January 2010

  • Genealogy 101: What is the census and how can it help me with my family history?

    Census records are amongst the most widely used government records for family history research.  The U.S. Congress authorized the first nationwide census in 1790.  A census has continued to be taken every ten years.  The 2010 Census is coming soon. Information from the 1790-1930 U.S. censuses is available to the public.  More recent censuses are restricted… Continue reading

  • Transhumanism in the bleak midwinter

    At this time of year, when the cold, grey sameness of winter softly wraps us in the bitter knowledge of our own mortality, I find myself squarely in the mood for a little transhumanist science fiction.   What is that, you ask? It’s a highly philosophical body of literature dedicated to the rich question of… Continue reading

  • J.D. Salinger Dies: Share Your Feelings.

    I just learned that J.D. Salinger, author of Catcher in the Rye, died yesterday at the age of 91. Of course I’m a fan (and for me it is more Franny and Zooey than Catcher). How to describe the strange feeling hearing this news has given me? As though an old friend from high school or… Continue reading

  • All in the Game

                           “Many a tear has to fall,                                   but it’s all,                                               in the game.” Aficionados of oldies music might immediately hear a melody when they see those words. The classic pop song, “It’s All in the Game,” topped the charts in 1958, as sung by Tommy Edwards. What most people don’t realize is that… Continue reading

  • Comixtravaganza 3!

    In case you haven’t been paying attention, Seattle Public Library is currently hosting the third Comixtravaganza–a gracious celebration of comics, graphic novels, cartoonists, and also the comic fans! The third Comixtravaganza kicked off on January 13th, when Queen Anne Branch held a “Family Toon-in” program, an event where everyone was able to enjoy classic cartoons… Continue reading

  • An Unfinished Life

    We all start out so damn sure, thinking we’ve got the world on a string. If we ever stopped to think about the infinite number of ways we could be undone,      we’d never leave our bedrooms.   I’ve had a plethora of women in my life expecting children. Some married, some not, some engaged, some first… Continue reading

  • Dishing Up Romance

    Welcome to SPL’s Romance Restaurant!  On our menu you’ll find many different flavors of romance: historical, contemporary, urban, inspirational, suspenseful, paranormal, and more.  For this month’s special, we’re serving up romance in three levels of spiciness.  Here’s a preview of our tasty offerings.   Mild and Romantic Whether sweet, inspirational, or humorous, these romances have one… Continue reading

  • Life Stories: Memoirs of Remarkable Lives.

    The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir by Bill Bryson While some accounts of life in the 1950s can make that decade seem sterile and flat, Bryson’s account is alive with action, fondness and vivid detail about his imagination-filled childhood and quirky parents. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers… Continue reading

  • Extreme Makeover: Picture Book Characters Edition

    While I am out and about on the bookmobile, visiting preschools and child care centers, I come across interesting changes that happen to children’s picture book characters. Sometimes there will be subtle differences when a new illustrator takes over an old series:                                                       Sometimes an existing book gets completely revised by a different illustrator, which… Continue reading

  • New branch hours start February 3rd

    Due to budget cuts, many branches of The Seattle Public Library will be open fewer hours beginning Wednesday, Feb. 3. Under the new schedule, 11 branches and the Central Library will be open every day. Another 15 branches will be open five days a week, and will be closed Friday and Sunday. The reduction is… Continue reading

  • January 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

  • Have tweens or teens in your life? Read on!

    Do you have a tween or teen in your family? Work with youth? Want to know about some of our upcoming programs for youth like free SAT prep or Comics workshops? Sign up for The Seattle Public Library’s e-mail newsletter, Teen News, to hear about stuff like our free chat tutoring, our spoken word writing… Continue reading

  • Life Stories: Biographies of Famous People

    My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme   The iconic chef of television and cookbook fame recounts her surprisingly saucy adventures with the French and their cuisine, from World War II onward.  The descriptions of food and place are mouth-watering.   The Diana Chronicles by Tina Brown Our enduring fascination with the life of… Continue reading

  • Check out a documentary

    Movie screens, in the winter months, are typically occupied with fantastical epics like 2012 or Avatar and dramatic fare intended to capitalize on the upcoming award season, like Invictus. But a genre of film that is often neglected and forgotten in this season is the documentary. Documentaries have certainly experienced a revitalization in the past few decades. Michael… Continue reading

  • Soup’s On!

    The New Year is already off to a flying start and everyday routines are back in full swing with work, school, homework, sports… You get the picture. As a librarian, I don’t work banker’s hours. I work “public service” hours, which include weekends and evenings, with a schedule that varies from week to week and… Continue reading

  • Historical mysteries with an Asian flair

    Curse of the Pogo Stick by Colin Cotterill One of my favorites features a delightfully quirky 70-plus year old Dr. Siri Paiboun, a coroner living in 1970s Laos. A French trained doctor and an ex-freedom fighter who fought to throw off colonialism, he is philosophically resigned as well as amused by the inept bureaucracy that’s become… Continue reading

  • Shelf Talk on the global financial crisis — “The Great Recession”

    Global financial markets circling the drain. Were – are – we on the precipice of more than “The Great Recession”? What went wrong? Can it be fixed, or is it just a bump in the road that will straighten itself out? Want to learn more about how “The Great Recession” happened? Take a look at… Continue reading

  • Life Stories: Biographies of Challenging Lives

    Running with Scissors: A Memoir, by Augusten Burroughs Part madcap adventure, part coming-of-age story and part intense reflection on a difficult childhood, Burroughs’ memoir relates his years in an eccentric foster home where nothing is out of bounds. Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger’s, by John Elder Robison Robinson, brother of Augusten… Continue reading