Island Books

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”
― Lao Tzu

“This is a new year. A new beginning. And things will change.”
― Taylor Swift

Given the world we live in today, it is hard not to think about the topic of change. Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about the recent transformations of daily life in our world. With the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crisis that has followed, all of us have experienced change in some way.

Like everyone else, our family has experienced change. Each member of my family has lost something they love and something of value in this crisis. At the same time, each person in my family has also gained something during this crisis. I think it’s important to focus on the opportunities that this change has created rather than wishing for things to go back to the way they were. For me personally, I’m thankful for the time I’ve been able to spend with all of my children as they’ve moved back home; the current crisis has given us the gift of family time - long family dinners with great food and conversation, family movie nights, family yard work parties and memories that I’ll treasure for the rest of my life.

At Island Books, we are also thinking about the changes in our world. Last month, we celebrated five years of ownership of Island Books. For those who are curious, I did my annual cartwheel down the aisle of the store; that tradition hasn’t changed (yet). When we bought Island Books five years ago, I don’t think we could have imagined the changes in our world today. However, if I take a step back, the last five months of crisis and even our five years of ownership (stewardship really) are a mere blip in the 46 year history of Island Books. If I think about the world that existed when Lola Deane founded the bookstore in 1974 (Watergate, end of the Vietnam War, inflation, no internet, no cell phones) and compare it to the world today, I realize how much the world that Island Books has existed in has changed in 46 years and how Island Books has had to transform with it. The current COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crisis, while disruptive and tragic, is one of the many crises that Island Books has faced throughout its history. So, like Lola Dean, Roger Page, and all of the previous owners of Island Books, we will do our best to adapt to the changes in our world in order to leave the legacy of Island Books for another generation of our community.

In the spirit of adapting to change, we have been working to adjust Island Books to the current COVID-19 pandemic. While many people may think of Island Books as being in the business of books, gifts, games and toys, we are actually in the business of community and experience. Cindy Corujo, our longest tenured bookseller did a fantastic job of summarizing and highlighting the secret sauce behind Island Books when she created our tagline – “Real Books, Real People, Real Community”. COVID-19 has obviously changed things. Our challenge is to bring our secret sauce (“Real Books, Real People, Real Community”) to a community that can’t always physically visit Island Books in the way that they used to. We still have real books (as well as cards, gifts, games and toys). However, we are working on finding online ways to highlight the “real people” of Island Books, our booksellers. Whether it’s the latest mystery recommendation from Cindy Corujo, the coolest sci-fi recommendation from Nancy Shawn, an undiscovered historical fiction recommendation from Lori Robinson, the most interesting literary fiction recommendation from Caitlin Baker, or the perfect kids and young adult recommendation from Lillian, we’ve been working to bring the expertise and curation of our booksellers to you online (as well as continuing to be available in our retail store). Because of their great insight, we have been posting video recommendations from our booksellers landeng破解版安卓版最新.

We will also be working to continue to find ways to highlight “real community” in an online way. We realize that some of you are unable to come into the store and participate in our events because of the current pandemic. At the same time our community has also expanded beyond Mercer Island, Seattle and the Eastside to places like Anchorage, Alaska; Billings, Montana; Cleveland, Ohio; Gilbert, Arizona; Honolulu, Hawaii; Mill Valley, California; Torrance, California; and Vancouver, Washington. We’ll be working to bring our “real community” to wherever people are through our expanded online events. We’ve had a number of video events over the past month. We had a fantastic online event with Elise Hooper and Tracy Rees last week. You can watch it and other events on our YouTube channel. For those of you that missed our previous online events they can be found on Facebook, YouTube, and each of our events pages on our website.As always, we welcome your thoughts and suggestions as we transition Island Books to this new normal.

I’m sitting at the front desk of the bookstore (at the corner computer where you can usually find me) and struggling to write. I have been putting off this particular task for about a week and haven’t found the motivation to put my feelings into words. I am leaving Island Books, and this will be my last journal.

Today is my final day at the bookstore, and I am trying to soak up every second of it. There is so much joy to be had during my closing shifts, sitting with the quiet and taking in the rustle of a patron flipping through pages and the geometrical pleasantness of so many colorful rectangular book covers. Something I have recognized lately is that I can’t smell the smell of the books anymore, and it’s not just because I am wearing a mask. The smell has settled in my brain, and I can’t differentiate it from the smell of general life... continued.

Readers, we’re well into the second half of July. The sun is finally shining. At Island Books we’re turning on the fans, stocking the fridge in the break room with La Croix, and turning off as many lights as we can get away with while still being able to read titles on book spines. We’re all, of course, wearing our masks.

Customers are in the mood for summer reads, so here are several titles from the Young Adult section of the store that I’m excited about!

A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow

This summer a highly anticipated title is the YA debut by the author of the adult title Mem. Morrow sets her story in a contemporary alternative world where portions of the population have various mythical abilities and identities. Inherent in these identities are built in assumptions and prejudices, the most heightened of which are towards “sirens”, always Black females. Tavia is a siren in hiding, trying to pretend she’s a normal teenager, terrified that anyone will discover her secret. Effie is her best friend and a “mermaid” at the annual Renaissance Faire, struggling to understand who and what she is. Morrow’s backdrop is Portland, and the unfolding events are eerily prescient of the current BLM protests and reactions in Portland and other cities. She paints a illuminating picture of the fear Black women live with every day and the bias they fight to overcome. I was captivated. I don’t know what to compare it to because I haven’t read anything like it before. The demand has been high for this book but we have finally gotten more copies!

continued...

You may have noticed that over the past year you have heard the name Elise Hooper on this blog or in the store. There’s a reason for that.

Elise Hooper is a writer living in West Seattle whose book The Other Alcott was championed by our booksellers. As we worked with Elise on events, we realized that we also wanted to champion her as a person. She is funny, kind, and always game to support and promote local bookstores. On a personal note, Elise was one of the Lantern专业版apk over 2023 for her previous release Learning to See. Her kindness and openness allowed me to ask to edit part of her newest release Fast Girls for my editing certificate. She also has joined our knitting book club when she is able and has been a great friend of the store... continued.

July is usually the month that we jump out of our winter hibernation and go into full summer mode. We prep for vacation reads and ramp up our in-store projects. From pulls to refreshing stock, July is

So our doors are open. We can better serve the public. You can buy what is on our shelves directly, instead of through Instagram or our website. That is fantastic! But, your books are still taking weeks if not months to get here. We aren’t able to give you the same two-day service as before. The insecurity of shipping during the pandemic, which is ongoing, remains. Here’s some insight into why books are still taking forever to get to you... continued.

One of the many things that were hard while the doors at Island Books were closed to customers was missing the chance to chat about what I’ve been reading and loving lately. I did keep reading, often as an escape from everything else. But it saddened me to see piles of certain titles that I couldn’t put in the hands of customers personally. I’ve been collecting recommendations that I am VERY excited to tell all you readers about and I hope one of them is just what you’ve been looking for this summer.

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"For all those that have to fight for the respect that everyone else is given without question."

This month marks two months closed to the public. We are so thankful for our community's support. In order to re-open our doors when it is safe, we need to continue to keep afloat and still need your support.

You can find more information on how you can support us throughout this newsletter. We want to take this space to acknowledge the kind and encouraging notes from our customers. WE APPRECIATE YOU!

"Thank you for your quick and pleasant staff who are ready to assist us customers when we call. Island Books is 'THE BEST'!" Mercer Island, WA

"I placed an order with you after reading about your store on Slate. I just received my book yesterday and it was gift-wrapped, plus had a sew-on patch. It felt like a birthday present. Thank you for the personal touch." Naperville, IL

"I'm desperate to get back into reading and haven't been able to focus lately. I loved your blog post on the topic and recommendations, and I can't wait to come get even ONE book from you all IN PERSON!!!" Seattle, WA

"My household misses the hours spent in your cozy chairs! We so look forward when we can all get together again." Mercer Island, WA

"I'm sorry you had to close, these are difficult times. I hope we will all get out soon. I hope everyone and all your families are home safe. Thank you for continuing to provide storytime. My baby loves it." Mercer Island, WA

"I grew up on MI and spent an inordinate amount of time in your store as a child. Hoping this little bit helps, and am of course looking forward to reading some great titles!!" Seattle, WA

"I saw your 'Coronavirus Diaries' entry on Slate and wanted to help in a small way. I'm sure our local community (including my own small business) will be feeling the same effects shortly, but wanted to reach out while I can. All our best... hang in there! And keep pulling for one another." Glenview, IL

We want to extend our gratitude to everyone near and far for their support. It is not lost on us that we would not be here without each and every one of you. Your calls, emails, and continuous love of our bookstore is what keeps us going.

We also want to acknowledge the heartbreak we feel for black people around the country. It is difficult not to be able to hold our community close during this time, but we do not want to stay silent in the face of the injustices they have been fighting for centuries. We are a resource to help educate our community, and as such we will continue to lift up the voices of black people through their works.

On a personal note, my third child, Liuci, will graduate from Mercer Island High School next week. While it's not how any of us imagined she, or any of the graduating class of 2023, would celebrate ending their high school years, we are proud of her and know that she will go on to do amazing things in this world. (Go Cougs!)