December 2014

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Just Like Starting Over

    By Jessica W. Every year, January comes around and we make resolutions. Find love, learn a new language, go to the gym, we try to give ourselves a new start, a fresh page with the beginning of a new year. Some of us go farther than others when we want a new start—we don’t just… Continue reading

  • Mystery Challenge: The Mystery Without A Solution

    ~by David H. One of the central tenets of a mystery is the solution. As a reader, we know that at some point, the main character will discover it and expose the criminal behind everything. But some books take a different approach. What if the central point of the book is the mystery itself, not… Continue reading

  • Looking back on Startup Weekend EDU Seattle

    By Jay L. Imagine 80+ people running around an auditorium with giant post-it notes and sharpies voting on ideas with smaller post-it notes and seeking collaborators to work on their education projects.  This was the Friday night pitch chaos during Startup Weekend EDU Seattle.  Of the forty-seven ideas that folks threw out into the room,… Continue reading

  • Movie Mondays: Love on the Rocks

    2014 brought audiences three excellent, and disturbing, portraits of marriages tested and challenged. These three films are smart, mature works that are sure to make every couple examine their relationships, with blinders off. Gone Girl needs little introduction, but for those unfamiliar with the phenomenal bestseller that the movie is based on, here we go. Nick (Ben Affleck)… Continue reading

  • Seattle Public Library’s Favorite Picture Books of 2014

    Posted by Erin M. Can we all take a moment to celebrate the magic of a picture book? I am constantly amazed by the artistic and literary talent brought out in what is perhaps my favorite book format. The interplay between illustrations and prose found in a great picture book creates a special impact found… Continue reading

  • Bletchley Park: Not So Secret

    By Steve and Carl For a place that was a secret, Bletchley Park has certainly become famous. It was the stately home of the top “Ultra” secret code breakers of World War II—those who read the Ultra secrets, courtesy of the mechanical marvel Enigma machine. These code breakers deciphered codes thought by the Nazis to… Continue reading

  • Mystery Challenge: Science Fiction / Fantasy / Paranormal

    ~by David H. The mystery story is one of the most flexible of stories, because a mystery can take place anywhere. The time and place don’t make any difference; all that’s required is a crime and someone to solve it. So what happens when a mystery takes place in the depths of space or on… Continue reading

  • Movie Mondays: Top 10 DVD releases of 2014

    MIKE’S TOP 10 1. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. After years of unavailability on home video, French director Jacques Demy’s magnificent, one-of-a-kind musical gets a deluxe release from Criterion. This is what movies were meant for. 2. Sleeping Beauty. Disney opens the vault once again to give us another look at this gorgeous film, the last… Continue reading

  • Holiday Season: Time To Start Learning A Foreign Language

    By Library Staff There are many reasons and benefits to learning a foreign language.  It could help you achieve some career or traveling goals. It may also improve academic skills, aid in brain development, and slow aging. So, why not start this joyous project this holiday season to prepare for the new year? It’s a good time no matter what your goal is.… Continue reading

  • Science Fiction Friday: Writers Write

    By Richard C. “Serious writers write, inspired or not. Over time they discover that routine is a better friend than inspiration.” —Ralph Keyes NaNoWriMo may have come to a close, but that’s all the more reason for writers to retain momentum. Did you submit to the library’s self-publishing contest or hear about Write out of this World?… Continue reading

  • Flash Fiction: Shoelaces

    Editor’s note: As part of our Seattle Writes series, we invited local writers who participated in author Ann Teplick’s “Voices Up” workshops to submit short pieces (flash fiction and nonfiction) to Shelf Talk. We’re pleased to share this selection with you. by Kathryn White I remember when I was little, living in Greenwich Village in a small… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: The Gamblers

    By Jessica W. Historical romance can be somewhat limited in where the romance happens. Is it this ballroom or that ballroom? Rotten Row or a country house party? In the public eye, rules can’t be broken. But in the gambling clubs and hells of London, the rules of society take a second place to the… Continue reading

  • Mystery Challenge: Noir

    ~ by David W. If you’ve been taking our Mystery Challenge, you’ve tried many different types of whodunits across a spectrum from cute to bleak, but all these stories have had one thing in common: justice has prevailed in the end. But what happens when there is no justice, or when even justice seems unjust?… Continue reading

  • Movie Mondays: Seeing Red

    Italian horror filmmaker Dario Argento is most famous for his over-the-top tale of witchcraft, Suspiria, but his previous film, 1975’s Deep Red is the better picture. David Hemmings stars as a pianist trying to track down a serial killer whose increasingly grisly crimes give the film its title. It’s a boilerplate premise turned masterful work… Continue reading

  • Finding ways to honor losses at the holidays

    by Ann G. The winter holidays are a time of cheer and cozy family times—for many of us, but not all.   More than we realize, many people feel past losses more acutely at this time of year, and even changes from the usual rituals can bring sadness.   Beyond knowing that a bittersweet feeling at holiday… Continue reading

  • Science Fiction Friday: Crossovers From Video Games And More

    Richard C. Crossovers between books, comics, video games, movies, board games, and more – it’s an increasingly common theme in our beloved genre. When I used to glimpse HALO books I’d always think “no thanks” rather quickly, but perhaps too quickly! Something IS worth trying when it carries the influence of giants like Larry Niven and the Ring… Continue reading

  • The end of an era: Books we’ve loved on The Colbert Report

    Just one week left before Stephen Colbert’s last episode of The Colbert Report, which airs Thursday, December 18. Yesterday David Letterman announced that he will officially retire on May 20, leaving a few months before Colbert takes over The Late Show. There was a lot to love during the show’s nine-year run, but one of… Continue reading

  • Flash Fiction: The Voice That Rose the Dead

    Editor’s note: As part of our Seattle Writes series, we invited local writers who participated in author Ann Teplick’s “Voices Up” workshops to submit short pieces (flash fiction and nonfiction) to Shelf Talk. We’re pleased to share our first selection with you. by Marcus Green I remember the first day I heard her voice… it was… Continue reading