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!!!

I have had a lovely month. The shop is doing well, and we are so busy planning all of the fun and thrilling events for the upcoming months. November is 35 years for the bookshop!!!!!! This is so exciting. We have been working so hard—we are looking forward to the festivities. This last month was just really lovely. I feel so much better overall. As I write this, I am 66 days sober and really happy. I have been working out more and I am feeling stronger.

I just wanted to share some fun things we did last month.

Below: I knew Pink was in town, and I really like her as an artist and my hubby knows how much I like her. So he bought tickets on the "day of" the concert and they were very inexpensive. The show was outstanding. Ben worked that night, but Janet and I had a really lovely time.

Above: Ran into people that we know—and YES! She really does fly ALL around, it is WILD.

A very good show!

I know that last month I mentioned we were going on a small road trip to attend a funeral but also do some family things. We went from Anacortes to San Francisco, and it was truly marvelous. We stopped in Silverton, Oregon. We hiked Silver Falls—it is about 9.5 miles and there are 10 waterfalls to see. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Then we had the amazing adventure of driving through the redwoods. We visited the Trees Of Mystery park. I learned so much about the redwoods while walking through their self-guided tour. They had a trail bridge way up in the trees and a gondola ride to the lookout. We did it all.

Then we drove to Fort Bragg. I have always wanted to see the sea glass beach. We stayed there and went to the beach the next morning, and while it has been wildly picked over by tourists, it was still SOOOOOOO cool. There were also little creatures everywhere. They were clearly fed by guests, and they would run right up to you. They looked like squirrels but acted like prairie dogs. Janet was in love!! I loved the sweet town, but I would NOT do that particular part of the drive again. NOPE. It was 20 miles but took over an hour of full winding roads and hairpin turns. It was wild.

Then we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, so foggy and so awesome! We hung out at Ghirardelli Square—I stress bought so much chocolate. We also went to Pier 39 and then we got a lift in a Waymo...a driverless car. So terrifying and totally cool.

Then we made it to Vallejo, where Aunt Julie hailed from. She was a librarian for 43 years and then continued to work till her end. She was such an incredible force. Her wake was marvelous. It was so nice to visit with family. Even the Mayor spoke. Very grateful for the trip.

On our long 14.5-hour drive home, we did stop at Crater Lake, and that was breathtaking. I am glad we took the time to detour a little.

Above: Pics from our trip, but the water pic is the view from Ms. Julie's waterfront house. She lived in a special part of Vallejo; her house is actually on stilts.

This month I read Seed, by Ania Ahlborn—this is probably the creepiest book I have read in a long time. It was recommended by a friend, and I LOVED it. So very, very dark. The story follows a family; we soon discover that the dad had some very dark things happen when he was younger. After the family is involved in a horrible accident, his daughter starts to experience many of the same things.

I get horribly carsick, so I missed out on some really great reading days on my trips.

I listened to Jodi Picoult's latest book, By Any Other Name. I know this may not be popular opinion, but I just did not love this one. I really LOVED the idea of examining whether Shakespeare was really a playwright—or did others write the plays for him? And...were these authors mostly women who had to write them secretly and publish under his name? I loved all of that part of the story, but I did not love the romance or the way she spun those relationships. Not my cup of tea. I also listened to The Sherlock Society, by James Ponti. This was a listen with Janet, and it was really fun. Perfect book for 10 years and older. Diane also listened to it and really enjoyed it. I also listened to Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend, by MJ Wassmer. I thought it was great! Surprising, the cover really makes it feels like a vacation read. It is not. There are some very heavy topics, and some of it is quite dark.

I hope to read The Empusium: A Health Resort Horror Story, by Olga Tokarczuk. I really love her writing style. I also want to read Quit Like a Woman:The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed With Alcohol, by Holly Whitaker.

I would like to listen to Immortal Dark, by Tigest Girma; looks so creepy. Also,

So Thirsty, by Rachel Harrison. I think it will be very campy and good for the season.

Happy Reading and Stay Safe!

Brandy~

Author Events, Book Signings, and Shop Updates

OILF Lit Walk

Our first OILF Lit Walk was a success! Thank you to all of our amazing authors, the venues that hosted us, the OILF team for orchestrating this event, and for all of YOU who came out and made it a great evening!

Sign Up for Our Workshop

We are so excited to host a new workshop this autumn!

We will meet every other Wednesday through October and November:

10/9, 10/23, 11/6, and 11/20 from 6:30 to 8:00pm.

Sign up to explore different creative forms of writing a narrative essay.

You must register to join, and there is a registration fee—

email us at watermarkwritingcompany@gmail.com or respond to this email to register, and we will reach out to you with further information.

We can't wait to help you write your story!

Watermark Book Company's 35th Anniversary Celebration

We are planning our annual After-Hours Celebration of the shop's anniversary!

We are hosting several exciting local authors.

Mary from MaryGold Tales will be back doing complimentary live illustrations.

We will set up our annual photo station!

We will offer locally made cookies.

We will be running our raffle basket special as well—if you spend $100+, you get to enter to win the basket of your choice!

Stay tuned for more information on this event. We are so excited!

👻 It's Spooky Season! 🎃

This Just In

Are these Momiji Mini Brick kits a dream or a nightmare? Find out!

Unique new gel pen colors and new coloring books!

2025 day planners!

📘 New in Paperback 📘

📘 New in Hardcover 📘

Are you looking for our Upcoming Events section?

Check out our mid-month newsletter

for our calendar of upcoming events.

Watermark Book Club

Watermark Book Club will resume in December.

In the meantime, we'd like to share what our team members are reading!

Diane is listening to Death at the Sign of the Rook, by Kate Atkinson

Here's what Diane thinks...

DEATH AT THE SIGN OF THE ROOK

Kate Atkinson

I am listening to the audiobook of this (read by Jason Isaacs – swoon!) and enjoying every syllable. Kate Atkinson has such a way with words, and her homage to the golden age of British mystery, complete with a “country house weekend experience” and seemingly untrustworthy servants, hits every note perfectly. I have no idea where this story will end up, and I am in no rush to find out. This is a very enjoyable journey through the landscape of the British countryside and all the crimes, be they utterly vile or merely petty, it conceals.

Diane