"I heard a bird sing in the dark of December. A magical thing. And sweet to remember. We are nearer to Spring than we were in September. I heard a bird sing in the dark of December."
—Oliver Herford
December is here. The days are chilly, and the darkness comes way too quick, but our complimentary Peppermint M&Ms are out on the counter shedding a little light (Thanks, Molly!). Holiday wrap is up and getting used every day. We still have four book fairs to finish out... Needless to say, the years and seasons go by too quickly. It's hard to believe that Christmas and Hanukkah are only a couple weeks away. In preparation, we have stocked the shelves with a variety of great fiction and nonfiction titles, as well as many amazing non-book items, for you or for gifts.As per tradition, here are my Top Ten Happenings from 2019 here at Island Books. While all events and interactions with our community are equally important, these are just a few that stood out to me.
- Hosting William Kent Krueger for his latest book This Tender Land
- Taylor Jenkins Reid returning to Island Books for her Daisy Jones and the Six Tour. I got to sit down and talk with her about this fantastic book
- Attending the Elton John concert with Victor and some fellow bookstore owners, Suzanne (Liberty Bay) and Janis (Queen Anne Book Company), compliments of Henry Holt Books
- Speaking with Covenant Shores Senior Group with Pastor Greg Asimakoupoulos about owning Island Books
- Being invited to chat with Lora Poepping on After the Blue Badge Podcast, a Microsoft Aumni Network project
- Celebrating 46 years as an independent bookstore on Mercer Island
- Being invited to sell books for Seattle Arts & Lectures for Melinda Gates's huge Moment of Lift event
- Updating the store with new carpets, shelves, signs
- Selling books and attending the Seattle premiere of Garth Stein's The Art of Racing in the Rain
- Hosting the candidate forums for the Mercer Island City Council race
We all look forward to seeing you during the holidays and throughout the next year. Your support means everything, as we would not be here without it.
Happy, Merry Everything from all of us to all of you,
Laurie Raisys
Owner
