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!!!

The PNBA Fall Conference was absolutely amazing! Jaycee and I worked hard; the days were long. We met so many authors and found some new books. We brought home ideas and treats for all on the team. I also put in some final orders for all of our holiday items. I feel so good and ready for this upcoming season.

Oh how I love fall! This is my favorite time of year. I love to get out and hike and look at the changing leaves. The store is preparing for the holiday season, so we are busy running around and unpacking and trying to find new locations within our quaint shop to place new items.  

After last month and the loss of my friend, I am really focused on doing things that bring me joy.  And, in the spirit of this, I have started roller skating again. I am doing this activity with my daughter, Janet. We will start lessons this month. I am so excited and it is weird but I am a far better backwards skater than I am at skating forwards. I am also looking forward to learning some tricks.  

I am furiously crocheting gifts for the holiday. I am horribly behind. I do love crocheting and I like to watch a little television in the evening while I crochet. It is a good fit for me. I am trying to be more thrifty, so there will be more homemade gifts this year.  

Last month I finished listening to A Court of Thorns and Roses, by Sarah J Maas, and I will be honest...I liked it more than I thought I would. I was surprised that, by the ending, I really wanted to know what was going to happen. I can see why this series is so wildly popular, and why teens/young adults read it. I will honestly report that it was descriptive and sexy in parts. I would definitely say this title is for 16 and up. I am currently listening to Mistakes Were Made, by Meryl Wilsner. This is definitely NOT a book that I would normally listen to, but a rep at the show was excited about it. I will say that it is very LGBTQ+ friendly and there are pages of sexy time. This is very atypical of what I normally read, etc. It is about two women who meet at a bar and have an instant physical connection. One is significantly younger than the other. The next day they meet again, but this time it is as a fellow college student to her daughter's best friend.  I read Nightmare on the Scottie: Maiden Voyage of a Doomed King Crabber, by Stephen Orsini. This book was so fun to read--I can NOT believe that Stephen lived through this to tell the tale. Some parts are just so laugh-out-loud funny, and others are sombering. I am very excited to host him this coming month. I also read Carrie Soto is Back, by Taylor Jenkins Reid. It was awesome!!! She did it again in my book: loved it from page one. I grew up watching tennis, and so this felt very nostalgic to me. The tennis matches just flew off the pages. I am so happy with it.  I read Inciting Joy, by Ross Gay. This book felt more personal and close to his heart than his others. I really enjoyed it. There are some life-changing events wrapped up in this one. He continues to remind us to look for joy!  

This month I will read Solito: A Memoir, by Javier Zamora. He is one of the featured authors at the poetry festival that I will be attending, and when I read the dust jacket, I just knew that this book was for me to read. I will also be reading A Little Bit of Land, by Jessica Gigot, who is a goat farmer here in Skagit Valley. She will also be at the poetry festival, and this book felt very local and necessary. I will also try to pick up something spooky and haunting because it is Spooktober!! I will report back.

Please stay safe, happy, and healthy...Happy Reading!!

Brandy~

Author Events and Book Signings

Bobbie Scopa and Jan Wright were our fabulous guest authors last month, 

and we had a great time hosting each of them with their memoirs!

We have SIGNED copies of each of their books available at the shop.

If you were unable to attend Jan's event, fear not--come see her as one of our featured guests at our RSVP After-Hours Event (keep reading for more information)!

For information on future events, please take a look at our calendar featured later in this newsletter, or you can check the Events Calendar on our website here.

We have so much fun planned.

Mark Your Calendars...

Our Anniversary Celebration Is On its Way!

The shop's 33rd Anniversary Celebration is approaching quickly,

and we are SO excited for everything that we have planned! 

• For the week of Sunday, Nov. 13th-Sunday, Nov. 20th, we will be running our raffle basket special: when you spend $100+, you may enter to win the basket of your choice! 

• Wednesday ONLY, Nov. 16th, we will offer a special 20% off sale! You must pay using cash or check to take advantage of this sale, and few exclusions apply. 

• On Friday, November 18th, we are having a special after-hours event! Seven amazing local authors will be here with their books. In order to keep the event fun and intimate, we have three time slots available, and the event will be RSVP only. Attendance is limited--don't wait to reserve!

        Call us at (360) 293-4277, email us at [email protected], 

      or come into the shop to reserve your spot! 

Please join us in celebrating 33 amazing years of Watermark Book Company!

Friends of the Forest Annual Benefit

Featured Artist--Jennifer Bowman's Art HERE at Watermark!

Watermark is honored to have the art of the Friends of the Forest's featured artist HERE. The Annual Benefit is November 12th, and you can learn more about the event here. Come into the shop to look at this beautiful piece of art that you can bid on! 

Christmas and Holiday Cards Out October 1st!

Mark your calendars! We are gearing up for the holiday season, and that means CARDS! They sell so quickly, and what we have is what we will have through New Years, so pick out your perfect cards now!

This Just In

We are filling up for the holiday season! Come check out all kinds of new inventory

and start your  shopping soon--when it's gone, it's gone! 

Watermark Tote Bags Are Back!

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We have our Paperblanks Engagement Calendars! 

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New Boxed Cards and To-Do Lists from Kartos Stationery

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This Just In for Kids

New Merrymaker Stuffies and Jellyroo Stuffies! 

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Book & Activity Kits make great gifts.

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New Magic Reveal Pads from Let's Craft

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Local author Bruce Rolfe's newest book, the third in his mystery series: Trade Secrets! 

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October

Saturday, October 1st

11:00 am at The Depot

Author Event with Nikki McClure

We are thrilled to be partnering with the Anacortes Public Library to host author and illustrator Nikki McClure! She will be doing a reading from her new books,

Old Wood Boat and 1, 2, 3 Salish Sea.

We will have copies of her books and her 2023 calendar for sale at the event.

Credit cards are welcome! See you there!

Thursday, October 6th-Saturday, October 8th

Skagit River Poetry Festival

This year is the 11th Biennial Skagit River Poetry Festival, and Watermark is SO excited

to be selling books at the event.

For more information on the festival, and to sign up, follow this link. 

Thursday, October 13th--3-5pm

We are excited to host local author Stephen Orsini for a book signing on Thursday, October 13th from 3-5 pm. His book, Nightmare on the Scottie, is a delightful memoir of a nautical adventure gone wrong. 

Meet the author, get your book signed, and support your local authors AND bookstore!

Monday, October 31st--OPEN!

Halloween

Come see us on Halloween! We will be dressed up and passing out candy! 

November

Friday, November 11th-OPEN

Veteran's Day

We will be open for our regular store hours on Veteran's Day.

Sunday, November 13th-Sunday, November 20th

Store Anniversary Celebration

Celebrate Watermark Book Company's 33rd Anniversary with us! We are planning such a fun celebration, including our annual raffle baskets, which you get to enter into with a purchase of $100 or more. On Wednesday, Nov. 16th, we'll run our 20% off with cash or check sale! We will also have an RSVP-Only Private Shopping After-Hours Event on Friday, November 18th, featuring several local authors--see below for more information on this event! This is a great opportunity for unique holiday shopping while supporting and celebrating your favorite local bookshop. 

Wednesday, November 16th

20% off Sale!

As part of our anniversary celebration week, Wednesday will be a SALE day! Take 20% off your purchase when you pay using cash or check. Few exclusions apply. 

Friday, November 18th--5pm, 6pm, or 7pm

RSVP-Only After-Hours Event

RSVP NOW for our special after-hours event. To celebrate Watermark's 33rd anniversary, we will host seven amazing local authors: Margaret Carpenter Arnett, Helen Furbush, Kathleen Kaska, Rachel Linden, J. Bradley Meagher, Matthew Sullivan, and Jan Wright. You MUST RSVP to attend, and we will have three time slots available at

5:00, 6:00, or 7:00pm. Call the shop at (360) 293-4277, email us at [email protected], or come on in and sign up in person! 

Attendance is limited--RSVP as soon as possible!

Thursday, November 24th--CLOSED

Thanksgiving

We will be CLOSED for Thanksgiving. Have a safe and happy holiday! 

Friday, November 25th and Saturday November 26th

Black Friday &

Small Business Saturday 

Shop local this holiday season! To help kickstart your holiday shopping, we're running our annual Black Friday and Small Business Saturday sale: 20% off your purchase when you pay with cash or check!

Take advantage of this sale--it's a GREAT time to do your holiday shopping!

Local author Ashley E. Sweeney will be here with copies of her new book, Hardland! 

Come celebrate your local businesses AND local authors this Small Business Saturday!

Watermark Book Club is on hiatus! We will send a call for new members in the winter, and we will resume our book club in January. In the meantime, we'd love to share with you some of the books we are "book-clubbing" as a team. This month, Diane is reading The Bullet that Missed, by Richard Osman. Here's what she has to say about it: 

Thanks to Brandy, I am enjoying the newest Richard Osman Thursday Murder Club novel. The action starts off with a bang, and love is in the air everywhere you look. All your favorite retirees are up their old tricks, and in new relationships, we see new sides of the characters and what drives them. I’m at the halfway point, and I think – we shall see, but – I think Elizabeth has just made a dangerous mistake. The Bullet That Missed is available now!