November 2014

  • Fernando Pessoa

    by Alex L. November 30th marks anniversary of Fernando Pessoa’s death in 1935. Pessoa is arguably the most popular Portuguese poet to date, and inarguably the poet with the most heteronyms ever. Even looking up the word heteronym on Wikipedia brings up a photo of Pessoa. In his short lifetime, he wrote more than many… Continue reading

  • Seattle Rep’s ‘The Great Society’

    by Andrea G. Robert Schenkkan’s play All the Way, about Lyndon Baines Johnson’s first term as president, won the Tony Award. The Seattle Repertory Theatre commissioned and now premieres Schenkkan’s The Great Society, which dramatizes LBJ’s second term of office. A master politician, LBJ focused on passing some of the most ambitious social programs in U.S.… Continue reading

  • The Best Nap of the Year …

    — by Ann G.              … is, of course, the nap after Thanksgiving dinner!  Most of us believe it’s because we are at the mercy of the chemical tryptophan, which is found in turkey, milk and quite a few other foods.  Apparently, it’s more likely that it’s the piled-high plates… Continue reading

  • Mystery Challenge: Exotic Locales

    ~ by Selby G. One of the many great things about reading a book is that it can take you anywhere. Can’t squeeze in a vacation to China? Read a book and follow the characters down alleyways in Shanghai or to a temple in Beijing. Combine those foreign landscapes with a good mystery and you… Continue reading

  • Movie Mondays: The Year in Rock – 1984

    Thirty years ago a little record label called SST released more amazing albums in a row than any music company before or since. 1984 brought Husker Du’s double LP Zen Arcade, the Meat Puppets’ masterpiece Meat Puppets II, Black Flag’s influential My War, and perhaps the greatest album in the history of recorded music, The… Continue reading

  • Science Fiction Friday – Know Your SF

    By Richard C. Set aside those simple lists online for the best SF and Fantasy. Useful, yes. Context, no. Much in these genres stem from common themes and traditions, which is great. But many defy and transcend those patterns, which is often even better. So what’s to help us zoom out on our usual reading threads and find… Continue reading

  • Startup Weekend in a Startup Community Library!

    I just finished a great read for those passionate about supporting startups in any community.  Startup Communities, by Brad Feld, relies on the example of Boulder, Colorado to illustrate how a community can help startups thrive.  I was happy to see that the book acknowledges Seattle as another example of a community friendly to startups,… Continue reading

  • Mystery Challenge: Historical Mysteries

    ~by Jen B. If you love a good historical murder mystery, you’ll be ready for sleuths to do their own leg work and be adept at deciphering psychological clues. Although they lack modern technology and forensics, these stories, set over 50 years ago, showcase the bygone talents of great minds. A few time periods provide… Continue reading

  • Movie Mondays: Amazing Amy…Poehler

    Who doesn’t love Amy Poehler? Just look at the author photo from her new book, Yes, Please and try not to crack a smile. It’s impossible, right? Let’s follow the arc of her career, from improv to television and film. Continue reading

  • Science Fiction Friday – Technophiles Unite!

    By Richard C. Influx (2014) We might very well laugh at how “flying cars” symbolized technological progress 100 years ago, or, we might think about our own symbols (fusion power, singularity, etc.) and then wonder hey what’s the damn holdup here! Physicist John Grady finds one disturbing reason for the holdup when his major discovery in gravity reflection… Continue reading

  • ebooks galore

    This fall, Simon & Schuster became the last of the “Big 5” publishers (joining Penguin/Random House, Macmillan, HarperCollins and Hachette) to make ebooks available to libraries. The Seattle Public Library added nearly 3,000 titles from Simon & Schuster and are now available for checkout in OverDrive. Here are the best of the best that Simon and Schuster… Continue reading

  • On Veteran’s Day

    This is the year we commemorate the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War I. There is a beautiful and moving installation of poppies at the Tower of London, especially to honor the British and colonial deaths in that war. Continue reading

  • Movie Mondays: Sex Destructive

    Sex can be constructive and creative. It can be profoundly important or frivolously fleeting. It can be beautiful, clumsy, silly, and surprising. It is none of these things in the following films. These features depict sex as nothing but a destructive act. The sex might not be fun but the movies sure are. Continue reading

  • Seattle Rep’s ‘All the Way’ and the legacy of Lyndon Baines Johnson

    Seattle Rep’s ‘All the Way’ and the legacy of Lyndon Baines Johnson

    by Andrea In 1963, John F. Kennedy was assassinated and Vice President Lyndon Baines Johnson was launched into the presidency. In his Tony Award winner for Best Play, playwright Robert Schenkkan dramatizes Johnson’s first year in office. Creating a vivid portrait of a brilliant politician and flawed man, All the Way brings to life Johnson’s passionate engagement… Continue reading

  • For Writers: Getting The Historical Details Right

    by Andrea There is no one season for writing, but often the fall feels like a time of rededication – students back to school, weather which encourages staying indoors, even National Novel Writing Month in November if sprint writing is your thing. To help you refocus, through November the Library is offering a variety of… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Spotlight on Nora Roberts

    By Jessica W. There are few authors in literature who are more prolific than Nora Roberts. With over 200 books to her name in 33 years of writing, she’s the undisputed queen of the contemporary romance novel. While people may want to write her off because she writes romances, the work she’s done in the… Continue reading

  • Mystery Challenge: Amateur Sleuths

    ~ by Jenny C. For all of you reading along in the Mystery Challenge, this week we focus on the valiant, perceptive, amateur sleuth. Now, many heroes and heroines of the mystery genre qualify as amateurs, especially those from points in history before official certifications, but I wanted to highlight some of the most winning… Continue reading

  • Global Reading Challenge Celebrates 20 Years!

    This year, Seattle Public Library’s Global Reading Challenge celebrates its 20th year! For the past 20 years, Seattle Public Library and the Seattle School District have partnered to promote the love of reading across the city. At the program’s helm is Children’s Librarian Mary Palmer, who modeled the program after a weekly Chicago radio show that… Continue reading