Chuckanut Reader - Fall 2015

A Magazine for the Northwest’s Most Avid Readers

The

Chuck anut Reader A Village Books Publication • FALL 2015

VOLUME 22, ISSUE 3

2

Fall 2015

Building Community One Book at a Time

Dear Reader,

It's been an exciting summer and we're looking forward to a great fall season. And, speaking of exciting summer activities, many of you have likely heard about Chuck's abbreviated cross-country bike ride.

There's an update on page 35. We're launching into the fall season with our annual back-to-school sale and a wide range of events, including three great Chuckanut Radio Hour programs and a Booked at the Baker event with David Sedaris.

The big news for the fall, of course, is that we'll be scrambling to put together our new store in Lynden's Waples Mercantile Building. We've been overwhelmed with the positive feedback we've had from folks in the North County, and we're really excited to be part of that community.

This edition of the Reader is full of reviews and previews of a lot of great books, more information about upcoming events, and news of activities in the Fairhaven neighborhood and wider community, including Fairhaven Gives Back (page 4).

Once again we appreciate your ongoing support of local businesses, including ours. That's a big part of what makes Whatcom County a great place to live. Thank you!

We hope you had a great summer and wish you a terrific fall season full of family, friends, new experiences, and of course, great books.

–Chuck, Dee,

and the entire Village Book & Paper Dreams Family visit us 24/7 at villagebooks.com

In This Issue...

Dear Reader Seasonal Activites in Fairhaven & Beyond A Fond Farewell to Rem What Whatcom Was Reading Welcoming New Staff on Board

Fiction, Mystery, Sci Fi (highlights & reviews) Whatcom Reads! Writes, and Art Contest 2015 Writing Groups & Writing Conference Recap Chuckanut Writes—New Writing Classes!

Food and Gardening (book reviews & highlights) Who Let the Dogs Out? Chuck's Bike Ride Ends Poetry, Travel, Think, Create (books) Science & Nature (book hightlights & reviews) History & Current Events (book highlights & reviews) Bios, Humor, Performing Arts (book highlights) The Chuckanut Radio Hour Upcoming Shows Business Book Group becomes Happy Hour Great Books & Activites for Kids and Teens Y.A.R.C. Spotlight and book reviews Literature Live! Author Events at VB

3 4-8 9 10 12 11-21 22 24-25 26-27 29-34 35 37-39 40-43 44-46 47-49 51 53 54-61 62-64 65-70

Village Books & Paper Dreams Store Hours Mon-Thurs 10am-9pm Fri-Sat 10am-10pm • Sundays 10am-7pm

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

VILLAGE BOOKS

The Chuckanut Reader Fall 2015

Publishers: Chuck and Dee Robinson Production Design: Kelly Carbert

Contributors: Amy Blackwood, Jenny Blenk, Hana Boxberger, Rebecca Brown, Kayleigh Butenschoen, Kelly Carbert, Charles Claassen, Stephanie Douglas, Kelly Evert, Robert Gruen, Asya Hampton, Paul Hanson, Sarah Hutton, Sam Kaas, Rachel McCausland, Claire McElroy-Chesson, Laurie Mullarky, Laura Ogg, Laura Picco, Chuck Robinson, Dee Robinson, Rem Ryals, Chris Sanders, Lauren Sommer, Joan Terselich, Jonica Todd, Terri Weiner, Cindi Williamson Cover: photo by Kelly Carbert Content except art & book covers ©Village Books 2015 Printed by the Lynden Tribune on paper made from 50% post-consumer waste

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

browse & shop anytime!

VillageBooks.com

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

Fall 2015 3

September 27 - October 3, 2015

Banned Books Week Celebrating the Freedom to Read...

YOUNG ADULT BOOKS!

by Sam Kaas, Events Coordinator

Young adult books are the most frequently banned and challenged books in America.

This is significant. Here at Village Books, we believe that no book should be censored–that anything less than the absolute freedom to read what you want is fundamentally unacceptable. But it's especially disturbing to think that the books most likely to be banned today are those aimed at readers who are just beginning to develop their own unique understanding of the world.

This year, Banned Books Week (September 27th-October 3rd) focuses on young adult books, and we're proud to once again be celebrating our right to read them freely. Young adult books often deal with challenging themes in profound and moving ways. They are books about life and death, about love and magic, about growing up and growing apart and finding your way. Any young adult – and anyone who remembers being a young adult – can attest to how important these stories are. It's worth noting that many of the most popular novels of the past decade –Looking For Alaska, for instance, and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian and The Hunger Games—are all young adult books. All of those books have been banned or challenged somewhere in the United States in the past five years.

We hope you'll join us in celebrating Banned Books Week, and in bringing attention to all the books, from every genre, that face censorship each year. Keep an eye on our website for more details.

Fairhaven Gives Back

RHA VEN FAI

Thursday, November 12th Mark your calendars now for Thursday, November 12, and save the date. Many businesses in the Fairhaven Historic District will again donate 10% of their sales that day to non-profits in the community during the Third Annual Fairhaven Gives Back celebration. As you make your purchases in participating businesses, you'll be asked to choose one of many non-profit organizations to which your donation will go. At the end of the evening all donations will be tallied and sent to the respective organizations.

GI

VES BACK

This will be a great chance to accomplish two things at the same time—get a jump on your holiday shopping (stores will be well-stocked with gifts for everyone on your list), and help deserving non-profit organizations in the community. Please join us for the Third Annual Fairhaven Gives Back.

4 Fall 2015

Store Hours: Mon-Thurs 10am-9pm • Fri & Sat 10am-10pm • Sun 10am-7pm

THANKS FOR HELPING US CELEBRATE!

Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate our 35th anniversary.

We couldn't have done it without you. It's been a great ride, and we look forward to many more years. –Chuck & Dee Robinson 1980 -2015

35

Join in

YEARS

International

Day of Peace

Fairhaven

Celebration

SIDEWALK

Saturday, September 19th, 2015 Whatcom Peace & Justice Center will host its 12th Annual International Day of Peace Celebration and Fundraiser on September 19th, at the Majestic Ballroom on North Forest in downtown Bellingham.

The Bellingham Celebration will feature the Howard Harris Lifetime Peacemaker Award, the Bellingham Ukelele Orchestra, as well as an all-ages dance party with the Walrus. You'll find food, children's activities, face painting, organization tables and more.

Solidarity Donations Accepted!

For more information visit www.whatcompjc.org

E I N V I TE D YOU AR to VB’s Fall Open Book Chat

Saturday, September 5th 11am - 5pm Merchandise, gift, and clothing bargains in Fairhaven will be visible in every direction during the Annual District-wide Sidewalk Sale!

Enjoy browsing and finding deals in front of most Fairhaven shops and more from businesses with offerings under the pergolas or tents on the Village Green.

Open Book Chat with VB Buyers Joan and Sarah

Thursday, October 22, 11am & 5:15pm in the VB Readings Gallery

You're invited to Village Books' Fall Open Book Chat on Thursday, October 22 at either 11am or 5:15pm. VB buyers Joan and Sarah will talk about a variety of books for you to consider adopting for your book groups or adding to your fall reading list. If you're in a book group, bring the whole gang. If you're not and want to be, maybe you'll meet someone to join you in starting a new group!

Don't miss this celebration of books and reading!

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

Fall

2015 5

Literacy Matters Join us for the 13th Annual

LITERACY BREAKFAST

The ro p ceeds from this r will fundraise ore support m LC than 50 W r fo students

r. one yea

Featuring Author & NPR Commentator

NANCY PEARL

Thursday, November 12th 7-9am - Bright and Early!

E

ach year, Whatcom Literacy Council helps hundreds of adults in Whatcom County build their literacy skills and move forward in their lives. The funds raised at the Annual Literacy Breakfast help make that possible.

This year’s Literacy Breakfast will be held on Thursday, November 12th, at 7:00am at Settlemyer Hall in the Campus Center building at Bellingham Technical College. The witty and wonderful Nancy Pearl, author of Book Lust, More Book Lust, Book Crush, and Book Lust To Go, will be back again this year to share her thoughts on some of the best reads available. Village Books will be on hand selling books. Seating is limited (it sold out last year!), so please go to whatcomliteracy.org or call 752-8678 to reserve your spot.

Although there is no charge for breakfast, this is a Advance reservations only: fundraiser and guests will be asked to make a go to whatcomliteracy.org for the link to donation. Proceeds are used to fund literacy register. Contact WLC at 752-8678 or events@whatcomliteracy.org for programs right here in Whatcom County. more information.

The Whatcom Literacy Council

Volunteer Info Session & Thank You Party Change a Life.

Wednesday, September 9th

Become a Tutor.

5-6pm at the Bellingham Public Library

illiteracy, and about becoming a Come learn more about the Whatcom Literacy Council, the far-reaching impact of service to the community with cake volunteer literacy tutor. Current volunteers are invited to come and celebrate their g volunteers. in and juice, and to share their stories with neighbors who are interested becomin in order to help them improve their WLC provides free, confidential, one-to-one tutoring and small classes for adults within your own community at reading/writing skills or learn English. Training is provided and tutoring takes place hours convenient for your schedule. No previous teaching or foreign language skills are needed. Tutors must be at least 18 years old and have graduated from high school.

6 Fall

2015

Shop 24 hours a day at villagebooks.com

10th Annual

Saturday, September 19, Noon-10pm

Girls Night Out in Fairhaven Auction, Shopping, and Fundraiser

Shopping Noon-7pm

Party 7-10pm

Grab your Passport & Shop the day away in the Fairhaven District—don't miss Village Books and Paper Dreams!

Head down to the Cruise Terminal for Auctions and Entertainment. Plan to drink, play and bid the night away with our Silent & Live Auctions, the Wine Wall, comedy with ladies from the Upfront Theatre, themed beverages and snacks (for purchase), and the Oh Snap! photo booth. *Purchase a coveted VIP Passport while available, for sale before the event for $30—Includes a shopping passport, entry and designated seating at the party and a Swag Bag of gifts and goodies from many local businesses.

Passports can be purchased for $15 at one of many participating Fairhaven businesses which will feature discounts, host giveaways, samples, demonstrations and showcases.

Have your passport stamped by at least 10 of the passportlisted businesses and enter to win our fantastic “Passport Prize” once you reach the party at the Bellingham Cruise Terminal!

For more information see girlsnightoutfairhaven.com

All proceeds from this year's event will be donated to Lydia Place to support their efforts to end homelessness in Whatcom County.

Go to the party a little late and join us at 7pm in the Readings Gallery at Village Books. Hear AMY STEWART, the bestselling author of The Drunken Botanist, read from her new novel, Girl Waits With Gun based on the forgotten true story of one of the nation’s first female deputy sheriffs.

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

Fall

2015

7

project description: Drizzle Color Ad 05-01-14

Village Books & Paper Dreams

LYNDEN

STORE UPDATE

3.325” x 4.5”

Make an impression with custom invitations and announcements!

• Wedding • Graduation • New Baby • Special Events

It's a wondrous thing watching this building coming to life--the infrastructure is going in and the walls are going up! All the future businesses— Village Books & Paper Dreams, Drizzle, Avenue Bread, Overflow Taps, and the Inn at Lynden—are hard at work in preparation for openings in November. For our part, we've already got all of our bookshelves ready and waiting to move in and are fine-tuning our inventory. On August 15th, the Job Fair at the Jansen Arts Center gave us a chance to come together to meet a great bunch of prospective employees and answer questions about the future location. Look for an introduction to our new staff in the next issue. Although we've not settled on an exact Grand Opening date, keep an eye out. When we know, we'll be shouting it from the rooftops!

Bonus Gift Certificates! for exclusive use at our Lynden Store These special certificates have added value if used before December 30, 2015.

You’re Invited!

Quality Printing • Personal Service • Competitive Pricing

$25 gift certificates worth $30! $50 gift certificates worth $60!! $100 gift certificates worth $120!!!

After December 30, they revert to their face value.

Available at our Fairhaven store, at villagebooks.com, and at the Lynden Chamber of Commerce!

“We’re proud to be a locally owned and operated business in Whatcom County Since 1914.”

Call today for a free quote: 354-4444

Mitze & Mary Jo

Visit our new website at: www.lyndenprintco.com

8 Fall

2015

Building Community One Book at a Time

DC

A Fond Farewell

TO REM

(At Least for a While)

by Chuck Robinson Rembert Ryals III. What an elegant name. Is he a character from Downton Abbey? A spoiled trust fund baby?

Or, a 19-year veteran bookseller at Village Books?

It's likely that many of you know, or at least suspect, the answer. When Jonica first came to work at the store she assumed Rem was short for Rembrandt and asked if he was Dutch and painted. "It's R.E.M.B.E.R.T.," he replied in a tone that suggested it wasn't the first time he'd heard that.

In his nearly two-decade stint, Rem has engaged in almost every task around the store. He is currently one of the new book buyers and heads the used book buying team. He's also an avid (some might say rabid) environmentalist who rides his bike everywhere and has been an indefatigable advocate for the Smart Trips program. He supposedly owns a car, but most of his colleagues at the store have never seen it.

His coworkers describe him as generous, patient, knowledgeable, sensitive, capable and creative. They say he's kind, but brutally honest, and though he may be unflappable, he can create quite a flap when he believes something is unjust.

Rem has a wry, ironic sense of humor that may not always translate well in emails, but is hard to miss face to face when one spots the sly smile.

Now it seems that Rem has itchy feet. Not the kind that can be cured by Dr. Scholl's. The kind that requires packing a bag and traveling. Right now he is focusing on teaching English overseas, perhaps in Thailand or Korea. Alternatively, he wants to do a road trip into the Deep South and research his father's family. He tells us his plans change nightly.

Though he was raised in Richland (yes, he's a Buddhist Bomber), Rem considers Bellingham home. So, to our great relief, we've likely not seen the last of him—perhaps even working in the bookstore. We'll miss him dearly, and as Jonica says, " I don't know who else will goad me, with such goodwill, into being a better Smart Trips participant and eco-conscious citizen."

So long, Rem. Travel well.

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

Fall

2015

9

W WAS READING

HAT WHATCOM VB’s Top Sellers

January-July 2015

1. Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown 2. Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo 3. All the Light We Cannot See

by Anthony Doerr 4. Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher

by Timothy Egan 5. Hiking Whatcom County 5/E by Ken Wilcox 6. A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki 7. Letters to My Grandchildren by David Suzuki 8. The Salish Sea

by Audrey DeLella Benedict and Joseph K. Gaydos 9. Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher by Timothy Egan 10. Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

11. Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee 12. Geology of the San Juan Islands by Ned Brown 13. Martian by Andy Weir 14. Rosie Project by Graeme Simson 15. Geology Underfoot in Western Washington

by Dave Tucker 16. Euphoria by Lily King 17. Power of Kindness by Piero Ferrucci 18. Astoria by Peter Stark 19. Wanted by Chris Hoke 20. Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins 21. Paper Towns by John Green 22. Bellingham Impressions by Mark Turner 23. Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline 24. Sixth Extinction by JElizabeth Kolbert 25. Dead Wake by Erik Larson 26. Skyship Academy #01 Pearl Wars

by Nick James 27. Goldfinch by Donna Tartt 28. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 29. Wild by Cheryl Strayed 30. Tide Guide 2015 by Evergreen

10

Fall 2015

It's always interesting to see what our friends and neighbors are reading. This list represents the forty top-selling books through the first seven months of this year here at Village Books.

As usual, the books on the list reflect the eclectic and locally-oriented tastes of our community's readers. Learn a bit more about your neighbors' tastes in literature and try a few books on the list. Enjoy!

31. How to Love by Thich Nhat Hanh 32. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand 33. Bellingham (Images of America) by Cecil Jentges 34. Murder in the Fourth Corner by Todd Warger 35. Conservation Heart by Arthur C. Brooks 36. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein 37. Martin Marten by Brian Doyle 38. Invention of WIngs by Sue Monk Kidd 39. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline 40. H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald

Building Community One Book at a Time

FICTIONFICTION brand new

FICTION

A Window Opens

hardcover

FICTION

Girl Waits with Gun

by Amy Stewart

by Elisabeth Egan

available now, hardcover, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

available now, hardcover, Simon & Schuster

Constance Kopp doesn’t quite fit the mold.

She towers over most men, has no interest in marriage or domestic affairs, and has been isolated from the world since a family secret sent her and her sisters into hiding fifteen years ago. One day a belligerent and powerful silk factory owner runs down their buggy, and a dispute over damages turns into a war of bricks, bullets, and threats as he unleashes his gang on their family farm. When the sheriff enlists her help in convicting the men, Constance is forced to confront her past and defend her family—and she does it in a way that few women of 1914 would have dared. Amy Stewart is the award-winning author of six books, including the bestsellers The Drunken Botanist and Wicked Plants.

Presented in Partnership with The Bureau of Historical Investigation!

Elisabeth Egan is the book critic for Glamour magazine and has now written her first book. A Window Opens is the story of Alice, a busy wife and mother of three and a part-time editor who is: not a cook, active PTA member, or breadwinner of the family. But when her husband has to make a career change, it is Alice that jumps in and luckily lands a brilliant job at Scroll, a hip startup that promises to be the future of reading. She can do it all; this balancing act is no problem! Can she though? Fans of Where'd You Go, Bernadette and Bridget Jones's Diary will enjoy this very real story. –Kelly E.

Jimmy Bluefeather

by Kim Heacox

available in September, hardcover, Alaska Northwest Books

Old Keb Wisting, the last living canoe carver in his village, is somewhere around ninety-five years old (he lost count), in constant pain, and thinks he wants to die. His grandson, Jimmy Bluefeather, is despondent after a logging injury derails his passion for basketball. Together they embark on a great canoe journey in the wild Pacific Alaska. This is a story of adventure, love, and reconciliation that also explores wild resources and the importance of conservation issues in Alaska.

A Free Event

Kim Heacox At Village Tuesday, October 6, 7pm Books

At Village Books A Free Event

Amy Stewart

Saturday, September 19, 7pm

The Beautiful Bureaucrat

by Helen Phillips

available now, hardcover, Henry Holt and Co.

Newly employed Josephine is not inclined to question her fortune, but as the days inch by, Josephine feels increasingly anxious in her surroundings. "Told with the light touch of a Calvino and the warm heart of a Saramago, this brief fable-novel is funny, sad, scary, and beautiful. I love it." —Ursula K. Le Guin

The Mountain Shadow

by Gregory David Roberts

The Mark and the Void

by Paul Murray

available in October, hardcover, Farrar, Straus and Giroux

While marooned at his banking job, Claude Martingale is approached by a down-on-his-luck author, Paul, looking for his next great subject. Claude finds that his life gets steadily more exciting under Paul's fictionalizing influence; he even falls in love with a beautiful waitress. But Paul's plan is not what it seems.

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

available in October, hardcover, Grove Press

The sequel to Shantaram!

It has been two years since Lin lost the two people he had come to love: his surrogate father, Khaderbhai, and his soul mate, Karla, now married. Lin returns from a smuggling trip to a city that seems to have changed too much, too soon. Many of his old friends are long gone; his girlfriend, Lisa, is spending more time at her art gallery; and the new mafia leadership has become entangled in increasingly violent intrigues. But Lin can’t leave the Island City as Karla, and one final mission, won’t let him go.

Fall 2015 11

New Faces - Welcome!

We've just hired a great new bunch of folks to join our Village Books & Paper Dreams family. They're a varied group that ranges from recently graduated to retired. By way of introduction, we asked them each seven questions and included their answers below. When you visit next and see their smiling faces, say hi and welcome them aboard!

Your 6 word Memoir/Biography

What is your "stupid human trick?"

Laurie - Mispronouncing most words (even though I'm an ex-English teacher:) Meryl - I can wiggle my ears separately from each other.

Brenda - Wiggle my ears, also bend my thumb all the way back (it's gross).

Hayley - I can do the macarena while bicycling.

Elise - Eating unhealthy amounts of Nutella without getting sick.

New Faces at Village Books and Paper Dreams! From top to bottom, left to right: Laurie, Meryl, Brenda, Hayley, Elise, Becca, David, Kiersten,

Becca - Tongue can form a 'W' David - Bending my elbow backwards.

Hayley - Bellingham born, raised, educated. Travel-prone.

Elise - Leave a place better than before.

David - Dance dance dance.

Read read read.

Becca - It is well with my soul.

Kiersten - Coffee, Birkenstocks, Books, Cooking, Family, Friends.

What is your favorite food?

Laurie - ice cream Meryl - my mom's spaghetti sauce Brenda - sushi/chocolate Hayley - popcorn, with parmesan cheese Elise - ice cream (any and all) Becca - sour candy David - steak Kiersten - pad thai

Laurie - The Oz books Meryl - Mr. Got To Go: The Cat That Wouldn't Leave by Lois Summie Brenda - Goodnight Moon

by Margaret Wise Brown Hayley - Harry Potter—all of them!

Elise - A tie between Harry Potter and My Side of the Mountain

by Jean Craighead George Becca - Garfield David - Mossflower by Brian Jacques Kiersten - If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

by Laura Numeroff

Where would you most like to visit?

Laurie - Bhutan Meryl - Italian countryside Brenda - Italy Hayley - Prague, Czech Republic Elise - Iceland Becca - Europe!

David - Buenos Aires, Argentina Kiersten - Switzerland

What is the Last Best Book You Read?

Where you were born?

12 Fall 2015

Brenda - Be the best you can be.

Kiersten - The finger wiggle!

It's my go to party trick.

What was your favorite book as a child?

Laurie - Seattle, WA Meryl - Olympia, WA Brenda - Salt Lake City, Utah Hayley - Bellingham, WA

Laurie - Born to teach, made to read.

Meryl - Peaks ahead, clear trail.

A mirage.

Elise - Puyallup, WA Becca - Centralia, WA David - Spokaloo, WA Kiersten - Mount Vernon, WA

Laurie - Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee Meryl - Sabriel by Garth Nix Brenda - Paper Towns by John Green Hayley - Night Film by Marisha Pessl Elise - The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis Becca - Hidden Huntress by Danielle Jensen David - The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro Kiersten - Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay

Store Hours: Mon-Thurs 10am-9pm • Fri & Sat 10am-10pm • Sun 10am-7pm

FICTION FICTION brand new

FICTION

The Last September

by Nina de Gramont

available in September, hardcover, Algonquin

Brett's husband Charlie is murdered, so she and the community need to come to the truth of who her husband really was.

Now, looking back on their lives together, Brett is determined to understand how such a tragedy could have happened—and whether she was somehow complicit.

Set against the desolate autumn beauty of Cape Cod, this novel is a riveting emotional puzzle. Literary with the impact of a thriller.

We Never Asked for Wings

hardcover

FICTION

The Secret Chord

by Geraldine Brooks

available in October, hardcover, Viking

Pulitzer Prize-winner Geraldine Brooks sets her latest novel in Biblical times when King David sits on the uneasy throne of Israel. The story, told through the eyes of his seer, Natan, shows us David's life as a young child—the abandonment by his parents and siblings, leading to a lifetime of searching for love and adulation. We see his passion to the 'Name,' yet we also see his vanity that leads to an old age filled with betrayal. Brooks imbues these characters with a complexity never known in Sunday school days. –Laurie

by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

available now, hardcover, Ballantine Books

From the beloved New York Times bestselling author of The Language of Flowers comes her much-anticipated new novel about young love, hard choices, and hope against all odds. For fourteen years, Letty Espinosa has worked three jobs while her mother raised her children.

But now Letty’s parents are returning to Mexico, and Letty must step up and become a mother for the first time in her life.

Did You Ever Have a Family

by Bill Clegg

available in September, hardcover, Gallery/Scout Press

The story opens after an entire family has been killed in a tragic accident, leaving two bereft survivors. Part mystery, part novel, the reader travels into the depths of their guilt and grief until one boy steps forward with information that changes everything, one stranger offers kindness and their broken lives begin to heal. This author explores how kindness can restore hope even at the darkest of times. —Cindi

Purity

by Jonathan Franzen available in September, hardcover, Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Purity is a grand story of youthful idealism, extreme fidelity, and murder.

Franzen has imagined a world of vividly original characters—Californians and East Germans, good parents and bad parents, journalists and leakers—and he follows their intertwining paths through landscapes as contemporary as the omnipresent Internet and as ancient as the war between the sexes.

The Heart Goes Last

by Margaret Atwood

available in September, hardcover, Nan A. Talese

Stan and Charmaine are trying to stay afloat in the midst of an economic and social collapse. They desperately need to turn their situation around—and fast. The Positron Project in the town of Consilience seems to be the answer to their prayers.

No one is unemployed and everyone gets a comfortable, clean house to live in…for six months out of the year.

Still Time

by Jean Hegland available in September, hardcover, Arcade Publishing

Until John Wilson met the woman who became his fourth wife, his most intense devotion had always been for the work of William Shakespeare. But now he has been diminished by dementia, and his wife has reluctantly moved him to a residential facility. As he struggles to understand what’s going on around him, John's knowledge of the plays help him make sense of his fractured world. The story of an imperfect father's efforts to achieve authentic connection even now, this is that rare novel that reminds us that there is always time to live fully and love deeply.

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

Fall

2015 13

FICTION FICTION brand new

FICTION

hardcover

City On Fire

A Free Event

by Garth Risk Hallberg

At Village Books

available in October, hardcover, Knopf

Centered around the 1977 blackout that crippled New York City and led to widespread looting and chaos, this massive, epic novel encompasses an entire city and an entire tumultous year in its nearly one thousand pages.

But City On Fire isn't just about the seventies, and it isn't just about the unforgettable characters in its ensemble cast. It isn't even just about New York. It's about the endless possibility and intricate connections of a group of people in any time or place, and it's nothing short of a masterpiece. —Sam

Slade House

by David Mitchell available in October, hardcover, Random House

In David Mitchell’s exhilarating new novel, five “guests,” each separated by nine years enter Slade House for a brief visit—only to vanish without a trace from the outside world. Who draws them to the heart of Slade House, and why is the house missing from maps? Beginning in 1979 and ending in 2015, these 5 interlacing narratives will enchant Mitchell’s readers with his signature blend of mystery, realism, and the supernatural.

Scrapper

by Matt Bell

available in September, hardcover, Soho Press

Detroit, present-day. Kelly is a scavenger, combing the burned-out, abandoned buildings and houses of the zone for anything that can be sold for scrap. He is a solitary figure whose routine is shattered when he discovers a boy held captive in a basement. As he turns from scrapper to savior, dark memories of his past emerge. Peppered with vignettes from around the globe, this is a story about watching and being watched, and what happens when we walk that fine line between justice and vengeance. —Claire

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RISK FREE READS

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2015

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y Money B Da a 0-

A R A N TEE

FICTION

Sara Donati Tuesday, September 1, 7pm

The Gilded Hour

by Sara Donati

available now, hardcover, Berkley

Bellingham author Sara Donati returns to historical fiction with the story of cousins and physicians Anna and Sophie, descendants of characters from Donati's internationally bestselling Wilderness series. In 1883 New York City, Anna encounters a child who's lost nearly everything while Sophie's attempt to help a desperate mother catapult her into the orbit of a very dangerous man.

And West is West

by Ron Childress

available in October, hardcover, Algonquin

An Air Force drone pilot in Arizona flies missions against an unseen enemy.

A rumpled young banker in New York watches for currency fluctuations in the wake of terrorist attacks. Though they have never met, they are both minor pawns in a long, dangerous game with no tidy conclusion—and they are inextricably linked in ways that neither can imagine. This is a novel about how we manipulate—currency, politics, machines and each other—and its implications, although subtle, are catastrophic.

—Sam

Come Rain or Come Shine: A Mitford Novel

by Jan Karon

available in September, hardcover, G.P. Putnam's Sons

Jan Karon delivers the wedding that millions of Mitford fans have waited for.

It's a June day in the mountains, with more than a few creatures great and small, and you're invited—because you're family.

And remember to bring a tissue or two.

After all, what's a good wedding without a good cry?

Shop 24 hours a day at villagebooks.com

FICTION FICTION brand new

FICTION

hardcover

The Daughters

This is Your Life, Harriet Chance!

by Adrienne Celt

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

In incandescent prose, debut novelist Adrienne Celt skillfully intertwines the sensuous but precise physicality of both motherhood and music. She infuses The Daughters with the spirit of the rusalka, a bewitching figure of Polish mythology that inspired Dvorák's classic opera. The result is a tapestry of secrets, affairs, and unimaginable sacrifices, revealing a family legacy laced with brilliance, tragedy, and most mysterious and seductive of all—the resonant ancestral lore that binds each mother to the one that came before.

FICTION

by Jonathan Evison

available in September, hardcover, Algonquin

The famous 1950’s television show is revived once again in Evison’s new tragicomic novel with 79 year old Harriet Chance at its center. With her husband two years in the grave, she sets out on an ill-conceived Alaskan cruise. She discovers through a series of revelations (and we witness through gameshow-toned flashbacks) that nearly her whole life has been built on lies and mistaken assumptions. Evison’s storytelling is pitch-perfect with deeply flawed, yet endearing, characters. –Paul

The Chuckanut Radio Hour

JONATHAN EVISON Welcome to Night Vale

by Joseph Fink and Jeffery Cranor available in October, hardcover, Harper Perennial

Set in the same universe as the popular comedy/horror podcast of the same name, this book is sure to delight seasoned fans and those newer readers who are looking for something super different, existentially unsettling, and absurdly entertaining. The very personal mysteries the characters face kept me guessing on every page, and said characters were beautifully bizarre and real in their struggles. That quirky Night Vale flavor of writing genius suffused every unique sentence and startling simile. —Rachel

Friday, September 11, 6:30pm tickets $5 - available now See page 51 for more information about this show!

The Incarnations

by Susan Barker

available now, hardcover, Touchstone

"A thrilling journey through a thousand years of obsession and betrayal and a vivid tapestry of the individual's struggle against the tyranny of history, this is the most extraordinary work of imagination you'll read all year." —Adam Johnson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Orphan Master's Son

Laurus

by Eugene Vodolazkin available in October, hardcover, Oneworld Publications

In the late fifteenth century, a village healer in Russia is powerless to help his beloved as she dies in childbirth, unwed, and without having received communion.

Devastated and desperate, he sets out on a journey in search of redemption.

Becoming no ordinary journey, it spans ages and countries, and brings him face-to-face with a host of unforgettable, eccentric characters and legendary creatures from the strangest medieval bestiaries. The author, Eugene Vodolazkin, is a specialist in ancient Russian culture and is widely referred to as 'the Russian Umberto Eco'.

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

The Hummingbird

by Stephen P. Kiernan

available in September, hardcover, William Morrow & Company

This is the tale of three people in Lake Oswego, Oregon (and one long-dead Japanese soldier) seeking redemption and unable to heal until they connect and unravel their stories together. How does a hospice nurse care for a bitter historian who is dying alone and her husband who has just returned from Iraq with PTSD? The author explores the power of empathy and insight in this sensitive, satisfying novel. —Cindi

Fall

2015

15

Join us for a

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

Real people.

Real issues.

IVAN DOIG and his final novel,

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

For more information, visit

www.bellinghamcityclub.org

We Look Forward to Seeing You

Last Bus to Wisdom featuring David Laskin and Carol Doig

T

his year, we lost Ivan Doig, the great novelist of the American West. Ivan once wrote that “if I have any creed that I wish you as readers…it’d be this belief of mine that writers…can ground their work in a specific land and lingo and yet be writing of that larger country: life.”

In his final novel, Last Bus to Wisdom, that belief rings true. In the immortal American tradition, a boy and a man light out for the territory together, meeting a classic Doigian ensemble of characters and having rollicking misadventures along the way. Charming, wise, and slyly funny, Last Bus to Wisdom is a last sweet gift from a writer whose books have bestowed untold pleasure on countless readers.

Join us as we celebrate the life and work of Ivan Doig with a reading from Last Bus to Wisdom featuring David Laskin (bestselling author of The Family and The Children’s Blizzard) and Carol Doig.

A Free Event at Village Books

Friday, September 18, 7pm

16 Fall

2015

Building Community One Book at a Time

FICTION FICTION brand new

FICTION

The New World

by Andrew Motion

available now, Crown Publishing Group

If you enjoy adventurous fiction with wonderful historical backdrops, this book delivers. Andrew Motion borrows Robert Lewis Stevenson's Jim Hawkins of Treasure Island, and imagines how Jim and his companion Natty escape Treasure Island only to be shipwrecked on the Texas Gulf Coast. Author Sir Andrew Motion was Poet Laureate of the U.K. from 1999 to 2009 and Professor of Creative Writing at Royal Holloway College, University of London, and this novel shows it. The prequel to The New World is called Silver: Return to Treasure Island, and I will be seeking it out next to discover how Jim and Natty met and survived Treasure Island. –Laura O.

Secondhand Souls

by Christopher Moore

available now, hardcover, William Morrow

The cast from A Dirty Job is back getting ready to battle another uprising of dark forces. Bodies, souls, ghosts, and "other" entities negotiate positions. Seven year old Sophie has apparently lost her hellhounds and her status as The Big D. And what is Minty Fresh's cousin, Lemon, up to?

hardcover

FICTION

Make Me: A Jack Reacher Novel

by Lee Child

available in September, hardcover, Delacorte Press

With each new Jack Reacher thriller, Lee Child dominates bestseller lists and ensnares new fans. In his 20th electrifying adventure, Child once again delivers a power-punch to the suspense genre.

Where will Reacher turn up this time? And which bad guys are in for a hard fall? Stay tuned to this spot—as one of the world’s most popular authors proves there’s no one with more staying power than Jack Reacher.

Fates and Furies

by Lauren Groff

available in September, hardcover, Riverhead

Lotto and Mathilde met at a party.

Lotto took one look at Mathilde and proposed; Mathilde took one look at Lotto and accepted. They eloped, much to his mother's chagrin. They struggled, together, through the poverty of their twenties. They became famous, became legends. They were glamorous. They had it all. They had no secrets, especially not from each other. Or did they? This powerfully conceived novel—full of sharp edges and complicated truths—may be the finest piece of new fiction I have read this year. Lauren Groff (The Monsters of Tempelton, Arcadia), has delivered a stunning piece of work. —Sam

The Marriage of Opposites

by Alice Hoffman

available now, hardcover, Simon & Schuster

Alice Hoffman’s latest book, The Marriage of Opposites, relies on the development, interaction, and dynamism of her various characters.

Based on the family of Camille Pisarro, a founding father of French impressionism, Hoffman brings her readers into a world of mysticism, romance, lost hope, and realized dreams on the island of St. Thomas and eventually, nineteenth-century Paris. As always, spirituality and an almost other-worldliness describe both the characters and their environment, and as the reader loses oneself in the story, we can almost hear the birds, smell the spices, and taste the molasses of a long-gone era. This is a book that will linger in your mind long after your fingers browse the final pages. –Laurie

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

The Infinite Home

by Kathleen Alcott

available now, hardcover, Riverhead Books

Edith is a widowed landlady who rents apartments in her Brooklyn brownstone to an unlikely collection of humans, all deeply in need of shelter. Crippled in various ways—in spirit, in mind, in body, in heart—the renters struggle to navigate daily existence, and soon come to realize that Edith’s deteriorating mind, and the menacing presence of her estranged, unscrupulous son, Owen, is the greatest challenge they must confront together. A beautifully wrought story of an ad hoc family and the crisis they must overcome together. With humanity, humor, grace, and striking prose, Kathleen Alcott portrays these unforgettable characters in their search for connection, for a life worth living, for home.

Fall

2015

17

FICTION paperback

FICTION

FICTION

An Italian Wife

Henna House

by Ann Hood

by Nomi Eve

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

available now, paperback, Scribner Book Company

Yemen, 1920: Adela is the youngest daughter in a Jewish household and her parents are trying desperately to find her a future husband. Just in time, however, Adela meets two distant cousins who each become an important part of Adela’s coming-of-age story: Asaf, with whom she shares her deepest secret, and the other to Hani, who opens her heart and mind to the ancient traditions of Henna. Nomi Eve weaves an intricate and powerful story with beautiful language that makes the Henna she describes reach out of the page and grab onto you. This is a story that you won’t forget for a long time. —Lauren

Sins of Our Fathers

by Shawn Lawrence Otto

available in September, paperback, Milkweed Editions

This thriller follows John White, aka J.W., who has just been caught stealing from his employer to support his gambling addiction. Now J.W. must choose between prison and his boss’s twisted plan to sabotage a competing, Native American banker named Johnny Eagle. But when J.W. moves onto the reservation to carry out this scheme, he forms an unexpected bond with Eagle's delinquent son—a relationship that gives him both the access to do Eagle in, and a reason not to proceed. Written by screenwriter Shawn Lawrence Otto (House of Sand and Fog), this is his debut novel.

Will Starling

by Ian Weir

The interconnected stories that fan out from a central character—in this case, matriarch Josephine Rimaldi—illuminate important truths about the ways in which our families, our ancestry, and the era into which we're born shape who we become. Poignant, sensual, and deeply felt, An Italian Wife is a sweeping and evocative portrait of a family bound by love and heartbreak.

The Hour of Lead

by Bruce Holbert

available now, paperback, Perseus

When a brutal snowstorm strikes a small Eastern Washington town in the winter of 1918, young Matt Lawson loses both his twin brother and his father. From there we follow Matt for the next 50 years—through the pitfalls of first love, the hardships of poverty, violence, bloodshed, and a cast of characters that will make you laugh then cringe then shake your head in wonder. Evocative of Cormac McCarthy at his best, this novel absolutely floored me. –Paul

We sell e-books!

Screenwriting for Novelists

available now, paperback, Random House

Wow. This is the kind of novel I wish I’d written. Set in Regency-era London, the title character narrates this story in retrospect from Newgate Prison where he’s due to be hanged for a series of grisly crimes. Will is innocent but tainted by his association with the surgeons who conduct their autopsies and experiments upon purloined corpses. But is one of the surgeons attempting reanimation? And how far will he go to cover his crimes? Masterful storytelling, verging on Dickensian, that’s satisfying both emotionally and intellectually. —Paul

18 Fall 2015

paperback

A Chuckanut Writers Class

New

Screenwriting is a craft—and an art—unto itself. But the key principles of screenwriting can be applied to any form of storytelling. In this workshop, Ian Weir, author of Daniel O’Thunder and Will Starling, will share lessons learned in 25 years as a screenwriter and TV showrunner.

F8546 / 1 session $55 1:00 - 5:00 PM SAT: 11/14 Village Books—Readings Gallery Weir F8546 / 1 session $55

See whatcomcommunityed.com for more into.

Store Hours: Mon-Thurs 10am-9pm • Fri & Sat 10am-10pm • Sun 10am-7pm

Mystery At Village Books

Greenfellas

by Robert Lopresti

A Free Event

available now, paperback, Dark Oak Mysteries

ROBERT LOPRESTI

Greenfellas is a comic crime novel, with Thursday, September 3, 7pm issues. On the day New Jersey mobster Sal Caetano becomes a grandfather, he hears that climate change will ruin the world for his granddaughter.

So Sal decides to save the environment by any means necessary. Robert Lopresti is the environmental sciences librarian at WWU. The author of more than fifty published short stories and two novels, he is a two time recipient of the Derringer Award and the winner of the Black Orchid Novella Award.

First Impressions: A Novel of Old Books, Unexpected Love, and Jane Austen

by Charlie Lovett

available in October, paperback, Penguin Books

Book lover and Austen enthusiast Sophie Collingwood has recently taken a job at an antiquarian bookshop in London when two different customers request a copy of the same obscure book. Their queries draw Sophie into a mystery that will cast doubt on the true authorship of Pride and Prejudice—and ultimately threaten Sophie's life.

Bitter Remedy: A Commissario Alec Blume Novel

by Conor Fitzgerald

available in September, paperback, Bloomsbury USA

"There's an element of the old-fashioned 'golden age' mystery here, with Blume like an amateur sleuth bumbling his way around a picture-postcard setting, trying to lay to rest his own ghosts even as he excavates some long-buried skeletons.

The incorruptible Blume's efforts to find the truth are given a blackly comic sheen courtesy of his spiky personality." —Irish Times

The Scribe

by Matthew Guinn available in September, hardcover, W.W. Norton Company

Think Girl with a Dragon Tattoo meets Gone with the Wind in this new mystery.

Set in 1880’s Atlanta, Georgia where a cotton exposition is designed to catapult the city into the future and leave the ‘unpleasantness’ behind, a vicious serial killer decides to leave creatively eviscerated bodies throughout town. Stir in the friendly saloon madam, a lost reputation, and vitriolic racism, and it is a recipe for suspense in the midst of history. –Laurie

The Girl in the Spider’s Web: A Lisbeth Salander Novel

by David Lagercrantz

available in September, hardcover, Knopf

Late one night, Blomkvist receives a phone call from a trusted source claiming to have information vital to the United States. The source has been in contact with a young female super hacker—a hacker resembling someone Blomkvist knows all too well. The implications are staggering. Blomkvist, in desperate need of a scoop for Millennium, turns to Lisbeth for help. She, as usual, has her own agenda.

Attention Students & Graduates

We buy USED TEXTBOOKS! Bring your used textbooks in and get cash or twice as much in store credit. We buy gently used books with minimal underlining, but our offers are comparable with college stores. And we buy YEAR-ROUND, EVERY DAY! We buy "regular" used books as well—bring them all in and get a big credit for holiday shopping!

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

Fall

2015 19

Graphic Novels Out on the Wire : The Storytelling Secrets of the New Masters of Radio

Step Aside, Pops : A Hark!

A Vagrant Collection

by Jessica Abel

by Kate Beaton

available now, paperback, Broadway Books

Millions of fans tune in to This American Life, The Moth, Radiolab, and other narrative radio shows. The pieces that we hear use personal stories to illuminate big ideas, to explore other worlds, and to help us understand ourselves a bit better. Though the shows have different styles, they all deliver stories that are brilliantly told and produced. Out on the Wire is an exploration of this storytelling that regularly captivates radio listeners.

available in September, hardcover, Drawn and Quarterly

Beaton returns with a refined pen, ready to make jokes at the expense of hunks, army generals, scientists, and Canadians in equal measure. With a few carefully placed lines, she captures the over-the-top evil of the straw feminists in the closet, the disgruntled dismay of Heathcliff, and Wonder Woman's all-conquering ennui.

The UNDEAD The Undead Hello Mr. Bones & Goodbye Mr. Rat : Two Novellas

by Patrick McCabe

available in September, paperback, Quercus

"[McCabe] is expert at making the darkest deeds funny, forcing us to laugh at the worst things in the world. He writes like an Irish Lenny Bruce, riffing at warp speed, swerving from one time to another and one place to another and strewing the landscape with allusion" —The New York Times

United Way of Whatcom County UnitedWayWhatcom.org

INCREASING CAPS & GOWNS Our focus on Education has helped to increase literacy for Whatcom kindergartners by 10%, a sure sign of future grads. United Way is about more than short-term charity for a few; we’re about building opportunity for everyone.

United Way of Whatcom County

20 Fall 2015

UnitedWayWhatcom.org

Store Hours: Mon-Thurs 10am-9pm • Fri & Sat 10am-10pm • Sun 10am-7pm

Science Fiction The Library at Mount Char

by Scott Hawkins

available now, hardcover, Random House

Imagine George R. R. Martin and Stephen King playing a game of chess, but instead of using a board with pieces, they were writing one long, bad-ass novel with their favorite characters. This would be that story. The storyline develops along the most twisty, strategic playbook, and the characters you are most fond of have hideous things happen to them. But the writing is diabolically excellent, witty, and riveting.

I couldn't put this down (except in the scenes with the Bull). —Jonica

Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

by David Wong

by George R.R. Martin

available in October, hardcover, Thomas Dunne Books

available in October, hardcover, Bantam

In a prosperous yet gruesomely violent near-future, superhero vigilantes battle thugs whose heads are full of supervillain fantasies. The peace is kept by a team of smooth, well-dressed negotiators called The Men in Fancy Suits. Meanwhile a young girl is caught in the middle, and thinks the whole thing is ridiculous.

The three linked novellas in this compilation can be considered a sort of prequel to A Game of Thrones. Our heroes are the noble but impoverished hedge knight Duncan, and his bold squire—a boy known as Egg, but whose real name is Aegon Targaryen, and who will someday become King Aegon V, the Unlikely…and Daenerys’ great-grandfather.

Now in Paperback!

The Water Knife

by Paolo Bacigalupi

Chimpanzee: A Novel

available now, hardcover, Knopf

Set in the southwestern United States, Paolo Bacigalupi brings together three characters who couldn't be more different. They will decide the fate of Phoenix and other parched cities that depend on the Colorado River for survival. It's brutal, beautiful, and will have you up reading for hours past your bedtime. The subtleties and politics of governments and individuals will draw you into the knife'sedge that draws the line between survival and disaster for an issue that will one day face our nation in reality. Once you pick this book up, don't expect to put it down until you've finished. —Jenny

by Darin Bradley

available now, paperback, Underland Press

Imagine your education and knowledge could become a commodity, as it could be removed from your memory and downloaded into another. Then imagine that unemployment has ravaged the U.S. economy, and the one thing left to you to avoid complete ruin is your mental commodity. As the government repossession team closes on Ben, he has no intention of losing his mind without a fight, so he begins teaching in the park in a race against ignorance. As Ben slowly loses himself, the Chimpanzee protest movement seems to grow, with all fingers pointing to Ben.

Speculative Fiction Book Group

Robot Tea Infusers

FIND ME IN PAPER DREAMS!

Doctor Who's Disappearing Tardis Mug

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

This group meets the 3rd Monday of every month at 7pm to discuss thought-provoking speculative fiction in a group that welcomes diversity. Meetings take place in the Writers' Corner on the mezzanine level of Village Books.

Fall

2015 21

VB Reads...

Village Books

Groups meet in the VB Readings Gallery unless otherwise noted

Pacific Northwest Book Group

Bellingham Mysterians

Mystery Book Group Meets at 4pm the 3rd Tuesday of each month in the Writers' Corner on the Mezzanine Level of Village Books. Do you love a mystery? So do we! This is a book group for adults who are fans of the genre in all its sub-categories and micro-niches.

Sharpen Your Saw

Business Book Group Meet with Bill Miller the 3rd Tuesday of every month for a 5pm-7pm Happy Hour in the Book Fare Cafe to discuss an alternative approach to keeping your mind sharp and life balanced while being part of a continuous learning community.

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

Afternoon Book Chat Bring your tea or latte and come discuss contemporary literature with Sittrea the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 1pm—open to all!

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

Book Book Groups Groups Meet with Maren the 4th Monday of every month at 7pm to discuss books set in the Northwest, books about the Northwest, and books from local authors.

Meetings take place in the Writers' Corner on the mezzanine level of Village Books.

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

Armchair Historians Chat about, discuss, and dissect the most current and interesting history being written the 2nd Monday of every month from 7pm to 8:30pm in the Writers' Corner at Village Books.

Speculative Fiction Book Group Meet with Rachel the 3rd Monday of every month at 7pm to discuss thought-provoking speculative fiction in a group that welcomes diversity. Meetings take place in the Writers' Corner on the mezzanine level of Village Books.

Motherhood by the Book Meet with Claire the 2nd Sunday of every month at 2pm for an hour of spirited discussion of books that celebrate the trials, tribulations, and rewards of motherhood. Meetings take place in the Writers' Corner on the mezzanine level of Village Books.

Groups are open to Everyone. Authors do Not Attend VB Reads

VB Reads book groups are open to anyone in the community to attend. There is no group membership. However, those who attend are eligible for a 15% discount on that group's selections.

Each month, Hana, VB 's book group coordinator, sends out a fantastic e-newsletter, specifically geared for book groups. It often contains staff recommends & fun facts about the reading habits of those of us here at the store! Sign up for the Book Group Newsletter at villagebooks.com or by emailing hana@villagebooks.com.

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

Contact hana@villagebooks.com to:

Register YOUR book group with us and receive 15% off your book selections or to sign up for our monthly book group eNewsletter.

22 Fall

2015

Building Community One Book at a Time

Mark Your Calendar!

March 2015

Ruth Ozeki

Whatcom READS! is a community-wide reading and discussion program intended to encourage all Whatcom County residents to read the same book and create a county-wide book club experience.

Ruth Ozeki's A Tale for the Time Being has been selected as the featured book for 2016.

Ruth Ozeki’s A Tale for the Time Being, shortlisted for the Booker Prize and a National Book Critics Circle Award, is next year’s Whatcom READS! choice.

Enjoy the book again or discover it for the first time, then join us in welcoming author Ruth Ozeki to Bellingham the first week of March. Keep an eye on WhatcomReads.org for details.

Purchase A Tale for the Time Being at Village Books and we will donate 10% of the proceeds to Whatcom READS!

Whatcom WRITES! 7th Annual Writing Contest

Theme = Choices Have you struggled with difficult choices: to accept or reject; leave or stay?

Were the results different than you expected? Have your choices changed the course of your life in unexpected ways?

Enter the Whatcom WRITES! contest addressing this topic. In up to 800 words, submit your poem, fiction, or non-fiction work on the theme of choices due by October 9, 2015. Winners will be published in a printed anthology and invited to read their work at Village Books on December 13.

For all the rules and details of where and how to submit, go to whatcomreads.org/whatcom_writes.

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

Art Challenge Whatcom READS! 2016 joins with Allied Arts of Whatcom County to sponsor an art challenge inspired by A Tale for the Time Being, the brilliant, unforgettable book by best-selling author Ruth Ozeki. The Challenge is open to any local artists working in any media. Art will displayed at the Allied Arts Gallery in February 2016. It's easy to participate!

For details and submission requirements www.alliedarts.org.

Fall

2015 23

Writing Groups

VB Writes...

Village Books

Groups meet in the Writers' Corner on the mezzanine level of VB

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

Fiction I

Prompts

SpecFic/SciFi

2nd & 4th Thursdays, 6-8pm

2nd & 4th Tuesdays, 6-8pm

2nd & 4th Mondays, 6-8pm

Poetry I

Young Adult & Children

1st & 3rd Thursdays, 5:30 to 7pm

2nd & 4th Wednesdays, 6-8pm

Fiction II

1st & 3rd Wednesdays, 6-8pm

Poetry II

Creative Nontiction f

Nontiction f & Memoir

1st & 3rd Wednesdays, 10:15-12:15am

1st & 3rd Tuesdays, 6-8pm

1st & 3rd Sundays, 3:15-5:15pm

Read more about each group at villagebooks.com. Please note that meeting times may vary during the holidays. Check our events calendar to confirm meeting times.

Contact Paul@villagebooks.com for more information.

GET T WRITE T

CONTINUING EDUCATION

Courses for

Subscribe to the Village Books

Writers

Just Write! eNewsletter Our monthly eNewsletter gives tips for every stage of writing—from craft to publication to presentation.

Hear from local and national writing gurus and keep abreast of VB events, workshops, classes, and conferences for writers.

How? Go to Villagebooks.com and click on the "Sign Up for our Weekly eNewsletter" icon.

When you receive the confirmation email, follow the link to update your profile and check the box next to "Just Write!"

Prose Writing Publishing & Marketing Grammar for Editors

Evening Classes & Weekend Workshops

Open to the Community

wwu.edu/Enrich (360) 650-3308

Active Minds Changing Lives AA/EO

24 Fall 2015

Store Hours: Mon-Thurs 10am-9pm • Fri & Sat 10am-10pm • Sun 10am-7pm

2015 Conference a Great Success

by Paul Hanson, Village Books General Manager

O

nce upon a time, six years ago, the folks at Whatcom Community College's Continuing & Community Education department asked themselves what they could do for the writing community of Bellingham. Their answer was to partner with Village Books in producing a two-day writers conference that would inspire writers and help turn that inspiration into action. Thus was born the Chuckanut Writers Conference and for these past five years, that dream has been made a wonderful reality.

From the outset, evaluations from the attendees have been overwhelmingly positive and feedback from this past June's conference have been much the same, with every answer to the question of whether they would attend this conference in the future being YES! Further comments reflect and recognize the values that set this conference apart. From the outset, the conference has been driven by Village Books' mission of "Building Community One Book" at a Time by connecting writers of all levels with each other and with the faculty. These forged connections last throughout the year—they collaborate on projects, form writing groups, and join together to create community literary events.

Having been a part of planning the conference for the past four years, I have to say that although we have extremely high hopes and expectations for the conference, each time it simply blows us away. It's like writing a script all year long for the best play ever and then, when it comes to life, it's ever so much better than you ever imagined.

We're already starting on "writing the script" for 2016. I can't wait to see what year six has in store!

"There was so much useful information and this has really inspired me to become more serious about my writing."

What attendees are saying:

"I have attended this conference for the past four years.

The information is always new and invaluable to a budding writer."

"The faculty are amazing and approachable."

SAVE THE DATES!

Returns to WCC next summer!

Friday and Saturday June 24 & 25, 2016 WCC and Village Books would like to thank all attendees and our valued sponsors for making this year's conference a success.

Please join us next year. www.chuckanutwritersconference.com 360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • villagebooks.com

Fall

2015 25

COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Chuckanut Writers

Chuckanut Writers

A collaboration between Village Books and WCC Community & Continuing Education. You'll find writing classes, seminars, and conferences that will inspire and encourage writers at all stages of their writing journey.

Writing Workshop for Busy Teens This class is for teens who want to maintain a personal writing practice during the busy school year.

F8786 / 5 sessions $109 6:30 - 8:30 PM THU: 9/24 - 11/19 Gillman Fairhaven Village Inn - Conference Room

Creating and Sustaining a Writing Practice

Learn how to create and sustain a writing practice within the context of a busy life—a meaningful and relevant practice which will be useful and interesting, auto-didactic, as well as motivating and inspiring.

F8153 / 5 sessions $95 6:30 - 8:00 PM TUE: 10/13 - 11/10 Gillman Fairhaven Village Inn - Conference Room

Have you accomplished or experienced something adventurous or unusual? Would your story make a great book if only you knew where to start? Come away from this class ready to tell your story in a scenic and compelling way.

F8666 / 5 sessions $125 6:00 - 8:00 PM WED: 9/30 - 10/28 WCC - Kulshan 223 Ostman New

Spend an afternoon parsing the territory where literature meets the land. Read more on page 43.

F8132 / 1 session $45 1:00 - 4:00 PM SAT: 10/10 Village Books—Readings Gallery Pyle

2015

Continue your Wild Mind Writing practice! Prerequisite: Wild Mind Writing I or instructor permission. Class does not meet November 9.

F8747 / 3 sessions $95 6:30 - 9:00 PM MON: 11/2 - 11/23 Canyon Fairhaven Village Inn - Conference Room

Wild Mind Writing—Take both levels for just $159 F8741 / 6 sessions Introduction to Creative Writing

New

Designed for emerging writers, this class will focus on essential elements of story-writing craft relevant to short stories, novels, and memoir.

F8345 / 4 sessions $145 6:30 - 9:30 PM THU: 10/15 - 11/5 WCC - Kelly 109 Leigh

Writing to Clear Clutter and Clearing Clutter to Write

The Quest Memoir: Writing About Travel & Other Assorted Journeys

26 Fall

of “wild mind writing”! This intriguing class frees the mind through a unique practice that eliminates writer’s block.

F8744 / 3 sessions $95 6:30 - 9:00 PM MON: 10/12 - 10/26 Canyon Fairhaven Village Inn - Conference Room

Wild Mind Writing II: Practice and Form

The Craft of Writing

Conjuring Words from the Land

Conferences, classes, and retreats for your writing life Rhyme and Reason: Wild Mind Writing I Understanding Poetry Spend three autumn evenings discovering the power

In this workshop, designed especially for writers, you’ll practice applying brief, time-tested journaling processes to identify and clear the barriers to and distractions from your writing life.

F8783 / 1 session $45 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM SAT: 10/17 Koehnline Fairhaven Village Inn - Conference Room

Fall Writing Marathon Push through procrastination and writer’s block in a fall writing marathon! This exciting 12-hour event will use a combination of structure and freedom to build energy and amass quick results. Dress comfortably and for the weather.

F8246 / 1 session $79 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM SUN: 10/18 Groves Book Fare Cafe at Village Books

New

Increase your understanding and appreciation of poetry! Course is geared for students who are relative novices seeking an introduction to poetry as well as those who write poetry and are experienced readers.

F8537 / 5 sessions $109 6:30 - 8:30 PM THU: 10/22 - 11/19 Leatherbarrow WCC - Heiner 102

Three Hours, Three New Poems

New

We’ll scrutinize models of three different types of poems and, for each type, we’ll generate one of our own. Bring a notebook and pen for your own writing.

F8699 / 1 session $45 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM SAT: 10/24 Village Books—Readings Gallery Long

Revision Strategies for Compelling Fiction

New

You’ve written a story, but it’s just not working. Learn to see your story anew and make the large-scale changes that lead to compelling, publishable fiction.

F8534 / 4 sessions $95 4:00 - 6:00 PM FRI: 10/30 - 11/20 WCC - FND 201C Hoffman

Children’s Writing— A Plan for Success

New

Before spending a year of your life writing that children’s book, be sure you have a plan for success.

Learn to create concepts, choose which are viable, develop them into useable synopses, and organize yourself before sitting down to write. F8111 / 1 session $59 9:00 AM - 1:45 PM FRI: 10/16 Fairhaven Village Inn Buckingham Conference Room

Screenwriting for Novelists

New

In this workshop, Ian Weir, author of Daniel O’Thunder and Will Starling, will share lessons learned in 25 years as a screenwriter and TV showrunner. See page 18 for more information.

F8546 / 1 session $55 1:00 - 5:00 PM SAT: 11/14 Village Books—Readings Gallery Weir

Class registration is now open. Visit whatcomcommunityed.com or call 360-383-3200 to reserve your space today.

Building Community One Book at a Time

Chuckanut Writers WhaMemWriMo—

New

Write Your Memoir in September!

As part of the inaugural Whatcom Memoir Writing Month, this series of workshops will help you turn your memories into memoir, giving shape and voice to the stories you have always wanted to share and the stories your readers want to hear. The goal for each writer is 1,666 words every day. At the end of September you will have 50,000 words: a book. These workshops, each 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.

Intro to Writing Your Memoir: Making the Narrative Journey This introductory class will provide an overview of the memoir to help guide writers and shape their understanding. Come prepared to take lots of notes, meet other writers, and be inspired.

F8729 / 1 session $19 5:30 - 7:00 PM THU: 9/3 Kalpakian Village Books—Readings Gallery

Managing Relationships with Family while Writing About Them

Generating Scenes to Complete the Literary Arc of Your Memoir Using the Three Act Structure, we’ll build a timeline, determining if additional scenes are needed to create order and produce momentum within the story arc.

F8735 / 1 session $19 5:30 - 7:00 PM THU: 9/17 Canyon Village Books—Readings Gallery

Tame Your Inner Critic

What should come first? Publishing your memoir or preserving family relationships?

This discussion will encourage thoughtful exploration of the memoirist’s commitment and responsibility to the project, to their authorial voice and freedoms, and to family members whose private lives may be part of the story.

F8732 / 1 session $19 5:30 - 7:00 PM THU: 9/10 Leigh Village Books—Readings Gallery

Join Cami Ostman and learn how to change your relationship with your inner critic once and for all.

Learn to move through your inner barriers so you can get your writing done.

F8738 / 1 session $19 5:30 - 7:00 PM THU: 9/24 Ostman Village Books—Readings Gallery

WhaMemWriMo—Take all four workshops for $65 F8726

Visit whatcomcommunityed.com or call 360-383-3200 to reregister.

The Profession of Writing Self Publishing Your eBook Join writer Dawn Groves and learn how to successfully publish a fiction or nonfiction eBook. She’ll provide a step-by-step walkthrough, taking a completed work from raw manuscript to published eBook.

F8549 / 2 sessions $79 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM SAT: 9/26 & 10/3 WCC - Heiner 101 Groves

Format a Print-Ready Book New using Microsoft Word Write your own print-ready book using Microsoft Word! In this hands-on computer course, you’ll learn how to generate a proper book layout. Leave class understanding how to build a book that’s well organized, easy to update, and professional.

Prerequisite: comfortable working with Microsoft Word and files/folders.

F8264 / 2 sessions $89 1:00 - 4:00 PM SAT: 10/17 & 10/24 WCC - Foundation 101J Groves

Copyediting Basics

The key to diamond-clear writing is the editing! Learn and work with the tools of a copyeditor in a nuts-andbolts approach to the basic rules and techniques, using classroom exercises, explanations and discussion to create a dependable foundation for ensuring that copy is error-free. Begin the development of an “editor’s eye,” whether you are writing fiction, nonfiction or blogs, or helping others with their writing. Class does not meet November 11.

F8138 / 3 sessions $109 6:00 - 9:00 PM WED: 10/28 - 11/18 WCC - Kelly 108 Blecker

The Writer’s Toolbox: Fiction Writing Join Roby Blecker for this series of practical exercises that will provide you with tools for your writing toolbox. Our goal will be to engage readers, rather than general theory, giving you writing practice at your level and challenging you to move in and beyond that level with confidence. If you have a work in progress or you are just in the idea stage, this series will provide you with the means to take the next step. Series can be taken as a whole, or you can select from the individual workshops.

Lunch break from 12 - 1 PM each session.

Location: WCC - Foundation 201B

Building Strong Characters F8681 / 1 session $79 WED: 10/7 9AM - 4 PM

Writing Compelling Dialogue.

F8684 / 1 session $79 WED: 10/14 9 AM - 4PM

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

New

Creating Evocative Settings, Atmosphere, and Mood F8687 / 1 session $79 WED: 10/21 9 AM - 4PM

Working with Story and Plot I F8690 / 1 session $79 WED: 10/28 9AM - 4PM

Take all six workshops for $395 F8678 Working with Story and Plot II F8693 / 1 session $79 WED: 11/4 9 AM - 4PM

Maximizing Your Uniqueness as a Storyteller F8696 / 1 session $79 WED: 11/18 9:AM - 4 PM

Fall

2015

27

CELEBRATE LOCAL FARMS, LOCAL CHEFS, LOCAL FOOD

LOCAL MONTH CALENDAR

WEEK

1

SEPTEMBER Eat. Drink. Tour.(be merry!) Win prizes.

WEEK

Sunday, 08/30

Chefs Collaborative Field to Flame Fundraiser Brunch, 11am

Wednesday, 09/02

Eat Local Month Launch Party & Film Showing, Pickford Film Center, 5:30pm

Sunday, 09/6

Master Gardener Composting Workshop, Hovander Park, 2pm

Sunday, 09/6

Co-op Farm Fund Hootenany, Boundary Bay Beer Garden, 6:30pm

2

Saturday, 09/12

Thursday, 09/17

Monday, 09/21

Saturday, 09/19

Monday, 09/21

Bellingham Beer Week

Whatcom County Farm Tour, 10am-5pm

Saturday, 09/12

Demo Days at the Market, Bellingham Farmers Market, 10am-3pm

Saturday, 09/12

DA

IR

Y

FO O

IN

SE A

IT ALL ALL IT

FR U IT

HE

RB

S

N

UT

G RA D

Kombucha Town Brewery Tour & Tasting, 6 pm

Harvesting & Preserving Fall Fruit, Cloud Mountain Farm Center, 10:30am

Saturday, 09/19

Chef in the Market, Bellingham Farmers Market, 11am & 1pm

Saturday, 09/19

WSU Whatcom Extension Community Gardens Project Workshops—York Community Farm & Northwest Youth Services WE Grow Garden.

Ciao Thyme Eat Local Incognito Dinner, 6pm

D

ADDS UP!

A RE PR EP

Taylor Shellfish Farms Tour & Cooking Demo, 5:30pm

Saturday, 09/12

BREAD S

4

Sunday, 09/20

Shuckin’ on the Farm, a Whatcom Water Weeks celebration, 12pm IE

WEEK

Wednesday, 09/16

Saturday, 09/12

GG

3

Starting Friday, 09/11-20

Good to Go Meat Pies Open House & Tasting, 11am

VE

WEEK

Saturday, 09/12

Field Dinner at Bow Hill Blueberries, TBD

Bite of Bellingham, Depot Market Square, 12-4pm

Ciao Thyme Wander Brewing Beer Dinner, 6pm

Eat Local Meal Plan & Cooking Class, Community Food Co-op, 6:30pm

Wednesday, 09/23

Readers to Eaters, Village Books, 4pm

Wednesday, 09/23 Chocolate Class: Mole to Truffles w/ Evolve Truffles & Ciao Thyme, 6pm

Friday, 09/25

Ciao Thyme Burkridge Farm Incognito Dinner, 6pm

Friday & Saturday, 09/25 & 26

OktoberFest Cruise w/Boundary Bay Brewery, 630pm

Saturday, 09/26

Trial Vineyard Open house, Cloud Mountain Farm Center, 12:30pm

S

MEAT

Pick up your Eat Local Month passport to win awesome Prize Packages!

• Eat a local dish at a Participating Eat Local Month restaurant • Attend a featured Eat Local Month event • Buy $10 of local food at participating grocers or markets

EatLocalFirst.org EatLocalFirst.org

See a list ofbusinesses participating businesses, find all event/passport details at Choose local taking action forand a healthy community.

Pick up your Eat Local Month & Farm Tour guide at the Community Food Co-op, Bellingham Farmers Market, Haggen, Whatcom Farmers Co-op, or any Whatcom County library or visitor center.

28 Fall 2015

Store Hours: Mon-Thurs 10am-9pm • Fri & Sat 10am-10pm • Sun 10am-7pm

To Make The True Essentials

by America's Test Kitchen available in October, hardcover, America's Test Kitchen

k

100 Recipes Everyone Should Know How to Make : The Absolute Best Ways

Cooking k

We have countless recipes at our disposal today, yet what are the real keepers—the ones that don’t just feed us when we’re hungry or impress our friends, but inspire us to get into the kitchen? At the forefront of American cooking for more than 20 years, the editors at America’s Test Kitchen have answered this question in an essential collection of recipes that you won’t find anywhere else.

The Cannabis Kitchen Cookbook: Feel-Good Food for Home Cooks

by Robyn Griggs Lawrence, available in September, hardcover, Skyhorse Publishing

Covering every meal from brunch to latenight cocktails, the author approaches cannabis as yet another fine ingredient to be savored. Including more than one hundred fully tested recipes from experienced professional chefs, this cookbook also provides step-by-step instructions on preparing cannabis for use in the kitchen and advice on personalizing dosage for different tastes. Tips for trimming, processing, storing, and preserving cannabis is included along with a guide that explains the many varieties of cannabis flavor profiles, showcasing strains based not only on feel-good levels, but more importantly, taste-good levels.

Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good :

Crossroads: Extraordinary Recipes from the Restaurant That Is Reinventing Vegan Cuisine

by Tal Ronnen, Scot Jones, Serafina Magnussen

available in October, hardcover, Artisan

New from the founder and chef of Crossroads in Los Angeles—a restaurant that, by design, has no obvious signs that it’s vegan. Tal is the most influential vegan chef working today and he shares more than 100 recipes for weeknight dinners, snacks and appetizers, special occasion meals, desserts, and more. This book is an indispensable resource for healthy, mindful eaters everywhere.

Near & Far: Recipes Inspired by Home and Travel

by Heidi Swanson

available in September, hardcover, Ten Speed Press

Recipes such as Spring Carrots and Beans, Fennel Frond Orzo, Sake-Glazed Mushrooms, Ginger Orange Blossom Water, and Brown Butter Tortelli make use of the healthy, whole foods ingredients and approachable techniques that Heidi’s fans have come to expect. And photographs taken on location around the world—as well as back home in Heidi’s kitchen—reveal the places that inspire her warm and nourishing cooking.

My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes

A Memoir with Recipes from an American Family

That Saved My Life

available now, paperback, Penguin Books

When Gourmet magazine shut down, suddenly one of the most visible and beloved figures in the world of food found herself without a job. Stunned, sad, fragile, she retreated to her country house with her husband and, during her recovery year, sought to recover the simple pleasures of the kitchen. Fans of Reichl will revel in her culinary—and life—lessons relearned in the kitchen.

by Kathleen Flinn

From the author of The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry comes this heartwarming family history interwoven with scrumptious recipes that traced her upbringing and formed her life.

Kathleen’s family story is not that unusual, but the way she tells it is. It’s a big Midwestern family full of ups and downs, hard living and celebrations. Kelly and I read this to each other on our drives to and from work and golly did the time go by fast, reminding us of great “every-family” books like The Egg & I and Cheaper by the Dozen. –Paul & Kelly E.

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

by Ruth Reichl

available in September, hardcover, Random House

Find the Cookbooks along with fun food and cooking items in Paper Dreams!

Fall

2015 29

30 Fall

2015

Building Community One Book at a Time

Grandbaby Cakes: Modern Recipes, Vintage Charm, Soulful Memories

by Jocelyn Delk Adams

available in September, hardcover, Agate Surrey

Since founding her popular recipe blog ‘Grandbaby Cakes’ in 2012, Adams has been putting fresh twists on old favorites.

Adams has earned praise from critics and the adoration of bakers both young and old for her easygoing advice, rich photography, and the heartwarming memories she shares of her family’s generations’ love of baking.

(I was immediately sold by the luscious picture of Blood-Orange Mimosa Cake. –Jonica)

The New Sugar and Spice: A Recipe for Bolder Baking

by Samantha Seneviratne

available in September, hardcover, Ten Speed Press

What a gem of a cookbook!

Seneviratne crafts delicious, easy desserts with a decadent flavor that are equally suited for casual get-togethers or dinner parties. She draws on her Sri Lankan background to combine excellent elements like chocolate and nutmeg in a wide variety of treats. The book is divided into sections, each of which spotlights a particular spice, and the stories of her childhood and family that Seneviratne includes make her recipes even sweeter. My personal favorites from this collection are the black pepper, dark chocolate and sour cherry bread, and the buttery shortbread with coffee and cardamom. Yummy! –Jenny

The Wine Bible (2nd Edition)

Drinks!

by Karen MacNeil available in October, paperback, Workman

Shakespeare, Not Stirred : Cocktails for Your Everyday Dramas

by Caroline Bicks and Michelle Ephraim available in September, hardcover, Perigree Books

Two professors mix equal parts booze and Bard to help you through your everyday dramas. It's like having Shakespeare right there in your living room, downing a great drink and putting your crappy day in perspective. Each original cocktail and hors d'oeuvre recipe connects Shakespeare's characters to life's daily predicaments.

At last! The completely revised and updated edition of THE resource for wine and praised as “The most informative and entertaining book I’ve ever seen on the subject” (Danny Meyer). A lively course from an expert teacher, The Wine Bible grounds the reader deeply in the fundamentals while layering on informative asides, tips, amusing anecdotes, definitions, glossaries, all new photos, maps, labels, and recommended bottles.

k

k

FOOD k

Sweets!

k

PAGE THE

PENGUIN For nearly thirty-three years, our penguin had been nameless. Congratulations to Corey Coombs and Annie Crookshank (pictured) who combined their talents to take home both the honor and prizes for winning our penguin naming contest.

Welcome, Page!

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

Fall

2015

31

Enjoy Great Meals at These Fairhaven Restaurants!

book fare café in village books

now catering

seasonal local organic allergy-friendly come see what’s new on the mezzanine level upstairs in village books

EVERYDAY 8 AM – 2 PM 1101 HARRIS AVENUE IN FAIRHAVEN

www.bookfarecafe.com 360.734.3434

CLASSIC FAVORITES

AW Asian Bistro A.W. Asian Bistro

SUSHI BAR ASIAN GRILL

Fairhaven Garden 1138 Finnegan Way Bellingham, WA 360.715.3028 Fax 360.715.1803

PLAN, HOST, AND CATER YOUR PRIVATE PARTIES OR COMPANY GATHERINGS AT HARRIS AVENUE CAFÉ!

HAPPY HOUR

Gluten-free WE options!

DELIVER! –No MSG–



DAILY from 3-5pm

awasianbistro.com

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

Go to VillageBooks.com to see this issue, as well as past issues, of The Chuckanut Reader online!

32 Fall 2015

Breakfast and Lunch Served Daily Homemade Soups and Pastries Wheat Free Pastries Available BEST MIMOSAS IN TOWN

E-MAIL KELLY FOR MORE INFORMATION KB.PALADINRESTINC@GMAIL.COM

WWW.HARRISAVECAFE.COM

Please Support all of our Amazing Advertisers!

Store Hours: Mon-Thurs 10am-9pm • Fri & Sat 10am-10pm • Sun 10am-7pm

n e h c t i K E H T IN Book recommendations from one of our favorite chefs. Bon Appétit!

k

A

s late summer burns into early fall, I am reminded once again of why I take such pleasure in living here. Never is the farmer's market more colorful and bursting with variety, never are the days as golden. Mornings and evenings are cool, but the sunny days will stay with us for a bit longer. Enjoy this selection of cookbooks while you enjoy your autumn.

The Broad Fork: Recipes for the Wide World of Vegetables and Fruits

by Hugh Acheson available now, hardcover, Ten Speed Press Open the cover of this book to determine its essential usefulness: "What the hell do I do with kohlrabi?" Filled with tasty, easy to follow recipes, beautiful photos, and ironic comedy, this cookbook will aid you in using up every last leaf and green from your CSA box.

The Wild Mushroom Cookbook: Recipes From Mendocino

by Alison Gardner and Merry Winslow available now, paperback, Barefoot Naturalist Press I love mushrooms. Here's a homegrown cookbook packed full of great, delicious, simple recipes to use our autumn bounty from breakfast to dessert and beyond.

Preserving the Japanese Way

Traditions of Salting, Fermenting, and Pickling for the Modern Kitchen

by Nancy Singleton Hachisu available inow, hardcover, Andrews McMeel Publishing Late summer and early fall are my favorite time to start packing, pickling, and putting good stuff up to enjoy later in the winter. Few cultures have as deep a place for pickles as Japan, and this book walks you through the traditional methods of pickling and fermenting. Make your own miso and tofu, craft vinegars, and use the thoughtful recipes to enjoy your harvest.

Ottolenghi: The Cookbook

by Yotam Ottolenghi available in September, hardcover, Ten Speed Press This third installment from Yotam Ottolenghi delves into the recipes that are used in his London restaurants. It is an enjoyable book to just sit at the table and flip through, as well as inspiring!

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

book fare café 360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • villagebooks.com

Fall

2015 33

Gardening Year-Round Indoor Salad Gardening : How to Grow Nutrient-Dense, Soil-Sprouted Greens in Less Than 10 days

by Peter Burke

available in September, paperback, Chelsea Green Publishing

It's easier to eat local when you preserve most of your home produce. But aside from kale and a few other options, winter greens are difficult to grow. This book will show you how to grow a variety of sprouts indoors, with the same great taste and nutrition as microgreens but without the extra work.

Explicit, simple instructions help your sprouts grow tall before greening them off and enjoying them!

Especially great is the reference section in the back, with notes on different sprouted greens and the best ways to use them. —Jenny

Growing Tomorrow : A Farm-to-Table Journey in Photos and Recipes—Behind the Scenes with 18 Extraordinary Sustainable Farmers Who Are Changing the Way We Eat

by Forrest Pritchard

available in October, hardcover, The Experiment

Farmers’ market and CSA devotees, backyard homesteaders and community gardeners all want to know more—much more—about how our food is raised. Now, seventh-generation farmer and author Pritchard introduces us to 18 heroes of the sustainable food movement. A captivating look at the vital connection between farm and fork: meet pioneering local farmers across the nation-and try their favorite recipes!

FIND ME IN PAPER DREAMS! Woodstock Chimes The World's Favorite Windchime

We Offer

99¢

In Fairhaven 1050 Larrabee Ave, Suite 102 360-752-2956 Walk in Clinic: Saturday & Sunday 9:30am-4:00pm

By Appointment: Monday to Friday, 8am-5pm Same day appointments usually available

Mitchell Kahn, MD

Shipping USPS Media Mail –books & dvds–

available online AND in-store domestic shipping only

Julie Kahnamoui, ARNP

Comprehensive Primary Care -- Adolescent to Geriatric

34 Fall 2015

Store Hours: Mon-Thurs 10am-9pm • Fri & Sat 10am-10pm • Sun 10am-7pm

WHO LET THE

DOGS OUT? Chuck's Ride Ends Abruptly

W

ith two mountain ranges and 1480 (don't forget the .4, he says) miles behind him, Chuck's Big Ride came to a sudden halt.

About 10 miles west of Mandan, North Dakota, two farm dogs began barking and gave chase. Running between the bike and the road's edge, one of the dogs—according to the driver of a car trailing a ways behind—lunged into the bike, sending Chuck crashing to the road.

According to a couple of eyewitnesses, the crash sent the dogs running back to their farmyard, but left Chuck in the middle of the right lane, struggling to get the bike and the contents of his handlebar bag off of the road. Fortunately, the woman in the trailing car was a good Samaritan and hauled Chuck and his bike to Mandan, where Dee was awaiting his arrival.

The doctor at the Sanford Clinic confirmed what Chuck already knew. In what served as both diagnosis and description of (non)treatment he said, "congratulations, you have broken ribs." The X-rays clearly showed three snapped ribs, and a later phone call, after x-rays had been carefully examined, reported that two more were cracked. Add several areas of road rash on arms, legs, and the side of the head (he was

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

by Chuck Robinson wearing a helmet), and you get the picture—we'll spare you those photos.

In spite of the disappointing ending to the ride, pledges to the Whatcom Community Foundation, Book Industry Charitable Foundation, and the Galva Foundation of Educational Enrichment, totaled nearly $34,000. "I'm so grateful for everyone who pledged to support one or more of these worthy foundations," Chuck said. "And, nearly everyone chose to honor their per mile pledge as if the ride was completed at 2400 miles. The doctor did say that each broken rib was worth 300 miles."

When asked if he'll go back to complete the ride Chuck jokes that he sold his bike and bought lots of beer and a new remote for his TV. But that is just a joke. "I'll likely go back to North Dakota and ride to the East Coast at some point," he says. "Next time maybe I'll carry pepper spray. I like my dogs well-seasoned."

Fall

2015 35

Discover a new way to “read” books.

UNHINGED

BOOK ART ON THE CUTTING EDGE September 27, 2015 - January 3, 2016 Lightcatcher | 250 Flora St. | www.whatcommuseum.org Mike Stilkey; Faces In the City 1 & 2, Acrylic on discarded books

36 Fall

2015

Building Community One Book at a Time

Poetry

Notes on the Assemblage

by Juan Felipe Herrera

Erratic Facts

available in September, paperback, City Lights Publishers

by Kay Ryan

available in October, hardcover, Grove Press

Exuberant and socially engaged, reflective and healing, this is a multigenre collection of new work from the first Latino U.S. Poet Laureate. "I am proud that Juan Felipe Herrera has been appointed U.S. Poet Laureate, bringing his truthful, beautiful voice to all of us universally. As the first Chicano Laureate, he will empower all diverse cultures."—Janice Mirikitani, San Francisco Poet Laureate, 2000

At Village Books

Anthology Release

Pulitzer prize winner, and former U.S. Poet Laureate, Kay Ryan returns with an all-new collection of poems. "Witty, rebellious and yet tender, [her poetry is] a treasure trove of an iconoclastic and joyful mind." (Pulitzer Prize citation)

A Free Event!

Thursday, September 17, 7pm

Poetry Walk: Sue C. Boynton Contest, The Second Five Years 125 Poems by 108 Whatcom County Poets available now, paperback, Poetry Walk Press

Join us as we celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest and the release of Poetry Walk—a new anthology of poems from the past five years—with a group reading of selected poems! Founded in 2006, the contest is a free annual event open to Whatcom County residents of all ages and all levels of experience. From each year’s submissions, two judges select 25 winning poems that are displayed on the Sue Boynton Poetry Walk in front of the Bellingham Public Library and inside Whatcom Transportation Authority buses for a year. The Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest is a program of Whatcom Poetry Series.

LITERATURE

Village Books & Paper Dreams

Gift Cards

Final Chapters :

For All Ages

How Famous Authors Died

& Any Occasion

by Jim Bernhard

available in October, paperback, Skyhorse Publishing

Death often came in startling ways for some of our best-known writers. The playwright Aeschylus was conked by a turtle falling from the sky. Christopher Marlowe was stabbed in a barroom brawl. Edgar Allan Poe was found semicomatose in someone else's clothes shortly before he died. Did Dylan Thomas really die of eighteen straight whiskeys? And was it a bottle cap or murder that did in Tennessee Williams? If these authors have lessons for us, the best may be that of Marcus Aurelius: “Death smiles at us all; all we can do is smile back.”

Check out a Village Books WRITING GROUP! Open to all.See page 24 for a list of groups and meeting times.

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

The RIGHT WORD The Thinker's Thesarus : Sophisticated Alternatives to Common Words

by Peter E. Meltzer

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

This entertaining and informative reference features sophisticated and surprising alternatives to common words together with no-fail guides to usage. Avoiding traditional thesauruses’ mundane synonym choices, Peter E. Meltzer puts each word—whether it’s protrepic, apostrophize, iracund, or emulous—in context by using examples from a broad range of contemporary books, periodicals, and newspapers.

Fall

2015

37

Travel Atlas of Cursed Places : A Travel Guide to Dangerous and Frightful Destinations

Atlas Journal : A Travel Notebook with Meticulous Maps for the Itinerant Globetrotter

by Olivier Le Carrer

available in October, hardcover, Black Dog and Levanthal

by Alastair Campbell

available in October, hardcover, Ilex Press

With more than 50 elegantly-tinted maps showing the whole world and nearly 100 lined pages, Atlas Journal is ready for your annotations, explorations, or reminiscences. The maps are printed on an uncoated notebook paper stock, so you can write or draw over them as you desire to create a truly personal atlas of your world.

This alluring read includes 40 locations that are rife with disaster, chaos, paranormal activity, and death. They include the coal town of Jharia, where the ground burns constantly with fire; Kasanka National Park in Zambia, where 8 million migrating bats darken the skies; and the Nevada Triangle in the Sierra Nevada mountains, where hundreds of aircraft have disappeared.

by Paul Theroux

9

Deep South : Four Seasons on Back Roads

RISK FREE READS G

ck

y Money B Da a 0-

U A R A N TEE

late September, hardcover, W.W. Norton & Co.

Now, for the first time, in his tenth travel book, Theroux explores a piece of America—the Deep South. He finds there a paradoxical place, full of incomparable music, unparalleled cuisine, and yet also some of the nation’s worst schools, housing, and unemployment rates. It’s these parts of the South, so often ignored, that have caught Theroux’s keen traveler’s eye.

Psychology A Fearless Heart : How the Courage to Be Compassionate Can Transform Our Lives

by Thupten Jinpa

available now, hardcover, Hudson Street Press

For years Tibetan monk Thupten Jinpa translated the writings of the Dalai Lama into English. He retired as a Tibetan Monk to earn his PhD in spiritual studies at Cambridge, married, had children, and became the perfect blend of Eastern Buddhism and Western academia.

He considers the power of selfcompassion, kindness and connection with others as an antidote to anxiety in this fine book.

Sounds good to me... how about you?

—Cindi

38 Fall 2015

The Genius of Opposites : How Introverts and Extroverts Achieve Extraordinary Results Together

by Jennifer B. Kahnweiler

available now, paperback, Berrett-Koehler Publishers

FDR and Eleanor; Mick and Keith; Jobs and Woz; Siskel and Ebert; history is filled with examples of successful introvert-extrovert partnerships. Opposites like these can make brilliant products, create great works of art, and can even change history. But great introvert-extrovert partnerships don't just happen—they demand nurturing.

This book offers a five-step process that will enable introver ts and extroverts to work together harmoniously and achieve more than they ever could on their own.

Design the Life You Love : A Step-By-Step Guide to Building a Meaningful Future

by Ayse Birsel

available in October, paperback, Ten Speed Press

I was so excited when I found this book as it is not only interactive, but fun!

Its steps include deconstructing your life into all of its little building blocks, learning to see those components with a fresh perspective, reconstructing the parts of your life in a new way, and finally giving it form by deciding how to express the life you really want to live.

I truly believe Design the Life You Love can help foster happiness, creativity and confidence with its visual nature, fun side s t o r i e s, a n d empowering tone. –Asya

Store Hours: Mon-Thurs 10am-9pm • Fri & Sat 10am-10pm • Sun 10am-7pm

Create The Complete Book of Chalk Lettering : Create and

The Modern Natural Dyer : A Comprehensive Guide to Dyeing Silk, Wool, Linen, and Cotton at Home

Develop Your Own Style

by Valerie McKeehan

available in October, paperback, Workman

The ultimate guide to chalk lettering and design by a renowned chalk artist.

In over 60 lessons, learn the ABCs of lettering (literally) and basic styles: serif, sans serif, and script. Then learn how to lay out a design, combine various styles into one cohesive piece, and add shadows and dimension. Master more advanced styles, from faceted to ribbon to vintage circus and add banners, borders, and flourishes.

At Village Books

Chalk Art Workshop

A Free Event!

Sunday, October 18, 4pm Join VB staffer Kayleigh, who is also the artist behind the ever-changing chalkboard on our main floor, as she presents tips and techniques from The Complete Book of Chalk Lettering!

by Kristine Vejar

available in October, hardcover, Harry N. Abrams, Inc.

Thousands of natural materials can produce glorious color, and more than 500 species of plants produce intense blue. Expert Kristine Vejar shares the most user-friendly techniques for dyeing yarn, fabric, and finished goods at home with foraged and gardenraised dyestuffs as well as with convenient natural dye extracts.

With stunning photography of the dyes themselves, the dyeing process, and 20 projects for home and wardrobe, this is a complete resource for aspiring and experienced dye artisans.

FASHION The Mood Guide to Fabric and Fashion : The Essential Guide from the World's Most Famous Fabric Store

by Mood Designer Fabrics

available in September, hardcover, Abrams

ARCHITECTURE At Village Books

Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

A Free Event!

Friday, October 9, 7pm

Microshelters: 59 Creative Cabins, Tiny Houses, Tree Houses and Other Small Structures

by Derek Diedricksen

available now, paperback, Storey Publishing, LLC

If you dream of living in a tiny house, or creating a getaway in your backyard, you’ll love this gorgeous collection of creative and inspiring ideas for tiny houses, cabins, forts, studios, and other microshelters. Each structure is displayed in full-color photographs accompanied by commentary by the author, Derek “Deek” Diedricksen. Diedricksen hosts the YouTube channel RelaxshacksDOTcom.

More than 10 years ago, Tim Gunn and Project Runway introduced millions of viewers to New York’s Mood Fabrics, the ultimate fabric mecca. Now, the experts at Mood bring their fabric and fashion know-how to the sewing public. This is the ultimate guide for anyone who wants to learn how to choose and use quality fabrics, where fabric is produced and the ins and outs of its construction, and a guide to cottons, linens, wools, silks, knits, and other specialty fabrics.

Cabin Porn : Inspiration for Your Quiet Place Somewhere

by Zach Klein, Steven Leckart, and Noah Kalina available in October, hardcover, Little, Brown and Company

Created by a group of friends, Cabin Porn began as a scrapbook to collect inspiration for their building projects.

With their idyllic settings, unique architecture and cozy interiors, the Cabin Porn photographs, are an invitation to slow down, take a deep breath, and feel the beauty and serenity that nature and simple construction can create.

Don't Forget... Village Books also offers a wide variety of used and bargain art books.

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

Fall

2015 39

Science

How We Got to Now : Six Innovations That Made the Modern World

The Brain Electric : The Dramatic High-Tech Race to Merge Minds and Machines

by Steven Johnson

available in September, paperback, Riverhead Books

In this illustrated volume, filled with surprising stories of accidental genius and brilliant mistakes, Steven Johnson explores the history of innovation over centuries, tracing facets of modern life (refrigeration, clocks, and eyeglass lenses, to name a few) from their creation by hobbyists, amateurs, and entrepreneurs to their unintended historical consequences.

Undeniable : Evolution and the Science of Creation

by Bill Nye, edited by Corey S. Powell available in September, paperback, St. Martin's Griffin

"This gracefully written book provides a tour through not just the big ideas of evolution, but why evolution is such a captivating idea scientifically, philosophically, and emotionally. Written from the heart-but science always comes from the heart with Bill Nye." —­Dr. Eugenie C. Scott, author of Evolution vs. Creationism

by Malcolm Gay

available in October, hardcover, Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Neuroscience researchers are developing miraculous technologies to enable paraplegics and wounded soldiers to move prosthetic limbs, and the rest of us to manipulate computers and other objects through thought alone. These fiercely competitive scientists are vying for Defense Department and venture capital funding, prestige, and great wealth. Gay illuminates this extraordinary race—where science, medicine, profit, and war converge—for the first time.

Atmosphere of Hope : The Search for Solutions to the Climate Crisis

by Tim Flannery

available in October, hardcover, Atlantic Monthly Press

A decade ago, Tim Flannery’s bestseller, The Weather Makers, was one of the first books to discuss the topic of climate change in general conversation. Today our climate system is fast approaching a crisis. Around the world people are now living with the consequences of an altered climate: intensified and more frequent storms, wildfires, droughts, and floods. Time is running out, but catastrophe is not inevitable. Drawing on the latest science, Flannery proposes a new way forward, including rapidly progressing clean technologies and a “third way” of soft geo-engineering.

FALL PROGRAMS START 9/8 Tennis Clinics • Ages 3-4, 4-8, 8-11, Middle School, High School • Adult Learn to Play, Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced GET Fit Classes (free with membership or buy 10-class pass) • Body Conditioning • TRX • Cycling Fitness Camps • Healthy Knees Cycling • Cycle Moles Level 1 & 2 • TRX Mobility

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40 Fall 2015

Store Hours: Mon-Thurs 10am-9pm • Fri & Sat 10am-10pm • Sun 10am-7pm

Nature The Book of Frogs : A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species from around the World

by Tim Hallaway

available in September, hardcover, University of Chicago Press

The Book of Frogs commemorates the diversity and magnificence of all of these creatures, and many more. Six hundred of nature’s most fascinating frog species are displayed, with each entry including a distribution map, sketches of the frogs, species identification, natural history, and conservation status. Life-size color photos show the frogs at their actual size—with the exception of the colossal seven-pound Goliath frog.

Whales, Dolphins, & Porpoises : A Natural

Bird Love

by Leila Jeffreys available in October, hardcover, Abrams

Fine art photographer Leila Jeffreys captures the beauty and diversity of some of our most colorful and elegant feathered friends, from the exotic birds of Australia to those of North America.

Working with animal rescue and conservation groups to find subjects to photograph, her love and compassion for her subjects is evident throughout. As whimsical as they are beautiful, these are wonderful, evocative portraits.

The Butterflies of North America : Titian Peale's Lost Manuscript

History and Species Guide

by The American Museum of History and Titian Ramsay Peale

available now, hardcover, University of Chicago

available in September, hardcover, Abrams

by Annalisa Berta

In this beautifully illustrated guide, renowned marine mammalogist Annalisa Berta draws on the contributions of a pod of fellow whale biologists to present the most comprehensive, authoritative overview ever published of these remarkable aquatic mammals.

Written for general enthusiasts, emergent cetacean fans, and biologists alike, this stunning, urgently needed book will serve as the definitive guide for years to come.

The American artist and naturalist Titian Ramsay Peale II (1799–1885) had a passion for butterflies, and throughout his long life he wrote and illustrated an ambitious and comprehensive manuscript. The book was never published, and today resides in the Rare Book Collection of the American Museum of Natural History, New York. Peale’s color plates, carefully prepared for the printer by the artist more than 100 years ago, will be published for the first time in this beautiful volume.

Owls : Our Most Charming Bird

by Matt Sewell

available in September, hardcover, Ten Speed Press

In this beautiful art book, artist and ornithologist Matt Sewell captures 50 species of the world’s most evocative bird: the owl. Using pop-art watercolors and accompanied by irreverent descriptions, Sewell expresses the individual characters of owls as never before. From tiny elf owls to huge Eurasian eagle owls, from the haunting barn owl to the elegant great horned owl, these magical birds are otherworldly in their striking colors and stature.

Thank you for your continued support.

We wouldn't be here without you!

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

Village Books is a Dog-Friendly Store!

PETS Tails from the Booth

by Lynn Terry

available in October, hardcover, Gallery Books

A couple of pit bulls grinning widely at the camera. Two saggy-faced bulldogs bumping jowls. A Pomeranian, an English bulldog, and a Boston terrier dog-piling (of course) on top of each other. These pictures show the countless ways dogs will ham it up in front of a camera, and that more dogs in a photo booth = even more fun!

Fall

2015 41

RESOURCES FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

Monty Python’s Spamalot

2015

—

September 25 – October 11, 2015

A Tuna Christmas

November 27 – December 13, 2015

Baby

January 29 – February 14, 2016

August: Osage County April 22 – May 8, 2016

Anything Goes June 10 – 26, 2016

CHRIS MOENCH land conservationist

ERIC HIRST

smart planning advocate

LARRY MCCARTER

progressive waste manager

PETE HAASE

citizen scientist leader

Advertise in

ADVENTURES NW >>>

· 60,000 Readers · Affordable Rates · Beautiful, World-Class Content

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PROTECT. ACTIVATE. INNOVATE. THRIVE.

RE-SOURCES.ORG

Special thanks to our cornerstone sponsor Sanitary Services Company

· A Perfect Fit for Our Community 1055 N State Bellingham WA

Contact Chara @ 360.202.5151 or Chara@AdventuresNW.com 42 Fall

2015

360 671 3414 peppersisters.com

New Whatcom Interiors

Building Community One Book at a Time

Nature Writing

A Free Event!

At Village Books

Saturday, October 10, 7pm

Hawks Rest : A Season in the Remote Heart of Yellowstone

by Gary Ferguson

available in September, paperback, Torrey House Press

"Gary Ferguson is one of the preeminent historians of the American West, and of the place and value of wilderness within that history. Hawk's Rest is an intense journal of the politics and ecology of one of America's wildest cores, in Yellowstone National Park. In many ways, this book is an important portrait of one of the foundations of our country's democracy, and of the struggles to hold on to that idea." –Rick Bass, author of All the Land to Hold Us

The Great Clod : Notes and Memories on Nature and History in China and Japan

by Gary Snyder

available in October, hardcover, Counterpoint

Gary Snyder's stance as an environmental and political activist, and his long practice of Zen, have greatly influenced his poetry.

While most American writers looked to the capitals of Europe for their inspiration, Sndyer looked East. This collection contains new essays as well as others going back almost forty years. Rather than being merely memoirs of travel, they include prolonged considerations of art, culture, natural history and religion, and are certain to delight.

GREEN LIVING

Robert Michael Pyle introduced by DAVID GUTERSON Part of the Nature of Writing Series, in partnership with North Cascades Institute.

Wintergreen : Rambles in a Ravaged Land 30th Anniversary Edition

by Robert Michael Pyle

available in October, paperback, Pharos Editions

In the Willapa Hills of southwest Washington, both the human and the forest communities are threatened with extinction. Virtually every acre of the hills has been logged, often repeatedly, in the past hundred years, endangering both the land and the people, leaving dying towns as well as a devastated ecosystem. Weaving vivid portraits of the place and its inhabitants—animal, plant, and human—with the story of his own love affair with the hills, Robert Michael Pyle’s book is so even-handed in its passion that it has been celebrated by those who make their living with a chain saw as well as by environmentalists.

Saturday, October10, 1:00 - 4:00 PM

Conjuring Words from the Land A Chuckanut Writers Class Spend an afternoon parsing the territory where literature meets the land. Guided by Robert Michael Pyle, you will have a chance to make fresh words inspired by places, people, and other species fresh in your mind. His eighteen books include Wintergreen, The Thunder Tree, and Evolution of the Genus Iris: Poems. 1 session - $45 Register today at

www.whatcomcommunityed.com or call 360.383.3200.

FAMILY

The Permaculture City : Regenerative Design for Urban, Suburban, and Town Resilience

Closer to the Ground :

available now, paperback, Chelsea Green Publishing

by Dylan Tomine, illustrations by Nikki McClure

by Toby Hemenway

From the author of Gaia's Garden comes a new book on permaculture, offering positive solutions for many of the environmental and social challenges confronting us.

Specifically designed for urban settings, this book provides a new way of thinking about urban living, with practical examples for creating abundant food, energy security, close-knit communities, local and meaningful livelihoods, and sustainable policies in our cities and towns. The same nature-based approach that works so beautifully for growing food, applies perfectly to many of our other needs.

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

An Outdoor Family's Year on the Water, In the Woods and at the Table

available in September, paperback, Patagonia

This compelling tale follows Dylan Tomine and his family through four seasons as they hunt chanterelles, fish for salmon, dig clams, and gather at the kitchen table to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Closer to the Ground captures the beauty and surprise of the natural world, and the ways it teaches us how to live with humor, gratitude, and a nose for adventure as keen as a child’s. This is a book filled with weather, natural history, and many delicious meals.

Fall

2015

43

Celebrating A Historical

BELLEBRITY

WITH THE BUREAU OF HISTORICAL INVESTIGATION

by Marissa McGrath, Co-Founder and Co-Boss of The Bureau of Historical Investigation

D

on't know who Ella Higginson is? That would have been unimaginable to Whatcom County residents 100 years ago. Higginson was arguably the biggest Bellebrity who ever had the courtesy to grace us with her work. As WWU professor Laura Laffrado's new book Selected Writings of Ella Higginson: Inventing Pacific Northwest Literature describes, Higginson's poems were so well known that the University saw no need to attribute a quote from her work "The College by the Sea" when it was engraved on Edens Hall in 1921. How could anyone forget what she meant to the college, or the community, or literature at large?

In the late 1800s, Americans were increasingly looking west for what was possible, for what life could be like in a new and experimental society. Through prose written for widely-distributed periodicals of the time, Higginson introduced the rest of America to the Pacific Nothwest in great detail. Her particular focus on the lives of women reveals a sense of possibility and self-determination in a world of great natural beauty. Laffrado's book is a comprehensive, though not exhaustive, introduction to Higginson's poems and prose and is beautifully orchestrated for those of us who have forgotten the former poet laureate's contribution to a Cascadian sense of identity.

Other great new releases: The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey by Rinker Buck Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Visit The Bureau of Historical Investigation downtown for a truly unique Bellingham experience. It is a gift and souvenir shop, as well as a home-base for Good Time Tours and special events. They take pride in offering handpicked, handcrafted goods from all over the country—with special emphasis on local finds. While you're there, check out a variety of hand-selected books for sale through a partnership with Village Books.

217 W. Holly, Downtown Bellingham • 360.305.3172 • thebureaubellingham.com

Join Us!

A Free Event

At Village Books

Laura Laffrado Thursday, October 15, 7pm

44 Fall 2015

The Selected Writings of Ella Higginson

by Laura Laffrado

available now, paperback, Whatcom County Historical Society

This new book introduces readers to the life and award-winning works of Ella Higginson, the first prominent literary author from the Pacific Northwest, famous for her prose and lyric poetry as well as her distinguished position as the first Poet Laureate of Washington State.

Store Hours: Mon-Thurs 10am-9pm • Fri & Sat 10am-10pm • Sun 10am-7pm

History Kremlin Wives: The Secret Lives of the Women Behind the Kremlin Walls—From Lenin to Gorbachev

by Larissa Vasilieva

available in September, paperback, Arcade Publishing

The Kremlin was the bastion of the powerful Soviet rulers, and while a great deal is known about the men who held the country in their iron grip, little is known about their wives and mistresses. Taking part in the Revolution and aftermath, they bore children, and suffered abuse; some were sent to Siberia, driven to suicide, or even murdered. In 1991 the KGB granted the author access to its secret files, which, together with the author’s own research and interviews, provided the material for this book.

The Grand Lady of Mount Baker: A History of The Mount Baker Lodge from 1927-1931

by Michael Impero

available now, paperback

The Grand Lady was one of the magnificent lodges built in the early twentieth century in the American West. It opened in July 1927, and was destroyed by fire in August 1931. Michael Impero’s new book features over 100 photographs, many historical documents and over four years of research. Michael Impero has lived his whole life in Whatcom County, and is the author of Dreams of Gold, The Lone Jack and The Boys of Glacier.

At Village Books

Michael Impero

A Free Event!

Saturday, October 17, 7pm

Lafayette in the Somewhat United States

by Sarah Vowell

available in October, hardcover, Riverhead

With her typical razorblade wit, deadpan delivery and insightful analysis, Sarah Vowell delivers yet another fast-paced interstate cruise through American history. Her subject, though, is a surprising one – the life and times of the Marquis de Lafayette, the young French nobleman who fought alongside George Washington in the American Revolution, somehow survived his own country's attempt to replicate said revolution, and returned to America years later to find a country growing oddly but unmistakeably into itself. The portrait she paints is of a people who, throughout our history, have become most united when we agree to disagree, and of an idealistic Frenchman who may be one of the few things we all have in common. Smart, hilarious, and well worth a read. —Sam

The Year of Fear :

More Murder in the Fourth Quarter : True Stories of Whatcom

Machine Gun Kelly and the Manhunt That Changed the Nation

& Skagit Counties' Earliest Homicides

by Todd Warger

available in October, paperback, Chuckanut Editions

Last year, local historian Todd Warger (The Mountain Runners, Mount Baker: Images of America) took us on a grisly tour through Whatcom's earliest recorded homicide cases. Now he's back with a fresh dose of true crime narratives, and this time, he's broadened his reach to include slayings from both Whatcom and Skagit counties.

Thoroughly researched and downright spooky, this collection is is a chilling thrill for anyone interested in the darker side of our community's history.

BOOK LAUNCH! At Village Books

Thursday, October 22, 7pm

Todd Warger 360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • villagebooks.com

A Free Event!

by Joe Urschel

available in September, hardcover, Minotaur Books

Kelly sets his sights on the easy-money racket of kidnapping. J. Edgar Hoover is a desperate Justice Department bureaucrat who badly needs a successful prosecution. Hoover's agents are given the sole authority to chase kidnappers across state lines and, when Kelly bungles the snatch job, what follows is a thrilling 20,000 mile chase over the back roads of Depressionera America.

Fall

2015 45

The Pentagon's Brain : An Uncensored History of DARPA, America's Top-Secret Military Research Agency

CONTEMPORARY

CULTURAL

by Annie Jacobsen

CRITICISM

available in September, hardcover, Little, Brown and Company

by Ta-Nehisi Coates

available now, hardcover, Spiegel & Grau

Told through the author’s own evolving understanding of the subject of race over the course of his life, this bold, personal, and beautifully written investigation into America’s racial history and its contemporary echoes hails from one of the country’s leading public intellectuals and “the single best writer on the subject of race in the United States” (New York Observer).

Street Smart: The Rise of Cities and the Fall of Cars

by Samuel I. Schwartz

available in September, hardcover, PublicAffairs

Since the turn of the twenty-first century, a revolution has taken place: every year Americans are driving less. Not because they can’t afford to—they don’t want to. Smart streets are at the heart of this urban transformation, as better designs are applied. Written by former New York City's traffic commissioner and chief engineer, this book will inspire communities of all sizes to re-imagine their city streets.

Freedom Is a Constant Struggle : Ferguson,

Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement

by Angela Davis

available in October, paperback, Haymarket Books

46 Fall 2015

by Adam Fifield

available in October, hardcover, Other Press

Jim Grant at first met fierce resistance at the United Nations and in his own organization, and some thought his ideas were crazy and dangerous. But as he kept toppling obstacle after obstacle, he eventually won over even his most stubborn detractors. Grant spearheaded a historic surge in worldwide childhood immunization rates and launched a movement that profoundly altered the face of global health and international development: UNICEF.

The Cosmic Ocean : New Answers to Big Questions

by Paul K. Chappell

available in September, paperback, Easton Studio Press, LLC

Paul Chappell, a West Point graduate and Iraq War veteran, grew up in a violent household. Forced to face trauma his whole life, Paul has come to believe we need a paradigm shift that can transform our understanding of peace, justice, and what it means to be human. This book explores ways to help create this paradigm shift with such diverse subjects as empathy, rage, nonviolent struggle, war, philosophy, science, slavery, sports, and our shared humanity.

y Money B Da a 0-

RISK FREE READS

GU

ck

In these newly collected essays, inter views, and speeches, world renowned activist Angela Y. Davis illuminates the connections between struggles against state violence and oppression throughout history and around the world. Focusing on the legacies of previous liberation struggles, from the Black Freedom Movement to the South African anti-Apartheid movement, she highlights connections and analyzes today's struggles against state terror, from Ferguson to Palestine.

A Mighty Purpose : How Jim Grant Sold the World on Saving Its Children

9

Between the World and Me

The definitive history of DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, "Filled with the intrigue and high stakes of a spy novel, Jacobsen's history of DARPA is as much a fascinating testament to human ingenuity as it is a paean to endless industrial warfare and the bureaucracy of the military-industrial complex." —Kirkus Reviews

A R A N TEE

Store Hours: Mon-Thurs 10am-9pm • Fri & Sat 10am-10pm • Sun 10am-7pm

REAL PEOPLE TRUE TALES

Accused : My Fight for Truth, Justice, and the Strength to Forgive

by Tonya Craft with Mark Dagostino available in September, hardcover, BenBella Books

Tonya Craft was an ordinary woman living a wonderful life as a kindergarten teacher and mother of two children. But in May 2008, her happy life came to a halt when two men appeared at her door and arrested her for molesting three children.

Tonya’s life spiraled into a witch-trial nightmare of guilt before innocence, her children were taken away, and her daughter was forced to take the stand against her. This book is more than a shocking trial and fight for justice, offering an uncommon example of love, faith, and forgiveness, especially towards the very people who caused her harm.

Furiously Happy : A Funny Book About Horrible Things

by Jenny Lawson

available in September, hardcover, Macmillan

Many people out there are struggling with depression and mental illness—either themselves or someone in their family. In Furiously Happy they will find a member of their tribe offering up an uplifting message via a taxidermied roadkill raccoon.

Furiously Happy is about depression and mental illness, but deep down it's about joy—and who doesn't want a bit more of that?

A Common Struggle :

My Life on the Road

by Gloria Steinem

available in October, hardcover, Random House

Gloria Steinem had an itinerant childhood.

Every fall, her father would pack the family into the car and they would drive across the country, in search of their next adventure.

The seeds were planted: Steinem would spend much of her life on the road, as a journalist, organizer, activist, and speaker.

In Order to Live : A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom

by Yeonmi Park

available in September, hardcover, Penguin Press

Escaping from the horrors of political oppression in Nor th Korea was unfortunately only the beginning of a long and treacherous journey for Yeonmi Park.

Once in China, Park and her mother were sold into slavery and only managed to escape across the Gobi Desert by following the stars. Contained in Park's story is both the worst and the best of humanity.

Choosing Hope :

A Personal Journey Through the Past and Future of Mental Illness and Addiction

Moving Forward from Life's Darkest Hours

available in October, hardcover, Blue Rider Press

available in October, hardcover, G.P. Putnam's Sons

by Patrick J. Kennedy and Stephen Fried On May 5, 2006, the New York Times reported Patrick Kennedy's car crash and his intention to seek help. It was the first time that the popular Rhode Island congressman had publicly disclosed his addiction to prescription painkillers and the extent of his struggle with bipolar disorder. That could have been the end of his career, but instead it was the beginning.

Village Books offers

99¢ Shipping 360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • villagebooks.com

by Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis, Robin Gaby Fisher

"Choosing Hope is a stirring memoir, capturing not only the brutality of the Sandy Hook tragedy but the incredible heroism, resilience and grace that emerged in its wake. Kaitlin RoigDeBellis's deep love for her students makes this a bold, inspiring and ultimately hopeful book." —Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post

USPS Media Mail –books & dvds– domestic shipping only

available for online AND in-store purchases

Fall

2015 47

Humor

Why Not Me?

by Mindy Kaling

available in September, hardcover, Crown Archetype

Mindy turns the anxieties, the glamour, and the heartache of her second coming of age into a hilarious collection of essays that anyone who’s ever been at a turning point in their life or career can relate to. And those who’ve never been at a turning point can skip to the parts where she talks about meeting Bono among other fabulous things.

A Free Event

You're Never Weird On The Internet (Almost)

by Felicia Day

available now, hardcover, Touchstone Books

If you're a nerd, socially anxious, or have ever wondered how to live off of all the things you love to waste your time doing on the internet, read this! Even if none of those apply, Felicia Day's writing is absolutely hilarious and relevant to the awkward thing that is being human, especially for young adults trying to figure out what the heck this whole "life" thing is, post-college. –Rachel

48 Fall

2015

Join Us!

At Village Books

Jennifer Worick

Monday, September 21, 7pm

Things I Want to Punch in the Face

by Jennifer Worick

available in September, paperback, Prospect Park Books

Inspired by the popular blog of the same name, Things I Want to Punch in the Face takes aim at the things that chap Jennifer Worick’s hide, from old-guy ponytails to shoeless households, naked pregnancy portraits to man caves, Renaissance faires to people who don’t believe in TV. It’s a colorful, laugh-outloud funny gift book at a very friendly price, from the author responsible for such hit titles as Nancy Drew’s Guide to Life and the Worst-Case Scenario Handbook: Dating & Sex.

Building Community One Book at a Time

Performing Arts

M Train

by Patti Smith

Reckless : My Life as a Pretender

by Chrissie Hynde

available in September, hardcover, Doubleday

This long-awaited memoir tells Hynde's life story in full and fascinating detail: from her all-American Ohio fifties childhood to her classic baby-boomer seduction by the rock of the sixties, from her sojourn in the crucible of punk that was seventies London to her instant emergence with The Pretenders in 1980 that launched her into stardom as a frontwoman and songwriter.

available in October, hardcover, Knopf

M Train is a journey through eighteen “stations.” It begins in the tiny Greenwich Village café where Smith goes every morning for black coffee, ruminates on the world as it is and the world as it was, and writes in her notebook. We then travel, through prose that shifts fluidly between dreams and reality, past and present, across a landscape of creative aspirations and inspirations.

A Carlin Home Companion : Growing Up with George

by Kelly Carlin

Saturday, November 14, 7pm

at the Mount Baker Theatre

DAVID

SEDARIS With sardonic wit and incisive social critiques, beloved NPR humorist and bestselling author David Sedaris has become one of America’s preeminent humor writers. Don't miss this opportunity to see hime in person. Village Books will be on hand with a selection of his books. Autographed copies make great gifts!

Tickets available at Village Books, The Mount Baker Theatre & at mountbakertheatre.com.

A Booked at the Baker Event brought to you by Village Books and Mount Baker Theatre

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

available in September, hardcover, St. Martin's Press

George Carlin was an integral part of, and wry commentator upon, the American cultural landscape for nearly fifty years.

Who among us doesn't have particular favorite George Carlin role, routine or quote? His daughter had the inside glimpse into it all, and she gives readers a vivid, hilarious, and sometimes poignant peek behind the scenes of the iconic, beloved figure.

Christopher Key Savanna Balfour

QED

the Richard Feynman story a two-act play by Peter Parnell directed by John Evans French

November 6th, 7:30 p.m.

November 7th, 2:00 & 7:30 p.m.

November 8th, 2:00 p.m.

Harold & Irene Walton Theatre, MBT Tickets: 360-734-6080 or http://www.mountbakertheatre.com/ Fall

2015

49

GET BUZZED! BELLINGHAM September

TRAVERSE 19th

Bellingham Business Journal, The Bridge, Entertainment News Northwest, North Face, NW Travel, Kulshan Cycles, Birch Equipment Sustainable Connections, Whatcom Talk and WWU Alumni Assoc

Bellingham Traverse supports the Stewardship and Education programs of Recreation Northwest

50

Fall 2015

Building Community One Book at a Time

Chuckanut Radio Hour

The

The Chuckanut Radio Hour, a recipient of Bellingham’s prestigious Mayor’s Arts Award, is a radio variety show recorded live and played on KMRE 102.3FM. Each Radio Hour features guest authors and musicians, performance poetry, comedy skits, and some groaner jokes. It's a lot of fun so check out our upcoming line-up and join us!

These shows will take place in the Heiner Theater at Whatcom Community College.

Friday, September 11, 6:30pm

Jonathan Evison –This is Your Life, Harriet Chance!

Jonathan Evison—bestselling author of West of Here and The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving—is returning to Bellingham with his latest novel, This is Your Life, Harriet Chance! He has crafted a new big-hearted novel with a supremely endearing heroine at its center. Nothing is what it seems in this tale of acceptance, re-examination, forgiveness, and, ultimately, healing. Pre-order your copy today and receive one FREE TICKET to the show.

Thursday, October 8, 6:30pm

Tickets $5.00

Stephanie Kallos –Language Arts: A Novel "Kallos’ earlier novels, Broken for You (2004) and Sing Them Home (2009), have been widely praised, and her third deserves all of those kudos and more. This novel, masterfully plotted and written, is a wondrously beautiful story of love and loss, offering hope in the face of the harshest reality." –Booklist Receive one FREE TICKET with each purchase of Language Arts.

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

Thursday, November 5, 6:30pm

Simon Winchester –Pacific: Silicon Chips and Surfboards, Coral Reefs and Atom Bombs,

Brutal Dictators, Fading Empires, and the Coming Collision of the World's Superpowers Join us as we welcome Simon Winchester, author of The Professor and The Madman and Krakatoa, as he presents his book Pacific, which is being published in the United States for the first time! Today, the Pacific is ascendant. Its geological history has long transformed us through tremendous earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis but its human history, from a Western perspective, is quite young. Receive one FREE TICKET with each pre-purchase of Pacific.

A HUGE thanks to our amazing sponsors!

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

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

Fall 2015 51

Books Signed Join theFirstVillage Editions Club!

Signed FIRST EDITIONS CLUB

As a member, you’ll receive a newly published signed first edition novel six times a year. Our qualified buyers work together to select books based on literary quality and potential collectability. In fact, two of the five National Book Award finalists were selections last year.

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

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

Happy Reading!

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

Thank you, Whatcom County, for your wonderful support in 2015!

Your online local information source

Sharing the stories that remind us why we love to live, work and play in Whatcom County

Next season begins june 2016Now accepting season ticket deposits!

Don't Forget, We Buy

USED BOOKS 52 Fall 2015

& Textbooks

Bring in your once-read books and we'll give you up to 30% of the list price in store credit (15% for cash). You can use that to buy more books or gifts in both Village Books or Paper Dreams.

Store Hours: Mon-Thurs 10am-9pm • Fri & Sat 10am-10pm • Sun 10am-7pm

Business Books

Unfinished Business : Women Men Work Family

Everybody Matters : The

available in September, hardcover, Random House

Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your People Like Family

by Anne-Marie Slaughter

Slaughter bursts the bubble on all the “half-truths” we tell young women about “having it all”, and explains what is really necessary to get true gender equality, both in the workplace and at home. Deeply researched, and filled with all the wise and funny anecdotes that first made her the most trusted and admired voice on the issue, Anne-Marie Slaughter’s book is sure to change minds, ignite debate, and be the topic of conversation.

by Bob Chapman and Raj Sisodia available in October, hardcover, Portfolio

As Chapman frequently points out, seven out of eight people believe the company they work for does not care about them. Chapman advocates creating environments teeming with care, compassion, and human connection to bring out the best in the employees. When that happens, both the business and its people flourish.

Sharpen Your Saw BUSINESS BOOK GROUP Becomes

HAPPY HOUR

To allow more business folks to attend the satisfying discussions of books relating to small business, beginning September 15th the Sharpen Your Saw business book group will shift to a more convenient time. The group will continue to meet on the third Tuesday of each month, but will now gather at Book Fare Café at 5:30 pm for a Happy Hour, which will include drink and food specials.

Discussions will be led by Microsoft veteran and small business owner Bill Miller. While everyone is encouraged to read the books before the meetings, it's certainly not required. The conversations are always rich and meaningful, whether one has read the book or not. Books for the fall are: September 15: Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, 2nd Edition

by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, & Al Switzler October 20: To Sell is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others by Daniel H. Pink November 17: How the Way We Talk Can Change the Way We Work: Seven Languages for Transformation

by Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey We hope anyone with an interest in small business will join us.

You can follow Village Books on Twitter.

Each day we tweet about book events, new books, and book-related topics. We are @VillageBksBham.

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

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.

Fall

2015 53

Back to School

Don’t miss our

S ALE!

20% OFF

Children’s Books

SEPTEMBER 1-15

54 Fall

2015

Shop 24 hours a day at villagebooks.com

YOUNG READERS Their Families & Educators

PICTURE BOOKS Everyone Loves Bacon

by Kelly DiPucchio, illustrated by Eric Wright

available in September, hardcover, Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Oh yea! Bacon is soooooo popular.

Mustaches, fancy cars, fogetting all about his old friends... typical popular bacon behavior. Read this fun book and find out what can happen when somewhen gets a little TOO full of himself. (Hint: someone else gets full—OF BACON!) —Kelly C.

Black Cat White Cat

by Silvia Borando

available now, hardcover, Candlewick

Black Cat—black from the tips of his ears to the tip of his tail—only ever goes out in the day. But White Cat—white from her whiskers to her four furry paws— only ever goes out at night. He picks daisies, while she gazes at the stars.

When they both feel the urge to explore a world beyond their own, Black Cat and White Cat go on a journey of discovery and meet for the very first time.

A Dog Wearing Shoes

Waiting

by Kevin Henkes available in September, hardcover, Greenwillow

Five friends sit happily on a windowsill, waiting for something amazing to happen.

The owl is waiting for the moon. The pig is waiting for the rain. The bear is waiting for the wind. The puppy is waiting for the snow. And the rabbit is just looking out the window because he likes to wait! What will happen?

Will patience win in the end? Or will the friends stop waiting, someday, and do something unexpected? A beautiful story from the Caldecott-winning illustrator of Kitten’s First Full Moon.

Please, Open This Book!

by Adam Lehrhaupt illustrated by Matthew Forsythe available in October, hardcover, Paula Wiseman Books

In the first book (Warning: Do Not Open This Book), we trapped the escaping monkeys. Now, the poor monkeys have been stuck in the book and would really like to be released now. They’ve been in the dark and could use some help. This clever interaction between book and reader will keep them turning the pages! —Sarah

by Sangmi Ko

Frog on a Log?

available in September, hardcover, Schwartz & Wade

available now, hardcover, Scholastic

Oh, how I fell in love with this book when I first saw it! Mini and her mom find a lost dog, one who just happens to be wearing shoes. Of course, Mini and the dog have a blast together but it really belongs back home with its family. The range of emotions portrayed in these black and white drawings, accented by just a hint of color, really made me smile and, honestly, get a little teary too. —Sarah

by Kes Gray, illustrated by Jim Field "It's very simple, really. Cats sit on mats, hares sit on chairs, mules sit on stools…” Thus begins cat’s explanation to frog as to why, really, he must sit on a log, even though it’s very splintery and uncomfortable. The animals and seating arrangements get sillier as the explanation expands to include gorillas, seals, and newts. Such a fun read-aloud!

First Saturdays of the month AND EVERY TUESDAY 10:30-11am in the Kids’ Section 360-671-2626 • 800-392-BOOK • villagebooks.com

Join us for

Story Time with Claire Fall

2015

55

FALL FU N for K I DS School's Out

Purple Friday Series

Sunday, Sept. 13, 2-3pm

Tea with Grandma!

NEW!

Friday, September 18, 10:30am STORYTIME featuring I Don't Want to be a Frog

by Dev Petty and Mike Boldt

Little Frog doesn't want to be a frog. He wants to be anything but himself. Soon he learns that being a frog is pretty terrific, mostly because it means a great big wolf doesn't want to eat him.

Come join in an activity that celebrates you just being you.

Friday, October 9, 10:30am STORYTIME featuring Leo: A Ghost Story

by Mac Barnett and Christian Robinson

Let's get ready for Halloween with a story and activity about a ghost named Leo who leaves the house that he haunts in search of a friend who will accept him just as he is.

Friday, Oct. 30, 4pm

Monster Mash Costume Party and Parade!

Here's a fun opportunity for your child to wear their costume before trick-or-treating. Join us in the readings gallery for games, treats, and origami activities from the brand new Monstergami book! Author not attending. We'll finish the fun with a parade through Fairhaven. (Recommended for ages 6 -12)

56 Fall

2015

In celebration of Grandparents Day, we will be hosting a tea in Book Fare Café on the mezzanine level of the bookstore. Bring your grandchildren and enjoy some tasty treats, a few stories, and good company. Tickets are $6 per person and can be purchased at Village Books or by calling 360-6712626. Seating is limited so reserve your space today!

Wednesday, Sept. 23, 4pm CELEBRATE FOOD LITERACY with READERS TO EATERS! A Panel Discussion Celebrate Food Literacy Month with a discussion of good food, where it comes from, and why it’s important.

Join us as we feature: Katherine Pryor, author of Zora’s Zucchini and Rick Swann, author of Our School Garden, in conversation with Laura Plaut of Common Threads, Karl Meyer of the Community Food Co-op, Lee Ann Riddle from WSU’s Food$ense Program and Mardi Solomon of Whatcom Farm to School!

Saturday, Oct. 3, 4pm ASIA CITRO —The Curious Kid's Science Book

AUTHOR EVENT!

What happens if you water plants with juice? Where can you find bacteria in your house? Is slug slime as strong as a glue stick? In The Curious Kid's Science Book, your child will learn to design his or her own science investigations to determine the answers!

HALLOWEEN STORIES

with the Bellingham

Storytellers Guild

Saturday, Oct. 31, 3-6pm 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.

Building Community One Book at a Time

PICTURE BOOKS The Full Moon at the Napping House

by Audrey & Don Wood

A Free Event

At Village Books

Audrey & Don Wood

available now, hardcover, Harcourt Brace

Tuesday, September 8, 11am

In the wide-awake bed in the full-moon house, everyone is restless! With a perfectly crafted text and stunning paintings, Audrey and Don Wood reveal once again why they are picture book creators of the highest order. The Full Moon at the Napping House, the highly anticipated follow-up to their beloved classic The Napping House, is the ideal book to share at bedtime or anytime! Audrey is the author, and Don is the illustrator.

A Free Event

The Day the Crayons Came Home

At Village Books

Carolyn Koehnline

by Drew Daywalt, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers

available now, hardcover, Philomel Books

Sunday, October 25, 4pm

The Bear’s Gift

by Carolyn Koehnline available now, paperback

Gertrude, the oldest of three sisters, is a very hard worker. Alexandria, the middle sister, is not afraid of anything.

Rosie, the youngest, has a wonderful imagination. But they don’t get along at all. Then a mysterious bear visits and leaves them with a mysterious gift that changes everything.

The companion to the #1 blockbuster bestseller, The Day the Crayons Quit!

Having soothed the hurt feelings of one group who threatened to quit, Duncan now faces a whole new group of crayons asking to be rescued. Like Maroon Crayon, who was lost beneath the sofa cushions and then broken in two after Dad sat on him—each and every crayon has a woeful tale to tell and a plea to be brought home to the crayon box.

An Evening with

KWAME ALEXANDER

Poet, Kids Author, Novelist, Teacher, and Cool Dude!

Village Books will be joining Western Washington University's PoetryCHaT for an evening of creativity, poetry, music and fun with award winning author Kwame Alexander!

Kwame Alexander is the 2015 Newbery Medal AND Coretta Scott King Honor Award winning author of The Crossover. The book, which is told entirely through verse, follows two African-American twin brothers who share a love for basketball but find themselves drifting apart.

This event is FREE and open to the public.

Village Books will provide books for sale at the event.

Western Libraries PoetryCHaT is a distinctive collection of children(CH) and (a) teen(T) poetry books, curricular resources for educators, and information about events and programming, designed to help educators share their love of poetry with children and teens.

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

Wednesday, October 21, 2015, 6:30 - 8:00pm at Bellingham High School

Fall

2015

57

The Village Books & Paper Dreams

STAFF LOVE

Middle Readers The Fog Diver

by Joel Ross

available now, hardcover, HarperCollins

Steampunk adventure meets family determination in this first installment of what will be a new middle reader series. Young orphan Chess shows an uncanny affinity for the Fog, a cloud of nanomachines that covers the surface of the earth. This makes him invaluable to his adoptive family as they salvage pieces of old earth to make their living in a slum. But other people are interested in Chess and his ability too, and that interest leads to stolen airships, pirates, and a quest for a forbidden city across the clouds. Adventure awaits! —Jenny

The Doldrums

by Nicholas Gannon available in September, hardcover, Greenwillow Books

Archer lives a dull existence. Not any thing like his adventurous g ra n d p a r e n t s, w h o m A rc h e r desperately wants to know. Then again, their adventures did leave them stranded on an iceberg. Oliver lives a quiet and safe existence as well, but he likes it that way. And Adelaide? Adelaide just wants people to get to know her, the real her, and to not think of her as the girl with the wooden leg. These three unlikely friends are about to team up and search for the thrilling adventure Archer longs for. The gorgeous illustrations that accompany the trio are just the icing on the cake. —Hana

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

We meet every second Youth Book Group Tuesday of the month from 4-5pm in the Readings Gallery. When we get together, we examine and explore the story we have read through discussions, crafts, activities, and games. See villagebooks.com for the reading selections. Don't miss out on the fun!

ADVENTURE

58 Fall 2015

Crenshaw

by Katherine Applegate available in September, hardcover, Feiwel & Friends

Have you ever had an imaginary friend? Jackson did when he was younger, and now at the mature age of eleven he considers himself too old.

Then, just when it looks like his fragile world may be falling apart all over again, the huge black and white cat called Crenshaw shows up for the first time in years. The author of Newbery-medal winner The One and Only Ivan does not shy away from writing hard situations here. Instead, she shows kids how to face them head on, and teaches that you are never too old for the comforts of childhood. —Hana

Appleblossom The Possum

by Holly Goldberg Sloan

available now, hardcover, Dial Books

Mama has trained up her baby possums in the ways of their breed, and now it’s time for all of them—even little Appleblossom—to make their way in the world. Fans of E.B. White's Charlotte's Web and Dick KingSmith's Babe will adore this heartwarming and funny animal adventure by the award-winning author of Counting By 7s.

A Free Event

Holly Goldberg Sloan Wednesday, October 7, 4pm Join us at Village Books

The Blackthorn Key

by Kevin Sands

available in September, hardcover, Aladdin

Christopher Rowe is an apothecary's apprentice. Master Apothecar y Benedict Blackthorn is kind, caring, and a more generous master than Christopher ever dared dream for.

When Benedict becomes another casualty in what appears to be a mass hit on apothecaries, Christopher sets out to unravel the clues his master left behind. Filled with the perfect blend of adventure, humor, puzzles and ciphers, the occasional alchemical explosion, and an enormous amount of heart, The Blackthorn Key is the best kind of middle reader.

This is truly a special book. —Hana

Store Hours: Mon-Thurs 10am-9pm • Fri & Sat 10am-10pm • Sun 10am-7pm

Middle Readers

The Marvels

by Brian Selznick available in September, hardcover, Scholastic

Brian Selznick creates books and stories like no other and The Marvels is no different. The reader is given two seemingly unconnected stories—one told in pictures, one told in words—and is taken on journeys unlike anything else. There is much that is not said that informs the story too. I loved reading both stories and the way they play off of each other is beautiful. —Sarah

George

by Alex Gino available now, hardcover, Scholastic

When people look at George, they think they see a boy. But she knows she's not a boy. She knows she's a girl. George thinks she'll have to keep this a secret forever. Then her teacher announces that their class play is going to be Charlotte's Web. George REALLY wants to play Charlotte. But the teacher says she can't even try out for the part because she's a boy. With the help of her best friend, Kelly, George comes up with a plan. Not just so she can be Charlotte—but so everyone can know who she is, once and for all.

At Village Books A Free Event

Kenneth Oppel

The Wolf Wilder

by Katherine Rundell

available now, hardcover, Simon & Schuster

In the frozen woods of Russia, there lives a girl named Feo and her mother.

They are wolf wilders, those who train wolves that have been domesticated by the wealthy, only to be cast out after showing wolfish tendencies. They return wolves to their wild state and are themselves, living on the fringe of this world. When they and the wolves they train become targets of the cruelly insane General Rakov, their lives become all about survival and learning to trust strangers for the first time. This is a beautiful story of what it means to be wild and how connecting with others is inherently human. —Claire

The Seventh Most Important Thing

by Shelley Pearsall

available in September, hardcover, Knopf

Arthur is a normal kid until he sees his dad’s hat on the local “Junk Man” and Arthur just sort of loses it and throws a brick at the man. The judge allows Arthur to do community service for the Junk Man and, in the process, learns about the Seven Most Important Things. The Junk Man is based on a real person, folk artist James Hampton, and Pearsall takes this framework and builds something amazing. —Sarah

Friday, October 23 , 4pm

The Nest

by Kenneth Oppel available in October, hardcover, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Steve’s baby brother is terribly sick. He desperately wants to save him, even considers saying yes to the queen wasp in his dream when she offers to “fix” the baby. As Steve watches, the wasp nest outside his brother’s window grows and grows, and incidentally so does his fear. What exactly did he agree to? Fans of Coraline will love the eerie chill Oppel’s dark new tale possesses, and Jon Klassen’s simple yet powerful illustrations are the perfect complement. —Hana

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

The Bamboo Sword

by Margi Preus

available in September, hardcover, Amulet Books

Yoshi desperately wants to be a warrior, but as a member of the serving class, he will never be allowed to. He is instead enlisted by Manjiro (whom the majority of Japan distrusts due to his long stay in America) as his servant. At the same time, an American squadron pulls into Edo Bay, looking for diplomacy.

Preus’s tale brings the two sides of this story together in a marvelously unexpected way, and gives readers an enthralling look into history, focused on 1850s Japan. —Hana

Fall

2015 59

Young Adult Mirrored

by Alex Flinn

available in September, hardcover, HarperTeen

Mirror, mirror, in my hand, who is the fairest in the land? Celine’s stepmother loved her at one point, Celine is sure she did. So when did all that change? For Violet, it changed when she saw her stepdaughter growing up and becoming beautiful. More beautiful than her? Well, she absolutely can’t risk that. Full of magic and a whopping heap of suspense, Mirrored is the story of Snow White, spellbindingly told in modern day. —Hana

Newt's Emerald : Magic, Maids, and Masquerades

Made You Up

by Francesca Zappia

by Garth Nix

available now, hardcover, Greenwillow Books

A cross between I'll Give You the Sun and Code Name Verity, this book about a senior year of high school isn't what you think. Alex is hiding a mental illness from her new schoolmates, but she's doing okay; her medication helps, and she has little tricks for telling what's real and what's not as she goes about her daily life. But when she meets a boy who might have been her first childhood hallucination, the lines between fantasy and reality begin to blur. A realistic look at what it's like to live with a mental illness as a teen, this is a truly beautiful read. —Jenny

60 Fall 2015

available in October, hardcover, Katherine Tegen Books

In the midst of a wave of new Regencythemed novels coming out, this one really stands out! It begins with the foul theft of a family heirloom, and quickly spirals into an adventure involving high society, mistaken identity, magic, mayhem and more than a few laugh-worthy moments. Lady Truthful walks a fine line between society lady and disguised rogue, a disguise almost as good as her partner's when it comes to tracking down her family's emerald. The whole story, from the idea of a magic-infused England to the villains who plan to free Napoleon, is a real treat. —Jenny

Store Hours: Mon-Thurs 10am-9pm • Fri & Sat 10am-10pm • Sun 10am-7pm

Young Adult Walled City

by Ryan Graudin available in September, paperback, Hachette

Please, please, please, ignore the cover art! This is an intense, actionpacked, thriller of a read with strong, courageous characters that make this story fantastic. You follow Jin, Mei Yee, and Dai—all trapped inside the Walled City and they are desperate to get out. Graudin is now one of my favorite authors and I can’t wait for more by her! —Lauren

Blue Voyage

by Diana Renn

available in October, hardcover, Knopf Books for Young Readers

This stor y really spoke to my adventurous, travel-loving side. This YA thriller follows Zan, a fun and courageous teenage girl, who finds herself the target of an antiquity smuggling ring in Turkey. Blue Voyage is one of those books that always kept me on the edge of my seat and was nearly impossible to put down. From the beautiful backdrop of Istanbul and the Mediterranean to missing treasure and crumbling caves, this book is an amazing adventure for any age. —Asya

Wolf by Wolf

by Ryan Graudin

available in October, hardcover, Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Imagine if Hitler won WWII and the Axis powers were in control of Europe. I shudder to even think about it. But Graudin has created an utterly believable past that seems both plausible and horrific. Wolf by Wolf is narrated by Yael—a survivor of a medical experiment in the death camps. Years later, she has only one goal: to kill Hitler in front of the entire world. And she is the only one with the ability to do it. If you loved The Book Thief and Code Name Verity, don’t miss this amazing read! —Lauren Graudin’s breathtaking whirlwind of a book takes you on Yael’s awe-inspiring journey and gives us one of the most impressive female protagonists to have risen out of the YA genre. —Hana

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

The Rest of Us Just Live Here

by Patrick Ness

available in October, hardcover, Harper Teen

Have you ever wondered what the average, normal characters are doing while the cool indie kids are saving everyone from zombies, vampires, or whatever? Meet Mikey. Mikey is your average teen, works at a restaurant after school, wants to graduate high school, go to college, go to prom, and ask Henna out before the summer ends. In this sarcastically titled novel, Patrick Ness writes a story about finding the extraordinary in our every day ordinary. —Kayleigh

Six of Crows

by Leigh Bardugo available in September, hardcover, Henry Holt

From the author of staff favorite Shadow and Bone comes a new series set in the grisha universe. Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams—but he can't pull it off alone.

Stand-Off

by Andrew Smith available in September, hardcover, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

This is a sequel to the outstanding Winger. Ryan Dean West returns to Pine Mountain to confront the ghosts of Joey's passing and the time he spent in O-Hall. Old favorite characters like Annie combine with new, namely Ryan Dean's new roommate, to make this a story about bridging the gap between childhood and the adult world. Sexuality is still a big theme, namely different attractions and the importance of consent, and Smith's signature humor and goodheartedness relay important messages even as you giggle through them. This is another beautiful, moving read. —Jenny

The book you want hasn't been released yet?

Pre-order your copy today!

Fall

2015 61

Young Adult This Monstrous Thing

Another Day

by Mackenzi Lee

available in September, hardcover, Katherine Tegan

by David Levithan

It is 1818 in Geneva and men with clockwork parts are persecuted worse than ever. Alasdair’s family are clockwork mechanics, fixing people who come to them injured. But Alasdair has taken it farther than mending injuries or replacing lost limbs. His very own brother is holed up outside the city, more clockwork than man, due to Alasdair’s ambition just as much as his desperation. The dire situation grows even more grave with the anonymous publication of Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus. Things are about to get dangerous. —Hana

available now, hardcover, Knopf Books for Young Readers

Another Day follows Rhiannon, a selfaware young woman who has settled for everything in her life especially when it comes to her boyfriend, Justin. From the unexpected twists to the atypical love story, this book introduces deep concepts that stay on your mind long after the book is finished. Is it possible to fall in love with someone’s soul, in spite of the body they are in? —Asya

Keepers of the Labyrinth Walk on Earth a Stranger

by Erin E. Moulton

available in September, hardcover, Greenwillow Books

Fans of Percy Jackson, meet your next new book! Lilith has been invited to attend a Future Leaders Conference on the island of Crete, and it is there that she hopes to learn more about her mother. But she has no idea the perilous dangers awaiting her, the kind of which will test her bravery, her ingenuity, and may just lead Lil and her new friends right into the famous Labyrinth (straight out of Greek mythology) itself. –Hana

by Rae Carson

It’s 1849 gold rush era America. Who would you trust if you had the ability to sense gold anywhere and be able to find it wherever you are? What would you do if the only people you could trust were killed for that knowledge?

That’s the situation for Leah Westfall.

Left with nothing, Leah disguises herself as a boy and joins the rush towards California where she hopes she can escape her past and start fresh - but only if she can survive the rough journey west. —Lauren

Don’t miss our

Back to School

S A LE!

available now, hardcover, Philomel Books

20% Children OFF

& Young Adult Books

SEPTEMBER 1-15 62 Fall

2015

Building Community One Book at a Time

YA RC .

.

.

.

Young Adult

Review Committee Recommendations Enjoy reviews of the latest and greatest Young Adult books to hit the streets in recent and upcoming months.

Don't miss our in-store Y.A.R.C. display that is always up-to-date and evolving with the best reviews by teens, for teens!

Tonight the Streets are Ours

by Leila Sales

available in September, hardcover, Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Does anyone love me as much as I love them? With her family falling apart and an indifferent best friend, Arden consults the internet to answer her question. What she finds is Tonight the Streets are Ours, an engrossing blog detailing the life of a boy named Peter. But when Peter's heart is broken, recklessly loyal Arden sets off on a road trip to find him. Funny, and heartfelt, Leila Sales's newest novel shows that there's more than one side to every story. Tonight the Streets are Ours is truly enchanting and not to be missed. –Emma, age 18

If You're Lucky

by Yvonne Prinz

Illuminae: The Illuminae Files 01

by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff available in October, hardcover, Knopf Books for Young Readers

In this brilliant sci-fi novel by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman, a teenager named Kady must work with an ex-boyfriend she didn’t want anything to do with to survive after their planet is invaded. From an enemy warship closing in to an AI who is supposed to be protecting the fleet from going rogue to a terrifying plague, this book will make your heart pound. Set in the year 2575 and told through a collection of documents, I highly recommend this to anyone who loves science-fiction or thrilling space adventures. –Gretal, age 15

Goodbye Stranger

available in October, hardcover, Algonquin

by Rebecca Stead

If you're lucky, you're popular and you travel the world and make friends everywhere you go—at least that's Georgia's brother's life. But then he dies in a surfing accident, and a man claiming to be his best friend comes to town and starts to take over her life. Georgia seems to be the only one who doesn't trust him, but no one believes her—why should they, when she has voices in her head that have lied to her before? Prinz's thrilling story will captivate all who read it. —Lydia, age 17

available now, hardcover, Wendy Lamb Books

Written by the author of When You Reach Me, this novel tells the tale of three girls, a boy, and another girl, struggling with a betrayal on Valentine’s Day. This book has a whimsical feel to the writing, full of thought provoking descriptions and painful teen angst. Another hit novel from this Newbery Medal Winning author, Goodbye Stranger will not disappoint its readers. –Abby, age 15

Find More Y.A.R.C. recommendations on the the next page!

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More

YA RC

. . . .

Teen Recommendations

A Thousand Nights

by E.K Johnston

available in October, hardcover, Disney-Hyperion

By the time he came to her village, LoMelkhiin had killed hundreds of his wives.

Determined to let her sister be next, one brave girl takes her place and becomes the new queen. But as she lives longer than any other queen, both girl and demon are caught in a battle of wits and magic.In this retelling of the Scheherazade myth, E.K. Johnston crafts a vivid tale of the quiet strength of one woman. A Thousand Nights is a thrilling tale set with the back drop of a harsh desert land not to be missed. –Emma, age 18

Red Girl, Blue Boy: An If Only... Novel

by Lauren Baratz-Logsted available in October, hardcover, Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Lauren Baratz-Logsted's newest book, Red Girl, Blue Boy is a modern day romance about the children of two presidential candidates representing opposite parties.

It seems that because of Katie's dad being the Republican's president-of-choice and Drew's mother being the candidate for the Democratic party, that the two 16 year old's should not get along—how could they? However, as Katie and Drew are forced to work together in a political scheme thought up by their parents, this book sets forth to humorously and bluntly show that perhaps love and politics can mix. —Jackie, age 16

Reawakened

by Colleen Houck available now, hardcover, Delacorte Press

Tiger’s Curse author Colleen Houck presents another engaging tale built around ancient beliefs—this time Egyptian.

Teenaged Lilliana leads a safe, controlled life until discovering a strange man in the Egyptian section of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Whisked away from home, Lily is drawn into an adventure filled with mummies, magic, and ancient gods. There she finds the most unexpected thing of all—love. –Brynna K., age 15

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Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad

by M.T. Anderson

available in September, hardcover, Candlewick Press

Symphony for the City of the Dead is a beautiful and brutal, eye-opening read.

It is the true story of composer Dmitri Shostakovich, and The Siege of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). It tells the tale of Shostakovich's power to create music that moves and speaks to the hearts of millions. The book begins at Shostakovich's birth. We meet him and his music-filled city near the dawn of the 20th century and follow them both through Lenin’s rise and fall; Stalin’s after that; through the days when the Russian secret police reigned in terror; and the Germans' 900 day siege of Leningrad. I genuinely laughed and quietly cried throughout.

I listened to some of the symphonies and a waltz or two, and I would absolutely recommend it. I took the whole book with a grain of salt, as it is practically impossible not to put a spin on any historical tale. But my cynical mind was swept away by this story of tragedy and splendor, of beautiful music and harsh lives with harsh ends. —Henry, age 16

Ghostlight

by Sonia Gensler available now, hardcover, Knopf for Young Readers

I don't normally read ghost stories, but this one caught my eye. Avery is spending her summer at her grandmother's, as always.

But this year, her brother has ditched their usual plans. She expects a long, boring summer until she meets Julian, a boy who is fascinated by the Hilliard House, an old mansion on her grandmother's property.

She has been forbidden to go there, but Julian convinces her to help shoot a ghost movie there. But strange things begin to happen, almost as if the ghost were real. –Oliver, age 14

Beyond Clueless

by Linas Alsenas

available now, hardcover, Amulet Books

Jump right into Marty Sullivan's dramatic life in this funny look into high school and the messy relationships that come along with it. Her love of theater leads her and her friends to joining the school's musical of Into the Woods, where more drama occurs offstage than on. A hilarious, unique perspective on life, love, and theater, I'd recommend this book to lovers of humor and theater of all sorts. —Abby, age 15

Young Adult READS Building Community One Book at a Time

Literature LIVE!

EVENTS

VB’s Literary Events Program

Additions & changes to this schedule will occur so check out

VillageBooks.com

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

Register online for the Village Books eNewsletter!

All Children’s Books are 20% off during our annual Back to School Sale, which runs September 1 through September 15.

Stock up for the school year and the holidays!

KIDS!

Join Claire in the Kids section every Tuesday at 10:30 for half an hour of stories, songs, and movement as we read and get silly about books!

Fiction, Local Author!

Fans of Donati's international bestselling Wilderness series will see some glimmers of the characters they have grown to love, but new readers will enjoy The Gilded Hour as a standalone novel set in one of the most exciting times in America’s—and New York City’s—history.

Wednesday, September 2, 7pm MARIAN EXALL –A Dangerous Descent

Mystery, Local Author!

In the second installment of this mystery series, Sarah McKinney's search for her mentor's estranged daughter takes her to the Dordogne region of rural France. She uncovers a troubled history that parallels her own, and must confront physical danger as well as her personal demons.

KIDS!

STORYTIMES

Greenfellas is a comic crime novel, with issues.

On the day New Jersey mobster Sal Caetano becomes a grandfather, he hears that climate change will ruin the world for his granddaughter. So Sal decides to save the environment, by any means necessary…

Friday, September 4, 7pm ALLAN AMENT –Learning to Float

Memoir, Local Author

Allan and Deloris Ament's lives take a dramatic turn when Deloris suffers a debilitating stroke. No longer equal partners in marriage, Allan becomes Deloris's primary caregiver, responsible for maintaining their household and her well-being. Learning to Float describes Allan's transformation from a criminal defense attorney to a compassionate, emotionally vulnerable caregiver.

KIDS!

Join Claire in the Kids section for half an hour of stories, songs, and movement as we read and get silly about books!

September 1-15 BACK-TO-SCHOOL SALE!

Tuesday, September 1, 7pm SARA DONATI –The Gilded Hour

Fiction, Local Author!

Saturday, September 5, 10:30am First Saturdays Story Time with Claire!

SEPTEMBER

Tuesday, September 1, 10:30am Tuesday Story Times with Claire!

Thursday, September 3, 7pm ROBERT LOPRESTI –Greenfellas

KIDS!

Every Tuesday and First Saturdays at10:30am

Join Claire in the Kids section every Tuesday and the first Saturday of each month at 10:30am for a half hour of stories, songs, and movement as we read and get silly about books!

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

KIDS! Tuesday, September 8, 11am DON & AUDREY WOOD –Full Moon at The Napping House This highly anticipated follow-up to their beloved classic The Napping House is the ideal book to share at bedtime or anytime!

Wednesday, September 9, 7pm DAVID R. GROSS –Travels With Charlize

Memoir!

After the death of Seattle author David Gross’ wife of over fifty-two years, he knows he must go forward and face a new future, but memories and old friends keep reminding him of Rosalie, his only true love. Both travel and home provide painful memories, but his rescue dog Charlize always senses his mood and keeps him willing to seek the future.

Friday, September 11, Doors at 6:30pm, Show at 7pm THE CHUCKANUT RADIO HOUR featuring JONATHAN EVISION, author of –This Is Your Life, Harriet Chance!

Enjoy a great author interview, live music, fun skits, and good times. Tickets: $5 available at Village Books & brownpapertickets.com. See page 51 for more information.

Sunday, September 13, 2pm TEA WITH GRANDMA at Book Fare Café!

KIDS!

In celebration of Grandparent's Day, join us for tea-time in Book Fare Café on the mezzanine level of the bookstore.

Bring your grandchildren and enjoy some tasty treats, a few stories, and good company. Tickets are $6 per person and can be purchased at the main counter at Village Books, or by calling 360-671-2626.

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

Keep turning for more events!

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

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

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

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

Mount Baker Theatre S E A S O N Oct 09 Oct 24 Nov 14 Nov 21 Dec 05 Dec 17 Jan 24

Carlos Núñez Jake Shimabukuro David Sedaris Stunt Dog Experience LeAnn Rimes Craig Ferguson Silent Film: Chaplin Triple Feature

FEATURING

OCT 2

Jan 27 Flashdance The Musical Feb 06 Dr. Stephen Robinson: Achieving the Dream of Spaceflight Feb 08 Bullets Over Broadway Feb 14 Hooking Up With The Second City Feb 20 Take 6 Feb 21 Silent Film: The Long-Lost Sherlock

NOV 2

Feb 27 A Fiddler’s Feast Mar 13 Silent Film: Action Double Feature Mar 17 Solas Mar 20 Glenn Miller Orchestra Apr 02 PostSecret: the Show Apr 12 globalFEST: Creole Carnival Apr 14 Saturday Night Fever Apr 20 Million Dollar Quartet NEW Apr 23 Patti LuPone DA TE May 14 50’s Dance Party

NOV 23

JAN 15

Call 360.734.6080 or visit the NEW MountBakerTheatre.com 66 Fall 2015

Store Hours: Mon-Thurs 10am-9pm • Fri & Sat 10am-10pm • Sun 10am-7pm

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

Literature LIVE!

EVENTS Sunday, September 13, 4pm Memoir, KRISTIN NOREEN Local Author!

–On Silver Wings

In an instant, Kristin Noreen’s life was forever changed: she set out on a leisurely bike ride and woke up on life support. Reduced to a dependent child at age 46, she fought her way back to claim her life: different, but still her own. This is her story.

Wednesday, September 16, 7pm DAVID WILLIAMS –Too High and Too Steep Residents and visitors in today's Seattle would barely recognize the landscape that its founding settlers first encountered. As the city grew, its leaders and inhabitants dramatically altered its topography to accommodate their changing visions. David B. Williams uses his deep knowledge of Seattle, scientific background, and extensive research and interviews to illuminate the physical challenges and sometimes startling hubris of these large-scale transformations.

Thursday, September 17, 7pm SUE C. BOYNTON POETRY CONTEST Anthology Release!

Join us as we celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest, and the release of Poetry Walk— a new anthology of poems from the past five years, with a group reading!

Friday, September 18, 10:30am PURPLE FRIDAY! STORY TIME

KIDS!

featuring I Don't Want to be a Frog

by Dev Petty and Mike Boldt Little Frog doesn't want to be a frog. He wants to be anything but himself. Soon he learns that being a frog is pretty terrific. Come join in an activity that celebrates you just being you.

Friday, September 18, 7pm A TRIBUTE TO IVAN DOIG and his final novel, Last Bus to Wisdom featuring David Laskin & Carol Doig Join us as we celebrate the life and work of Ivan Doig with a reading from Last Bus to Wisdom featuring David Laskin (bestselling author of The Family and The Children’s Blizzard) and Carol Doig.

Saturday, September 19, 7pm AMY STEWART Fiction!

–Girl Waits With Gun From the New York Times best-selling author of The Drunken Botanist comes an enthralling novel based on the forgotten true story of one of the nation’s first female deputy sheriffs.

Monday, September 21, 7pm JENNIFER WORICK –Things I Want to Punch in the Face Jennifer Worick had a bad day. And then a bad week. She channeled her aggravation into creating the blog Things I Want to Punch in the Face, which became a sensation.

Although her bad week passed, she has continued to take note of the little irritations that torment us all daily.

Wednesday, September 23, 4pm CELEBRATE FOOD LITERACY WITH READERS TO EATERS! A Panel Discussion featuring authors Katherine Pryor and Rick Swann!

Celebrate Food Literacy Month with a discussion of good food, where it comes from, and why it’s important. Join us as we feature Katherine Pryor, author of Zora’s Zucchini and Rick Swann, author of Our School Garden, in conversation with Laura Plaut of Common Threads, Karl Meyer of the Community Food Co-op, Lee Ann Riddle from WSU’s Food$ense Program and Mardi Solomon of Whatcom Farm to School!

Wednesday, September 23, 7pm FRANKLIN VEAUX Memoir!

–The Game Changer To make an open marriage work, Franklin and Celeste knew they needed to make sure no one ever came between them. That meant no overnights, no falling in love, and either one of them could ask the other to end an outside relationship if it became too much to deal with. It worked for nearly two decades. But the rules did not prepare them for Amber.

Thursday, September 24, 7pm G. WILLIAM JOLLEY –Almost There: Stories and Musings Along The Pacific Crest Trail

In 2012, at the age of 70, G. William Jolley hiked the Washington State section of the Pacific Crest Trail solo. Almost There will inspire readers to rethink whether a person is ever too old to go into the wilderness. Indeed, “old men and women ought to be explorers.”

Friday, September 25, 7pm A.C. FULLER –The Anonymous Source

Fiction!

One year after the 9/11 attacks, Alex Vane—a brilliant, carb-obsessed reporter for The New York Standard—wants nothing more than to break into the flashy world of TV news. But when he uncovers the scoop of a lifetime, his tightly controlled world is rocked: his editor buries his story, a source turns up dead, and Alex finds himself at the center of a violent media conspiracy.

Saturday, September 26, 4pm JAY W. JACOBS Local Author!

–The Widow Wave Will anyone ever know what happened to the "Aloha," a sport fishing boat that vanished with all onboard in the Pacific off San Francisco's coast? 'Knowing' is a complex, inexact business. When Jay Jacobs was a young trial lawyer, the worst recreational fishing boat accident in San Francisco's maritime history occurred in the Pacific Ocean, somewhere west of the Golden Gate. Jacobs' experiences in the subsequent trial stayed with him throughout his career, and led him to write The Widow Wave.

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

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Literature

LIVE!

Saturday, September 26, 7pm CHRISTOPHER J. JARMICK Poetry!

–Not Aloud Christopher J. Jarmick’s Not Aloud delivers witty, refreshingly honest, personal, thought provoking poetry. Forget any pre-conceived notions of poetry you may have and get ready to be surprised!

Sunday, September 27, 4pm –Clover: A Literary Rag, Vol IX

Group Reading!

Clover, A Literary Rag returns with a multi-genre event. Thirteen regional poets and storytellers present original work from Volume 9 of the Rag. Contributors include Jim Bertolino, Laurel Leigh, Larry Crist, Paul Hunter and Michael Dylan Welch, among other fine voices. Hosted by Mary Gillilan and Norman Green.

Monday, September 28, 7pm Open Mic with Laurel Leigh Village Books invites everyone to enjoy local talents as they share their own stories, poems and essays. Open mic is usually held the last Monday of each month at 7pm in the Readings Gallery. Sign up at our main counter on the first floor or call (360) 671-2626. Laurel Leigh, local writer and teacher, will emcee.

so far in

OCTOBER

Saturday, October 3, 10:30am First Saturdays Story Time with Claire!

KIDS!

Join Claire in the Kids section for half an hour of stories, songs, and movement as we read and get silly about books!

Saturday, October 3, 4pm ASIA CITRO –The Curious Kid’s Science Book What happens if you water plants with juice?

Where can you find bacteria in your house? Is slug slime as strong as a glue stick? How would your child find the answers to these questions? In The Curious Kid's Science Book, your child will learn to design his or her own science investigations to determine the answers!

Saturday, October 3, 7pm MARY LOU SANELLI –A Woman Writing

Memoir!

In these wonderfully wise writings, Mary Lou Sanelli once again relies on her literary voice and candid sense of humor to explore all the realities true to anyone who has thought of making writing a part of his or her life.

Tuesday, October 6, 7pm KIM HEACOX –Jimmy Bluefeather

Fiction!

Wednesday, September 30, 7pm THOM SPEIDEL –Catastrophe or Democracy: Who Decides?

Old Keb Wisting is somewhere around ninety-five years old (he lost count a while ago) and thinks he wants to die. He also thinks he thinks too much. Part Norwegian and part Tlingit Native, he’s the last living canoe carver in the village of Jinkaat, in Southeast Alaska. When his grandson, James, a promising basketball player, ruins his leg in a logging accident and tells his grandpa that he has nothing left to live for, Old Keb comes alive and finishes his last canoe, with help from his grandson.

The life-sustaining systems of the earth are blinking red. A majority of US citizens want remedial action, but the will of the majority is being obstructed by a wealthy minority bent on greed and power. In short, our hijacked democracy cannot respond to the ecological emergency. This book proposes a solution.

Wednesday, October 7, 4pm HOLLY GOLDBERG SLOAN –Appleblossom The Possum

There is no charge for most Village Books Literature Live events. Event costs are offset by customer book purchases; in order to maintain our robust program, we urge you to purchase those event books that interest you.

Thank you for supporting Literature Live Events!

TUNE IN to hear selected

Literature Live! events

on your RADIO or computer!

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

Hear more at KMRE 102.3 FM Mondays at noon!

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Fall 2015

KIDS!

Fans of E.B. White and Dick King-Smith will adore this heartwarming and funny animal adventure by the award-winning author of Counting by 7s. With dynamic illustrations, a tight-knit family, and a glimpse at the world from a charming little marsupial's point of view, this cozy animal story is a perfect read-aloud and a classic in the making.

Wednesday, October 7, 7pm Poetry!

WAYNE LEE –Googling a Present Participle Wayne Lee’s poems have appeared in Tupelo Press, The New Guard, Sliver of Stone, Slipstream and other journals and anthologies. His awards include the Mark Fischer Poetry Prize and the SICA Poems for Peace Award, and he has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and three Best of the Net Awards.

Thursday, October 8, Doors at 6:30, show at 7pm THE CHUCKANUT RADIO HOUR in the Heiner Theatre at WCC featuring STEPHANIE KALLOS, author of Language Arts Join us as we enjoy live music, welcome Stephanie Kallos, bestselling author of Broken For You and Sing Them Home, as she presents her new novel Language Arts. Read more about this and other upcoming Radio Hours on page 51.

Thursday, October 8, 7pm ANA MARIA SPAGNA –Reclaimers In Reclaimers, Ana Maria Spagna drives an aging Buick up and down the long strip of West Coast mountain ranges and alongside rivers to meet the people, many of them wise women, who persevered for decades with little hope of success to make changes happen. In uncovering their heroic stories, Spagna seeks a way for herself, and for all of us, to take back and to make right in a time of unsettling ecological change.

Friday, October 9, 10:30am PURPLE FRIDAY! STORYTIME featuring Leo: A Ghost Story

KIDS!

by Mac Barnett and Christian Robinson Let's get ready for Halloween with a story and activity about a ghost named Leo who leaves the house that he haunts in search of a friend who will accept him just as he is.

Friday, October 9, 7pm DEREK 'DEEK" DIEDRICKSEN –Microshelters: 59 Creative Cabins, Tiny Houses, Tree Houses and Other Small Structures

If you dream of living in a tiny house, or creating a getaway in your backyard, you’ll love this gorgeous collection of creative and inspiring ideas for tiny houses, cabins, forts, studios, and other microshelters. Each structure is displayed in full-color photographs accompanied by commentary by the author, Derek “Deek” Diedricksen. Diedricksen hosts the YouTube channel RelaxshacksDOTcom.

Saturday, October 10, 7pm ROBERT MICHAEL PYLE with David Guterson –Wintergreen: Rambles in a Ravaged Land 30th Anniversary Edition

Join us in celebrating the 30th anniversary edition of this timeless reflection on man's relationship with nature. Read more on page 43.

Tuesday, October 13, 7pm ANITA FENG –Sid

Fiction!

Sid weaves the traditional tale of Siddhartha, the Buddha-to-be with the story of Sid, an everyman who finds himself waking up amid the reality of work and family life in the modern world. This is a delightful jewel that captures both the classic story of the Buddha, as well as a deeply personal reflection of the story in a contemporary retelling.

Thursday, October 15, 7pm LAURA LAFFRADO –The Selected Writings of Ella Higginson This new book introduces readers to the life and award-winning works of Ella Higginson, the first prominent literary author from the Pacific Northwest, famous for her prose and lyric poetry, as well as her distinguished position as the first Poet Laureate of Washington State. Read more on page. 44.

Saturday, October 17, 4pm BRIDGED LOTT –Eclectic Images for Creative Relaxing An Adult Coloring Book!

Eclectic Images for Creative Relaxing is a grown-up coloring book and journal designed to give adults the opportunity to switch off the anxiety of their daily lives. Bridged Lott is a retired scientist turned artist and designer.

Saturday, October 17, 7pm MICHAEL IMPERO –The Grand Lady of Mount Baker: A History of The Mount Baker Lodge from 1927-1931

The Grand Lady was one of the magnificent lodges built in the early twentieth century in the American West. It opened in July 1927, and was destroyed by fire in August 1931. Michael Impero’s new book features over 100 photographs, many historical documents and over four years of research. Michael Impero has lived his whole life in Whatcom County, and is the author of Dreams of Gold, The Lone Jack and The Boys of Glacier.

Sunday, October 18, 4pm Free!

Chalk Art Workshop with Kayleigh featuring –The Complete Book of Chalk Lettering Join VB staffer Kayleigh, who is also the artist behind the ever-changing chalkboard on our main floor, as she presents tips and techniques from The Complete Book of Chalk Lettering!

Thursday, October 22, 7pm TODD WARGER –More Murder In The Fourth Corner Join Todd Warger as he delves into the history behind more local tales of murder and mayhem! Warger is an Emmy Award nominee for the documentary film The Mountain Runners. He is also a recipient of the Washington State Historical Society’s 2008 David Douglas award for the documentary film, Shipyard. He is the author of Murder in The Fourth Corner and co-author of Images of America: Mount Baker.

Friday, October 23, 4pm KENNETH OPPEL –The Nest International bestselling author Kenneth Oppel (Silverwing, The Boundless) creates an eerie masterpiece in this compelling story that explores disability and diversity, fears and dreams, and what ultimately makes a family. Includes illustrations from celebrated artist Jon Klassen.

Friday, October 23, 7pm PRISCILLA LONG –Crossing Over

Poetry

Long's work begs to be read aloud in order to savor the rich language and rhythm she instills in each poem. She explores the beauty of specific bridges while employing them as a metaphor for crossings to death (a sister's suicide), eros, and art. Part elegy, the book also explores living, remembering, and celebrating. Priscilla Long is the author of three books, including The Writer's Portable Mentor.

Additions & changes to this schedule will occur so check out

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

Keep turning for more events!

Register online for the Village Books eNewsletter!

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

Fall 2015

69

Saturday, October 24, 4pm LAURA T. COFFEY & LORI FUSARO –My Old Dog: Rescued Pets

so far in

with Remarkable Second Acts

Elaborating on their article “No Dog Should Die Alone,” journalist Coffey and photographer Fusaro present this book of images and stories celebrating senior dogs and the humans who love them.

CAROLYN KOEHNLINE –The Bear’s Gift

KIDS!

Gertrude, the oldest of three sisters, is a very hard worker. Alexandria, the middle sister, is not afraid of anything. Rosie, the youngest, has a wonderful imagination. But they don’t get along at all. Then a mysterious bear visits and leaves them with a mysterious gift that changes everything.

Monday, October 26, 7pm OPEN MIC with Laurel Leigh Village Books invites everyone to enjoy local talents as they share their own stories, poems and essays. Published and unpublished writers are encouraged to attend and enjoy a welcoming audience. Bring your scary tall tales and poems - or any creative work in progress. Open mic is usually held the last Monday of each month at 7pm in the Readings Gallery.

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

Friday, October 30, 4pm Monster Mash Costume Party and Parade!

KIDS!

Here's another great opportunity for your child to wear their costume before trick-or-treating. Join us in the readings gallery for games, treats, and origami activities from the brand new Monstergami book! We'll finish the fun with a parade through Fairhaven. (Recommended ages 6-12)

Saturday October 31, 3-6pm All Ages HALLOWEEN STORIES with 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.

FIND ME IN PAPER DREAMS! Fun socks for all season!

Including...

Sock it to Me and Lacie Socks All Things Girly!

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Saturday, November 7, 10:30am First Saturday Story Time with Claire!

KIDS!

Join Claire in the Kids section for half an hour of stories, songs, and movement as we read and get silly about books!

Wednesday, November 4, 7pm DENIS HAYES & GAIL BOYER HAYES –Cowed:

Sunday, October 25, 4pm Local Author!

NOVEMBER

The Hidden Impact of 93 Million Cows on America’s Health, Economy, Politics, Culture and Environment

In Cowed, Denis and Gail Hayes offer a revealing analysis of how our mutually beneficial, 10,000-year relationship with bovines has become tragically dysfunctional. Today, most cows are treated barbarically; cows, in turn, undermine human health and wreak havoc on the environment. The authors describe an alternative future that is good for people and cows, and a hard-nosed strategy to achieve it.

– Co-sponsored by Sustainable Connections!

Thursday, November 5, Doors at 6:30, Show at 7pm THE CHUCKANUT RADIO HOUR featuring SIMON WINCHESTER, author of Pacific Join us as we welcome Simon Winchester, author of The Professor and The Madman and Krakatoa, as he presents his book Pacific, which is being published in the United States for the first time! Today, the Pacific is ascendant. Its geological history has long transformed us through tremendous earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis but its human history, from a Western perspective, is quite young. In telling the story of the Pacific, Winchester takes us from the Bering Strait to Cape Horn, the Yangtze River to the Panama Canal, and to the many small islands and archipelagos that lie in between. Receive one free ticket with each pre-purchase of Pacific.

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

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Twice each week, we 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!

Building Community One Book at a Time

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