Some local bookstore news to share – this week, Queen Anne Book Company is hosting an author event and kicking off its QABC Reads book group.

First up, the author event: tonight, Monday, May 6th, 7pm-8:30pm with local author Jennie Shortridge. Her latest book  is “Love, Water, Memory” and she’ll be joined by the Seattle 7 band. Shortridge is a member of the band, as is Garth Stein, author of “The Art of Racing in the Rain”. The Seattle 7 band (aka The Rejections (and Trailing Spouses), will be providing background music and entertainment for Jennie’s event.

And, if you’re looking for a book club, look no further than Queen Anne Book Company! They’re kicking off the inaugural QABC Reads book group on Tuesday, May 7 at 7pm. QABC Reads will meet the first Tuesdays of every month from 7:00-8:30pm, and is open to all interested readers. Discussion titles will be posted on the QABC web site and in the store.

The first meeting of QABC Reads will be a discussion of the top ten best-selling book group titles in the Pacific Northwest by co-owner Janis Segress and bookseller Wendee Wieking. Feel free to bring your favorite titles along with you, and by the end of the evening, the group will decide on the first book to be discussed at the June 4th meeting.

Happy reading!

Sherlock Holmes first came to life in 1886 in the page of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s A” Study in Scarlet” – a work that he wrote in 3 weeks and published in 1887. Since then, over 125 years later, Holmes has appeared in books, television shows, and feature films, remaining relevant today.

A free talk by the Seattle Times’ Tom Keogh will examine the history and allure of Doyle’s character over the years. The discussion is part of a series of arts lectures from Humanities Washington and is being hosted by Bayview Retirement Community. “Dr. Doyle and Mr. Holmes: The Cultural Staying Power of Sherlock Holmes” will be held at 7pm next Tuesday, May 7th at Bayview’s Albertson Center at 11 Aloha St.

Tom Keogh
Photo courtesy of Humanities Washington

A member of the 2012-14 Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau, Tom Keogh is an arts journalist and critic for The Seattle Times and contributor to various arts-industry magazines. A lifelong Holmes fan, Keogh was recently commissioned by Seattle Children’s Theatre to write an original drama featuring the detective.

The presentation will take a conversational format, with Keogh leading the discussion about Sherlock Holmes, the story of his creation by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Doyle’s subsequent love-hate relationship with the character over decades. Key issues for the talk include why Holmes still matters in the 21st century, and why we remain so attached to a character invented in 1886.

The talk is free and open to all, so Holmes fans should mark their calendars for next Tuesday!

For more information, contact Nancy Weinbeck via email or at 206.284.7330.

This Saturday, April 27th, the Queen Anne Book Company will host award-winning author Sherman Alexie from 1-5pm.

Alexie will be selling and signing copies of his books, doing spontaneous readings, recommending additional books, and chatting with readers. Plus, according to the shop, he’ll also take the floor as a bookseller for the day!

Stop by Queen Anne Book Company at 1811 Queen Anne Ave N on Saturday to meet Alexie and talk books between 1pm and 5pm. The shop will have copies of his books for sale, and feel free to bring in your own Alexie books for signing.

This past week, a reader let us know via email that a new Little Free Library is up and open for business near the corner of Hayes and 4th Ave N.

I’ve been under-the-weather, but the sun finally came out this afternoon and I was up for a walk – so I swung by this new addition and snapped a shot. The new LFL is on the north side of Hayes St, just west of the corner of Hayes and 4th Ave N.

The new LFL brings our Queen Anne total to six. As you can see from the map, there are still pockets of North Queen Anne, the South slope/West Queen Anne, and Uptown without a Little Free Library. But, with rapid growth over the past 6 months, there’s hope for these spots as well. If you’re interested in setting up your own LFL, check out the info here on setting one up and becoming a LFL steward.

If you know of a Little Free Library that hasn’t made our map or you install one of your own, let us know!

A month ago we reported on Vidya Books and its Kickstarter campaign to develop interactive books for kids. The books combine the experience of gaming with the world of reading, similar to the “Choose Your Own Adventure” books, but experienced via an iPad/iPhone app.

Fast forward to today: Vidya Books has met its Kickstarter goal, but the campaign doesn’t end until Monday. So, the team is planning a final open house event to demonstrate the technology and hopefully meet a stretch goal as well.

Any additional funds contributed to the campaign this weekend will support the development of multiple versions of the same book at different reading levels. That way, kids who are a bit behind their friends can still read (and experience) the book.

The open house will be held tomorrow, Saturday April 13^th from 3pm-6pm at 1632 3rd Ave W. If you’re interested, feel free to stop by and check out the technology for yourself. For any questions, contact Anna Booth via email or at 425.922.4820.

A local startup founded by a Queen Anne video game designer has a new approach to getting kids to read and engage in stories that adapt to their choices in the narrative. Remember the Choose Your Own Adventure books? Well, if you do, think of Vidya Books as spring-boarding from those interactive print books to a more immersive experience with today’s technology. (I may be dating myself here, but I loved those books when I was a kid!)

The concept merges the printed word, e-Books, and video games, and the end result is pretty cool. Vidya Books provides an interactive book experience for kids that they experience via an iPad/iPhone app. According to the company, “it’s a novel you play with – it’s a book that is a game.”

After kids open the app and start reading, the story appears on the screen, one word at a time. Kids interact with the words as they appear, directing the main character through the literary journey – each swipe or touch of the screen advances the story; it appears before the reader as it happens.

As an example, the first Vidya Book is an adventure where readers control the choices made and next steps taken by the hero who traverses the globe to solve a centuries-old mystery. It’s more than just reading, it’s creating the path of the hero and the storyline depends on the choices of the reader. As with the Choose Your Own Adventure series, it’ll likely captivate young readers and not only drive them to create the final scenes of the story, but also tempt them to re-read and make new choices to see what happens.

You can check out the Vidya Book as experienced by both kids and adults via the video below (click the image to play):

If you’d like to learn more about Vidya Book and how you can be a part of this Queen Anne startup, check out their Kickstarter campaign. And, if you’re interested in seeing the technology first-hand, Joe and Anna Booth are hosting an open house today til 8pm, and Sunday 11am-4pm at 1632 3rd Ave W.

The National Educators Association (NEA) sponsors Read Across America every year on Dr. Seuss’ birthday, March 2nd, and a local group of Seattle Library Walkers will be trekking 30 miles as they criss-cross Seattle to visit each and every SPL branch (27 in total). And, as you likely know from our Wednesday post, the Queen Anne Library will be hosting the Sundays are Special event this weekend – so, naturally, the group has planned its two day walk to include a Sunday stop at the Queen Anne library.

The group members will be sporting striped Cat in the Hat hats and stopping to read from “Oh the Places You’ll Go” at each library branch. Everyone is welcome to join in!

The walk starts at 7:30am on Saturday at the Columbia City branch, and the Sunday walk picks up at the Broadview branch the next morning. The schedule is below if you’d like to jump in, and keep your eyes peeled on Sunday for the group making their way from Magnolia between roughly 1:30pm and 2pm, stopping at our branch by 2pm, then winding their way to Fremont.

Updated - route info from the group:

We’ll be working our way up Dravis from Magnolia and then through Queen Anne to the Aurora Bridge.

Saturday, March 2nd:
1. Columbia (7:30am) 2. New Holly (8:10am) 3. Rainier Beach (8:50am) 4. South Park (10:30am) 5. Southwest (11:40am) 6. High Point (12:20pm) 7. Delridge (12:45pm) 8. West Seattle (1:45pm) 9. Beacon Hill (3:30pm) 10. Madrona-Sally Goldmark (4:45pm) 11. Douglass-Truth (5:10pm) 12. International District/Chinatown (5:40pm) 13. Central Library (5:50pm)

Sunday, March 3rd:
1. Broadview (7:30am) 2. Lake City (8:20am) 3. Northgate (9:00am) 4. Northeast (10:00am) 5. Greenlake (10:40am) 6. Greenwood (11:10am) 7. Ballard (12:00pm) 8. Magnolia (1:00pm) 9. Queen Anne (2:00pm) 10. Fremont (2:45pm) 11. Wallingford (3:10pm) 12. University (3:40pm) 13. Montlake (4:30pm) 14. Capitol Hill (5:20pm) 15. Central Library (5:50pm)

Attention bibliophiles: it’s almost here, Queen Anne Book Company is just a few days away from its grand opening! If you’ve been watching the shop’s daily countdown on the front door or on Facebook, you know that our new, independent, locally-owned bookstore is set to open this Friday, March 1st (and the countdown has been a lot of fun, with each daily book selection highlighting the number of days left til the doors open).

In addition to new owners Judy & Krijn de Jonge and owner/manager Janis Segress, you’ll also find some familiar faces, as four of the previous Queen Anne Books’ staff members have joined the new shop’s team of book experts.

I stopped by Queen Anne Book Company for a sneak peek yesterday, and spoke with the owners and staff members that are making it happen. They’ve been very busy prepping for not just opening day, but also opening weekend – that’s right, they have in-store author events Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, it’s going to be a book-a-rific weekend! They’re open all 3 days, 9am-9pm, with “Authors in the House” events planned every day:

Friday, March 1

• 1-3 pm: Maria Semple, Seattle resident, screenwriter and author of the 2012 bestselling Where’d You Go Bernadette, set on Queen Anne
• 3-5pm: Mary Daheim, Queen Anne resident and author of the popular B & B and Alpine mystery series, including recently released Alpine Xanadu
• 3-5pm: Lance Weller, Gig Harbor resident and author of Wilderness, a debut novel set during the Civil War
• 4-6 pm: Matt Ruff, Seattle resident and author of 5 novels including The Mirage, released in February 2012
• 7-9 pm: Erica Bauermeister, Seattle resident and author of three novels including recently released The Lost Art of Mixing
• 7-9pm: Jennie Shortridge, Seattle resident and author of five novels, including the soon-to-be released Love Water Memory (April 2013)

Saturday, March 2

• Noon-4 pm: Bernadette Pajer, Seattle resident and author of the popular Professor Bradshaw mystery series set in the Pacific Northwest
• 7-9 pm: Sherman Alexie, Seattle resident and winner of the 2013 Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award, 2010 PEN/Faulkner Award, 2007 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. Blasphemy, a collection of short stories, is Alexie’s most recent book

Sunday, March 3

• 11-12:30pm: Carmela D’Amico, Seattle resident and author of the popular children’s series featuring Ella the Elephant
• 12-2 pm: Jonathan Evison, Bainbridge Island resident and winner of the 2013 and 2012 Pacific Northwest Booksellers awards, 2009 Washington State Book Award and author of 3 novels, including the Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving
• 12-2pm: Jim Lynch, Olympia resident and author of 3 novels set in Western Washington, including recently released Truth Like the Sun
• 2-4 pm: Seattle7Writers, a collective of Northwest authors – featuring Laurie Frankel, Seattle resident and author of two novels; David Lasky, Seattle resident and cartoonist, graphic novel author; Shannon Huffman Polson, Northwest resident and author
• 4-6 pm: Seattle7Writers, a collective of Northwest authors – featuring Sean Beaudoin, Seattle resident and author of four novels; Kevin Emerson, Seattle resident and young adult author; Suzanne Selfors, Bainbridge resident and childrens/young adult author; Kevin O’Brien, Seattle resident and thriller author

Co-owners Judy de Jonge and Janis Segress are “excited to fill the full-service independent bookstore needs of the Queen Anne community” – it’s a brand-new venture, but you’ll see a few familiar faces at work to fill your reading needs, provide recommendations, and a highly-personalized customer service experience that only an independent bookstore can provide. So much so, they want the new Queen Anne Book Company to “feel like coming to your second home” – and they have plenty to offer in the way of tailored book recommendations and personal service:

• Author events – focused on local and Northwest authors, small and up & coming authors with new books
• Personalized list service – they’ll notify customers of new books, place advance orders, and take special orders – most arriving the next day and with free shipping!
• Recommendations – the staff will provide recommendation cards for books (one of the best ways to find your next read), and to kick off the grand opening, every staff member will be providing their “top 10 of 2012” lists covering fiction to mystery to children’s books
• e-Books – the shop will stock the American Booksellers Association’s Kobo e-book readers and will set up ordering your e-books via its web site. Kobo e-books will also work on Kindle Fires, iPads, and Nooks
• New web site – launching in mid-March, the web site will available for orders 24-hours a day
• Book groups – in addition to a store-hosted book group, the shop will also act as a resource for independent book groups, with a special shelf set aside for your book group reads at 15% off
• Customer Appreciation – kind of “Baker’s Dozen” of books, when you buy 12 books, you’ll get a deal on your 13th book

Stop in this weekend at 1811 Queen Anne Ave N to help celebrate the opening of our brand-new local, independently-owned bookstore – in addition to the author events listed above, the shop will also have surprise “flash mob” discounts, prize drawings of autographed books, and spontaneous contests.

According to manager Janis Segress: “We anticipate a weekend of high-energy book fun. We’re returning to warm traditions of personal service and neighborliness over books, while introducing an exciting new literary center for the neighborhood.”

Welcome, Queen Anne Book Company, we’ve been waiting for you!

Little Free Library, 10th Ave W & McGraw St

As reported on Wednesday, I found not one, but two new Little Free Libraries on Queen Anne – and it turns out there’s another one at 10th Ave W and McGraw St, bringing our neighborhood total to five. A reader tipped us to this West Queen Anne Little Free Library after seeing the post, and I headed over and snapped a shot of it. (thanks, Brian!)

To keep track of our Little Free Libraries, I’ve created a map so that you can locate the one closest to you. And, if you’re interested in your own Little Free Library, looks like we could use a couple to cover the South slope and North Queen Anne, and another on Lower Queen Anne/Uptown would be great… but there’s always room for more in other areas too! Click on the map below for a larger and more interactive map:

Check out the site for details on setting up your own Little Free Library – registration costs $34.95 and here’s what the organization provides in its Steward’s Kit:

• A Getting Started packet full of tips and outreach tools
• Little Free Library official brochure
• One bumper sticker
• One page each of Recommended Reads bookplates and book binder labels you can copy or print
• Exclusive access to templates and artwork that you can download and customize – book binder labels, bookmarks, fliers, stickers and bookplates
• Eligibility for free new books donated by publishers for the cost of shipping and handling only when books are available
• Special prices on other Little Free Library-related products as they become available
• Many other free items, resources, connections and opportunities to help you have fun with your Little Library and keep people engaged

In addition to the Steward’s Kit, you also get an official charter sign, number, and a spot on the Little Free Library world map. Plus, they have building tips and designs too. If you decide to host your own Little Free Library, or if you see one not listed on our map, let us know.

Today on my walk around the neighborhood, I spotted not one, but two new Little Free Libraries. They both have great selections of reading material and bring our total of Little Free Libraries to four – three on Upper Queen Anne and one on Lower Queen Anne.

First up, the one at Bigelow and Garfield. This is the younger of the two, as it isn’t even on the list of Little Free Libraries yet. But, it has a great selection of reading materials and it’s on the Crown of Queen Anne, so it’s sure to be popular with people who walk the popular route (and maybe run too, although personally I can’t imagine carrying a book while running).

Next up, a Little Free Library on Aloha, between 2nd Ave N and Warren Ave N.  This one has been around since January, and is fully stocked – if you haven’t read “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” yet, they have a copy. Plus, it’s conveniently located for Lower Queen Anne/Uptown residents, and the owner has even provided some pavers to access it mud-free.

Our other two Queen Anne Little Free Libraries are still going strong. If you haven’t checked them out yet, the first one is on 2nd Ave W between Boston and Crockett, and the second one is on McGraw between Queen Anne Ave N and 1st Ave N.

If you spot a new Little Free Library, let us know!

Tomorrow the Rat City Rollergirls are competing at home, hosting two bouts with a special halftime event – Nancy Pearl, librarian-extraordinaire will be reading a children’s book at halftime. The Rat City Rollergirls have partnered with First Book Seattle, a charity that provides free and low-cost books to children in need.

Each Rat City Rollergirls team has chosen a favorite children’s book, and fans can vote for their favorite via a donation that goes to First Book. The team whose book gets the most fan donations will be read at halftime by Nancy Pearl.

Rat City Rollergirls with some of their favorite books

Here are the nominees:

• Grave Danger: “The Monster at the End of this Book”
• Throttle Rockets: “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”
• Sockit Wenches: “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, Very Bad Day”
• Derby Liberation Front: “Where the Wild Things Are”

Doors open for tomorrow’s game at the Key at 4:30pm. Cast your vote before the game via donating spare change for your favorite team’s book. You can also buy books signed by roller derby teams from Elliot Bay Book Company on the KeyArena concourse. All proceeds from Rat City’s book-off will go to First Book Seattle, and a portion of sales from Elliot Bay will benefit First Book Seattle too.

So, don’t empty the spare change from your pockets before attending tomorrow’s game – save it to vote for your favorite book and benefit First Book Seattle, putting books into kid’s hands and promoting literacy.

You can spot some familiar local coffee spots and hang-outs in a new book by Tacoma’s Marsha Glazière, “Eclectic Coffee Spots in Puget Sound”. The book features seven local favorites, with photos of Bustle Caffe, Citizen Coffee, El Diablo Coffee Co., Twirl Café, and original paintings by the author/artist of Caffe Ladro, Macrina Bakery, and Uptown Espresso and Bakery. The book includes a total of 120 coffee shops around the Puget Sound region, and starting on December 15th, you can visit these shops to win a signed giclée archival print of the coffee shop of your choice from the 41 of paintings in the book.

The Coffee Spot Safari contest runs from December 15, 2012 to January 31, 2013 – you win by collecting the most cash register receipts, with double credit for each receipt from non-profit retailers in the book. Quintuple credit for purchase of an e-book. Check here for full details, rules and list of prizes.

The book and an accompanying calendar with images of Caffe Ladro and Macrina are available online.

And, if you win, let us know which Queen Anne image you choose for your print!