The best is yet to come!

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow." ~ Albert Einstein

Happy New Year!

The month of January gets its name from the Roman god Janus. Janus has two faces, one looking backwards to the past, and one looking forward to the future. Even in ancient times, the need for reflection and the need for planning were regarded as paramount, assigning these themes to the beginning of each year.

Here at 'ye olde bookshoppe,' we are giving a nod to the age-old wisdom of Janus. Our booksellers are compiling a list of each of their favorite books of 2018. Many of these titles were released towards the end of the year, so the list continues to evolve. We are also looking forward in anticipation of the new titles coming out in 2019. Look for these to be featured in our mid-month newsletter.

It's no secret that the indie book business is under siege throughout the country, but thanks to our fervent island supporters and increasing support flooding off the ferries, we've just ended our strongest year. Hugs to all of you for that! Even the Seattle Times got the word, as it featured our little indie bookstore as one of six best bookstores in the region.

Also in 2018, we hosted many exciting author events, including The Seattle7Writers Summer Bookfest, which was bigger and better than ever. We helped to launch new amazing works of beloved local authors Jonathan Evison, Lynn Brunelle, Suzanne Selfors, Nancy Blakey, and many others. We expanded our store with a cozy reading nook as a respite from too much rain, or from too much national news that we'd rather not hear. Our children's section has expanded as well, to give picture books the space they deserve.

Janus says that we must also look ahead, and we are heeding that message. As you make your New Year's resolutions, we are doing the same. Our expanded space will allow us to host a broad range of local and national authors. New upgrades throughout the store and online are in the works. We've taken pre-orders of upcoming titles for years, and while many of you have taken advantage of that convenience, others are still unaware of this capability. We will be making pre-orders easier in the new year.

If you are like many who are so-inclined to put your thoughts and plans to paper, you can find your ideal journal, notebook or planner here. We stock journals for every style, from minimalist to lovely to bold, and even guided journals to help you get started. The new trend towards dotted journals (Bullet Journals) allow complete flexibility in your daily writing, habit tracking, or planning processes, and we have many in stock. Whatever you decide and however you decide to do it, we can help you with the tools to record this amazing life of yours!

Finally, and most importantly, Janus also symbolized the values of home, family, friendship and civilization. In that generous spirit, we wish you all a very Happy New Year!

New Winter Hours

Sunday through Saturday

10:00 am - 6:00 pm

(Open late Thursdays for Events)

EHBC 2018 Bestsellers

1. Becoming

by Michelle Obama