Watermark Book Company

NEW IN PAPERBACK - THE WINTER VAULT, by Anne Michaels (Vintage, $15.00)

2010-04-13T10:20:00.000-07:00

A lovely, lyrical novel that defies categorization. It deals in part with the relocation of the ancient Egyptian temple of Abu Simbel following the construction of the Aswan Dam on the Nile, and with the architectural restoration of Warsaw after World War II. But it's also about love, grief, displaced persons, art, gardening, books, music and the myriad other things that make us human. A wondrous book by the author of Fugitive Pieces. - Arlene.

THE ROUTES OF MAN - How Roads are Changing the World and How We Live Today, by Ted Conover (Knopf, $26.95)

2010-04-13T10:04:00.000-07:00

Roads and their social impacts provide the unifying theme for this book, though it can also be read as six remarkable essays by a travel writer as venturesome as they come. Hitch a ride with Ted Conover as he rides along with Peruvian truckers hauling illegally harvested mahogany trees; Himalayan villagers whose only means of reaching the outside world is via a treacherous frozen river; a Kenyan truck driver who plies the potholed main highway between Nairobi and Kampala, Uganda; Palestinians in the West Bank whose daily commutes include numerous, degrading Israeli-controlled checkpoints; newly affluent Chinese car club members who drive in convoy from Beijing to visit the Three Gorges Dam; and ambulance crews dealing with road accident victims in the dysfunctional Nigerian capital of Lagos. - Arlene.

THE MAN FROM BEIJING, by Henning Mankell (Knopf, $25.95)

2010-04-13T09:51:00.000-07:00

If you like your mysteries bleak, humorless and Scandinavian, then Henning Mankell is the author for you. His usual protagonist is the weary Swedish police detective Kurt Wallender. However, this is a stand alone novel featuring a middle-aged, small town judge who uncovers several obscure clues relating to an unprecedented act of mass murder in a remote Swedish village. After the police fail to show any interest in the judge's findings, she travels to China on a short vacation with a friend - and finds her life in danger as a result. Like all Mankell's books, this one is plainly written (or translated), but compelling. - Arlene.

COUNTRY DRIVING - A Journey through China from Farm to Factory, by Peter Hessler (Harper, $27.99)

2010-04-13T09:44:00.000-07:00

The China Peter Hessler writes about isn't the vaguely threatening economic powerhouse of newspaper headlines. Rather, it's a society that's changing faster than any of its citizens can keep up with. In this, Hessler's third book about China after a decade of living there, he takes (amusingly) to the road, following sections of the Great Wall in a rented Jeep Cherokee; rents a house in a decaying village outside of Beijing and gets to know his neighbors; and follows the progress of two entrepreneurs and their employees who start up a factory to manufacture brassiere parts. An excellent read! - Arlene.

New in paperback - Fool by Christopher Moore

2010-03-12T14:34:00.000-08:00

Shakespeare's tragedy King Lear is turned into a tragicomedy by telling the story through Lear's Fool. The Fool observes the King and alters the course of the story , conniving with Lear's daughters, three witches, a ghost and a bastard. It is written in modern day English, combined with lines and characters from various plays written by Shakespeare. No one is exempt from the Fool's insults, manipulations and merrymaking.
--Dave

EVERY DAY IN TUSCANY: Seasons of an Italian Life, by Frances Mayes (Broadway Books, $25.00)

2010-03-04T10:06:00.000-08:00

Sick of winter? Health care politics? The state of the economy? Then run away to Tuscany with Frances Mayes! It's been 20 years since she and her husband Ed bought their villa, Bramasole, but Mayes permits the reader to inhabit the guest room vicariously as she shares the sensual pleasures of her Italian existence.(She also throws in a few unpleasantries, like grenades and wild boars, so we won't be totally envious). This, her, latest book is packed with light, companionship, paintings and food – and, yes, there are recipes! - AC

Youth in Revolt by C. D. Payne

2010-02-27T10:08:00.000-08:00

A cast of wacky characters surround intelligent teenager Nick Twisp. He seems to be a typical teen dealing with a dysfunctional family and a not so challenging high school curriculum. During summer vacation he meets a gorgeous and equally brilliant girl. In his pursuit of this manipulative beauty, Nick's life becomes chaos. After Confederacy of Dunces, this is the second funniest book I have ever read. --DT

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork

2010-02-19T15:32:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite book so far in 2010. Francisco X. Stork writes in luminous prose from the point of view of a young man with Asperger's Syndrome. The characters are not overly described, yet each is a complete individual drawn on the page. Humor jumps out in unexpected places. Marcelo will be with me for a very long time. Recommended for ages 14 and up.

My favorite novel of 2009

2010-01-21T09:16:00.000-08:00

WOLF HALL, By Hilary Mantel (Henry Holt, $27.00)
Winner of the 2009 Man Booker Prize, this is a difficult - but totally absorbing - novel about Thomas Cromwell, adviser to Cardinal Wolsey and Henry VIII during the years when the king sought to annul his marriage his first wife, Katharine of Aragon, so he could marry the courtesan Anne Boleyn. History has always portrayed Cromwell (who is not to be confused with his descendant Oliver, who led the coup against King Charles I in the English Civil War a century later) as a scheming villain, but in this account he appears as a wise, compassionate, pragmatic man, doing the best he can for himself and his extended family during dangerously uncertain times... - Arlene.

For all you runners out there...

2009-10-31T10:16:00.000-07:00

BORN TO RUN - A HIDDEN TRIBE, SUPERATHLETES, AND THE GREATEST RACE THE WORLD HAS NEVER SEEN, by Christopher McDougall (Knopf, $24.95)

I'm a walker, not a runner, but I really enjoyed this book about encounters between American ultra-marathoners and a tribe of reclusive natural athletes in the remote canyons of northern mexico - with chapters on sports physiology, shoe design and theories of human evolution thrown in for added interest. - AC

The Odyssey of Pat Tillman

2009-09-18T10:37:00.000-07:00

Jon Krakauer's Where Men Win Glory tells the story of the iconoclast who walked away from a $3.6 million NFL contract to enlist in the U.S. Army after 9/11. On April 11, 2004, Pat Tillman was killed in Afghanistan by his fellow soldiers and became a tool for White House propaganda. His story is more remarkable and complicated than the fiction sold to the public, and Krakauer tells it in his trademark compelling style.

Oprah's Book Club

2009-09-18T10:15:00.000-07:00

Say You're One of Them is the award-winning short story collection that Oprah has chosen for her next book club discussion. Author Uwem Akpan pays tribute to the wisdom and resilience of children, even in the face of agonizing circumstances. Settings like Nigeria, Kenya, and Ethiopia provide a powerful backdrop for the characters' voices and experiences.

Pain Free

2009-08-07T15:19:00.000-07:00

Pain Free
by Pete Egoscue
To avoid unnecessary surgery on your knees, hips, or other body parts - read this book. Your body is in pain because something is wrong. In many cases the exercises in this book can strengthen weak muscles and get the body back into alignment. You will be pain free without pills, surgery, or expensive exercise equipment.
-DT

What's our most popular book right now?

2009-07-27T15:33:00.000-07:00

Something that's always amused me is when a customer asks if we have a book title, then adds "It's number one on the Best Seller list!" (It's never number 2 or 3...) Well, we are very proud to announce our Number One Best Seller: "Anacortes" by Bret Lunsford, part of the Images of America series published by Arcadia Publishing. The first print run is almost out; it's the perfect gift for family, friends or anyone just passing through who want to know more about this beautiful city. We LOVE selling this book, and our heartiest congratulations to Bret!

Yes, I read novels too (sometimes)...

2009-06-15T10:05:00.000-07:00

ULTIMATUM, by Matthew Glass (Atlantic, $24.00)

Twenty-five years into the future, when global warming has rendered much of the current US coastline uninhabitable, an Obama-like senator assumes the presidency from a Bush-like predecessor and learns that projections for ongoing environmental change are many times worse than has so far been revealed. Action lies in negotiating a drastic bilateral emissions reduction treaty with the Chinese (the world's worst polluters, who are also seriously affected by rising sea levels) - but will they come to the table, or will politics, as ever, intervene? Part 'West Wing', part Al Gore warnings come to fruition, this is a deeply unsettling thriller, not merely for its subject matter, but because the political and environmental scenarios presented all seem so uncomfortably plausible... - AC

Yet more new non-fiction

2009-06-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

AN EDIBLE HISTORY OF HUMANITY, by Tom Standage (Walker, $26.00)

Human history is so complicated that no single book can possibly explain it all. Each new contribution to the genre may nevertheless add to our overall understanding of it - and if such a work manages to be entertaining as well, so much the better for the reader. This book, by an editor at 'The Economist' magazine, explores the role of food as "a catalyst of social transformation, societal organization, geopolitical competetion, inductrial development, military conflict and economic expansion," as the author says in his introduction. All food for thought, you might say, and a hearty read to boot! - AC

New non-fiction

2009-06-15T09:53:00.000-07:00

THE PLEASURES AND SORROWS OF WORK, by Alain de Botton (Pantheon, $26.00)

It was a great pleasure to read this book and a sorrow to finish it. Whimsical philosopher Alain de Botton muses, in elegant prose and with photographical accompaniment, on the nature and meaning of work in the 21st century, offering us intimate accounts of the lives of Madagascan tuna fishermen, French rocket scientists, an English biscuit company executive, a Scottish pylon engineer, and others whose workaday efforts appear both trivial and profound - and along the way gives us a charming window into his own work as a writer. (I loved de Botton's previous books, 'The Art of Travel' and 'The Architecture of Happiness' also!) - AC

Patti reports from New York and BookExpo America

2009-06-01T09:39:00.000-07:00

So, last night when I was walking home to the hotel, there were many many police on the street. Finally I came up to a crowd. The President and Mrs. O were at a play, Joe Turner's Come and gone.....the streets of NY were filled with excited people. I have never seen so many police. Saw the motorcade leave later. Floated home....thrilled.....way more excitement than an island girl can take. Oh, he is our man.....and he and she had a date. of culture. imagine.

NYC is so stimulating. Today we saw a bunch guys playing and singing Beatles songs at Strawberry Fields in Central Park. Then we watched people dance on skates to African beats. Everyone was enjoying the beautiful day. Time flies here. Guggenheim and a little of the Met today. Frick earlier in the week. And yes, the book convention. Eduardo Galeano was my biggest thrill, I think. And Richard Russo.

Go Bama.
Love,
p

Not a likely group of books...

2009-05-24T12:06:00.000-07:00

I want to tell you about 3 very different books I've recently been reading (well, you most likely know one of them very much). Lee Child is the master of the unplug-the-phone-don't-bother-me-now thriller, and his latest "Gone Tomorrow" is no exception. Jack Reacher is riding the subway at 2 in the morning when he realizes the woman sitting across from him has the tell-tale signs of a suicide bomber. Page 1 grabs ahold of you and you won't be able to turn the pages fast enough.
Another book I enjoyed very much is "The End of the Alphabet" by C R Richardson.
I resisted at first -- the plot seemed too clever by half, but I was impressed by Richardson's precise style, and his handling of a love story that was subtle and powerful.
Finally, I re-read "Winnie-the-Pooh" and "The House at Pooh Corner" by beloved children's author A. A. Milne. I was worried that the stories I loved as a child wouldn't hold up under my withering adult gaze. Hardly! Sweet without being cloying, clever without irony, and tinged with a wistful look back at the end of childhood.
DM

Fiction for Young Readers (4th grade & up) - Scat, by Carl Hiassen

2009-05-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

Carl Hiassen's third novel for kids is, like his first ('Hoot'), a hoot! It's a mystery that centers around an unlovable biology teacher who goes missing during a field trip to Florida's Big Cypress swamp. But there are also serious themes in here - the dwindling habitat of the Florida panther, illegal oil drilling in environmentally sensitive areas, and the impact of the Iraq war on ordinary families. My 10 year-old son and I both thought it was great, and have enjoyed Hiassen's other books ('Flush' and the aforementioned 'Hoot') also. - AC

New Paperback Fiction - Netherland, by Joseph O'Neill

2009-05-11T13:02:00.000-07:00

Read what the Prez is reading! The protagonist of this novel, Hans van den Broek, is a Dutch-born financial analyst living in post-9/11 New York City. Displaced from his apartment by the terrorist attacks and struggling to come to terms with the departure (emotional and physical) of his wife, he finds solace in cricket, a game played not by Americans but by an assortment of immigrants who inhabit the fringes of the city. This may seem an unprepossessing basis for a novel, but author Joseph O'Neill paints a rich and complex portrait of a lesser-known side of New York, brilliantly colored with the themes of love and friendhsip, loss and redemption. - AC

Non-Fiction Review - Standing By - The Making of an American Military Family in a Time of War

2009-05-11T13:00:00.000-07:00

Anacortes is full of Navy families, but what's it like to be part of one, with one parent/partner forever coming and going on deployment? Alison Buckholtz offers both personal and broader insights from her own experiences as a Navy wife and the mother of two young children - and writes a love letter to Anacortes in the process. - AC

Non-Fiction Review - Flotsametrics and the Floating World

2009-04-21T16:47:00.000-07:00

A fascinating tale of plastic bath toys, Nike sneakers, and the harmonics of ocean currents, all wrapped up within the life story of Seattle oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer. A surprisingly good read! -AC

Fiction Review - Captain Freedom

2009-04-10T16:06:00.000-07:00

by G. Xavier Robillard (Harper)

Captain Freedom is a hipster superhero who has saved the world numerous times, yet loses his sponsorship because of public drunkenness. He writes his memoir as an assignment from his life coach, partly in an attempt to answer the nagging question of why he lacks an archenemy. Is it a commitment issue? This clever satire of superheroes, villains, and celebrity culture is a great escape - intelligent fun with razor-sharp observations.

Non-Fiction Review - Fifty Miles from Tomorrow

2009-03-18T13:41:00.000-07:00

A fascinating memoir by Inuit politician William L. Iggiagruk Hensley, who grew up in the "twilight of the stone age," eking out a subsistence life with his extended family in the remote Alaskan village of Kotzebue. At 15, he went off to school in Tennessee; as a young man he returned to Alaska to lead the fight for native land rights in the early days of Alaskan statehood; later, as a tribal leader and state legislator, he turned his energies to the preservation of traditional Inuit culture. This is an inspiring story that offers a window into a disappearing world, and almost makes you want to try some "utniq" (fermented walrus flipper).
- Arlene

Fiction Review - Cutting for Stone

2009-03-04T17:22:00.000-08:00

Cutting For Stone
by Abraham Verghese (Knopf / Random House)

If you can read only one book this year, let it be Cutting For Stone - a superb novel which grips the reader from the first to the last page - at once poetic, powerful, riveting, sensitive, insightful.

Cutting For Stone spans the globe from India, to Ethiopia, to America and is a remarkable epic of love, loss, betrayal, forgiveness, and a family bound together by their devotion to medicine. The story unfolds around the births of Shiva and Marion, twin brothers whose lives are forever intertwined one with the other.

Verghese, an extraordinarily gifted writer, portrays with infinite kindness, understanding, and compassion the vast and delicately nuanced landscape of human emotions. Through Shiva and Marion he plumbs the depths of the human psyche with the certain knowledge that each individual's actions affects us all and that "... the tragedy of death had to do entirely with what was left unfulfilled."

Cutting For Stone is a magnificent novel, which will stand among the best books of 2009, if not take all accolades as 'The Best Book of the Year' - dramatic - mesmerizing - completely unforgettable!

GB

Fool Review

2009-02-25T12:16:00.000-08:00

Fool
by Christopher Moore (Harper Collins) $26.99
Shakespeare's tragedy King Lear is turned into a tragicomedy by telling the story through Lear's Fool. The Fool observes the King and alters the course of the story, conniving with Lear's daughters, three witches, a ghost and a bastard.
It is written in modern day English, combined with lines and characters from various plays written by Shakespeare. No one is exempt from the Fool's insults, manipulations and merrymaking.
-Dave

Welcome to our blog!

2009-02-08T14:14:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the inaugural post of the Watermark Book Company blog! (That was our last exclamation point, we promise.) Watermark Book Company is an independent bookstore in the downtown district of Anacortes on beautiful Fidalgo Island. We're very proud of our eclectic, handpicked collection of new books, cards and local art -- the art of the bookstore. Check back here often for reviews by our bookies (Patti, Barbara, Dave, Gwen, Arlene, Carolyn and David) and be sure to tell us what you think.