BOOKS: West Seattle writer Pam Mandel’s travel tale ‘The Same River Twice’

So, travel is a little dicey right now. But this is a great time to read about it. Here to help with that: Gatewood-based writer Pam Mandel, who has just published a book, “The Same River Twice,” billed as “a memoir of dirtbag backpackers, bomb shelters, and bad travel.” It’s not just a travel tale, but also “a memoir of going away and growing up,” as explained on the book’s webpage. This is Pam’s first book, but we’ve known about her writing for years; in the early days of WSB, when we had a page linking other West Seattleites’ blog-format websites, we included her site Nerd’s Eye View, which she still updates – after 16 years! Among the posts – her account of getting the book deal a year ago. It’s gritty and honest; her book is from the heart, too. You can buy a signed copy from West Seattle’s own independent bookstore Paper Boat Booksellers, Pam tells us. And she has a story to go with that: “I had still not received my author copies when I got email from Paper Boat telling me my book was in. It was Monday, they were closed, but when I asked if I could come down and hold it in my hands, they said they’d be in the shop for another hour. I bolted down Gatewood hill — they unlocked and they piled them on the counter for me. It was a beautiful thing to see the book in person for the first time in the place where it’s meant to be — an independent bookstore.”

3 Replies to "BOOKS: West Seattle writer Pam Mandel's travel tale 'The Same River Twice'"

  • Fiz November 10, 2020 (9:08 pm)

    I’m only beginning chapter two but already know that is will be an entertaining read.

  • WS Bibliophile November 10, 2020 (9:12 pm)

    Can’t wait to read it, I’ll be picking up a copy from Paper Boat tomorrow! Congratulations Pam! 

  • Deb November 11, 2020 (11:15 am)

    What  a heartwarming story Pam. I’m sure that your book will be a great read as well. Kudos to Paper Boat Bookseller for caring for the authors as well as us readers. 

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