Welcome to your monthly update from Watermark Book Company!

Below, you'll find what's new in the store, upcoming events,

book reviews, and more!

Hello to all of my happy readers!!!

Happy New Year to EVERYONE! What a wild last couple of weeks to this year I have had. I shared with everyone about Jaycee's family member and I went on one of my days off and met with an advisor and decided to open educational savings accounts for the two kiddos. Just thinking that would be the best way to support them in the years to come. In the next newsletter I will include specifics about depositing money for them if anyone feels led to do so, or you may drop it with me and I will deposit it. What I like about this account is that it can be used NOW for educational purposes, like tutoring, etc., and I feel like that will serve them best.

My sweet, gorgeous cat of 12 years stopped eating and drinking the week before Christmas. I took her to the Emergency Pet Hospital on Highway 536, and they were fairly certain that she had tongue cancer. It came on so fast and she was suffering so much—I held her every day, and then, the Saturday before Christmas, I went to the Pet Hospital again and they helped me put her to sleep. They were so lovely about it. I sent them cookies. They were so loving and caring to me. Her being gone left a VERY LARGE hole in my heart, so I reached out to the local Cat's Meow and I looked around. The day I was there a kitten was brought in due to a second cat in their home not adjusting to her. We adopted her two days before Christmas and we named her Isla, and she is absolutely lovely. Such a wonderful fit with our family. She is soooooo sweet. The cat that originally caught my eye at the shelter was a calico named McMurray. So yesterday I drove back over there and got her, too. She is much more reserved than Isla so I think they will be good for each other. It is going to take McMurray some time to warm up to us. But we will try our best to be patient.

Our sweet Isla just being so wildly photogenic!

McMurray is more reserved and shy. We really appreciate her timidness.

Christmas was so fun with my boys home and running around. I forced them into doing puzzles and art projects. Ok, I didn't force them, but I did beg. I just love doing crafty things and I just see it help my mind so much, and it's a great way to spend time together. I plan on making Lego sets over the New Year's weekend.

My beautiful daughter turned nine on December 27th. We went with the kiddos to the trampoline park in Bellingham, and it was very fun. I cannot believe that she's nine—I mean, I know it goes by quickly, but this is crazy.

Janet on her birthday! Her hair is so lovely!

I am going to say that, with my cat being so sick for those 10 days, I did not read as much as I would have liked to. I was in mourning and then I was working so many retail hours at the shop that when I got home, I would just fall asleep. I did listen to Betting on You, by Lynn Painter. It is a Young Adult novel, and it is interesting and fun. I think the author struggled at times with the voice of a teenager. I think she felt that if the characters used a lot of bad words that this would make them seem more like teens in high school. While this works somewhat, it does not work for me when done over and over. I do think listening to a book with copious amounts of swearing does seem more intense than perhaps reading it. Either way, I am not a huge fan. I am more than halfway through with Laurie Frankel's new book, Family, Family. It is very interesting so far. She does such an amazing job writing about families and family experiences. I always really enjoy her writing, so I will report more next month.

I still plan on reading Annie Bot, by Sierra Greer—a book about AI!! Yes! I also got a damaged copy of Fourth Wing, by Rebecca Yarros. I gave a copy to my niece so we are going to read it together. I still plan on listening to Everyone on This Train is a Suspect, by Benjamin Stevenson, and The Mystery Guest, by Nita Prose.

Happy Reading and Stay Safe!

Brandy~

Author Events, Book Signings, and Shop Events

The shop was surprised by the Anacortes Harmonaires sharing holiday selections—with our own Diannie singing tenor!

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Watermark Book Club held its first meeting for the season.

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Our Blackbird Wine Bar takeover was such a blast!

We hosted Susan Specht Oram, Samantha Ferarro, and Kylie Fair Anderson.

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Marlene Bocast signed copies of her Elsie Mae calendar.

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2024 Calendars—Get Them Before They're Gone!

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New Year's Resolutions? We've Got You Covered

Learn a new craft!

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Pick out a new blank book to start journaling or develop a writing practice.

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Whether you want to start a new diet or just practice cooking more,

you're going to need a new cookbook!

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Plan your next great adventure. We've got books to help!

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📙 New in Paperback📙

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📗 New in Hardcover📗

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Upcoming Events

January

Monday, January 1st-New Year's Day

CLOSED

We are CLOSED on New Year's Day! It is our tradition to get started on shop inventory.

Monday, January 15th-Friday, January 19th

CLOSED–Shop Vacation!

We will be CLOSED for the week of Monday, January 15th–Friday, January 19th

for our annual shop vacation! We will check all emails and voicemails

on Saturday, January 20th when we return. Ask us what we're reading during our break!

February

Wednesday, February 14th

Valentine's Day

We will be open on Valentine's Day! Treat your sweetheart to a trip to the bookshop. ❤️

Monday, February 19th

Presidents' Day-OPEN

We will be OPEN on President's Day!

Watermark Book Club

This month, Watermark Book Club is reading Our Missing Hearts, by Celesgte Ng.

This is a closed book club. If you'd like to join the waitlist,

please respond to this email and let us know!

In the meantime, feel free to follow along with what we're reading.

Here's what Amberly has to say about our current read...

Our Missing Hearts takes place in a not-so-distant future after

a major crisis has led the United States toward intense nationalism. Our narrator, Bird, suddenly receives a message from his missing mother, whom he learns was trying to lead

a revolution against one of the government's protective movements:

rehoming children from parents they deem "unsuitable."