Travel through history and the world at Island Books | Meanderings by Mindy Stern

Published 6:30 am Tuesday, January 27, 2026

In her book, ”How Reading Changed My Life,” Anna Quindlen said: “Books are the plane, the train, and the road. They are the destination and the journey.”

On the day I journeyed to Island Books, it looked like surgery was being performed just outside the children’s section. Cindy Corujo leaned over the “patient” as her intern, Susan Winslow, cupped her hand to receive the vital organ, inspecting it closely to ensure it could be harvested for transplant. The patient, a 1934 Underwood Typewriter, was a parts-donor for the collection of antique typewriters lining the upper shelves of the bookstore. Just last week, the surgical team discovered a secret message, “Pete 10/5/33” hidden beneath a shift key’s celluloid dome. What could it mean? Cindy, long-time bookseller and voracious reader, uncovered the plot: Pete was a key-cap-setter in the Underwood factory. He autographed this typewriter thinking no one would discover his sly assertion, “I was here.”

There’s always something happening at Island Books. Walk in and note the staff greeting shoppers by name. They’ll guide you through sections including children’s, cooking, travel, mystery, history, and more to find just the right book. On a recent visit, Robert Bleeg, a Mercer Island resident, was showing the staff a framed page from Winston Churchill’s four-volume biography of his ancestor, John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough. Under the glass, Churchill’s hand-written edits are clearly visible. Books about Churchill and FDR are perennial best sellers. Bleeg knew his rare artifact would find an appreciative audience here.

In the late 1990s, lots of new families moved to Mercer Island, part of a wave of Microsoft hires and the general boom-time of that era. Roger Page, who with his wife Nancy, owned Island Books for decades, recalled that forty different local book clubs patronized the store. Each of their monthly choices were set out on tables and sold at a discount. Newcomers would walk in and ask how they could join one of these clubs. But without an invitation from a “friend-on-the-inside,” they were out of luck. So, he formed the Open Book Club, posting a monthly selection – usually a newly released paperback – and invited everyone to drop-in, no insider ties required. At first, Roger facilitated the discussion, focusing on the book, rather than devolving into a chatty social gathering. Once it took off, he handed off leadership to a volunteer. Attending Open Book Club for the first time, I was blown away. For over an hour, the group talked about plot, writing style, and character development. Not one word was wasted on gossip. Today, under the capable volunteer leadership of Sarah Ellison, the club has grown to include an impressive group of men and women who welcome newcomers and make each monthly discussion stimulating and fun.

In 2015, the Pages sold Island Books to Laurie and Victor Raisys, former Microsoft employees who continue the store’s mission of creating a warm and welcoming place “where booksellers remember who you are and the kind of books you read.” Their latest project, The Legacy Library, is the perfect gift for young readers. Choose either twelve classic and modern picture books or a dozen board books, curated by the store’s children’s specialist. What a great way to encourage new reading habits!

Like so many other brick and mortar businesses, Island Books must constantly reinvent itself to compete with online giants and bookstore chains. To boost revenue, the store has begun renting its cozy space out for bridal showers, weddings, and birthdays, and upon request they’ll even keep a register open so party guests can buy a must-read book.

Thirty years ago, responding to a New York Times story about now-defunct Waldenbooks, Roger Page described to his staff the threat that shopping-mall bookstores posed to independent bookstores. “Survival depends on our ability to do what we do best. We can listen and respond to our community and customers. We can create a warm, welcoming, personalized space for buying books; extra service, extra sensitivity, extra value placed on those folks who keep us in business.”

The “extras” at Island Books also include a tempting array of socks, jewelry, locally-made chocolates, scarves, candles, and Mercer Island merch (sweatshirts, pillows, zippered purses). It’s hard to leave the store without buying at least one book plus gifts for yourself and nostalgic islanders who find themselves far from home.

Run, don’t walk to Island Books and discover all the places you can go, while sitting in a comfy chair.

Island Books is located at 3014 78th Ave. SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040.

Meanderings is an award-winning travel column by Mercer Island resident Mindy Stern. For more essays, or to comment, visit www.mindysternauthor.com.