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Poetry Month: Ask
Ask Me
Some time when the river is ice ask me mistakes I have made. Ask me whether what I have done is my life. Others have come in their slow way into my thought, and some have tried to help or to hurt: ask me what difference their strongest love or hate has made.
I will listen to what you say. You and I can turn and look at the silent river and wait. We know the current is there, hidden; and there are comings and goings from miles away that hold the stillness exactly before us. What the river says, that is what I say.
by William Stafford (Title poem of his collection Ask Me) (thanks to Wendy Fishburne for the photo)
Upcoming Events
Tues April 1, 7:00 PM at Leavenworth Library FREE!
Jane Kirkpatrick shares Sincerely Yours: A Novella Collection, a collection of brand-new historical novellas from four outstanding storytellers. Four young women find their lives altered after each receives a letter that sets her on a new path toward a changed life—and perhaps lifelong love.
Award-winning, internationally-recognized Jane Kirkpatrick, author of over 25 books, is noted for lively presentations and stories that encourage and inspire. Her works have been finalists for the Christy, Spur, Oregon Book Award, WILLA Literary Award, Wrangler Award, and Reader’s Choice awards.
Fri April 4, 7:00 PM Presentation at Leavenworth Library FREE!
Sat April 5, 1-3 PM Book-signing at A Book For All Seasons FREE!
Northwest writer of poetry, fiction and nonfiction, Linda Strever's award-winning, wide-ranging work gives voice to the capacity for resilience and transformation.
In Against My Dreams, Linda writes in the lively voice of her Norwegian grandmother, Gunnhild, called Gertrude in America, who learns that “crossing an ocean does not mean arriving.”
“When I write, it’s the force of life I’m reckoning with, and I meet that force with gratitude, reverence, awe and a pen,” says Linda Strever.
Mon April 7, 7:00 PM at Wenatchee Library FREE!
The New York Times calls Nancy Pearl: “the talk of librarian circles.” Readers can’t get enough of her recommendations, and the Librarian Action Figure modeled in her likeness. Pearl's library visits are often standing room only.
Pearl developed the program “If All of Seattle Read the Same Book,” which spread across the country. She has a monthly television program, Book Lust with Nancy Pearl, and is a regular commentator on National Public Radio.
Pearl's awards include the Women's National Book Association Award, the Washington Humanities Award, the Library Journal Librarian of the Year, and the PNBA Lifetime Achievement Award. She is an avid bicyclist and happy grandmother of three.
Fri April 11, 7:00 PM at Wenatchee River Institute WRI admission: $5 for members, $10 nonmembers
Sat April 12, 1-3 PM at A Book For All Seasons FREE!
Author/photographer Alan Bauer specializes in the natural history and local history of the Pacific Northwest. He has co-authored or provided the photography for several local hiking guides including Day Hiking Central Cascades, Best Desert Hikes: Washington, and Best Hikes with Dogs Inland Northwest.
Fri April 18, 7:00 PM Presentation at Wenatchee River Institute $5 WRI Members, $10 non-members
Sat April 19, 1-3 PM at A Book For All Seasons FREE book-signing
Rowing into the Son: Four Young Men Crossing the North Atlantic
Four college friends stepped into a 29-foot rowboat as the only American competitors in the first North Atlantic Rowing Race. Hurricane-level winds, giant eddies, passing freighters, flying fish, and sharks are all elements of the journey, and the race comes to a tense head on day 17—with another 55 days to go—as the crew realizes their food supplies are running out and they must drastically restrict their eating.
This is lead rower Jordan Hanssen’s intimate account of team OAR Northwest’s journey.
“Too often in our lives we are told what we cannot do. Hanssen's story deftly accomplishes the opposite. It might not catapult you into a rowboat, but be warned; you may be enticed to alter course.”—Jill Fredston, author of Rowing to Latitude: Journeys Along the Arctic's Edge.
Sat April 19, 1-3 PM at A Book For All Seasons FREE!
Claire Gebben Jordan Hanssen Margot Page
A young German immigrant crosses the Atlantic in Gebben's historic fiction, Last of the Blacksmiths, a tale of immigration's promise and loss as each generation strives to shape its destiny. Jordan Hanssen recounts his unforgettable adventure rowing the north Atlantic in a small frail craft in Rowing Into the Son. And in Paradise Imperfect, Margot Page shares the adventure that began when she and her husband, two techo-working soccer-parents, said: "What if we took the kids and moved to Costa Rica?"
Fri April 25, 7:30 PM at Snowy Owl Theater $25 general, $15 student
Nationally best-selling Ivan Doig has been called the voice of the west, with twelve award-winning novels as well as his National Book Award-nominated memoirs of growing up in Montana.
His latest novel, Sweet Thunder, continues the adventures begun in Whistling Season and Work Song. And last year’s national bestseller, The Bartender's Tale, is now out in paperback. Booklist chose this novel of bartender Tom Harry and the pair of imaginative twelve-year-olds orbiting around him, Rusty and Zoe, as one of the year's ten best historical works of fiction.
Fri April 25, 7:00 PM, Wenatchee River Institute: Presentation: $5 WRI Members, $10 Non-Members
Sat April 26, 1-3 PM, A Book For All Seasons Book-Signing: FREE!
Brad Halm has a message for you: no matter your skills, no matter your home, YOU can start gardening TODAY.
Food Grown Right, in Your Backyard insists there are no dumb questions. This full-color, beautifully photographed primer shows growers from all walks of life the techniques of organic food production, and proves anyone can develop a "green thumb." Brad Halm is co-founder of Seattle Urban Farm Company.
Weds April 30, 7:00 PM at Wenatchee Library FREE!
CINDER (-ella) is a cyborg? Yes, in this best-selling, perfect mash-up of fairy tale and science fiction, with an unforgettable heroine and a masterfully crafted new world.
SCARLET continues the Lunar Chronicle series, adding street fighter Wolf to the mix with cyborg mechanic Cinder, and Scarlet, who has secrets of her own.
“this futuristic twist... retains just enough of the original that readers will enjoy spotting the subtle similarities. But... Meyer’s brilliance is in sending the story into an entirely new, utterly thrilling dimension,” says a Publishers Weekly Starred Review
“a feminist fairytale for modern teens,” says Shelf Awareness
Fri May 2, 7:00 PM at Wenatchee River Institute WRI charges $5 members, $10 non-members
Sat May 3 from 1 to 3 PM at A Book For All Seasons FREE!
Join "accidental naturalist" Maria Mudd Ruth for a slide presentation illuminating the secret life of the Marbled Murrelet, an endangered seabird that depends on our PNW old-growth forests for its survival.
Amazingly, it took naturalists 185 years to discover any murrelet nest--find out why in this part naturalist detective story, part environmental inquiry. Ruth makes a compelling case for the search for meaning in our changeable world.
Maria Mudd Ruth is the author of more than a dozen books on natural history topics for general audiences, young readers, and accidental naturalists like herself.
Fri May 9, 7:00 PM at Leavenworth Library FREE!
Sat May 10, 10:30 AM--12:30 PM at A Book For All Seasons FREE!
Wenatchee author Jon Magnus shares inspirational S.H.I.N.E.: Life Lessons Revealed, a distillation of wisdom from exceptional encounters on a round-the-world journey.
Eleven years ago, Wenatchee High School teacher Jon Magnus undertook an around-the-world journey. His goal: to meet and interview 14 inspirational people, to discover what made them exceptional, and then bring back their stories to inspire his Wenatchee High School students.
In S.H.I.N.E.: Life Lessons Revealed, Jon has gathered the wisdom of these exceptional people into 5 universal life lessons that we all can use in everyday life.
Sat May 10, 1 to 3 PM at A Book For All Seasons FREE!
'Icicle Falls,' you may find yourself thinking, looks quite a bit like Leavenworth!
Enjoy Sheila Robert’s latest heart-warming romance set in 'Icicle Falls:' The Cottage on Juniper Ridge.
All kinds of changes are set in motion by one woman's guide to living simply. Jen Heath is inspired to leave her stressful, over-committed life in Seattle and move to Icicle Falls, where she rents a lovely little cottage on Juniper Ridge. Here she can enjoy simple pleasures—like joining the local book club—and complicated ones, like falling in love with her sexy landlord.
As Jen, her sister, and others try to return to a simpler way of life, they work to unload excess stuff and responsibilities. But as they discover, sometimes life simply happens. It doesn't always happen simply!
Fri May 16, 7:00 PM Wenatchee Community Center 504 S Chelan Ave, Wenatchee $15
Jess Walter is "as talented a natural storyteller as is working in American fiction these days," says the Washington Post.
Award-winning, #1 New York Times Bestselling Jess Walter will deliver the keynote address of Wenatchee’s annual Write on the River Conference. The keynote, open to the public, is the culmination of our community’s 2014 Regional Read of Walter’s Beautiful Ruins.
Walter is renowned as a witty, engaging speaker. His fiction too is sharp, clear, inventive, and constantly surprising, The author of eight books, he is a National Book Award and PEN/USA Literary finalist.
Please join us at the Wenatchee Community Center. Doors will open at 6:30 PM for drinks and socializing. Walter speaks at 7:00 PM with a book signing afterward. Don’t miss your chance for an evening with a true rock star in the writing world!
May 16-18 in Wenatchee Registration Required
Twelve workshops, award-winning authors and fuel to keep your writing fire alive. Join us on the banks of the mighty Columbia and keep the words flowing.
Two-and-a-half days of content-packed workshops, world-class faculty, agent and editor pitch appointments, and a year’s worth of inspiration. No matter what or why you write, the Write On The River Conference will bring you to the next level. To register, visit writeontheriver.org.
Sat May 17, 1 to 3 PM at A Book For All Seasons FREE!
Two books in verse for young adults -- set in Eastern WA Apple Country!
Award-winning young-adult writer Dia Calhoun shares her latest book, After the River the Sun, set in an eastern Washington apple orchard, in which the demands, beauty, and perils of living close to nature restore a grieving boy’s spirit.
After the River the Sun and its companion volume Eva of the Farm were inspired by Dia’s love of her father-in-law’s commercial apple orchard in the Methow Valley.
Several of Dia’s books, including Aria of the Sea, Firegold, and White Midnight, have won the ALA Best Book For Young Adults Award. She lives in Tacoma, Washington, with her husband, two cats, and two ghost cats.
Sun May 18, 11 AM to 1 PM at A Book For All Seasons FREE!
Join author Sarah Swanson for a signing of Must-See Birds of the Pacific Northwest. This lively, practical guide helps readers discover 85 of the region's most extraordinary birds.
Filled with stunning color photographs, this is an accessible guide for casual birders, weekend warriors, and families looking for an outdoor experience. Eight easy-going birding weekends, including stops in Puget Sound, the Central Washington wine country, and the Klamath Basin, offer wonderful getaway ideas and make this a must-have guide for locals and visitors alike.
Fri May 23, 7:00 PM, Wenatchee River Institute: slide program $5 WRI members, $10 non-members
Sat May 24, 1 to 3 PM, A Book For All Seasons: book-signing FREE!
Join author/photgrapher Tami Asars as she presents an interactive slideshow of hike suggestions from her brand-new book Day Hiking Mount Adams & Goat Rocks Wilderness -- the perfect backpack companion for the summer hiking season.
The book also includes hikes in the scenic outskirts of Yakima, trails in the Gifford Pinchot N. F., Indian Heaven Wilderness and the stunning William O. Douglas Wilderness Area.
Learn details about must-see hiking spots of spectacular grandeur and mind-blowing vistas, as well as those less travelled, for times when you want to escape it all.
Asars is also the author of Hiking the Wonderland Trail, a regional correspondent / columnist for Washington Trails Magazine, and contributor to hiking blogs and outdoor publications.
Thurs May 29, 7:00 PM at Wenatchee Library Presentation: FREE!
Fri May 30, 7:00 PM at Leavenworth Library Presentation: FREE!
Sat May 31, 11 to 1 at A Book For All Seasons Book Buzz: FREE!
Erica Bauermeister Kevin O'Brien Carol Cassella
How We Write, Why We Write: three successful writers share tips and answer questions at Wenatchee Library Thursday and at Leavenworth Library Friday. An informal, lively look at writing with bestselling members of the Seattle 7 Writers. Bring your questions!
And on Saturday, the book buzz format you love, with prizes, good cheer and great fun.
Kevin O'Brien is the New York Times Bestselling author of 14 thrillers, including Unspeakable. His page-turning books will chill your blood, but in person his witty comments will set you laughing.
Carol Cassella’s newest release, Gemini, is already an Indie Next and Library Reads top pick. Both of her previous novels, Healer and Oxygen, were Washington State Book Award Finalists.
Erica Bauermeister, who has been said to write “prose delicious enough to devour,” shares her latest Lost Art of Mixing, sequel to her luminous School of Essential Ingredients.
ABFAS Recommends-- For Poetry Month:
By Billy Collins  “Billy Collins puts the ‘fun’ back in ‘profundity.’ ”—Alice Fulton
From the two-term Poet Laureate of the United States Billy Collins comes his first compilation of new and selected poems in twelve years.
Aimless Love combines more than fifty new poems with selections from four previous books—Nine Horses, The Trouble with Poetry, Ballistics, and Horoscopes for the Dead.
By turns playful, ironic, and serious, Collins’s poetry captures the nuances of everyday life while leading the reader into zones of inspired wonder.
By Mary Oliver  A New York Times bestselling collection from a Pulitzer-prize winning poet.
New and favorite poems celebrating the dogs that have enriched the poet’s world, Mary Oliver’s dog poems offer a special window into her world.
The many dogs of Oliver’s life emerge as fellow travelers, but also as guides, spirits capable of opening our eyes to the lessons of the moment and the joys of nature and connection. Dog Songs is a testament to the power and depth of the human-animal exchange, from an observer of extraordinary vision.
ABFAS Recommends: Pat's Pick
By Alice Hoffman
Brand-new from Alice Hoffman: A mesmerizing story of an electric and impassioned love.
 "Hoffman's latest work of fiction is a tour de force ...The setting is New York and Brooklyn in 1911, where sideshow 'curiosities,' Russian emigre Jews, the emerging workers unions, and the lost, wild beauty of Manhattan's rivers and woods blend into a dream. Hoffman's research is precise, her vision unique, and her writing extraordinarily evocative." -- Karen Pennington, Books Inc.
One night Coralie, the daughter of a Coney Island freak show impresario, stumbles upon a striking young man taking pictures of moonlit trees. Photographer Eddie Cohen has run away from his job as a tailor's apprentice. His picture-taking will soon embroil him in the suspicious mystery behind a factory fire... and ignite the heart of Coralie.
With its colorful crowds of bootleggers, heiresses, thugs, and idealists, New York itself becomes a riveting character as Hoffman weaves her trademark magic, romance, and masterful storytelling to unite Coralie and Eddie in a sizzling, tender, and moving story of young love in tumultuous times.
Alice Hoffman at her most spellbinding.
ABFAS Recommends: New Non-Fiction
By Michio Kaku
Just out and already a #1 New York Times Bestseller
 Michio Kaku, the New York Times best-selling author of Physics of the Impossible, Physics of the Future, and Hyperspace, tackles the most fascinating and complex object in the known universe: the human brain.
The secrets of the living brain revealed. The province of science fiction has become a startling reality. Recording memories, telepathy, videotaping our dreams, mind control, avatars, and telekinesis are not only possible; they already exist.
The Future of the Mind shares astonishing research being done in top laboratories around the world. One day we might have a "smart pill" that can enhance our cognition; be able to upload our brain to a computer, neuron for neuron; send thoughts and emotions around the world on a "brain-net"; control computers and robots with our mind; push the very limits of immortality; and perhaps even send our consciousness across the universe.
A mind-boggling exploration of the frontiers of neuroscience.
ABFAS Recommends: Andrew's Pick
By Bob Drury andTom Clavin
 The epic story of Red Cloud, the Native American tribal leader to give the U.S. Army one of its most resounding defeats. At the peak of his power, he controlled one-fifth of the contiguous United States.
Two award-winning authors weave the incredible story of Red Cloud, an orphan who had to overcome myriad social disadvantages in Sioux culture. Drawing on a wealth of evidence that includes Red Cloud’s autobiography, lost for nearly a hundred years, Bob Drury and Tom Clavin bring their subject to life. A story as big as the West, with portraits of General William Tecumsah Sherman, explorer John Bozeman, mountain man Jim Bridger, Red Cloud protégé Crazy Horse, and many others.
The Heart of Everything That Is places you at the center of the conflict over western expansion, and finally gives one of our nation’s greatest war leaders, Red Cloud, the modern-day recognition he deserves.
ABFAS Recommends: For Teens and Pre-teens
New YA From #1 New York Times bestselling David Baldacci  "Why would Quentin Herms flee into the Quag? There was nothing in the Quag except certain death."
Vega Jane has never left the village of Wormwood. But this isn't unusual -- nobody has ever left the village of Wormwood. At least not until Quentin Herms vanishes into the unknown. Vega knows Quentin didn't just leave -- he was chased. And he's left behind a very dangerous trail of clues that only she can decode.
The Quag is a dark forest filled with terrifying beasts and bloodthirsty Outliers. But just as deadly are the threats that exist within the walls of Wormwood. It is a place built on lies, where influential people are willing to kill to keep their secrets. Vega is determined to uncover the truth -- but the closer she gets, the more she risks her life.
With "The Finisher," master storyteller David Baldacci conjures a thrilling, imaginative world, and introduces us to an unforgettable heroine who must think fast, look closely, and defy all odds in her fight to do what's right.
Excellent for 5th to 8th graders.
ABFAS Recommends: For 3rd Grade and Up
From Colin Meloy, lead singer of the Decemberists, and Carson Ellis, acclaimed illustrator of The Mysterious Benedict Society.
 The stunning third book in the New York Times bestselling fantasy-adventure series the Wildwood Chronicles.
A young girl's midnight seance awakens a long-slumbering malevolent spirit. . . . A band of runaway orphans allies with an underground collective of saboteurs and plans a daring rescue of their friends, imprisoned in the belly of an industrial wasteland. . . . and the fate of Wildwood hangs in the balance.
The Wildwood Chronicles is a mesmerizing and epic tale, at once firmly steeped in the classics of children's literature and completely fresh at the same time.
ABFAS Recommends: VERSE For 3rd Grade and Up
A Book In Verse By Dia Calhoun
 Set in an eastern Washington apple orchard, After the River the Sun is a powerful story of a boy who steps out of a fantasy world of knights and monsters into a real-life quest for family and home.
Award-winning author Dia Calhoun deals with loss, healing and friendship in language that is both direct and lyrical, making every page a pleasure to read.
ABFAS Recommends: POETRY For the Younger Crowd
By Robert Frost, arranged and introduced by Gary D. Schmidt, illustrated by Henri Sorensen
 Robert Frost is one of the best-loved American poets. The winner of four Pulitzer Prizes, he is most known for his ability to capture the beauty of nature and his surroundings in evocative, yet uncomplicated language.
This attractive volume presents 29 favorite Frost poems along with beautiful color illustrations.
More Favorites For the Younger Crowd
Written and illustrated by Brian Floca
WINNER OF THE CALDECOTT MEDAL
 All aboard! A rich and detailed sensory exploration of America’s early railroads.
It is the summer of 1869. Trains, crews, and family are traveling together, riding America’s brand-new transcontinental railroad. Come hear the hiss of the steam, feel the heat of the engine, watch the landscape race by. Come ride the rails, come cross the young country!
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood...
from "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost
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