September 2012

  • Urban Self-Reliance: The new DIY

    The DIY (Do-it-Yourself) ethic is nothing new, but in our ever more precarious natural environment and fiscally tight times, thinking about sustainability in our urban lives and being self-sufficient are more important than ever. Throughout the month of October, The Seattle Public Library will be hosting the Urban Self-Reliance program series at library branches throughout… Continue reading

  • Science Fiction Friday: Five books our librarians love

    Rimrunners by C.J. Cherryh Intergalactic assassin Bet Yeager finds herself behind enemy lines and on the losing side of a war. Somehow she must stay alive and hide her true identity while making it to friendlier areas of space. (Alliance/Union series, Company Wars #4) The Life Cycle of Software Objects by Ted Chiang A start-up… Continue reading

  • SPL Discoveries: David Peace

    Okay, maybe we didn’t exactly discover them,  but here are writers, old and new, that we’d love to see more readers to discover themselves. It happens this way a lot at the library: call it serendipity in the stacks. I stumbled upon David Peace’s unsettling works quite by chance. Picking up a book titled Occupied City, I was arrested… Continue reading

  • Start-up at the library – what do you need to launch your business?

    Do you have a fantastic business idea? Are you planning give it a go, but don’t have a lot of formal business training? The library has some tools to help you out. In addition to our collection of general startup guides, below are some other useful resources. Continue reading

  • Bringing a cat home: Picture books about adopting a cat

    A few weeks ago I wrote a post about the joys of adopting a dog. In the interests of balance and fairness (and because U.S. households with cats actually outnumber U.S. households with dogs!), here are some excellent picture books about adopting a cat. Wheedle and the Noodle by Stephen Cosgrove is the delightful sequel… Continue reading

  • How you can help a student succeed in school

    Our Library is seeking volunteers to be “Homework Helpers” at a few of our branches. You could assist students in first through 12th grade with homework assignments. Students drop in when they need help in English, history, math, science, social studies or other subjects.  You could make a huge difference in someone’s life by volunteering for just a few… Continue reading

  • Science Fiction Fridays: Finding love in the most unusual places

    Who says that love is only in the air in springtime? I personally believe that there is nothing more romantic than fall; the leaves turning red, yellow and brown, while pumpkins begint to line doorways heralding in the greatest holiday of them all. These crisp mornings definitely put me in the mood for some romance… Continue reading

  • Crime: Is Dorothy L. Sayers still worth reading?

    “Is Dorothy L. Sayers still worth reading?” Well I’ve been reading her lately (in anticipation of the Taproot Theatre’s upcoming production of Gaudy Night), and my unsurprising answer is yes, but why? After all, her hero – Edwardian aristocrat Lord Peter Wimsey – seems at first blush to be just the kind of plummy, pompous plutocrat that we’ve… Continue reading

  • Here there be dragons

    We here at the Library are very excited to welcome host Rachel Hartman, who will be introducing her new fantasy novel Seraphina, Northeast Branch on September 22 at 6pm.  Co-sponsored by University Bookstore, books will be available for purchase and signing at the event.  Get yourself pumped for this event by watching Seattle’s own Nancy Pearl… Continue reading

  • Don’t forget to eat your veggies!

    Have you ever wondered what this whole ‘vegan’ movement is about? These days there’s an abundance of animal-free products on grocery shelves. Restaurants specializing in meatless and dairy-free cuisine are gaining popularity in many cities. People adopt a vegan way of eating for many different reasons. Some are concerned about how animals are treated on… Continue reading

  • Your Next 5: The author’s inner journey

    In this column we regularly highlight a Your Next 5 Books submission that we find interesting, funny, unique, or useful to other readers. Submit Your Next 5 Books entry now, or stop by and see us in person, and maybe you could see your (anonymous) reading habits on Shelf Talk! Continue reading

  • The Beauty of Browsing

    Victor Gischler. Not a name I was familiar with before I happened upon Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse while shelving at my branch. The neon-orange lettering of the title along with the stark contrast of bomb-blast vs. babe gracing the cover really drew my eye and I just had to check it out. I’m not… Continue reading

  • Science Fiction Fridays: They are women, hear them roar

    There must be something in the air, because I somehow ended up reading three books last week that all featured women kicking some serious butt. It was such a nice change of pace to have a several books with  female protagonists who aren’t just emotionally or psychologically resilient, but physically strong as well. The balance… Continue reading

  • Crime: Beneath the Antimacassars

    I like a dark, creepy Victorian crime novel — the real doozies – stories so strange and bizarre, nobody’s thought of them yet. The Thing about Thugs by Tabish Khair is a doozy. The Victorian mystery as we know it is turned on its head, so to speak, with a “normal” scientist, Captain William T.… Continue reading

  • Life Is A Highway

    Well, life’s like a road that you travel on There’s one day here and the next day gone Sometimes you bend, sometimes you stand Sometimes you turn your back to the wind I was a daddy’s girl growing up and there were two places I could find my dad in the house: the basement or… Continue reading

  • Your Next 5 Books: Lean and beautiful reads

    In this column we regularly highlight a Your Next 5 Books submission that we find interesting, funny, unique, or useful to other readers. Submit Your Next 5 Books entry now, or stop by and see us in person, and maybe you could see your (anonymous) reading habits on Shelf Talk! Continue reading

  • Summer reading: Rainier Beach Branch readers’ suggestions

    8 Sandpiper Way by Debbie Macomber As we are all humans, even the strongest man of faith can be tempted at his weakest moment. ~ Marline Three Little Words by Ashley Rhodes Courter A memoir of the author’s 9 years in the foster care system. Feelings of anger. Her stay at the Moss. The adoption… Continue reading

  • Library Choo-choo!

    Traveling north, traveling north to find you Train wheels beating, the wind in my eyes Don’t even know what I’ll find when I get to you I’m in love with trains. They still have a little romance and mystery about them and a laid-back atmosphere that you don’t often get when traveling by plane or car. Continue reading