March 2018

  • Comics Anthologies

    Sequential art is a very flexible storytelling medium. Styles range from serialized or one-shot stories, published as individual comics issues and larger graphic novels, to very short comic strips and political cartoons. A favorite comics type of mine is the thematic comics anthology. Anthologies tend to highlight stories from up-and-coming creators, creators from under-represented groups… Continue reading

  • Bus Reads for March

    Here are my March bus reads: Mothers and Other Strangers by Gina Sorell Married to a man she didn’t love and carrying a child she never could. Elsie had always wanted her mother to be proud of her…to want her, but she was always too selfish to be the mother Elsie needed. Now as an… Continue reading

  • Cooking Wild

    Every year around February or March my husband and I plan our first camping outing. We have a cabin that we love, so even if it’s cold outside we can be nice and cozy. Our cabin has the absolute basics though, no cooking inside, no kitchenette, just a bed and a table, so that means… Continue reading

  • Own Voices Comics

    #ownvoices is a social media hashtag, first suggested on Twitter by Corinne Duyvis in September 2015 as a tool “to recommend kidlit about diverse characters written by authors from that same diverse group”. It is related to, and overlaps with, the “We Need Diverse Books” movement/non-profit organization. As a tool and a movement, #ownvoices can… Continue reading

  • March Literary Holidays

    Aside from calendar noted holidays in March like Purim and Saint Patrick’s day, there are a few literary days of note that might peak your interest.   On March 2nd there is Read Across America day, which also happens to be Dr. Seuss’ birthday. It was created by the National Education Association as a day to… Continue reading

  • Judge a Book by its Spine

    They say to never judge a book by its cover (though we all do), but what about its spine? While in libraries, bookstores, and private homes we all try our best to face our beautiful collections out for all of the world to behold, most collections are smooshed together citing space considerations, presenting only the… Continue reading

  • Time to Wine Down

    Time to Wine Down

    One of my favorite activities for wine o’clock is to curl up with a book. Maybe a Full Bodied Murder mystery or A Case of Syrah, Syrah by chance. For more of a darker blend you could try a Deadly Tasting. If you prefer a lighter read, like me, you could try Blush for Me or… Continue reading

  • Seattle Rep’s THE GREAT LEAP: Beyond the Theater

    Diplomatic tensions between American and China, played out in the sports arena. How the passions and actions of one person can make a difference in the world. The themes of Lauren Yee’s play The Great Leap – which opens its month-long run at The Seattle Repertory theatre on March 23 – could not be more… Continue reading

  • Library Reads: 10 Books for April

    Library Reads: 10 Books for April

    Nine works of fiction and one memoir you don’t want to miss. Time to place holds on books coming in April! Circe by Madeline Miller (fiction) Circe follows the banished witch daughter of the Titans as she practices her powers for an inevitable conflict with one of Olympus’s most vindictive gods. I found myself pondering… Continue reading

  • Happiness is a Painted Rock

    Happiness is a Painted Rock

    Well it’s March and that sun of ours is making its way more and more into our lives. It gives those of us that live in this beautiful Pacific Northwest region more opportunities to romp around. Taking place in my little corner of Tacoma is one of my favorite little surprises around this time: finding… Continue reading

  • Book Group Best Bets: Fiction for Discussion

    Book Group Best Bets: Fiction for Discussion

    Anyone who has belonged to a book club knows that there’s one meeting more difficult and stressful than all the rest – the meeting when members discuss which books to read and discuss for the rest of the year. How do you know what’s good? How can you be sure it will be discussable and… Continue reading

  • Dragons, wolves and bears in love – oh my!

    Dragons, wolves and bears in love – oh my!

    Are you stuck in the winter doldrums? Perhaps you need some sexy romance novels to spice up these last winter days – why not add some steamy shapeshifting surprises to raise the temperature? Isabel Cooper has a number of books about the dragon shapeshifting clan the MacAlasdairs. Her latest trilogy, Dawn of the Highland Dragon,… Continue reading

  • Feminist Slam

    Some of my favorite slam poetry fixes come from Button Poetry, founded in 2011 by Sam Cook and Sierra DeMulder, who were shortly joined by Rachele Cermak and Heidi Lear. They launched the first Button website and blog. Sierra DeMulder was the first to pull me in with her poem “Today Means Amen,” from her… Continue reading

  • Kickstarter Comics at the Library

    Kickstarter Comics at the Library

    Generally comic book collections or original graphic novels are purchased by the Library from a book distributor. The titles offered by these companies typically include materials from major publishing companies. But many wonderful titles are produced by smaller presses or individuals, and funded through crowdsourcing sites such as Kickstarter. Many of these titles, after their… Continue reading

  • New Fiction Roundup – March 2018

    March is packed full of family-centered novels; the month closes out with a duo of gripping psychological thrillers. 3/6: Census by Jesse Ball – Set in a world not-quite-our-own, a widower learns that he is dying and takes to the road as a census taker with his adult son, who has Down Syndrome. 3/6: The… Continue reading

  • New Nonfiction Roundup – March 2018

    Historical narratives set in remote locations. Inspiring stories of the pursuit for peace, justice and equality. Examinations on the perils of authoritarianism. Cookbooks galore. All these, and more, await you this March! 3/5: The People vs. Democracy by Yascha Mounk. The author cautions that freedom is at stake in a world increasingly led by populist leaders. Will… Continue reading