September 2013

  • Movie Mondays: Criterion classics

    The Criterion Collection has been bringing films – classic and contemporary – from all genres to audiences since 1984. This year’s releases feature some prescient science fiction, sumptuous dramas, screwball comedies, and some of the best European and Asian cinema. Continue reading

  • Porgy and Bess at The Seattle Symphony

    Looking for something fun to do this fall? The Seattle Symphony just kicked off its 2013-2014 season. If you have not been to the Symphony before, it is a great way to get out of the rain while enjoying some fantastic music. I had the pleasure of attending opening night two weeks ago and was… Continue reading

  • Fall Book Group Reads: Jen’s Fiction picks

    What is your book group reading this year?  Here are some recent literary novels that are eminently discuss-able. Maya’s Notebook  by Isabel Allende Sent by her grandmother to a remote island off the Chilean coast for her own safety, American-born Maya Vidal logs in her diary the year of recovery from her drug-related criminal and personally destructive… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Fall for a New Author

    Another summer has ended in Seattle, and soon the rain, early sunsets and colder temperatures will keep many of us indoors. It may sound grim, but it’s perfect weather for discovering new authors! Though they are relatively new, each of the following authors has written several books to date, with more on the way in… Continue reading

  • Seattle Rep’s ‘The Servant of Two Masters’

    Carlo Goldoni’s comic play, “The Servant of Two Masters,” opens at the Seattle Repertory Theatre this Friday, Sept. 27. A veritable plethora of mistaken identities, double crossings and lovers lost or found, this timeless drama sings with side-splitting slapstick and comedic magic of the highest order.  Librarians at The Seattle Public Library created a list… Continue reading

  • Movie Mondays: the hoopla about hoopla

    hoopla is the Library’s newest streaming video and music service. The video collection contains an eclectic mix of more than 3,000 films and television shows, from classics to the occasional new release. You can check out 20 videos per month, for 72 hours each, and watch videos on your computer, tablet or smartphone. Best of all,… Continue reading

  • Science Fiction Fridays: 5 books every Breaking Bad fan needs to read

    Fiend by Peter Stenson Two meth addicts coming down from a high find the world in the grip of a zombie apocalypse where staying alive is almost as hard as scoring their next hit. Why you should read it: It’s all about supply and demand, whether it be drugs or brains! Continue reading

  • Fall into Dance this Autumn!

    Fall is here, and that means the kick-off of The Pacific Northwest Ballet’s 2013-14 season! In conjunction with the PNB, The Seattle Public Library is pleased to once again host its ballet preview series at the Central Library. Presented by the PNB’s Educational Programs Manager, Doug Fullington, this free lecture series educates dance lovers on… Continue reading

  • Fall Book Group Reads: Misha’s picks

    Here are some of my favorite reads from 2013 that I think would be fantastic for book group discussion. Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Firefighters are HOT!

    They say that everybody loves a man (or a woman) in uniform. Combine that with the heart-stopping heroism of people who put their lives on the line to fight fires and you have the recipe for either heartwarming or incredibly hot romance, and sometimes both at once! The Fireman Who Loved Me by Jennifer Bernard… Continue reading

  • Genre books for teens starring strong females

    “Seeking recommendations of YA fiction, preferably genre. I’m a fan of Tamora Pierce and Jane Yolen. This totally includes science fiction. 🙂 If you have some non YA recommendations I’m open,” began a Facebook post of a friend looking for book suggestions. When asked what it is she likes about those authors, she said, “What I generally… Continue reading

  • Are you registered to vote?

    The Seattle Public Library is partnering with the League of Women Voters of Seattle-King County on National Voter Registration Day, a nation-wide, nonpartisan effort to register thousands of voters on one single day. On September 24th, volunteers from the League of Women Voters of Seattle-King County will be joining a host of others across the… Continue reading

  • Movie Mondays: At Sea

    Jen’s recent post on nautical fiction got me thinking of films set at sea. Not swashbucklers like Master and Commander and Pirates of the Caribbean, or blockbusters like Titanic and Jaws, but more modest tales that take place on the water. Kon-Tiki (2012) tells the true story of  Thor Heyerdahl’s successful crossing of the Pacific. In 1947, Heyerdahl (Pål Sverre… Continue reading

  • Struck By Lightning!

    Were you mesmerized by the recent news story about the motorcyclist who survived a lightning strike on I-5 during our severe weather last week? His hair was singed and an ear blackened, but other than being a little dazed, he lived to tell the tale. Although the odds of being struck by lightning in the… Continue reading

  • Short review: Turtle Diary by Russell Hoban

    Turtle Diary is a brilliant, funny, bittersweet and ultimately redemptive meditation on middle-aged loneliness. Russell Hoban is best known for his children’s books (especially the picture books about Frances the Badger and two of my favorites, The Mouse and His Child and Emmett Otter’s Jug Band Christmas) but he wrote fiction for adults too, and this… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: I Love New York

    In a dynamic city of over eight million people, you’re bound to find some romance! Here are some noteworthy reads that will stir up love for the Big Apple. Love the One You’re With by Emily Giffin Ellen is a successful New York photographer, living in a great apartment with her adoring husband, Andy. Life seems… Continue reading

  • Fall books and some author events to get excited about

    So while not all of these are technically coming out in the fall (a couple are already out), these are some of the books that will be generating buzz in the months to come. I read Marisha Pessl’s Night Film a couple of months ago and have been telling patrons about it ever since, even though… Continue reading

  • Movie Mondays: Seattle loves BBC!

    This week’s Movie Monday column is switching things up to discuss TV again, specifically BBC. It’s no secret that Seattleites love all things BBC, and Seattle posted the highest ratings in the country for the season 3 premiere of Downton Abbey. Two other programs – Call the Midwife and Bletchley Circle – have been popular enough that… Continue reading