September 2008

  • Mishima’s Sword

    Mishima’s Sword: Travels in Search of a Samurai Legend  by Christopher Ross. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, I lived in a southern city in China called Guangzhou. At that time Guangzhou was more vibrant than ever.  People were pouring into this so-called Window of the South Wind city to look for opportunity. Many… Continue reading

  • Why was this book banned?

    If you’ve been to your local library sometime this month, you’ve probably seen a display of books that have been challenged or banned in libraries, bookstores, and communities at some point in history. Created in honor of Banned Books Week (Sept. 27 through Oct. 4), these displays may have made you wonder why these books… Continue reading

  • Immigration in your Family’s History

    It’s not Ellis Island, or Angel Island, or even Castle Garden, but this graceful brick and stone building on Airport Way in south Seattle was the beginning of an American life for thousands of immigrants for more than 70 years. The former Immigration and Naturalization Services building was built in 1932, replacing a dockside processing office.  The… Continue reading

  • Record Industry a bunch of Luddites?

    While riding the bus a while ago I noticed a fellow bus rider was reading an article in Entertainment Weekly. I had trouble remembering what the article title was but I remembered it was about the recording industry and also about their resistance to modern technological breakthroughs that enable music to be shared. I decided… Continue reading

  • Nightstand Reading: Eric Liu

    Editor’s note: Whether he’s interviewing Daniel Schorr at Town Hall, inspiring leadership or talking about patriotism, local author Eric Liu manages to get us thinking—and to get the conversation going. In The True Patriot, a book written in the pamphleteering style of Thomas Paine, Liu and co-author Nick Hanauer offer a lively challenge to look… Continue reading

  • Staff favorites: Three novels to check out now

    No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay Cynthia is a typical high school student who sneaks out one night to goof around with her boyfriend. She is caught by her angry father and she storms off to bed screaming how much she hates him. She realizes the next morning how horrible she was and she… Continue reading

  • Book review: Madhouse by Rob Thurman

    The boys are back in Rob Thurman’s Madhouse, a story that combines action, sharp humor, and a seriously creepy bad guy. When Niko and Cal Leandros take a job tracking down a few lost artifacts for a museum, they have no idea how dangerous things are going to get. Rob Thurman has a real gift… Continue reading

  • September Question of the Month: An irregular series

    The reference librarians at Seattle Public Library are pretty darn amazing. They don’t know everything, instead they know where to find everything. As part of an irregular series of posts we salute the talented and dedicated reference staff at your local library. Names and other identifying information have been removed from the questions we showcase.… Continue reading

  • Reading those censored books

    Every year, the American Library Association puts out a list of the most challenged books of the previous year, plus a distressingly thick catalog of banned and challenged books. This article at The Onion made me think about all the various banned books that most of us really never read (or read for the wrong… Continue reading

  • Bungalow Nation

    I love craftsman bungalows. I love the open floor plans, the overhanging eaves with the knee braces, the porches with the pillars, the classic bungalow interior wall with a fireplace flanked by windows and built-in bookcases, the nooks and crannies, the stained glass, wood, stone and tile work, the sconces and the chandeliers. What’s not… Continue reading

  • Big Change: Modernism

    At some point in the recent history of western civilization, a big cultural change occurred-in Europe, but especially in the United States. This change was so complicated that scholars really can’t grasp it completely. There was the nineteenth century, and then there was the twentieth-so very different from each other, in art, in music, in… Continue reading

  • Daddy’s Little Girl: Extreme Edition

    Being a daddy’s girl myself, I find the dynamics between fathers and daughters very fascinating. We rely so heavily on them to help mold us into the women we will become, and when they are not there or depend on us too much it can affect us for the rest of our lives. These are… Continue reading

  • I love my libraries

    I live about halfway between Green Lake and Northgate. And when I say that, I mean the Green Lake Library and the Northgate Library. I claim them both as “my” libraries, but here’s the thing: I could live anywhere in Seattle (and believe me, I’ve lived all over) and I would happily find “my library”… Continue reading

  • Bored No More

      Kids-can’t live with them and can’t live without them,  but you can keep them reading no matter where they are or what time it is! Your online children’s reading resources are waiting for you. The Seattle Public Library’s Web site has a Children’s section with great resources and reading ideas for your kids.  There… Continue reading

  • Celebrating the freedom to read for over two millennia

    This month and next all over Seattle (and all over the country), libraries will be putting up displays and posters and hosting events in honor of Banned Books Week (Sept 27 – Oct 4). The annual event, started in 1982 by the American Library Association, is a celebration of your freedom to read, and an important reminder that… Continue reading

  • Pacific Northwest Ballet Previews at The Seattle Public Library

    Plan now to attend the free lunchtime previews of Pacific Northwest Ballet’s wonderfully adventurous 2008-2009 season. PNB’s Education Programs manager, Doug Fullington, will offer entertaining insights on the ballets, complete with video excerpts. These lecture/video previews take place at noon, in the Central Library’s Microsoft Auditorium, First floor,1000 Fourth Ave. Everyone is welcome! Tuesday, September 23… Continue reading

  • Washington Wines & Wineries

    There is a lot of talk these days about eating locally produced food.  Should this also extend to drinking locally produced wine? I think so!  Washington state is home to many fine wines and wineries, and you can learn all about them at the Library.  If you’re interested in visiting – or learning about – any of… Continue reading

  • Preview the UW World Series Fall Line-up

    In their publicity the UW World Series says, “Each season we strive to bring a varied and exciting, (and yes, occasionally challenging) season of dance, world music and theater, piano and chamber music to Meany Hall.” At The Seattle Public Library,  we’re thrilled to be bringing previews of the 2008-2009 UW World Series to Microsoft Auditorium of… Continue reading