Watermark Books and Cafe

In this issue:

News and Notes Worthy: Camp Watermark.

Upcoming Events.

Book of the Week.

Watermark Winner.

First line(s)...

Watermark Bestsellers.

Two new Elephant & Piggie books! reviews by Mark David Bradshaw.

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Looking for something for your young person to do this summer? Sign them up for Camp Watermark! 

Camp Watermark is a short day camp for youth, ages 8 to 12, with hands-on projects and activities from our partners at Workman Publishing. Held from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on each Wednesday in July, all of the sessions include lunch and a treat. Individual sessions are $12 each, or $40 if you sign up for all four sessions.

The scheduled sessions are as follows: 

July 6 - Camp Watermark: Green Day 

July 13 - Camp Watermark: Science Day 

July 20 - Camp Watermark: Art Day 

July 27 - Camp Watermark: Book Day 

To sign up for any or all sessions, call or come into the bookstore. (316) 682-1181. Space is limited. 

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Upcoming events... 

June 16, 17, & 18. Stop by the southwest corner of Douglas and Oliver for the Lincoln Heights Sidewalk Sale!  

June 19 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Eric Elder book signing.Eric Elder will be at Watermark to sign copies of his book, "Sometimes You Eat the Bear."  

June 23 at 7:00 p.m. Stephen Singular book talk and signing.Across centuries, Kansas has been at the center of America's most heated social battles, from the Civil War and integration to abortion and immigration. More and more, the key battlegrounds are in the Heartland of America.  Kansas is home to Westboro Baptist Church, the ministry led by Fred Phelps that vilifies homosexuality.  It was home to the Brown vs. Board of Education controversy of the 1950s and to some of the bloodiest conflict of the Civil War a century earlier. Kansas’ largest city, Wichita, has been the host of explosive cultural disagreements surrounding the subject of abortion. It’s been over two decades of heated debate and turmoil, ultimately dividing Wichita between abortion opponents and supporters of abortion rights.  

In The Wichita Divide: The Murder of Dr. George Tiller and the Battle Over Abortion, The New York Times bestselling author Stephen Singular offers an in-depth account of the life and death of a controversial abortion doctor, the debate that sparked his assassination, and the place where the two Americas collide. Singular shows how the acrimonious, and recently deadly, debate over abortion rights – and the location of Wichita in particular – epitomizes the brutal Red State/Blue State culture war that has engulfed the country. Time and again, Kansas, a centralized state where Red meets Blue, has been at the frontlines and what's at stake now is nothing less than the soul of a nation. "The Wichita Divide" is a gripping look at a cold-blooded act of violence, two men at opposite ideological extremes, and a rift that threatens the fiber of American democracy. 

Stephen Singular is a New York Times bestselling author and Edgar Award finalist. His first book, "Talked to Death," set the tone for his journalistic career.  Published in 1987, it chronicled the assassination of a Denver Jewish talk show host, Alan Berg, by a group of neo-Nazis, and became the basis for Oliver Stone’s movie, “Talk Radio.” Since, Singular has authored or coauthored twenty other titles. He lives in Colorado.   

June 26 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Join us for our Decorating Book Trunk Show!  

June 30 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Jack DeBoer will be here to talk about and sign his new book, Risk Only Money.

Hotel magnate Jack DeBoer fills Risk Only Money with all of the lessons that he had to learn the hard way. It includes the things he wishes someone had told him years ago. But here, it’s conveyed in DeBoer’s bold, straight-from-the-hip manner. DeBoer believes there are things we should never jeopardize: family, reputation, self-respect, friendships, health. But money? To him, capital exists to risk, gain, lose and reclaim. And then to do it all over again. As DeBoer points out, win or lose, tomorrow the game begins again. From the book’s opening death threat from a creditor to DeBoer’s closing “God bless,” Risk Only Money offers insight for us all. Whether we’re young in our journeys, still striving for success, or have discovered what it means to live a life of significance, there are valuable lessons here to be learned. 

Jack DeBoer has launched four hotel brands: Residence Inn, Summerfield Suites, Candlewood Suites and Value Place. He sold the first three hotel chains to Marriott, Hyatt and InterContinental Hotels respectively, and the short-term apartment concept, Value Place, continues to enjoy rapid expansion with 175 locations open to date.

All proceeds from the sale of Risk Only Money benefit World Vision, the largest Christian humanitarian aid organization in the world. It serves millions of earthquake and hurricane survivors, abandoned and exploited children, survivors of famine and civil war, refugees, and communities devastated by AIDS in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Its extensive global infrastructure – with offices in approximately 100 countries – enables response where the need is greatest. Support comes from millions of donors all over the world, including child sponsors, churches, corporations, and government agencies. For more information, visit www.worldvision.org . 

For more information about these events, please visit our website here:http://www.watermarkbooks.com/  

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We have two Books of the Week: White House Years and Years of Upheaval by Henry Kissinger.

One of the most important books to come out of the Nixon Administration, White House Years covers Henry Kissinger’s first four years (1969–1973) as Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.

Among the momentous events recounted in this first volume of Kissinger’s timeless memoirs are his secret negotiations with the North Vietnamese in Paris to end the Vietnam War, the Jordan crisis of 1970, the India-Pakistan war of 1971, his back-channel and face-to-face negotiations with Soviet leaders to limit the nuclear arms race, his secret journey to China, and the historic summit meetings in Moscow and Beijing in 1972. He covers major controversies of the period, including events in Laos and Cambodia, his “peace is at hand” press conference and the breakdown of talks with the North Vietnamese that led to the Christmas bombing in 1972. Throughout, Kissinger presents candid portraits of world leaders, including Richard Nixon, Anwar Sadat, Golda Meir, Jordan’s King Hussein, Leonid Brezhnev, Chairman Mao and Chou En-lai, Willy Brandt, Charles de Gaulle, and many others.

Years of Upheaval is the second volume of Henry Kissinger’s monumental memoirs. It covers his years as President Richard Nixon’s Secretary of State (1972–1974), including the ending of the Vietnam War, the 1973 Middle East War and oil embargo, Watergate, and Nixon’s resignation. Years of Upheaval opens with Dr. Kissinger being appointed Secretary of State.

Among other events of these turbulent years that he recounts are his trip to Hanoi after the Vietnam cease-fire, his efforts to settle the war in Cambodia, the “Year of Europe,” two Nixon-Brezhnev summit meetings and the controversies over arms control and détente, the military alert and showdown with the Soviet Union over the Middle East war, the subsequent oil crisis, the origins of shuttle diplomacy in the Middle East, the fall of Salvador Allende in Chile, and the tumultuous events surrounding Nixon’s resignation. Throughout are candid appraisals of world leaders, including Nixon, Golda Meir, Anwar Sadat, King Faisal, Hafez al-Asad, Chairman Mao, Leonid Brezhnev, Willy Brandt, Helmut Schmidt, Georges Pompidou, and many more.

Shop here or in the store, this week these two volumes are 30% off.

http://www.watermarkbooks.com/book/9781451636437

http://www.watermarkbooks.com/book/9781451636451 

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This week's winner of a free lunch from Watermark Café is Mary Beals of Wichita. Thanks for signing up for News & Notes. 

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First line(s)...  

"For two days, I lay there in the darkness, shades drawn and the covers pulled over my head." 

... from Risk Only Money by Jack DeBoer (Rockhill Books, ISBN 9781611690101, $24.95) 

http://www.watermarkbooks.com/book/9781611690101

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Watermark Bestsellers.

1. "Innocent" by Scott Turow

2. "Eight Wonders of Kansas" by Marci Penner

3. "Storm Chaser" by Jim Reed

4. "Warnings" by Mike Smith

5. "Stormchasers" by Jenna Blum

6. “Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War” by Karl Marlantes

7. "State of Wonder" by Ann Patchett 

8. “Doctor Zhivago” by Boris Pasternak

9. "Wichita's Riverside Parks" by James Mason

10. “My Ruby Slippers:  The Road Back to Kansas” by Tracy Seeley

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Should I Share My Ice Cream? An Elephant & Piggie Book by Mo Willems (Hyperion, 9781423143437, $8.99, ages 4 and up)

This brand-new early reader book is perfect for summer AND perfect for preschool because it is about ice cream and sharing. Gerald the Elephant has a dilemma: should he eat his yummy ice cream cone all on his own, or should he share it with his very best friend, Piggie? Gerald's private debate is filled with wild rationalizations (maybe Piggie doesn't *like* ice cream!) and cone-shaped thought bubbles. All the while, his ice cream is melting! WHAT will he decide?! (It's funny.) HOW will it end?! (It's happy.) And most important, WHO WILL GET ICE CREAM? (You'll smile. Twice.)

I Broke My Trunk! An Elephant & Piggie Book by Mo Willems (Hyperion, 9781423133094, $8.99, ages 4 and up)

Gerald the Elephant has a cast on his trunk. It is broken! Piggie asks to hear the whole story, and rest assured, it is both silly and crazy. Why did Gerald decide to balance Hippo on the end of his trunk? "Because!" he answers. Of course. But that's not how he broke his trunk; there's more, and it involves Hippo, Rhino, Hippo's sister, a baby grand piano, and--a *surprise.* No, I can't tell you the surprise! Piggie loves hearing the whole silly yarn, and you and your youngster will too.

As always, these Elephant and Piggie books teach simple words and basic reading through humor, fun repetition, and outstanding illustrations. They're the perfect books to read together, and before long, your kiddo will be able to read each silly, crazy story to you!

Review by Mark David Bradshaw

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Later.

Beth