April 2011

  • A Sense of Fair Play

    I love mysteries, and am quick to defend them against snobs as being so much more than mere pastimes and puzzles. The style, introspection and character development in many crime novels easily rivals what one sees in mainstream fiction, and they often best historical fiction as a diverting way to explore another culture or era… Continue reading

  • Washington nonfiction: Hauntings, history, dirty money and cheeseburgers

    It’s all about Washington in these choice nonfiction titles: Washington’s Haunted Hotspots by Linda Moffitt (133.10979 M724W 2009) Spirit sightings at the Davenport Hotel in Spokane, the Bush Hotel in Index and the Pickering Barn in Issaquah? Find the stories behind these and other local spooky encounters right here. Sonic Boom: The History of Northwest… Continue reading

  • April Question of the month – an irregular feature

    I am interested in a rather obscure topic. Do you have any information about the history of the whalebone corset and the industry of whaling and whale oil?  Thank you for your questions regarding whales and whalebone corsets.  There are a number of library resources that might be interesting.  We have a reference book on… Continue reading

  • Bite Me

    “Vampire? Such a provocative word, wrapped in too many clichés and girly novels.” -Uncle Will, The Radleys Yup, more vampires…admit it, you love them…or love to hate them, but either way they are here to stay. They are making their way into our literature and our movies, but they don’t always have to leave a… Continue reading

  • Seattle in Black and White

    Seattle has a reputation as a progressive, tolerant city, but as recently as the 1960s, racist laws and practices made Seattle a very unequal place to live. The University of Washington’s Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project has uncovered restrictive covenants—prohibiting the sale or rental of property to members of specified racial or ethnic… Continue reading

  • Library patrons steal the show

    True story. In a Starbucks this morning, I overheard this exchange: Man wearing a hat: “Hey, man! Thanks for the recommendation! I’ve already put it on hold at the library.” Bare headed man: “No problem. The library has it? How do you know?” MWH: “I went to the catalog on the library’s web site, and… Continue reading

  • The Secret Garden comes to The Seattle Public Library

    For generations, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett has charmed readers with its magical setting—a hidden garden on an old English estate. The moment when young orphan Mary Lennox stumbles upon her secret place ranks high—alongside the Pevensie children’s first trip through the wardrobe into Narnia—for the spark it ignites in the imagination of… Continue reading

  • This reading series has roots!

    This Thursday night, Ballard Branch Library co-sponsors one of the longest running reading series in our city: It’s About Time Writers Reading Series #258 Esther Helfgott will emcee this 2nd Thursday reading, #258 in a monthly series that stretches back a few decades.  Esther, one of Seattle’s literary treasures and a writer herself, has nurtured… Continue reading

  • Decoding Hip and Rap

    I listen to a lot of hip hop. As a former English major, I always appreciate the alliteration, assonance and hyperbole that rappers use. But as much as I love the sound of hip hop, I don’t always relate to the lyrics. Luckily there are some insightful books out there to remind me why this… Continue reading

  • Books for Teachers: Library Friends help put thousands of books in Seattle classrooms

    The Friends of the Library, a grassroots organization, is perhaps best known for the two huge book sales held each spring and fall (next book sale is April 16 and 17; find info here). In addition to fundraising, the Friends advocate for the Library and literacy. We asked Joan Abrevaya, a board member, to tell… Continue reading

  • Nightstand Reads: Novelist Meg Wolitzer

    Meg Wolitzer’s newest novel, The Uncoupling, just came out this week. Wolitzer, whose other novels include The Ten-Year Nap and The Position, will read on Monday, April 11, at 7 p.m. at the Central Library. We are thrilled that she’s our guest blogger for today, telling us about her nightstand reading stack: I tend to be a… Continue reading

  • My Bloody Lutefisk: The Scandinavian Mystery Boom

    What with so many Scandinavian crime writers getting translated lately, a trip down the mystery aisle has been getting more and more like a visit to IKEA. I mean seriously – you be the judge: SCANDINAVIAN CRIME WRITER, or IKEA FURNISHING? ALÄNG                              6. BOHOLMEN             FOSSUM                           7. KARLJOHAN BIRKELAND                     8. NESSER NESBØ                               9. KJELL KNUTAS                          10. HAGALUND 1.)  … Continue reading

  • Nightstand Reads: On tour with The Head and the Heart

    What do musicians read when on tour? We asked Charity Thielen, vocalist and violinist in The Head and the Heart, to give us a peek at her nightstand reads (or, rather, tour van reads) when they were on the U.S. leg of their three-month tour (they’re playing in Amsterdam tonight, then it’s on to Glasgow). We’ve… Continue reading

  • Everybody has a favorite poem — or two!

    Maybe it is that e.e. cummings poem that starts Spring is like a perhaps hand (which comes carefully out of Nowhere)… Or it could be an Emily Dickinson poem that begins The brain — is wider than the sky… Was it a Yeats poem you remember? I went out to the hazel wood/ Because a… Continue reading

  • You’re a Poet, and You Know It!

    April is National Poetry Month, and there are lots of local venues to encourage you to read, write and listen to poetry. First up is the Northeast Library’s all-ages poetry contest. All throughout April, everyone is invited to submit an original one page poem written in the last year, for the chance to win prizes in three age… Continue reading

  • An eBook for True Booklovers.

    If 2011 is the year of the eBook, it might also be considered the year of the eBook rant, as editorials declare their undying loyalty to leather tomes. eBooks just don’t compare, they say. How can you curl up with an eBook, they ask? eBooks just don’t feel the same in your hand, they don’t have the same texture, they don’t have… Continue reading