Seattle

The 100 Year Miracle by Ashley Ream

~ SamanthaWho ~ 4 Comments

The 100 Year MiracleI’ve been reading at a faster pace this year than I ever have before so needless to say, I’ve read quite a few books so far in 2016. The 100 Year Miracle by Ashley Ream is one of the best books on that list! Set in the Pacific Northwest, a place I call home, I am particularly drawn to this story that centers around a mystical glow that appears off the coast of Washington state.

Once in every 100 years, a bay around an island off the coast of Washington glows green for six days. The sea creatures causing the dazzling glow are a mystery, but are believed to cause hallucinations, ease pain, and connect people to the spirit world by the Olloo’et tribe. For Dr. Rachel Bell, these sea creatures, known as Artemia lucis, represent a possible solution for her terrible pain and suffering. When her team of researchers goes to Olloo’et Bay to study the creatures, she will do anything to prove her theory as the clock winds down….

Elsewhere on the island, Tilda and Harry, a divorced couple, come back together as Harry faces the final stages of his debilitating disease. They must come to terms with a horrible accident that rocked their family years ago and learn how to finally move on just as the green glow appears outside of their windows.

The 100 Year Miracle Not only is the idea behind the story really interesting, the characters are humorous and endearing as well. In particular, Rachel’s abrupt and forthright manner (which broke many common social courtesies) and Harry’s charming and gruff wit were quite entertaining.

I find a story to be compelling when it not only urges me want to read, but inspires me to write as well, which The 100 Year Miracle did for me. I definitely recommend this one!

Are more Amazon bookstores on the way?

~ SamanthaWho ~ 2 Comments

BookstoreI’m back with a quick Amazon bookstore update! According to news sources (including “Job postings signal Amazon plans to scale up bookstore business“) numerous job openings with descriptions referring to Amazon Books have been posted since January 2016. These open positions are one signal of many that indicate the expansion of Amazon’s physical bookstores. I still think that it’s interesting, and a bit ironic, because the tech giant wiped out brick-and-mortar book shops all over the country as a result of it’s growth. In my last post referring to Amazon’s first physical bookstore in Seattle, Washington I mentioned that I was curious about whether the store would be a success. I’m still curious about this and haven’t seen any news coverage on its progress. Maybe I’ll have to sit outside the bookstore myself and track how much traffic there is…

In an article last week, Powell’s Books CEO dishes on Amazon’s threat, Miriam Sontz (Powell’s Books CEO) said, “”I thought it was a great acknowledgement of something that independent brick-and-mortar stores have known for the past few decades, which is there is something special that occurs at a physical bookstore that is not replicable on the Internet,’ Sontz told CNBC’s “Closing Bell” on Friday. ‘People have tried, and it’s just not the same experience. It doesn’t have the same serendipity. It doesn’t have the same sense of community.'” Miriam Sontz, you have my applause. I absolutely agree with Sontz and the atmosphere that’s created within bookstores. That’s why I go to one as often as possible.

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