Vacations and bookstores…
Sorry I missed posting last week, but the hubs and I were in the Pacific Northwest with our daughter and son-in-law, and I am so happy with myself that I did NOT bring the laptop. I did not work at all except to post a few pix and insights on social media. But I do have some fun stuff to share with you today as a result of those five gorgeous days and it involves bookstores. I don’t think I know how to go on vacation without visiting the vacation spot’s bookstore or stores as the case may be. There are some exceptions. If I was camping, then there would be no bookstore visiting, but camping isn’t really a vacation! It’s an adventure, yes, but when you must cook your own food and do the dishes you are not truly on vacation. All that to say, I visited a couple bookstores while on vacay and I am here to brag on them today.
The first is McLeod’s Books in Vancouver, British Columbia, just over the border in Canada. I had read a few sentences about McLeod’s in a “Thirty-six Hours in Vancouver” piece in the New York Times a while back but I wasn’t prepared for its audacious awesomeness, nor the piles of books on the floor, in every corner, all the way to the ceiling – pretty much everywhere you looked. I’ve been in used bookstores before, but this one is the most stuffed. You need more than the 30 minutes we had to adequately peruse (the owner apologized that he’d a wedding to attend and had to close early) and perhaps not a detailed shopping list. Better to go into a place like that with just the expectation of finding a few unexpected delights. I wondered if the sales staff could know what they’ve got available in the store and then I found this article that allayed those concerns. Somehow they know! I wanted to take a picture or two but every view from my camera made the store look like a forgotten attic. I would’ve needed a wide angle lens (and perhaps permission?) but I found the one at left on Google Images and it’s a far better shot than I could’ve gotten. My daughter and I both eyed (at different minutes inside the store) a lovely boxed set of Jane Austen novels, and both of us wished we’d snagged it and are hoping it will still be there the next time one of us (surely it will be her before me) steps inside. If you go, and you should, prepare your book-loving eyes for what might look like chaos but is really just a whole lot of books in a constrained space.
We also visited (and I fell in love) with the Village Bookstore in Bellingham, Washington. It’s in a lovely old building, is beautifully laid out, multi-storied, tons of fiction on the second floor and an Evolve Chocolate Café, that offers an array of “sweets, sips and savories in the cozy space tucked among the book shelves, overlooking the Village Green and Bellingham Bay.” I chatted with Joan while there and she showed me several of her favorite books, one of which was “Homegoing” by Yaa Gyasi, and which I bought to bring home with me. Joan says the story is unforgettable and it’s all the more amazing because it’s Ms. Gyasi’s debut. Here’s what Library Journal said about the book (which I now can’t wait to read): 
“This sweeping family saga encompasses seven generations of descendants of a Fante and his captured Asante house slave. After giving birth to a daughter, Maame manages to escape, making her way alone back to her own village. She is taken in by an Asante warrior, becomes his third wife, and has a second daughter by him. The two sisters, Effia and Esi, will never meet, their lives will follow very different paths, but their descendants will share a legacy of warfare and slavery. Effia will marry an Englishman who oversees the British interest in the Gold Coast slave trade. Esi will be captured by Fante warriors, traded to the Englishmen, and shipped to America to be sold into slavery. Progressing through 300 years of Ghanaian and American history, the narrative unfolds in a series of concise portraits of each sister’s progeny that capture pivotal moments in each individual’s life. Every portrait reads like a short story unto itself, making this volume a good choice for harried teens, yet Gyasi imbues the work with a remarkably seamless feel. Through the combined historical perspectives of each descendant, the author reveals that racism is often rooted in tribalism, greed, and the lust for power. Many students will be surprised to discover that the enslavement of Africans was not just a white man’s crime.” 
I love books that span generations (have you read Pachinko? Loved it) so will be putting this one ahead of others on my TBR pile.
And just before I go, here’s a shot of me and Mark Twain (at right) on a bench just outside the Village Bookstore, right before we ate some Rocket doughnuts.
It was a grand few days in the beauty of northern Washington and southern British Columbia and now it’s back to the workaday world, always made more exciting by the addition of new books! Would love to hear where your favorite bookstores are or if you’ve been to McLeod’s or the Village Bookstore.
It’s always a treat to announce a great sale for the e-version of one of my books! For a few more days, 
Last week I finished 
When people ask me to name some of my favorite authors, I right off the bat mention Khaled Hosseini. I loved THE KITE RUNNER and A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS and AND THE MOUNTAINS ECHOED, even though all three brought me to tears. I will read anything he writes. It’s been four years since his last book, and while I am hungry for a new one by him, the next offering will be for children. I just read in Publishers Weekly this morning (in a starred review, no less) that 
Lastly, there’s a Goodreads giveaway going on for 
On Anne’s fall list (and also on mine) is Mary Kubica’s 
Coming in October is 
I’ll close here with an autumn treat I’m eagerly anticipating. Becoming Mrs. Lewis, by sweet Patti Callahan is a new retelling of the improbable love story of Oxford theologian C. S. Lewis (whose books I love) and the American divorcee he married so that she could remain in the UK. I’ve loved this love story and I thought the screen adaptation 
I can’t begin this August 3 Friday reads round-up without mentioning that it’s my husband Bob’s birthday today (pictured above). I’ve known him since I was 16, and I’m not even kidding when I say one of the things I liked about him way back then was that he read good books. Over the course of our dating life, we read lots of books together, including this one at left, 
I usually have one audio book going on in my life, and until recently I was checking out books on CD from my library. I would listen to a book whenever I got into my car, no matter if it was a short trip or long trip I was headed out on. Audio books made any commute – even the worst, rush-hour one – a happy time. But we got a new car a little while back and it doesn’t have a CD player (that’s just how all new cars are nowadays). What it does have, though, is a little onboard computer and a USB port so that my phone can become the computer. Which means I can have Audible on my phone now, which I do, and the car can read the book to me. So there’s always a physical book on the nightstand and an audio book in the car and I like it that way. Okay, so yes, the audio book is on my phone which goes everywhere I go, but I save that audio book for car rides. So every trip to anywhere is, before it is anything else, a dip into that book. All that to say, in my car, I am listening to Celeste Ng’s 
Lastly, fellow San Diegan, writer extraordinaire, and my friend, T. Greenwood, has a new book coming out on Tuesday. It’s her first hardcover. Tammy is a talented wordsmith and I’m sure the difficult subject matter in 
What I read last week: 
What I am reading now: 
So if you’re on Twitter, hop on today to the 
Today I’m happy to have as my guest, fellow novelist 
CATHERINE: Savannah Barrington has always found solace at her parents’ lake house in the Berkshires, and it’s the place that she runs to when her husband of over twenty years leaves her. Though her world is shaken, and the future uncertain, she finds hope through an old woman’s wisdom, a little girl’s laughter, and a man who’s willing to risk his own heart to prove to Savannah that she is worthy of love. But soon, Savannah is given a challenge that she can’t run away from. Forgiving the unforgivable. Amidst the ancient gardens and musty bookstores of the small town she’s sought refuge in, she must reconcile with the grief that haunts her, the God pursuing her, and the wounds of the past that might be healed after all.
CATHERINE: While I have written romance in the past, I’m really most comfortable with family drama. Families can be so complicated. It’s really amazing to me that you can have all these people related by blood, yet all so very different. But the familial bond often, not always, overrides those differences. I love writing what I call “reality fiction.” Digging deep into those tough topics that we often want to ignore or brush aside because sometimes it’s too difficult. But life is hard. All of us are faced with struggles and situations that seem insurmountable. I think it’s really important to acknowledge that, and to realize that even in our darkest hours, we are never really alone. We are loved and cared for by an amazing God who will never abandon us. That’s really the crux of each story I write. While the faith message may be subtle, I don’t believe it’s one that can be ignored. Without hope, we have nothing. And that’s what I like my characters to eventually come around to. Most of them do.
Dear friends, I am so happy to have fellow author 
KG: Oh, man. There’s a myriad of answers to that question! I think in the context of this book, I would have two answers: to be human means to be made in the image of God. Which means that all of us–no matter our beliefs, our lifestyle choices, our political affiliations–have intrinsic value, and deserved to be treated as such. I would also say that to be human means to be complex, and that complexity is irrevocably shaped by our unique experiences.
KG: a lot of similarities, and a lot of differences as well. We adopted our daughter when she was a couple months shy of three, which isn’t the same as adopting a seven-year old. Our daughter also has some very unique special needs, which make our stories quite different. A lot of the struggles Jen has with Jubilee (her daughter) aren’t the same struggles I’ve had with my daughter. What absolutely is similar, is the fact that we both struggled. I think this is true for many parents who adopt internationally—especially when that adoption takes a painfully long time. For so long, you are fervently praying for and dreaming about this child you don’t actually know. And then one day, this child you loved so desperately from afar is up close and personal, under your roof, and you are essentially strangers. Not only that, they are grieving the loss of so much, with very real trauma in their past, and that trauma doesn’t manifest itself in pleasant, lovely ways. There’s often this sense of guilt, too, because God just answered one of your most desperate prayers, so you should be filled with gratitude, right? And your story is so inspiring to the people on the outside looking in. But for most families, attachment takes time. It’s something you have to fight for. The days, weeks, months afterward can be very isolating. This is the piece of Jen’s story that is similar to my own. As well as the struggles that come with being a white mother to a black daughter—such as the learning curve that comes with hair care, or the desperation one feels to give their child mirrors (people in their life who look like them). Representation is so important. As a trans-racial family, you become quickly aware of how segregated we still are as a society.
I was talking with someone I barely knew recently about how much a typical hardcover costs and the comparative price of any book’s digital version. She commented that paying $12.99 for the e-version of a hardcover novel that retails in print for $26.99 seems unfair. After all, there is no paper or ink involved. No shipping costs. No physical cost at all, was her point. What is the thirteen dollars for?
Hey folks! Just wanted to let you know I will be a live guest (you know what I mean!) on the awesome Facebook readers group 