In honor of our anniversary we “mobilized” our typewriters for a “Type-A-Thon” (Look out Amazon!). Cindy oiled and dusted a half dozen machines from the collection and we set up a couple of typing pools in the store and opened the doors last Thursday.

The whole event almost came to a screeching halt when the first customer saw the blackboard announcement and grumbled “only on Mercer Island!” Apparently he misread the sign to be a “Type A”-thon and thought that genetics and drinking the local water ought to be enough to assure that our children grow up to be leaders and that we didn’t need to have some sort of championship at the bookstore. We straightened him out and then invited him and the public to bang out their thoughts and frustrations on the old black keys.

The public was shy at first but a few ringers showed up and got the place tapping. We had poets, grateful customers, parents teaching children about the shift key, long discussions about the merits of “magic margins,” former secretaries, current writers. Two quotes from the sheaves of onion skin:

“Another memory is receiving typed letters from my grandmother who liked to type in carbon so she could send the same letter to all of the grandchildren at once. It was a bummer to receive the last of the four copies because the type was rather faint.”

“Dear Island Books, Thank you for letting me use the typewriters. It was really fun. I really enjoyed it. My mom put this day on the calendar a long time ago, and we have been counting down the days. I loved it. Typewriters are a lot different than computers. You can’t save anything on the desktop unless it was your literal desktop.”

And finally, hats off (again!!!) to Terry Pottmeyer for the wonderful inspiring postcard with the trivia, instructive challenges, and fantastic watercolors. Did you know that “stewardesses” is the longest word typed solely with the left hand? Even better, “lollipop” is the right hand longest word. Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their party….

—Roger

More photos available on our Facebook page.

Weather isn’t just for scientists. Climate has always played an important symbolic role in literature, and many writers use the close relationship of psychology and weather to tell their stories. Cold and lonely? Warm and amorous? Stormy and scared? Sunny and happy? Moods and weather go together like peanut butter and jelly.

This year in the Pacific Northwest, we’ve been lucky enough to escape most of the painfully hot summer across the rest of the United States. We did, however, get our taste of heat this past week with a short but record-breaking heat wave, and for the many of us that don’t have air conditioners, the days were miserable. In my third trimester of twin pregnancy, I was near delirious and flashing back to books that sympathized with my situation. So, in honor of the August heat, here’s a list of titles that come to mind. I’m sure I’m missing a lot of good ones though, so will you share your additions in the comments?

Heat Wave by Eric Klinenberg: If you’re looking for nonfiction, this book revisits the events of  July 13, 1995, when the temperature in Chicago reached 106 degrees. What was originally predicted as a two-day heat wave went on for a week, and by then, the city was in acute distress. Streets had buckled, records for use of electricity were shattered, and power grids had failed. Some people went without electricity for up to two days. Over seven hundred people died, making the incident one of the deadliest in American history. The reasons behind the number of deaths and the tragic ways they occurred during the 1995 Chicago heat wave were eye-opening. If you’re curious why, this book is a good place to start because it examines the social and political foundations of the city that made this urban disaster so much worse than it ought to have been.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: A classic summertime novel, The Great Gatsby uses weather to set the tone in many of its key scenes. The heat becomes oppressive during the climactic chapter 7, when Tom, Daisy, Nick, Jordan, and Gatsby head to the city as the tension increases in their relationships. Nick describes the day as “broiling, almost the last, certainly the warmest of the summer.” Daisy complains, “It’s so hot, and everything’s so confused.” The oppressive heat becomes a symbol for the oppressive situation, and, as in many novels, represents a kind of hell. As the temperature rises, both Gatsby’s aspirations with Daisy and Myrtle Wilson’s infidelity come to a boiling point.

Atonement by Ian McEwan: Atonement begins on a summer day in 1935 with the characters coping in a stifling heat. Briony decides to put on a play, Mrs. Tallis rests in her bedroom, and others go for a swim. The heat is making everyone restless and impatient. Their discomfort evokes feelings that seem to throw good judgment out the window, making their actions that much more weighted. Cecelia’s and Robbie’s relationship intensifies and Briony’s imagination runs wild with the weather, leading to consequences that will play a huge role in all of their destinies.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding: After a nuclear war lands the boys on a deserted island, the warm weather contributes to their initial impression that they’ve landed in a tropical paradise. But as the dynamics take a turn for the worse, the heat increases, once again paralleling the oppression of the situation. By chapter 4, the heat is no longer a good thing, and neither is their predicament.

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel: Everything is on the verge of boiling in this romantic tale filled with magical realism, from the weather to the food to Tita’s passionate heart. Heat is a major theme, and it’s no coincidence that fire plays such a big role in the way the story plays out.

—Miriam

I am discouraged by the state of literacy amongst the youth of this island. Shocked, actually. When I was young we walked barefoot down country roads to the town library  where the friendly librarian offered up and we hungrily devoured the classics. Peter Rabbit, Anne of Green Gables, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Wind in the Willows, Mark Twain, Midsummer’s Night Dream. We learned of the wider world and how it works through reading. Life lessons.

For example: You learn that when a boy from Mississippi hands you a paintbrush and says how much fun it is to paint a fence you might want to consider the offer carefully. Basic stuff. Thus I was shocked when I told everyone how much fun it would be to move five tons of shelves and books so I could get our store re-carpeted and no one blinked an eye. Have these people never read about Tom Sawyer or Br’er Rabbit? Well, I am grateful the carpet job is behind us and I know I had fun, but I’m less sure about my hard-working, early-rising “volunteers.” To make amends and to further the education of islanders young and old, I will make all Mark Twain books half price for the month of July. The world is full of flimflam men and some of them might even take the guise of a kindly old bookseller…

With true gratitude and affection for you all,

—Roger

It’s true, the Phantom of Island Books exists. I am the Phantom, and no, you probably haven’t seen me around the store. Or if you have, you probably didn’t realize I was an employee, since I have a habit of browsing the shelves and interrogating the booksellers just like a customer. Most of my work happens behind the scenes.

I write this post in response to a note from my esteemed colleagues, who mentioned to me recently that several of our loyal customers have sheepishly asked over the counter at Island Books, “Which one of you is Miriam?”

I have to say, I’m flattered, touched, and humbly embarrassed to hear that’s happening. But it makes sense. I’ve been blogging, writing newsletters, and working on our website for nearly a year now, so if people are asking who I am, it means what we’ve been up to is working. And if that’s the case, I’m elated.

The short explanation is, after my husband and I moved to Mercer Island from Capitol Hill about a year and a half ago and I left a four-year stint at “that-online-bookstore-that-will-not-be-named,” I realized that every time I stopped in or drove by Island Books, I wanted to work there. After eight years spent in the publishing industry, both in New York and Seattle, I longed to get back to my love for books and away from corporations and the politics of big business. As our loyal customers know, Island Books has always been about comfort and caring. That’s what I felt from the store, from the very first time I walked in and Roger Page said to me, “What can I do for you?”

After all, isn’t that what a book says to you every time you open it? Authors try their hardest to entertain, inspire, and educate us and all they require is our willingness to show up. The same is true of Island Books. So I thought, what could be more fun and rewarding than showing up to this special bookstore and helping spread the word about it? So that’s what I do. And trust me, I fought for this job. The Island Books staff works so hard to connect with customers in the store that moving into the online sphere used to be beyond their bandwidth, although Roger and the real web guru of this team, James Crossley, had already begun when I showed up on the scene. (James also happens to be a phenomenal writer, if you haven’t noticed, so feel free to join me in nagging him to write his own book.) Basically, I’m just the person who had the good fortune of showing up at the right time, and the tenacity to keep after Roger until he realized it would be easier to keep me than send me away.

If you’re curious about some of the other hats I wear, you can read this recent article that appeared in the Mercer Island Patch, or follow my new monthly NWBookLovers blog starting in June. I’m also the author of two ballet-themed novels, Girl in Motion and the just-released sequel, Breaking Pointe (both available through Island Books).

First and foremost, readers here should just know me as one of the many book lovers on the team (and the most junior). If you ask me, you’re lucky you can catch the far more experienced experts like Roger, Nancy, Lori, Cindy, Kay, James, Marni, and Garry in the store. They’ve been making Island Books the treasure it is far longer than I’ve had the pleasure of spreading the word. Together, our goal is to do whatever we can to make your experience at Island Books as warm and cozy as curling up with a good book. So thanks for staying connected. We appreciate you and consider you part of our family.

Have I mentioned how much I love this special store? And reading. Oh how I love reading. And I know you do too.

—Miriam

In honor of National Poetry Month, we sponsored a poetry contest (along with the Mercer Island Arts Council) on the theme of “What I Can Touch” that ran all April long. We received emails and took submissions over the counter throughout the month, and now that May is here, we’re ready to announce the winners and share their work.

Without further ado … .

The Children’s Winners: 

K through 3rd grade: Luca Palermo, Grade 2, for “Shoes”

4th & 5th grade: Gregory Larrabee, Grade 5, for “The Straight Blade Razor”

Middle & high school: Paulina Glass, for “Touching Tension”

The Adult Winners:

Limerick: Werner Glass, for “Whoever among the literati sits”

Haiku: Charlie Neff, for “Touch the Mountain Wind”

Congratulations to our winners. Below are the poems in their entirety. Enjoy!

—————————————-

“Shoes” by Luca Palermo

Shoes
Are like
Leather
Socks,
They shelter
Your feet
And arrive
In a box,
Shoes
Get shipped
To different
Places,
You can run
With shoes
At different
Paces,
But the mileage
On each shoe
Always
Differs.

“The Straight Blade Razor” by Gregory Larrabee

A light, mottled ten hilt with a cracked and broken blade,
Each every morning my great grandfather would use this blade,
Carefully and slowly at the crack of dawn,
His only moment to think
would come.
Around the sod hut on the prairie work is endless.
Watching his sleeping family in the tiny hut
ready to begin work, he steps outside
to plan his rows of plants.
After a long, grueling and shadeless, day plowing and planting,
he climbs into bed and thinks once more about that moment of peace.
Holding that knife I think back on those days
And the stories of my Dad’s grandpa
Told to me on long nights
Before bed.
This blade,
more valuable to me than anything else,
The only object that connects me
to the grandfather I never met.

“Touching Tension” by Paulina Glass

I’ve got too much lip
white teeth tongue flick
enamels like stilettos click
voice dip sly smirk quick.

You’ve got two green eyes
sarcastically bide time
eyelashes intertwine and fly
crinkled corners convey no lies.

I jab my thumbs in my pockets
your fingers fiddle with your wallet
nervous noise makes tactless rackets
betrayed by old anxious habits.

The war dance flip acrobatic
too thought through not automatic
all efforts to speak flow not spastic
flighting flashlight search avoid the tragic.

Curled lip hiccup surprise chuckle
green eyes search mine and knuckles skim knuckles
slowly I drift into the weightless peace that consumes me and I escape the binds of loose rhyme
or staccato words that all beat in time and it feels like instead of snapping the words off the whip of my lips
I can let them respire, never sputter or spit, tumbling and spilling from the smile place within the whites.
Playing duckling to the easy current which weaves between us.

“Whoever among the literati sits” by Werner Glass

Whoever among the literati sits
And then a limerick commits,
Should touch no quill
For good nor ill
But tear his poem into little bits.

“Touch the Mountain Wind” by Charles Neff

Touch the mountain wind
Swirling, too, round dear ones below
Breathe deep love touches me.

—Miriam

Now that we can get anything we want delivered to our home (or now to our pocket phones) it begins to devalue shopping and objects to some extent. More and more I find people yearning for experience. The young people turning away from material pursuits and building schools in Rwanda. People want bikes, farmers markets, coffee shops, and zombie walks. Old people wanting to look in you in the eye who are all about trust and talk. What we offer at the bookstore more than anything is an experience. It’s a dinner party; a refuge; a wonderland; a friend. To keep our friendship going, we look forward to lots of good discussion on our blog, and be sure to come on in and see us in person to continue the conversation. 

—Roger