Category Archives: Books

Activities, Books, Uncategorized

NW Bookfest Coming to Kirkland

nwbookfest-2013posterWhile it may be out of the city limits of Mill Creek, I thought many Mill Creekers would  like to hear about a great event coming up on  November 2nd & 3rd  between 8am-6pm.  Authors from around the Puget Sound region will be converging on Kirkland for the 2013 NWBookfest event: Navigating the Digital Age. This year’s Bookfest will be taking over the state -of -the art Health and Sciences facility on the beautiful Northwest University campus. The Northwest Bookfest is a Bothell non-profit that supports local authors with their authoring, publishing & marketing of their own books. Do Tell.

If you’re a serious writer pursuing a publishing career, or a published author—you might have noticed that the world of publishing as we know it has undergone some serious changes. The advent of the digital reader — i.e. Kindle, Nook, Tablets & Cell Phones — has changed the way people read books. The refrain, “no one will ever read books on a computer” has changed to “how do we get our books to readers who read on devices?” In addition to being able to rub shoulders & network with New York Times Best Selling  Authors, you will be able to attend your choice of 60 high-impact workshops, connect with over 40 exhibitors & attend 15 public panels with some of the local publishing, marketing, and writing influencers.

After the Saturday sessions, enjoy some extra-curricular activities with the NWBookfest Wine and Words events hosted at Park Place Books and  Milagro Restaurant! Come join the fun!

Tickets for the all weekend education & networking event are only $99! There limited number of seats still available, so get your tickets ASAP at www.NWBookfest.com. If you happen to be a Pacific Northwest Writers Association member, you get a $20 discount on the event!

Do Tell Mill Creek thanks NWBookfest for the info, links & poster graphic featured above.

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Activities, Books, Shopping, Uncategorized

Summer Reading Into Fall

I’ve talked about it before, but the University Bookstore in Mill Creek is such a good resource for book groups it bears repeating. In fact, if you are looking to join a group there are several options to pick from through the store. Do tell.

The Main Street Book Club which features “The best in contemporary titles” meets the last Wednesday of each month at 6:30PM. You would still have time to read the August (meets Aug 22nd) selection — The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach. Paperback • Fiction • $11.99*

“The book confounded my expectations, in that it wasn’t strictly about baseball. Baseball is used literally and figuratively in this book, as a focus for multiple story lines, each in its own way dealing with the challenges of learning how to live with one’s imperfections and failures. I loved the characters, the metaphor, the baseball.” — Excerpt from a review/recommendation staff member, Kerry.

@thecreek Book Club is the group for you, if you are looking for “The best in young adult fiction, open to readers 16 and older.” They meet the first Monday of each month at 7PM. You might have to pull some all-nighters to get it read in time, but the August selection for the August 6th meeting is Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey. Paperback • Young Adult Fiction • $9.99*

“Charlie Bucktin, a bookish thirteen year old, is startled one summer night by an urgent knocks on his bedroom window. His visitor is Jasper Jones, an outcast in their small mining town, and he has come to ask for Charlie’s help. Jasper takes him to his secret glade, where Charlie witnesses Jasper’s horrible discovery, in the simmering summer where everything changes, Charlie learns why the truth of things is so hard to know, even harder to hold in this heart.”

If you want to catch up with the next one, the book for September 10th is Rampant by Diana Peterfreund.

The Odd Shelf Book Club offers up History → Memoir → Cultural Criticism discussing the best in new & classic non-fiction. They meet the second Thursday of each month at 6:30PM.  Again, August 9th is just around the corner, so you may have to get going on it, but the selection is Hit Lit: Cracking the Code of the Twentieth Century’s Biggest Bestsellers by James W. Hall Paperback • Books About Books • $16.00*

What do Michael Corleone, Jack Ryan and Scout Finch have in common? Creative writing professor and thriller writer James W. Hall know. Now, in this entertaining, revelatory book, he reveals how bestsellers work, using twelve twentieth century blockbusters as case studies — including The Godfather, Gone With the Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird and Jaws. Hit Lit is a must-read for fiction lovers and aspiring writers alike, and makes us think anew about why we love the books we love.”

This is being added to my list for sure. Coming Attractions: September 13th The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Keane Paperback • Chemistry • $14.99* & on October 11th The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin Paperback • Self-help • $14.99*

Creek Classics Book Club is just like it sounds. These are the books that have stood the test of time. One classic title per season & they meet once a season. The Fall meeting is Tuesday, September 4th @ 6:30PM. The next selection is Log From the Sea of Cortez by John Steinbeck. Paperback • Travel Literature • $16.00*

“In 1940, John Steinbeck and his friend, biologist Ed Ricketts ventured into the Gulf of California to search for marine invertebrates along the beaches. This exciting day-by-day account of their trip drawn from the longer work, Sea of Cortez, is a wonderful combination of science, philosophy, and high speed adventure that provides a fascinating portrait of Steinbeck and Rickets.”

*It should be noted that the prices for the books are the regular list price, but as book club selections you will save 20% when purchased at the Mill Creek store.

Reviews & summaries quoted above are from the University Bookstore materials.

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Activities, Books, Christmas, Kids, Restaurants, Shopping, Uncategorized

Happy New Year!

Well, okay so I went a little AWOL for a while. Sorry. Hope everyone had a special Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year holiday with family and friends. And hello, 2012!

I managed to become real busy during December, and I especially had a great time indulging in some local, small business shopping:

Reigning Imagination Toys for a cool Melissa and Doug easel for a special granddaughter.

Nest Home and Gift for wonderful hostess gifts, unique holiday decor gifts for friends & our own house, too! Nest is the place to find Sid Dickson tiles for those special friends (you know who you are).  Another fun “find”: a delightful framed “A” for the daughter of one special friend. Owner, Susan Stone wraps everything so lavishly, too!

Took shopping breaks, in order to keep Holiday strength/stamina up, at FireStation Deli, Claypit Starbuck’s, Tablas, Azul,  and Top Pot. Oh, don’t be silly. Of course, not all at once.

Books, Husky gear, stationery, journals and artist supplies at University Bookstore.

Candles, stocking stuffers, and fun decor at Pier 1.

Troll Beads for the DsIL,  scarves, pillows, Brighton travel tote for SIL and candles & fragrance from Thymes for our office manager, all found at Belle Provence. Diane and her team are always so knowledgeable & helpful.

Gift cards for doughnuts from Frost Doughnuts to be placed in all the stockings.  mmmmm . . . bacon topped maple bars, anyone?

deVine Wines was the obvious choice to research and choose lovely wine gifts for the in-laws. Proprietors, Tom and Candis always have fabulous ideas and suggestions for any occasion or for gifts.

Jerry & Donita Price and their wonderful staff at Mill Creek Jewelers were invaluable & ultra helpful with a last minute gift for another special granddaughter. I found a beautiful sterling chain & engravable medallion. Did I mention this was on Friday the 23rd? I had ordered one online, but was extremely disappointed in the quality. Jerry said not a problem to personally engrave it by noon on Christmas Eve. Mental note: Next time, go to Mill Creek Jewelers first.

Last stops: QFC for the tenderloin roast, horse radish sauce, salad ingredients & potatoes. Central Market for the Dungeness crab, Raincoast Crisps ( way cool crackers from Canada), & fresh brussel sprouts.

Now you  know why I had no time to add a post to this blog. I was just having way too much fun re-exploring & shopping in my own neighborhood, Mill Creek. Do tell.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Activities, Books, Kids, Uncategorized

Junie B. Jones

June 7th the University Book Store will play host to June B. Jones® and the Stupid Smelly Bus Tour.

Who is Junie B Jones? She is the protaganist of the series of beginning reader chapter books written by Barbara Park for the 6-8 year old crowd. We first meet Junie B. Jones in “The Stupid Smelly Bus” (first book in the series, published in 1992) when she is a kindergartner riding the bus for the first time to school. She hates the bus because  “Her friend , Lucille tells her ‘she will get chocolate milk poured on her.'”

The Stupid Smelly Bus Tour is the 8th annual national tour launched by Random House Children’s Books, to bring Junie B. live and in person to 15 cities across the country to meet her fans. Do tell.

So come to the Mill Creek University Book Store at 4pm on July 7th and join the one and only Junie B. Jones and Mr. Woo for a Trunk of Junk interactive show and tell presentation. Then, stick around to say hello!

Have your books stamped. A signing ticket is required. Ask a Ubookstore staff member for all the details. 425 • 385 • 3530

Activities, Books, Uncategorized

The Lonely Polygamist @ Main St Book Club

You still have time to pick up a copy and read! Next Wednesday, June 22nd, the Main Street Book Club, hosted by Amanda Corr and the University Bookstore – Mill Creek, will meet to discuss The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall.

Below is an excerpt from a description of the novel from publisher, W.W. Norton and Company:

“Golden Richards, husband to four wives, father to twenty-eight children, is having the mother of all midlife crises. His construction business is failing, his family has grown into an overpopulated mini-dukedom beset with insurrection and rivalry, and he is done in with grief: due to the accidental death of a daughter and the stillbirth of a son, he has come to doubt the capacity of his own heart. Brady Udall, one of our finest American fiction writers, tells a tragicomic story of a deeply faithful man who, crippled by grief and the demands of work and family, becomes entangled in an affair that threatens to destroy his family’s future. Like John Irving and Richard Yates, Udall creates characters that engage us to the fullest as they grapple with the nature of need, love, and belonging.

Beautifully written, keenly observed, and ultimately redemptive, The Lonely Polygamist is an unforgettable story of an American family-with its inevitable dysfunctionality, heartbreak, and comedy-pushed to its outer limits.” Do tell.   www.wwnorton.com

The Main Street Book Club meets on the 4th Wednesday of each month at 6:30PM, and when you purchase a copy of the selection of the month at the Mill Creek store you will receive 20% off the list price.

University Book Store • 15311 Main Street • Mill Creek, WA 98012 • 425-385-3530

Books, Kids, People, Services, Shopping, Uncategorized

Friends of the Library have a Sale

This Saturday June 4th, The Mill Creek Library Branch of the Sno-Isle Library System will host a book sale. This annual sale is put on by the Mill Creek Friends of the Library group. 

So come down between 10AM and 3PM and check it out. According to the official flyer there will be business books, cookbooks, books for children and lots of romance. Most items will be priced from 25 cents to $1 and prices will be marked down after 2PM. So, get there early for the best selection, or if you like to live on the edge, wait until after 2!

The following is an excerpt from the Friends of the Library web page:

“The Friends of the Mill Creek Library is a nonprofit organization which offers opportunities to volunteers to join in planning programs, library grants, and library furnishings. Anyone interested in our library and the people who support it is welcome to meetings, which are held from 9 to 10 am on the second Wednesday of the month from September through June, at the library.

The library is at 15429 Bothell-Everett Highway.  Phone: (425) 337-4822.

We support and fund monthly book meetings and provide essential support to the Mill Creek library.” Do tell.

For more information visit: http://www.sno-isle.org/?ID=1305

Activities, Books, People, Services, Uncategorized

Polaris: Shining soon at a library near you

Mill Creek Library along with all branches in the Sno-Isle System is excited about the transition to new Polaris system. And what is Polaris? It is the new Integrated Library System (ILS) and replaces the previous, outdated 20 year old online catalog system, and brings the Sno-Isle Library System, including Mill Creek, into the 21st Century. The cool thing is it can do so much more than the older system such as track books & other items owned by the library system, cardholder accounts, checked-out materials, holds and other behind the scenes processes.

For library patrons, you will find what you’re looking for more quickly, have the ability to save searches to your social networking sites, or set searches to run automatically so whenever a new item is added to the catalog that fits your search you can be notified. Also:

  • You can place holds.
  • Temporarily freeze holds without losing your place in line.
  • Set hold pickup location to default at your local [Mill Creek] library, or not.
  • See the number of copies the library owns or has on order, as well as the current number of holds on that item.
  • You will  be able to add your ratings and/or reviews and see what others library cardholders are saying.
  • Easily choose your own user name and password for online account access. I did it in about 2 minutes.
  • Receive hold and overdue notices via text message.
  • Keep a history of items you have checked out or opt not to.
  • You will be able to create other lists such as a “wish list” of books or other items you want to consider looking at, ordering in or checking out later.

While Polaris will be intuitive to use for those accustomed to using the Web in general, library staff are fully trained and available for on the spot help, and tip sheets will be available in the library and online. Tutorial videos and a Help section will be available on the website. In addition, hands-on classes Intro to Your New Online Library Catalog: Starring Polaris will be offered at the Mill Creek Library on the following Saturdays at 8:30 AM: April 23, 30 & May 21, 28.

If you can’t wait dive in right now at www.sno-isle.org/?ID=1202

There you will find all kinds of information about the library and the Sno-Isle Library System. If you are a current card holder click on My Accounts to get started. If you don’t have a library card you can go to your local library and apply for one and most likely receive it the same day. As of this writing, the online applications for cards is temporarily inaccessible while they are finishing the transition to Polaris, but is expected to be restored ASAP. Do tell.


Activities, Books, People, Shopping, Uncategorized

It’s Murder at the University Bookstore

Mary Daheim, Seattle native & local author, will visit the University Bookstore in Mill Creek this Thursday evening, the 31st. As part of their Reading Allowed program, she will read from and sign copies her latest book, The Alpine Vengeance. This is volume #22 in her Alpine series of mystery novels featuring Emma Lord, editor and publisher of the Alpine Advocate. Alpine, a fictional small town nestled in the foothills of the non-fictional Cascade Mountains, provides a charming setting for all the mayhem. Do tell.

Thursday March 31st at 7PM.

http://www.authormarydaheim.com/