May 2013

  • Learning history from comic books

     I didn’t think I was a fan of comic books, but after reading Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, my view of comic books completely changed.”I found that the comic book format particularly makes learning history more enjoyable due to its lively pictures and brief narrative. I recently read three American history comic books that I happened… Continue reading

  • Your Next 5 Books: poetic post-apocalyptic and police procedurals

    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

  • Movies about siblings

    Some of the most important – and enduring – relationships in our lives are those with our siblings. With emotions from petty to profound, our siblings connect us with our past as well as treading the pathways into the future. These emotions are on full display in Seattle filmmaker Lynn Shelton’s Your Sister’s Sister, which… Continue reading

  • Science Fiction Fridays: 5 sci-fi reads that would make great summer blockbusters

    Extinction by Mark Alpert The Chinese military have created an artificial intelligence that is tired of being under the government’s thumb and only Jim Pierce, an ex-military officer, and his computer hacker daughter stand between mankind and total assimilation. This near-future thriller feels both cutting edge and frighteningly Continue reading

  • Five children’s mysteries you must read!

    Someone just told me the most popular posts about books start with a number of books you must read, hence the title and I hope it’s true! We recently updated a number of children’s booklists and I had the pleasure of updating the mysteries list. This meant I read some titles I have been dying… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Romance, with a little rocket fuel

    Sometimes I like my romances with a touch of rocket fuel. To put it another way, I like science fiction romance, or SFR. I’ve loved it since the original Captain Kirk chased his first alien around the Enterprise way back when, and my tastes probably aren’t going to change any time soon, or on any… Continue reading