Top 10 November Best-Sellers...

Signed books make great holiday gifts! And there's no additional charge!

Give an autographed book this year for the Holidays and add that touch of something special to your gift-giving!

ABFAS has a wide selection of books in the store signed by the author. A book that has passed through the hands of the author makes for a special gift and many signed books often appreciate in value! At our store book signings, most authors will happily personalize your book for you too! That extra touch means a lot on Christmas morning!

See the perfect book, but can't make the book signing? Give us a call at (509) 548-1451 or email us and let us know how you'd like the book to be signed - we'll be sure to get it into the author's hands!

"Scanimation" is Back with SWING!

Last year's sensation Gallop! took the children's book world by storm and went to #1 on The New York Times children's list. Bursting with activity, Swing! does for kids what Gallop! does for animals!

Want to find out more? Click here!
Buy Swing! by Rufus Butler Seder - $12.95

Spyology takes the 'Ologies' series to a whole new level!

A spy reveals startling secrets and carries out a breathless mission. Read the diary, unravel the challenges, and decipher the clues - a great reward awaits.

Click here to find out more!
Buy Spyology by Spencer Blake - $22.99

Sixth Sense - A Game of Perception!

Unique, fun-filled, and provocative, there's nothing like Sixth Sense - the only psychological board game on the planet!

Want to find out a bit more? Click here!
Buy Sixth Sense - A Game of Perception - $29.95

The ABFAS featured author for December is one of the best historical fiction writers around - Jane Kirkpatrick!

Her award-winning essays, articles, and humor have appeared in over fifty publications. She's written two non-fiction books, and 14 novels. Last year's A Tendering in the Storm, recently garnered the WILLA Literary Award of Women Writing the West for 2008!

We're delighted to have Jane join us on the ABFAS Forum this month! Just click here to visit the Forum and read what she has to say about the work of another Northwest author - Glenda Burgess's A Geography of Love: A Memoir. The publisher says "It is a reminder that "real" life is always richer, stranger, and more extraordinary than fiction…" - I can't wait to read Jane's review next!

Stop by to meet Jane Kirkpatrick at the ABFAS Christmas party on December 3rd from 7:00 - 9:00pm!

Buy A Geography of Love: A Memoir! - $22.95

Buy a SIGNED copy of A Mending at the Edge (Change and Cherish Historical Series - Book Three) - $13.99
Buy a SIGNED copy of A Tendering in the Storm (Change and Cherish Historical Series - Book Two) - $13.99
Buy a SIGNED copy of A Clearing in the Wild (Change and Cherish Historical Series - Book One) - $13.99

Visit Jane's ABFAS Book Page to find out more about her other books and series.

The Holiday Gift that Promotes Peace through Literacy and Education

A Book for All Seasons is privileged to have an anonymous donor who has offered to donate $5.00 to the Central Asia Institute for each copy of Three Cups of Tea sold at our store during the month of December.

The Central Asia Institute (CAI) is an IRS registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to support and promote education and literacy, especially for girls in remote mountain regions of Central Asia. CAI is also committed to advocate and fulfill the UN mandate to achieve universal literacy by the year 2015.

CAI projects are primarily in Pakistan and Afghanistan. In a region of turmoil and war, this organization offers positive, sustainable alternatives to bring hope and stability. For over 12 years, CAI founder Greg Mortenson has witnessed first-hand the transformative power of education - especially when girls become mothers and instill the value of education, hygiene, sanitation and nutrition in their children. Educating girls reduces infant mortality, diminishes the population explosion and dramatically improves the quality of health and life itself within a society.

There are over 145 million children in the world who are deprived of education.

"Here (in Pakistan and Afghanistan), we drink three cups of tea to do business; the first you are a stranger, the second you become a friend, and the third, you join our family, and for our family we are prepared to do anything - even die."
- Haji Ali, Korphe Village Chief, Karakoram Mountains, Pakistan.

Three Cups of Tea is an astonishing, uplifting story of a real-life Indiana Jones and his remarkable humanitarian campaign in the Taliban's backyard.
In 1993, mountaineer named Greg Mortenson drifted into an impoverished Pakistan village in the Karakoram Mountains after a failed attempt to climb K2. Moved by the inhabitants' kindness, he promised to return and build a school. Three Cups of Tea is the story of that promise and its extraordinary outcome. Over the next decade Mortenson built not just one but fifty-five schools - especially for girls - in the forbidding terrain that gave birth to the Taliban. His story is at once a riveting adventure and a testament to the power of the humanitarian spirit.

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace... One School at a Time, Winner of the Kiriyama Prize and a New York Times Bestseller, written by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.

This book is truly an inspiration and would make a wonderful addition to your own library as well as an excellent book to give as a gift this Holiday Season.

Your purchase not only helps to increase awareness, but as the donation is made to CAI as a result of your purchase, you will be helping to provide education to children in areas of the world who have been traditionally deprived.

In addition to your purchase, a card will be included in the book, thanking you for your purchase and support.

"Thrilling... proof that one ordinary person, with the right combination of character and determination, really can change the world." - Tom Brokaw

Read more about Three Cups of Tea and the Central Asia Institute:

Buy Three Cups of Tea - $15.00

The ABFAS Teachers' Giving Tree - A Great Way to Say Thanks!

Last month, our Teachers' Appreciation Night was a rousing success! Enjoyable company, visiting authors, great books, giveaways, refreshments and prizes!

Congratulations to Katie Lawless from Pediatric Therapy Center, Natalie Briody from Icicle River Middle School, and Shaun Suss from Kennewick who were our prize winners for the night!

Teachers' Appreciation Night may have passed, but there's still time to tell local teachers 'Thank you for all you do!' The ABFAS Giving Tree is still decorated with plenty of wish-tags from Leavenworth, Cashmere, Wenatchee and East Wenatchee teachers. Anyone can grab a tag by December 15th to purchase a book for a teacher to share with his or her students.

With a simple gift, you'll tell a Teacher this Holiday Season that you appreciate them all the year through!

It's Time for the Annual ABFAS Year-End Favorites List!

2008 has been quite a year and as always, the ABFAS bibliophiles have been reading their way through it!
So, what was their favorite book of 2008 and what is their favorite book from the 2008 Best of the Independent Northwest Holiday Catalog? Ask an avid reader about their favorite books and you'll undoubtedly find some gems so read on... You're bound to find a treasure amongst these titles!

Stephen says, "My favorite book of 2008 was A Land So Strange: The Epic Journey of Cabeza de Vaca by Andre Resendez. An amazing true story of a group of settlers who were shipwrecked off the coast of Florida in 1528. Of the original 400 passengers on the ship only 4 survived a decade-long struggle from slave to "living god," and traveling across a continent in process. This remarkable story is written in very readable prose and recounts a fascinating piece of history of the Americas before it was settled by Europeans."
His favorite book from the Holiday catalog? "Holidays on Ice: Six New Stories by David Sedaris. Funny. Six new stories. Also funny."
Buy A Land So Strange - 26.95 | Buy Holidays on Ice - 16.99

Lilly-Anne's favorite book of this year was Anathem by Neal Stephenson. "Anathem is a key that opens my mind to new possibilities I had never imaged before. It makes me feel as though I've elevated to a new level of openness. I delight in the mental stimulation. It also comes with a bonus CD of music written specifically for the book."
Her favorite book from the Holiday catalog is Icarus at the Edge of Time by Brian Greene. "I never thought I would have the opportunity to see views of the universe the way the Hubble telescope has brought us. I love the idea of applying the fable of Icarus to these new views."
Buy Anathem - 29.95 | Buy Icarus on the Edge of Time - 19.95

Donica shared two fascinating books with us: "First, my favorite book pick from 2008 is most definitely Shantaram! Read the bio on the back! The novel is categorized in fiction, but Gregory David Roberts' bio is precisely what the story is about. Reading it with that in mind is thrilling, touching, and frightening. I was completely enthralled and left many dishes unwashed."
The Shack by William P. Young was my favorite pick from the 2008 catalog. We all do our best to explain, consider, imagine, or argue what "the truth" is. William Young delivers the message to you simply and beautifully. Just how "I believe" it was and is intended."
Buy Shantaram - 14.95 | Buy The Shack - 14.99

Theresa's Turn - "I have not read very many books other than those for school. One of those, A Woman's Book of Life by Joan Borysenko, is my all time favorite book of the year. It's one I read so quickly, nodding and saying Aha throughout, I need to read it again for the fine details, and to bring to mind what exactly it was that moved me so much. What struck me the most after reading this book is that I have many sisters on the journey of personal growth."
From the Holiday catalog, my favorite book remains The Hearts of Horses by Molly Gloss. It satisfies my enjoyment of learning about historical events through fiction. And I love the characters. Molly breathes life into them in a way that they could be my neighbor, my family, or me. Along with that, I am reading about horses, and the gentle way one can work with them. Horses are uniquely special, so it is wonderful to read about someone who treats them with reverence."
Buy A Woman's Book of Life - 14.00 | Buy The Hearts of Horses - 13.95

Jennifer tells us that her favorite book of 2008 was The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan, "A historical disaster story told so vividly you are consumed from start to finish."
Her favorite 2008 Holiday catalog book is The Owl and the Woodpecker by Paul Bannick - "Stunning visuals that draw you into the text of this most unusual pairing of birds."
Buy The Worst Hard Time - $14.95 | Buy Owl and the Woodpecker - $24.95

The book Dave liked reading the most this year was Dead Lucky by Lincoln Hall. "It was a gripping first person account of the tragedy on Mount Everest in 2006." The book he found most interesting in the Christmas catalog is The Super-Organism by Bert Holldobler and E. O. Wilson. "I just watched a video about Wilson and was looking for something he had written, and there it was!"
Buy Dead Lucky - $24.95 | Buy The Super-Organism - 55.00

Jackie tells us that her favorite book of 2008 is The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle. "A coming-of-age story of a girl who at the beginning thinks hers is the only dysfunctional family. Inspiring. She ultimately finds her own grace and way."
Her favorite book from the book catalog is Home Ground, edited by Barry Lopez and Debra Gwartney. "The landscape comes to life, almost with poetry, and is made relevant to our lives."
Buy The God of Animals - 14.00 | Buy Home Ground - 29.95

Lisa chose Ann Pancake's debut novel, Strange as This Weather Has Been as her favorite book of 2008. "It's set in the old mountains of West Virginia where coal is king and moutaintop removal mining is moving through the region at a rapid rate, but at what cost? Following a mountain family in alternating voices, this book is simply the most poignant and honest work of fiction I've read in ages."
"As far as my favorite book from the catalog goes, my interest in birds and photography leads me to agree with Jennifer, Paul Bannick's The Owl and the Woodpecker is amazing, but for a small, pocket-sized bird book, I find myself reaching for Birds of the Inland Northwest and Northern Rockies from the R.W. Morse Company a lot lately. Clear color photos, color-coded pages, and places to write, this is a great addition to my bird book library!"
Buy Strange as This Weather Has Been - 15.95 | Buy Birds of the Inland Northwest - 18.95

And lastly, Pat tells us, "I read many books this year that I was excited about, but the one which has lingered most in my mind, is The Colony of Unrequited Dreams by Wayne Johnston. Set in the stark, unforgiving terrain of Newfoundland this saga-like novel bristles with politics, humor, history and romance."
"And just to keep that frigid sense of place theme going, Shopping for Porcupine: A life in Arctic Alaska is my catalog pick for this year. Author Seth Kantor, who visited our store for a dinner event for his book, Ordinary Wolves, brings us a stunning collection of photographs and prose; an unforgettable taste of life in the far north."
Buy The Colony of Unrequited Dreams - 15.95 | Buy Shopping for Porcupine - 28.00

Pat's Corner

The bookstore is all decked out for the holidays. It's pretty much a rule of thumb that if you have a shop in Leavenworth, then by the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, everything is twinkling with holiday magic. We are twinkling and we hope to welcome you all this last month of 2008 into the warmth and spirit of the season, right here at A Book for All Seasons.

As you walk into the store under a faux sky of clouds and stars, you can browse an array of our bestsellers on one side and our own selection of holiday books for readers young and old on the other. You can peruse the shelves or our catalog; you can linger in our nooks and crannies on your own or ask our knowledgeable staff for suggestions and recommendations. We are here to help you find just the right book for you, your family and friends.

We have a wonderful Holiday party planned for Wednesday evening, December 3rd from 7:00-9:00pm and I hope you will join us as we host authors, Jane Kirkpatrick, Lawney Reyes and Lora Lea Misterly. Come mingle with friends and authors, enjoy some holiday fare, enter your name in our holiday drawing and leave with a little holiday gift from ABFAS. And 10% off all your purchases during the party. As the aroma of mulled cider greets you let yourself relax into the warmth of the moment away from the maddening crowds. Thank you for supporting our independent bookstore and know that we are here for all your bibliophile needs; come see us, call us or visit us online or by email. We wish you a season of peace and joy.