December 2009

  • J-O-B

    Because you had a bad day You’re taking one down You sing a sad song just to turn it around You say you don’t know You tell me don’t lie You work at a smile and you go for a ride… With job classes being offered at a plethora of Seattle Public Library branches and… Continue reading

  • Green Resolutions

    The New Year is almost here!  It is time to celebrate and reflect upon the past, while ruminating over the possibilities of change and new beginnings for the year to come. The act of setting goals and making resolutions can be empowering for children, as well as for adults. Consider taking on a family resolution… Continue reading

  • Catholic Humor

    As a lapsed Catholic not ready to change religions or to abandon it completely, I’ve been reading modern novels written by other people who take “THE FAITH” seriously, but not that seriously. Morte D’Urban by J. F. Powers won the National Book Award in 1963, and it’s set in rural Minnesota, where my most of… Continue reading

  • December 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

  • Christmas Stories and Poems.

    Having a hard time getting in the holiday spirit? Gather round and listen to some heartwarming holiday tales and poems. My new favorite blog is USEDBUYER 2.0, a delightful collection of essays, doodles, reviews, clerihews, quotations, observations and all manner of wonderfulness from out of the mind of Brad Craft, used book buyer for the… Continue reading

  • Books for Giving 2009 – Children’s Nonfiction

    Children’s nonfiction is not what it used to be – thank goodness!  Today’s nonfiction is exciting, fun, and full of vibrant illustrations, as well as informative. Here are some appealing choices for all levels of readers and explorers:   Animal Science: Caribou Crossing: Animals of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, by Andrea Helman; photographs by Art… Continue reading

  • Maybe it will make sense now: ‘The Manga Guide to Calculus’

    Even though the library’s digital book service Safari Books Online hasn’t been at the forefront of my pleasure reading (no page-turning fiction to be found here!), I thought I’d take a look through it the other day — maybe there would be SOMETHING in it for me. I immediately liked that you don’t have to download any software… Continue reading

  • Ride the Light Rail this holiday!

    Looking for things to do with the kids now that they are off school for two weeks? How about taking a trip on the light rail?  Right now is a GREAT time for a ride! Why? Schools are out for two fun-filled weeks, AND LINK Light Rail service is extended all the way to the airport for… Continue reading

  • What’s in the Aviation Room?

    When you think of Seattle as the birthplace of the Boeing Company, it might not come as a huge surprise that the Central Library has a Special Collection of historical materials on aviation.  In fact, the Aviation Room originated with a startup gift from the Boeing Company in 1928. Items in this room range from… Continue reading

  • Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol: What’s True?

    Love him or hate him, you can’t deny that Dan Brown is a publishing phenomenon.    His novel The Da Vinci Code held the #1 spot on every major best-seller list in the country, and his books have been translated into more than 50 languages.  His current best-seller, The Lost Symbol, again features Robert Langdon, a… Continue reading

  • Books for Giving 2009 – Children’s Irresistible Books

    Believe it or not, not all people like to read.  There are actually a few children out there who may not place books at the top of their gift wish list. Shocking, isn’t it? Well, that’s okay… but I am betting that there are books on this list that will entice even the most reluctant… Continue reading

  • Uwem Akpan’s ‘Say You’re One of Them’

    As a librarian who has spent a fair bit of time in Africa, I am always looking for books that describe the Africa that I have seen. When I picked up Uwem Akpan’s Say You’re One of Them earlier this year,  I had no idea how painful the stories would feel, or how stunningly accurate… Continue reading

  • Books for Giving 2009 — Teen Books

    Don’t know what to get the teenager(s) on your list this holiday season? Try a book! Jennifer, Hayden and Abby, three Teen Services Librarians at The Seattle Public Library, have compiled a list of recent favorites that are sure to appeal to the teens in your life, be they fans of science fiction, mystery, comics, fantasy, or… Continue reading

  • Kirkus Reviews to cease publication.

    More bad news on the publishing front, I’m afraid. Today it was announced that KIRKUS Reviews will be closing its doors, to the dismay of librarians (and the secret delight of authors) around the world. I can think of few better ways to pay tribute to and commemmorate the passing of this epoch-making review source, than… Continue reading

  • Book Groups for Busy People

    Did you get a chance to make the lastest meeting of the Central library’s book discussion group “Let’s Talk About Books”?  I missed it, and it’s too bad, because LTAB is a wonderful opportunity for book lovers like us to share our thoughts on whatever we’re reading now and get ideas for what to read next.  Plus there’s… Continue reading

  • Books for Giving 2009 – Children’s Picture Books

    Picture books are the eye candy of the book world.  When you find a book where the story and illustrations are perfectly matched and equal in excellence, you know you have a keeper.  With so many tantalizing choices, it is difficult to select just a few, but the following titles are exceptional – the kind… Continue reading

  • Looking back from a new decade

    It came pretty fast, the end of the oughts, or whatever we are calling the years from 2000-2009. 2010 is upon us, and the literary pundits are looking back to this most recent decade… I thought it could be fun to go back a century, to 1900 and see what was happening, by decade. A… Continue reading

  • Books for Giving 2009 – Children’s Classics

    When giving books, it is hard to go wrong with a classic.  This year, there are many classic tales featuring new and endearing interpretations and illustrations that would make excellent gifts for the children on your list.  Here are some choices that that will be remembered and cherished into adulthood:   Collections: The Big Book for… Continue reading