August 2009

  • Short Stories – all the narrative you want, now condensed!

    There comes a point during summer – usually toward the end – when my reading momentum begins to flag and I find it difficult to muster the energy required to pick up the next 400 page book.  The answer, for me, is short stories.  Done well, a short story does everything a novel does: there’s… Continue reading

  • Cruising the Stacks

    One of my favorite things to do is to walk the stacks to remind myself of books I enjoyed — and to see what’s on the shelf and ready to go. On a recent journey through the Fiction Department at the Central Library, I came across these titles — they’re ready to go, no holds… Continue reading

  • How Do You Find Local Events?

    How do you decide what to do around Seattle? Do you read about upcoming events in the Seattle Times or The Stranger? Like me, do you browse bulletin boards in local coffee and tea shops and those flyers stapled to electricity poles? To enjoy these last few weeks of summer, I wanted to make sure to… Continue reading

  • School Days for the Grade School Crowd

    Though summer is still upon us, it is time to begin preparing our children for the start of yet another school year – both mentally and physically.  Some kids are raring to go, eager to go school shopping, looking forward to the return of structured days and the busy classroom social scene, while others are… Continue reading

  • School Days: These adult novels take you back

    Those of us who are finished with — but who keenly remember — pencils, books and teachers’ dirty looks, September always seems like the start of a new year.  We might not be buying back to school supplies this September, but we can reconnect with our past experiences —  good and bad — by delving… Continue reading

  • Magic in the Blood – still magic?

    Magic in the Blood is the second book in Devon Monk’s Allie Beckstrom series (after Magic to the Bone). This time around, there are ghosts causing trouble in Portland, OR and Allie keeps running into them as she tries to track down a couple missing girls for the police. Although this second installment in the series isn’t quite… Continue reading

  • Standards and Forgotten Gems: Part II

    Following up on my earlier post, I have a few words on three more undeservedly forgotten songwriters: Arthur Johnston, James V. Monaco and Richard A. Whiting. They may not have household names but their classic songs are still recognized the world over. Arthur Johnston received an Oscar nomination for the standard “Pennies from Heaven,” which… Continue reading

  • Summer Reading: Favorites from Delridge

    Graphic novels and fantasies and college admissions, oh my!  This summer, Delridge readers are taking in every genre available.  Take a look at the books below, recommended by Delridge patrons.  There’s a little something for everyone!  Stay cool, and read these books in your nearest air conditioned library.  How to Make Colleges Want You by… Continue reading

  • Cool Enough to Craft?

    In (yet another) desperate attempt to convince my fiancé that my crafting habit does not make me a grandma stuck in the body of a 24-year-old, I dragged him to the Urban Craft Uprising  a couple weekends back.  After several bouts of whining about my obsession with craft fairs and his thereby compromised masculinity, he shocked… Continue reading

  • Book review: ‘Admission’ brings novel insight to college admission process

    Michelle Obama, Sonia Sotomayor, Brooke Shields, activist Ralph Nader, Meg Whitman (CEO of E-Bay) and novelist Jodi Picoult — what do they all have in common? They all went to Princeton University. There’s something of a mystique surrounding the old Ivy League schools of the east coast, but now there’s a novel that gives some… Continue reading

  • Metro Reads 3: Books on the bus — and the train!

    What are you reading during your commute? We asked six downtown commuters what they saw people reading on their transit rides last Thursday:  Liberty: A Lake Wobegon Novel by Garrison Keillor (LINK light rail inbound to Seattle) The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis (Link Light Rail inbound to Seattle) Many Tender Ties: Women in Fur-Trade Society,… Continue reading

  • Nightstand Reading: Seattle novelist Heather Barbieri’s late summer reading

    In Heather Barbieri’s newest book, The Lace Makers of Glenmara, 26-year-old fashion designer Kate Robinson heads to Ireland to change destructive patterns in her own life. In Glenmara, Kate finds inspiration in the local lace-making society. Fans of Maeve Binchy’s work and The Friday Night Knitting Club (Kate Jacobs) will find much to enjoy in Lace Makers.… Continue reading

  • Genealogy 101: How do I get started researching my family’s history?

    You may have heard your friends or co-workers talking about genealogy, or tried to do some searching on the Internet under your family name. Now you would like to do more research to see what you can learn about your family’s history. Seattle is a great place in which to begin working on your family… Continue reading

  • Staff Favorites from Magnolia, Ballard and Central librarians

    Paradise by A.L. Kennedy This is one brutal book. You’ll either love it or hate it. Hannah is in her mid-30s and works in corrugated box sales. She’s a hardcore alcoholic in love with Robert, also an alcoholic. From Scotland to Montreal their story unfolds like a train wreck. The writing is what makes this… Continue reading

  • Standards and Forgotten Gems: Sheet Music at SPL

    So, all you old sheet music of the 1930s and 1940s nerds (I know you’re out there–and I proudly include myself in this group!), did you know that The Seattle Public Library has a massive, uncataloged collection of this material–available for check-out? Well, we do! Do the names Richard A. Whiting, Harry Revel, Arthur Johnston,… Continue reading

  • Going to School for the First Time

    With summer winding down and September right around the corner, many children – and parents – are about to embark on a yearly ritual for the first time:  THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!  Starting school can be an exciting time, but it can also be cause for anxiety.  There are so many questions that need… Continue reading

  • Animal Intelligence: they’re smarter than we think

    “There’s something wrong with the telephone!” My mother is hard of hearing, so my dad installed a very loud ringer on our phone that she could hear even from upstairs. Unfortunately, the system seemed to have a defect. The phone rang, but sometimes there was only a dial tone on the other end of the… Continue reading

  • Summer reading countdown …

    We have 24 days to reach our goal of reading 125,000 books in Seattle this summer! Stop by your neighborhood branch or Level 3 of the Central Library to let us know how many books you’ve read since June 1. Pictured above: Sign at the Greenwood Branch, photo taken in July. Help your branch reach its goal! Continue reading