May 2018

  • #BookBingoNW2018: Graphic Novels

    #BookBingoNW2018: Graphic Novels

    It’s summertime, which nowadays essentially means Marvel™ movies season! Not looking for more Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, or the Avengers? Then check out these lesser-known, but equally Marvel™-ous graphic novels: Black Bolt vol. 1 Hard Time by Saladin Ahmed & Christian Ward Blackagar Boltagon (yes, really), the silent king of the Inhumans, finds himself… Continue reading

  • June Literary Holidays

    Here are some interesting literary holidays to enjoy in June. June is GLBT Book Month, which started as LGBT Book Month in the early 1990s. To quote the GLBT Book Month website: “[this is] a nationwide celebration of the authors and writings that reflect the lives and experiences of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community.” In… Continue reading

  • Bus Reads for May

    Bus Reads for May

    Commuting to Seattle by bus 5 days a week gives me a lot of reading time. Here’s what I read on the bus in May: Everything Is Teeth by Evie Wyld A graphic memoir of a young Evie’s obsession with sharks; every little thing about them. Folded in among that obsession are stories of family… Continue reading

  • The Return of Summer Book Bingo!

    The Return of Summer Book Bingo!

    It’s that magical time of year for readers in Seattle – it’s Summer Book Bingo! We’re now into our fourth year partnering with our pals at Seattle Arts & Lectures on this adult summer reading program that challenges you to read in certain categories. (Pick up a card at any of our locations or download… Continue reading

  • The Seattle Public Library Zine Collections

    A zine is a self-published work of original or appropriated and remixed materials, including photographs, drawings, poetry, and prose. Typically limited in print number, zines are most often stapled-together paper reproduced on a photocopier, and distributed locally. While zines are closely associated with music scenes such as punk or riot grrrl, they have existed in… Continue reading

  • Nightstand Reads: Author Will Taylor Shares Some Favorite Middle Grade Books

    Nightstand Reads: Author Will Taylor Shares Some Favorite Middle Grade Books

    We’re delighted to have Seattle author Will Taylor, whose debut middle grade novel Maggie & Abby’s Neverending Pillow Fort came out last month, here to share with young readers and parents five novels he can’t wait for you all to read. But first, let us tell you a bit more about his novel:  Maggie &… Continue reading

  • Taming Bigfoot

    This post and corresponding booklist were created by students at Nathan Hale High School as part of a teen service learning project.  Over the past nine months I have had the pleasure of volunteering with the non-profit organization Taming Bigfoot Seattle. Taming Bigfoot Seattle is a 1Sustainable Planet volunteer project, inspired and guided by retired… Continue reading

  • Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month: In Our Own Image(s)

    At the Capitol Hill Library, we wondered how to create an Asian & Pacific Islander (API) Heritage Month display that recognizes the many peoples who are categorized as “Asian” and “Pacific Islander” — each unique and with their own histories, languages, religions, cultural values, and experiences.  Is it possible to represent such broad and diverse communities… Continue reading

  • Library Reads: New Books for June 2018

    Library Reads: New Books for June 2018

    Looking for some late spring and summer books? Here are 10 novels that librarians across the U.S. are super excited about — and now you can put them on hold. Continue reading

  • The Feminist and the Axe Murderer

    The Feminist and the Axe Murderer

    Susan Glaspell was just 24, working her first job out of college as a reporter for the Des Moines Daily News when she was called to the scene of a grisly crime that would shape her artistic destiny. Late on the night of December 1, 1900, John Hossack had been bludgeoned to death with an… Continue reading

  • Intriguing East Asian Fiction

    Did you hear the announcement earlier this year, that the National Book Foundation will be adding a new award for the first time in 36 years, honoring works in translation? With that news, it’s a good time to continue highlighting some interesting international fiction published in 2017-18, this time from East Asia – Japan, Korea… Continue reading

  • Seattle Reads Homegoing: Fiction to Read Next

    In 2018 Seattle Reads Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. Beginning in Ghana, 1760, Homegoing follows the parallel paths of two half-sisters and seven generations of their descendants in Ghana and the United States, in a stunning saga of the African diaspora that illuminates slavery’s troubled legacy. Gyasi will be in Seattle for a series of events… Continue reading

  • Seattle Rep’s MAC BETH: Beyond the Theatre

    Seattle Repertory Theatre presents MAC BETH, adapted from Shakespeare’s play and directed by Erica Schmidt, from May 18 to June 17, 2018. Librarians at Seattle Public Library created this list of books, music and films to enhance your experience of the show. In MAC BETH, playwright/director Erica Schmidt reimagines Shakespeare’s classic tale of intrigue and… Continue reading

  • Wordless Comics

    In the influential graphic novel Understanding Comics, creator Scott McCloud defines comics as: “Juxtaposed pictorial and other images in a deliberate sequence, intended to convey information and/or produce an aesthetic response in the viewer.” Notice that this definition does not include any specific mention of comics requiring words in order to be considered comics. Words,… Continue reading

  • Seattle Reads Homegoing: Nonfiction Titles to Delve Deeper

    In 2018 Seattle Reads Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. Beginning in Ghana, 1760, Homegoing follows the parallel paths of two half-sisters and seven generations of their descendants in Ghana and the United States in a stunning saga of the African diaspora that illuminates slavery’s troubled legacy. Gyasi will be in Seattle for a series of events… Continue reading

  • May the 4th Be With You!

    “May the 4th be with you.” What started as pun warmly shared by fans has become a full-fledged Star Wars holiday: Star Wars Day, a special once-a-year celebration of the galaxy far, far away. One of the earliest known records of “May the 4th” used in popular culture is in 1979, as described here by… Continue reading

  • Nap Time is my Happy Hour

    Napping isn’t just for kids anymore. Sometimes on my days off just curling up with my cats and a good book I’ll find myself just nodding off a bit…and it’s wonderful! Same goes for work, when I’m working a late shift and the afternoon yawns hit, I’ll curl under my desk on my 15-minute break… Continue reading

  • May Literary Holidays

    May is a great month for books. Let me give you the holidays to prove it. May is Get Caught Reading Month, which started in 1999 as a way to encourage the love of reading. Bonus: It can be a great time to read outdoors and make your reading visible to the world.  Children’s Book… Continue reading