Store Hours

7-days-a-week from 9:00am to 9:00pm

Did You Know? How Well Do You Know ABFAS?

Debbie Macomber is the author of numerous novels and is one of today's leading voices in women's fiction. Her work has appeared on every major bestseller list, including those of the New York Times, USA TODAY and Publishers Weekly. Beloved by her many loyal fans, she is also a multiple award winner with more than 60 million copies of her books having been sold worldwide.

Her newest release is in the Angel Series and is entitled: Where Angels Go. What makes this book even more special is that the location of this book is everyone's favorite Christmas town, Leavenworth, Washington!

To celebrate this new release, we will be having Breakfast with Debbie Macomber. Breakfast will be at Kristall's Restaurant on Highway 2 in Leavenworth and the cost will be $30.00 which includes a copy of Debbie's New Hardcover Book, Where Angels Go that she will sign just for you.

Contact us at A Book for All Seasons for reservations. Stop in or call 509-548-1451
Spaces are limited and they are going fast — call soon to get your seat!
This is going to be an enjoyable morning and a great way to start December!

Click here to visit Debbie Macomber on the Web!
And then pick up the phone or stop in to the store and reserve your spot at this fun event!
This is can't miss fun!

Breakfast too early for you? Come by the A Book for All Seasons later in the day
(December 1st, between 11:00am and 1:00pm)
and you'll have one more chance to have your book signed by Debbie!

Click here to place a copy of Where Angels Go lovingly into your cart for $16.95! (If you missed the event, act fast to pick up a SIGNED COPY!)

A small town, a knitting club and a lot of elaborate Christmas preparations that their husbands simply don't appreciate. The women decide to go on strike, but as they do, the husbands plan retaliation at the hardware store. This is a fun read with a seasonal flair, just in time to curl up in front of the fire or to give as a holiday gift.

Sheila Roberts' debut novel was chosen as a Top Pick by Romantic Times. Their review: "Roberts' witty and effervescently funny holiday novel will warm hearts. Realistic characters populate the pages of this captivating story which is a great escape from the holiday hustle and bustle."

New York Times Bestselling author, Debbie Macomber said of the book that "Sheila Roberts makes me laugh. I came away inspired, hopeful and happy."

Click here to place a copy of On Strike for Christmas into your cart for $13.95!

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the housenot a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. These familiar words have never before been illustrated with such style. Magnificent paintings by American artist Richard Jesse Watson infuse traditional images with pizzazz and flair. From cozy interiors to snowy landscapes, each scene is packed with the details of Christmas. Watch for the remarkable cast of elves who populate these pages. Best of all, see Santa Claus himself as you've never seen him before, complete with an exclusive interview. Spilling over with all the joy and generosity of the season, here is an edition of Clement C. Moore's classic Christmas poem that is perfect for families of today. Ho! Ho! Ho!

December 8th 1:00 — 4:00 pm

December 9th 12:00 — 2:00 pm

Richard Jesse Watson will sign copies of his wonderful Holiday Books and more! We hope to see you there!

When Richard illustrated Ruth Bell Graham's, One Wintry Night, a five year illustration project, it took him to the Middle East and Singapore. The Book has over 700,000 copies in print, as well as a dozen foreign language editions. One Wintry Night was chosen as the 1995 C.S. Lewis Gold Medal Winner for Children's Picture Books.

Richard Jesse Watson studied art at Pasadena City College and Art Center College of Design. He has continued his artistic studies drawing from life, and at art museums and cathedrals He worked as a graphic designer for World Vision International, an illustrator for Hallmark Cards, later becoming a freelance artist.
His paintings are in galleries and on permanent display in corporate offices, conference centers, libraries, children's hospitals, and private collections. His work has also appeared in Society of Illustrators National and Western Exhibitions and Communication Arts Illustration Annuals. Commissioned works include paintings for the Los Angeles Zoo, Bell Atlantic, Norwest Banks, Children's Television Workshop and Mill Pond Press.
Mr. Watson's re-creation of the Old English tale Tom Thumb won the Golden Kite Award for Illustration and was a Booklist Editor's Choice. His illustrations for James Dickey's Bronwen, the Traw and the Shapeshifter worn the Parent Choice Award for Illustration.

Click here to place a copy of The Night Before Christmas into your cart for $16.99!

"Run in the Fam'ly is a new novel by John McLaughlin and it's garnering rave reviews — check out some of the reviews and then join us on December 19th!

"Run in the Fam'ly is an emotionally detailed exploration of a level of American society rarely seen in American fiction. It focuses on the desperate lower class people called 'inner city,' dramatized by Jake Robertson, his family, and his buddies. Mr. McLaughlin employs his mastery of vernacular speech, his understanding of the street cultures of Chicago and Oakland, and his deeply human understanding, to explore the troubled and often violent bonds which hold together a black family."
--James Alan McPherson, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of Hue and Cry and Elbow Room

Run in the Fam'ly proves that John J. McLaughlin is a writer of exceptional talent and enormous vision. His themes are important, his characters are convincing as well as affecting, and his capture of voice dazzling. His writing is infused with unsentimental compassion. I was very moved by this ambitious novel, a marvelous debut."
-- Bharati Mukherjee, author of The Middleman, winner of the National Book Critics' Circle Award

"John J. McLaughlin writes with great heart, humanity, and fierce compassion. Run in the Fam'ly is a sensitive and probing look at family and poverty, an ambitious debut novel that echoes Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath in its social consciousness, empathy, and exploration of the bedrock that binds us beneath the chasms of circumstance."
-- Alexander Parsons, author of Leaving Disneyland, winner of the AWP Novel Award

Place a copy of Run in the Fam'ly lovingly in your cart for $32.95

Kay Kenyon Titles:
Maximum Ice
Rift
Leap Point
Seeds of Time
Braided World
Bright of the Sky

You'll be happy to know that Kay Kenyon's Titles are all currently available as signed copies!

Place a SIGNED copy of Bright of the Sky lovingly into your cart! for $25.00

STAFF REVIEWS

Lisa Wells Reviews:
a long way gone - Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah

I suspect that Ishmael Beah is a rarity. He has lived in a world that most of us can not even fathom and yet he has found the strength to emerge on the other side. The author was twelve when rebel soldiers changed the face of his homeland, Sierra Leone, forever. By the age of thirteen, he found himself living with the government army for protection, but protection was short lived when he discovered that fighting and committing atrocities of his own were the cost of his protection. Villages were destroyed, people were tortured, kill or be killed.

This book is the about one boy, caught in the middle of a bloody conflict. As I journeyed with him and felt his fear and his anger and rooted for him as he fought for his humanity, I knew that this was truly a book that takes you outside of yourself, your town, and your country. It made you step back and remember to look globally. This one boy is only one of many... an extraordinary account.

Toss a long way gone lovingly into your cart for only $22.00!

Children's Book Review:
Frog in the Kitchen Sink by Jim Post and Illustrated by Daniel Vasconcellos

This book literally jumps off of the shelf at you because the frog in question actually has two plastic, bulging eyes that protrude out of the front cover. I recently read this book to a couple of children at our store's Tuesday morning Storytime and before we started, they seemed a bit distracted by all of the many things to see and do in the children's room. Once they selected this book and handed it to me, their attention was all mine. The frog's eyes on the cover wobble around hilariously and as you turn each page, through the low-tech wonder of cut-out holes in this creative board book, the eyes now become the wobbly eyes of the many characters in the book as you are told in verse what you should not do with the frog... Don't put him in your mother's sink, your daddy's shoe, your sister's bed... the list goes on.

Filled with fun, silly pictures and rhymes and as I read, at least one young man smiled and giggled all the way through until the end, and that's worth a good review, wouldn't you say?

Toss Frog in the Kitchen Sink lovingly into your cart for $9.99

A Staff Bow (As In Curtsy)
Have you been in A Book for All Seasons lately?

We have some hard-working and talented staff members who worked quite hard to make the store bright and festive (as they do each year) and this is just the spot to say

A Store WOW

A Big Welcome to Jackie Haskins as the newest member of our staff!
All of us here at ABFAS were used to seeing Jackie on the other side of the counter and now we're happy that she's decided to join the ABFAS family!

Here's what Jackie has to say about coming on board!

I'm so excited to be welcomed into A Book For All Seasons. I love people, I love books, and what could be more fun that bringing the two together? As a biologist, I'm a big fan of our nature and science sections, but I also can't resist our fiction, poetry, and house construction. And yowza, that gorgeous display of best-sellers. Thanks to my beloved eight-year-old, I've also spent a lot of time in the children's room.

My all time favorite book would have to be It's a Magical World (Calvin and Hobbes). But I also have to mention, in non-fiction: Why Zebras don't get Ulcers, by Robert M. Sapolsky, Winter World by Berend Heinrich, The Story of Life by Richard Southwood, River Town and Oracle Bones by Peter Hessler, and The Triggering Town by Richard Hugo. Some fiction favorites include The Hearts of Horses by Molly Gloss, Pears on a Willow Tree by Leslie Pietrzyk, and anything by Barbara Kingsolver, Craig Lesley, Isabelle Allende and Sandra Cisneros. My son recommends: You Read to Me, I'll Read to You, Big Moon Tortilla, Say Hola to Spanish, Sharkabet, and Feeling Thankful.

Happy Browsing and Happy Reading! May you have the opportunity to curl up with a good book while snowflakes fall. I look forward to seeing you in A Book For All Seasons.

Many of you probably already know Jackie, but either way, we hope you'll stop in and to say hello and make her feel welcome!

Food, Glorious Food!
Reviews from the Cookbook Nook!

Lisa Wells reviews the basics
Recipes by Filip Verheyden / Photography by Tony Le Due

I have more cookbooks than you can shake a stick at. I love cookbooks, I love buying new cookbooks and I love trying new recipes. I only preface my review with these statements because my review is actually for a cookbook that I have yet to use, at least not directly. Maybe I should explain...
the basics immediately caught my eye. It is the cookbook that I wish I would have had 25 years ago, which is why I recently purchased it as a wedding present for a new couple.
Each page is a concise description of a cooking technique or basic recipe along with a beautiful accompanying photograph. From Dauphine potatoes to Vichysssoise, from gravy to Beurre blanc, from Chiffonade to Julienne, from boiling lobster to peeling tomatoes. It wouldn't matter whether you are an experienced cook or just starting out, this little compact book is a handy little volume to tuck away in your kitchen and refer to time and time again.
I suppost this means my collection will be getting larger...
Toss the basics lovingly into your cart for $29.95!

A Verse From a Poetic Mind

Our Movement

We live in the oblivion of our changes
Day is lazy but night is active
A bowl of air at noon night filters and exhausts it
Night leaves no dust on us

But this echo which rolls all the day long
This echo outside of time of anguish or of caresses
This brutal chaining of insipid worlds
And of sensitive worlds its sun is double

Are we near or far from our consciousness
Where are our boundaries our roots our goal

Yet the long pleasure of our metamorphoses
Skeletons reviving in rotting walls
Rendezvous given to insensate forms
To the clever flesh to seeing blindmen

Rendezvous given by the front to the profile
By suffering to health by light
To the forest by the mountain to the valley
By the mine to the flower by the pearl to the sun

We are body to body we are earth to earth
We are born of everywhere we are without limits

Excerpt from: Last Love Poems of Paul Eluard
Translated with an Introduction by Marilyn Kallet - page 65.

A Nature Passage

Winged Wonders - A Celebration of Birds in Human History by Peter Watkins & Jonathan Stockland

References to birds abound in our vocabulary and in the most unlikely places, not least in the world of sports. For instance, they appear in golf's terminology: when a player sinks a putt at one under par, it is a "birdie"; two under par is an "eagle"; and three under, and "albatross." A "magpie" is a term in shooting for a shot in the outermost ring but one of the target. Lightweight boxers are described as "bantams," while whole sports teams adopt birds as their icons.
In ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics birds were used expensively to represent the visual ideograms in which that symbolic language expressed itself. And symbolic birds throng the margins of illuminated manuscripts. We "read" sacred paintings according to a symbolic code where images of birds are prominent; doves signify the Holy Spirit; the goldfinch, Christ's passion; the peacock, his resurrection. And the secular world has adopted bird imagery in heraldry and crests, flags and emblems, on logos and trademarks, and on coins and inn signs.
We ascribe the names of birds to people, too. We call someone who preys on the vulnerable a "vulture." Those advocating warlike policies are called "hawks," while "doves" are those who work for peace. To boast of one's superiority is to "crow," but we pity husbands who are "henpecked." Someone who has a "magpie" mind is considered a chatterer or indiscriminate collector. A "grouse" I someone who grumbles and complains and a silly old "coot" is a foolish person. Whereas when children play, they "lark" about.
The collective names we have given birds over time spring from dialect and common speech and reflect the creative dynamism which their presence has brought into our lives.

Toss Winged Wonders lovingly into your cart today for only $22.00!

#1 November Bestseller

Kerplunk!

Patrick McManus does it again!
These wry, curmudgeonly tales appeal to real outdoorsmen and the armchair variety alike. Often nostalgic, occasionally philosophical, and always funny, the stories in Kerplunk! reaffirm Patrick F. McManus's reputation as an American classic.

Toss a SIGNED COPY lovingly into cart - $24.00

#2 November Bestseller

Be the Pack Leader by Cesar Millan

Bestselling author Cesar Millan takes his principles of dog psychology a step further, showing you how to develop the calm-assertive energy of a successful pack leader and use it to improve your dog's life — and your own.
Filled with practical tips and techniques as well as real-life success stories from his clients (including the Grogan family, owners of Marley from Marley & Me) and his popular television show Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan, Cesar helps you understand and read your dog's energy as well as your own so that you can move beyond just correcting behavioral issues and take your connection with your dog to the next level.
Ultimately, what emerges from Be the Pack Leader are both happier dogs and happier, more centered owners.

Toss a SIGNED COPY lovingly into cart - $25.95

#3 November Bestseller

Where Angels Go by Debbie Macomber

Shirley, Goodness and Mercy are back! And this time, they're in Leavenworth! These three irresistible angels love their assignments on Earth. They especially love helping people who send prayer requests to Heaven (even though the Archangel Gabriel, their boss, knows they're going to break his rules)! This Christmas, Mercy is assigned to bring peace of mind to an elderly man—who discovers an unexpected answer to his prayer. Goodness is sent to oversee the love life of a young woman afraid to risk commitment a second time. And Shirley has the task of granting a little boy's fondest Christmas wish. Shirley, Goodness and Mercy go wherever they're needed. These three charming angels often find themselves in trouble, but somehow things always work out for the best—especially at Christmas.

Debbie Macomber signs copies of her book on December 1st! Contact us for information!
We often have signed copies left after the event - if you missed the fun, get your copy now!

Toss a copy of lovingly into your cart - $16.95

#4 November Bestseller

Cesar's Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems
by Cesar Millan

In this definitive and accessible guide, Millan, star of National Geographic Channels hit show "The Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan," reveals what dogs truly need to live a happy and fulfilled life. There are at least 68 million dogs in America, and their owners lavish billions of dollars on them every year. So why do so many pampered pets have problems? In this definitive and accessible guide, Cesar Millan--star of National Geographic Channel's hit show Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan--reveals what dogs truly need to live a happy and fulfilled life. I rehabilitate dogs. I train people. --Cesar Millan

Toss a SIGNED COPY lovingly into cart - $13.95

#5 November Bestseller

Walking the Gobi by Helen Thayer

At the age of 63, Helen Thayer fulfilled her lifelong dream of crossing Mongolia's Gobi Desert. Accompanied by her 74-year-old husband Bill and two camels, Tom and Jerry, Thayer walked 1600 miles in 126-degree temperatures, battling fierce sandstorms, dehydration, dangerous drug smugglers, and ubiquitous scorpions. For more than 60 days Helen struggled to keep moving through this inhospitable terrain despite a severe leg injury. Without sponsors, a support team, or radio contact, hers is a journey of pure discovery and adventure.
Walking the Gobi takes readers on a trip through a little-known landscape and introduces them to the culture of the nomadic people whose ancestors have eked out an existence in the Gobi for thousands of years. Thayer's respect and admiration for the culture of Gobi and her gentle weaving of natural history shine throughout this remarkable story. The author proves that Baby Boomers don't have to take life lying down — their adventures have just begun.

Toss a SIGNED copy lovingly into cart - $23.95

#6 November Bestseller

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Around the time Elizabeth Gilbert turned thirty, she went through an early-onslaught midlife crisis. She had everything an educated, ambitious American woman was supposed to want - a husband, a house, a successful career. But instead of feeling happy and fulfilled, she was consumed with panic, grief, and confusion. She went through a divorce, a crushing depression, another failed love, and the eradication of everything she ever thought she was supposed to be. To recover from all this, Gilbert took a radical step. In order to give herself the time and space to find out who she really was and what she really wanted, she got rid of her belongings, quit her job, and undertook a yearlong journey around the world - all alone. Eat, Pray, Love is the absorbing chronicle of that year. Her aim was to visit three places where she could examine one aspect of her own nature set against the backdrop of a culture that has traditionally done that one thing very well. In Rome, she studied the art of pleasure, learning to speak Italian and gaining the twenty-three happiest pounds of her life. India was for the art of devotion, and with the help of a native guru and a surprisingly wise cowboy from Texas, she embarked on four uninterrupted months of spiritual exploration. In Bali, she studied the art of balance between worldly enjoyment and divine transcendence. She became the pupil of an elderly medicine man and also fell in love the best way - unexpectedly. An intensely articulate and moving memoir of self-discovery, Eat, Pray, Love is about what can happen when you claim responsibility for your own contentment and stop trying to live in imitation of society's ideals. It is certain to touch anyone who has ever woken up to the unrelenting need for change.

Toss a copy lovingly into cart - $15.00

#7 November Bestseller

Puff the Magic Dragon by Peter Yarrow

Puff, the Magic Dragon is simply one of the most beloved songs of all time — a classic that's become as much a part of the childhood experience as Mother Goose and fairy tales. Yet singer/songwriter Peter Yarrow and co-composer Lenny Lipton have never allowed a picture book adaptation of this magical tale...until now. With Yarrow's and Lipton's blessing, Puff, Jackie Paper, and the land of Honalee finally live on the page. The exquisite package includes a cloth case with a tipped-in illustration and an embossed jacket with foil touches, as well as an exclusive CD featuring not only Puff, but several other songs performed by Yarrow, his daughter Bethany, and cellist Rufus Cappadocia. This is a publishing event sure to attract broad attention and please Puff's many fans.

Toss a copy lovingly into cart - $16.95

#8 November Bestseller

Gallop!: A Scanimation Picture Book by Rufus Seder

There's never before been a book like Gallop. Employing a patented new technology called Scanimation, each page is a marvel that brings animals, along with one shining star, to life with art that literally moves. It's impossible not to flip the page, and flip it again, and again, and again. Complementing the art is a delightful rhyming text full of simple questions and fun, nonsense replies. Every child who opens the book will be amazed — and so will every parent.

Toss lovingly into cart - $12.95

#9 November Bestseller

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

In April 1992 a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself. Four months later, his decomposed body was found by a moose hunter. How McCandless came to die is the unforgettable story of Into the Wild. Now the subject of a major motion picture!

Toss lovingly into cart - $13.95

#10 November Bestseller

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace... One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson

In 1993 Greg Mortenson was the exhausted survivor of a failed attempt to ascend K2, an American climbing bum wandering emaciated and lost through Pakistan's Karakoram Himalaya. After he was taken in and nursed back to health by the people of an impoverished Pakistani village, Mortenson promised to return one day and build them a school. From that rash, earnest promise grew one of the most incredible humanitarian campaigns of our time - Greg Mortenson's one-man mission to counteract extremism by building schools, especially for girls, throughout the breeding ground of the Taliban. The powerful and profoundly moving story of how one man really is changing the world - one school at a time.

Toss lovingly into cart - $15.00

So, What Was Your Favorite Book of The Year?
And What's Your Favorite Book this Holiday Season from our Holiday Catalog?

Those are the two questions that our staff heard last week as I put them on the spot and polled them for answers. I thought that December would be a great time to hear what everybody enjoyed reading throughout the year as well as what they were looking at now!

Here's what we discovered!

This morning our little hamlet of Leavenworth's Christmas Lighting Festival was featured on Good Morning America. Since the show airs at 7am in New York, town folk started arriving in mass at 2am to simulate the actual event. As I slipped and slid up my snowy driveway in the wee hours in the morning, I was surprised to find a veritable traffic jam happening all the five miles into town. Looking at the crowds, it appears that every one of our 2200 residents were there with friends in tow! It was magic as we all stood in the falling snow creating our brand of Christmas spirit to share on national TV.
Follow this link to see a video clip of Christmas in Leavenworth!
Come enjoy the ambiance of the season at A Book for All Seasons and let us wish you Happy Holidays in person!

From North Seattle: take I-5 to Hwy 2 in Everett heading east for Wenatchee, then see map.
From South Seattle:take I-90 to Hwy 97 in Cle Elum to Hwy 2, then head west, briefly

A LINK to LEAVENWORTH STUFF

Find out what else is going on around these parts by clicking your heels on the link below and cyberspace will take you away.

Leavenworth happenings

A LINK TO MOUNTAIN PASS & WEATHER REPORTS

To get you here safely, we offer a link to the Washington State Department of Transportation.
Enjoy the drive! We will leave the porch light on (and we're NOT Motel 6.)

Pass & Weather