On the morning of Feb. 20, Island Books hosted 55 booksellers from around the United States who were attending the American Booksellers Association’s Winter Institute conference in Seattle. Island Books, which is heading into its 50th anniversary, was asked to be the first stop on the Eastside tour. Mayor Salim Nice, Deputy Mayor David Rosenbaum, councilmember Jake Jacobson and Jen Dean, executive director of the Mercer Island Chamber of Commerce, greeted the sellers during their 45-minute shopping visit. Courtesy photo
This year s American Booksellers will open on February 20 in Seattle with a range of bookstore tours introducing booksellers to an assortment of the city’s independent shops.
West Mercer Elementary fifth-grader Neeva Mody won the school’s spelling bee with the victorious word “splendid” on Jan. 27 in the school auditorium. She notched a $25 gift card donated by Island Books, and advances to compete in the regional spelling bee on March 26 in Seattle. Runner-up was third-grader Evan Marshall. The bee, which was organized by parent Justin Deng, featured 30 children and had winners for each grade. The other grade winners are: kindergartners Artharv Choubey and Roshan Wishwas; first-grader Morgan Marshall; second-grader Jeet Mody; and fourth-grader Timo Kiriputt. Courtesy photo