October with its dark and stormy nights makes me think of childhood campfire stories. Around the fire, beneath the stars, everyone had to have one scary story and you took turns telling those beating, thumping, howling tales until at last Dad told the one that sent you shivering to the safety of your sleeping bag. These were folktales, urban myths, Edgar Allan Poe ripoffs. Short stories that had instant atmosphere, a hook, a little journey, a twist, and a full stop ending. Stories for one sitting.
This
month we are celebrating short stories in the store. Sure, there
will be scary ones, but there are also the tales you tell your
two-year-old lying on the bed winding towards the end of a very full
day. Peter Rabbit, Miss Rumphius, Curious George. And then there are the tales that hitchhikers tell, or barkeeps,
lovers, travelers, or spiritual guides. Stories that have a frame, a
time, a place; stories that carry us; stories that we can carry with us.
Pocket stories. Common coal.
Modern
short story writers have applied pressure to the old forms and produced
startling gems. Unforgettable, challenging, lovely, perfect pieces that
can be read in a single go. I highly recommend the new collection Object Lessons from the editors of Paris Review
in which twenty contempory authors introduce their favorite short
stories from the last fifty years. It comes (as do many, many
stories--see below) with that ultimate commendation, “you gotta read
this.”
Roger Page SHORT STORIES
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Celebrate Short Storytelling
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IN-STORE TYPE-A-THON
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Hunting and Pecking
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HAPPY HALLOWEEN
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Scary Stories to Haunt Your Shelves
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HOT TOPICS ON OUR STORE JOURNAL
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Reports from Island Books
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VEGETARIAN COOKING
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Fall into Healthier Dining
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COUNTER INTELLIGENCE
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Cindy's October Pick:The Last Policeman
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GET IN TOUCH
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3014 78th Ave. SE MI, WA 98040 Store Hours Mon-Wed: 9:30 - 7:00 Thurs: 9:30 - 8:00 Fri: 9:30 - 7:00 Sat: 9:30 - 6:00 Sun: 11:00 - 5:00 |
Gifts Galore
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MoreOpen Book Club
Island Books hosts an open book club run by our staff facilitator that meets the last Thursday of each month at 7:30pm. All are welcome to attend, and if you purchase your book here in the store you'll always get a 10% discount.
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