jamie Ford at the

Willows Inn Spring 2014 29

TREAT Your Tastebuds m r a F & d Foo Finder

Go where the locals go, pick up your free Food & Farm Finder.

Available starting April 5th at the opening day of the Bellingham Farmers Market!

15

2014/20

eatlocalfirst.org

Mandy Je

ne Turner

Food & Farm Finders will also be available at Village Books. Pick up a copy and plan your next foodie getaway right here in Bellingham &Whatcom County.

Choose local businesses taking action for a healthy community.

30

Spring 2014

Building Community One Book at a Time

The Wildlife-Friendly Vegetable Gardener: How to Grow Food in Harmony with Nature

by Tammi Hartung

available now, paperback, Storey Books

Learn how to encourage beneficial garden visitors and keep undesirables away without using harmful chemicals or turning your garden into a fortress. Hartung emphasizes observing the natural relationships between plants and native garden animals, and helps gardeners use those to their advantage. There are even great tips on starting new garden beds without disrupting the natural soil structure, and garden plans to encourage different kinds of animal activity. Holly Ward Bimba's colorful illustrations also make this an immensely attractive book to have around. –Jenny

k

FOOD

The 20-30 Something Garden Guide: A No-Fuss, Down and Dirty, Gardening 101 for Anyone Who Wants to Grow Stuff

by Dee Nash

available now, hardcover, St. Lynn’s Press

Fun, fully illustrated garden book is the first-ever written for the 20–30 something, mostly urban, demographic. This guide gives step-by-step projects and essential tips, and is an easy-to-use guide for those new to gardening.

Garden expert Dee Nash divides this book into four types and sizes of gardens, starting with "Farming Your Patio, Balcony or Deck," and goes on to setting goals for the first three years.

Deep-Rooted Wisdom: Stories and Skills from Generations of Gardeners

by Augustus Jenkins Farmer

available in March, paperback, Timber Press

Farmer has a style of gardening that is in stark contrast to the gardening industry's steady stream of new products, new advertising, and new rules that create unneeded complexities. This book is his antidote to this corporate-driven model of gardening. This is garden mentorship at its best and most honest, showing us all a way back to a more joyful, simple style of gardening.

360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • www.villagebooks.com

GARDENING Grow a Sustainable Diet: Planning and Growing to Feed Ourselves and the Earth

by Cindy Connor

available in April, paperback, New Society Publishers

For most of us, no matter how plentiful our harvest is, homegrown produce comprises only a fraction of what we eat. Cindy Connor will help you develop a comprehensive garden plan to produce the maximum number of calories and nutrients from any given space. Avoid arriving in August buried under a mountain of kale or zucchini (and not much else).

Seedswap:

The Gardener's Guide to Saving and Swapping Seeds

by Josie Jeffery

available now, hardcover, Shambhala Publications, Inc.

With rising concerns about GMO fruits and vegetables, more and more people are starting to grow their own produce.

This is the book to help you establish healthy seedlings, harvest seeds from different plants, and start your own sustainable seed library. I'm most excited about the section detailing different ways of partnering with other gardeners in your community to create mutually supportive seed swaps! If you're a home gardener, this book should be in your library. –Jenny

FLOWERS

k

Perennials for the Pacific Northwest: 500 Best Plants for Flower Gardens

by Marty Wingate

available now, paperback, Sasquatch Books

This is the A-List of flowering plants recommended for Pacific Northwest gardens is updated to include the current crop of available perennials in a lavishly photographed and definitive guide, which will aid in selecting the best perennials to build a successful garden. These are the plants that can winter over and return with showy brilliance the following year, and in the gentle climate of the northwest, there are so many to choose from!

Spring 2014

31

Enjoy Great Meals at These FAIRHAVEN Restaurants!

the Heart of Fairhaven since 1985

Come see the new evolution of the

Colophon

book fare café

as we emerge this Spring!

in village books

now catering

Open Daily Next to Your Favorite Bookstore ! www.colophoncaf e.com

AW Asian Bistro A.W. Asian Bistro

SUSHI BAR ASIAN GRILL

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open daily for Lunch & Dinner 12th & Mill in Historic Fairhaven • 715.3028

seasonal local organic allergy-friendly come see what’s new  on the mezzanine level upstairs in village books www.bookfarecafe.com 360.734.3434

Please Support all of our Wonderful Advertisers!

32 Spring 2014

Store Hours through April: Mon–Sat 10am–8:30pm • Sun 11am–7pm

k Pick a Pickle: 50 Recipes for Pickles, Relishes, and Fermented Snacks

COOKING k

by Hugh Acheson

available in March, paperback, Potter Style

From the Southern kitchen of celebrity chef Hugh Acheson, this easy-to-reference pickling guide fuses the tradition of country cooking with globally inspired flavors. With 50 recipes covering basic brines, classic pickling recipes, sweet and tangy condiments, and modern twists on fermented snacks, this swatch book is filled with four-color photography, handwritten design elements, and clear step-bystep directions.

Sweet and Vicious: Baking with Attitude

by Libbie Summers, photos by Chia Chong

available in March, hardcover, Rizzoli

Libbie Summers is not your run-of-the-mill cook. Growing up, she was the kind of child who dunked her potato chips into chocolate syrup to see if it might taste good (it does). That insatiable curiosity—and sweet tooth—is what fuels this book. It is a noholds-barred approach to baking outside the box with crazy brilliant combinations.

NORTHWEST COOKING Greg Atkinson’s In Season: Culinary Adventures of a Pacific Northwest Chef

by Greg Atkinson, photos by Charity Burggraaf

available in March, paperback, Sasquatch Books

Seattle chef Greg Atkinson is winning awards for his new Restaurant Marché on Bainbridge Island. But his culinary career began on lovely San Juan Island. In this reissued book of essays and recipes, Greg describes his appreciation for local ingredients, the passage of the seasons, the joys of young family life, and, of course, simple and gratifying meals.

k

You'll find the Cookbooks along with fun food items in Paper Dreams!

360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • www.villagebooks.com

The Sobo Cookbook: Recipes from the Tofino Restaurant at the End of the Canadian Road

by Lisa Ahier, photos by Andrew Morrison available in May, paperback, Appetite by Random House

Sobo (Sophisticated Bohemian) started out in 2003 as a purple food truck in the parking lot behind a surf shop, way before food trucks were cool. Despite its remoteness, it attracted rave reviews from food media across North America, with the likes of Saveur magazine calling it: "perhaps the most exciting lunch stand in North America."

The Forest Feast: Simple Vegetarian Recipes From My Cabin in the Woods

by Erin Gleeson

available in April, hardcover, Stewart, Tabori & Chang

Erin Gleeson made her dream a reality when she left New York City and moved into a tiny cabin in a California forest. Watercolor paintings, hand illustrations, and stunning photographs showcase the rustic simplicity and beauty of her life. Included are 100 delicious vegetarian recipes such as nectarine tomato salad, eggplant tacos, and blackberry negroni.

Growing a Feast: The Chronicle of a Farm-to-Table Meal

by Kurt Timmermeister

now available, hardcover, W.W. Norton & Co.

The story of a feast two years in the making, from the farmer who harvested the vegetables, raised the animals, and prepared the meal. The account starts with the birth of a calf, Alice. Alice will produce the cream, made into sauce Béarnaise, and served alongside poached eggs and kale gathered the morning of the feast. Rich in detail, resonant in story, Timmermeister depicts the effort behind every meal.

Spring 2014 33

Frenchie: New Bistro Cooking

Teeny's Tour of Pie:

by Greg Marchand, photos by Djamel Dine Zitout

A Cookbook

by Teeny Lamothe

On a quiet cobblestoned side street north of Les Halles in Paris, a veritable food revolution is happening thanks to chef Greg Marchand’s gamechanging restaurant, Frenchie. Here are some of his most inspired and deeply original recipes, dishes that are radiant not just in color but in flavor, and filled with alluring hints of international influences. To the question “Is there anything new under the sun?” Frenchie answers, unequivocally, “Yes!”

available in March, paperback, Workman Publishing

Teeny Lamothe is a young woman on a mission and the mission is pie.

Charming, passionate, determined, Teeny traveled America to work with the country's best bakers and learn their techniques, tricks, and wisdom. Here are more than 55 pies, sweet and savory, plus a complete crust primer, and all of it seasoned throughout with Teeny's humor and inspiration.

Drink Up!

The Essential Scratch and Sniff Guide to Becoming a Wine Expert:

k

k

available in April, hardcover, Artisan

Aphrodisiacs with a Twist!

by Mark Sexauer, photos by Charity Burggraaf

available now, hardcover, 1 Pony Rye Corp

Take a Whiff of That

by Richard Betts available now, board book, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

It's a board book for grownups! The novelty of the scratch and sniff book is the framework for this truly educational book about wine, its visual, olfactory, and flavor profiles, and how you can find more wines to enjoy more fully. Fun! —Charles Claassen, Owner, Book Fare Café

Aphrodisiacs, with a Twist! is designed for both home and professional bartenders, foodies, cocktail enthusiasts, couples, entertainers and theme parties.

Fruits, vegetables, spices and herbs that are historical aphrodisiacs are used in making nearly 100 original "craft" style cocktail recipes that are creatively approachable, easy to follow, and delicious.

Your Partners in Healthy Living Downtown Store

FOOD CO OP Bellingham’s Natural Grocer

www.communityfood.coop

34 Spring 2014

1220 N Forest Street Open Daily 7 am – 10 pm

Cordata Store 315 Westerly Road Open Daily 7 am – 9 pm

Store Hours through April: Mon–Sat 10am–8:30pm • Sun 11am–7pm

IN THE Kitchen

k

Book recommendations from one of our favorite chefs. Bon Appétit!

I’m always so impatient for the warmth of spring to get underway in earnest! But while there’s still a little of the cold and wet out there, occupy your time with some of these great new cookbooks to prepare for when the growing season gets going. From old world comfort food to big sizzling flavors, these picks will get you preheated for spring!

Bold: A Cookbook of Big Flavors

Contact the Book Fare Café for your catering needs!

by Suzanne Hoffman and Victoria Wise

available now, paperback, Workman Publishing Company

Spicy, smoky, tangy, and rich. The amazing international diversity of the recipes collected in this cookbook have one thing in common: flavor! With a great focus on the toothy satisfaction of meat, poultry, and seafood in a variety of preparations, this book is also peppered with fascinating historical and culinary anthropology facts. Get it, peppered? Nevermind.

The Old World Kitchen: The Rich Tradition of European Peasant Cooking

by Elisabeth Luard

available now, hardcover, Melville House

A collection of European comfort food. From Scandinavia to Turkey, Portugal to Romania, these are the foods of the common folk. This compendious cookbook is as much a lesson in European history as it is a wonderful collection of world heritage recipes. A must-have reference!

Whole-Grain Mornings: New Breakfast Recipes to Span the Seasons

by Megan Gordon

available now, hardcover, Ten Speed Press

I've always considered that some sensitivities to wheat and gluten are a reaction to the high degree of processed grains in what we eat. From a holistic point of view, our bodies are more able to digest and utilize the nutrients in whole grains. But whole grains are time consuming to cook, sometimes hard to find, and then you have to decide what you're going to cook. Megan  Gordon's great, informative cookbook is for the person who wants to integrate healthy whole grains into their days without hassle. Simple, delicious recipes for the home cook.

River Cottage Veg: 200 Inspired Vegetable Recipes

by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall available now, hardcover, Ten Speed Press Here's a healthful collection of veggie dishes that will help you utilize the roots of winter and spark daydreams of the spring and summer to come. Why not plan next year's garden around a cookbook?

Charles Claassen is the chef/owner of the Book Fare Café on the mezzanine of Village Books. Through the seasonal menus at the café, teaching cooking and food classes in the community, and continuing to develop relationships with farmers and food artisans, he provides thoughtful, conscientious food that's quite tasty, too.

book fare café

360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • www.villagebooks.com

Spring 2014 35

GET MOVING

HIKING Day Hike! North Cascades, 3rd Edition: The Best Trails You Can Hike in a Day

by Mike McQuaide

available in April, paperback, Sasquatch Books

From the Canadian border to the North Cascades Highway, Northwest trail expert Mike McQuaide leads hikers to 60 of the best day-hike trails in the region. With routes for both newbie hikers and veterans with hundreds of miles on their boots, each trail is rated from easy to moderate to extreme, and includes maps, photographs, and elevation profiles, as well as difficulty level, fee information, trail conditions, and more.

BIKING

1001 Bicycles to Dream of Riding

by Guy Kesteven

available in May, hardcover, Universe

Bicycles have inspired great feats of innovation, design, sporting prowess, and healthy, green living. This stunning compendium allows readers to trace the fascinating evolution of the bicycle from its early incarnations in wood to the latest racing machines made of titanium and carbon fiber. Never before have so many bicycles been profiled within a single illustrated volume.

Play tennis because it’s FUN! har mo ny (här’m -ne) n., e

A pleasing combination of parts and labor.

Call us today!

800 McKenzie Ave. Bellingham, WA 98225 360.733.5050

www.bellinghamtennis.com

You can follow Village Books on Twitter. Each day we tweet about book events, new books, and book-related topics.

We are @VillageBksBham.

36

Spring 2014

REPAIR OF EUROPEAN & JAPANESE VEHICLES

360 671.2420

Visit us on Facebook! You’ll find our events listed there, and there are discussions of books and other book-related topics as well. Go to Facebook.com/VillageBooks.

Building Community One Book at a Time

Taking “The Big Leap” Fitness Presentation with ROBIN ROBERTSON Wednesday, April 2, 5:30pm Are there times when you DON’T do something because you are too afraid? Afraid of rejection, fear of failure, or too shy because you’re the newbie? Robin will talk about how to push away the “upper limit” that we often impose upon ourselves as it relates to physical fitness, life, and happiness, based on Gay Hendricks’ book, The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level. Robin Robertson is the owner and manager of Bellingham Tennis Club & Fairhaven Fitness, and an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and USAC Certified Cycling Coach.

In The Big Leap, Gay Hendricks, the New York Times bestselling author of Five Wishes, demonstrates how to eliminate the barriers to success by overcoming false fears and beliefs. Fans of Wayne Dyer, Eckhart Tolle, Marianne Williamson, and The Secret will find useful, effective tips for breaking down the walls to a better life.

Now in Fairhaven!

1050 Larrabee Ave, Suite 102 360-752-2956

Weekdays by appointment: 8am - 5pm Weekend walk in clinic: 9:30am - 4:30pm

Mitchell Kahn, MD

Julie Kahnamou, ARNP

Comprehensive Primary Care - Adolescents to Seniors

360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • www.villagebooks.com

Shop at Villagebooks.com 24/7 Spring 2014

37

TREAT YOURSELF!

MAGNOLIA SWINGS Paper Dreams is excited to offer, for a third year, these fun and colorful swings. We're starting the year with an even larger selection than other years, so you can find just the right one to get a jump start on your spring!

These swings include two pillows and a tote bag. They're perfect for either indoors or outdoors. (Kids love them in their rooms!) They're strong, weather and fade resistant and won't mildew. They feel like soft cotton, though they're 100% polyester.

We'll have a sample hanging in Paper Dreams, so come on in and give it a try!

Just one of the fantastic new items you'll find this spring in ...

Check out our website at PaperDreamsFairhaven.com. Join our frequent buyers club—become a Devoted Dreamer!

SCRIP

Funny word... Easy Fundraising!

Does your school or nonprofit need a simple fundraising program?

TRY SCRIP!

It's as easy as 1, 2, 3...

1. You promote the program to your members.

2. Take their orders for Village Books/Paper Dreams Gift Cards for $15, $25, or $50

3. Email your order to Paul@villagebooks.com & we'll have them ready for you within 72 hours

Village Books will donate 10% of each Gift Card to your organization.

Last year, we donated nearly $1000 to local schools and nonprofits through this program!

38 Spring 2014

EXTENDED SPRING & SUMMER HOURS Starting May 1st at Village Books, Paper Dreams, and Book Fare Café OPEN: Monday-Saturday 10am - 10pm Sundays 10am - 8pm

Here Comes the Sun...

Store Hours through April: Mon–Sat 10am–8:30pm • Sun 11am–7pm

BODY MIND SOUL A Philosophy of Walking

by Frédéric Gros, translated by John Howe

available in April, hardcover, Verso Books

Frédéric Gros charts the many different ways we get from A to B: the pilgrimage, the protest march, the nature ramble, and shows what it tells us about ourselves. He highlights thinkers who also saw walking as a central part of their practice: we learn how Rousseau had to walk to think, Nietzsche in order to write, while Kant walked to distract himself from contemplation.

Inspirational One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way

by Robert Maurer

available in April, paperback, Workman Publishing

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." ~Tao Te Ching. Kaizen is the Japanese word meaning, "the art of making great and lasting change through small, steady steps.” This gentle but potent way to effect change is for anyone who wants to lose weight, or quit smoking, or write a novel, get out of debt, or conquer shyness.

Relationships Love Illuminated: Exploring Life's Most Mystifying Subject (with the Help of 50,000 Strangers)

by Daniel Jones

available now, hardcover, HarperCollins

Drawing from the 50,000 stories that have crossed his desk as editor of a column about love, Jones explores ten aspects of love—pursuit, destiny, vulnerability, connection, trust, practicality, monotony, infidelity, loyalty, and wisdom—and creates a lively, funny and enlightening journey through this universal human experience that jangles the head and stirs the heart.

360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • www.villagebooks.com

Learning to Walk in the Dark

by Barbara Brown Taylor hardcover, available in April, HarperCollins

When I was a little girl, I was afraid of the dark and always needed a nightlight in my room. As a teenager, I left the radio on so I couldn’t hear the strange and scary sounds of night. Now, as an adult, I fear the “darkness” inside of myself. But as Barbara Brown Taylor, bestselling author of An Altar in the World, shares in this new book, there is light even in darkness. If we explore ourselves, and our relationship to literal and spiritual darkness, we might discover something truly profound in our world. —Christina

Living with a Wild God: A Nonbeliever's Search for the Truth about Everything

by Barbara Ehrenreich

available in April, hardcover, Grand Central

Ehrenreich came across the journal she had kept during her tumultuous adolescence and set out to reconstruct that quest, which had taken her to the study of science and through a cataclysmic series of uncanny—or as she later learned to call them, "mystical"—experiences. A staunch atheist and rationalist, she is profoundly shaken by the implications of her life-long search.

Observations On Looking: A Walker's Guide to the Art of Observation

by Alexandra Horowitz

available in April, paperback, Simon & Schuster

Explained with her generous humor and self-deprecating tone, Horowitz shows us how to be in the real world—where strangers communicate by geometry as they walk toward one another, where sounds reveal shadows, where posture can display humility, and the underside of a leaf unveils a Lilliputian universe—where, indeed, there are worlds within worlds within worlds.

Spring 2014 39

SCIENCE

by Frans de Waal

available in March, paperback, W.W. Norton & Co.

Rich with cultural references and anecdotes of primate behavior, The Bonobo and the Atheist engagingly builds a unique argument grounded in evolutionary biology and moral philosophy. Ever a pioneering thinker, de Waal delivers a heartening and inclusive new perspective on human nature and our struggle to find purpose in our lives.

The Sound Book: The Science of the Sonic Wonders of the World

by Trevor Cox

available now, hardcover, W.W. Norton & Co.

An Unnatural History

by Elizabeth Kolbert available now, hardcover, Macmillan

Scientists around the world are current l y monitoring the earth's sixth extinction, predicted to be the most devastating extinction event since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs.

This time around, the cataclysm is us. Kolbert draws on the work of scores of researchers in half a dozen disciplines, accompanying many of them into the field. y Money B Da a 0-

RISK FREE READS

GU

ck

Cox explains how sound is made and altered by the environment, how our body reacts to peculiar noises, and how these mysterious wonders illuminate sound’s surprising dynamics in everyday settings—from your bedroom to the opera house. The Sound Book encourages us to become better listeners in a world dominated by the visual and to open our ears to the glorious cacophony all around us.

The Sixth Extinction:

9

The Bonobo and the Atheist: In Search of Humanism Among the Primates

A R A N TEE

   

40 Spring 2014

Store Hours through April: Mon–Sat 10am–8:30pm • Sun 11am–7pm

NATURE Seeds of Hope: Wisdom and Wonder from the World of Plants

by Jane Goodall with Gail Hudson available in April, hardcover, Grand Central Publishing

Goodall introduces us to botanists around the world, as well as places where hope for plants can be found, such as The Millennium Seed Bank, where one billion seeds are preserved. She shows us the secret world of plants with all their mysteries and potential for healing our bodies as well as Planet Earth.

Animal Architecture

by Ingo Arndt, text by Jurgen Tautz available in April, hardcover, Abrams

Every day, all over the world, animals and insects set about the complex task of creating gorgeous shelters. Ingo Arndt's stunning studio photographs and vibrant in-situ shots provide closeup details of these designs and the animals who created them. The images are accompanied with an abundance of fascinating facts about their survival methods, mating habits, and much more.

The Thing with Feathers: The Surprising Lives of Birds and What They Reveal About Being Human

by Noah Strycker

available in March, hardcover, Penguin

Drawing deep from personal experience, cutting-edge science, and colorful history, Strycker spins captivating stories about the birds in our midst and reveals the startlingly intimate coexistence of birds and humans.

With humor, style, and grace, he shows how our view of the world is often, and remarkably, through the experience of birds.

Badluck Way: A Year on the Ragged Edge of the West

by Bryce Andrews

available now, hardcover, Atria Books

Andrews left his life in Seattle for cattle ranching in Montana near Yellowstone.

What starts as a poetic and thoughtful memoir of a modern-day cowboy becomes a balanced portrayal of the struggle between ecologicallyconscious cattle ranching and newly reintroduced wolves who threaten the herds. Through Bryce's writing comes understanding and from understanding comes compassion... for both sides of this thorny issue. —Paul

A Window on Eternity: A Biologist's Walk Through Gorongosa National Park

by Edward O. Wilson

available in April, hardcover, Simon & Schuster

The remarkable story of how one of the most biologically diverse habitats in the world was destroyed, restored, and continues to evolve—with stunning, full-color photographs by two of the world's best wildlife photographers. Wilson shows why biodiversity is vital to the future of the Earth, including our human population.

360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • www.villagebooks.com

Nature of Writing Series

Co-sponsored by North Cascades Institute A Free Event!

At Village Books

CAMERON MacDONALD Saturday, March 22nd, 4pm

The Endangered Species Road Trip:

A Summer's Worth of Dingy Motels, Poison Oak, Ravenous Insects, and the Rarest Species in North America

by Cameron MacDonald

available now, paperback, Greystone Books

Crammed into a minivan with wife, toddler, infant, and dog, accompanied by mounds of toys, diapers, tent, sleeping bags, and other paraphernalia, Cameron MacDonald embarks on a road trip of a lifetime to observe North America's rarest species.

MacDonald offers fascinating details about the natural history of the endangered species he seeks, as well as threats like overpopulation, commercial fishing, and climate change that are driving them towards extinction.

Spring 2014 41

POETRY HUMOROUS I Am the Beggar of the World: Landays from Contemporary Afghanistan

compiled by Eliza Griswold, photos by Seamus Murphy available in April, hardcover, Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Landays are clandestine poems and peculiar to mostly illiterate Pashtun women, of whom there are more than 20 million.

These poems are distinct in their beauty, salaciousness, and wit. Eliza Griswold was inspired to collect these poems upon hearing about a young girl who burned herself to death so that the Taliban couldn't punish her for having written them.

Songs for a Summons

by David Guterson

available now, hardcover, Lost Horse Press

"As is true when David Guterson enriches our lives and literature with memorable stories and essays, he is on these pages a poet acutely, even achingly, aware of the beauty and sometimes absurdity of the natural and unnatural forms that surround us... With each elegant poem in Songs For A Summons, Guterson liberates our seeing, our senses, and beckons us to live more fully, more authentically, more deeply." —Dr. Charles Johnson, author of Middle Passage

Morning in Serra Mattu: A Nubian Ode

by Arif Gamal

available April, hardcover, McSweeney’s

A mosaic of interrelated stories exploding with personality, myth, and historical weight, this is a profound and joyful meditation on life in modern Sudan. Arif Gamal seamlessly blends large-scale political realities with the local and the traditional: "old villages/whose ancient way is so composed/each single blade of grass is known/and in its place." This is a perfect discovery for National Poetry Month.

LITERATURE Burning the Midnight Oil: Illuminating Words for the Long Night's Journey Into Day

by Phil Cousineau, forward by Jeff "The Dude" Dowd available now, paperback, Cleis Press

Word-wrangler extraordinaire Phil Cousineau has gathered an eclectic and electric collection of soulful poems and prose from great thinkers throughout the ages. Including glorious poetry and prayers from fellow restless souls, Cousineau will relieve any insomniac's unease. From St. John of the Cross to Annie Dillard, from Beethoven to The Song of Songs, this insightful anthology soothes and inspires all who struggle through the dark of the night.

99¢ Shipping Yes, you read that right!

USPS Media Mail

–books & dvds– available online AND in-store domestic shipping only

Independent Stores for Independent Minds. Be Indie, Buy Indie.

42

Spring 2014

Building Community One Book at a Time

NATIONAL

P O E T RY

MONTH APRIL t

www.poets.org

I

naugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, National Poetry Month is now held every April, when publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, schools and poets around the country band together to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture. Thousands of businesses and non-profit organizations, including Village Books, participate through readings, festivals, book displays, workshops, and other events. There's a full listing of our events in our Literature Live schedule on pages 65-70.

Receive a You can celebrate in a variety of ways. Sign up to receive a poem-a-day by email by POEM-A-DAY going to Poets.org and clicking on the Poem-a-day link.

Celebrate Poem-in-Your-Pocket Day on Friday, April 18th by selecting your favorite poem, carrying it around all day, and sharing it with friends, family and co-workers.

F F O % 0 2 TRY POE ! l i r p A L L A

go to Poets.org

All poetry books will once again be 20% off for the entire month of April!

Thursday, April 3, 7pm LINDA STREVER —Against My Dreams: An Immigrant’s Story Linda Strever’s collection of narrative poems is written in the voice of her maternal grandmother, telling her immigration story. The manuscript was a finalist for both the Intro Series Poetry Prize and the Levis Poetry Prize from Four-Way Books, the New Issues Press Award in Poetry and the Ohio State University Press Award in Poetry. Linda earned an MFA in Creative Writing at Brooklyn College, City University of New York, where she was awarded the Louis Goodman Creative Writing Scholarship.

360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • www.villagebooks.com

Meet the Poets!

Thursday, April 24, 7pm SpeakEasy 14: String Theory Group Poetry Reading "String Theory" will feature local poets Luther Allen, Allen Frost, Nancy Pagh, Paul Piper, and Sheila Sondik, who will "string" poems together based on some common element from the preceding poem. The common thread might be theme, topic, a word or phrase, style—something that gives birth to the selection of the next poem.

Spring 2014

43

E-books for Independent Minds The Latest News from the Village Books E-Team

by Sam Kaas, E-Team Leader

I

f there's one thing we know for sure, it's that as an independent bookstore we cater to renaissance individuals.

You, our customers and friends, are not the sort of people whose interests are narrow or confined. You speak multiple languages, you study art and botany and computer science, you travel the world. You read books on all sorts of subjects. You are versatile.

Many of you are versatile in the way you read, as well, and because of this we've been hard at work expanding our offerings in the digital realm. Here's what's new in the world of e-books at Village Books.

If you've been holding out for an e-reader which has a light, but is not too bulky, or one which comes with a large, crisp screen but is still compact, your wait is over. We now have the brand-new Kobo Aura in stock! It has an HD screen and a frontlight, and it's slim and light enough to carry anywhere. The Kobo Aura is just $139.99, and you can stop by Village Books anytime to take it for a test-drive.

4 GB of onboard storage (room for over 3,000 books) Supports 11 different fonts in 24 sizes for comfortable reading

A lot of us around here are writers. If you are a writer, you may have already begun investigating your options for publishing e-books. And you may have found those options pretty overwhelming.

That's where we come in. Village Books will help you to format and upload your e-book as part of our ever-expanding publishing services. How do you price an e-book? How do you format the file? We can answer those questions. We're proud to be partnered with Kobo Writing Life, which allows us to give local authors a national e-book presence. The world of digital publishing can be a scary place, but we'll walk you through it.

You can learn more by contacting Brendan Clark, our Publishing Director, at brendan@villagebooks.com. See page 25 for more information about our publishing services.

Are you feeling like there's been a void in your reading life since GoodReads went corporate? We're excited to offer a brand-new social network for bibliophiles. Yep, you heard it here first...Village Books is now part of the Zola Books family! Zola is a curated website for readers, where you can rate your favorite books and read reviews from booksellers here at Village Books, and at other indie bookstores. Zola Books even has exclusive e-books for sale on iPad and iPhone. Zola is brand new, and it's still being developed, so this is your chance to get in on the ground floor! Check them out and sign up at www.zolabooks.com/profile/villagebooks.

Wait, wait...what if you're interested in e-books, but don't know the first thing about them? Don't panic.

The Village Books E-Team is here to help. You can contact them at eteam@villagebooks.com.

The E-Team is Sam, Alex, Jenny, Rachel H., Brendan and Paul.

Want to receive more e-book news from Village Books? Sign up for The Ebook Epistle!

Email sam@villagebooks.com to subscribe.

44 Spring 2014

Store Hours through April: Mon–Sat 10am–8:30pm • Sun 11am–7pm

CONTEMPORARY

CULTURAL CRITICISM

Unreal City: Las Vegas, Black Mesa, and the Fate of the West

by Judith Nies

available April, hardcover, Nation Books

As a young congressional staffer, Judith Nies watched Congress divide up between the Hopi and Navajo 4,000 square miles on Black Mesa--lands that held the richest untouched coal deposit in the U.S. Soon some of the largest mining, construction, and utility corporations in America stepped over the Navajos so 21 billion tons of coal could be strip-mined. In the intervening years, she followed the money that flowed from Black Mesa.

Affluenza: How Overconsumption Is Killing Us— and How to Fight Back, 3rd Edition

by John de Graaf, David Wann, Thomas H. Naylor

available now, paperback, Berrett-Koehler Publishers

Based on two highly acclaimed PBS documentaries, Affluenza uses the metaphor of a disease to tackle a very serious subject: the damage done to our health, our families, our communities, and our environment by the obsessive quest for material gain. The authors examine the origins, evolution, and symptoms of this affluenza epidemic, as well as exploring cures and suggesting strategies for rebuilding families, communities, and our earth.

Countdown: Our Last, Best Hope for a Future on Earth?

by Alan Weisman

available in May, paperback, Little, Brown & Co.

Weisman visits an extraordinary range of the world's cultures, religions, nationalities, tribes, and political systems to learn what in their beliefs, histories, liturgies, or current circumstances might suggest that sometimes it's in their own best interest to limit their growth. The result is a landmark work of reporting: devastating, urgent, and, ultimately, deeply hopeful.

360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • www.villagebooks.com

Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt

by Chris Hedges and Joe Sacco available April, paperback, Nation Books

Two years ago, Chris Hedges and Joe Sacco set out to take a look at sacrifice zones: those people and areas (such as coal fields) in America that have been offered up for exploitation, destruction, and then discarded in the name of profit.

They wanted to show in words and drawings what life looks like where the marketplace rules without constraints. This book is the account of their travels.

Another Great Day at Sea: Life Aboard the USS George H.W. Bush

by Geoff Dyer

available in May, hardcover, Pantheon

At once deft travelogue, unerring social observation, and honed comedy, this book describes life on a three-dimensional maze of walkways, hatches, and stairs; conversations conducted in a language suffused with acronyms but devoid of grammar; and Geoff Dyer's own earnest efforts to appreciate the men and women aboard who have chosen a way of life the diametric opposite of the one he has constructed for himself.

The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap

by Matt Taibbi

available in April, hardcover, Spiegel & Grau

Taibbi once again takes readers into the biggest, most urgent story in America: a widening wealth gap that is not only reshaping our economic life, but changing our core sense of right and wrong. The wealthy 1% operate with near impunity, while everyone else finds their very existence the subject of massive law enforcement attention: from stop-and-frisk programs and the immigrant dragnet to invasive surveillance and the abuse of debtors.

The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brillant Technologies

by Erik Brynjolfsson, Andrew McAfee available now, hardcover, W.W. Norton & Co.

How can we keep decent paying jobs, and stay relevant and engaged in the world—when computers can now do so many things that humans used to do? As the full impact of digital technologies is felt, we will realize immense bounty in the form of dazzling personal technology, advanced infrastructure, and near-boundless access to the cultural items that enrich our lives.

Spring 2014 45

HRC: State Secrets and the Rebirth of Hillary Clinton

The Loudest Voice in the Room: How the Brilliant,

by Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes available now,, hardcover, Crown

Bombastic Roger Ailes Built Fox News—and Divided a Country

by Gabriel Sherman

available now, hardcover, Random House

When Rupert Murdoch enlisted Roger Ailes to launch a cable news network in 1996, American politics and media changed forever. Now, with a remarkable level of detail and insight, New York Magazine reporter Gabriel Sherman brings Ailes’ unique genius to life, along with the outsized personalities who have helped Fox News play a defining role in the great social and political controversies of the past two decades.

At Village Books

Peter Stark

A Free Event!

Thank you for your continued support.

We wouldn't be here without you!

ADVENTURE

Tuesday, March 11th, 7pm

Into the Abyss:

Astoria: John Jacob Astor and

An Extraordinary True Story

Thomas Jefferson's Lost Pacific Empire: A Story of Wealth, Ambition, and Survival

by Carol Shaben

available in May, paperback, Grand Central

by Peter Stark

available in March, hardcover, Harper

This is the thrilling, true-adventure tale of the 1810 Astor Expedition, an epic threeyear journey to forge an American empire on the Pacific Coast. A harrowing saga in which a band of explorers battled nature, starvation, and madness to establish the first American settlement in the Pacific Northwest and opened up what would become the Oregon trail.

On an icy night in October 1984, a commuter plane carr ying nine passengers crashed in the remote wilderness of northern Alberta, killing six people. Four survived: the rookie pilot, a prominent politician, a cop, and the criminal he was escorting to face charges. Against regulations, the cop removed the criminal's handcuffs—a decision that would profoundly impact the men's survival.

Alone on the Ice: The Greatest Survival Story in the History of Exploration

Rescue of the Bounty: Disaster and Survival in Superstorm Sandy

by Michael J. Tougias and Douglas A. Campbell

by David Roberts

available in March, paperback, Norton

available in April, hardcover, Simon & Schuster

The harrowing maritime tale of the sinking and rescue efforts surrounding the HMS Bounty—the replica used in the 1962 remake of Mutiny on the Bounty—which sank during Hurricane Sandy with sixteen aboard. The Coast Guard launched a complex and massive rescue, sending Jayhawk helicopters into the hurricane and lowering rescue swimmers into the raging sea.

46 Spring 2014

HRC is an examination of how Hillary has, time and again, revitalized her political reputation at home and abroad.

This biography will take readers inside Hillary's decision to join the Obama Cabinet, her four years in his inner circle as Secretary of State, and the workings of Bill and Hillary's political machine as she makes her decision about the 2016 election.

In 1913, Douglas Mawson, leader of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, was hauling a sledge to get back to base camp. The dogs were gone. Now Mawson himself plunged through a snow bridge.

A line of poetry gave him the will to haul himself back to the surface.This thrilling and almost unbelievable account establishes Mawson in his rightful place as one of the greatest polar explorers and expedition leaders.

Store Hours through April: Mon–Sat 10am–8:30pm • Sun 11am–7pm

REAL PEOPLE TRUE TALES

The Splendid Things We Planned: A Family Portrait

by Blake Bailey

available in March, hardcover, Norton

The Splendid Things We Planned is a darkly funny account of growing up in the shadow of an erratic and increasingly dangerous brother, an exhilarating and sometimes harrowing story that culminates in one unforgettable Christmas. The editor, Matt Weiland calls it a "Merle Haggard song come to life." The characters are outrageous, and over the top (especially his older brother Scott).

Love, Nina: A Nanny Writes Home

by Nina Stibbe

available in April, hardcover, Little, Brown & Co.

In 1982, 20-year-old Nina Stibbe moved to London to work as a nanny to two opinionated and lively young boys. In frequent letters home to her sister, Nina described her trials and triumphs. "Breezy, sophisticated, hilarious, rude and aching with sweetness: Love, Nina might be the most charming book I've ever read." —Maria Semple

Until Further Notice, I Am Alive

by Tom Lubbock

available now, hardcover, Granta

In 2008, Tom Lubbock was diagnosed with a brain tumor and told he had only one or two years to live. In this remarkable record of those years, lived out in threemonth intervals between scans, he examines the question of how to live with death in sight. As The Independent's chief art critic, Tom remained a man wholly engaged with life even as it ended.

Village Books & Paper Dreams Gift Cards For All Ages & Any Occasion

Village Books, in partnership with the Pickford Film Center, presents

WRITERS IN THE

On-screen Author Talks & Interviews

MEMOIRS that MATTER SERIES

Our popular "Writers in the Limelight" MEMOIRS THAT MATTER SERIES! Village Books will host a discussion after each film for those interested in staying. Tickets for each show are $6—available through the Pickford Film Center.

Check out Pickfordcinema.org for more information! Please note: authors do NOT attend.

Saturdays at noon, March 15: Mika Brzezinski –All Things at Once April 19: General Stanley McChrystal –My Share of the Task May 17: Thomas Buergenthal –A Lucky Child: A Memoir of Surviving Auschwitz as a Young Boy June 21: Leslie Caron –Thank Heaven: A Memoir

360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • www.villagebooks.com

Spring 2014 47

Discover a New Author Today!

We've Read Them... We Love Them...

We Stand Behind Them!

What do we take the most pride in as independent booksellers?

Finding books so good that they take our breath away, showcasing those books, and then spreading the word. Even more so for books from first-time authors. That’s exactly what “Indies Introduce...

Debut Authors” does.

The titles were culled from literally thousands of pages of manuscripts by experienced and discriminating booksellers across the country. We've read them, we love them, and we stand behind them.

Look for this logo along with these books in this Reader, on our shelves, and on our website.

If Only You People Could Follow Directions

by Jessica Hendry Nelson available now, hardcover, Counterpoint Press

This memoir in essays brings to mind Jo Ann Beard's The Boys of My Youth. It’s a book for anyone who has ever been young and trying to find themselves—which is to say, it’s a book for everyone.

Nelson’s punch-you-in-the-heart prose is incandescently beautiful.

—Michele Filgate, Community Bookstore, Brooklyn, NY

Pigs Can't Swim

by Helen Peppe

available now, hardcover, Da Capo Press

Fresh, frank, and funny! Helen Peppe’s memoir, Pigs Can’t Swim, is at once laugh-out-loud funny and tragic. In the hardscrabble environment of rural Maine, Helen grew up as the youngest in a family of nine. Using the delightful but gritty language of a child wise beyond her years, she shares stories of sibling rivalry, parental neglect, and general childhood angst. Book clubs in particular will find much to discuss in these pages. This debut gem showcases the voice of a fresh, talented author. Readers can only hope that Peppe doesn’t wait long before writing her next book.

Recommended for all!

—Nancy Simpson-Brice, Book Vault, Oskaloosa, IA

I See You Made an Effort: Compliments, Indignities, and Survival Stories from the Edge of 50

by Annabelle Gurwitch

available in March, hardcover, Penguin

Whether navigating the extensive—and treacherously expensive—antiaging offerings at a department-store beauty counter, negotiating the ins and outs of acceptable behavior with her teenage kid, or the thudding financial reality of the "never-tirement" generation that leads her to petty theft, Gurwitch proves a smart and hilarious writer in her prime.

48

Spring 2014

Discover a new author for yourself!

FUNNY and TRUE! The Noble Hustle: Poker, Beef Jerky, and Death

by Colson Whitehead

available in May, hardcover, Doubleday

In 2011, Grantland magazine sent novelist Colson Whitehead to brave the harrowing, seven-day gauntlet of the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. It was the assignment of a lifetime, except for one hitch—he'd never played in a casino tournament before.

With just six weeks to train, our humble narrator plunged into the gritty subculture of high-stakes Texas Hold'em.

Building Community One Book at a Time

HISTORY Savage Harvest: A Tale of Cannibals, Colonialism, and Michael Rockefeller's Tragic Quest for Primitive Art

by Carl Hoffman

available in March, hardcover, HarperCollins

Hoffman retraces the steps of Michael Rockefeller, a young man gone missing in 1961 during an expedition to New Guinea. Illustrated with two dozen color photographs, Savage Harvest is a wildly entertaining odyssey into one of the remotest areas of the planetand into the heart of a tribal culture whose legacy continues to fascinate us today.

The Fishing Fleet: Husband-Hunting in the Raj

by Anne de Courcy

Delphi: A History of the Center of the Ancient World

by Michael Scott

available in March, hardcover, Princeton University Press

The oracle and sanctuary of the Greek god Apollo at Delphi were known as the "omphalos"—the "center" or "navel"—of the ancient world for more than 1000 years. This first comprehensive history of this extraordinary sanctuary and city, from its founding to its modern rediscovery shows why Delphi was one of the most important places in the ancient world.

Bringing Mulligan Home: The Other Side of the Good War

by Dale Maharidge

available April, paperback, Perseus

available in March, hardcover, HarperCollins

At the height of the Raj, many of Her Majesty's best and brightest young men left Britain to pursue their fortunes in India. Countless young husband hunters, dubbed "the Fishing Fleet," followed. With nearly four men for every woman, romances blossomed easily and marriages were frequent. But after the honeymoon, life often changed dramatically.

After his dad died, Dale Maharidge began a twelve-year quest to face down his father's wartime ghosts. He found more than two dozen members of his father's company, now in their eighties, who had never openly spoken about the war, even to their families. Through their stories, Maharidge re-creates their war and what followed them home, vividly demonstrating that wars do not end when the guns go quiet.

Cubed: A Secret History

Blood Will Out:

of the Workplace

by Nikil Saval

available in April, hardcover, Doubleday

You mean this place we go to five days a week has a history? Cubed reveals the unexplored yet surprising story of the places where most of the world's work gets done. From the steno pool to the open-plan cubicle farm, this book is a fascinating, often funny, and sometimes disturbing anatomy of the white-collar world and how it came to be the way it is—and what it might become.

The True Story of a Murder, a Mystery, and a Masquerade

by Walter Kirn

available in March, hardcover, Norton

An In Cold Blood for our time, a chilling, compulsive story of a writer unwittingly caught in the wake of a grifter-turnedmurderer. Set in the fun-house world of an outlandish, eccentric son of privilege who, one day, would be shockingly unmasked as a brazen serial impostor and brutal double-murderer, written with Kirn's crisp and elegant prose.

100 Places You Will Never Visit: The World’s Most Secret Locations

by Daniel Smith

SECRET LOCATIONS!

available in April, paperback, Quercus Publishing

The world is full of secret places that we either don't know about, or couldn't visit even if we wanted to. Now you can spy the Tucson Titan Missile Site, tour the Vatican Archives, or see the Chapel of the Ark. This guide book takes a look at 100 places around the world that are either so hard to reach or so secret that they are impossible to visit any other way.

360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • www.villagebooks.com

Spring 2014

49

HISTORY NEVER GOES OUT OF STYLE

VICTORIAN SECRETS: ERA OF INNOVATION April 12; 7:30-10 PM www.whatcommuseum.org

KMRE 102.3 FM A non-commercial, community-based radio station licensed to and operated by the Spark Museum of Electrical Invention since 2005. KMRE is a powerful and entertaining extension of the Spark Museum’s world-class media collection.

Underwriting a show here at KMRE supports independent local radio and connects your business, group or event to one of Bellingham’s best independent media outlets.

thousands of local listeners.

Listen and learn more online at:

KMRE.ORG 50

Spring 2014

Building Community One Book at a Time

GOOD TIME GIRLS Open

THE BUREAU OF HISTORICAL INVESTIGATION Downtown

M

aybe you've heard of them or seen them about town in their racy historical garb, leading groups of the historically curious around downtown Bellingham and Fairhaven. Maybe you've been fortunate enough to have taken one of their illuminating and entertaining tours (such as the Sin & Gin and Gore & Lore tours). However you've experienced the Good Time Girls, you know that they specialize in bringing shadowed history to light and having fun with it.

Now they have a new place to call home in Downtown Bellingham right near Film Is Truth and Bayou on Bay. In addition to serving as a home base for their tours, the aptly-named Bureau of Historical Investigation is not only an obvious place to buy Bellingham souvenirs, but also a curated collection of historically-inspired gifts, postcards, and handmade goods.

Village Books & Good Time Girls... a match made in Bellingham!

Village Books has partnered with The Bureau's proprietors, Marissa McGrath and Sara Holodnick, to provide books that serve the Bureau's mission to "Illuminate the Past, Imagine the Future." In addition to delving into Bellingham's history, their collection explores topics familiar to those who have taken their tours: Sin, Gin, Tattoos, Hauntings, and Strong Women in History. They've personally selected this curated collection of titles from books they've discovered in their extensive historical researches. Their hope, and ours, is that these books will help others on their own journey to uncover our hidden history.

Visit The Bureau of Historical Investigation for a truly and uniquely Bellingham experience!

Imbibe!: From Absinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash, a Salute in Stories and Drinks to "Professor" Jerry Thomas, Pioneer of the American Bar

by David Wondrich, Dale DeGroff

A lively, historically informed, and definitive guide to classic American cocktails, in this engaging homage to Jerry Thomas, father of the American bar.

Here's a sample of the fun books you'll find!

The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II by Denise Kiernan Yet another untold story of women's unsung roles in history. "An intimate and revealing glimpse into one of the most important scientific developments in history."~Publishers Weekly Good Time Girls of the Alaska-Yukon Gold Rush: A Secret History of the Far North

by Lael Morgan

In the boomtowns of the Alaska-Yukon stampedes, where gold dust was common currency, the rarest commodity was an attractive woman, and her company could be costly. This book was the inspiration for the Good Time Girls' name!

217 W. Holly, Downtown Bellingham • Thurs. - Sun. 11am - 6pm 360.207.4663 • www.thebureaubellingham.com 360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • www.villagebooks.com

Spring 2014 51

Make an impression with custom invitations and announcements!

• Wedding • Graduation • New Baby • Special Events

Since 1993, stimulating presentations about topics of importance to our community.

You’re Invited!

Real people.

Quality Printing • Personal Service • Competitive Pricing “We’re proud to be a locally owned and operated business in Whatcom County Since 1914.”

Real issues.

Meetings are from 12 to 1:30 p.m. on the 4th Wednesday of each month at Northwood Hall 3240 Northwest Avenue, Bellingham

For more information, information, visit visit

Call today for a free quote

www.bellinghamcityclub.org

Mitze & Mary Jo

We Look Forward to Seeing You

360-354-4444 advertising@lyndentribune.com

52 Spring 2014

Store Hours through April: Mon–Sat 10am–8:30pm • Sun 11am–7pm

SHOW DECORATING

MAKE

DISCOVER

Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your

A Home in Provence:

Creativity and Get Discovered

by Austin Kleon

Interiors, Gardens, Inspiration

available in March, paperback, Workman Publishing

by Noelle Duck, Christian Sarramon available in May, hardcover, Flammarion

Images of gold-hued walls, leafy terraces, and painted shutters inspire thoughts of balmy days in the Pastis-soaked sunshine. Aromatic lavender fields and almond trees casting shade over cobbled courtyards evoke the magic of Provençal living. From plain, rustic-style benches and beds to delicate walnut armchairs and elaborate dressers, all the painted and polished accoutrements of a southern French home are featured.

Never Stop to Think…

Do I Have a Place For This

From the author of Steal Like an Artist—a hip, plain-spoken, illustrated guide to self-promotion for people who hate the very idea of self-promotion. If Steal Like An Artist was about how to steal influence from others, this is about how to influence others by letting them steal from you. It’s time to take that critical next step on a creative journey… getting known.

BUILDING Be in a Treehouse: Design /

by Mary Randolph Carter

Construction / Inspiration

available in May, hardcover, Rizzoli

by Pete Nelson

Mary Carter delves into the interiors of real-life tastemakers to explore how our homes are the perfect canvas for selfexpression. In these pages, she curates a variety of unique interiors, from a couple who restores and displays antique textiles and china to an anglophile with an incredible library of vintage books to an artist who lives with the old photos and maps he uses in his work.

available in March, hardcover, Abrams

PICTORIAL

Washington author Pete Nelson is back with another amazing treehouse book.

Using photographs and diagrams of his own projects he covers the care of trees and the fundamentals of building. To ignite the imagination, he presents 27 treehouses from around the world. For the armchair dreamer or the professional contractor, this book will be indispensable.

Find Momo: A Photography Book

by Andrew Knapp

available in March, paperback, Quirk Books

Meet Momo, a border collie who loves tagging along on adventures and getting his picture taken. Find Momo is more than a photo book: it's a game, and it's up to you to find out where the playful pup is hiding. He poses, peeks out, and camouflages himself in all kinds of places. From simple settings to more complex hide-and-go-seeks, there's lots for dog lovers of all ages to discover.

At Village Books

Andrew Knapp & Momo

A Free Event!

Saturday, May 3rd, 4pm 360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • www.villagebooks.com

Village Books is a Dog-Friendly Store!

Alpha Cat

by Paola Gallerani illustrated by Gabriella Gallerani available now, hardcover, Officina Libraria

This exquisitely illustrated, alphabetized anthology provides an unprecedented portrait of some of the most fascinating "tigers in the house," as well as rich repository of the memorable, unique characteristics that make each cat worthy of a name.

Spring 2014 53

You'll find it...

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Spring 2014

Shop 24 hours a day at www.villagebooks.com

PNBA BOOK AWARDS 2013 PACIFIC NORTHWEST BOOKSELLERS ASSOCIATION AWARD WINNERS

2013

Each year since 1965, the PNBA Awards have celebrated exceptional books written by Northwest authors.

Congratulations to this year’s winners!

A Tale for the Time Being

by Ruth Ozeki

(Whaletown, British Columbia)

In her newest work, she revels in Tokyo teen culture--this goes far beyond Hello Kitty--and explores quantum physics, military applications of computer video games, Internet bullying and Marcel Proust as well, all while creating a vulnerable and unique voice for the 16-year-old girl at its center…. Ozeki has produced a dazzling and humorous work of literary origami. (published by Viking Books)

The Mushroom Hunters:

On the Trail of an Underground America

by Langdon Cook (Seattle, WA)

Intrepid writer, naturalist and foodie Langdon Cook takes us along on his journey into the often secretive world of mushroom gatherers and dealers on the West Coast. Cook is marvelous company--bright, inquisitive, and up for an adventure. This revealing volume is part memoir, part social study, part nature guidebook, part recipe collection, and completely compelling. You'll never look at a chanterelle the same way again. (published by Ballantine Books)

We Live in Water: Stories

by Jess Walter

(Spokane, WA)

Reading his short stories—a diverse lot, but with a strong dose of the down and almost out—it's easy to envision that you're meeting the people who stream by Walter's house. The tweakers, the cons, the people always two dollars short--they're all there, and in this book they're all here, in stories that twist and plumb, delivering unexpected laughs while playing with what it is we think we know. (Harper Perennial)

360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • www.villagebooks.com

Anatomy of Melancholy and Other Poems

by Robert Wrigley

(Moscow, ID)

Vividly evoking the natural world and that most complex of beasts, the human, who stumbles and dances through it, Robert Wrigley's ninth collection of poetry is a quietly illuminating and richly pleasurable read.

He deftly joins story and song in these moving, wry, thought-provoking poems. (published by Penguin Books)

Dream Animals: A Bedtime Journey

by Emily Winfield Martin

(Portland, OR) The story couldn't be simpler: as you lie down to sleep, your dream animal appears to whisk you off to slumber. Not so simple is the sweet menagerie that does the whisking: bats and narwhales are among the animals that take the reader off to lunar landscapes and mermaid grottoes. Like Goodnight, Moon or any number of childhood favorites, this is a book you'll still love after the umpteenth reading. An instant classic. (published by Random House)

The Great War: July 1, 1916: The First Day of the Battle of the Somme

by Joe Sacco (Portland, OR) This essential book's power is revealed in its unique format. Printed on accordion-style paper to reveal 24 drawings that fold out to depict the first day in the Battle of the Somme, Sacco's black-and-white illustrations show the horror of the war by drawing us into details of the battle.

Inside the endless winding trenches, nearby the constant explosions, and oddly both distinct from and very much a part of military regiment and routine, Sacco beautifully renders the devastation and human toll of the war. (published by W.W. Norton & Co.)

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National

Children’s Book Week May 12th-18th, 2014

Connect to Reading - Celebrating Children's Books!

Join us at Village Books as we celebrate Children’s Book Week (CBW) through a variety of kids’ events. Established in 1919, CBW is the longest-running national literacy initiative in the country. Every year, commemorative events are held nationwide at schools, libraries, bookstores, homes—wherever young readers and books connect! CBW is administered by Every Child A Reader, a literacy organization, and sponsored by the Children's Book Council, the national non-profit trade association for children's book publishers.

VB donates 10% of all kids’ book purchases made during Children's Book Week to the children’s departments of the city and county libraries!

Check Out These Book Week Events!

Thursday, May 15th, 4pm Keep an eye on VillageBooks.com for more Children's Book Week events!

Patrick Jennings —Odd,Weird & Little From the author of Guinea Dog is a new middle reader about standing up for your friends, and overcoming fear. Full of heart and laughs, this book is a winner.

Saturday, May 17th - TWO events!

Erik Brooks, illustrator —A Totem Tale: A Tall Story from Alaska 10:30am - StoryWalk® Ribbon Cutting at Millions of Smiles Playground Park, Lynden, WA. Sponsored by the Whatcom County Library System

4pm - Book Event & Signing at Village Books 56

Spring 2014

Building Community One Book at a Time

YOUNG READERS Their Families & Educators

PICTURE BOOKS When Elephant Met Giraffe

Bad Dad

by Paul Gude

by Derek Munson, illustrated by Melody Wang

available now, hardcover, Hyperion

available now, hardcover, Cannonball Books

Elephant and Giraffe seem like the most unlikely of friends. Elephant is bold and loud while Giraffe is a bit more reserved. Three stories star these two friends as they learn more about each other and how they communicate. This is a charming tale told with bright illustrations and a sweet heart.

Sometimes Dad eats the last cookie in the cookie jar. Sometimes he forgets to return the library books on time.

He sleeps in late after too many video games, and doesn’t give the best haircuts. But even though Dad can be a little bad, sometimes he’s the greatest. Bellingham author Derek Munson tells a fun, sweet, (and he swears, nonautobiographical) story about a not-too-bad Dad. —Christina

Sparky

by Jenny Offill, illustrated by Chris Appelhans available in March, hardcover, Schwartz & Wade

The typical story of a child wanting a pet is given a hilarious turn in this hilarious book. No bird, no dog, no seal, so of course our heroine orders a sloth who she names Sparky. He's is a bit uninspired and sleeps a lot but she tries to teach him tricks and play games to little avail. When she promises to put on a display of tricks, she has to follow through, but how? The illustrations are the best part of this story! —Sarah

Hi, Koo!: A Year of Seasons

by Jon J. Muth

available now, hardcover, Scholastic

Koo, the nephew of Stillwater the panda from Zen Shorts, stars in his own book celebrating moments big and small in haiku poetry form. Each poem is accompanied by Muth’s beautiful watercolor paintings. There is also a subtle alphabet book theme throughout that gives a value-added element to this book.

At Village Books

A Free KIDS Event!

DEREK MUNSON Friday, March 7th, 6pm

Kids, come ready to have some fun at the launch of local author Derek Munson's new picture book, Bad Dad. Come dressed in your PJs if you want, and show up ready for fun games and a few treats as well!

The End (Almost)

by Jim Benton

available now, hardcover, Scholastic

Donut is a pretty cute bear who is getting to star in his own story. But, the plot is a bit too thin for Donut’s taste so he argues with the narrator, tries to disguise himself, and tries to sneak in until the narrator finally relents. A clever story with a cute twist.

Maple

by Lori Nichols

available now, hardcover, Nancy Paulsen

Maple is an ordinary girl who loves the tree that her parents planted for her before she was born.

She sings with it and yells with it and has snowball fights. When Maple becomes a big sister, she discovers that her tree can be a friend to her and the new baby in her life. This would be a great gift to give to a new big sister! —Sarah

360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • www.villagebooks.com

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Outside the Box: Poems

by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Diane Goode

20% OFF

available in March, hardcover, Margaret K. McElderry Books

POETRY ALL April!

Just in time to celebrate National Poetry Month is a book of poetry for kids by the bestselling author of Bear Snores On, Karma Wilson.

This book reminds me of some of my favorite childhood rhyming poems, and is reminiscent of the work of Shel Silverstein. Expect lots of fun and giggles when reading this book. —Christina

The Neighborhood Playhouse Presents

May 2nd–11th at The Firehouse Performing Arts Center, 1314 Harris Ave.

P.D. Eastman’s classic children’s book comes to life on stage in an exploration of movement, color and space.

The dogs delve into life with gusto, creating a visual spectacle for the audience to feast upon. Co-directed

by Artistic Director Lizanne Schader and Choreographer Stephanie Harper, this is an all age-appropriate production—the perfect kick-off to children's book week!

For more information, go to www.theneighborhoodplayhouse.net Tickets $8/$12 on sale March 15th at Village Books and on brownpapertickets.com

Middle Readers

The Wildwood Imperium (Wildwood Chronicles #3)

by Colin Meloy

available now, hardcover, Balzer & Bray

At last! The third and final book in the Wildwood Trilogy is here and it does not disappoint. Like its predecessors, Wildwood and Under Wildwood, the story of orphans trapped in the Impassable Wilderness just outside the Industrial Wastes of Portland is continued. The Dowager Governess has been awakened and threatens to engulf Wildwood in ivy. Only the re-animation of her son, the mechanical boy, can stop her path of destruction. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, this series is destined to become a classic. —Claire

58 Spring 2014

Bird

by Crystal Chan

available now, hardcover, Simon and Schuster

Jewel has lived in the shadow of her brother her entire life. The brother she never knew, who tragically died the day she was born. When she befriends a young boy who actually wants her to express herself, to talk about her feelings and hurt, she begins to see how toxic keeping things in can be, and that perhaps it is time for her family to break the repressive silence they’ve shrouded themselves in. In her debut novel, Chan explores the way tragedy can seep into the bones of a family, but how those within it have the power to break themselves free. —Hana

Store Hours through April: Mon–Sat 10am–8:30pm • Sun 11am–7pm

Middle Readers

Princess Labelmaker to the Rescue!: Origami Yoda Series #5

by Tom Angleberger

available in March, hardcover, Amulet

At McQuarrie Middle School, the war against the FunTime Menace wages on.

Our heroes have one battle under their belts, and they've even found a surprising ally in Jabba the Puppett. But to defeat the Dark Standardized Testing Forces they're going to need an even bigger, even more surprising ally: Principal Rabbski. But with great forces pushing her from above, will the gang's former enemy don a finger puppet and join the Rebellion—or will her transformation to Empress Rabbski, Dark Lord of the Sith, be complete?

The Boundless

by Kenneth Oppel

available in April, hardcover, Simon and Schuster

The Boundless is the longest train in the world, and riding upon her maiden voyage is Will Everett, a young artist dreaming of excitement and adventure. What he doesn’t realize is that being on the Boundless has put him on the fast track to an adventure of his own, one that is dangerous and possibly deadly. Kenneth Oppel has long been a favorite author of mine. He is a remarkable storyteller, and with exciting train-top chases, a sasquatch on the loose, and a smooth-talking circus ringmaster with ambitions of his own, The Boundless will keep you on the edge of your seat. —Hana

The Mark of the Dragonfly

by Jaleigh Johnson

available in April, hardcover, Delacorte

Piper has never seen the Mark until she finds a girl amid the wreckage of a caravan. The girl doesn't remember a thing about her life, but the intricate tattoo on her arm is proof that she's from the Dragonfly Territories which means a reward for Piper if she can get the girl home. The one sure way to the Territories is the 401, a great old beauty of a train. But a ticket costs a lot and stowing away is a difficult prospect—everyone knows that getting past the peculiar green-eyed boy who stands guard is nearly impossible.

360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • www.villagebooks.com

Harriet the Spy 50th Anniversary Edition

by Louise Fitzhugh

available now, hardcover, Delacorte

I received Harriet the Spy when I was a young girl and Harriet has always stayed with me as a smart, stubborn, observant heroine. It’s a story about being weird, being true to yourself, and knowing when you are wrong—all important lessons to learn. And now, this favorite is available in an anniversary edition which contains tributes by contemporary authors as well as author/editor correspondence and a map of Harriet’s New York. I can’t wait to have this on my shelf! —Sarah

Under the Egg

by Laura Marx Fitzgerald available in March, hardcover, Dial

When she spills a bottle of rubbing alcohol on her late grandfather’s painting, thirteen-year old Theodora Tenpenny wipes it off—and discovers what seems to be an old masterpiece underneath. That’s great news for Theo, who’s struggling to hang onto her family’s fragile town house and support her mother on her grandfather’s legacy of $463. There’s just one problem: Theo’s grandfather was a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and she worries the painting may be stolen.

West of the Moon

by Margi Preus

available in April, hardcover, Amulet Books

This is the tale of two Norwegian sisters, Astri and Greta, who are on a quest to get to America to find their father.

Left in the care of their aunt who sells Astri to a hump-backed goatherd, they become more determined than ever to escape. Based on passages taken from the author's great-great-grandmother's journal, this story has elements of magic, myth, and reads like a lovely old folktale. —Claire

Spring 2014 59

Don't miss Ken Jennings as co-host of the Literacy Trivia Bee!

Ken Jennings' Junior Genius Guides

by Ken Jennings

See page 5 for for details

paperback, Little Simon

Now you can become a junior genius with Ken Jennings’ first children’s book series! With great illustrations, quick tips, and fun quizzes to test your knowledge, these guides will have you on your way to whiz kid status in no time!

• Greek Mythology (available now!)

• Maps and Geography (available now!)

• U.S. Presidents (available in May) Watch out for more Junior Genius Guides coming soon!

NEW!

Cover to Cover

I picked up a copy of Ken Jenning's Maps and Geography Guide intending to give it to my 8 year-old niece. She's still waiting.

My husband and I are having too much fun quizzing each other and learning fun facts to give it up just yet! I recommend these guides for ALL ages. —Kelly C.

Are you between the ages of 8 & 12?

Do you LOVE Reading?

ADVENTURE Youth Book Group

Check Out VB’s NEW BOOK GROUP for Middle Readers!

Questions? Contact hana@villagebooks.com

Cover to Cover Adventure is a book group for kids 8-12 years of age led by Hana of Village Books.

We meet every second Tuesday of the month from 4-5pm in the VB Readings Gallery.

When we get together, we examine and explore the story we have read through discussions, crafts, activities, and games.

Don’t miss out on the fun!

March 11th, 4pm –The Graveyard Book

by Neil Gaiman

April 8th, 4pm –James and the Giant Peach

by Roald Dahl

FAMILY Got Teens?: The Doctor Moms' Guide to Sexuality, Social Media and Other Adolescent Realities

by Logan Levkoff and Jennifer Wider

available now, paperback, Avalon Publishing Group

The Doctor Moms combine their medical and psychological knowledge with their own personal experiences to address the most cringeworthy and difficult questions that kids often ask their parents, and help you to figure out what they really want to know.

Topics include body development, emotional changes, bullying, social media, substance abuse, and more. This book will give parents the confidence to tackle these subjects with authority and compassion.

60 Spring 2014

Store Hours through April: Mon–Sat 10am–8:30pm • Sun 11am–7pm

CAMP DEMIGOD Overnight Camps in alsPoint Roberts, WA

DIGIVATIONS Camp Demigod’s camps are a blend of world building through innovation, role playing and speculative fiction. They focus on creativity, mentorship and developing young leaders. They integrate DIGIVATIONS international NASA award winning STEM+ARTS+MOVEMENT curriculum featuring robots to rockets, and its Sphere of Influence Innovation programs where kids learn how artists, writers, scientists, engineers, technologists and others influence each other to be original and contribute positively to the world around them.

Camp Fandom Mashup of Percy Jackson, Dr. Who, Avatar: The Last Airbender, the Hobbit, Hunger Games, Steampunk, & more!

July 1-4 • July 13-20 • August 10-16

Family Fantasy & Innovation Camp An opportunity for adults and children to explore and embrace all that Camp Demigod has to offer July 4-6 • August 8-10

Camp Half-Blood Percy Jackson and The Olympians Series June 23-30 • July 6-13 • August 3-10

Camp offerings are also available in combinations for one, two and three week sessions. For details and registration information, go to

www.digivations.com/campdemigod.html

DIGIVATIONS Camp Demigod

Ages 9-17

Innovation & World Building Workshop March 15, noon-2:30pm in the Readings Gallery $20 per participant (a $75 value) Register at the main counter or by calling the store at 360-671-2626.

For more information, contact info@campdemigod.org or 360-543-5641.

FANTASY Into the Dark:

Young Adult

The Shadow Prince

Defy

available in March, hardcover, Egmont

available now, hardcover, Scholastic

by Bree Despain

The Greek tragedy of Orpheus and Eurydice gets a modern-day makeover in the first book of Bree Despain's new series. Fame and fortune are the norm in Olympus hills, an exclusive Hollywood community, but at what cost? Girls are going missing and the descendants of Greek gods are on the loose. Music lovers will especially enjoy the unique way in which songs and music have power and help to shape the story. –Jenny

360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • www.villagebooks.com

by Sara B. Larson If you like your young adult reads with a good dose of royal intrigue, pick up a copy of Defy ! The kingdom is at war, and Damian seems bent on getting both himself and Alex killed, albeit in some creative ways.

But there may be some method to Damian's madness, and it could save both kingdoms. Secrets and hidden agendas abound! –Jenny

Spring 2014 61

Teen Writers, Sign up for the 2014 Friday, June 20, 9:30am - 5:30pm After a successful debut last year, Village Books and Whatcom Young Writers are hosting the second annual Write On!: Teen Writing Conference. This day-long event will help teen writers, ages 13-18, practice their writing skills and get expert advice from the pros.

The conference features break-out sessions led by professional writers, writing critiques, and an open mic to end the day. Conference faculty includes Jennifer Bradbury, Kevin Emerson, Spencer Ellsworth, Nicole Persun, Joel Gillman, Cory Skerry, Kari Neumeyer, and Kamarie Chapman.

Visit WriteOnConference.com for more information about the schedule and to register. Registration is $49 general or $42 for early bird registrations received prior to June 1.

Scar Boys

by Len Vlahos available now, hardcover, Egmont

When I finished this book—this story about a severely burned teenager, a guitar, a rock 'n' roll road trip, and finding your place in the world—and the goosebumps brought on by the ending subsided, I was sorry to have finished it. I may be done with the book, but it's not done with me.

Harbinger "Harry" Jones' honest, gutsy, ironic, scarred, scared, real, damaged-but-not-broken voice is one that will stay with me. I sure loved living inside his head for a while.

Lightning might have ALMOST struck Harry, but the lightning of inspiration must have ACTUALLY hit this author. –Paul

Nearly Gone

by Elle Cosimano available in March, hardcover, Kathy Dawson

Living in a DC trailer park, Nearly Boswell knows better than to share anything that would make her a target with her classmates. Like her mother's job as an exotic dancer, her obsession with the personal ads, and especially the emotions she can taste when she brushes against someone's skin. But when a serial killer goes on a spree and starts attacking students, leaving cryptic ads in the newspaper that only Nearly can decipher, she confides in the one person she shouldn't trust, the new guy at school.

Grasshopper Jungle Salvage

by Alexandra Duncan available in April, hardcover, Greenwillow

Ava, a teenage girl living aboard the male-dominated, conservative deep space merchant ship Parastrata, faces betrayal, banishment, and death. Taking her fate into her own hands, she flees to the Gyre, a floating continent of garbage and scrap in the Pacific Ocean even though she can’t read or write.

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Spring 2014

by Andrew Smith

available now, hardcover, Dutton

This book is not for everyone but, for those who it is for, it is freaking amazing and hilarious. Austin has written histories for ages and spent time with his girlfriend Shann and his best friend Robbie, who he also kind of loves too. This is confusing enough but then a radioactive goo releases six foot tall praying mantises that want to only eat and mate. There is rough language and some tough situations but a great read for an older reader. —Sarah

Building Community One Book at a Time

The Museum of Intangible Things

by Wendy Wunder

available in April, hardcover, Razorbill

Having grown up in a derelict city in New Jersey from broken homes and nothing to look forward to, Hannah and Zoe are no strangers to disappointment, but when Hannah’s dad steals her community college fund and Zoe’s mother threatens to put her back in the mental hospital, the girls hit the road to get away from the dysfunction.

As Zoe’s condition seems to worsen and her hallucinations become more intense, Hannah finds herself torn between trusting Zoe’s judgment and calling for help. A vivid depiction of friendship and living with mental illness while embracing the better things life has to offer. —Lauren

Tsarina

by J. Nelle Patrick available now, hardcover, Razorbill

In this fictional account of the Russian Revolution, the central conflict swirls around a mystical Fabergé egg rumored to protect the Romanov family and cement their rule over Russia. Myth, history, and folklore converge in this exciting retelling as Natalya tries to save the royal family, her country, and herself. I especially enjoyed the creative ways in which the egg's powers manifested. Between Patrick's great writing and the historical significance of the setting, this makes for a remarkable read. –Jenny

Secrets of the Terra-Cotta Soldier

by Ying Chang Compestine and Vinson Compestine. available now, hardcover, Amulet Books

Ming and his father spend their days working as part of their village's archaeological office, preserving the ancient relics the other villagers bring them. Ming is unpopular at school because of the class his family belongs to. But when a terra-cotta soldier from Emperor Qin's tomb shows up and begins to speak and walk around, Ming is swept into an adventure to save the Emperor's tomb and his father's job. This book is an entertaining historical fantasy complete with pictures from real Chinese history which bring the story to life! —Rachel M.

Enjoy!

360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • www.villagebooks.com

Young Adult Recommendations from the Staff!

Starling

by Fiona Paul

available in March, hardcover, Penguin

This third installment concludes Paul’s masterful, addictive Secrets of the Eternal Rose trilogy. Cass is a determined and independent young woman ahead of her time, but some of her more daring choices in earlier books (starting with the amateur investigation of her friend’s possible murder) explain why she and her fiancé are fugitives now. A skilled blend of mystery, young adult, romance, and suspense, these easy, satisfying reads always impress me. —Rachel H.

Orleans

by Sherri L. Smith

available in March, paperback, Speak

Orleans is a glimpse of Louisiana some 50 years from now after a series of superstorms ravage the Southeast. The United States has withdrawn governance of the Gulf states due to Delta Fever and New Orleans has been reduced to a population of 8,000. People are divided into tribes based on blood type and a young O-Positive named Fen is doing her best to survive and get a newborn baby over the wall to safety. Her character is so solid and the descriptions of a beloved city in ruins are unforgettable. Here's a cliché that's so true I can't avoid it: I couldn't put this book down. —Claire

Manor of Secrets

by Katherine Longshore available now, hardcover, Scholastic

This sweet, short, satisfying young adult melodrama will appeal to fans of Downton Abbey. Lady Charlotte Edmonds and her family’s servant Janie Seward lead very different lives, but those two lives intersect when Charlotte’s mysterious aunt arrives for a surprise visit. These girls develop a sometimes strained but always moving friendship as they bond over their seemingly impossible dreams. —Rachel H.

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One Book Pledger O

ne of the most defining moments in Amy McIlvaine's reading life was when a middle school librarian said to her "here's a book I think you'll like." Until that time, though already a reader, she had never considered that people could be matched with books. "When that librarian handed me The Thread That Runs So True by Jesse Stuart," says Amy, "it was the first time anyone had ever matched a book to who I was." She says that's one of the things she likes about Village Books. "When we first moved to town I brought my kids here. The staff got to know them and made recommendations."

Amy was raised in a family of readers—"especially my mother," she says—in an 8,000 person town in rural Pennsylvania. There was no bookstore and the local Kresge's had a very limited selection. She relied on her local and school library for books. All of her encounters with librarians were not as pleasant or enlightening as the one described above. She was once chastised for reading more than one book at a time—a habit in which most avid readers engage.

Inspired by a summer as a camp counselor (during which she read The Winds of War by Herman Wouk), Amy set off to The College of Wooster to become a music therapist. She found, however, that she was more skilled in economics and turned to the world of finance and banking. When she was blocked from being an investment banker, it was the first time she encountered the "glass ceiling." "I had never been told I couldn't do something because I was a woman," she says. "My dad, though a pretty traditional guy, always supported me in doing whatever I wanted to do."

"I love what Village Books and other local businesses do to preserve the community."

Amy worked on Wall Street and spent the first eighteen months of married life in New York City while her husband worked in Chicago. Then, when their first daughter was six weeks old, they moved to London where Amy frequented a small bookshop in Hampstead.

Moving to Bellingham twenty years ago, Amy was quickly introduced to Village Books and has become a dedicated customer. "My dad was a big supporter of local merchants in my hometown," Amy recalls. "It's funny that now I've become like my dad, a big supporter of the local economy. I love what Village Books and other local businesses do to preserve the community," she says.

Amy has been a member of a book group for eighteen years. She's an eclectic reader. She read Dorothy Sayers and Agatha Christie novels in high school, but has moved on to books like The Angle of Repose, Stones from the River, and The Sparrow. She just recently finished Carson McCullers' book, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, and loved The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. She just completed a degree at Bainbridge Graduate Institute and has been reading much in the area of food politics, afro-ecology and the new economy.

You can learn more about the One Book Pledge at VillageBooks.com.

Add yourself to the growing list of people who recognize the importance of independent bookstores to the health and culture of communities by buying one more book from us, and one less from chain stores, other online sellers or other retailer s.

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Spring 2014

Building Community One Book at a Time

Literature LIVE!

EVENTS

Sun., March 2, 4pm Fiction CARI LUNA, —The Revolution of Every Day & D. FOY, —Made to Break

VB’s Literary Events Program

Additions & changes to this schedule will occur so check out

www.VillageBooks.com

to stay updated–or even better, let us come to you!

Register online for the Village Books eNewsletter!

MARCH Sat., March 1, 10:30-11am Preschool Storytime with Claire

KIDS!

Join Village Books bookseller Claire for our preschool story time. We'll have fun reading various stories. Come ready to have a good time! For ages 3-5 years old. Our preschool story time takes place the first Saturday of each month from 10:30-11am in the Kids' Section.

Sat., March 1, 4pm Fiction JEREMY BUSHNELL, —The Weirdness and RACHEL CANTOR, —A Highly Unlikely Scenario Jeremy Bushnell's debut novel The Weirdness kicks off with a deal from the Devil: struggling writer Billy Ridgeway is hung over and late for work when Lucifer Morningstar turns up to tempt him with fair trade coffee and a five-figure book deal. All he has to do is track down the Neko of Infinite Equilibrium, a lucky cat statue currently in the hands of the most powerful warlock on the eastern seaboard.

Rachel Cantor's debut novel, A Highly Unlikely Scenario: Or, a Neetsa Pizza Employee's Guide to Saving the World is a wildly fun sci-fi adventure through a dystopia where fast food chains rule the world.

Sat., March 1, 7pm Mystery J.A. JANCE —Moving Target With more than 22 million books in print, New York Times bestselling mystery author J.A. Jance returns with Moving Target, a new novel in the Ali Reynolds series. Jance is also the bestselling author of the J.P. Beaumont series, the Joanna Brady series, and four interrelated Southwestern thrillers featuring the Walker family.

Events take place in the Readings Gallery of Village Books and are FREE unless otherwise noted.

Portland author Cari Luna’s debut novel imagines the lives of five squatters living in New York City in the mid-nineties and how their lives are intertwined. Brooklyn writer D. Foy tells an episodic, grand story about five friends celebrating New Year’s Eve in 1996 at a remote cabin near Lake Tahoe and how they take stock and confront their past transgressions, considering what they mean to one another and themselves.

Tues, March 4, 7pm GARY GEDDES —What Does A House Want: Selected Poems Equally at home with the lyric and the long poem, Canadian poet Gary Geddes brings his “deadly accuracy in language and form” and his no-holds-barred style to bear on multinationals, Israeli-Palestinian violence, the guilt of Leon Trotsky, POWs, assassins, mad-bombers, China’s bloody Emperor Qin Shihuang, and the reputation of Ezra Pound. Gary has served as Distinguished Professor at WWU and resides on Thetis Island, BC.

Thurs., March 6, 7pm AMY HATVANY —Safe with Me

Fiction

A "compelling and thought-provoking" (Kristin Hannah) novel about two mothers and one daughter who are linked by tragedy and bound by secrets, from the acclaimed author of Heart Like Mine. Hatvany is also the author of Best Kept Secret, Outside the Lines, and The Language of Sisters. She lives in Seattle with her family.

Fri., March 7, 6pm (Note earlier time) DEREK MUNSON KIDS! —Bad Dad Kids, come ready to have some fun at the launch of local author Derek Munson's new picture book, Bad Dad. Come dressed in your PJs if you want, and show up ready for fun games and a few treats as well!

Sat., March 8, 4pm TAMI PARR —Pacific Northwest Cheese In this rich and engaging history, Tami Parr shows how regional cheese making found its way back to the farm. It’s a lively story that begins with the first fur traders in the Pacific Northwest and ends with modern-day small farmers in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.

Sat., March 8, 7pm —Photo Slideshow!

CHRISTOPHER BOFFOLI —Big Appetites Welcome to a world where little people have big personalities; a world that is upside down and yet weirdly, wonderfully real. Marrying inspired photographs of real food and tiny people with equally inspired captions, Seattle-based photographer Christopher Boffoli creates a smart, funny, quirky vision of what it means to play with your food.

More events on the next five pages!

360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • www.villagebooks.com

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VB Reads...

Join a VB Book Group!

Groups meet in the VB Readings Gallery (unless otherwise noted)

Afternoon Book Chat

Come discuss contemporary literature with Sittrea the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 1pm AND/OR the Sunday following that meeting at 1:30pm. Yep, we now meet twice a month! Join us for one or both chats —open to all!

Motherhood by the Book Meet with Claire the 2nd Sunday of every month at 2pm for an hour of spirited discussion of books that celebrate the trials, tribulations, and rewards of motherhood. Meetings are next to the BOOK FARE CAFÉ on the mezzanine level of Village Books.

Engaged Citizens Book Group 3rd Wednesdays of the month at noon. Join Mary Dumas for a thought-provoking lunch hour discussing books that ask us to consider how we, as community members, can more skillfully contribute to the creation of a civilly engaged community.

General Lit Discuss books from a variety of genres with Cindi at 7pm the 1st Monday of each month. This group is open to anyone and everyone who enjoys reading and discussing books.

environmental conservation book group We meet the 2nd Monday of each month from 5-6pm.

We discuss contemporary and classic texts on conservation, agriculture, and environmental issues in the PNW.

Cover to Cover Adventure For ages 8-12. Enjoy a book chat & activities with Hana at 4pm the 2nd Tuesday of each month.

Read more about this fun new group on page 60.

NEW!

Go to VillageBooks.com to see the monthly book selections for these groups!

Have you heard about our book group eNewsletter?

This monthly newsletter is packed with author and staff interviews, book reviews, genre focuses, and discussion questions.

Sign up by updating your email profile at VillageBooks.com or by emailing Rachel@villagebooks.com.

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Store Hours through April: Mon–Sat 10am–8:30pm • Sun 11am–7pm

Sun., March 9, 4pm Fiction ADRIANNE HARUN — A Man Came Out of the Door In the Mountain In an isolated town of British Columbia, young girls, mostly native, begin to vanish from the sides of a notorious highway, the Highway of Tears. Leo Kreutzer and four friends are barely touched by these disappearances, until a series of mysterious and troublesome outsiders arrive on the mountain. Then it seems as if the devil himself has appeared among them. This seductive and chilling debut novel tells what happens to Leo and his group of friends when evil, both human and otherwise, walks right through their town.

Tues., March 11, 7pm PETER STARK —Astoria: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson’s Lost Pacific Empire

At a time when the edge of American settlement barely reached beyond the Appalachian Mountains, two visionaries, President Thomas Jefferson and millionaire John Jacob Astor, foresaw that one day the Pacific would dominate world trade as much as the Atlantic did in their day.

Astoria is the harrowing tale of the quest to settle a Jamestown-like colony on the Pacific coast.

Wed., March 12, 7pm RANDALL C. JIMERSON —Shattered Glass in Birmingham

Wed., March 19-Fri., March 21 at the Willows Inn on Lummi Island NANCY PEARL Book Discussion Getaway Village Books and the Willows Inn on Lummi Island present a two-night getaway at the Inn with librarian extraordinaire Nancy Pearl. Immerse yourself in two books recommended by Nancy, The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich and The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli. See page 29 for details and registration information.

Wed., March 19, 7pm Fiction NANCY HORAN —Under the Wide and Starry Sky From the author of the bestselling novel, Loving Frank, is a highly anticipated new work of historical fiction, and Indie Next pick that forever changes our view of the author of such classics as Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Horan evocatively re-creates the passionate and powerful love story of Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson and his intrepid American wife Fanny Van de Grift Osbourne.

Sat., March 22, 4pm Nature of Writing Series featuring CAMERON MACDONALD —The Endangered Species Road Trip: A Summer's Worth of Dingy Motels, Poison Oak, Ravenous Insects, and the Rarest Species in North America

Local author Randall C. Jimerson’s new book traces the experiences of a white northern family during the climax of the civil rights movement in Alabama’s largest city. Recounted primarily from his perspective as one of five children of Reverend Norman C. “Jim” Jimerson, executive director of the Alabama Council on Human Relations, the narrative explores the public and private impact of the civil rights struggle.

Crammed into a minivan with wife, toddler, infant, and dog, accompanied by mounds of toys, diapers, a tent, sleeping bags, and other paraphernalia, Cameron MacDonald embarks on a road trip of a lifetime to observe North America's rarest species. MacDonald offers fascinating details about the natural history of the endangered species he seeks, as well as threats like overpopulation, commercial fishing, and climate change that are driving them towards extinction. This event is co-sponsored by North Cascades Institute.

Thurs., March 13, 7pm LEWIS MANDELL —What To Do When I Get Stupid:

Sun., March 23, 4pm Fiction JANIE CHANG —Three Souls

A Radically Safe Approach to a Difficult Financial Era

In this absorbing novel set in 1935 China, the ghost of a young woman named Leiyin, watches her own funeral from above and wonders why she is being denied entry to the afterlife. Beside her are three souls—stern and scholarly yang; impulsive, romantic yin; and wise, shining hun—who will guide her toward understanding. She must, they tell her, make amends. See page 14 for a staff review of this book!

Dr. Lewis Mandell, economist, award-winning educator and a recognized founder of the field of financial literacy, shares shocking new research that financial ability peaks well before retirement age.

This makes it increasingly difficult for aging Americans to make rational, informed decisions concerning their own economic futures.

Sat., March 15, 4pm AJAYAN BORYS —Effortless Mind: Meditate with Ease With clear, user-friendly instruction, Ajayan Borys presents classic techniques that can empower even beginners to experience deep, effective meditation and can help veterans go deeper.

Offering eye-opening insights about finding growth and bliss in everyday life, Effortless Mind is filled with the practical and inspirational wisdom of a consummate teacher.

Sun., March 16, 4pm Fiction SUSAN COLLEEN BROWNE —Mother Love The second novel of the Village of Ballydara series, a romantic comedy-drama featuring an irrepressible modern Irish heroine, local author Susan Colleen Browne tells the story of Dublin single girl Grainne who is keen for a fresh start. Grainne’s family pressures her to help her mother launch a B&B in the quaint little village of Ballydara, so Grainne takes a page from her favorite fictional heroine Scarlett O’Hara to make the best of it, with some unexpected surprises.

Wed., March 26, 5:30pm Whatcom Young Writers All-Club Open Mic Families, friends and the public are invited to join club participants from the Whatcom Young Writers as they take the mic to share their writing from the winter session. This event is free and open to the public.

Thurs., March 27, doors & music at 6:30pm in the Heiner Theater at Whatcom Community College

THE CHUCKANUT RADIO HOUR with special guest CAROL CASSELLA —Gemini

This month's special guest is Carol Cassella for her new novel, Gemini. Filled with intricate medical detail and set in the breathtaking Pacific Northwest, Gemini is a vivid tale of moral complexity and emotional depth. Carol Cassella, MD, is a practicing anesthesiologist, novelist, and speaker. She is the author of the bestselling books Oxygen and Healer and she lives on Bainbridge Island. Tickets are $5 and are available at VB and online at BrownPaperTickets.com. Receive one FREE ticket w/ each pre-event purchase of Gemini.

If you can’t make it to an event, just call us to arrange for autographed copies!

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Literature LIVE!

EVENTS Sat., March 29, 2pm JILLY EDDY —Lipsology: The Art and Science of Reading Lip Prints In this beginner’s guide by entertainer Jilly Eddy, learn the secrets of her self-developed system of reading lip prints. Now, in the convenience of your home, office, or favorite coffee shop, you can apply lipstick, kiss paper, and have fun comparing your lip prints to the ones in Jilly's book.

Sat., March 29, 4-5pm WRITING WORKSHOP with novelist PETER MOUNTFORD "Breathing Fire Into Your Novel or Memoir" Novelist Peter Mountford will lead a writing workshop to help authors stay motivated and on task when working on a major project. This workshop is $10 and will take place in the Readings Gallery of Village Books. Register at the main counter of Village Books, or by calling 360-671-2626. Peter will be reading from his latest novel, The Dismal Science, following his workshop.

Sat., March 29, 5-6pm* —Fiction PETER MOUNTFORD *note earlier time —The Dismal Science From the author of A Young Man's Guide to Late Capitalism comes a new novel that reveals the terrifying speed with which a person's sense of self can be annihilated. It is at once a study of a man attempting to apply his reason to the muddle of life and a book about how that same ostensible rationality, and the mathematics of finance in particular, operates—with similarly dubious results—in our world.

Sun., March 30, 4pm MARY DAHEIM —The Alpine Yeoman: An Emma Lord Mystery Mary Daheim's bestselling novels, set in Alpine, a picturesque village tucked away in the Cascade Mountains, have charmed a generation of mystery lovers with suspenseful tales of the peril that bubbles up from below the serene surface of small-town life. Daheim lives in her hometown of Seattle and is a direct descendant of former residents of the real Alpine, which existed as a logging town from 1910 to 1929, when it was abandoned after the mill was closed. The Alpine/Emma Lord series has created interest in the site, which was named a Washington State ghost town in July 2011.

Mon., March 31, 7pm Open Mic with Laurel Leigh Village Books invites everyone to enjoy local talents as they share their own stories, poems and essays. Published and unpublished writers are encouraged to attend and enjoy a welcoming audience. Bring your musings about green cabbage, green fees, or greenhorns—or any creative work in progress. Open mic is held the last Monday of each month at 7pm in the Readings Gallery.

Sign up at our main counter on the first floor or call (360) 671-2626. Laurel Leigh, local writer and teacher, will emcee.

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APRIL

Wed., April 2, 5:30-6:30pm ROBIN ROBERTSON Taking “The Big Leap” Fitness Presentation Join Robin Robertson, owner and manager of Bellingham Tennis Club & Fairhaven Fitness, as she talks about how to push away the “upper limit” that we often impose upon ourselves as it relates to physical fitness, life, and happiness. Her presentation is based on Gay Hendricks’ book, The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level.

Thurs., April 3, 7pm Poetry LINDA STREVER —Against My Dreams: An Immigrant’s Story Exploring the life of Norwegian immigrant Gunnhild Olavsdatter Breland, this collection of narrative poetry is part of the American story. It’s also the story of a particular woman, marginalized by gender, national origin, mental illness and social class, who weaves Old Country wisdom with her own unique practicality and hard-won truth.

Sat., April 5, 10:30-11am Preschool Storytime with Claire

KIDS!

Join Village Books bookseller Claire for our preschool story time. We'll have fun reading various stories. Come ready to have a good time! For ages 3-5 years old. Our preschool story time takes place the first Saturday of each month from 10:30-11am in the Kids' Section.

Sat., April 5, 11am KIDS! NINA LADEN —Once Upon a Memory, —Peek-aZoo, and —Daddy Wrong Legs Join local author illustrator Nina Laden as she talks about her new children's picture and board books. Nina has more than a dozen books in print including The Night I Followed the Dog, When Pigasso Met Mootisse, and Roberto: The Insect Architect.

Sun., April 6, 4pm Fiction JANET OAKLEY —Timber Rose In local author Janet Oakley’s new book, it’s 1907 and women are climbing mountains in skirts. Loggers are fighting for the eight hour day. The forests are alive with progress, but not everyone is on board. Mountain climber Caroline Symington comes from a prominent family. When she elopes with an enterprising, working class man bound for the new Forest Service, her father disowns her.

Seeking meaning in her new life amidst nature, she’s ushered along by a group of like-minded women and a mysterious mountain man. Join Janet, author of Tree Soldier, for a presentation about her new novel.

Tues., April 8, 7pm Fiction GABRIELLE ZEVIN —The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry A.J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be.

His wife has died, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. Even the books in his store have stopped holding pleasure for him. But then, a mysterious package appears at the bookstore that gives A. J. Fikry the opportunity to make his life over and start anew. Read some staff reviews for this book on page 11.

Read more about these and other LitLive events at VillageBooks.com!

Sat., April 12, 7pm Poetry Nature of Writing Series featuring HOLLY J. HUGHES —Sailing By Ravens Using a variety of poetic forms, former Alaskan salmon gillnetter, mariner, and naturalist Holly J. Hughes deftly explores how we find our way, at sea, in love, and in life. Hughes draws from more than 30 seasons working at sea, offering a lyrical view of the history of navigation, plumbing its metaphorical richness. Co-sponsored by the North Cascades Institute.

Sun., April 13, 4pm Mystery TRACY WEBER —Murder Strikes a Pose In Tracy Weber's debut novel, George and Bella—a homeless alcoholic and his intimidating German shepherd—disturb the peace outside Kate Davidson’s Seattle yoga studio, pushing her Zen-like calm to the breaking point. Kate tries to get rid of them, but instead, the three form an unlikely friendship. Then George is murdered, and Kate finds herself digging to uncover his past, and save his dog, Bella.

Mon., April 21, 7pm (Note date change, one week earlier) Open Mic with Laurel Leigh Village Books invites everyone to enjoy local talents as they share their own stories, poems and essays. Published and unpublished writers are encouraged to attend and enjoy a welcoming audience. Bring your poems and flash fiction to celebrate National Poetry Month! Open mic is held the last Monday of each month at 7pm in the Readings Gallery. Sign up at our main counter on the first floor or call (360) 671-2626. Laurel Leigh, local writer and teacher, will emcee.

Wed., April 23, 4pm at the Willows Inn on Lummi Island An evening with JAMIE FORD author of —Hotel on the Corner of Bitter & Sweet and –Songs of Willow Frost Join bestselling author Jamie Ford for an early evening discussion at the Willows Inn on Lummi Island. Jamie will talk about his book, Songs of Willow Frost, newly released in paperback, and will also share some of his favorite authors and books to read. Check VillageBooks.com for more information and pricing.

Thurs., April 24, 7pm SpeakEasy 14: String Theory Group Poetry Reading "String Theory" will feature local poets Luther Allen, Allen Frost, Nancy Pagh, Paul Piper, and Sheila Sondik, who will "string" poems together based on some common element from the preceding poem. The common thread might be theme, topic, a word or phrase, style—something that gives birth to the selection of the next poem.

Events take place in the Readings Gallery of Village Books and are FREE unless otherwise noted.

Fri., April 25, doors & music at 6:30pm Heiner Theater at Whatcom Community College THE CHUCKANUT RADIO HOUR with special guest LINDA GREENLAW Life-Saving Lessons: Notes from an Accidental Mother

Join Linda Greenlaw as she’s interviewed about her new book Life-Saving Lessons, a dramatic story of perhaps the most unexpected of all of Greenlaw’s many adventures—becoming a mother. Linda is America’s only female swordfish boat captain and was featured in the book and film The Perfect Storm as well as in the Discovery Channel’s Swords: Life on the Line. Tickets are $5 and are available at VB and online at BrownPaperTickets.com.

Mon., April 28, 7pm Poetry SAMUEL GREEN with SALLY GREEN —All That Might Be Done For the past 30 years, Samuel Green has made his home on a remote island off the grid pursuing themes that have obsessed him: fidelity to a long and abiding love, the obligations of living in a small community, the demands of right work, the nature of loss and mourning, close observation of the natural world, and the persistent demands of memory.

Tues., April 29, 7pm DOUG FINE —Hemp Bound: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Cannabis Economy

Hemp Bound follows Doug Fine on his journey around the world to bring us an account of the ancient plant that he feels is going to bring billions back into the economy, while mitigating climate change and putting a new generation of farmers back in the field. Fine is the author of Too High to Fail and Farewell, My Subaru.

so far in

MAY

Sat., May 3, 10:30-11am Preschool Storytime with Claire

KIDS!

Join Village Books bookseller Claire for our preschool story time. We'll have fun reading various stories. Come ready to have a good time! For ages 3-5 years old. Our preschool story time takes place the first Saturday of each month from 10:30-11am in the Kids' Section.

Sat., May 3, 4pm ANDREW KNAPP and MOMO —Find Momo: My Dog is Hiding in this Book. Can You Find Him? This collection of charming photography invites readers to play hide-and-seek with the ever-cute, ever-patient, ever-eager border collie, Momo, who is skilled at hiding in a variety of settings. With plenty of neverbefore-seen photos, readers will look for Momo in famous locales like Central Park in New York City and Millennium Park in Chicago, as well as in fields, snow banks, and toy stores. Momo will attend this event!

Once a week, Village Books sends out an email newsletter packed full of store and Are YOU book information including our latest LitLive! events, sale dates, and on occasion, store coupons! Twice each week, we provide Shelf Awareness for Readers book Receiving reviews. If you’re not currently receiving these updates and would like to, you may VB's E-Newsletter? sign up in the store or, even easier, do it at VillageBooks.com today!

If you can’t make it to an event, just call us to arrange for autographed copies!

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Fri., May 9 ANTHONY DOERR 5:30pm: Reception with the Author At the home of VB owners Chuck and Dee Robinson. Enjoy wine & hors d'oeuvres & receive a copy of Doerr's latest book. $40-register today at VillageBooks or brownpapertickets.com. First Editions Club Members come free!

7pm: Public event in the Readings Gallery Free and open to all.

—All the Light We Cannot See

From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, a stunningly ambitious and beautiful novel about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.

Thurs., May 15, 4pm Children's Book Week!

PATRICK JENNINGS —Odd, Weird & Little

KIDS!

From the author of Guinea Dog is a new middle reader about standing up for your friends, and overcoming fear. Befriending a very strange new student, Toulouse helps outsider Woodrow stand up to the class bullies who have been picking on them both. Full of heart and laughs, this book is another winner from the Washington-based author.

Fri., May 16, doors & music at 6:30pm Heiner Theater at Whatcom Community College

THE CHUCKANUT RADIO HOUR with special guest BILL MCKIBBEN and musical guest Dana Lyons

—Wandering Home: A Long Walk Across

Literature Mon., May 26, 7pm Open Mic with Laurel Leigh

LIVE!

Village Books invites everyone to enjoy local talents as they share their own stories, poems and essays. Published and unpublished writers are encouraged to attend and enjoy a welcoming audience. Bring your written words honoring memories and history—or any creative work in progress. Open mic is held the last Monday of each month at 7pm in the Readings Gallery. Sign up at our main counter on the first floor or call (360) 671-2626. Laurel Leigh, local writer and teacher, will emcee.

Read more about these and other LitLive events at VillageBooks.com!

TUNE IN to hear selected

Literature Live! events

on your RADIO or computer!

KAVZ 102.5 FM , the Voice of the South Fork Valley, proudly broadcasts Lit Live programs four times a week Monday - Thursday at noon!

Hear more at KMRE 102.3 FM Mondays at noon!

America's Most Hopeful Landscape and Oil and Honey: The Education of an Unlikely Activist

This month’s special guest is Bill McKibben, author of a dozen books about the environment, beginning with The End of Nature in 1989, regarded as the first book for a general audience on climate change, and most recently, Oil and Honey and a memoir, Wandering Home. He is a founder of the grassroots climate campaign 350.org. See page 23 for information about tickets and additional shows.

Children's Book Week!

Sat., May 17, Children's illustrator,

ERIK BROOKS •10:30am: StoryWalk® ribbon cutting at Millions of Smiles Playground Park, Lynden, WA —Sponsored by the Whatcom County Library System

• 4pm: Book event and signing in the Readings Gallery at Village Books

—A Totem Tale: A Tall Story from Alaska Lynden Public Library StoryWalk® Project is a StoryWalk® beginning at the Millions of Smiles Playground Park in Lynden, WA, and following the Jim Kaeming Sr. Trail along Fishtrap Creek. The StoryWalk® features the book A Totem Tale, written by Deb Vanasse and illustrated by Winthrop-based illustrator Erik Brooks. Erik will attend the ribbon cutting event in Lynden followed by an afternoon reading and children's event in the Readings Gallery of Village Books at 4pm.

A StoryWalk® is an innovative and delightful way for families to enjoy reading and the outdoors at the same time. Laminated pages from a children’s picture book are transformed into signs, which are installed along an outdoor path inviting everyone to follow the path of pages.

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Reveal.

Revelation.

Revel.

Seattle Arts & Lectures 2013\14 Poetry SerieS

Christine Deavel & J.W. Marshall Mar 19 7:30 pm, ACT Theatre

The team behind Open Books: A Poem Emporium

Anne Carson & Robert Currie May 13 7:30 pm, Town Hall Seattle

Premiere of work inspired by the Cycladic Sculptures

Juan Felipe Herrera Jun 2

7:30 pm, ACT Theatre

187 Reasons Mexicanos Can’t Cross the Border LiterAry SerieS

Mar 24 George Saunders

7:30 pm, Town Hall Seattle

Q&A by George Meyer, writer for The Simpsons

Apr 17 Gillian Flynn

7:30 pm, Town Hall Seattle

Sharp Objects, Dark Places, and Gone Girls

June 5 Rebecca Solnit

7:30 pm, Town Hall Seattle

Q&A by Jen Graves of The Stranger

Get your tickets at

lectures.org

Building Community One Book at a Time

Bellingham Children’s Film Festival April 25—27, 2014

The Fox Who Followed the Sound

All over the world, filmmakers are crafting works of exhilarating imagination and creativity just for kids.

Each spring, PFC hosts the Bellingham Children’s Film Festival. The festival features a collection of short films—“Best of the Fest”—from the Seattle Children’s Film Festival, first run independent films made for kids, and special interactive creative workshops presented with other local organizations.

SATURDAY/SUNDAY Best of the Fest Shorts Cinema Magic: Live Action Shorts from Around the World (Featuring: While You Weren’t Looking, I Spy with My LIttle Eye, Amar, I’m Going to Mum’s, The Raining Tree)

Paint Me a Story: Animation From Around the Globe (Featuring: Edible Rocks. Rabbit and Deer, The Goat Herder and His Lots and Lots of Goats, Noodle Fish, My Strange Grandfather, Hannah and the Moon, Lola)

OPENS APRIL 25 Ernest and Celestine

Nominated for an OSCAR© for Best Animated Feature, this beautiful, award winning film from France is the story of an unlikely friendship between a bear, Ernest, and a young mouse named Celestine. We will be playing both the subtitled version, and the english-dubbed version featuring voiceovers by stars such as Forest Whitaker, Lauren Bacall, Paul Giamatti, Nick Offerman and more!

Workshops TBA—look for more details online!

Check the website for showtimes: www.pickfordfilmcenter.org 360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • www.villagebooks.com

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