May 2009

  • Staff Favorites: Nonfiction books get thumbs-up from our librarians

    Things the Grandchildren Should Know by Mark Oliver Everett Early in this absorbing memoir, Mark Oliver Everett states: “Thanks to my ridiculous, sometimes tragic, and always unsteady upbringing, I was giventhe gift of bone-crushing insecurity.” If, like me, you appreciate the simple honesty of that statement, then read this book. The author is better known… Continue reading

  • Crawlspace returns to the Library!

    What is Crawlspace? It is a collaboratively written book-length poem originally commissioned by Doug Nufer for presentation at the “Leg to Stand On” Reading Series in 2005. “The first time C.E. Putnam and Daniel Comiskey performed their collaborative work Crawlspace, it may have been the best reading I’d been to in Seattle,” wrote a reviewer… Continue reading

  • Novels by the numbers

    Being the unreconstructed English major that I am, I never suspected I could delight in a novel about a mathematician, but that was before I read The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa (thank you, Lillian, for the recommendation!).  In this little gem of a book, the housekeeper must re-introduce herself every morning to… Continue reading

  • Chris McGrath: Cover artist

    Despite my commitment one of the library’s favorite adages, “don’t judge a book by its cover,” I have learned that following a particular cover artist can lead the way to new and exciting titles in similar genres and sub-genres. For instance, if you’ve read any urban fantasy, you’ve probably run across some seriously cool covers created… Continue reading

  • A Digital Bookmobile? Its on the road!

    I remember when audiobooks were on vinyl! Really! (Shorter books and plays, mostly). Imagine listening to a book on a turntable, and having to flip it every 20 minutes. Imagine a part of the story skipping on a scratch …on a scratch …on a scratch. Sure, vinyl’s cool and all, and I won’t argue that… Continue reading

  • Farmers Markets

    With the sun beginning to peek out of the sky a bit more lately, it’s now the time for the seasonal farmer’s markets to be opening. The Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance’s calendar lists Magnolia opening this Saturday, May 23, followed by Phinney on Friday, May 29, and Lake City on Thursday, June 4. The Columbia City Farmers Market… Continue reading

  • Ricki Lake: Birth Advocate

    In early 2008, I attended a screening of Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein’s documentary, The Business of Being Born. Ricki Lake was there to introduce the film, and you could tell that the film was a passion project for her. While this may not be common knowledge, Ricki Lake, actress and former talk show host,… Continue reading

  • Book Groups Read My Jim

    I have had the pleasure now of facilitating two book group discussions of this year’s featured work for Seattle Reads, My Jim by Nancy Rawles. What I have seen (and heard from others) about the reactions of readers to Rawles’ book is that it makes a powerful impression.  My Jim also gives readers plenty to… Continue reading

  • Want to read more African American historical fiction?

    Once you read Nancy Rawles’ My Jim, a compelling slave story about Sadie (the wife of Huck Finn’s friend Jim), who chose to remain a slave and stay with her family on the plantation, you will likely want to read other stories like it: narratives that sweep you back in time and make you think.… Continue reading

  • May 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

  • Writers of the Harlem Renaissance, Part II

    Here is a continuation of the Writers of the Harlem Renaissance post from Tuesday:  Jessie Redmon Fauset Though she is not very well-known today, Fauset was, along with Zora Neale Hurston, one of the most prolific African America writers of the Harlem Renaissance. Two of her four novels, There is Confusion and Plum Bun: A… Continue reading

  • Yarn Anyone?

    Maybe you have a relative who is a fanatical knitter or a friend who always has a ball of yarn in his or her knapsack? Or, am I describing you?! For more on this passion, let me share some info with you. Just like so many other crafts, there are web sites and blogs all… Continue reading

  • Writers of the Harlem Renaissance: Part 1

    The period between the 1920s and the beginning of World War II marked a blossoming of African American literature, especially in New York. Events that precipitated this period, now referred to as the Harlem Renaissance, included a widespread migration to northern cities by African Americans from the South; job and educational opportunities for African Americans;… Continue reading

  • Life after Twilight

    Teens all over the nation—not to mention quite a few adults—are suffering from symptoms of withdrawal.  Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series is over, the fifth book is apparently not going to be published, and they have no idea what to read next.  If you or someone you know is suffering this terrible fate, the library wants to help.  We… Continue reading

  • You got that where … ? Part II

    As promised in the first part of our journey into the dank recesses of the library’s metal-clad hallways, here are a few examples of what SPL has available to feed your head-banging habit. Army of Anyone. Take the lead vocalist from Filter, add the guitars from Stone Temple Pilots and a stellar studio drummer (who… Continue reading

  • Banned Book of the Month: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

    Consistently among the most challenged books in schools and libraries, Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has courted controversy since its original publication back in 1885, though not always for the same reason. It was first removed from the collection of the Concord Free Library in Massachusetts over its “rough, course and inelegant expressions.” I… Continue reading

  • You got that where … ?

    Way in the back of the library, behind the rows of Mozart and Etta James, Jean-Luc Ponty and Steely Dan, in a place where even Frank Sinatra’s ghost won’t tread is a huge, iron-studded door. Locked inside are the dirty little secrets the librarians don’t want you to know about. They remember the horror and… Continue reading

  • Su casa es nuestra casa

    You can never have too much sky Where has the time gone? It has been 25 years since the original publication of Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street, a book that time and time again has found its way from our hands to those of readers at our library. They might be a reader interested in Latino Fiction,… Continue reading