Books in the Pacific Northwest

Book Adventures in the Pacific Northwest Seattle, WA & Portland, OR

Dear Reader, Hi, gang! So, I have been quite remiss in writing reviews, most especially because I went on a fun (and far too whirlwind!) trip to Seattle & Portland this past week and a half. You'll be pleased to hear, however, that while I was away I certainly wasn't far from books! We hit up several literary landmarks, including the Seattle Public Library (an architectural gem), the Portland (Multnomah County) library (a gorgeous old building), Powell's Books (an institution), and even the Whisk{e}y Library! (That last one was not quite so bookish, and was more for Troy than for me - but I stumbled across it when I was looking for directions to the real MCPL.) We even considered going to The Bookstore, a bar in Seattle, but were talked out of it because, despite its name, it wasn't apparently very bookish. (Looking at the website now, I think our friend was terribly wrong about this, and I so wish we'd gone!) (NB: Since I am not great at ever remembering to take photos, I am gratefully borrowing some amazing work from others.) (photo by Nicola @ Flickr) The Seattle Public Library was incredible - it was the first real Seattle sightseeing we did, and well worth the visit. I was impressed by so much there - the organization of the place, the use of space, the unbelievably huge collection (even including beautiful old phone directories from the early 1900s!). We got to see the view from the highest point of the library, and also made sure to stop by the Chocolati stand, the Seattle-based coffee & chocolate shop located just inside the main entrance to the library. I got a peanut butter hot chocolate (there were so many yummy options!) and we tried several of the famous chocolates, including the chipotle truffle, the "fish & chips" (a fish-shaped mold with potato chips inside!), a Bailey's-filled truffle, and a vanilla & sea salt one. All incredible. And the woman who worked behind the counter was so friendly and welcoming! She gave us some great suggestions for our visit to her adopted city. I could have probably spent days in the SPL, but we had other places to see, so we reluctantly moved on.  Larry Kirkland, Garden Stair Detail, found here Portland's library was a total gem of an entirely different variety. If Seattle's was the pinnacle of modern style, this was the epitome of a classic Vanderbilt-style library. My Portland-based friend who brought us there was worried it would not live up to the Seattle library, but it absolutely did - it just wasn't the shiny, high-tech marvel of Seattle. It had its own perfect charm, and I adored it just as much. The staircase pictured above was gorgeous etched black marble, encompassing a myriad of subjects. We first climbed it to see the temporary Cesar Chavez exhibit in the upstairs gallery, which was very well done. Then we explored a few of the many grand rooms, where we found gems like globes of various planets, their charming Friends bookstore, and the Beverly Clearly children's room: Beverly Cleary was an Oregon local - I was thrilled to realize this when we drove through Yamhill, OR! Photo by Amara D. @ Yelp My friend also wisely took me to Powell's Books, which is another Portland institution and must-see! What a mecca - and a maze! We kept getting lost in the numerous rooms. But, a good lost, of course! I can't even describe the overwhelming awesomeness, but just think of a chain bookstore done INCREDIBLY WELL. It was filled with people, even on a Wednesday afternoon. I purchased the below design in t-shirt form: Adorable, right? Apparently it was a design contest winner! In any case, both the library & bookstore should be added to any book-lover's visit to Portland. And lastly, even though it wasn't a book library, we did visit the gorgous Whisk{e}y Library which I luckily stumbled across. This is a fairly new place in Portland, so on weekends it still has lines out the door, but we visited on a weekday afternoon and so luckily we were seated immediately. It felt like a place where Sherlock Holmes or Ernest Hemingway could be found. It had a beautiful speakeasy feel, with a dash of library thrown in (there were reading tables like you might find in the NYPL), and featured shelves upon shelves of whiskey and liquor of all sorts! I actually took some photos, for once: (Now you can see why I never take photos - I certainly didn't get my father's photography genes!) So, there you have it! Our literary adventures in the Pacific NW. I highly recommend visiting any & all of the above next time you find yourself in the Seattle & Portland areas! I will certainly revisit them when I get to go back again. Yours, Arianna

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry (Review by AmberBug)

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry Gabrielle Zevin 4.5/5	Published 2014 First Sentence "On the ferry from Hyannis to Alice Island, Amelia Loman paints her nails yellow and, while waiting for them to dry, skims her predecessor's notes."
Publisher's Description: On the faded Island Books sign hanging over the porch of the Victorian cottage is the motto "No Man Is an Island; Every Book Is a World." A. J. Fikry, the irascible owner, is about to discover just what that truly means. A. J. Fikry's life is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. Slowly but surely, he is isolating himself from all the people of Alice Island-from Lambiase, the well-intentioned police officer who's always felt kindly toward Fikry; from Ismay, his sister-in-law who is hell-bent on saving him from his dreary self; from Amelia, the lovely and idealistic (if eccentric) Knightley Press sales rep who keeps on taking the ferry over to Alice Island, refusing to be deterred by A.J.'s bad attitude. Even the books in his store have stopped holding pleasure for him. These days, A.J. can only see them as a sign of a world that is changing too rapidly. And then a mysterious package appears at the bookstore. It's a small package, but large in weight. It's that unexpected arrival that gives A. J. Fikry the opportunity to make his life over, the ability to see everything anew. It doesn't take long for the locals to notice the change overcoming A.J.; or for that determined sales rep, Amelia, to see her curmudgeonly client in a new light; or for the wisdom of all those books to become again the lifeblood of A.J.'s world; or for everything to twist again into a version of his life that he didn't see coming. As surprising as it is moving, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is an unforgettable tale of transformation and second chances, an irresistible affirmation of why we read, and why we love.
Dear Reader, How adorable is this book? I want to pick it up and snuggle it to death! This is the perfect book to read in a cozy chair in the library or by a nice warm fire in the winter, absolutely PERFECT book for that. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry (TSLOAJF?) has all those romantic touches for a book lover, such a great lovable/snuggable book. Every literary reference has you petting the spine, each quirky character has you inhaling the dusty/glue filled scent wafting from the book... each chapter you fall deeper into the pages and into love. Ah shucks, you get the point. Anybody who loves books MUST read this... let me repeat... MUST read this. I think the perfect word for TSLOAJF is cozy. Should I even go into what the book is about? I guess I'll give you some keywords; bookstore, piles of books, orphan, remote island, small community, love, vintage clothes, wait... did I mention piles of books? A.J. Fikry is a cantankerous book snob with an underlying soft heart, he owns the local bookstore on a remote touristy island. He meets a new sales rep for one of the publishers, Amelia, who represents everything A.J. is not... tolerant, lovable, and sociable. Next, enter baby Maya, left on the doorstep of the bookstore/home of A.J. Fikry with a note. The plot is a little wacky, but the love is in all the little details. I'm not the romance type, but this passage made me swoon a little: “All I can say is . . . All I can say is we’ll figure it out, I swear. When I read a book, I want you to be reading it at the same time. I want to know what would Amelia think of it. I want you to be mine. I can promise you books and conversation and all my heart, Amy.”  Ahhhhh, I would probably lose my breath if a man said that to me. Enough will all my blah, blah, blah... I've said my peace. Meh, once more with feeling! READ this book if going into a bookstore will rob your wallet, READ this book if you think libraries are heaven on earth, READ this book if you can't get enough cheesy biblio jokes, READ this book if you like to smell books (why do we do this??), READ this if you have a "to-read" list that gives you panic attacks, and finally READ this if you think books have a heartbeat. Yeah, I do too. Happy Reading, AmberBug

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The Storied Life of AJ Fikry

The Storied Life of AJ Fikry Gabrielle Zevin 5 / 5	Published 2014 First Sentence "On the ferry from Hyannis to Alice Island, Amelia Loman paints her nails yellow and, while waiting for them to dry, skims her predecessor's notes."
Publisher's Description: On the faded Island Books sign hanging over the porch of the Victorian cottage is the motto "No Man Is an Island; Every Book Is a World." A. J. Fikry, the irascible owner, is about to discover just what that truly means. A. J. Fikry's life is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. Slowly but surely, he is isolating himself from all the people of Alice Island-from Lambiase, the well-intentioned police officer who's always felt kindly toward Fikry; from Ismay, his sister-in-law who is hell-bent on saving him from his dreary self; from Amelia, the lovely and idealistic (if eccentric) Knightley Press sales rep who keeps on taking the ferry over to Alice Island, refusing to be deterred by A.J.'s bad attitude. Even the books in his store have stopped holding pleasure for him. These days, A.J. can only see them as a sign of a world that is changing too rapidly. And then a mysterious package appears at the bookstore. It's a small package, but large in weight. It's that unexpected arrival that gives A. J. Fikry the opportunity to make his life over, the ability to see everything anew. It doesn't take long for the locals to notice the change overcoming A.J.; or for that determined sales rep, Amelia, to see her curmudgeonly client in a new light; or for the wisdom of all those books to become again the lifeblood of A.J.'s world; or for everything to twist again into a version of his life that he didn't see coming. As surprising as it is moving, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is an unforgettable tale of transformation and second chances, an irresistible affirmation of why we read, and why we love.
Dear Reader, I adored this book. Maybe it's just that I have a definite soft spot for books about books & booksellers, but I certainly was not alone in loving this sweet little novel. I think it was great because while it was definitely modern, it retained that "timeless classic" feel in many ways. I am smitten with books that can do that well. The story begins by focusing on Amelia, a young new employee of a publishing house. She is on a ferry, en route to a sales call at a small bookstore; her job is to pitch the upcoming season's books. She is shocked by the rude reception she receives at A.J. Fikry's shop, but is unaware of all that is going on with the older man: he has recently lost his wife, and is feeling desperate and alone and terribly unhappy. Unfortunately, he takes this out on Amelia, and so clearly her first impression is not a good one. The book's focus then moves from Amelia to A.J., and follows the man after he leaves the meeting. The reader watches his lonesome and solitary existence as he continues to mourn his wife and seems at a loss as to what to do with himself, aside from drinking every day away. But things begin to change as first Fikry suffers a bit of misfortune, which brings him unexpectedly out of his shell and kindles a new friendship. Then, he is even more startled out of his complacency by the surprise of a toddler left in his bookshop, a note pinned to her, requesting that she be taken good care of. Unexpectedly, Fikry is charmed by the young girl and ultimately becomes her father. Because of this new responsibility, he really begins to live once again, interacting once again with the island and even with Amelia. One of my absolute favorite scenes is the pair's reunion meeting at The Pequod restaurant: their banter charmed me so thoroughly. The great thing about this book is that it isn't just a story about love and redemption, it's also got a little bit of mystery tied in with it. The story behind the child's appearance doesn't really get resolved for quite some time, which doesn't really matter - the reader isn't sitting on the edge of their seat waiting for the reveal - but it is an intriguing little background to the bigger story unfolding, that of the creation anew of a family, and a life. If you are a book lover, you will also adore how every chapter begins with a small review written from A.J. to his daughter, Maya. It's a wonderful way to start each section, and I found myself adding a few more books to my to-read list! Yours, Arianna

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Best Little Bookstore (Website Review)

I had to share with all our book loving readers this adorable website I came across called: Best Little Bookshop 

The site is currently in Beta and looking to team up with booksellers, flipping through the stock currently offered... I'm charmed. I want to buy so many things on here and I would say they have the perfect gifts for bookish people. This bookshop reminds me of the "gift" area in some of the larger bookstores like Barnes & Noble and Borders (R.I.P.)

The site is UK but the currency and language can be changed on the upper right hand side of the site. The company plans on including 100+ different countries for delivery and making the site the "go-to" for anything unique and interesting. I love the international aspect of this as well, the ability to view and purchase various books from all over the world (potentially) sounds excellent. 

Check out some of the selection below:

The Rise & Fall of Great Powers

The Rise & Fall of Great Powers Tom Rachman 4.5 / 5	Published 2014 First Sentence "His pencil wavered above the sales ledger, dipping toward the page as his statements increased in vigor, the pencil tip skimming the pad, then pulling up like a stunt plane, only to plunge at moments of emphasis, producing a constellation of increasingly blunt dots around the lone entry for that morning, the sale of one used copy of Land Snails of Britain by A.G. Brunt-Coppell (price: £3.50)."
Publisher's Description: For fans of Jennifer Egan, Dave Eggers, and Donna Tartt—the brilliant, intricately woven new novel by Tom Rachman, author of The Imperfectionists NAMED ONE OF KIRKUS REVIEWS’ “NEW BOOKS DESTINED TO BECOME CLASSICS”Following one of the most critically acclaimed fiction debuts in years,New York Times bestselling author Tom Rachman returns with a brilliant, intricately woven novel about a young woman who travels the world to make sense of her puzzling past. Tooly Zylberberg, the American owner of an isolated bookshop in the Welsh countryside, conducts a life full of reading, but with few human beings. Books are safer than people, who might ask awkward questions about her life. She prefers never to mention the strange events of her youth, which mystify and worry her still. Taken from home as a girl, Tooly found herself spirited away by a group of seductive outsiders, implicated in capers from Asia to Europe to the United States. But who were her abductors? Why did they take her? What did they really want? There was Humphrey, the curmudgeonly Russian with a passion for reading; there was the charming but tempestuous Sarah, who sowed chaos in her wake; and there was Venn, the charismatic leader whose worldview transformed Tooly forever. Until, quite suddenly, he disappeared. Years later, Tooly believes she will never understand the true story of her own life. Then startling news arrives from a long-lost boyfriend in New York, raising old mysteries and propelling her on a quest around the world in search of answers. Tom Rachman—an author celebrated for humanity, humor, and wonderful characters—has produced a stunning novel that reveals the tale not just of one woman but of the past quarter-century as well, from the end of the Cold War to the dominance of American empire to the digital revolution of today. Leaping between decades, and from Bangkok to Brooklyn, this is a breathtaking novel about long-buried secrets and how we must choose to make our own place in the world. It will confirm Rachman’s reputation as one of the most exciting young writers we have.
Dear Reader, I wanted this book to be a favorite, I really did. And it had a lot of potential to become one. Ultimately, it did not live up quite to that level, but it was VERY good, and deserves its place in the highlights of 2014 publications.  Rachman is a great story-spinner; I'll certainly have to check out The Imperfectionists now. The book revolves around the past and present of Tooly Zylberberg, a thirty-something woman who currently owns a bookstore in the middle of nowhere in Wales. The story of how she became owner of this odd little shop is really the story of her entire past: the book skips between "now" (2011), "then" (1988), and "in-between" (1999), telling in fits and spurts the story behind Tooly. Along the way, the reader becomes familiar with all of her quirky companions, including the self-exiled Russian who reads non-fiction day in and day out, breaking things up with the occasional game of chess; the mysterious and flaky aging beauty who continually reappears in Tooly's life; the music-loving and rather unexpected boyfriend; and the smug and overly-confident man who skips around the world on a whim, the others following him like puppies. They are certainly a great assortment of personalities and flaws, especially when you throw Tooly into the mix: she is discontented, rather detached from the world, and very unique. The one overarching impression I took from all of these characters was the pure tragedy of all of their lives. Not one of them felt content with what they had, and they spent their lives chasing after mirages. Everyone was just so damned lonely. Which is probably what made this feel like such a true and solid piece of literature. Rachman wrote them all so believably. Some I wanted to befriend, some I wanted to punch, but really I cared to hear all of their stories.  Particularly that of Tooly's father figure during her formative years. I believe that his own lonesome past is what ultimately caused Tooly to be such a loner, herself. I can't get very much into the story, and I think I've analyzed as much as I can out of the characters themselves, so I will leave things here. The book takes the reader through Wales, Budapest, and New York City, all of which the author writes of with ease and familiarity. While ultimately I think I was hoping there would be more of a "big reveal" at the end, I really did enjoy following Tooly's meandering path through both the world and her life, trying to figure out where things went next. Yours, Arianna

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The Bookstore

The Bookstore Deborah Meyler 3.5 / 5	Published 2013 First Sentence "I am early; I can walk down Broadway for a while."
Publisher's Description: A witty, sharply observed debut novel about a young woman who finds unexpected salvation while working in a quirky used bookstore in Manhattan.Impressionable and idealistic, Esme Garland is a young British woman who finds herself studying art history in New York. She loves her apartment and is passionate about the city and her boyfriend; her future couldn’t look brighter. Until she finds out that she’s pregnant. Esme’s boyfriend, Mitchell van Leuven, is old-money rich, handsome, successful, and irretrievably damaged. When he dumps Esme—just before she tries to tell him about the baby—she resolves to manage alone. She will keep the child and her scholarship, while finding a part-time job to make ends meet. But that is easier said than done, especially on a student visa. The Owl is a shabby, second-hand bookstore on the Upper West Side, an all-day, all-night haven for a colorful crew of characters: handsome and taciturn guitar player Luke; Chester, who hyperventilates at the mention of Lolita; George, the owner, who lives on protein shakes and idealism; and a motley company of the timeless, the tactless, and the homeless. The Owl becomes a nexus of good in a difficult world for Esme—but will it be enough to sustain her? Even when Mitchell, repentant and charming, comes back on the scene? A rousing celebration of books, of the shops where they are sold, and of the people who work, read, and live in them, The Bookstore is also a story about emotional discovery, the complex choices we all face, and the accidental inspirations that make a life worth the reading.
Dear Reader, This was a really interesting book, because the entire time I was reading it, it felt quite a bit like "chick lit", but it really was quite far from that light-hearted, utopian genre.  Maybe that's because the premise is that of a young woman living in New York City, who finds herself pregnant by a man she believes she loves.  The book had a lot of those moments where you felt as if maybe she'd realize that the pensive, kind man with whom she works is actually the right one for her, but the book doesn't turn out as perfectly packaged as most of those sorts of girly books do, so I ended up enjoying it more - because of how real it felt.  It wasn't a princess and fairy tale book, really.  It was about real life, and how imperfect it often ends up being, but how you can find joy and love even when things don't turn out how you expect. Esme Garland is an English expatriate who is doing her graduate work at Columbia, focusing her studies on fine art.  She is an intelligent, very independent young woman who yes, sometimes makes mistakes.  The book felt so very intellectual (often mentioning books and artists who I'd never heard of), which was a bit jarring to me, beacuse it also did feel like chick lit.  I found this to be especially the case when Esme and the father of her child are planning to make a go at it, and you can see that they are just not a good fit for each other.  It made me feel frustrated, because you could really tell that she didn't in fact love Mitchell, but she was forcing herself to feel those feelings because she wanted to make things work.  Mitchell was the classic asshole boyfriend who thought only of himself.  His selfishness was apparent right from the get-go, and you'd have thought Esme would have seen right through it - and would not want to raise a child in that sort of environment.  But, I suppose that is also true to life: sometimes even the smartest girls end up trying to find the knight in shining armor, even when we know that's not how reality works.  Esme just kept gamely trying to make things work, but the reader could really tell that it was a losing battle.  Mitchell did seem to try at times, enough to make Esme feel special and as if she perhaps was choosing the right person to start a family with, but he often tempered his kindness with cruelty, most likely to protect himself.  Again, very real, very true to life.  Nobody is perfect, for sure, but it was clear that whoever Mitchell was perfect for, it certainly wasn't Esme.  He could never have been happy in a relationship where someone else gets the glory sometimes.  He needed to be the center of his world. My favorite parts of the book were, fittingly, those that took place in the bookstore.  The rag-tag cast of characters that made up the employees and regulars of the shop were a wonderful mixture, and again felt very real.  The author herself actually worked in a bookstore, and said she drew heavily on the characters she encountered there.  Esme finds a kind of family, which is important to someone who feels so alone and so far from home.  The others rush to take care of her, each in their own ways, and I think without them she might have been lost, overwhelmed.  I also of course loved the smattering of book discussions, and the feeling of actually being inside that ecclectic shop, piled high with books and strange knick-knacks. Overall, I do think I enjoyed this book.  I still can't get over that it felt like it was written specifically for women, which is why I can't rate it more highly (I like a book the transcends that sort of thing), but I do think I will recommend it to others, especially those who enjoy the "chick lit" genre.  I think it is a nice, more intellectual departure from the normal fare found there, but would still be enjoyed by someone who loves those kinds of female-oriented books. Yours, Arianna

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