The Chuckanut Reader - Fall 2023

Nature of Writing Speaker Series

Check out our amazing line-up of author events including Ross Gay Mac Barnett & Shawn Harris

Phoebe Wahl

Peter Stark

Amy Chua and many more! See pages 71-79

The Village Books and Paper Dreams passport program was created to reward customers as they make new discoveries at the store and to thank them for being part of our history.

The 32-page, whimsical passport includes a range of experiences that passport holders will complete to earn prizes, including T-shirts, special discounts, journals, candy, treats at Evolve Chocolate + Café, books, games, and more. “Each time you complete a task, you’ll receive a stamp and come one step closer to prizes awarded along the way,” co-owner Sarah Hutton says. “It’s a lot of fun for our customers and for our staff. It’s one more way we are building community, and we’re looking forward to cheering people along as they gather stamps.”

Upon completion of the passport, you’ll be inducted into the exclusive League of Extraordinary Readers. Honors can include a year supply of fudge, tickets for a literary-themed dinner at Evolve, a behind-the-scenes party at the bookstore, and a chance to win a variety of other amazing prizes.

Dear Reader,

Where, oh where to begin? Normally New Year’s Day and spring are a time for new beginnings. However with all the new things happening at Village Books and Paper Dreams, this autumn it almost feels like we’re opening a new chapter in our stores. To start with, we welcome another new dynamic employee to coordinate our ever-expanding offerings for our writing community (see page 25 to meet Stephanie). We’ve joined with KAFÉ Radio to present a new kids book club, and have more opportunities for young readers and writers on the way soon. Our partnership with North Cascades Institute grows further still with our newest Chuckanut Edition that features our new logo (see pages 49-50). We’re teaming with another of our favorite organizations, the Whatcom County Library System, to bring you the Open Book Festival, celebrating readers of all kinds (page 9). And lastly, we’re very proud to introduce our Literary Citizenship Award, recognizing those who have given so generously to our community (pages 5-6). And none of these would be possible without our community partners, amazing employees, and your steadfast support, dear reader. So thank you, and here’s to new beginnings!

– Paul,

Kelly, Sarah,

and the Entire Village Books and Paper Dreams Family

In This Issue...

The Chuckanut Reader • Fall 2023

Publisher: Village Books and Paper Dreams

Production & Design: Kelly Carbert

Contributors: Kiana Allen, Rick Bramham, Hanna Buehrer, Kendra Calitri, Kelly Carbert, Erin Chervenock, Stephanie Dethlefs, Kelly Evert, Paul Hanson, Chloe Hovind, Sarah Hutton, Troy Luginbill, Madison Marko, Laura Miller, Maddie Musquiz, Sophie Richmond, Allison Stalnaker

Cover: Celebrating our new Chuckanut Editions title, Teaching in the Rain by John C. Miles

Content except art & book covers ©Village Books 2023

Printed by the Lynden Tribune on paper made from 50% post-consumer waste.

Join us for Books A'Sail A Book Group at Sea

Come aboard the annual “Books A’Sail” cruise on the historic tall ship the Schooner Zodiac! Village Books is honored to sponsor the trip with owners Paul Hanson and Kelly Evert guiding the literary journey.

We’ll enjoy three full days of sailing and book discussion amid the gorgeous San Juan Islands. We’ll dip into all that the Schooner Zodiac has to offer, from kayaking and hiking to top-notch meals, to wine on deck at sunset. Passengers will even have an opportunity to navigate and sail this classic ship! Then when the anchor drops, the books come out!

We’ve arranged for TWO amazing authors to join us this year: ERICA BAUERMEISTER for two of her books, The Scent Keeper and No Two Persons, and DAVID B. WILLIAMS with his book Homewaters: A Human and Natural History of Puget Sound. Each of these books is an immersive experience on their own, but together they’re positively magical. Prepare to be transported!

September 12-14, 2023

• No Two Persons

by Erica Bauermeister

• The Scent Keeper by Erica

Bauermeister

• Homewaters: A Human and Natural History of Puget Sound by David

B. Williams

Participants receive 15% off the reading selections at Village Books.

The Schooner Zodiac also offers many day cruises and themed multi-day cruises to choose from throughout the summer! Visit their website and

See schoonerzodiac.com or call 206.719.7622 for more information and to book your cruise today!

Village Books Literary Citizenship AWARD

OnJune 20, 2023, on the occasion of Village Books’ 43rd anniversary, Paul Hanson, Kelly Evert, and Sarah Hutton, co-owners and stewards of Village Books and Paper Dreams, announced the debut of the Lierary Citizenship Award.

Recipients of this award are of diverse backgrounds and professions, but each have demonstrated a commitment to engage with the literary community with the intent of giving as much, if not more so, than they receive. “Our literary world is a social ecosystem that relies on others: readers, writers, editors, reviewers, publishers, booksellers, and so on. The writing and publishing world is one made of relationships. Writing itself may be a somewhat solitary activity, but once the story or poem is ‘done’ we rely on others to read, share, and publish our work. Yet there are so many levels of participation from others in this community.” –Lori May

The first recipients of the Village Books Literary Citizenship Award are:

Joan Airoldi (1946-2022)

Joan served as Executive Director of the Whatcom County Library System (WCLS) from 2002-2013. In 2004, she took on the FBI by refusing to provide information to an agent regarding a Deming Library patron’s use of a book on Osama bin Laden. A grand jury subpoena was issued to get the records, but when it became clear Airoldi and the WCLS board were prepared to challenge the subpoena in court, it was withdrawn. She will be remembered as a Library Champion on a multitude of counts: establishing the Whatcom READS program in collaboration with partners at Whatcom Community College, advocating for new libraries in Ferndale, North Fork, South Whatcom, Island and Point Roberts and encouraging all of us to “Be Curious” and to “Listen, Learn & Lead”. Joan’s courage in defending patrons’ rights to privacy earned her national recognition with a PEN/Newman Award. She generously donated the prize money to start the Whatcom County Library Foundation.

Laurel Leigh Erdoiza (1963-2023)

Professionally, Laurel was known as a writer, teacher, and editor whose 20 years of freelancing extended internationally. She was a script doctor, structural editor, and managed many publishing projects for Chronicle Books. She taught creative writing and memoir classes through the Chuckanut Writers Program, helped found the Chuckanut Writers Conference in 2004, and received the Bellingham Mayor’s Arts Award. Those who knew Laurel personally experienced firsthand both her talent and generosity of spirit. She walked hand-in-hand with collaboration and mentorship, helping countless writers hone their skills, find their voice, and bring their works out into the world. This included her hosting Village Books’ Open Mic for many years and establishing and fostering the spirit of welcoming support that continues to this day.

(Photo courtesy of the Airoldi family)

Continued from page 5

Literary Citizenship Award

Rena Priest

Rena is an enrolled member of the Lhaq’temish (Lummi) Nation. She served as the 6th Washington State Poet Laureate (2021-2023) and was named the 2022 Maxine Cushing Gray Distinguished Writing Fellow. Priest is also the recipient of an Allied Arts Foundation Professional Poets Award and fellowships from the Academy of American Poets, Indigenous Nations Poets, Nia Tero, and the Vadon Foundation, and has taught at the Chuckanut Writers Conference. The thread that runs through all of Rena’s accomplishments and accolades is how she builds and connects community. “I think that there’s a way that poetry connects people. It’s very special– it’s like a soul connection, but it’s not invasive in any way,” she says. “The way that it works is subtle. It’s gentle, but it’s deep and profound.” For the book, I Sing the Salmon Home, Rena gathered poems from over 150 Washington poets ranging from first graders to tribal elders, all inspired by the Northwest’s beloved, iconic salmon. A diverse chorus of voices, they join together in poems that praise salmon’s heroic journey, beauty, courage, and generosity and witness the threats salmon face from pollution, dams and warming oceans.

Village Books celebrates and thanks these three talented and dedicated community builders, community mentors, and community defenders. They have each demonstrated, in their own unique way, the virtues that embody a Good Literary Citizen. For this, we award $1000 to each of them and hereby induct them into the Village Books Literary Citizen Hall of Fame which will be displayed in Village Books, Fairhaven.

Paul Hanson, Kelly Evert, and Sarah Hutton

Co-owners and Stewards, Village Books and Paper Dreams

Every week, Village Books sends out an email newsletter packed full of store and book information including our latest virtual LitLive events, sale dates, and on occasion, special promotions. Twice each week, we also provide Shelf Awareness for Readers book reviews. If you’re not currently receiving these updates and would like to, you may sign up in the store or, even easier, do it at villagebooks.com today!

BANNED BOOKS WEEK • October 1 - 7, 2023

Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Launched in 1982, it was created in response to a surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. In 2022, the Office of Intellectual Freedon documented 1,269 demands to censor library books and resources, the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling data about censorship in libraries more than 20 years ago. The unparalleled number of reported book challenges in 2022 nearly doubles the 729 book challenges reported in 2021. Censors targeted a record 2,571 unique titles in 2022, a 38% increase from the 1,858 unique titles targeted for censorship in 2021. Of those titles, the vast majority were written by or about members of the LGBTQIA+ community or by and about Black people, Indigenous people, and people of color. Stop

Most Challenged Books of 2022

Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe

All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

Flamer by Mike Curato

Looking for Alaska by John Green

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Pérez

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

Crank by Ellen Hopkins

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

This Books is Gay by Juno Dawson

Legendary Jazz Icon

W YNTON MARSALIS

and his bandmates revisit his greatest works on the MBT Main Stage!

Beyond Black Codes

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra

Featuring songs from his classic albums, Wynton Marsalis and his bandmates in the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO) reimagine Marsalis’s small group compositions as big band orchestrations. Village Books is proud to sponsor this event. See you there!

Sunday, October 8, 4pm l Mount Baker Theatre

Tickets available now at mountbakertheatre.com

celebRAte ReADeRs, writeRs

celebRAte ReADeRs, writeRs

AnD bookish enthusiAsM.

AnD bookish enthusiAsM.

A fEsTIVAl fOr READERs

A fEsTIVAl fOr READERs

sunDAy, Nov. 5

sunDAy, Nov. 5

12:00 PM-5:00 PM

12:00 PM-5:00 PM

fERNDALE EVENTs cENTER

fERNDALE EVENTs cENTER

5715 BARREtt RoAD, fernDAle

5715 BARREtt RoAD, fernDAle

* MAin stAGE AUTHOR APPEARANcEs: tHOR hANsON, RENA PRIEsT, ARRIANNE TRUE, PHOEBE wAHL

* MAin stAGE AUTHOR APPEARANcEs: tHOR hANsON, RENA PRIEsT, ARRIANNE TRUE, PHOEBE wAHL

* ENGAGE wITH wEIRD AND wONDERFUL HANDs-ON LITERARy EXPERIENcEs

* ENGAGE wITH wEIRD AND wONDERFUL HANDs-ON LITERARy EXPERIENcEs

* BROwsE AND BUy AT VILLAGE BOOKs’ POP-UP BOOKsTORE

* BROwsE AND BUy AT VILLAGE BOOKs’ POP-UP BOOKsTORE

sEE THE FULL EVENT scHEDULE

sEE THE FULL EVENT scHEDULE

AT wcLs.ORG/OPENBOOK

AT wcLs.ORG/OPENBOOK

Presented

HONORING VETERANS

Saturday, November 11

This Veterans Day, we are offering a storewide 20% off discount for active military and veterans with I.D. at both Village Books and Paper Dreams in Fairhaven and Lynden. Thank you so much for your service.

Save the Date!

Sunday, November 12

Village Books & Paper Dreams

Pre-Holiday Open House

Mark your calendars and be sure to join us for the festive annual Village Books & Paper Dreams pre-holiday open house! You'll get a jump on your holiday shopping while enjoying special offers, the always popular book walk, and much more on this day of celebration and fun.

by the Whatcom County Library System in partnership with Village Books and the Whatcom County Library Foundation

Presented by the Whatcom County Library System in partnership with Village Books and the Whatcom County Library Foundation

Cool Autumn GIFTS

Shopping with Kelly

Thestart of the school year brings new opportunities and new adventures. Learning is a fundamental core value and it takes a community to raise and educate children. Kids will have to get used to that alarm clock again, the sun will set a bit earlier, and new school supplies and shoes will be broken in. With all of that, thankfully there will be pumpkin lattes that will see us through.

ROUND IT UP

Our Round It Up program is a chance for the customer to round up to the nearest dollar (or more) for local nonprofits whenever you make a purchase in Village Books and Paper Dreams. I hope you have had a chance to discover this program while visiting the store. Our current Round It Up partner is North Cascade Institute, a nationally recognized education nonprofit that empowers people to explore and learn about and care for the Pacific Northwest.

Recently Paul and I met with vendors and artisans to bring new merchandise into the store, and when we look for unique items we are especially pleased when we find companies that are giving back in various ways. When you buy these products and Round It Up, you are giving back two-fold–how great is that?!

DENIK SKETCH BOOKS AND JOURNALS are high quality, made with bleed-free paper, library-sewn binding, and have gorgeous covers. But the best part is that their business model allows artists and consumers (that’s you) to team up together to support global education. Each purchase you make of a Denik journal funds initiatives to enhance education in Mali, Guatemala, Laos, Ghana, Nicaragua, and right here in the United States. So, as you write or sketch or take notes for school you can be happy to know that you have helped a child and their education.

At the last vendor market we attended, I spied some felt bags from afar. They instantly drew me in and I scurried across the hall for a better look. I’m sure glad I did because I was introduced to FIBRES OF LIFE. Ethically produced, handmade, and Fair Trade these bags are beautiful! The colors of the wool felt are beautiful and the dyes used to produce these beauties are azo free and miss the plethora of additives that is entirely different from mass-produced goods. The leather on the bags is from animals that have died of natural causes and have been tanned using mustard oil treatment. The Nepalese staff and artisans are given a safe place to work and are paid a respectable wage. Additionally, 1% of gross sales are allocated to fighting child labor.

Have a beautiful autumn and a safe school year.

Kelly Evert, Owner of an Independent Business Building Community Since 1980

Don't Miss the Annual Literacy Breakfast with Nancy Pearl

Thursday, November 16, 8:30am at the Ferndale Community Pavillion

Mark your calendar for the annual literacy breakfast with the one and only Nancy Pearl! The Whatcom Literacy Council will share highlights of their services and author/librarian/NPR commentator Nancy Pearl will offer her book recommendations for the year. Donations to attend support the adult literacy programs of the Whatcom Literacy Council. Register at whatcomliteracy.org!

Village Books will have Nancy's latest recommendations as well as her own titles available at both the breakfast and in-store—enjoy!

International Day of Peace stands as a vibrant platform for envisioning a world free from violence, weaponry and oppression.

This year’s theme, “Transforming Justice,” emphasizes peaceful approaches to prevent and address systemic violence and interpersonal harm.

Whatcom Peace & Justice Center

Celebration & Honors

September 17, 3-6pm at Structures Brewing

Register, donate, and read more at whatcompjc.org

Amy Chua

Sunday, September 24, 4pm

International Bestselling Author at Village Books in Fairhaven

The Golden Gate

Join us in welcoming Amy Chua, the internationally bestselling author of the memoir Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. She will introduce her debut novel, The Golden Gate— a sweeping, evocative, and highly compelling historical thriller that paints a vibrant portrait of a California buffeted by the turbulent crosswinds of a world at war and a society about to undergo mass ive change. The storytakes place against the backdrop of a deeply polarized, wartime America shaped by explosive immigration, extraordinary wealth, groundbreaking forensic advances and bitter class and racial conflict. In writing this book, Chua drew on her passion for history as well as her own roots in the San Francisco Bay Area, infusing the story with actual historical events. Moving and timely, this is invigorating crime fiction at its very best. Don’t miss out!

Bright Young Women

by Jessica Knoll

available in September, hardcover, Simon & Schuster

A very needed perspective of a true-crime case where the murderer is not in the spotlight and we learn the background of many other characters. The book focuses on a series of characters and their lives during the late ‘70s. We learn later that they are victims of Ted Bundy, an interesting take on a story we have heard too many times. –Maddie

What You Are Looking For Is in the Library

by Michiko Aoyama

available in September, hardcover,

Hanover Square Press

For fans of The Midnight Library and Before

The Coffee Gets Cold, a charming Japanese novel about an enigmatic librarian who always adds an extra book to her recommendation list for customers—an unexpected pick that might change their lives.

The Invisible Hour

by Alice Hoffman

available now, hardcover, Atria

One brilliant day when Mia Jacob can no longer see a way to survive, the power of words saves her. The Scarlet Letter was written almost 200 years earlier, but it seems to tell the story of Mia’s mother, Ivy, and their life inside the Community—an oppressive cult in western Massachusetts where contact with the outside world is forbidden, and books are considered evil. But how could this be? How could Nathaniel Hawthorne have so perfectly captured the pain and loss that Mia carries inside her? Through a journey of heartbreak, love, and time, Mia must abandon the rules she was raised with. As she does, she realizes that reading can transport you to other worlds or bring them to you, and she learns that time is more fluid than she can imagine, and that love is stronger than any chains that bind you.

Medusa’s Sisters

by Lauren J.A. Bear

available now, hardcover, Ace Books Medusa was one of three gorgons, and we all know her story. But what about her two sisters, Stheno and Eurayle? As one of three sisters myself, I related easily to the complex dynamics between the sisters, and appreciated the retelling of this classic tragedy through new sets of eyes. –Chloe

New Fiction

The Fraud

by Zadie Smith

available in September, hardcover, Penguin Press

The “Tichborne Trial”—wherein a lower-class butcher from Australia claimed he was in fact the rightful heir of a sizable estate and title—captivates all of England. Is Sir Roger Tichborne really who he says he is? Or is he a fraud? In a world of hypocrisy and selfdeception, deciding what is real proves a complicated task.

Wellness

by Nathan Hill

available in September, hardcover, Knopf

The New York Times bestselling author of The Nix is back with a poignant and witty novel about marriage, the baffling pursuit of health and happiness, and the stories that bind us together. From the gritty ‘90s Chicago art scene to a suburbia of detox diets and homerenovation hysteria, Wellness reimagines the love story with a healthy dose of insight, irony, and heart.

Julia

by Sandra Newman

available in October, hardcover, Mariner Books

Critically acclaimed author Sandra Newman gives us a new take on 1984. Authorized and supported by the Orwell Estate, it’s an imaginative, feminist, retelling told from the point of view of Winston Smith’s lover. Profane, funny, surprisingly relevant, this is a Julia for the 21st century.

The English Experience

by Julie Schumacher

available now, hardcover, Doubleday

I wonder if what the professor in this story goes through is what we put our poor English teacher through when I studied in London many years ago. This poor guy. Professor Fitger has to chaperone a group of young American college students to study for a class in England. Amongst the students he has one that mistakenly thought he was heading for the Caribbean, a pair of unreconciled lovers, and one who has never been away from her cat before. Through it all, he navigates them through museums, literature, and the English countryside—and all doing so safely. A truly fun book. –Kelly E.

The Maniac

by Benjamin Labatut

available in October, hardcover, Penguin Press

From one of contemporary literature’s most exciting new voices, a haunting story centered on the Hungarian polymath John von Neumann, tracing the impact of his singular legacy on the dreams and nightmares of the 20th century and the nascent age of AI. A work of beauty and fabulous momentum, The Maniac confronts us with the deepest questions we face as a species.

Chenneville : A Novel of Murder, Loss, and Vengeance

by Paulette Jiles

available September, hardcover, Harper

If you have read News of the World and Simon the Fiddler, then here is the next book for you. Union soldier John Chenneville suffered greatly during the war, and when he was released from the hospital and made it home he found that his sister and family had been murdered. Chenneville sorted out who did it and then starts the tracking this killer across the middle of a broken nation. This is a good story for those that like mysteries AND for those who like Westerns. –Kelly E.

Again and Again

by Jonathan Evison

available in November, hardcover, Dutton Eugene “Geno” Miles is living out his final days in a nursing home and struggling to connect with his nursing assistant, Angel, who is understandably skeptical of Geno’s insistence on having lived not just one life but many—where he found true love only to lose it and spent the next thousand years trying to recapture it. Who is Geno? A lonely old man clinging to his delusions and rehearsing his fantasies, or a legitimate anomaly, a thousand-year-old man who continues to search for the love he lost so long ago? A poignant and endlessly surprising story about love lost, found, and redeemed from one of America’s most creative novelists.

Friday, November 17, 6pm at Village Books in Fairhaven

Register today at villagebooks.com

New Fiction

The Vaster Wilds

by Lauren Groff

available in September, hardcover, Riverhead Books

As soon as I started reading this, I knew it was going to be one of those books that will linger in my mind far after finishing it. A servant girl escapes the settlement in the new world and flees to the treacherous wilderness. She is being hunted like an animal as she tries to escape with only her wit and determination. Groff is a talented author who has the ability to pull a reader into the plight and suspense of the characters. This will make an excellent book group read. –Kelly E.

The Unsettled

by Ayana Mathis

available in September, hardcover, Knopf

From the best-selling author of The Twelve Tribes of Hattie, a searing multi-generational novel—set in the 1980s in racially and politically turbulent Philadelphia and in the tiny town of Bonaparte, Alabama—about a mother fighting for her sanity and survival. “A fine, powerful book.” —Marilynne Robinson, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Gilead

Happiness Falls

by Angie Kim

available now, hardcover, Hogarth

When a father goes missing, his family’s desperate search leads them to question everything they know about him and each other—both a riveting page-turner and a deeply moving portrait of a family in crisis. “I fell in love with the fascinating, brilliant family at the center of this riveting book.”

—Ann Napolitano, author of Hello Beautiful

Mary and the Birth of Frankenstein

by Anne Eekhout

available in October, hardcover, HarperVia

With gripping mastery and verve, Anne Eekhout brings to life a defining moment in Mary Shelley’s youth: the creative wellspring for one of the most original, thrilling, and timeless pieces of literature ever written. Provocative, wonderfully atmospheric, and pulsing with emotion, Mary and the Birth of Frankenstein is a hypnotic ode to the power of imagination.

Ken

November 24‒December 10, 2023

Twilight Bowl

January 26‒February 11, 2024

Dinner with Friends

March 29‒April 14, 2024

Pippin June 14‒30, 2024 TICKETS

New Fiction

Menewood (#2 in The Hild Sequence)

by Nicola Griffith

available in October, hardcover, MCD

In the much-anticipated sequel to Hild, Griffith transports readers to seventh-century Britain, a land full of rival kings and rival religions, poised for revolutions like the world has never seen. Hild—now 18 and married to her forbidden childhood love, battle-scarred and triumphant—is no longer a bright child who charms and dazzles the court with seemingly supernatural insight. But she remains one of the king’s most trusted advisers, both seer and warrior, which makes her formidable in a volatile court, and also subject to His Majesty’s most dangerous whims. She has

stronger or more vulnerable.

Saturday October 21, 6pm NICOLA GRIFFITH at Village Books in Fairhaven Register today at villagebooks.com

The Great Transition

by Nick Fuller Goggins

available now, hardcover, Atria

I wasn’t sure I was going to be in the mood for a climate fiction thriller but I was sucked in by the premise and could not wait to read more about this family and their history. Emi is “lucky” in that the worst of the climate crisis is over. But when there is a series of political murders and Emi’s mom is nowhere to be found, Emi and her dad go on a page-turning chase across several countries. It definitely made me think! –Sarah

The Art of Desire

by Stacey Abrams as Selena Montgomery

available in September, hardcover, Berkley

One doomed love affair after another has made lovely Alex Walton swear off men. Now, she’s determined to try something that maybe she can succeed at: a writing career. Little does she know that a chance meeting with a strikingly handsome stranger, a mysterious obelisk, and a lost kingdom will change her life forever. As Alex is about to discover, truth can be stranger—and far more dangerous—than fiction.

New Fiction

Bournville

by Jonathan Coe

available in October, hardcover, Europa

Bournville is a village in England, founded by the Quaker Cadbury family for employees at the Cadbury chocolate factory. Designed to be a garden village where the sale of alcohol was forbidden, this idyllic village is where we meet Mary. We travel with her for the whole of her life as she experiences everything from the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth and the 1966 World Cup final, to James Bond movies, the internet, and Covid-19. This is a great social history read for those who love Britain—and chocolate! –Kelly E.

The Witching Tide

by Margaret Meyer

available in September, hardcover, Scribner

East Anglia, 1645. Martha, a midwife, healer, and servant, has lived peacefully in her beloved seaside village of Cleftwater. Having lost her voice as a child, Martha has not spoken a word in years. The sinister witchfinder Silas Makepeace has been blazing a trail of destruction along the coast, and now has Cleftwater in his sights. Powerless to protest, Martha is enlisted to search the accused women for “devil’s marks.” She is caught between suspicion and betrayal; between shielding herself or condemning the women of the village. In desperation, she revives a wax witching doll that belonged to her mother, in the hope that it will bring protection but the doll’s true powers are unknowable.

The Year of Second Chances

by Lara Avery

available now, hardcover, William Morrow & Company

Robin Lindstrom is facing the first anniversary of her husband’s death when she receives a surprise email from him with some unexpected news—he has signed her up for an online dating service. How will she proceed? Is she ready to jump into that world again? A sweet tale about starting over after tragedy, this novel explores grief, loss, and family struggle, but still manages to feel warm and lighthearted. –Hanna

The Square of Sevens

by Laura Shepherd-Robinson

available in September, hardcover, Atria

Cornwall, 1730: A young girl known only as Red travels with her father making a living predicting fortunes using the ancient Cornish method of the Square of Sevens. Shortly before he dies, her father entrusts Red’s care to a gentleman scholar, along with a document containing the secret of the Square of Sevens technique. Raised as a lady amidst the Georgian splendor of Bath, Red cannot ignore the questions that gnaw at her soul. The pursuit of these mysteries takes her from the rough ribaldry of the Bartholomew Fair to the grand houses of two of the most powerful families in England. And while Red’s quest brings her the possibility of great reward, it also leads to grave danger.

Candelaria

by Melissa Lozada-Oliva

available in September, hardcover, Astra House Lozada-Oliva walks a perfect tightrope between humor, trauma, and the supernatural in this outstanding story. Blending unsettled pasts and an uncertain present, three generations of women fight to save themselves, and each other, while Boston crumbles around them. You will be instantly hooked! –Kiana

North Woods

by Daniel Mason

available in September, hardcover, Random House

When a pair of lovers abscond from a Puritan colony, little do they know that their humble cabin will become home to an extraordinary succession of inhabitants: an English soldier abandons the battlefield to devote himself to apples, a pair of spinster twins survive war and famine, only to succumb to envy and desire, a crime reporter unearths a mass grave, but finds the ancient trees refuse to give up their secrets. As each one confronts the mysteries of the north woods, they come to realize that the dark, raucous, beautiful past is very much alive.

THANK YOU FOR A GREAT SEASON!

The Museum of Failures

by Thrity Umrigar

available in September, hardcover, Algonquin Books

Remy’s story perfectly captures the feeling of growing older and seeing your parents in a new light. Umrigar tenderly navigates the reader through powerful emotions and difficult truths. Love and grief emanate from the pages. –Kiana

Classics

The Iliad by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson available in September, hardcover, W.W. Norton

When Wilson’s translation of The Odyssey appeared in 2017, critics lauded it as “a revelation” (Susan Chira, New York Times) and “a cultural landmark” (Charlotte Higgins, Guardian) that would forever change how Homer is read in English. Now Wilson has returned with an equally revelatory translation of Homer’s other great epic—the most revered war poem of all time. In Wilson’s hands, this thrilling, magical, and often horrifying tale now gallops at a pace befitting its legendary battle scenes, in crisp but resonant language that evokes the poem’s deep pathos and reveals palpably real, even “complicated,” characters—both human and divine.

Libro.fm makes it possible for you to buy audiobooks through your local bookstore (Village Books!) giving you the power to keep money within your local economy.

You can sign up for a monthly membership or make your purchases à la carte and listen to audiobooks on your own schedule with no strings attached.

Thank YOU for supporting local!

www.libro.fm/villagebooks

Short Stories

Cat Brushing

by Jane Campbell

available now, paperback, Grove Press

This provocative debut story collection explores the erotic, emotional, and intellectual worlds of 13 older women, unearthing their passions, libidinal appetites, integrity, and sense of self as they fight against prevalent misconceptions and stereotypes of the aging. Written in spikey, incisive prose, this alluring cast of characters overcomes the notion that elder women’s behavior must be in some way monitored and controlled.

Every Drop is a Man's Nightmare

by Megan Kamalei Kakimoto

available now, hardcover, Bloomsbury Publishing

Kakimoto’s wrenching and sensational debut story collection follows a cast of mixed native Hawaiian and Japanese women through a contemporary landscape thick with inherited wisdom and the ghosts of colonization. This is a Hawai’i where unruly sexuality and generational memory overflow the postcard image of paradise and the boundaries of the real, where the superstitions born of the islands take on the weight of truth. This collection is both a fierce love letter to Hawaiian identity and mythology, and a searing dispatch from an occupied territory threatening to erupt with violent secrets.

YA Short Story Anthologies

Being Ace : An Anthology of Queer, Trans, Femme, and Disabled Stories of Asexual

Love and Connection

edited by Madeline Dyer

available in October, hardcover, Page Street YA

This diverse asexual anthology highlights the ace spectrum experience in a collection of 15 unique stories, flash fiction, and poetry. A disabled vigilante trying to save her kidnapped girlfriend, a little mermaid who loves her sisters more than suitors, a slayer whose virgin blood keeps attracting monsters and more, the works in Being Ace are anything but conventional. Whether in psychiatric hospitals, space ships, haunted cemeteries, or under the sea, no two aces are the same in 15 unique works that highlight asexual romance, aromantic love, and the many other sub-identities of the asexual spectrum umbrella. From a mixture of established and emerging YA writers, contributors include Rosiee Thor, Akemi Dawn Bowman, Linsey Miller, and Moniza Hossain.

Normal Rules Don’t Apply: Stories

by Kate Atkinson

available in September, hardcover, Doubleday

In this brilliant volume, nothing is quite as it seems. We meet a queen who makes a bargain she cannot keep; a secretary who watches over the life she has just left; a lost man who bets on a horse that may—or may not—have spoken to him. Everything that readers love about the novels of Kate Atkinson is here—the inventiveness, the verbal felicity, the sharp observations of human nature, and the deeply satisfying emotional wallop.

Roman Stories

by Jhumpa Lahiri

available in October, hardcover, Knopf

The first short story collection by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author since her number one New York Times bestseller Unaccustomed Earth. Written in Lahiri’s adopted language of Italian and translated by the author and by Knopf editor Todd Portnowitz. Rome— metropolis and monument, suspended between past and future, multi-faceted and metaphysical—is the protagonist, not the setting, of these nine stories.

Our Strangers : Stories

by Lydia Davis

available in October, hardcover, Bookshop Editions

By request of the author, this title is only available through independent bookstores! From one of the most accomplished writers of our time comes another brilliant collection of short fiction. Artful, deft, and inventive, Lydia Davis’ newest collection of stories delves into topics ranging from marriage to tiny insects. These stories are a celebration of language and careful observation that once again confirms Davis’ sincere love and mastery of the form.

The Best American Short Stories 2023

edited by Min Jin Lee

available in October, paperback, Mariner Books

Enlightening, poignant, and undeniably human, the 20 short stories in this anthology bravely confront societal darkness and offer, in Lee’s words, “our emotional truths, restoring our sanity and providing comfort for the days ahead.”

Fantasy & Science Fiction

Starling House

by Alix E. Harrow

available in October, hardcover, Tor Books

Opal is a lot of things—orphan, high school dropout, full-time cynic and part-time cashier—but above all, she’s a determined to find a better life for her younger brother Jasper. One that gets them out of Eden, Kentucky, a town remarkable for only two things: 1) a surprising amount of unexplained bad luck and natural disasters and, 2) the only known sightings of E. (Eleanor) Starling, a reclusive 19th-century author whose only published book, The Underland, was considered almost as shocking as the author’s later mysterious disappearance. But Starling left behind one other thing: the imposing house that bears her name. Everyone agrees that it’s best to ignore the uncanny mansion, and its misanthropic heir, Arthur. Almost everyone, anyway.

The Witches at the End of the World

by Chelsea Iversen

available in October, paperback, Sourcebooks Landmark

Minna and Kaija live deep in the birchwoods of northern Norway, hiding in the shadows since their mother was burned at the stake thirteen years ago. Sweet-tempered Kaijia’s magic is quiet, mostly charms to heal cuts and bruises. She’d happily give it up to have a normal life.

Minna’s a witch through and through: full of power and unafraid of it, wrath always simmering just below the surface. When Kaija decides to return to the village where their mother died to make a new life for herself, Minna, in a rage, releases a curse to raze the community that’s taken everything from her. The two sisters find themselves at odds in this breathtaking historical fantasy.

Assistant to the Villain

by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

available now, paperback,

Entangled: Red Tower Books

ASSISTANT WANTED: Notorious, highranking villain seeks loyal, levelheaded assistant for unspecified office duties, supporting staff for random mayhem, terror, and other Dark Things In General. Discretion a must. Excellent benefits. With ailing family to support, Evie Sage’s employment status isn’t just important, it’s vital. So when a mishap with Rennedawn’s most infamous Villain results in a job offer—naturally, she says yes. No job is perfect, of course, but even less so when you develop a teeny crush on your terrifying, temperamental, and undeniably hot boss.

The Fragile Threads of Power

by V. E. Schwab

available in September, hardcover, Tor

Books

Once, there were four worlds, nestled like pages in a book, each pulsing with fantastical power and connected by a single city: London. However, the magic grew too fast and forced the worlds to seal the doors between them in a desperate gamble to protect their own. The few magicians who could still open the doors grew more rare as time passed and now, only three Antari are known in recent memory—Kell Maresh of Red London, Delilah Bard of Grey London, and Holland Vosijk, of White London. Prepare for tangled schemes and perilous adventures.

After the Forest

by

Kell

Woods

available in October, hardcover, Tor Books

Ginger. Honey. Cinnamon. Flour. Twenty years after the witch in the gingerbread house, Greta and Hans are struggling to get by. Their mother and stepmother are long dead, Hans is deeply in debt from gambling, and the countryside lies in ruin, its people starving in the aftermath of a brutal war. Greta has a secret, though: the witch’s grimoire, secreted away and whispering in Greta’s ear for the past two decades, and the recipe inside that makes the best gingerbread you’ve ever tasted. As long as she can bake, Greta can keep her small family afloat. Debut author!

Godkiller

by Hannah Kaner

available in September, paperback, Harper

Voyager

If Priory of the Orange Tree mixed with just a little Gideon the Ninth sounds good to you, this book is a must read. A fantastic character-driven debut set in a world ravaged by gods, war, curses, and mystery. It definitely left me looking forward to more from this series and this author! –Allison

This is a world where the gods’ greed and destruction have turned much of the world against them. As a child, Kissen saw her family murdered by a fire god. Now, she makes a living killing them and enjoys it. But all this changes when Kissen is tasked with helping a young noble girl with a god problem. The child’s soul is bonded to a tiny god of white lies, and Kissen can’t kill it without ending the girl’s life too. They are joined by a knight on a secret quest and the unlikely group must travel to a ruined city where the last of the wild gods reside, to each beg a favor. Powerful, visceral, and real, this is a transporting fantasy with teeth. –Paul

Science Fiction & Fantasy

He Who Drowned the World (Radiant Emperor Duology #2)

by Shelley Parker-Chan

available now, hardcover, Tor Books

The grittier, dramatic follow-up to She Who Became the Sun, this tale follows all of the original players as they risk everything they have to be the “Radiant King,” the Emperor of 14th century China. Perfect for folks who love Game of Thrones, readers will find the Radiant Emperor books packed with action and political drama, as well as woven with queer identities, leaving them wanting more. –Chloe

The Death I Gave Him

by Em X. Liu

available in September, hardcover, Solaris

A lyrical, queer sci-fi retelling of Shakespeare’s Hamlet as a locked-room thriller! Hayden Lichfield’s life is ripped apart when he finds his father murdered in their lab, and the camera logs erased. The killer can only have been after one thing: the Sisyphus Formula the two of them developed together, which might one day reverse death itself. With the lab on lockdown, Hayden is trapped with four other people—his uncle Charles, lab technician Gabriel Rasmussen, research intern Felicia Xia and their head of security, Felicia’s father Paul—one of whom must be the killer. His only sure ally is the lab’s resident artificial intelligence, Horatio, who has been his dear friend and companion since its creation.

Starter Villain

by John Scalzi

available in September, hardcover, Tor Books

Inheriting your uncle’s supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who’s running the place. Charlie’s life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan. Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie. But becoming a supervillain isn’t all giant laser death rays and lava pits. Jake had enemies, and now they’re coming after Charlie.

The Free People’s Village

by Sim Kern

available in September, hardcover, Levine Querido

From environmental journalist and founder of the #TransRightsReadathon Sim Kern comes the eat-the-rich climate fiction you won’t want to put down: In an alternate 2020 timeline, Al Gore won the 2000 election and declared a War on Climate Change rather than a War on Terror. For 20 years, Democrats have controlled all three branches of government, enacting carbon-cutting schemes that never made it to a vote in our world. “Full of furious kindness, radical community, passionate politics, and authentic friendships, The Free People’s Village is a sharply-written paean to hope, set in a vivid, brilliantly imagined future that alternately filled me with loathing and yearning. From the carefully crafted timelines to the intensely real characters, this was a story that yanked me into its world and didn’t let me surface for hours. You live because you still can, and you organize because you still can, and you fight because you still can.” –Premee Mohamed, Nebula Award-winning author of And What Can We Offer You Tonight

The Future (Biblioasis International Translation Series)

by Catherine Leroux

translated by Susan Ouriou

available in September, paperback, Biblioasis

In the post-apocalypse community of FortDetroit, Gloria moves into her deceased daughter’s home, one of the many deserted homes that are slowly being overtaken by nature. Her estranged daughter is dead, her grandchildren are missing. What could be an entirely devastating cautionary tale is instead one of friendship, community, and resilience. Leroux’s ability to shift perspective from Gloria, to others in her community, to the children she finds in Parc Rouge made this book the special novel that it is. –Erin

Sword Catcher

by Cassandra Clare

available in Octber, hardcover, Del Rey

Two outcasts find themselves caught in a web of forbidden love, dangerous magic, and dark secrets that could change the world forever in the start of a riveting epic fantasy series from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Shadowhunter Chronicles. “Everything I look for in fantasy.”—George R. R. Martin

Paperback Fiction

The House of Doors

by Tan Twan Eng

available in October, paperback, Bloomsbury

Publishing

The year is 1921. Lesley Hamlyn and her husband, Robert, a lawyer and war veteran, are living at Cassowary House on the Straits Settlement of Penang. When “Willie” Somerset Maugham, a famed writer and old friend of Robert’s, arrives for an extended visit with his secretary, Gerald, the pair threatens a rift that could alter more lives than one. Maugham, one of the great novelists of his day, is beleaguered: having long hidden his homosexuality, his unhappy and expensive marriage of convenience becomes unbearable after he loses his savings—and the freedom to travel with Gerald. His career deflating, his health failing, Maugham arrives at Cassowary House in desperate need of a subject for his next book.

Pet

by Catherine Chidgey

available now, paperback, Europa

Catherine Chidgey is a New Zealand novelist and she brings us this story straight out of the mid 1980s. Also set in New Zealand this is a story of 12 year-old Justine who is at just the right age to make many discoveries about herself and the people around her. Her class has a glamourous teacher that they all fall for, however something is not right. Things start to go missing in the classroom and people are not what they seem. Justine learns about everything from Duran Duran to beauty queens to the darker side of deception and racism, and ultimately of herself. Chidgey writes with such a human voice so grab a Tab and a boom box and enjoy. –Kelly E.

Forget I Told You This

by Hilary Zaid

available now, paperback, University of Nebraska Press

Amy Black, an aspiring artist in love with calligraphy, dreams of a coveted artist’s residency at Q, the world’s largest social media company. One October night, when the power is out in the hills of Oakland, a stranger asks Amy to transcribe a love letter for him. When the stranger suddenly disappears, Amy’s search for the letter’s recipient leads her straight to Q and the most beautifully illuminated manuscript she has ever seen, the Codex Argentus, hidden away in Q’s Library of Books That Don’t Exist—and to a group of data privacy vigilantes who want her to burn Q to the ground.

Jackal

by Erin Adams

available in September, paperback, Bantam

If you hear it call your name, do not look back, do not respond. Keep walking. The vibes are immediately off when Liz comes home for her bff’s wedding. Being a Black woman in a predominately white Pennsylvanian town can already be creepy, but add on vanishing women and unfriendly townsfolk, it’s downright terrifying. –Kiana

The Long March Home : A World War II Novel of the Pacific

by Marcus Brotherton available in October, paperback, Fleming H. Revell Company

Inspired by true events, this gripping comingof-age tale of friendship, sacrifice, and the power of unrelenting hope during WWII follows three friends from Mobile, Alabama, as they struggle to survive the Bataan Death March and make it home to their families—and the girl they left behind. Marcus Brotherton is the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author or coauthor of more than 25 books that have been called “fascinating,” “brilliantly arranged,” “magical,” and “refreshingly frank.

Tuesday October 24, 6pm

MARCUS BROTHERTON

at Village Books in Fairhaven

Register today at villagebooks.com

Graphic Novel

Roaming

by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki available in September, paperback, Drawn and Quarterly

Three 19-year-old gals travel to New York City for a short trip—pizza-eating, romance, and fissures in friendship ensue. This book captures the messiness (and beauty) that exists in relationships as we try to figure ourselves—and each other—out. For readers who have come of age, or are coming-ofage right now, this one is bound to resonate. And the illustrations! Don’t even get me started. Just read the book. –Madison

Mystery, Horror, and Suspense

The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons : A Lisbeth Salander Novel

by Karin Smirnoff

available now, hardcover, Knopf

A pulse-pounding thriller, The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons sees Salander and Blomkvist navigating a world of conspiracy and betrayal, old enemies and new friends, ice-bound wilderness and the global corporations that threaten to tear it apart. “Lisbeth Salander is back—and maybe better than ever. Karin Smirnoff’s take is both respectful of the past and ready for the future—altogether remarkable.”

—Lee Child, author of No Plan B.

Red Rabbit

by Alex Grecian

available in September, hardcover, Tor Nightfire

Every hired gun in Kansas is out to collect the bounty on Sadie Grace who is wanted for witchcraft, dead (or alive). Enter a throwntogether bunch of vigilantes: a widowed schoolteacher, an old witch hunter and his mysterious, mute ward, Rabbit, and a pair of vagabond drifters. Brace yourself for a western tale just like and completely unlike any you’ve ever read. So well-written and atmospheric, I often forgot I was reading as I was swept up in this touching, funny, scary tale. If you like westerns even one iota, then climb in the saddle. You’ll enjoy this ride.  –Paul

The Land of Lost Things

by John Connolly

available in September, hardcover, Emily Bestler

Books

The redemptive power of stories and family is revealed in New York Times bestselling author John Connolly’s atmospheric tale set in the same magical universe as the enchanting and enlightening The Book of Lost Things

Saturday, Sept. 30, 4pm J.A. JANCE

at Village Books in Fairhaven

The Kingdoms of Savannah

by George Dawes Green

available in October, paperback, Celadon Books

Savannah may appear to be “some town out of a fable,” with its vine flowers, turreted mansions, and ghost tours that romanticize the city’s history. But look deeper and you’ll uncover secrets, past and present, that tell a more sinister tale. It’s the story at the heart of this chilling new novel. Moving from the homeless encampments that ring the city to the stately homes of Savannah’s elite, Green’s novel brilliantly depicts the underbelly of a city with a dark history and the strangely mesmerizing dysfunction of a complex family.

The Longmire Defense : A Longmire Mystery

by Craig Johnson

available in September, hardcover, Viking

Deep in the heart of the Wyoming countryside, Sheriff Walt Longmire of Absaroka County, is called to a crime scene like few others that he has seen. This crime brings up issues that go back to Walt’s grandfather’s time in Wyoming, as the revelations he learns about his grandfather come back to offer clues and motives for Walt’s investigation.

The Exchange : After the Firm

by John Grisham

available in October, hardcover, Doubleday What became of Mitch and Abby McDeere after they exposed the crimes of Memphis law firm Bendini, Lambert & Locke and fled the country? The answer is in this sequel to The Firm. It’s now 15 years later, and Mitch and Abby are living in Manhattan, where Mitch is a partner at a large law firm. When a mentor in Rome asks him for a favor that will take him far from home, Mitch finds himself at the center of a sinister plot that has worldwide implications.

Blessing of the Lost Girls

by J.A. Jance

available in September, hardcover, William Morrow

A Mystery Crossover!

In her latest novel, J. A. Jance returns to her Southwestern roots and unites popular characters from her Joanna Brady Mysteries and Walker Family thrillers in a gripping mystery centered on a serial killer who targets notoriously overlooked victims: young Indigenous women. Jance is the bestselling author of more than 60 works of contemporary mystery across the J. P. Beaumont series, the Joanna Brady series, and the Ali Reynolds series, as well as interrelated thrillers about the Walker Family.

VB WRITES...

WRITING GROUPS

Open To Newcomers!

Are you a writer in search of a writing group? Come meet other writers who can help you get organized, give feedback, and help you with your writing goals. These groups are free and open to newcomers and drop-ins

Currently, one group meets virtually and the others meet at Village Books in Fairhaven. NOTE: Please watch villagebooks.com for scheduling updates.

FICTION I

Meets 2nd & 4th Thursdays, 6pm in the Writers Corner on the mezzanine level of Village Books in Fairhaven

FICTION II

Meets 2nd & 4th Wednesdays, 6pm in the Writers Corner on the mezzanine level of Village Books in Fairhaven

VIRTUAL NONFICTION & MEMOIR GROUP

Meets VIRTUALLY 1st & 3rd Sundays, 3-5pm. Visit villagebooks.com for more information

ENVIRONMENTALISTS ANONYMOUS

Meets 2nd & 4th Wednesdays from 12-1pm in the Writers Corner on the mezzanine.

EVENING POETRY GROUP

Meets 1st & 3rd Thursdays, 5:30pm in the Writers Corner on the mezzanine

MORNING POETRY GROUP

Meets 1st & 3rd Tuesdays, 10:30am-noon in the Readings Gallery of Village Books in Fairhaven

Read full descriptions and expectations for each group at villagebooks.com. Please note that scheduling changes do occur.* Watch the events calendar at villagebooks.com for updates.

WRITING FROM PROMPTS

Meets 1st & 3rd Wednesday, 10:30am-noon in the Readings Gallery of Village Books in Fairhaven

CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOK CRITIQUE GROUP

Meets 1st and 3rd Wednesdays from 6-7:30pm in the Writers Corner on the mezzanine level of VIllage Books in Fairhaven

*September 6 - scheduling change. Watch for details.

Sign up for our Just Write! eNewsletter, a monthly publication highlighting current classes, tips and tricks, writing book reviews and the like! Questions? email writing@villagebooks.com.

Be Social

Follow Village Books on Twitter. We tweet about book events, new books, and book-related topics. We are @VillageBksBham.

Never Miss Out!

Like us on Facebook!

Make sure to select "Get Notifications" so you'll always see our posts about local events and other book-related topics. Go to facebook.com/VillageBooks & facebook.com/VillageBooksLynden for fun and informative posts from our Lynden store.

Find and follow Village Books and Paper Dreams on Instagram (village_books). #Tag your favorite VB/PD photos! We post behind-the-scenes images of staff book and gift favorites, new arrivals, author events, specials, and more. Check us out!

Getting It WRITE

with Stephanie Dethlefs

Our community of writers here in Whatcom is dynamic and robust and Village Books already has a great deal of connections with other local groups and programming that both supports and helps to build that community. Additionally, we recognize a need to grow our offerings for young writers and readers. To that end, we’re thrilled to welcome local writer and writing coach Stephanie Dethlefs as our new Writing Community Coordinator.

Stephanie is excited to take on this new role and support the abundant writing community here. After a career teaching elementary students and founding Whatcom Young Writers, she has spent the last few years writing and supporting writers as a book coach. A lifelong Pacific Northwest resident, she moved to Bellingham in 1996 for graduate school and has been here ever since.

Village Books first started working with Stephanie in 2013 when we teamed up with her and Whatcom Community College to produce the Write On! Teen Writers Conference which ran for three years and was a huge hit! “It was so gratifying to witness the attendees emerge from their solitary caves of writing to connect with other young writers. Together we really created a space of belonging,” says Paul Hanson.

Stephanie has also been a client of Village Books Publishing Services. She enlisted help to publish her middle grade novel, Unspoken. With that experience and perspective under her belt, she’ll be joining our Publishing Team and working with writers as they ready their works for publication.

“I am so thrilled to join the amazing team at Village Books and Paper Dreams! This is a very special place to me; I came to this store when I first moved here and it provided a safe harbor. As an avid reader and working writer, I’ve loved being on the customer side of all of the wonderful programs offered here, and can’t wait to see what’s coming for writers of all ages!” - Stephanie

Dethlefs

Keep an eye out for what comes next by watching our website and subscribing to our Just Write! eNewsletter for Writers at villagebooks.com!

See page 67 for upcoming Reading and Writing Opportunities for Kids and Teens!

Chuckanut Writers

Classes for Your Writing Life

Village Books and WCC Community & Continuing Education offer a writing instruction collaboration called Chuckanut Writers. These programs are designed to inspire and encourage writers at all stages of their writing journey.

Check out these upcoming classes:

WaMemWriMo Workshop Series Write Your Memoir in September!

September is Washington Memoir Writing Month (WaMemWriMo)! For the last decade, we’ve hosted classes to support wouldbe memoir writers as they hone their craft. These workshops, all taught or led by experienced memoir writers and teachers, can be taken as a whole, or you can select from the individual workshops to suit your needs and schedule. $99 for all four classes or $29 each. Register now as space is limited.

Four Sessions: Thursdays, September 7-28, 5pm-6:30pm

Thursday, September 7, 5-6:30pm

• Jumpstart Your Memoir! The First

Two Essential Pillars for Successful Memoir Writing with Cami Ostman

Hybrid - at Village Books in Fairhaven or Virtual

No matter how long you’ve procrastinated or how many times you’ve tried to write your memoir, this class will give you the tools you need to get it done. Discover the top three roadblocks most memoir writers face and the four essential (and simple) practices you need to exercise in order to complete your memoir. Author Cami Ostman is the founder of The Narrative Project.

Thursday, September 21, 5-6:30pm

• Building Characters on the Page with Melissa Johnson

Hybrid - at Village Books in Fairhaven or Virtual

Writing non-fiction/memoir stories, while based on real experiences, still requires the crafting of compelling characters. In this session we’ll delve into the exciting process of identifying people in your own life--who populate your own stories--and transforming them into characters who can drive your plot. Melissa Johnson is a filmmaker, writer, teacher, and lifelong learner.

Don't Miss Out!

Thursday, September 14, 5-6:30pm

• Generating Scenes for Your Memoir with Nancy Lou Canyon

Hybrid - at Village Books in Fairhaven or Virtual

We’ll examine pacing, flashback, action, dialogue, and learn how conflict is essential to writing a dramatic story. We’ll generate a beginning timeline and several scene ideas to write at your leisure. Nancy Canyon, MFA, an award-winning writer, is the author of “Dark Forest” (short fiction), Saltwater (poetry), Celia’s Heaven (novel), and Lookout, a memoir detailing her work as a fire lookout attendant in the 70s.

Thursday, September 28, 5-6:30pm

• Successful Completion!

How to Finish What You’ve Started with Cami Ostman

Hybrid - at Village Books in Fairhaven or Virtual

Now that you’ve started your memoir, how will you keep going when you get caught in the weeds of writing and revising? Come learn the final two crucial strategies you MUST put in place if you want to be able to finish what you started this month. Walk out of this class with a roadmap for the rest of your memoir journey.

Finding Your Writer’s Voice with Melissa Johnson at Whatcom Community College

Thursdays, October 5, 12, 19 6pm-8:30pm (3 sessions)

This course will take students beyond the fundamentals of writing to learn how to discover, enhance, and grow their own unique voice. Students will workshop writing exercises to learn how foundational skills can work in tandem with the with the development of their writer’s voice. This course is taught by Melissa Johnson, a filmmaker, writer, teacher, and lifelong learner.

Memoir Writing: How to Tell Your Own Story

with Melissa Johnson

WCC - Cascade Hall 130

Mondays, October 16 - November 20, 6pm-8:30pm (6 sessions)

This course will cover the basics of creative non-fiction writing for the memoirist. Instructor Melissa Johnson will take students through the entire writing process, from choosing a compelling personal story to a final finished short-form memoir.

Lifelines:

Writing Poetry From Life Experience

with Ryler Dustin at Village Books in Fairhaven

September 17, 12pm-3pm (1 session)

This workshop, especially tailored to senior citizens or younger authors hoping to articulate life experiences, will explore ways to express our experiences—present or past—in poetry. We will focus on demystifying craft elements such as form and metaphor. More importantly, we will unlock a natural voice in exploring complex, delightful, or even challenging memories. Instructor Ryler Dustin is author of two poetry collections, most recently the Starrett-Prize winning Trailer Park Psalms. Read more about him at rylerdustin.com.

Chuckanut Writers Classes

NaNoWrimo: Get your novel written in November! with Rebecca Agiewich at Village Books in Fairhaven

Wednesdays, October 25-Dec.6, 6-7:30pm (6 sessions)

What do these bestselling novels all have in common: The Night Circus, Water for Elephants, Fangirl, and This Beautiful Land? The first drafts were all written during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). This month-long noveling event takes place every November and is a great way to get that first draft on paper. Join Rebecca for this rewarding rollercoaster of a month, brainstorm your stories, encouraging each other, and learn about key elements of novel writing.

What’s So Funny: The Poetics of Humor with Kevin Murphy at Village Books in Fairhaven

October 21 & 28, 10am-noon (2 sessions)

This class is dedicated to the proposition that poetry can be funny, playful, and serve a serious purpose all at the same time. When Emily Dickinson wrote “Tell the whole truth,” but tell it slant,” was that another way of saying “leave ‘em laughing”? We’ll write, read and discuss poetry that is subversive, goofy, ironic,surreal, and bleakly comical. Kevin Murphy is the resident poet on the Chuckanut Radio Hour and has been writing and performing poetry for over 40 years.

Copyediting for Yourself & Others

September 17, 6pm at Village Books in Fairhaven

Marketing for Authors Who Just Want to Write

with Gail Noble-Sanderson at Village Books in Fairhaven

November 4, 10am-noon (1 session)

The workshop will provide examples of proven strategies to facilitate successful marketing for indie authors and publishers. By the end of the workshop, each attendee will have created a draft of a marketing plan they can begin to use. A template for the plan will be provided by the instructor. Gail is an awarding-winning author of historical fiction and mystery. Gail self-publishes through her publishing house, Noble Press.

with Roby Blecker Virtual Classroom

Tuesdays, November 7-28, 6pm-8:30pm (4 sessions)

The key to diamond-clear writing is the editing! Learn how best to copyedit and work with a writer to make a story or article the best it can be, whether you are the author or someone else is. Begin the development of an “editor’s eye,” whether you are writing fiction, nonfiction, or blogs, or helping others with their writing. Roby Blecker is a writer and editor and has been helping other perfect their craft for over 27 years.

Class sizes are limited, register early!

Ryler Dustin will share poems from his latest collection, TRAILER PARK PSALMS

Life Between the Pages Sensorial Book Dinner

Friday, September 29, 6-9pm

Join us for an unforgettable evening as you immerse yourself in the world of literature. Enjoy...

• Five Courses of food paired with the characters or emotions of the book created by Chef Christy Fox.

• Five unique drinks that accompany the courses

• Award-winning Poet Tennison S. Black will present her new book, Survival Strategies.

With

Vegan Gluten Free & Vegetarian Options

SWEETS

• desserts & baked goods

SIPS

• espresso & teas boozy chocolate drinks

• wine + beer

SAVORIES

• daily specials

eventbrite.com

3533 Chuckanut Dr Bow, WA 98232

Now open on the grounds of the Bow Sanctuary, Persimmon Bistro offers a variety of thoughtful breakfast and lunch bites, made with fresh and locally sourced ingredients.

https://persimmon.love

The Salmon Sisters : Harvest & Heritage–Seasonal Recipes and Traditions that Celebrate the Alaskan Spirit

by Emma Teal Laukitis, Claire Neaton available in September, hardcover, Sasquatch Books

Open the rich pages of Harvest & Heritage and step into another world. A landscape dotted with berries, wildflowers, and moose, an ocean rich with salmon, seafood, and kelp. A place of resilience and cherished traditions. While the landscape is vast, the community is tight-knit. This is the world of the Salmon Sisters and they are inviting you to join them through a year of changing seasons and comforting rituals. And yes, deeply satisfying food.

Lidia’s From Our Family

Table to Yours : More Than 100 Recipes Made with Love for all Occasions

by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, Tanya Bastianich Manuali available

in September, hardcover, Knopf

Nothing brings a family together like food. And no one knows food like Lidia Bastianich. In this deeply personal new cookbook, she shares the dishes she cooks for those she loves the most. This is the first book Lidia has written since the death of her mother, Nonna, who was beloved not just by Lidia’s family but by millions of cookbook and TV fans.

Cooking

Simply West African : Easy, Joyful Recipes for Every Kitchen

by Pierre Thiam, Lisa Katayama

available in September, hardcover, Clarkson Potter

This is West African food for every kitchen, a generous, warm welcome to its delicious, irresistible culinary mainstays and rhythms. If you already cook with ingredients like hearty greens, yams, black-eyed peas, and okra, or have enjoyed Southern staples like jambalaya and gumbo, you have tasted the deep culinary influences of this interconnected region that spans Senegal, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Nigeria, and more.

The Book of Sichuan Chili

Crisp: Spicy Recipes and Stories from Fly By Jing’s Kitchen

by Jing Gao

available in September, hardcover, Ten Speed Press

In The Book of Sichuan Chili Crisp, Jing shows how nearly every dish can be elevated with Sichuan’s complex flavors, taking you on a unique journey from her hometown to your own kitchen stove, all while sharing her personal story and reflections on this storied cuisine and the challenges she’s encountered along the way.

The Secret of Cooking: Recipes for an Easier Life in the Kitchen

by Bee Wilson

available in September, hardcover, W.W. Norton

Do you wish you could cook more, but don’t know where to start? Bee Wilson has spent years collecting cooking “secrets”: ways of speeding cooking up or slowing it down, strategies for days when you are stretched for time, and other ideas for when you can luxuriate in kitchen therapy. Bee offers 140 recipes including salads to savor, like a tuna salad with anchovy dressing, leisurely projects like an Aromatic All-Purpose Curry Powder, and universal desserts, or those gluten-free and dairy-free sweets that you can serve no matter who comes over.

Veg-table : Recipes, Techniques, and Plant Science for Big-Flavored, Vegetable-Focused Meals

by Nik Sharma,

available in October, hardcover, Chronicle Books

Nik Sharma, blogger at A Brown Table, Serious Eats columnist, and bestselling cookbook author, brings us his most cookable collection of recipes yet in Vegtable. Here is a technique-focused repertoire for weeknight mains for cooks of all skill levels looking to add more delicious and satisfying vegetable dishes to their diet.

Jacques Pépin:

Cooking

My Way: Recipes and Techniques for Economical Cooking

by Jacques Pépin

available in September, hardcover, Harvest

All great chefs know not to waste ingredients, time, or effort—and for master chef Jacques Pépin, this means thinking efficiently about cooking, even at home.

In Jacques Pépin: Cooking My Way, the legendary cooking teacher offers expert insights on cooking economically at home, with techniques that save money, time, and cleanup effort, without sacrificing taste.

Cooking

More is More : Get Loose in the Kitchen

by Molly Baz

available in October, hardcover, Clarkson Potter Publishers

I’ve loved every recipe of Molly’s that I’ve tried—her books do not disappoint! Pick up a copy of her newest cookbook in October, and in the meantime, try her chewy miso brown butter oatmeal cookies. I promise you won’t regret it. Cooking is about making meals to nourish your body, but it can also be about having a really great time. Some recipes come with cook-along videos. Plus, look at that cover design! –Sophie

South of Somewhere : Recipes and Stories from My Life in South Africa, South Korea & the American South

by Dale Gray

available in September, hardcover, Simon & Schuster

This book takes you on a culinary journey figuratively and literally. Gray shares recipes from the many places she lived including South Africa, South Korea, and The American South. A very approachable way to try new cuisines, I found a lot of the recipes to be customizable and they all included ingredients you can find at your local grocery store! –Maddie

Epicurean Awakening Cookbook

by Rebekah Kee Maya

available now, paperback, Epicurean Awakening Rebekah’s cutting edge cookbook has revolutionized meal time with fun and easy gluten free, sugar free, oil free & whole foods plant based recipes. It revolutionizes everything you know about food, the restrictions or allergies you have, and removing all of the guilt behind indulging. You’ll connect all of the culinary dots with this amazing cookbook. Local Author!

The Book of Gingerbread : 50 Spiced Bakes, Houses, Cookies, Desserts and More

by Helena Garcia

available in October, hardcover, Quadrille Publishing

Baking

The Book of Gingerbread conjures up inspiring recipes for cakes and bakes, cookies, desserts, drinks, and gingerbread houses. From everyday bakes like Maple and Ginger cupcakes, Sticky Toffee Gingerbread Pudding, and Ginger Spiced Banana Bread, to spooky creations such as Ginger Pumpkin Pie-thon, Baba Yaga’s Hut, and a terrifying Gingerbread Demogorgon, Helena Garcia’s inventive recipes take gingerbread flavors to new heights.

Scandinavian from Scratch: A Love Letter to the Baking of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden

by Nichole Accettola

available in October, hardcover, Ten Speed Press

During her time in Copenhagen, Accettola combatted winter blues by baking with her Danish mother-in-law, learning how to churn out batches of scrumptious holiday cookies and filling tins with homemade nougats and caramels. She has adapted these recipes for the American kitchen but they are deeply rooted in Scandinavian tradition.

Zingerman’s Bakehouse Celebrate Every Day: A Year’s Worth of Favorite Recipes for Festive Occasions, Big and Small

by Amy Emberling,

Lindsay-Jean

Lee Vedder, and Corynn

Coscia,

Hard,

available in October, hardcover, Chronicle Books

This fun, spirited, and visually rich cookbook from the beloved Zingerman’s Bakehouse contains a full gamut of recipes to mark life events, seasonal holidays, and celebrations, from birthdays and weddings to tailgating, Passover, Mardi Gras, Pi Day, and more!

Suck UK Food Scale Cookbook Kitchen Scale Inside a Recipe Book!

Village Books and Paper Dreams

Stop in for a browse

in the Waples

Mercantile Building

in Beautiful Downtown Lynden

Stop by and check out our collection of unique gifts and jewelry while browsing for new & used books.

Visit neighboring shops, enjoy a meal and a beer. You can even treat yourself to a mini-vacation at the lovely Inn at Lynden—all without leaving the premises!

Lynden LIVE! EVENTS

Saturday, October 7, 5:30pm

WILLIAM RINK

THE LYNDEN Village Books Literary Events Program

Lynden LitLive author events take place at the Inn at Lynden in the conference room—adjacent to Village Books and Paper Dreams. Seating is limited. Register villagebooks.com. $5 event fees are returned in the form of a store voucher.

–Bellingham Bay and British Columbia Railroad and Its Successors

Attention local history and railroad enthusiasts! Join local author and historian William Rink at Village Books in Lynden for a deep dive into the history of our local railroads. He is the co-author of Early Railroads of Whatcom County Washington Territory, a member of the Great Northern Historical Society, and is a founding member of the Bellingham Railway Museum.

Lynden Lyons Club Model Train and Toy Show

October 7 & 8 at Northwest Washington Fairground

Featuring over 50,000 square feet of model train layouts, exhibits, and vendors with trains of all guages for train enthusiasts of all ages. See www.lyndentrainshow.com for details.

Book Group

"Variety is the spice of life!"

Join Gaye from Village Books Lynden and the Front Streeters book group as they discuss titles from a variety of genres. They meet in person in the Waples Room of the Inn at Lynden (adjacent to Village Books) at 7pm the third Wednesday of each month.

September 20, 7pm

The Library Book by Susan Orlean

October 18, 7pm

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

November 15, 7pm

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Lynden

FRONT Streeters

All are Welcome!

Attendees are eligible for a 15% discount on group selections

See pages 71-79 for more LitLive Events and page 78 for additional Books Groups!

Games Galore

What Do You Meme

Compete with your friends and family to create the funniest memes. Do this by using one of your dealt caption cards to caption (get it?) the photo card in each round.

Zangle

SHAPE IT—Combine two or more cards to create the shape on another card!

VISUAL SKILLS—It’s a game of visual perception that puts all ages on an even playing field.

THREE WAYS TO PLAY—

Challenging and fun, there are three ways to play: turn-taking, speedster, and solo play.

Coup

A fast, fun, bluffing party in a box! Think you know your when your friends are bluffing? Think again!

Wingspan

The first engine-building game focused on birds, this gorgeously illustrated game is great for board game enthusiasts and nature-lovers alike. A staff favorite!

Here Be Dragons! Lynden Game & Puzzle Cellar

Spot It!

Spot It! hones players’ observational skills and lightning-fast reflexes as the whole family enjoys five different games modes that test who’s the fastest to spot matching symbols and call them out!

Dude

A game where you say “dude” — selling fast at our Lynden store!

HALLOWEEN!

At Village Books & Paper Dreams in Lynden

Saturday, October 28, 11am

KIDS!

HALLOWEEN Dress up for Story Time!

Here is an opportunity to test out those costumes before trick-or-treating! Join us for a special story time in the Haunted Game Cellar where we will read spooky (but not TOO spooky) Halloween tales and sing some songs.

Tuesday, October 31, 2-5pm

The Great Lynden "Dutch Treat"

Stop by Village Books and Paper Dreams in Lynden to show off your costumes and grab a treat during the annual community trick-or-treat event. Watch for participating Lynden Chamber of Commerce member businesses throughout town.

See page 59 for our Fairhaven Halloween Events

September is Eat Local Month

Saturdays through September, 10am-2pm

Lynden Farmers Market

319 Grover Street, Downtown Lynden

Shop local, eat in season, and support your community. Whether you’re looking for fresh food for your table, crafted treasures for your home, or a special gift for a friend, you can surely find it at the Lynden Farmers Market. 100% of the products at the Market are made or grown in Whatcom County!

Saturday, September 16, 10am-4pm

Whatcom County Farm Tour

Fresh. Local. Handmade.

Each of the locations offers a unique opportunity to meet the folks who grow and raise our food and learn more about how that food makes it from the farm to our plates. This self-guided event is FREE for all ages!

See sustainableconnections.org for locations and details.

st rytimes

11am

Village Books & Paper Dreams Lynden

STORY TIME with a FIRE FIGHTER

Saturday, October 14, 11am

Stop by for a half hour of stories and fun!

Assistant Fire Chief Kristie Watson of the Lynden Fire Department will sit down with the kiddos for a very special story time. Don’t miss out!

Read to a Dog

Third Saturday Story Times

September 16 • October 21

Monthly!

November 18 11am-12pm

Village Books in Lynden is excited to partner with Pack9Training to offer Read to a Dog Story Time.

This is a special story time where THE KIDS do all the reading...TO DOGS. It takes place on the third Saturday of each month. Reading out loud to a furry friend is known to boost self-confidence while encouraging kids to increase their reading skills. Plus it's fun!

There are 12 reading spots available so call or visit Village Books in Lynden to reserve your spot today (430 Front St., Lynden, WA • 360-526-2133). Free to attend! Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Weekly!

Wednesday Stories & Songs with Gaye

At 11am each Wednesday, you and your young book and music lovers can join Gaye for a half hour of stories and songs.

Cultural Criticism

The Perennials : The Megatrends Creating a Postgenerational Society

by Mauro F. Guillén

available now, hardcover, St. Martin’s Press

In today’s world, more generations than before are living and working alongside one another. The convergence of increasing longevity and the explosion in technology will transform the workplace as we now know it. These people, from six generations, are now known as “perennials,” a term that refuses to categorize people in terms of the decade in which they were born, freeing them from a sequential model of life and work that is no longer valid or useful. Guillen identifies the specific cultural changes that need to be made so that multiple generations can work together, share generationallyspecific stores of knowledge, and live fulfilling lives. As Guillen sees it, the endgame of this successful revolution will be all to the benefit of society and the economy.

Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon

by Michael Lewis

available in October, hardcover, W. W. Norton & Company

From the best-selling author of The Big Short and Flash Boys , the story of FTX’s spectacular collapse and the enigmatic founder at its center. When Michael Lewis first met him, Sam Bankman-Fried was the world’s youngest billionaire and crypto’s Gatsby. CEOs, celebrities, and leaders of small countries all vied for his time and cash after he catapulted, practically overnight, onto the Forbes billionaire list. Who was this rumpled guy in cargo shorts and limp white socks, whose eyes twitched across Zoom meetings as he played video games on the side? In Going Infinite Lewis sets out to answer this question, taking readers into the mind of Bankman-Fried, whose rise and fall offers an education in high-frequency trading, cryptocurrencies, philanthropy, bankruptcy, and the justice system. Both psychological portrait and financial roller-coaster ride, Going Infinite traces the mind-bending trajectory of a character who never liked the rules and was allowed to live by his own—until it all came undone.

Prequel : An American Fight Against Fascism by

Rachel Maddow

available in October, hardcover, Crown

Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy

Reached

the Breaking Point

by Steven Levitsky, Daniel Ziblatt available in October, hardcover, Crown America is undergoing a massive experiment: It is moving, in fits and starts, toward a multiracial democracy, something few societies have ever done. But the prospect of change has sparked an authoritarian backlash that threatens the very foundations of our political system. Why is this happening here, and not in other diversifying nations? And what can we do to save our democracy?

Some People Need Killing: A Memoir of Murder in My Country

by Patricia Evangelista

available in October, hardcover, Random House

Some People Need Killing is Evangelista’s meticulously reported chronicle of the Philippines’ drug war and Duterte’s assault on the country’s struggling democracy. For six years, Evangelista had the distinctive beat of chronicling the killings carried out by police and vigilantes in the name of Duterte’s war on drugs—immersing herself in the world of killers and survivors and capturing the atmosphere of fear created when an elected president decides that some lives are worth less than others.

The Last Politician : Inside Joe Biden’s White House and the Struggle for America’s Future

by Franklin Foer

available in September, hardcover, Penguin Press

With unparalleled access to the tight inner circle of advisers who have surrounded Biden for decades, Franklin Foer dramatizes in forensic detail the first two years of the Biden presidency, concluding with the historic midterm elections. The result is a gripping and high-definition portrait of a major president, at a time when democracy itself seems imperiled.

Inspired by her research for the hit podcast Ultra, Rachel Maddow charts the rise of a wild American strain of authoritarianism that has been alive on the far-right edge of our politics for the better part of a century. With our troops fighting abroad in World War II, a clandestine network flooded the country with disinformation aimed at sapping the strength of the U.S. war effort and persuading Americans that our natural alliance was with the Axis, not against it. It was a sophisticated and shockingly well-funded campaign to undermine democratic institutions, promote antisemitism, and destroy citizens’ confidence in their elected leaders, with the ultimate goal of overthrowing the U.S. government and installing authoritarian rule. Discover how a handful of committed public servants and brave private citizens thwarted far-right plotters in this deeply relevant tale in our own disquieting times. Pre-order your copy today.

PETER STARK

Tuesday, September 19, 6pm

at Village Books in Fairhaven

Gallop Toward the Sun

A vivid account of the rivalry between future president William Henry Harrison and the Shawnee chief Tecumseh—and of the Native American alliance that fought westward expansion—from the New York Times bestselling author of ASTORIA.

History

The Deadline : Essays

by Jill Lepore

available now, hardcover, Liveright

The essays collected in The Deadline offer a prismatic portrait of Americans’ technoutopianism, frantic fractiousness, and unprecedented aimlessness. From lockdowns and Bratz dolls to bicycles and the losses that haunt Lepore’s life, these essays again and again cross what she calls the deadline, the “river of time that divides the quick from the dead.” Few, if any, historians have brought such insight, wisdom, and empathy to public discourse.

See pages 71-79 for upcoming events with local historians and authors!

To Rescue the Constitution : George Washington and the Fragile American Experiment

by Bret Baier

available in October, hardcover, Mariner Books

Setting aside his plan to retire to Mount Vernon, where he had a happy family life and was fully engaged in his farming enterprises, Washington agreed to be a delegate at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. There he was unanimously elected president of the convention. After successfully bringing the Constitution into being, Washington then sacrificed any hope of returning to private life by accepting the unanimous election to be the nation’s first president. Washington was not known for brilliant oratory or prose, but his quiet, steady leadership gave life to the Constitution by showing how it should be enacted. He not only helped write the nation’s blueprint; he lived it.

Before the Movement : The Hidden History of Black Civil Rights

by Dylan C. Penningroth

available in September, hardcover, Liveright Historian Penningroth overturns the usual civil rights story, demonstrating that Black people had long exercised “the rights of everyday use,” and that this lesser-known private-law tradition paved the way for the modern vision of civil rights. Well-versed in the law, Black people had used it to their advantage for nearly a century to shape how they worked, worshiped, learned, and loved. Based on long-forgotten sources found in the basements of county courthouses, Before the Movement recovers a vision of Black life allied with, yet distinct from, “the freedom struggle.”

The Six : The Untold Story of America’s First Women Astronauts

by Loren Grush

available in September, hardcover, Scribner Book Company

The Six is an incredibly thorough, compellingly written chronicle of the first six American women in space. Meticulous research and interviews of countless key players help Grush bring to life just how steep an uphill battle these women faced as they took on the deeply rooted sexism at NASA (and in the country in general), endless media scrutiny, and the grueling requirements expected of anyone going to space. You’ll find it hard to put down! –Hanna

Winner of the 2023 Pacific Northwest Book Award, the Whatcom READS 2024 book selection is Red Paint by a Coast Salish author from the Nooksack and Upper Skagit Indian tribes, Sasha taqwŠablu LaPointe.

With Red Paint, this Indigenous artist blends the aesthetics of punk rock with the traditional spiritual practices of the women in her lineage in this bold, contemporary journey to reclaim her heritage and unleash her power and voice while searching for a permanent home. Examining what it means to be vulnerable in love and in art, Sasha offers up an unblinking reckoning with personal traumas amplified by the collective historical traumas of colonialism and genocide that continue to haunt native peoples. Red Paint is an intersectional autobiography of lineage, resilience, and, above all, the ability to heal.

Read the book then join us for a series of related events building up to an author visit in March, 2024.

WRITES anthology and contributors are invited to read at a

presentation. See whatcomreads.org for

Biographies & Memoirs

The Hank Show: How a House-Painting, DrugRunning DEA Informant Built the Machine That Rules Our Lives

by McKenzie Funk

available in October, hardcover, St. Martin’s Press

This is the bizarre and captivating story of the most important person you’ve never heard of. The world we live in today, where everything is tracked by corporations and governments, originates with one manic, elusive, utterly unique man—as prone to bullying as he was to fits of surpassing generosity and surprising genius. His name was Hank Asher, and his life was a strange and spectacular show that changed the course of the future. Critically acclaimed author and journalist McKenzie Funk relates Asher’s stranger-than-fiction story, focusing a lens on the dark side of American business and its impact on the everyday fabric of our modern lives.

True Crime The League of Lady Poisoners : Illustrated True Stories of Dangerous Women

by Lisa Perrin

available in September, hardcover, Chronicle Books

A feast for the senses, this sumptuously illustrated book will introduce you to some of the most infamous women throughout world history, united by their shared taste for poison.

Welcome to the League of Lady Poisoners. This well-researched volume by Lisa Perrin weaves together the stories of more than twenty-five accused women poisoners, exploring the circumstances and skill sets that led them to lives of crime. It is a treat for true crime fans, feminist history buffs, and any curious readers fascinated by the more macabre side of human nature.

Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career

by Kristi Coulter

available in September, hardcover, Grove Press

What would you sacrifice for your career? All your free time? Your sense of self-worth? Your sanity? In 2006, Kristi Coulter left her cozy but dull job for a promising new position at the fast-growing Amazon.com, but she never expected the soul-crushing pressure that came with it. In no time she finds the challenge and excitement she’d been craving—along with seven-day workweeks, lifeboat exercises, widespread burnout, and a culture driven largely by fear. But the chase, the visibility, and, let’s face it, the stock options, proved intoxicating, and so, for twelve years, she stayed—until she no longer recognized the face in the mirror or the mission she’d signed up for.

See pages 71-79 for LitLive Author Events!

THE CHUCKANUT RADIO HOUR featuring McKenzie

Funk

at the Hotel Leo, Bellingham

Thursday, October 5, 7pm

An evening of live entertainment! Find details and tickets atvillagebooks.com.

Be Useful : Seven Tools for Life

by Arnold Schwarzenegger

available in October, hardcover, Penguin Press

At an early age, Arnold forged the mental tools to build the ladder out of the poverty and narrow-mindedness of his rural Austrian hometown, tools he used to add rung after rung from there. Now he has shared that wisdom with all of us. As he puts it, no one is going to come rescue you—you only have yourself. The good news, it turns out, is that you are all you need.

The Hungry Season : A Journey of Love, War, and Survival

by Lisa M. Hamilton

available in September, hardcover, Little, Brown

As combat rages across the highlands of Vietnam and Laos, Ia Moua enters the world at the bottom of the social order, both because she is part of the Hmong minority and because she is a daughter, not a son. When, at 13, she is promised in marriage to a man three times her age, it appears that Ia’s future has been decided for her. But after brutal communist rule upends her life, this intrepid girl resolves to chart her own defiant path. At the root of her success is a simple act: growing Hmong rice, just as her ancestors did, and selling it to those who hunger for the Laos of their memories.

Stuff : Instead of a Memoir

by Lucy R. Lippard

available in September, hardcover, New Village Press

This book is like a leisurely afternoon spent in a lovely antique store with a friendly and chatty curator. Looking at items Lucy has acquired over the past 86 years, you get an even better sense of her life and story than through a traditional, mostly text-based memoir. Enjoy a book chock full of pictures and learn more about Lucy Lippard’s history and involvement in Feminist and Conceptual art movements. –Sophie

Biographies & Memoirs

Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult : A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere

by Maria Bamford

available in September, hardcover, Gallery Books

Comedian Maria Bamford just wants to belong. In this witty, honest memoir, she gets real about mental illness, eating disorders, the entertainment industry, and fitting in. She chronicles the many groups she has joined in the pursuit of belonging, with varying degrees of success. Sprinkled with recipes, absurd disclaimers, and of course, lots of jokes, this one-of-a-kind book is sure to have you laughing out loud. –Hanna

A Man of Two Faces : A Memoir, A History, A Memorial

by Viet Thanh Nguyen

available in October, hardcover, Grove Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen’s memoir is moving, challenging, and incredibly written. More than just the story of himself and his family’s escape to America from Vietnam toward the end of the war in 1975, he writes about immigration, education, racism, and the search for identity in a complex world. I had a hard time setting it down—one of the best books I’ve read all year. –Chloe

Father and Son

by Jonathan Raban

available in September, hardcover, Knopf Publishing Group

Anyone who’s read Raban already knows that reading him is like taking a journey with the best of guides at the helm. This final book of his life is both a swan song worthy of this master craftsman and the memoir of a life well—and hard—lived. For the decade after his stroke in 2011, Raban had to relearn everything, including how to read and write. This chronicles that time along with harkening back to his childhood and the tribulations and trials that his parents endured, illuminated by their letters. This book is a gift from a writer who, just before the end, re-arrived at the top of his craft. –Paul

Stay True

by Hua Hsu

available in September, paperback, Penguin Random House

A wonderfully written memoir that does a fantastic job at showcasing the intersection of growing up and all that comes along with that as well as not taking yourself too seriously, a great read for any age this is a book that will stick with you for a very long time! –Maddie

Village Books

Staff Recommended READS!

Counting the Cost

by Jill Duggar

available in September, hardcover, Simon & Schuster

Growing up watching the show 19 Kids and Counting , it was shocking to see all the news coming out years later and the things that continue to surface. Jill does an incredible job of walking us through life behind the screens—when she realized the tipping point had already been reached and how she and Derrick are working to separate themselves from the IBLP church. –Maddie

Curepedia : The A–Z of The Cure

by Simon Price

available in November, hardcover, Dey Street Books

It is a well-known fact around here that I, Kelly Evert, am a huge Cure fan, so with that being said it is no surprise that I screamed when I saw this book was soon to come out. Full of information about the band members current and past, trivia, tours, summaries of every album, and much more. So if you are as obsessive as I am about The Cure you are going to want to get this book, or gift it to a fan and they will fall in love with you whether it is Friday or not. –Kelly

E.

The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music

by Dave Grohl

available in October, paperback, Dey Street Books

From the beloved Foo Fighters front man and drummer of Nirvana, a collection of stories that engage, entertain, and astonish—featuring exclusive new content for the paperback! Dave Grohl’s The Storyteller created a sensation when it was published in fall of 2021. Readers all over the world have praised the book for Dave’s heartfelt, authentic voice, his love of family and music, and the zest for life that pours from every page.

Scattershot : Life, Music, Elton, and Me

by Bernie Taupin

available in September, hardcover, Hachette

Books

Half of one of the greatest creative partnerships in popular music, Bernie Taupin is the man who wrote the lyrics for Elton John, who conceived the ideas that spawned countless hits, and sold millions and millions of records. Together, they were a duo, a unit, an immovable object. But Taupin, a famously private person, has kept his own account of their adventures close to his chest, until now.

Cosmic Scholar: The Life and Times of Harry Smith

by John Szwed

available in August, paperback, Macmillan

Grammy Award–winning music scholar and celebrated biographer John Szwed presents the first biography of Harry Smith, the brilliant eccentric who transformed 20th century art and culture. “The first comprehensive biography of this hipster magus . . . [John Szwed] allows different sides of Smith’s personality to catch blades of sun. He brings the right mixture of reverence and comic incredulity to his task.”

—Dwight Garner, The New York Times

Sunday, September 17, 4pm at the Pickford Film Center

John Szwed with Bret Lunsford

Harry Smith is the most influential person from Bellingham that you have never heard of—it’s time to change that! Find details and ticket information at pickfordfilmcenter.org.

Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones

by Dolly Parton, Holly George-Warren, Rebecca Seaver available in October, hardcover, Ten

Speed Press

In Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones, superstar Dolly Parton shares the full story behind her lifelong passion for fashion, including how she developed her own, distinctly Dolly style, which has defied convention and endeared her to fans around the world. Featuring behind-the-scenes stories from Dolly Parton’s life and career, and the largest reveal of her private costume archive, this gorgeously photographed book spotlights her most unforgettable looks from the 1960s to now.

Energy Follows Thought : The Stories Behind My Songs

by Willie Nelson

available in October, hardcover, William Morrow

From his earliest work in the 1950s to today, Willie looks back at the songs that have defined his career, from his less well-known songs (but incredibly meaningful to him) to his concept albums. Along the way, he also shares the stories of his guitar Trigger, his family and “family,” as well as the artists he collaborated with, including Patsy Cline, Waylon Jennings, Ray Charles, Merle Haggard, Ray Price, Dolly Parton, and many others. Revealing, funny, whimsical, and wise, this book is an enduring tribute to Willie Nelson’s legacy. A great gift for the music lover.

Tell It Like It Is : My Story

by Aaron Neville

available in September, hardcover, Hachette Books

Few people know the challenging and circuitous road Neville took to fame. Born in a housing project in New Orleans of Black and Native American heritage, he struggled as a teenage father working to raise a family while building his career as a musician, surviving a stint in jail for car theft and many years battling heroin addiction. He found healing and salvation in music and is a man who by all accounts should not have made it. Tell It Like It Is shares his story for the first time. Shop

Graphic Novels I Must Be Dreaming

by Roz Chast

available in October, hardcover, Bloomsbury Publishing

This is a fun book. That in and of itself is a good reason to pick it up. Created in a colorful graphic novel or comic style, it is tempting to try to read it as thus. But really, this is a series of vignettes that allow you to keenly look into the mind of, and understand, Roz Chast. I am not a writer, but so many of these little bits of imagination sounded so great, I want to see them formed into a novel. –Erin

Pre-Order Your Copy Today!

Foolish: Tales of Assimilation, Determination, and Humiliation

by Sarah Cooper

available in October, hardcover, Dutton Comedian, producer, actress, author, and TikTok sensation Sarah Cooper opens up about life, love, work, family, and being an unwilling productive member of society in a series of hilariously honest essays. With titles like “Robot Red Flags" about dating; and “The Lord and Lady Welcome a Ficus” about whether or not to have kids, Cooper’s first memoir will be hilarious, incisive, and so much more.

The History of Sketch Comedy: A Journey Through the Art and Craft of Humor

by Keegan-Michael Key and Elle Key avaialble in October, hardcover, Chronicle Books

This is a who’s who of the comedy world, including the giants like Mel Brooks, Christopher Guest, Carol Burnett, and more. Part memoir, part script from notable moments in sketch history, this collection was made for fans of humor and television, and for anyone who just wants a good laugh. An easy one to just open up to any page and find a great bit. Highly recommend. –Erin

Behind the Screens : Illustrated Floor Plans and Scenes from the Best TV Shows of All Time

by Iñaki Aliste Lizarralde

with Neal E. Fischer

available in October, hardcover, Chronicle Books

Hand-drawn floor plans and richly imagined architectural illustrations tell the story of television’s most memorable on-screen sets and scenes. TV fans will delight in the interiors and exteriors from shows like Friends, Seinfeld, and The Simpsons, where characters and plotlines converge. With immersive illustrations from shows across decades and countries, this truly unique art collection offers hilarious TV moments, Easter eggs, and behind-the-scenes trivia to test even the biggest superfans.

No Crying in Baseball : The Inside Story of A League of Their Own

by Erin Carlson

available in September, hardcover, Hachette

Before A League of Their Own, few American girls could imagine themselves playing professional ball (and doing it better than the boys). But Penny Marshall’s genre outlier became an instant classic and significant aha moment for countless young women who saw that throwing like a girl was far from an insult. Part fly- on - the -wall narrative, part immersive pop nostalgia, No Crying in Baseball is for readers who love stories about subverting gender roles as well as fans of the film who remain passionate 30 years after its release.

The Spice Must Flow: The Story of Dune, from Cult Novels to Visionary Sci-Fi Movies

by Ryan Britt

available in September, paperback, Plume

Using original, deep access reporting, extensive research, and commentary, The Spice Must Flow will bring the popularity of Dune out into the light for the very first time. Alongside original interviews with the beloved actors and directors behind the films, it will also touch upon the far-reaching influence of Dune, from award-winning novelists to NASA engineers, painters, and climatologists.

Spirituality Recovery: The Lost Art of Convalescence

by Gavin Francis

available in September, hardcover, Penguin Life

New Perspectives Gift

The Little Frog’s Guide to Self-Care : Affirmations, Self-Love, and Life Lessons

Drawing on 30 years of medicine, and on insights from practitioners, psychologists, and writers across history, physician Gavin Francis delivers a profound, practical, and deeply hopeful guide to recovery. Rejecting the idea that healing is passive, Recovery offers tools and wisdom for convalescence, and shows how tending to our bodies, environments, and perspectives can help us move through the landscape of illness— and come out the other side whole.

Pictorial Seeing Things : The Small Wonders of the World According to Writers, Artists, and Others

edited by Julian Rothenstein

available now, paperback, DAP Artbook

A captivating compendium of everyday moments of surprise and joy from the Instagram pages of David Byrne, Jarvis Cocker, Nicole Eisenman, Garth Greenwell, William Kentridge and many more. This book gathers some of the most captivating images from the Instagram pages of well-known artists, writers, musicians and archivists, each pursuing interests beyond their regular focus.

Literature

Sing a Black Girl’s Song: The Unpublished Works

by Ntozake Shange

available in September, hardcover, Legacy Lit

By the time she left us in 2018, Shange had scorched blazing trails across countless pages and stages, redefining genre and form as we know them, each verse, dance, and song a love letter to Black women and girls, and the community at large. Sing a Black Girl’s Song houses, in their original form, the literary rebel’s politically charged verses from the Black Arts Movement era alongside her signature tender rhythm and cadence that capture the minutia and nuance of Black life.

According to the Internet’s Beloved Mushroom Frog

Maybell Eequay available in September, hardcover, Summersdale

As seen on social media, this little book will delight you and inspire you with humor, positivity, and affirmations to get you through the ups and downs of life. Drawings of this little frog never fail to bring a smile to my face, making this book the perfect gift for a loved one (or yourself!) –Chloe

Crafts

Shitty Craft Club: A Club for Gluing Beads to Trash, Talking about Our Feelings, and Making Silly Things

by Sam Reece,

photographs by Lizzie Darden available in September, hardcover, Chronicle Books

Did you know that you are a glorious and incredible artist? Wait, really? Well, you are. Shitty Craft Club gives you permission to have fun and be as weird, wild, and wonderful as you want to be. It’s about trying your best, not perfection. With step-by-step instructions and funny, deeply relatable tales from her life, Sam Reece, founder of the Shitty Craft Club movement, hilariously guides you through dozens of projects. Reece proves there’s no limit to what a craft can be.

Thank You for Supporting This Locally Owned Business

Ross Gay

Wednesday, October 11, 6pm

First Congregational Church, Bellingham, WA

Village Books is thrilled to invite you to join us in welcoming award-winning poet Ross Gay to Bellingham to discuss his newest book of essays ,The Book of (More) Delights!

In this new collection of genre-defying pieces, one of America’s most original voices continues his ongoing investigation of delight. For Gay, what delights us is what connects us, what gives us meaning, from the joy of hearing a nostalgic song blasting from a passing car to the pleasure of refusing the scannable QR code menus, from the tiny dog he fell hard for to his mother baking a dozen kinds of cookies for her grandchildren. As always, Gay revels in the natural world—sweet potatoes, a hummingbird, a sunflower, the shared bounty from a neighbor’s fig tree—and the trillion mysterious ways this glorious earth delights us.

Poetry

The Wonder of Small Things : Poems of Peace and Renewal

edited by James Crews

available in September, paperback, Storey Publishing James Crews, editor of How to Love the World and The Path to Kindness, presents an all-new collection of highly accessible poems on the theme of celebrating moments of wonder and peace in everyday life. Readers are guided in exploring the meaning and essence of the poems through a series of reflective pauses scattered through the pages and reading group questions in the back. This anthology offers the perfect intersection for the growing number of readers interested in mindful living and bringing poetry into their everyday lives.

See pages 71-79 for a variety of amazing poetry and other upcoming author events!

apocrifa

by Amber Flame

Ticket information at villagebooks.com

available now, paperback, Red Hen Press

Apocrifa is a nongendered love story told in verse. It imagines a love that sits comfortably at the crossroads of commitment and freedom. The developing intimacy between a lover and their beloved is propelled by a compendium of words for love, romance, sex, relationships, and affection that do not lend to direct translation in English. The characters speak to each other with contrapuntal call-and-response while letting us into their private thoughts through epistles, sestinas, odes, and other poetic forms.

AMBER FLAME

Friday, September 15, 6pm at Village Books in Fairhaven

Join queer Black dandy mama Amber Flame, an interdisciplinary artist, writer, activist, and educator, as she shares her newest work.

register at villagebooks.com

2401 Cornwall Ave, Bellingham, WA

Nature of Writing

SPEAKER SERIES FALL 2023

Village Books and North Cascades Institute are excited to offer another season of the Nature of Writing speaker series. With a focus on nature writing, science, and the natural and cultural history of our region, this series of readings brings some of the best writers on the natural world to Bellingham.

Friday, September 1, 6pm CHRISTIAN MURILLO at Village Books in Fairhaven Soul of the Skagit

The riveting story of the Skagit River.

Thursday, September 14, 7pm

THE CHUCKANUT RADIO HOUR

featuring DAVID B. WILLIAMS at the Firehouse Arts and Events Center

Homewaters: A Human and Natural History of Puget Sound

Thursday, September 28, 7pm

Cascadia Field Guide editors Elizabeth Bradfield, Derek Sheffield and contributors at Village Books in Fairhaven Bringing together art, poetry, and stories to celebrate and illuminate Cascadia.

Sunday, October 1, 4pm TELE AADSEN

What Water Holds at Village Books in Fairhaven with Holly Hughes

Female commercial fisherman Tele Aadsen shares a series of reflective essays that examines questions of equity, identity, community, the changing climate, and sustainability.

Wednesday, November 8, 7pm

The Chuckanut Radio Hour featuring GRAHAM ZIMMERMAN at the Hotel Leo

Tuesday, October 3, 6pm

JOHN C. MILES at Village Books in Fairhaven

Teaching in the Rain : The Story of North Cascades Institute

The fascinating story of how a dream became a model nonprofit environmental education organization. Book Launch!

Saturday, October 21, 4pm

KIM ALLYSON FREIER at Village Books in Fairhaven Wild Heart

This new picture book transports young readers to wilderness landscapes across the globe.

Friday, October 27, 6pm

TIM MCNULTY

Salmon, Cedar, Rock, & Rain : Washington’s Olympic Peninsula at Village Books in Fairhaven

Book

A lyrical natural history of the Olympic Peninsula’s intricate watersheds, forests, and coasts, as well as its cultural significance.

Thursday, November 9, 6pm

JOHN D’ONOFRIO

Hiking Mt. Baker & The North Cascades : Selected Walks & Hikes around Koma Kulshan (Mt. Baker) & the North Cascades at Village Books in Fairhaven

More than a book to tell you how to get to pectacular destinations, this book tells you WHY to go.

A Fine Line : Searching for Balance Among the Mountains

Registration and details at villagebooks.com

art by Lisa Teas

ROUND IT UP

Join us in Supporting This Season’s Round It Up Partner

North Cascades Institute

Founded in 1986, North Cascades Institute is a nationally recognized education nonprofit organization that empowers people of all ages and backgrounds to explore, enjoy and learn about the mountains, rivers, forests, people and wildlife of the Pacific Northwest—so all will care for and protect this special place.

In 2005, North Cascades Institute opened the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center on Diablo Lake in the heart of the North Cascades. A partnership with the National Park Service and the City of Seattle, the Learning Center is surrounded by millions of acres of protected public lands. It is a hub of discovery into one of the wildest, most biologically diverse landscapes in North America. Learners of all ages come to explore and participate in innovative programs that inspire and enrich their lives.

When people connect with nature, communities are strengthened, nature is protected, and we all benefit. Your donations help provide transformative learning experiences in nature! Thank you.

Welcoming All Ages!

• Mountain School

• Youth Leadership Adventures

• Family Getaways

• Learning Center Programs & Field Excursions

• Skagit Tours

• Community Events

Round It Up, our amazingly simple giving program, was designed to support local non-profits. Join Village Books and Paper Dreams customers who are supporting our community by rounding up your next purchase to the nearest dollar.

Teaching in the Rain

The Story of North Cascades Institute

In the early 1980s, five young men who loved teaching, the natural world, and the North Cascades dreamed of creating a field school to teach about the place and its many histories—natural and cultural. The North Cascades Institute emerged from that dream in 1986 with the help of North Cascades National Park. This is the story of how the Institute grew from humble beginnings to become a model nonprofit environmental education organization admired throughout the United States.

“Teaching in the Rain tells a most unlikely story, one that is far from over but has a happy outcome just the same. John Miles, as the genius loci of the North Cascades and the Institute that took their name, is the perfect person to tell it. In prose both elegant and engaging, sleek yet omitting nothing important, he takes his lucky readers through the life so far of a most wonderful flowering, from outset through evolution to its present place as an essential Northwest institution. If every eco-region had something like the North Cascades Institute, and someone like John to tell us all about it, we might actually scrape through our ecological crisis in good shape. As it is, this book gives me hope.” –Robert Michael Pyle, author of The Butterflies of Cascadia, Wintergreen, and The Thunder Tree

Village Books and North Cascades Institute are excited to welcome John Miles to the Readings Gallery for the release of Teaching in the Rain !

More Praise for John Miles and Teaching in the Rain

continued from page 49

“John Muir said 'the mountains are calling and I must go'. Over the last 35 years, more than 150,000 young people have answered that calling and gone to the mountains, hosted by NCI, and were forever transformed into the stewards that this planet so sorely needs. The National Park Service can only achieve its mission of preserving parks when it embraces innovative partners with a shared vision. The NCI story is one of those exemplary partnerships that will impact generations. John Miles’s lessons on the origins of North Cascades Institute include vision, passion, persistence, luck, leadership, and partnerships that aligned to create one of the best environmental education organizations in America.”

–Jonathan Jarvis, Chief of Resources, North Cascades National Park 1985-1991, NPS Director 2009-2017

“Washington State has a long history of teaching outdoor environmental education with various facilities providing for teacher and student instruction. Teaching in the Rain is a singular summary of North Cascades Institute, one of Washington State’s most unique, successful, and sustained programs. John Miles has written an important and intriguing history of how the Institute was created and has been sustained for over 35 years. This important book is an essential guide to what it takes to direct education meaningfully in this age of environmental stress and to marshal the common ground of community to develop skills and shape attitudes necessary to address the environmental challenges we all face.” –Tony Angell, Artist/Educator, Seattle, WA

John C. Miles is Professor Emeritus of Environmental Studies at the College of the Environment, Western Washington University. He taught at Western for four decades where he focused his work on environmental education and environmental humanities, especially history of the US national park system. He served as dean of the college from 1985-1992.

For all of you observant people, you’re going to notice a little something new on our latest Chuckanut Editions titles... our new logo! What’s Chuckanut Editions, you ask? Why it’s our very own publishing imprint! In addition to our publishing services which help writers on their way to becoming authors by shepherding their projects into a published book, we publish books of particular interest to Bellingham, Whatcom, and Pacific Northwest readers. From local and natural histories and pictorials to regional cookbooks, from bringing out of print editions back into print to brand new titles, we’ve been publishing for nearly 20 years now.

This year, we decided to change our logo to reflect the spirit of our imprint. The wood round evokes our ties to nature, its rings illustrating the history that binds and defines us. And yes, the wedge just happens to make it a “C” for Chuckanut. We’ve got FOUR Chuckanut Editions this year! Shipyard by Todd Warger and a new release of Drive Ins, Drive Ups, and Drive Thrus by Wes Gannaway and Kent Holsather are both available on our shelves now. Watch for the release of Teaching in the Rain by John C. Miles on October 3 and Let’s Talk Bout This by Bob Dahms later this fall.

Nature & Science

An Immense World

by Ed Yong

available now, paperback, Penguin Random House

Prepare to be astounded, over and over again. This deeply researched work of science reveals miraculous layers of reality as experienced by other animals. Even the “simplest” of creatures have remarkable capabilities. For example, did you know scallops have eyes, dozens of them, each with a pupil? This book is a keeper for your reference library. –Rick

Salmon, Cedar, Rock, & Rain: Washington’s Olympic Penninsula

by Tim McNulty

available in October, hardcover, Braided River Press

Perhaps no other region in the Northwest offers a history of such depth, nor a future ripe with so much potential as the Olympic Peninsula. Here, Tim McNulty explores the complex—and ongoing—story of development, conservation, restoration, and cultural heritage or the area. Writers from the Lower Elwha Klallam, Jamestown S’Klallam, Port Gamble S’Klallam, Makah Tribe, and Quinault Indian Nation share some of their own history, stories, and perspectives while over 150 stunning photographs awe and inspire.

Friday, October 27, 6pm at Village Books in Fairhaven TIM MCNULTY

A Nature of Writing Series Event

co-sponsored by North Cascades Institute

The Universal Timekeepers : Reconstructing History

Atom by Atom

by David J. Hefland

available in September, hardcover, Columbia University Press

Helfand reconstructs the history of the universe—back to its first microsecond 13.8 billion years ago—with the help of atoms. He shows how, by using detectors and reactors, microscopes and telescopes, we can decode the tales these infinitesimal particles tell, answering questions such as: Is a medieval illustrated prayer book real or forged? How did maize cultivation spread from central Mexico to New England? Where can we find clues to identify the culprit in the demise of the dinosaurs? Can we trace the births of atoms in the cores of massive stars or even glimpse the origins of the universe itself?

The Mushroom Hunters : A Hidden World of Food, Money, and (Mostly Legal) Adventure

by Langdon Cook

available now, paperback, Ballantine Books

For readers of Michael Pollan’s This is Your Mind on Plants and Merlyn Sheldrake’s Entangled Life, a renowned culinary adventurer goes into the woods with the iconoclasts and outlaws who seek the world’s most coveted ingredient . . . and one of nature’s last truly wild foods: the uncultivated, uncontrollable mushroom.

Crossings : How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet

by

Ben Goldfarb

available in September, hardcover, W.W. Norton

Environmental journalist Goldfarb travels around the world to investigate how roads have transformed our planet. A million animals are killed by cars each day in the U.S. alone, but as the new science of road ecology shows, the harms of highways extend far beyond roadkill. Yet road ecologists are also seeking to blunt the destruction through innovative solutions. Goldfarb meets with conservationists building bridges for California’s mountain lions and tunnels for English toads, engineers deconstructing the labyrinth of logging roads that web national forests, animal rehabbers caring for Tasmania’s car-orphaned wallabies, and community organizers working to undo the havoc highways have wreaked upon American cities.

Shop

Eve : How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution

by Cat Bohannon

available in October, hardcover, Knopf

The real origin of our species: a myth-busting, eye-opening landmark account of how humans evolved, offering a paradigm shift in our thinking about what the female body is, how it came to be, and how this evolution still shapes all our lives today. “A smart, funny, scientific deep-dive into the power of a woman’s body, Eve surprises, educates, and emboldens.”—Bonnie Garmus, #1 New York Times best-selling author of Lessons in Chemistry

Local Interest

Hiking Mt. Baker & The North Cascades

by John D'Onofrio

available soon, paperback, Hancock House

This is not your typical hiking guide. In addition to providing information to navigate the trails, this book focuses on the inspiring beauty to be found on these extraordinary footpaths. More than a book to tell you how to get to these spectacular destinations, this book tells—and shows— you WHY to go.

Thursday, November 9, 6pm

John D'Onofrio at Village Books in Fairhaven

My Journey to Clark’s Point

: A Father’s Memoirs and a Daughter’s Reflections

by Douglas Clark with Patrice Clark available now, paperback Bellingham native Patrice Clark shares a personal account of her father’s experiences throughout his life in the 20th century. Born in 1907 and passing away in 2005, Doug Clark lived fully. From poverty to success in the grocery business and from logger to conservationist, the readers watch Doug become the man who ultimately helps preserve beautiful Clark’s Point in Bellingham.

Go

Wednesday September 20, 6pm Patrice Clark at Village Books in Fairhaven

Towns of the North Fork

Nooksack River, Volumes I & II

by Michael Impero

Local author and historian Michael Impero explores the rich history of the towns and surrounding areas of the North Fork of the Nooksack River in Whatcom County.

Tuesday October 17, 6pm Michael Impero at Village Books in Fairhaven

Chuckanut The

LIVE!

Thursday, September 14, 7pm

David B. Williams

Naturalist, author, and educator David B. Williams will be joined by bestselling author Erica Bauermeister as he discusses his book, Homewaters: A Human and Natural History of Puget Sound —an event you won’t want to miss!

Thursday, October 5, 7pm

McKenzie Funk

McKenzie Funk shares the bizarre and captivating story of the most important person you’ve never heard of in The Hank Show: How a House-Painting, Drug-Running DEA Informant Built the Machine That Rules Our Lives - don’t miss out!

Wednesday, November 8, 7pm at the Hotel Leo

Graham Zimmerman

Mountaineer and climate advocate Graham Zimmerman will share his experience and new book, A Fine Line: Searching for Balance Among Mountains.

$5 Entrance Fee can be used towards the purchase of the featured book or other merchandise offered at that show!

Performed live and recorded for radio, each Radio Hour includes a guest author, live music, performance poetry by Kevin Murphy, and an episode of "As the Ham Turns" serial radio comedy. Hosts Paul Hanson and Kelly Evert are joined by announcer Rich Donnelly for an evening of entertainment. Register to attend at villagebooks.com. Seating is limited so don't delay. We'll see you there!

Register at villagebooks.com

Hey, Educators!

Are you registered to receive 10% off books and supplies for your classroom? If not, stop by and sign up today—you’re missing out! Teachers currently employed in a WA or BC preK -12th grade school, and local parents who are home schooling school-age children (and are registered with their school district) are eligible for this discount when purchasing items for classroom use using personal funds.

Be sure to sign up to receive our new educator enewsletter—filled with additional resources, services, and school partnership opportunities.

Banned Books for Kids : Reading Lists and Activities for Teaching Kids to Read Censored Literature

by American Library Association (ALA)

available in September, paperback, Sourcebooks

We Read Banned Books!

In our polarized environment, the censorship and outright banning of children’s books that some people deem to be controversial or objectionable remains a major concern for schools, libraries, and communities across the United States. Intellectual freedom champion, the American Library Association, created this guide that includes both contemporary books that have been banned and classic literature that continues to be under attack. Parents, school and public librarians, library and information sciences students, and classroom educators will find the assistance and support they need to defend these challenged books with an informed response while ensuring access to young book lovers.

Stop by one of our stores during Banned Books Week (October 1-7, 2023) to check out our displays and go on a Banned Books Scavenger Hunt!

Village Books & Paper Dreams

CUSTOMIZED Care Packages!

Themes include holidays, Pacific Northwest, nature, biking, writing, positive energy/rest & relaxation, foodie, tea lover, crazy for cats or dogs, delightfully offensive, or just let us surprise you with all of it!

Pre-K -12th Grade

YOUNG READERS

Their Families & Educators

Picture Books

Good Morning, My Deer!

by Melanie Amon,

illustrated by Sophie Beer

available in October, hardcover, Scribe Publications

Join Banjo and his mom on what starts as a straightforward day out, only to have it upended by homophones (two words with the same pronunciation but with different meanings), turning the narrative into the delightfully absurd. Kids and adults alike will love this joyful new wordplay extravaganza from debut author Melanie Amon with illustrations by international superstar Sophie Beer. The hilarious wordplay combined with delightful illustrations have kids “in on the joke” from the very beginning.

Eye Spy

by Ruth Brown

available in October, hardcover, Lerner Publishing Group

Come on a playful journey through the day from dawn to dusk, set in a gorgeous countryside landscape. The reader must solve a riddle to guess which animal is hiding, and then search for it in the beautifully detailed illustrations. This version of the favorite childhood game uses a text with rhyme and will provide hours of entertainment.

If I Was a Horse

by Sophie Blackall

available in October, hardcover, Little Brown

In her funniest book yet, two-time Caldecott

Medalist Sophie Blackall captures the astonishing spectacle of a child imagining life as a horse. And with a book jacket adorned with glitter, this romp really sparkles! If you were a horse, what would you do? Could you fit in your clothes? Would you give your little sister a ride? Would your brother even notice? Gallop through this riotous day in the life of a child who imagines their life as a horse. What ensues are uproarious, resonant episodes that feature a giant horse in familiar settings offering both a visual feast, a grand dose of joy, and a celebration of the real power of imagination to help us navigate the world.

A Lot Like Batman: Being Amazing On Your Own Terms

by Keith Negley

available in September, hardcover, Random House Books for Young Readers Local Author/Illustrator!

A very young Batman faces his greatest challenge ever—going to school! Keith Negley (author and illustrator of Tough Guys Have Feelings Too and My Dad Used to Be So

Cool ) brings young readers his vision of a shy Caped Crusader who prefers to stick to the shadows and play alone. Even though he initially doesn’t fit in with the colorful and more outgoing kids around him, he soon learns that he has plenty to offer on his own terms. Keith Negley’s art and story are filled with humor and emotion that will help even the shyest child find their inner super hero while making this jacketed picture book a delight to read at bedtime and any time!

Oh, Olive!

by

Lian

Cho

available in September, hardcover, Katherine Tegen Books

In Lian Cho’s hilarious and vibrant debut picture book as author-illustrator, she celebrates the creativity of a young girl breaking from the tradition of her famous artist parents and going against the status quo to express her own unique style.

Sam Francisco: King of the Disco

by Sarah Tagholm, illustrated by Binny Talib available in September, hardcover, Annick Press

A toe-tapping adventure celebrating optimism in the face of adversity about a community of cool cats who just want to have fun. Superstar DJ Sam Francisco’s party is keeping his neighbor Buzzkill Bill awake. Bill tries everything to shut it down—he sends his dogs, then pest control, the fire department, and the police! When Bill finally succeeds in pulling the plug, things look bleak, but luckily it’s the people (and the cats) who make a party, not the fancy equipment. Written in verse, this exuberant celebration of dance, music, and self-expression begs to be read aloud over and over. Featuring a silver-foiled cover for full disco effect, readers are introduced to many musical genres, as each of Sam Francisco’s adversaries are gradually won over by the beat.

Picture Books

Ploof

by Ben

Clanton

& Andy

Chou Musser

available in September, hardcover, Tundra Books

Come play with Ploof! Meet a friendly cloud full of feelings in this interactive picture book from the creator of Narwhal and Jelly and the co-creator of Science Explorers. Ploof is a puffy cloud who’s a little lonely—but now you’re here, and the fun can begin! Can you help Ploof overcome their shyness? Play pretend? Make Ploof laugh with your funny faces? Full of imaginative and interactive fun, each page of this perfect book for preschoolers offers a chance to play. They’ll learn social-emotional skills like empathy, encouragement and kindness through Ploof’s emotional journey—and, along the way, they’ll learn how to be a fantastic friend!

Welcome, Little One

by Sophie Beer

available in September, hardcover, Hardie Grant

Beautifully and boldly illustrated, Welcome, Little One is all about introducing a new baby to their little world. There’s the blanket to keep them warm, the family dog who will teach them friendship and the bedroom window as a gateway to wonder and adventure. This award-winning illustrator delightfully weaves the heartfelt dreams a parent hopes for their child into a sweet book for both to treasure.

Every Dreaming Creature

by Brendan

Wenzel

available in September, hardcover, Little, Brown

Welcome to a magical world of endless curiosity. You are a sleeping salamander. A dancing octopus. A speeding falcon...even a sneaking tiger and playful human child. As one dream slips into another, every page turn immerses you in the sensory wonder of the world and all its creatures, from the ocean depths to soaring skies, and everything in between. Each creature dreams and experiences life in a different way. Each is connected despite their differences. Perfect for bedtime or at any time, here is a visually stunning and poetic exploration of animal senses through dreams, from Caldecott Honoree and bestselling creator Brendan Wenzel.

Tokyo Night Parade

by J.P. Takahashi, illustrated by Minako Tomigahara available in October, hardcover, Katherine Tegen Books

The night parade is about to begin. The ground thunders in Tokyo. A gust of wind blows. The pitter-patter of paws and claws draws closer. The air is thick with swirling, swooping demons. It’s Eka’s favorite evening of the year, the one night she refuses to miss. But it’s become harder to travel to Japan now that she’s living across the world in New York. Unsure of when she can return, Eka tries to forget that this could be her last parade for some time. Instead, she’ll march, sing, dance, hoot, and screech until sunrise. Because on this night, there’s no time to waste—the night parade awaits.

Picture Books

Lonely Bird

by Ruth Whiting

available in October, hardcover, Candlewick Press

She’s just a tiny slip of paper, a doodle cut in the shape of a bird. She isn’t sure who made her or how she came to be, or if the family she lives with even knows she is there. She turns found objects into things of beauty—sometimes leaving them for the child of the house to discover—and invents riveting tales to tell to the wall outlet. And now, in her grandest adventure yet, the dauntless artist makes something thoroughly unexpected: a friend. With spare prose and luminous paintings, Ruth Whiting introduces a delicate 2D character navigating an oversize world—a reality just on the edges of our own.

Seals Are Jerks!

by Jared Chapman

available in September, hardcover, Orchard Books

Seals are Lorelei’s favorite animal: they’re so cute and cuddly and best buddies with penguins. Well... that’s what she thought before learning the ugly truth—some seals EAT penguins! Beloved creator of bestseller Vegetables in Underwear, Jared Chapman explores the ultimate question: Can seals be Lorelei’s favorite animal even if they are jerks and eat penguins? This laugh-out-loud story, brimming with honesty and charm, is perfect for today’s young readers. Seals Are Jerks! is the launch of an exciting new series.

Dim Sum Palace

by X. Fang

September, hardcover, Tundra Books

A little girl’s love of dim sum spills over into her dreams, taking her on a fantastical foodfilled adventure, in this picture book love letter to Maurice Sendak’s In the Night Kitchen

Beautifully illustrated with a gold foil cover, this is the perfect gift for foodies of all ages.

Do You Remember?

by

Sydney Smith

available in October, hardcover, Neal

Porter Books

From the multiple award-winning creator of Small in the City and the illustrator of I Talk Like a River comes a fresh and moving look at memories, filtered through the mind of a young person processing a bevy of complex emotions during a major life change. Tucked in bed at a new apartment, a boy and his mother trade favorite memories. Some are idyllic but others are more surprising. Now it’s just the two of them, and the house where all those memories happened is far away. But maybe someday, this will be a favorite memory, too: happy and sad, an end and a beginning intertwined. Do You Remember? is a stirring meditation on holding fast to the best of the past and choosing to believe in the future.

¡Vamos! Let’s Go Read

by Raúl the Third available in September, hardcover, Versify Little Lobo and his friends are excited for the out-of-this-world book festival that the Guadalupian Library hosts every year! Everyone has a special book they’re looking for, but there’s so much to see and do first. From cookbook demonstrations and comics workshops to mask making and language classes, this library has something for everyone. Can Little Lobo find the book of his dreams? Full of easy-to-remember Spanish vocabulary and packed with fun details, this colorful celebration of books, libraries, and all forms of reading will bring joy to young bookworms everywhere!

The Shade Tree

by Suzy Lee, translated by Helen Mixter available now, hardcover, Greystone Kids

From Hans Christian Andersen award winner Suzy Lee comes an inventive retelling of a Korean folk tale about a young traveler who outwits a rich, selfish man to ensure that villagers will always be able to rest in the shade of a magnificent tree.

Saturday, October 21, 4pm at Village Books in Fairhaven

Wild Heart

Book Launch!

Through lyrical language and enchanting illustrations Wild Heart transports young readers to wilderness landscapes across the globe—from majestic mountains to mysterious rainforests, golden canyonlands, frozen tundra, arid savanna, to the ocean depths and more. The allure of these captivating places fosters a deeper understanding of belonging to the family of life on earth. But is wildness found only in faraway places? Where do you find your very own wild heart? A Nature of Writing Series Event, co-sponsored by North Cascades Institute

Kim Allyson FREIER

Spooky & Seasonal Reads

Ghost Stories Extra Normal

by Kate Alice Marshall

available now, hardcover, Viking Books for Young Readers

It’s hard to fight the supernatural when you’re naturally “un-super.” This chilling middle grade is perfect for fans of Stranger Things and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark ...even if they don’t have any special powers. Ages 8-12

Graphic Novel

Are You Afraid of the Dark?

The Witch’s Wings and Other Terrifying Tales

by Tehlor Kay Mejia, illustrated by Alexis Hernandez, Junyi Wu, Justin Hernandez, Kaylee Rowena available in October, paperback, Amulet Books

A Midnight Society gathers around the campfire to share urban legends, folklores, and all manner of spooky stories. Based on Nickelodeon’s hit horror franchise Are You Afraid of the Dark?, comes this original horror graphic novel series with three new stories based on Hispanic urban legends and cultural lore. These three terrifying tales feature haunted buses, monstrous creatures, and spine-chilling mysteries guaranteed to have you reaching for the light switch! Ages 10-13

When Fall Comes : Connecting with Nature as the Days Grow Shorter

The Nighthouse Keeper: Blight Harbor #02

by Lora Senf

available in October, hardcover, Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Evie once again leaves her world behind to rescue Blight Harbor’s ghosts in this second book in the bone-chilling middle grade Blight Harbor trilogy that’s reminiscent of Doll Bones and Small Spaces. With the help of an 11-yearold (or 111-year-old, but who’s counting) ghost named Lark, trusty Bird, and a plump ghost spider, Evie must find a way to defeat the vicious Nighthouse Keeper responsible for the missing ghosts, save her otherworldly friends, and find her way home from the Dark Sun Side before she’s trapped there forever. Spokane Author! Ages 10-13

Graphic Novel Who Was Accused in the Salem Witch Trials?

Tituba: A Who HQ Graphic Novel

by Insha Fitzpatrick, illustrated by Rowan MacColl available in September, paperback, Penguin Workshop

by Aimée

M. Bissonette, illustrated by Erin Hourigan available now, hardcover, Little Bigfoot

Next up in the When Seasons Come

series, this gorgeous picture book captures the joy of a family enjoying the outdoors in fall as they explore a broad range of ecosystems, filled with diverse animal habitats, after the summer crowds have left the trails. In this season, as the wildlife they discover along the way adapts and gets ready for the winter months ahead, the family also busily prepares for the seasonal change. Ages 4-8

New Kids Book Club

Discover the Salem witch trials through the eyes of Tituba, one of the first women to be accused of witchcraft, in this gripping graphic novel written by Oh My Gods! author Insha Fitzpatrick and illustrated by Nightmare in Savannah artist Rowan MacColl. Presenting Who HQ Graphic Novels: an exciting new addition to the #1 New York Times Best-Selling Who Was? series! Ages 8-12

The KAFÉ Kids Book Club helps unlock your child’s imagination with a new featured book each month! We’ll reveal a new book each month and meet in person at Village Books in Fairhaven on the last Wednesday of that month Enjoy dynamic read alouds for all ages with the KAFÉ crew, activities, and a book discussion. Parents are welcome to join in. Participants receive 15% off book group reading selections.

Wednesday, September 27, 4pm - The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly

Brubaker Bradley

HALLOWEEN Happenings

Tuesday, October 31, 11am

Fairhaven HALLOWEEN Dress Up for Story Time!

Test out those costumes before trick-or-treating! Join us for a special story time in the Readings Gallery where we’lll read spooky (but not TOO spooky) Halloween tales, enjoy some treats, sing some songs, and more!

See page 36 for Halloween events in Lynden.

Tuesday, October 31, 3-6pm

Welcome to Fear-Haven!

Tuesday, October 31, 4-5:30pm

Not-so Scary STORIES

by the Bellingham Storytellers Guild

While you’re trick-or-treating

in the Fairhaven district this year, stop by the Readings Gallery and stay for our annual Halloween story time, featuring ghoulish tales from the Bellingham Storytellers Guild. All Ages!

with the

CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN!

Trick-or-Treat throughout Fairhaven

Come to Fairhaven for a huge community Trick-or-Treat afternoon! During this annual event, you’ll be joined all sorts of small (and not-so-small) goblins, princesses, wizards, heroes, animals—and undoubtedly some unidentified creatures—filling the streets.

Boo! Bark! Board Book

Illustrated by Kathryn Selbert available now, board book, Mudpuppy Mudpuppy’s Halloween themed book with adorable costume-clad dogs exploring pumpkin patches and making friends with spiders! Follow these puppies and bark along throughout the spooky scenes to celebrate some festive Autumn traditions!

Picture Book Suppose You Met a Witch

by Ed Emberley,

Illustrated by Iain Serraillier available in September, hardcover, Anthology Editions

In illustrating renowned English poet Ian Serraillier’s striking poem, Ed Emberley showed us what took place when two clever and resourceful children were popped into a bag by a witch. And now this classic has been brought back to life for the first time since 1973. This beautiful and wondrous book lets us all experience what it must be like to be under a witch’s spell.

Eek! Halloween! by Sandra Boynton

available now, Board Book, Boynton Bookworks

Strange things are happening. One chicken saw a pumpkin with flickering eyes, another spied a mouse of enormous size. They all saw a wizard and a witch, and a spooky robot, too. “WHAT’S GOING ON HERE? WHAT DOES IT MEAN? Relax, silly chickens! It’s HALLOWEEN!”

Picture Book

Vlad, the Fabulous Vampire : T he World of Gustavo Series by Flavia Z. Drago

available in September, hardcover, Candlewick Vlad is a vampire with the misfortune of having rosy cheeks that—gasp!—make him look abysmally alive. He hides his rosy complexion behind elaborate vampire outfits. That is, until he finds out that his best friend has a pink secret of her own! With signature flair, Flavia Z. Drago offers a story about being yourself and finding your community, strikingly illustrated in a distinctive, detailed art style influenced by her Mexican heritage. This acclaimed author-illustrator of Gustavo, the Shy Ghost has created a charmingly spooky celebration of difference sure to resonate with parents and children alike.

Series Chapter Books

The Story of Gumluck the Wizard : Book One

by Adam Rex

available now, hardcover, Chronicle Books

Meet Gumluck the Wizard, the star of a new chapter book series by the inimitable Adam Rex! This is a story about magic, if you like that kind of thing. It is also a story about a ghost with amnesia, an unpopular fairy, an ungrateful little town, and an extremely wise and helpful raven (who happens to be a pretty talented storyteller). But mostly, it is about a friendly little wizard who lives inside a big hill and really, really, really wants to be a hero. His name is Gumluck, and he is a bumbling noodlehead. In this tall tale about a short wizard, celebrated author Adam Rex proves once and for all that the biggest heroes often come in the smallest nightgowns.

Ellie’s Deli #01:

Wishing on Matzo Ball Soup!

by Lisa Greenwald,

illustrated by Galia Bernstein available in September, paperback, Andrews McMeel Publishing

Ellie’s family owns the town deli. Its official name is Lukshen Deli, but everybody calls it Ellie’s Deli. When a restaurant group threatens to move in and take over, tenacious Ellie and her BFFs must prove that matzo ball soup and sour pickles are here to stay, in this adorable new middle grade fiction series with recipes and illustrations throughout.

New Series!

Detective Duck #1: The Case of the Strange Splash

by

Henry Winkler, Lin Oliver, illustrated by Dan Santat

available in October, hardcover, Amulet Books

Willow Feathers McBeaver, aka Detective Duck, is a crime-solving (and very precocious) little duck. She and her animal pals live on beautiful Dogwood Pond, which is adjacent to Lazy Days, a human campground in New England. A pristine spot with clear water, abundant wildlife, and shady willow trees, Dogwood Pond is encountering puzzling problems—mysteries that arise from human-caused disruptions in nature such as water pollution, garbage, warming climate, and human encroachment. Fortunately, Detective Duck is on the job, solving these puzzling mysteries before they get out of hand and destroy their habitat! Armed with her ever-present satchel for collecting clues, her logical mind, and endless curiosity, she boldly goes where no pond creature has before, determined to unravel the mysteries and solve any environmental problem that besets her beloved Dogwood Pond!

Graphic Novel Where’s Joon?

by Julie Kim

available in October, hardcover, Little Bigfoot Where’s Joon?, the graphic novel picture book follow up to Julie Kim’s bestselling Where’s Halmoni?, pulls readers back into a fantastical world inspired by Korean folklore. This story is about the children’s courage to face their fears and their efforts to do the right thing, and how love makes it all possible. Seattle Author!

Hours

The Stupendous Switcheroo #01 New Powers Every 24

by Mary Winn Heider, Chad Sell

available in September, hardcover, Alfred

A. Knopf

Books for Young Readers

The morning of his mom’s business trip, Switcheroo wakes up to discover he has telekinesis. Which is super convenient when he has to give his babysitter-robot the slip to fight crime all day. But it’s less convenient when he’s recruited to fight crime again the next day, only to realize he can no longer move objects with his mind. Instead, he can talk to cats! Fun, but not nearly as useful. A new superpower every day should be exciting, right? What could possibly go wrong?

Graphic Novel Cat on the Run: #01 Cat of Death!

by Aaron Blabey

available in September, paperback, Scholastic

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Bad Guys comes another hilarious illustrated series starring a pampered cat who is way tougher than anyone realizes. What happens when the world’s biggest cat video star gets accused of a crime she didn’t commit? She becomes a cat on the run, that’s what. But how do you avoid capture and prove your innocence when you are the most famous feline on the planet? Well, it ain’t easy.

at Sehome High School

Children’s book superstars Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris present an interactive theatrical spectacular: an evening of live music, dramatic performances, and out-of-this-world hijinks celebrating The First Cat In Space and The Soup of Doom , the second book in their bestselling graphic novel series. If you show up dressed as your favorite character from the books, you’ll get a special gift!

It’s sure to be a memorable night for the whole family!

Friday, October 13, 6pm Dramatic Perfomances!

*about a cat in space eating pizza.

MIDDLE GRADE GRAPHIC NOVELS

Cowgirls & Dinosaurs : Big Trouble in Little Spittle

by Lucie Ebrey

available in September, paperback, Razorbill

A Western-inspired graphic novel for young readers who love crime-fighting, gutsy girls, and of course, dinosaurs! In a hilarious tale, two unlikely friends show us how to be our authentic selves while simultaneously kicking some butt and saving their beloved town from bandits, dinomagik, and undercover attacks.

Nell of Gumbling: My Extremely Normal Fairy-Tale Life

by Emma Steinkellner

available in September, hardcover, Labyrinth Road

To everyone else, the Magical Land of Gumbling is something out of fairy tales. But to Nell Starkeeper, it’s just home. Can Nell find a way to save everything that makes her world magical, while figuring out where she belongs in it? From the creator of The Okay Witch series, this fun graphic novel is told as Nell’s illustrated diary.

Non-Fiction Titles

Science & Nature What It’s Like to Be a Bird (Adapted for Young Readers): From Flying to Nesting, Eating to Singing—What Birds Are Doing and Why

by David Allen Sibley

available in October, hardcover, Delacorte Press

In this edition for young readers adapted from the bestselling work written and illustrated by David Allen Sibley, readers will find a unique treasure trove of fascinating facts about birds, paired with more than 300 full-color illustrations—some life-size! The extraordinary world of birds is brought to life on the page. Ages 10+

Science & Nature What’s Inside a Caterpillar Cocoon?: And Other Questions About Moths & Butterflies

by Rachel Ignotofsky

available in September, hardcover, Crown Books for Young Readers

The bestselling creator of Women in Science presents a new picture book about butterflies and moths full of warm and heart-fluttering illustrations. Rachel Ignotofsky’s distinctive art style and engaging, informative text clearly answers any questions a child (or adult) could have about these mysterious and majestic insects in this nonfiction picture book series. Ages 4-7

Dog Man with Love : The Official Coloring Book

by Dav Pilkey

available now, paperback,Graphix

Spend hours of fun coloring your favorite characters in the official Dog Man coloring book by Dav Pilkey, the internationally bestselling creator of the Dog Man and Cat Kid Comic Club series!

Amulet : The Official Coloring Book

illustrated by Kazu Kibuishi

available in October, paperback, Scholastic Color in more than 90 pages of Amulet characters, patterns, and scenes in this official coloring book inspired by Kazu Kibuishi’s bestselling Graphix series!

Picture Book Biography Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior

by Carole Lindstrom, illustrated by Bridget George available in September, hardcover, Roaring Brook Press

From bestselling picture book author Carole Lindstrom comes an inspiring picture book biography about Indigenous Water Warriors Autumn Peltier and Josephine Mandamin. This stunning picture book gives voice to the water and asks young readers to join the tidal wave of change. Ages 4-8

Who Would Win?: Wild Warriors Bindup

by Jerry Pallotta, illustrated by Rob Bolster available in September, mixed media, Scholastic

Eight fierce animals battle it out in this exciting bindup featuring four books in this actionpacked animal series! Kids will learn about each animal’s anatomy, behavior, and more, alongside photos, charts, illustrations, and amazing facts. Ages 6-8

Activity Books

Guide Book

Wings of Fire : A Guide to the Dragon World

by Tui T. Sutherland, illustrated by Joy Ang available in October, hardcover, Scholastic Dive into the world of Wings of Fire like never before! The #1 bestselling series soars to even greater heights with an all-new collection of stories and art from readers’ favorite dragon world! Tui T. Sutherland and cover artist Joy Ang delve deeper into the legends of the ten dragon tribes, creating the ultimate collection for every FanWing. Each chapter of A Guide to the Dragon World explores the history, mythology, and folklore of the beloved series in a truly spectacular and gift-worthy edition!

Non-Fiction Titles

Chilling with Ghosts : A Totally Factual Field Guide to the Supernatural

by Insha Fitzpatrick

available now, paperback, Quirk Books

This fun and non-scary practical guide to ghosts covers a fantastic history of the supernatural, cultural perspectives around death and the afterlife, and philosophical writings, spanning from ancient Egypt to Shakespeare to Stephen King to Ghostbusters and ectoslime. There are cool words and phrases to learn like noncorporeal vs corporeal and ‘confirmation bias,’ and fun vignettestyle ghost stories intermingled with interactive play. Educational and fun, great for middle grade and up. –Erin

History

Tales of World War II: Amazing True Stories from the War that Shook the World

by Dr. Hattie Hearn, Margarida Esteves, Neon Squid available

in October, hardcover, Macmillan

In this beautifully illustrated book, Hattie Hearn introduces readers to the Canadian cabin boy who avoided German U-boats crossing the Atlantic, the Navajo soldiers who developed a secret code to outfox their enemies, and the African-American jazz singer who worked as a spy. It also contains jaw-dropping tales including the dog used to find survivors in the London Blitz, the champion cyclist who carried secret messages to help Jews escape the Nazis, and the bear who was recruited by the Polish army! Interspersed throughout the stories are pages explaining the key events of the war—from Pearl Harbor to the Holocaust.

History

Hear Our Voices: A Powerful Retelling of the British Empire through 20 True Stories

by Radhika Natarajan, Chao Tayiana, illustrated by Alexander Mostov available in October, hardcover, Wide Eyed Editions

At one time, the British Empire ruled over almost a quarter of the world’s population. Men, women and children from all walks of life and from across the globe were affected in big and small ways, from the clothes they wore, the food they ate, the languages they spoke, the work they did, and the rights they held. This legacy and impact is still evident all over the world today. This compelling and important history of the British Empire, told from the perspective of 20 people who lived through it, tells the story of one of the largest and most powerful empires in human history.

Chinese Menu : The History, Myths, and Legends Behind Your Favorite Foods

by Grace Lin

available in September, hardcover, Little, Brown Separated into courses like a Chinese menu, these tales—based in real history and folklore—are filled with squabbling dragons, magical fruits, and hungry monks. This book will bring you to far-off times and marvelous places, all while making your mouth water. And, along the way, you might just discover a deeper understanding of the resilience and triumph behind this food, and what makes it undeniably American. Award-winning and bestselling author Grace Lin provides a visual and storytelling feast as she gives insight on the history, legends, and myths behind your favorite American Chinese dishes. Chinese Menu makes the perfect gift book for anyone who loves good food—and an even better story.

A Miscellany of Mischief and Magic : Discover History’s Best Hoaxes, Hijinks, Tricks, and Illusions

by

Tom Adams, illustrated by Jasmine Floyd available in September, hardcover, Wide Eyed Editions

A Miscellany of Mischief and Magic is a compendium of history’s best hoaxes, hijinks, tricks, and illusions. Meet infamous pranksters such as Marcel Duchamp (the French artist who pranked the art world), renowned illusionists and escape artists such as Adelaide Hermann (one of the first female magicians), and cunning con-artists such as George C. Parker (the American who “sold” the Statue of Liberty).

Graphic Novel Biographies Drawn to Change the World Graphic Novel Collection : 16 Youth Climate Activists, 16 Artists

by Emma Reynolds, mulitiple illustrators available in September, paperback, HarperAlley

Emma Reynolds shines a spotlight on 16 incredible youth activists from around the world who are fighting to protect the planet and all life on Earth, highlighting the importance of taking charge and creating change. Beautifully illustrated by 16 different artists and accompanied by facts and pictures that explain the science, Drawn to Change the World i s for anyone who wants to learn more about the climate and nature crisis and what we can do about it.

Middle Readers

Choose Your Own Adventure!

Spin to Survive : Pirate Peril

by Emily Hawkins, illustrated by Ruby Fresson Series: Spin to Survive available in September, hardcover, Wide Eyed Editions

Take to the seas with Spin to Survive: Pirate Peril, the next in the innovative choose-yourown-adventure series that pits your survival skills against the treacherous tides of chance. This third book in the unique Spin to Survive series takes you centuries into the past and onto the high seas, where you will cross swords with swashbuckling scoundrels and mutinous marauders.

The Lost Library

by Rebecca Stead, Wendy Mass available now, hardcover, Feiwel & Friends

Told in turn by a ghost librarian named Al, an aging (but beautiful) cat named Mortimer, and Evan himself, The Lost Library is a timeless story from award-winning authors Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass. It’s about owning your truth, choosing the life you want, and the power of a good book (and, of course, the librarian who gave it to you).

Alex Wise vs. the End of the World

by Terry J. Benton-Walker

available in September, hardcover, Labyrinth Road

Welcome to the summer of the apocalypse. One 12-year-old boy leads the charge against the forces of evil as he tries to stop the Four Horsemen from taking over the world in the start to a wildly funny and addictive fantasy series about accepting yourself and finding your inner hero.

The Dark Lord’s Daughter

by Patricia C. Wrede

available in September, hardcover, Random House Books for Young Readers

From the New York Times bestselling author of Dealing with Dragons comes this timeless fantasy about an ordinary girl who discovers she’s the heir to a dark throne and must find her place between her life on Earth and her magical inheritance.

A Horse Named Sky

by Rosanne Parry, illustrated by Kirbi Fagan available now, hardcover, Greenwillow

A stand-alone companion to the New York Times and indie bestsellers A Wolf Called Wander and A Whale of the Wild. Exiled from his band, a young, wild horse must find his way across treacherous terrain to reunite with his family after being captured for the Pony Express. A fast-paced survival story about wild horses, family bonds, and a changing environment.

The October Witches

by Jennifer Claessen available now, hardcover, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Practical Magic meets Hocus Pocus in this sweet and enchanting middle grade fantasy novel about a young witch who must uncover the secrets of her family’s past to end their longstanding internal feud. Thirteen-year-old Clementine Merlyn lives with her mom, her aunts, and her cousin Mirabelle at Number 15 Pendragon Road. The Merlyns are a family of witches, but because of an ancient falling out with the other branch of the family, the Morgans, they only have powers for a single month of the year: October.

Mascot

by Charles Waters, Traci Sorell

available in September, hardcover, Charlesbridge Publishing

What if a school’s mascot is seen as racist, but not by everyone? In this compelling middlegrade novel in verse, two best-selling BIPOC authors tackle this hot-button issue. In Rye, Virginia, just outside Washington, DC, people work hard, kids go to school, and football is big on Friday nights. An eighth-grade English teacher creates an assignment for her class to debate whether Rye’s mascot should stay or change. Now six middle schoolers—all with different backgrounds and beliefs—get involved in the contentious issue that already has the suburb turned upside down with everyone choosing sides and arguments getting ugly. Told from several perspectives, readers see how each student comes to new understandings about identity, tradition, and what it means to stand up for real change.

Thanks for Your Continued Support of Village Books!

Middle Readers

Treasure Island : Runaway Gold

by Jewell Parker Rhodes

available in October, hardcover, Quill Tree Books

Bestselling and award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes reimagines the classic novel Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson in this thrilling adventure set in modern-day Manhattan, in which three kids must navigate the city’s hidden history, dodge a threatening crew of skater kids, and decide who they can really trust in order to hunt down a long-buried treasure.

Dogtown

by Katherine Applegate & Gennifer Choldenko, illustrated by Wallace West

available in September, hardcover, Fiewel & Friends

A humorous and moving middle-grade, illustrated novel about a shelter that houses stray dogs—and robot dogs!—from powerhouse authors Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko. Dogtown is a shelter for stray dogs, misbehaving dogs, and discarded robot dogs whose owners have outgrown them.

Project F

by Jeanne DuPrau

available in October, hardcover, Random House Books for Young Readers

From the bestselling author of The City of Ember comes a post-apocalyptic story set hundreds of years in the future, where life is simple and modern conveniences are a thing of the past until a boy enchanted by technology is forced to choose between doing the right thing for his community and pursuing his dreams of adventure.

The House of the Lost on the Cape

by Sachiko Kashiwaba,

translated by Avery Fischer Udagawa, illustrated by Yukiko Saito

available in September, hardcover, Yonder

From the author of the Batchelder Awardwinning novel Temple Alley Summer comes the moving story of three generations of women adapting to their new home, and its mythical inhabitants, in the tragic aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake disaster. Now a hit anime film, The House of the Lost on the Cape is a heartwarming tale about the strength of family and friendship in the face of natural and mythical forces.

Alebrijes

by Donna Barba Higuera

available in October, hardcover, Querido

An effortless blend of sci-fi and folklore, this tale of family and dragon-like wyrms on Earth many years in the future is absolutely captivating. Piloting a very old mech, Leandro the Mighty roves barren wastelands discovering swashbucklers, terrors, and maybe a better future. Like The Last Cuentista, this is not just a book for middle-grade readers! Sci-fi readers of all ages will love it—fans of Ted Chiang and Madeleine L’Engle alike. –Sophie

Rick Riordan Presents : The Spirit Glass

by Roshani Chokshi

available in September, hardcover, Disney Publishing Group

A standalone quest adventure based on Filipino mythology by Roshani Chokshi, author of the best-selling Aru Shah series. Corazon yearns to finally start training as a babaylan (a mystical healer and spirit guide) under her powerful guardian, Tina. When her magic awakens, Corazon plans to bring her parents back to life. Tina sends Corazon on a quest to fashion a key that will restore balance between the human and spirit realms. But Corazon must move quickly, before a vengeful ghost gets through the Spirit Mirror and all hope is lost. Roshani Chokshi pays tribute to her Filipino heritage in this book that has all the magic, sparkle, and heart that made her Aru Shah series a fantasy classic.

Eagle Drums

by Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson

available in September, hardcover, Roaring Brook Press

As his family prepares for winter, a young, skilled hunter must travel up the mountain to collect obsidian for knapping—the same mountain where his two older brothers died. When he reaches the mountaintop, he is immediately confronted by a terrifying eagle god named Savik. Savik gives the boy a choice: follow me or die like your brothers. What comes next is a harrowing journey to the home of the eagle gods and unexpected lessons on the natural world, the past that shapes us, and the community that binds us. Eagle Drums is part cultural folklore, part origin myth about the Messenger’s Feast—which is still celebrated in times of bounty among the Iñupiaq—told with beautiful, full-color art throughout. It’s the story of how Iñupiaq people were given the gift of music, song, dance, and community. Iñupiaq author born & raised in Alaska!

The vision of the WDRC is for Whatcom County to be a community in which people approach conflict in creative and healthy ways.

2 0 2 3

Y O U T H

partnering with:

submissions are now OPEN!

P E A C E P O E T R Y C O N T E S T

X requirements: ages 4-18, living in Whatcom County

X formats: rap, stories, poems, songs, etc

X submit poems by visiting whatcomdrc.org/youth-peace-poetrycontest

submissions due by:

s e p t e m b e r 2 1s t

Reading & Writing FOR YOUTH

YOUNG ADULT REVIEW COMMITTEE

We are restarting our Y.A.R.C. program! This is an opportunity for select teens ages 14-18 read books before they are available to buy and review them for future readers. (And there will be pizza!) If you would like more information, please email writing@villagebooks.com. Space is limited.

WRITING GROUPS FOR TEENS

Writing Groups for Writers Ages 13-18 will be starting soon! If you are someone who loves to write and wants grow along with writers like you, join us for a FREE writing workshop and info session on Tuesday October 10 at 4pm in the Reading Gallery. See you there! Questions: email writing@villagebooks.com.

YOUTH POETRY WORKSHOP

Monday, September 11, 4pm

Attention all writers 18 and under! Get involved in our annual Youth Peace Poetry Contest by joining us in a workshop with writing prompts, readings, and activities to practice poetry. Beginner friendly! The Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center holds a peace-themed poetry contest every year for Whatcom County youth; selected poets will be invited to read their work at the Peacebuilder Awards.

Tuesday October 10, 4pm

Free writing workshop and info session for teens in the Reading Gallery.

ages 18 & under

KIDS OPEN M IC

with Seán Dwyer

Last Mondays from 5-6pm

for ages 18 & under

September 25 • October 30

• November 27

Village Books in Fairhaven invites kids 18 and under to share their own stories, poems and essays. Our regular emcee and celebrated local author Seán Dwyer will host. Pre-registration to read is required and spaces are limited so please email Seán at sean@seandwyerauthor.com to secure a spot!

Death is My BFF:

The Death Chronicles #1

by Katarina E. Tonks

available in September, paperback, Wattpad

Books

When Faith Williams almost loses her life during a robbery, Death is there. While he spares her soul, he makes a promise to return when she’s 18 and collect it. Now it’s the eve of that special birthday and he’s come to collect what is his.

This Winter: A Heartstopper Novella

by Alice Oseman

available in September, hardcover, Scholastic

A very special Heartstopper story set over a challenging holiday season... Reuniting Tori Spring, her little brother Charlie, and Charlie’s boyfriend Nick, this novella sees the Spring siblings brave a particularly difficult festive season.

After You Vanished

by E.A. Neeves

available now, hardcover, Disney Hyperion

This read absolutely consumed me: unputdownable. I read it in two sittings. Teddy’s expedition to find out what happened to her sister Izzy one night at Bottomrock Lake is full of devotion. Weaving together sleuthing, romance, justice, theorizing, and heartbreaking loss, Neeves has created a beautiful book. Every twist and revelation was more exciting than the last. Bonus: This novel also illustrates mental health, and learning to make the right choices for yourself. –Sophie

Dragging Mason County

by Curtis Campbell

available in October, paperback, Annick Press

A laugh-out-loud YA debut that examines the realities of small-town queer life and celebrates the transformative power of drag—perfect for fans of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Peter Thompkins needs a public image overhaul. After a confrontation with one of the few other queer kids in his small-town high school, rumors are swirling. Meanwhile, his best friend Alan is throwing Mason County’s debut Drag Extravaganza. Although Peter is a self-described “dragnostic,” he decides to help produce the show, hoping to prove that he isn’t a self-hating gay. In the process, he finds himself facing down angry guard dogs, angrier bigots, and a very high-strung church lady. As backlash grows, Peter begins to wonder whether he’s setting fire to his already damaged reputation. Dragging Mason County explores the pains and pleasures of queer community through one teen’s journey to self-acceptance.

Young Adult

Wild Wishes and Windswept Kisses

by Maya Prasad

available in October, hardcover, Disney Hyperion

The Songbird Inn has always been the perfect home. No one knows that better than the Singh sisters. Nidhi, Avani, Sirisha, and Rani have been lovestruck and heartbroken and everything in between, all at their dad’s cozy bed-and-breakfast. And today the whole Singh family will support aspiring filmmaker Rani in her first film festival—if only they can make it through the windstorm ravaging the Pacific Northwest. Relationships fall apart and come together but through it all, there’s one thing the Singhs can count on: Their family will always be there for one another. “The Singh sisters are our modern-day Little Women...an utterly charming series to curl up with over a long weekend.” —Susan

Azim Boyer

Plan A

by Deb Caletti

available in October, hardcover, Labyrinth Road

A 16-year-old girl’s road trip across the country to get an abortion becomes a transformative journey of vulnerability, strength, and above all, choice. From the acclaimed author of A Heart in a Body in the World, this is both an achingly tender love story and a bold, badly needed battle cry about bodily autonomy and the experiences that connect us. And while Ivy can’t run from the incessant pressure of others’ opinions about her body or from her own expectations and insecurities, she discovers a new world of healing and hope. As the women she encounters share their stories, she chips away at the stigma, silence, and shame surrounding reproductive rights while those collective experiences guide her to her own rightful destination.

Here, and Only Here

by Christelle Dabos,

translated by Hildegarde Serle available in October, hardcover, Europa Editions

Welcome to the School of Here, an unsettling and peculiar place that is nonetheless familiar to us all. A place full of codes and unspoken rules that are passed down from year to year. At Here, society is highly stratified, the pairs, friend groups, and outcasts are all ruled by a godlike prince. This year—as all other years—things are not at all as they seem. Behind the scenes, a cabal of students conducts a top-secret investigation into the unexplained phenomenon at the heart of it all. With Here, and Only Here, Christelle Dabos–author of the international sensation The Mirror Visitor Quartet–gives readers an intriguing and penetrating novel that explores the difficulties of fitting in and the private, individual choices that make up the sometimes abhorrent, always unpredictable Collective.

Phoebe Wahl Book Launch!

Tuesday, September 5, 6pm

Please join one of Bellingham’s favorite authors and artists, Phoebe Wahl, as she launches her young adult debut novel, Phoebe’s Diary! With black and white interior illustrations and an enchanting, unique fusion of text and art, the experience of reading Phoebe’s Diary is a bracingly honest, illustrated diary of a teenage girl that captures the explosive turmoil and joy of adolescence. Wahl is the acclaimed creator of multiple picture books including Little Witch Hazel and The Blue House. She will be in conversation with Whatcom County Library System librarian Emma Radosevich.

Young Adult

Graphic Novel

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick

Your Ass: The Graphic Novel

by Meg Medina,

Illustrated by Mel Valentine Vargas available in September, paperback, Candlewick Newbery Medalist Meg Medina returns to her powerful Y.A. novel about school bullying with a dynamic graphic novel edition adapted and illustrated by Mel Valentine Vargas. More relevant than ever a decade after its initial publication, this empowering story is poised to be discovered by a new generation of readers.

The Spells We Cast

by Jason June

available in October, hardcover, Melissa de la Cruz Studio

Nigel Barrett has spent his whole life preparing for the Culling, a spell-casting competition that determines which of the world’s teenage magicians will be stripped of their powers to preserve magical balance. But nothing could have prepared him to face Ori Olson, a broody rival whose caustic wit cloaks a painful past. From the moment Nigel and Ori meet, sparks fly. Their powers are stronger, more thrilling, the closer they get—not that they can risk becoming attached. Because as the field narrows and the Culling grows more dangerous, Nigel and Ori realize there’s more at stake than just their powers. The greatest threat to magic, their future, and all of humanity might be the connection growing between them.

Phoebe’s Diary

by Phoebe Wahl

available in September, hardcover, Little, Brown Oooo, la, la. Phoebe Wahl breaks into the young adult genre with earnestness and pizzazz! So much fun! The immersion you hope to get from high fantasy… but make it an authentic, joyful, and unabashedly angsty (we’re going for adolescent experience here) young adult, comingof-age, diary-form tale… with the warmest of warm illustrations mixed in! Also very endearingly place-based! Bellingham representation! This one’s a winner.

–Madison

Find Him Where You Left Him Dead

by

Kristen Simmons available in September, hardcover, Tor Teen “At dawn he’ll be gone and you’ll be here forever.” Four years ago, five kids started a game. Not all of them survived. Now, at the end of their senior year of high school, the survivors—Owen, Madeline, Emerson, and Dax—have reunited for one strange and terrible reason: they’ve been summoned by the ghost of Ian, the friend they left for dead. They’re dragged out of their reality and into an eerie hellscape of Japanese underworlds. There, they meet Shinigami, an old wise woman who explains the rules: They have one night to complete seven challenges or they’ll all be stuck in this world forever.

Ryan and Avery

by David Levithan

September, hardcover, Knopf Books for Young Readers

From the bestselling author of Every Day, this is a queer love story for the ages—told over the course of a couple’s first ten dates. When a blue-haired boy (Ryan) meets a pink-haired boy (Avery) at a dance—a queer prom—both feel an inexplicable but powerful connection. Follow them through their first ten dates as they bridge their initial shyness and fall in love— through snowstorms, groundings, meeting parents (Avery’s) and not (Ryan’s), cast parties, heartbreak, and every day and date in between.

Register for all virtual events and reserve your seat for in-person events through

VILLAGEBOOKS.COM

Fees may apply.

Note: Additions and changes to this schedule WILL occur so watch our website—or even better, let us come to you!

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Monthly OPEN MICS

Open Mic with Seán Dwyer

Last Mondays from 6-7pm

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. Our regular emcee and celebrated local author, Seán Dwyer, will host as he does every month. Pre-registration to read is required and spaces are limited so whether you plan to read in person or on Zoom, please email Seán at sean@seandwyerauthor.com to secure your spot!

September 25 • October 30 • November 27

KIDS!

KIDS OPEN MIC with Seán Dwyer

Last Mondays from 5-6pm

Village Books in Fairhaven invites kids 18 and under to share their own stories, poems and essays. Our regular emcee and celebrated local author Seán Dwyer will host. Pre-registration to read is required and spaces are limited so please email Seán at sean@seandwyerauthor. com to secure a spot!

September 25 • October 30 • November 27

Chuckanut Sandstone Writers Theater

Chuckanut Sandstone Writers Theater

Open Mic

Second Tuesdays from 6-8pm

Chuckanut Sandstone Writers Theater (CSWT) Open Mic is held at Village Books in Fairhaven and on Zoom on the second Tuesday of the month from 6-8 pm. Our CSWT emcee is Carla Shafer, who founded Bellingham’s first continuous Open Mic in Bellingham in 1991. Pre-registration to read is encouraged a so whether you plan to read in person or on Zoom, please email Carla Shafer at chuckanutsandstone@gmail.com to secure your spot!

September 12 • October 10 • November 14

Literature LIVE! EVENTS

The Village Books Literary Events Program

Additions and changes to this schedule will occur so check out VillageBooks.com to stay updated – or even better, let us come to you! Register for the Village Books eNewsletter!

September 2023

Friday, September 1, 6pm

CHRISTIAN MURILLO

–Soul of the Skagit

Join Christian Murillo in the Fairhaven Readings Gallery for a beautiful, immersive journey through the Skagit! Soul of the Skagit tells the riveting story of the Skagit River, from its glacial headwaters all the way to the Salish Sea. Featuring a pairing of stunning photography and engaging writing, Christian Murillo reveals a narrative of unexpected relationships between the rugged landscape, wildlife, mankind. Christian Murillo is a photographer and author, based in Bend, Oregon. A Nature of Writing Series Event co-sponsored by North Cascades Institute

Saturday, September 2

Fairhaven Annual Sidewalk Sale

Head into Fairhaven and find deals galore during the annual neighborhood sidewalk sale! Stop by Village Books and Paper Dreams and check out our tables full of treasures.

Book Launch! YA Event!

Tuesday, September 5, 6pm

PHOEBE WAHL

–Phoebe’s Diary

Please join one of Bellingham’s favorite authors and artists, Phoebe Wahl, as she launches her YA debut novel, Phoebe’s Diary! With black and white interior illustrations and an enchanting, unique fusion of text and art, the experience of reading Phoebe’s Diary is a bracingly honest, illustrated diary of a teenage girl that captures the explosive turmoil and joy of adolescence. This heavily illustrated, unique hybrid of art and text casts a spell that brings readers into the intimate life of a teenager finding her way, and hopefully, finding herself.

Phoebe Wahl is an award-winning illustrator and surface designer. She has published several acclaimed picture books including Little Witch Hazel and The Blue House. Wahl will be in conversation with WCLS Librarian Emma Radosivich.

Wednesday, September 6 STORES CLOSING EARLY - 4pm Village Books and Paper Dreams in both Fairhaven and Lynden will close at 4pm.

Unless otherwise noted, events take place at Village Books in Fairhaven.

Registration to save your seat is required for most events. When a $5 fee applies, you will receive a voucher for that amount to use for purchases at the event! Tickets may be available at the door.

Details at VILLAGEBOOKS.COM

Thursday, September 7, 12pm Free Event!

Hour of Mindfulness with Tim Burnett

Curious about mindfulness? Join local mindfulness practitioner Tim Burnett, Executive Director of Mindfulness Northwest, for an exploration of mindfulness practices that promote awareness and well being. We will discuss the origins of mindfulness, touch on stress physiology, and explore how mindfulness practices can help us engage in our relationship to experience, reducing stress and enhancing well being. Simple practices of breathing and mindful movement will support our discussion as we explore mindfulness from the inside out.

Saturday September 9, 6pm

GIN HAMMOND

–Returning the Bones

Join award-winning Gin Hammond, celebrated actor, playwright, director, and author, as she presents Returning the Bones, a novel she adapted from the celebrated play of the same name. Bebe, a bookworm with a wild imagination, lives a peculiarly privileged life for a Black girl during the Great Depression, but these privileges come at a staggering cost. When an opportunity in post-war Europe arises, will she abandon everything she’s ever known to reinvent herself in an unfamiliar world?

Sunday September 10, 4pm

NANETTE DAVIS

–Raging Currents : Mental Illness and Family

Join Dr. Nanette Davis as she discusses her gripping memoir, Raging Currents. Expertly weaving social norms in compelling prose, Davis offers the wisdom and reflection of age through the clear-eyed recollections of a trained sociologist. Her ever-increasing understanding of compassion is the bedrock of this insightful and vulnerable telling. Raging Currents offers more than an inspiring memoir: it provides practical advice and solace for modern caregivers, friends, family, and people living with mental illness.

Monday, September 11, 4pm FREE!

Youth Peace Poetry Workshop

Attention all writers ages 4-18! Get involved in our annual Youth Peace Poetry Contest by joining us in a workshop with writing prompts, readings, and activities to practice poetry. Beginner friendly! Please bring a copy of a peace-themed poem or come get inspired to write one. The Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center holds a peace-themed poetry contest every year for Whatcom County youth; selected poets will be invited to read their work at the Peacebuilder Awards. Youth under 13, please bring an adult.

Keep turning for more events

Monday September 11, 6pm

ROBERT LASHLEY

in conversation with Carol Guess

–I Never Dreamed

You’d Leave In Summer

Join authors Robert Lashley and Carol Guess as they discuss Robert’s first novel. I Never Dreamed You’d Leave In Summer tells the story of a young Black student navigating campus politics, community tensions, and his own guilt over his past life as a drug runner. It presents a complex parable on the question of grace, who needs it, who is scared of it, who runs from it, and who struggles to accept it.

Thursday, September 14, 7pm

THE CHUCKANUT RADIO HOUR

featuring DAVID B. WILLIAMS with Erica Bauermeister at the Firehouse Arts and Events Center –Homewaters: A Human and Natural History of Puget Sound

Join us at the Firehouse Arts & Events Center for an evening of music, poetry, comedy, and literature. Take a deep dive with us into the vibrant history of the Puget Sound with David B. Williams, a naturalist, author, and educator, to discuss his book Homewaters. His many books include the award-winning Too High and Too Steep: Reshaping Seattle’s Topography and Seattle Walks. Williams will be interviewed by bestselling author of The Scent Keeper a nd No Two Persons, Erica Bauermeister. Ben Bauermeister will provide the music!

A Nature of Writing Speaker Series Event

Co-sponsored by North Cascades Institute

Friday, September 15, 6pm Poetry!

AMBER FLAME

–apocrifa

Join queer Black dandy mama Amber Flame, an interdisciplinary artist, writer, activist, and educator, as she shares her newest work, apocrifa —a nongendered love story told in verse. apocrifa imagines a love that sits comfortably at the crossroads of commitment and freedom. The developing intimacy between a lover and their beloved is propelled by a compendium of words for love, romance, sex, relationships, and affection that do not lend to direct translation in English. The characters speak to each other with contrapuntal call-and-response while letting us into their private thoughts through epistles, sestinas, odes, and other poetic forms.

Saturday, September 16, 6pm

JANET OAKLEY

–Brisling

Code

Join award-winning author Janet Oakley (writing as J.L. Oakley), as she discusses her new historical novel, The Brisling Code. Intelligence Agent Tore Haugland is assigned to occupied Norway knowing that his predecessor was killed by the Gestapo only a week before. The dying agent left a mysterious message in code that London calls the “Brisling Code.” If Haugland can’t discover the meaning of the Brisling Code in time, it could cost him his life and expose the members of the local resistance he works with. If he does, it could hurt the people he has grown to care about. But what if the message was written down wrong?

Literature LIVE!

Note: Changes to this schedule WILL occur so watch our website – or even better, let us come to you! Register for the Village Books weekly eNewsletter!

Sunday, September 17, 4pm at the Pickford Film center

JOHN SZWED with Bret Lunsford

–Cosmic Scholar : The Life & Times of Harry Smith

Harry Smith is the most influential person from Bellingham that you have never heard of—it’s time to change that! Village Books is a proud sponsor of this event. Tickets available at pickfordfilmcenter.org.

Sunday, September 17, 4pm Poetry!

RYLER DUSTIN

–Trailer Park Psalms

Join local poet Ryler Dustin for a reading and discussion of his brand new book, Trailer Park Psalms, which follows the speaker beyond his boyhood trailer park, through an America marked by violence—from a gas line explosion to the scars of war and colonialism. Along the way, he finds sources of awe to sustain us: Voyager spacecrafts, romantic love, and the “clumsy kindness” of family mending the past. Take a writing class with Ryler Dustin—see page 27.

Tuesday, September 19, 6pm

PETER STARK

–Gallop Toward the Sun : Tecumseh and William Henry Harrison’s Struggle for the Destiny of a Nation

The bestselling author of Astoria is back with Gallop Toward the Sun— a vivid account of the rivalry between future president William Henry Harrison and the Shawnee chief Tecumseh, and of the Native American alliance that fought westward expansion. This book delves into the Native American alliance that fought westward expansion, revealing the little-known yet consequential struggle between two extraordinary leaders. This taut, multi-layered narrative offers a much-needed reevaluation of this crucial period in our nation’s history.

Wednesday September 20, 6pm

PATRICE CLARK

–My Journey to Clark’s Point : A Father’s Memoirs and A Daughter’s Reflections

Bellingham native Patrice Clark shares a personal account of her father’s experiences throughout his life in the 20th century. Born in 1907 and passing away in 2005, Doug Clark lived fully. From poverty to success in the grocery business. From logger to conservationist, the readers watch Doug become the man who ultimately helps preserve beautiful Clark’s Point in Whatcom County, Washington. His daughter’s reflections embrace Doug’s story and help us better connect with her father and his legacies.

Keep turning for more events

Friday, September 22, 6pm

SARAH CONOVER

–Set Adrift : A Mystery and a Memoir

My Family’s Disappearance in the Bermuda Triangle

In January 1958, one of the most renowned sailing families of the Eastern Seaboard vanished during a freak storm in the Bermuda Triangle. The youngest of two orphans, Sarah Conover grew up never knowing her parents and grandparents—those who were lost. Set Adrift, Conover’s hybrid memoir, weaves her life story with interviews, official Coast Guard reports, and the national media’s investigation of the Revonoc’s fate, to chart her life story and the mystery of her family’s disappearance. The History Channel, with a team of scientists and divers, is creating an episode of their Into the Bermuda Triangle series exploring the Conover family tragedy and aiming to find her family’s sunken yacht.

Poetry!

Saturday September 23, 4pm

VICTORIA MCCALLUM

–I Dreamed The Ocean Froze

Join poet Victoria McCallum as she shares poems which encompass subjects such as family, goddesses, childhood, young adulthood, romantic relationships, political angst, and finally, transcendence. Victoria McCallum is a Professor Emeritus at El Camino College in Torrance, California and now lives in Bellingham with her husband.

Saturday September 23, 6pm

REBEKAH KEE MAYA

–Epicurian Awakening: The Cookbook

Join us as this talented local Whole Foods Culinary Art ist, Recipe Developer, and Vegearian Times ner presents her detailed guide through gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, oil free and whole foods plant based cuisine. You’ll learn how to transform guilty pleasures into delightful satisfaction, while awakening you to a new world of food alignment, food frequencies, food fun, and food freedom.

Sunday September 24, 4pm

AMY CHUA

–The Golden Gate

Join best-selling author Amy Chua as she shares her debut fiction novel The Golden Gate— a sweeping, evocative, and highly compelling historical thriller that paints a vibrant portrait of a California buffeted by the turbulent crosswinds of a world at war and a society about to undergo massive change. The story takes place against the backdrop of a deeply polarized, wartime America shaped by explosive immigration, extraordinary wealth, groundbreaking forensic advances and bitter class and racial conflict. A Professor of Law at Yale Law School Chua is the internationally bestselling author of several non-fiction titles, including her memoir Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, which has been translated into over 30 languages.

Wednesday, September 27, 4pm New!

KAFE Kids Book Club

Join us at our monthly book club meeting with KAFE Radio for dynamic read alouds, activities, and fun! We’ll discuss books and announce next month’s book choice. We can’t wait to see you there! See page 58.

Unless otherwise noted, events take place in the Readings Gallery at VIllage Books in Fairhaven

Thursday, September 28, 7pm

ELIZABETH

BRADFIELD, DEREK SHEFFIELD

–Cascadia Field Guide

Like a traditional field guide, Cascadia Field Guide is a compendium of 128 plants and animals that reside in the Cascadia Bioregion. However, this is where the likeness stops. Rather than solely including objective observation, Cascadia Field Guide seeks to capture the deeper connection one feels to the plants and animals who encompass the region. A “feel guide” if you will! With over 120 separate contributors, Cascadia Field Guide highlights diverse voices throughout the region, including Tribal Nation members, Black voices, up-and-coming poets/artists, well-known authors, and many from the Western Washington area. This event will feature editors Elizabeth Bradfield and Derek Sheffield, along with several other talented contributors. Nature of Writing Series co-sponsored by North Cascades Institute

Friday, September 29, 6pm

ALLE HALL in conversation with Melinda Cumming

–As Far As You Can Go Before You Have to Come Back

Join us for a special conversation between author Alle Hall and audiobook narrator Melinda Cummings! Alle and Melinda will present excerpts from Alle’s book, As Far As You Can Go Before You Have to Come Back, and answer questions about both the writing and narration processes. Nominated for The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award, this is a-girl-and-her-backpack story: a teen sexual trauma survivor steals ten thousand dollars and flees Seattle for Asia. There, she has the chance at another journey: one to find the self-respect ripped from her as a child and the healthy sexuality she desires.

Saturday September 30, 4pm

J.A. JANCE

–Blessing

of the Lost Girls

Join bestselling author J.A. Jance as she discusses her new novel, Blessing of the Lost Girls, in which she returns to her Southwestern roots and unites popular characters from her Joanna Brady Mysteries and Walker Family thrillers in a gripping mystery centered on a serial killer who targets notoriously overlooked victims: young Indigenous women. J.A. Jance is the bestselling author of more than 60 works of contemporary mystery across the J. P. Beaumont series, the Joanna Brady series, and the Ali Reynolds series, as well as interrelated thrillers about the Walker Family.

Arrive early for the author events and browse our shelves. You'll discover something new every time you visit!

Poetry Book Launch!

Saturday September 30, 6pm

TENNISON BLACK with Sarah Chavez

–Survival Strategies

Join us to celebrate the launch of Tennison Black’s three-party poetry collection, Survival Strategies, which weaves a story of identity, family, and place. It is a love story wrapped in a reckoning. Arranged in three parts, this collection of poems follows a narrative arc. The speaker, who is returning to the Sonoran of her birth after many years away, takes us with her on a journey of enlightenment. Tennison will be joined by poet Sarah Chavez, author of Hands That Break and Scar.

Dinner with the Author!

Friday, September 29, 6-9pm

Poet

October

Sunday, October 1, 4pm

TELE AADSEN

with Holly Hughes

–What Water Holds

Please join authors Tele Aadsen and Holly J. Hughes for a conversation about Tele’s beautiful book, What Water Holds. In What Water Holds, female commercial fisherman Tele Aadsen shares a series of lyrical, reflective essays first read at Oregon’s FisherPoets Gathering. Tele examines questions of equity, identity, community, the changing climate, and sustainability, revealing complexities with loving, detailed attention. Weaving stories of what lies beneath the surface and—if we choose—the possibilities beyond, What Water Holds speaks to anyone seeking to live a full, deeply considered life. Nature of Writing Series co-sponsored by North Cascades Institute

Book Launch!

Tuesday, October 3, 7pm

JOHN C. MILES

–Teaching in the Rain

Published through Village Books own Chuckanut Editions, this book shares the humble beginnings of North Cascades Institute, an environmental education non-profit with a strong vision for preservation and leadership, and follows its growth, offering guidance for similar establishments, into a model organization admired throughout the United States. Read more on pages 49-50. Part of the Nature of Writing Series co-sponsored by North Cascades Institute.

For additional event details, registration information, and to buy the books, see our

Events Calendar

at villagebooks.com

Thursday, October 5, 7pm at the Hotel Leo, Downtown Bellingham

THE CHUCKANUT RADIO HOUR

featuring McKENZIE FUNK

–The Hank Show

Join us in the Crystal Ballroom at the Hotel Leo for an evening of music, poetry, comedy, and literature. Local author McKenzie Funk will be discussing his mind-blowing narrative nonfiction book, The Hank Show, a stranger-than-fiction story about Hank Asher, the surprising genius behind the global surveillance machine that monitors all of us. In the vein of the blockbuster movie Catch Me if You Can, The Hank Show propels readers forward on a 40 year journey of intrigue and innovation, from Colombia to the White House and from Silicon Valley to the 2016 Trump campaign, focusing a lens on the dark side of American business and its impact on the everyday fabric of our modern lives.

Saturday, October 7, 5:30pm at Village Books in LYNDEN!

WILLIAM RINK

–Bellingham Bay and British Columbia Railroad and Its Successors : The Bellingham & Northern and the Milwaukee Road Head to Village Books in Lynden and join local author and railroad historian William Rink for a discussion about his new book, Bellingham Bay and British Columbia Railroad and Its Successors. Co-author of local favorite Early Railroads of Whatcom County Washington Territory, Rink is a member of the Great Northern Historical Society and is a founding member of the Bellingham Railway Museum.

Sunday, October 8, 4pm

RON CHAPMAN

–The Dark Side of Grace

Join author Ron Chapman as he discusses the sequel to his much-acclaimed book A Killer’s Grace. A devastating terrorist bomb blast at a spiritual retreat outside Santa Fe, New Mexico, sends journalist Kevin Pitcairn and his beloved Emmy on a quixotic quest to understand the roots of violence. Traveling across the country deep into the bowels of Southern Appalachia, their search takes them through a long-standing rift in the American consciousness to confrontations with remarkable and anomalous characters, some of them deeply spiritual, others well-grounded in research and psychology.

Monday, October 9, 6pm

JENNIFER CHAPMAN

–Dying for a Second Chance : A Psychological Thriller

An experienced police sergeant is investigating a car crash that seems to relate to a serial killer case he has been working on for years. The soul of one woman in the crash, Jessica, departed her body. Marie, the driver of the other car, was allowed by the Angel of Death to continue life on earth, but connected to Jessica’s body, so Marie could parent Marie’s baby. Marie has her own memories, and none of Jessica’s. When she wakes up, she recognizes Jessica’s husband as the man who raped her and fathered her baby. Join us in welcoming the author of this fascinating story!

Keep turning for more events

Tennison Black will be the guest presenter at the Life Between the Pagesa five course dinner book club at Evolve Chocolate + Cafe. See 28 for details.

Wednesday October 11, 4pm

KATE TROLL

–All in Due Time

Join author Kate Troll as she discusses her beautiful memoir—an emotionally satisfying story with a charming cast of characters, All in Due Time is a fitting memoir for our era of genetic surprises. Unlike many memoirs on this topic, Troll conveys the sunnier side of digging into dark family secrets, weaving a tale of joy, inclusivity, and empathy. Kate Troll is an author, op-ed columnist, wilderness adventurer, and speaker on conservation and climate issues.

Wednesday, October 11, 6pm

ROSS GAY

–The Book of (More) Delights at the First Congregational Church, 2401 Cornwall Ave, Bellingham, WA

We are thrilled to invite you to join us in welcoming Ross Gay to Bellingham to discuss his newest book of essays, The Book of (More) Delights! In this spirited second collection of short, lyrical, genre-defying essays, again written daily over a year, one of America’s most original and observant voices celebrates the ordinary, helping us see our extraordinary world anew. It is a record of the small wonders we so often overlook in our busy lives from the bestselling author of Inciting Joy and The Book of Delights. Tickets available now.

Friday, October 13, 6pm

An Evening with MAC BARNETT and SHAWN HARRIS at Sehome High School

Kids Event!

–The First Cat in Space & The Soup of Doom

Children's book superstars Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris present an interactive theatrical spectacular: an evening of live music, dramatic performances, and out-of-this-world hijinks celebrating The First Cat In Space And The Soup of Doom, the second book in their bestselling graphic novel series. If you show up dressed as your favorite character from the books, you'll get a special gift! Don't miss this fun event - bring the whole family! Tickets bundles include a copy of the book.

Saturday October 14, 6pm

TIMOTHY DONAHUE

–The James Gang

Join local author Tim Donahue as he discusses his novel. The story of ‘The James Gang’ family is one of fame, betrayal, and the point where family and fame come to odds. Hersey James was once the star of the biggest sitcom of the 1970s, but when his eldest daughter arrives at their mansion with a mysterious proposition twenty-years after the cancellation of the show, Hersey will be forced to choose between his family and the small-screen success that defined his life.

Unless otherwise noted, events take place in the Readings Gallery of Village Books in Fairhaven 1200 11th St., Bellingham, WA 98229

Sunday, October 15, 4pm

JOE SVOBODA

–Brothers, Bears, and Beers : A Memoir of Friendships, Adventures, and Mishap

Join Joe Svoboda as he discusses his book, Brothers, Bears, and Beers, the rollicking true story of adventures while biggame hunting in Alaska, fishing remote Canadian lakes, canoeing in Missouri, exploring the Florida Keys, and attending college in the early 1970s. This humorous memoir covers just three years, but what years they were! Joe Svoboda spent 38 years as a petroleum exploration geologist/geophysicist. Svobeda donates proceeds from the sale of this book to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

Tuesday, October 17, 6pm

MICHAEL IMPERO

–Towns of the North Fork

Nooksack River, Volumes I & II

Join local author and historian Michael Impero as he shares his most recent books—full of information about the towns and surrounding areas of the North Fork of the Nooksack River in Whatcom County. The Nooksack river is a unique river which is made up of three forks that join together to form one body above Deming, and then flows continually to Bellingham Bay in the Salish Sea. Volume One focuses on Kendall and Maple Falls—covering such topics as Kendall Creek Salmon hatchery, Keese town, the Zender family, and Silver Lake . Volume Two explores the towns of Glacier and Shuksan and includes chapters on the Bottiger and Bourn families, the forgotten gold mines, the logging industry, Heather Meadows and the Nooksack powerhouse. Michael G. Impero has lived his whole life in Whatcom County. This is Michael’s seventh book sharing local history.

Wednesday, October 18, 6pm

Literary Citizenship Award

Join Village Books as we recognize the three recipients of the inagural Literary Citizenship Award. See pages 5-6.

Book Launch!

Saturday, October 21, 4pm Kids!

KIM ALLYSON FREIER

–Wild Heart

Through lyrical language and enchanting illustrations Wild Heart transports young readers to wilderness landscapes across the globe—from majestic mountains to mysterious rainforests, golden canyonlands, frozen tundra, arid savanna, to the ocean depths and more. The allure of these captivating places fosters a deeper understanding of belonging to the family of life on earth. But is wildness found only in faraway places? Where do you find your very own wild heart? A Nature of Writing Series Event co-sponsored by North Cascades Institute

Saturday, October 21, 6pm

NICOLA GRIFFITH

–Menewood

Please join author Nicola Griffith as she discusses her much anticipated sequel to Hild. Menewood transports readers back to seventh-century Britain, a land of rival kings and religions poised for epochal change. Nicola Griffith is the author of award-winning novels including Hild and Ammonite, and her shorter work has appeared in Nature, New Scientist, New York Times, etc. She is the founder and co-host of #CripLit and enjoys a ferocious bout of wheelchair boxing.

Sunday October 22, 4pm

JACQUELYN TUXILL, –Whispers from the Valley of the Yak TERRY REPAK, –Circling Home

SOPHIA KOUIDOU-GILES

–An Unexpected Ally

Join three spectacular authors in the Readings Gallery as they share their work inspired by home, self-discovery, and family.

• When JACQUELYN TUX ILL accompanies her aging American parents to China, her birthplace, an unexpected revelation about her mother sets Jackie on a quest of self-discovery. She finds a passion for nature and the environment in Alaska. Later, retracing her parents’ 1932 trek into Tibet, she understands she’s come full circle to the authentic life she craves.

• When TERRY REPAK and her husband moved to West Africa in the 1990s, he directed AIDS projects while she wrote and raised their children. Circling Home chronicles the adventures and challenges of connecting with people of other cultures and trying to find home in diverse countries.

• Seven-year-old SOPHIA KOUIDOU-GILES watches her mother leave their Greek family home without a good-bye or explanation. She is raised by her grandmother and stepmother. Her mother’s departure becomes the child’s worry stone. Decades later, when she returns to Greece from America, she uncovers a family story she had never been told.

Tuesday October 24, 6pm

Fiction - Now in Paperback!

MARCUS BROTHERTON

–The Long March Home

Join celebrated best-selling author Marcus Brotherton as he discusses his WWII novel The Long March Home, available in paperback this October! Inspired by true events, this gripping coming-of-age tale of friendship, sacrifice, and the power of unrelenting hope during WWII follows three friends from Mobile, Alabama, as they struggle to survive the Bataan Death March and make it home to their families—and the girl they left behind. Brotherton is the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author or coauthor of more than 25 books that have been called “fascinating,” “brilliantly arranged,” “magical,” and “refreshingly frank.”

Literature LIVE!

Friday, October 27, 6pm

TIM MCNULTY

–Salmon, Cedar, Rock, & Rain

Join award-winning author Tim McNulty as he discusses Salmon, Cedar, Rock, & Rain, a stunning celebration of place and call to collaborate across difference. The book has come together with an incredible lineup of regional writers and naturalists—Tim McNulty, David Guterson and Lynda V. Mapes, and a depth of tribal perspective—including a foreword by Fawn Sharp, President, National Congress of American Indians. It also includes essays from individuals representing five of the sovereign tribes on the Peninsula, and signature to Braided River—stunning photography throughout the book to awe and inspire. A Nature of Writing Series Event co-sponsored by North Cascades Institute

Sunday, October 29, 4pm

MARIE EATON

–Be Here Now

Join us in the Readings Gallery for an afternoon of poetry by celebrated songwriter and poet, Marie Eaton. This collection of poems explores the physical and emotional terrain of aging, discovering its joys and sorrows, surrendering to its transformations and learning to live fully in each moment.

Tuesday, October 31, 11am

Costume Party Storytime

Kids Event!

All ages welcome are welcome to join us for our special Halloween story time! Show off your costumes and get ready for some (not so) spooky stories.

Tuesday, October 31, 4-5:30pm

Not-So-Scary Stories

with the Bellingham Storytellers Guild!

Bring the kiddos to the Readings Gallery in Fairhaven for a break from Trick-or-Treating in Fairhaven, where the storytellers will be serving up some spooky (but not TOO spooky) tales. All ages welcome!

VB READS

Book Groups

Village Books hosts multiple book groups who read and discuss a variety of genres. See page 78 for to find a group that works for you! Watch villagebooks.com for meeting times and reading selections. All are welcome!

Want a signed edition of the book but can’t make it to the event? Order through our website or over the phone, and write your request for a signature or personalization in the comments field at checkout. Please call if you’re placing your order within 24 hours of the event.

Keep turning for more events

BOOK GROUPS

OPEN to ALL!

VB Reads...

Motherhood by the Book

Join Claire for an hour of spirited discussion of books that celebrate the trials, tribulations, and rewards of motherhood—both fiction and non-fiction. By no means exclusive to moms with kids still at home, this group meets on the second Sunday of the month at 2pm in the Readings Gallery of Village Books in Fairhaven.

Sept. 10 –Mother Noise: A Memoir by Cindy House

Oct. 8 –When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

Nov. 12 – Crying in H Mart: A Memoir by Michelle Zauner

VB Reads... Armchair Historians

Let's chat, discuss, and dissect the most current and interesting history being written. We meet in the Readings Gallery at Village Books in Fairhaven the second Monday of the month at 6pm.

Sept. 18 –Jerusalem: The Biography by Simon

Sebag Montefiore

Life Between the Pages Book Dinner

September 29, 6-9pm

Village Books both hosts and co-sponsors a variety of lively book groups and YOU are invited to join in! All are welcome.

Find additional information under the Readers Corner tab at villagebooks.com. Book groups are free to attend - no registration required.

VB Reads...

Lynden Front Streeters

"Variety is the spice of life!" Join Gaye from Village Books, Lynden, and the Front Streeters book group as they discuss books from a variety of genres. They meet in the conference room of the Inn at Lynden the third Wednesday of each month at 7pm.

Sept. 20 –The Library Book by Susan Orlean

See more Front Streeters reading selections on page 34.

Participants receive 15% off all book group reading selections. Just mention the group when paying!

VB Reads...

Afternoon Book Chat

Join Sittrea in the Readings Gallery on the second Wednesday of the month at 1pm for a lively early afternoon book chat. Everyone welcome.

Sept. 13 –Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

Oct. 4* –Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel *special date

Nov. 8 –The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

KAFE Kids Book Club

The KAFE Kids Book Club helps unlock your child’s imagination with a featured book each month! The KAFE Crew will read some stories for everyone to enjoy then the Village Books team will lead a discussion of the featured title . We meet at Village Books in Fairhaven on the last Wednesday of each month. Parents are encouraged to join in.

–Survival Strategies with guest presenter Tennison Black Tickets $75 - at eventbrite.com

Seating limited to 30

September 27 –The War That Saved My Life

by by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Unless otherwise noted, authors do not attend book groups.

Friday, November 3, 6pm

SARRI GILMAN

–Cocoon : How One Woman

Created A Shelter for Teens and Found Hope Along The Way

Sarri Gilman noticed a problem. Many of the teenage students attending the Everett, Washington school where she worked had nowhere to go at night. She then realized they were victims of a devastating loophole in the state’s system, which provided housing for younger children and adults who were homeless, but had no space for teens. What happened next was not in Sarri’s career plan, but the family therapist could not turn her back on the problem unfolding around her. Instead, she became the executive director of a nonprofit organization, Cocoon House, which served— and continues to serve—as a home for the most vulnerable teens in her community, giving them the chance to find stability and a new lease on life. Cocoon is her unbelievable, inspiring and true story. Join us for the book release and reading with Sarri.

Saturday, November 4, 6pm

Contributor EMILY CANTRELL

–The Forgotten Survivors of Gun Violence: Wounded

The Forgotten Survivors of Gun Violence collects 20 personal essays of survivors’ visible and invisible wounds from school shootings, attempted suicide by firearm, mass shootings, gang violence, and domestic violence. Their stories remind us that these traumatic experiences are not exclusive to combat soldiers but, more notably, suffered by ordinary people during modern life. Contributor Emily Cantrell survived our country’s deadliest mass shooting in 2017 in Las Vegas. She started her career in TV News, and has also worked in tourism, hospitality, and economic developmentbut for the last several years, her biggest passion project is around gun violence prevention and the impact invisible wounds can have on mental and physical health. Proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to gun violence prevention organizations.

Sunday, November 5, 12pm-5pm

WCLS Open Book

A Festival For Readers

All Ages!

at the Ferndale Events Center

Open Book is a book lover’s dream day with books, authors, book talks, readings, hands-on literary experiences and book swag. Mingle with fellow readers, writers, and library fans. Enjoy main stage appearances by award-winning poet Rena Priest, author and illustrator Phoebe Wahl, Washington State Poet Laureate Arianne True, and author and biologist Thor Hanson. Enter to win prizes, including a virtual book club discussion with beloved poet and author Ross Gay, a book chat with America’s Librarian Nancy Pearl, and a Phoebe Wahl book collection signed by the author. Presented in partnership with Village Books and Whatcom County Library Foundation. Free! No registration required. Visit WCLS.org/Openbook for a schedule and details.

Writing Groups

Wednesday, November 8, 7pm

THE CHUCKANUT RADIO HOUR featuring GRAHAM ZIMMERMAN at the Hotel Leo

–A Fine Line : Searching for Balance Among the Mountains

Join us in the Crystal Ballroom at the Hotel Leo for an evening of music, poetry, comedy, and literature. Our featured author is Graham Zimmerman, a professional alpinist, discussing his debut book A Fine Line: Searching for Balance Among Mountains. Having faced grief and personal loss in the mountains, as well as witnessing firsthand the effects of climate change on these beloved places, Zimmerman shares lessons learned on his journey from adventuring for fun to becoming an outspoken conservation advocate, questions an adventure culture that is built upon privilege and summiting at all costs, and explores the theme of a “100-year plan” for a long life in the outdoors. Mountain lovers everywhere will see themselves in this optimistic and accessible story of adventure, growth, and personal reckoning.

A Nature of Writing Series event co-sponsored by North Cascades Institute

Thursday, November 9, 6pm

JOHN D’ONOFRIO

–Hiking Mt. Baker & The North Cascades

This is not your typical hiking guide. In addition to providing information to navigate the trails, this book focuses on the inspiring beauty to be found on these extraordinary footpaths. More than a book to tell you how to get to these spectacular destinations, this book tells you WHY to go. John D’Onofrio is a writer and photographer who has spent 40 years exploring the Mt. Baker area and the North Cascades. A Nature of Writing Series Event—co-sponsored by North Cascades Institute

Friday, November 10, 6pm

TESSA FLOREANO

–Italians in the Pacific Northwest

Join local author and community historian Tessa Floreano as she shares her book, Italians in the Pacific Northwest. From hardscrabble days as homesteaders and farmers in the 1880s to becoming successful entrepreneurs, Italians settled and later thrived in the Pacific N.W. Floreano will be hosting a giveaway and some delicious Italian treats during this special event!

Friday, November 17, 6pm

JONATHAN EVISON

–Again and Again

Join us in welcoming the author of bestselling titles including The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving and West of Here to the Readings Gallery as he introduces his latest novel, Again and Again !

Village Books is excited to host a variety of writing groups—each with a unique focus. Turn to page 24 for a full list and meeting times then see villagebooks.com for descriptions. Be sure to sign up for our Just Write! eNewsletter, a monthly publication highlighting current classes, tips and tricks, writing book reviews and the like!