Two of the events we covered on Saturday had a fortuitous meeting of the minds afterward .. thanks to Martha for the followup photo and report:

After its book sale yesterday, Sanislo Elementary generously donated its leftover books to the West Seattle Rotary Club’s “Books for the World” book drive. Photo is of Sanislo and Rotary volunteers. Both the sale and the book drive were successful thanks to the help of all the donors, shoppers, and volunteers (and WSB coverage)!

Martha Sidlo
West Seattle Rotary

If you haven’t caught up with yesterday – our report on the Rotary book drive was here, and the Sanislo sale here.

Earlier this month, Skylark Café and Club hosted an afternoon-long reading event featuring that quartet of writers – from left, Dave O’Leary, Cherry Tigris, Pam Summa, and Roberto Carlos Ascalon. O’Leary’s book is “Horse Bite,” a novel published this fall telling “the story of Dave and his efforts to find a bit of permanence in the balance of the things we create and the things we do to sustain ourselves” – read more, and excerpts, on his website (where you also can order the book). Tigris is a child-abuse survivor who has written a collection of short stories. Summa’s book is “Groping for Luna,” subtitled “Guerrilla Girl Meets Guitar God: A Comedy of Manners.” Ascalon is a poet you can find in various anthologies.

Also this month, The Beer Junction hosted a booksigning session for two photography books focused on West Seattle history – one titled “West Seattle,” the other “Luna Park,” both published by Arcadia Publishing. Reps of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society signed “West Seattle,” while AJ Naff signed “Luna Park”:

You can get the books through the links on each title.

Last but by no means least, here’s something you can get absolutely free – today, anyway (afterward, it’ll cost you 99 cents). Local author Jason Kirk has written a mini-e-book called “The Other Whites in South Africa” – which he describes as “an extended essay about sharks and race relations.” You can find it on Amazon by going here; Jason says, “It can be read on pretty much any screen you’ve got, including computers, iPods, phones, tablets, and Amazon’s Kindle e-reader.” Specific links:
For iphones and iPod touch
For Blackberry
For Android
For Windows 7 phone
For iPad
Jason adds, “If you happen to have a Kindle, you can order and read the essay directly from it. Just search for ‘jason kirk’.”

(Photo courtesy Kris Wilder)
They’re veteran karate teachers at West Seattle Karate Academy (35th/Roxbury) – and they’re authors. Kris Wilder (left) and Lawrence Kane are about to release what Kris says is the 10th book between the two of them, “How to Win a Fight.” He says the book “helps you understand what’s worth fighting for, how to win when you must, and how to walk away when you should.” Penguin Books is publishing it, and its release date is October 4th – one week from Tuesday (it’s available for Amazon pre-order now). He says they’ve even been “assigned a promotional team” and might have a couple of book-signing events. Their previous co-authored book, “The Little Black Book of Violence,” came out two years ago, and Kris says it “was a finalist in both ForeWord Magazines’ Book of the Year award and USA Book News’ Best Books award.”

Thanks to Susan Eng for sharing the photo of West Seattle author Paul Schmid signing his new children’s book “A Pet for Petunia” as it launched Thursday night at Secret Garden Books in Ballard. She says he cited daughter Anna as inspiration for, and consultant on, the book, which he wrote and illustrated. (Previously, he was published as illustrator of “The Wonder Book” by Amy Krouse Rosenthal.)

Every week, courtesy of Gretchen Montgomery @ Square One Books (WSB sponsor), we get the lists of her independent West Seattle bookstore’s 5 best-sellers in each of 4 key categories:

Hardcover:

1. Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
2. Star Island by Carl Hiassen
3. Burn by Nevada Barr
4. Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food by Paul Greenburg
5. Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart

Paperback:

1. Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn
2. Miss Hargreaves by Frank Baker
3. Dead in the Dregs by Peter Lewis
4. Under the Dome by Stephen King
5. War Dances by Sherman Alexie

Children/Young Adult:

1. Red Pyramid/The Kane Chronicles #1 by Rick Riordan
2. Star Wars/The Clone Wars Character Encyclopedia by DK Publishing
3. How Rocket Learned to Read by Tad Hills
4. The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger
5. The Very Fairy Princess by Julie Andrews and Emma Hamilton

Teen:

1. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
2. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
3. Mockingjay (Pre-orders) by Suzanne Collins
4. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
5. Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis

Square 1 Books is in Jefferson Square. And next week – before, after and during the West Seattle Junction Association-presented Big Bonanza multi-merchant sale – Square 1 is offering 40 percent off just about everything in the store, starting Thursday.

Every week, courtesy of Gretchen Montgomery @ Square One Books (WSB sponsor), we get the lists of her independent West Seattle bookstore’s 5 best-sellers in each of 4 key categories:

Hardcover:

1. Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
2. The Cookbook Collector by Allegra Goodman
3. Queen of the Night by J.A. Jance
4. The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean
5. Glass Rainbow by James Lee Burke

Paperback:

1. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
2. Border Songs by Jim Lynch
3. Starvation Lake by Bryan Gruley
4. Tinker by Paul Harding
5. The Lost City of Z by David Grann

Children/Young Adult:

1. Warriors/Skyclan’s Destiny by Erin Hunter
2. Artemis Fowl #7/The Atlantis Complex by Eoin Colfer
3. Aliens Love Underpants by by Claire Freedman & Ben Cort
4. The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary by Jeff Kinney
5. Big Nate: In a Class by Himself by Lincoln Pierce

Teen:

1. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
2. Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard
3. Melting Stones by Tamora Pierce
4. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
5. Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor

Square 1 Books is in The Junction – in Jefferson Square.

Every week, courtesy of Gretchen Montgomery @ Square One Books (WSB sponsor), we bring you her independent West Seattle bookstore’s 5 best-sellers in each of 4 key categories:

Hardcover:
1. Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
2. Faithful Place by Tana French
3. No Way: Life and Death on K2 by Graham Bowley
4. The Lion by Nelson DeMille
5. Quiet Hero by Rita Cosby

Paperback:
1. Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese
2. Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
3. Lit: A Memoir by Mary Karr
4. Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs
5. Border Songs by Jim Lynch

Children/Young Adult:
1. City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Williams
2. Ladybug Girl at the Beach by David Soman
3. Lego Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary by Simon Beecroft
4. Zombie Chasers by John Kloepher
5. The Berenstain Bears Go On Vacation by Stan Berenstain

Teen:
1. The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
2. Pretty Little Liars (TV Tie-In) by Sara Shepard
3. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
4. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
5. The Cirque du Freak Series by Darren Shan

Square 1 Books is in The Junction – in Jefferson Square.

Every week, courtesy of Gretchen Montgomery @ Square One Books (WSB sponsor), we bring you her independent West Seattle bookstore’s 5 best-sellers in each of 4 key categories:

Hardcover:
1. Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
2. Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain
3. Work Song by Ivan Doig
4. The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg
5. Being Wrong by Kathryn Schultz

Paperback:
1. The Secret Son by Laila Lalami
2. Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn
3. I’m Down by Mishna Wolf
4. Lake Overturn by Vestal McIntyre
5. The Last Child by John Hart

Children/Young Adult:
1. The Mysterious Benedict Series by Trenton Lee Stewart
2. The Stink Files by Megan McDonald
3. Can I Play Too? by Mo Williams
4. Savvy by Ingrid Law
5. Dancing Feet by Lindsey Craig and Marc Brown

Teen:
1. Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis
2. The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
3. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
4. Hunger Games (now in paperback) by Suzanne Collins
5. Frozen Fire by Tim Bowler

You can visit Square 1 Books while you’re at Summer Fest, since they’re in nearby Jefferson Square.

When we published last week’s WS Bookshelf, we were talking about hammock/lounge-chair reading … OK, today, it’s rainy-day reading! Every week, courtesy of Gretchen Montgomery @ Square One Books (WSB sponsor), we bring you her independent West Seattle bookstore’s 5 best-sellers in each of 4 key categories:

Hardcover:
1. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
2. Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain
3. The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall
4. Priceless by Robert K. Wittman
5. Bike Snob by Bikesnobnyc

Paperback:
1. Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
2. Manhood For Amateurs: The Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father, and Son by Michael Chabon
3. The Last Child by John Hart
4. The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt by T.J. Stiles
5. Await Your Reply by Dan Chaon

Children/Young Adult:
1. City Dog, Country Dog by Mo Williams
2. Big Nate in a Class by Himself by Lincoln Pierce
3. The Red Pyramid Book 1 by Rick Riordan
4. Avalon Series/The Warlock Diaries by Rachel Roberts
5. Casper Babypants CDs by Chris Ballew

Teen:
1. Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis
2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
4. The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
5. The Cirque du Freak Series by Darren Shan

And a reminder that Square One is presenting a reading with two authors this week – featured in the teen list this week! – Thursday 6/24 – Phoebe Kitanidis, author of “Whisper” and Kimberly Derting, author of “The Body Finder,” will be at the Southwest Branch Library, 6:30-7:45 pm, to read, answer questions, and autograph; Square One will be selling copies of both books at the reading.

Now that summer weather’s here, we might suggest this could help with decisions regarding what to read in a beach chair or hammock! Every week, courtesy of Gretchen Montgomery @ Square One Books (WSB sponsor), we bring you her independent West Seattle bookstore’s 5 best-sellers in each of 4 key categories:

Hardcover:
1. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
2. The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall
3. Operation Mincemeat by Ben Macintyre
4. Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende
5. The Passage by Justin Cronin

Paperback:
1. Little Bee by Chris Cleave
2. Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese
3. Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn
4. That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo
5. Crazy For the Storm: A Memoir of Survival by Norman Ollestad

Children/Young Adult:
1. Oh, The Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss
2. Cat the Cat Who is That? by Mo Williams
3. Dancing Feet! by Lindsey Craig and Marc Brown
4. How to be a Pirate by Cressida Cowell
5. Mama, is it Summer Yet? by Nikki McClure

Teen:
1. the short second life of bree tanner/an eclipse novella by Stephenie Meyer
2. Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis
3. As Easy As Falling off the Face of the Earth by Lynne Rae Perkins
4. For the Win by Cory Doctorow
5. The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

Square One is in Jefferson Square, not far from the hubs of today’s Junction events if you’re going to the Farmers’ Market and/or the Health Fair.

“Imagine the worst flu you’ve ever had — aches, fever, stomach illness, and feeling like you want to die. Now imagine that lasting for a year.”

This is how Val Mallinson, author of “The Dog Lover’s Companion…” books for the Pacific Northwest, describes the effects of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), which she has been struggling with since 1987. Val’s particular type of CFS comes in waves of relapse and remission, and it was during times of remission that she and the “Wonder Wieners” (Cooper and Isis, her rescued miniature Dachshunds) did the research for her travel books.

Her most recent relapse began in March of 2009; as of July, she says, her part-time employer, PCC in West Seattle (WSB sponsor), found her an easier job to do while she dealt with the effects of CFS. However, the physical impact of this particular relapse has continued so long and so severely, that she hasn’t been able to work since December.

Unable to continue in her job at PCC — Val and her husband Steve are quick to note that PCC was very supportive of Val and provided her with medical benefits for as long as they could — Val applied for disability benefits through her insurance company. Her application was denied, she says, because many insurance companies don’t recognize CFS as a legitimate disability.

Her disability claim is being appealed with the help of a lawyer through the organization Advocacy for Patients with Chronic Illness, but in the meantime, the medical bills are accumulating. Friends suggested a fundraising party, which Val initially balked at – but now, it’s on.

She admits, “I feel guilty asking for money for myself, but my friends encouraged it and pointed out ‘the (health care insurance) system failed you.’”

This “Pawty with a Purpose” next Saturday will raise funds to offset medical costs for Val, and will donate 10% of the proceeds to Advocacy for Patients with Chronic Illness — the group helping Val with her appeal. Live music, raffle prizes, autographed “Dog Lover’s Companion…” books, and food prepared by chef Daniel Joram, “The Sailing Chef,” will be featured during the festivities.

The event takes place Saturday (June 12) from 6-10 pm at the Duwamish Cohousing Common House — 6000 17th Ave SW (map). Parking is available across from nearby South Seattle Community College on 16th Ave SW, and balloons and signs will indicate the pathway from 16th to the Common House. Despite the theme of the “Pawty,” dog owners are asked to leave their canine companions at home and enjoy themselves off-leash.

Along with the “Dog Lover’s Companion…” books that Val co-authored with Cooper and Isis (“They’re the reporters, I’m just their stenographer…”), Val has written for magazines such as Seattle Metropolitan, City Dog, Northwest Travel, and Bark. For someone whose livelihood involves constant travel in order to update her books and write articles, CFS can be particularly debilitating.

She adds that CFS is a very isolating and sometimes-invisible disability. Without personally knowing someone with CFS, you may never see the effects of their illness – the times they have to brace themselves against a wall to walk down the hallway, or sit down just to get through a shower. Despite this, Val says: “I feel so lucky to have periods of remission — there are some people who are wheelchair-bound or bedridden.”

Regarding CFS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention note: “CDC studies show that CFS can be as disabling as multiple sclerosis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease, end-stage renal disease…and similar chronic conditions.” (The CDC website provides further information at www.cdc.gov/cfs)

More information about Val, the fundraiser, and the Wonder Weiners is available at nwdogbook.com.

Photos used with this story are courtesy Val Mallinson; top portrait, with the Wonder Wieners, is by J. Nichole Smith of dane + dane studios

Looking for something to read, and/or wondering what’s hot? Every week, courtesy of Gretchen Montgomery @ Square One Books (WSB sponsor), we bring you her independent West Seattle bookstore’s 5 best-sellers in each of 4 key categories:

Hardcover:
1. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
2. 61 Hours by Lee Child
3. The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall
4. War by Sebastian Junger
5. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Paperback:
1. Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese
2. Tinkers by Paul Harding
3. In the Shadow of Gotham by Stefanie Pintoff
4. Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn
5. The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Children/Young Adult:
1. Oh, The Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss
2. Perfect Piggies! by Sandra Boynton
3. Warriors/Battle of the Clans by Erin Hunter
4. Star Wars/A Scanimation Picture Book by Rufus Butler Seder
5. The Lightning Thief Series by Rick Riordan

Teen:
1. Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis
2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
3. Bloodhound/Beka Cooper #2 by Tamora Pierce
4. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
5. Burned by P.C. Cast