August 2018

  • September Literary Holidays

    September means school’s starting. What better way to get warmed up for school than with a few literary holidays? National Read a Book Day has been celebrated on September 6th since the early 2000s. To celebrate, I’d like to give you this word: tsundoku. This is a Japanese word for collecting reading material but not reading… Continue reading

  • Bus Reads for August

    Bus Reads for August

    Commuting to Seattle by bus five days a week gives me a lot of reading time. Here’s what I read on the bus in August: Heart Berries by Terese Mailhot: After checking herself into a psych ward Mailhot begins journaling to her ex-lover. She grapples with her past, her present, and her future as well as… Continue reading

  • Intiman’s Native Gardens: Beyond the Theatre

    A familiar story is taking place. Faces change but tensions remain the same. What to do about the new neighbors? In Native Gardens, playwright Karen Zacarías makes a scene, actually many, out of the dilemma a couple of couples face while getting to know ”the neighbors.” Set in the adjoining backyards of two townhouses in… Continue reading

  • Listen Local: Download audio books by Washington authors

    If you’re looking for a downloadable audiobook, here are a half-dozen titles — general fiction, nonfiction, historical fiction, and fantasy —  by local authors. She Regrets Nothing by Andrea Dunlop. Fiction The forgotten granddaughter of one of New York’s wealthiest men is reunited with her family just as she comes of age—and once she’s had… Continue reading

  • Novellas: Small Commitment, Big Payoff

    Novellas: Small Commitment, Big Payoff

    What is a novella, exactly?   If you start poking around for definitions you will find a wide range of conflicting criteria (mostly surrounding word count) but what it really comes down to is that a novella is longer than a short story but shorter than a novel.  They are found in every genre and are… Continue reading

  • Seattle Writes offers free writing classes this fall

    Strengthen your fiction, improve your nonfiction, experiment with poetry — we have more than 25 free writing classes lined up for writers this fall  through the Seattle Writes series. You’ll also find drop-in writing circles (no pressure! really!), write-ins scheduled during November for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), and special presentations on writing and publishing… Continue reading

  • Library Reads for September 2018

    New novels from Kate Atkinson and Gary Shteyngart, a new book in the October Daye series by local fantasy author Seanen McGuire, and another installment in a mystery series set in a library (by Jenn McKinlay) — plus six more books librarians across the U.S. are excited to see on the shelves next month. Continue reading

  • Announcing Washington State Book Award finalists for 2018!

    Congratulations to the finalists in the 2018 Washington State Book Awards Fiction: This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel, of Seattle (Flatiron Books) The Cold Eye by Laura Anne Gilman, of Seattle (Simon & Schuster) The Other Alcott by Elise Hooper, of Seattle (HarperCollins) Solar Reboot by Matthew D. Hunt, of Clearview (Matthew… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2018: About the Environment

    One of the many things I appreciate about the Book Bingo categories is that quite a few can be filled by both fiction or nonfiction, leaving the choice up to the reader. Today let’s look at the “About the Environment” category, which at first glance lends itself primarily to nonfiction, and instead see what fiction… Continue reading

  • That Encouraging Voice in Your Ear

    I’m a self help fan who hates reading self help books. When it comes to encouraging words, I want to hear them, preferably while I go about my household chores, tend my garden, or take a walk in the park. These encouraging little talks between me and my iPod are just the thing to add more… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW: Suggested by a Young Person

    We asked our young patrons at the Central Library Children’s Center to suggest books for our adult Book Bingo players and they delivered! These young people know their kid lit – they suggested classics both modern and older, video game tie-ins, realistic fiction, fantasy, adventure – there’s something for every reader of any age. Find… Continue reading

  • Thrilling Tales is Off to the Races!

    Thrilling Tales is Off to the Races!

    This summer, Thrilling Tales (the Library’s Story Time for Grown Ups) takes listeners off to the races with a pair of horse racing tales,  and then out into the rose garden with Shirley Jackson to dig into dark underside suburbia, before heading to the seashore to grapple with aliens from another world, and from the… Continue reading

  • Always Available Travel Guides

    Seattleites love to travel (or at least love to read travel books). While the library has a large collection of travel books in print, they are not always available when you want them. OverDrive, our ebook provider, had a small collection with limited destinations. Until now. Continue reading

  • August Literary Holidays

    August may have few nationally acknowledged holidays, but if you appreciate literature I’ve got a few things you can celebrate. Kicking off the month we have National Book Lover’s Day taking place on August 9th. On this day celebrate by enjoying the smell of books, visit the library, drop literary references into casual speech, or just enjoy… Continue reading

  • New fiction roundup – August 2018

    This month’s roundup begins with a book that slipped past the July new fiction roundup, and continues on to the story of a dancer in the court of Korea’s last royal dynasty, a pregnant mistress on the run, a reclusive detective that comes down from the hills for one last case, and much more. 7/31:… Continue reading

  • New Nonfiction Roundup – August 2018

    New Nonfiction Roundup – August 2018

    What’s new in August? Incisive books about the brain, reflections on “adulting” and parenthood, challenges to the concept of identity, and much more! 8/7: Chinese Street Food – Howie Southworth & Greg Matza. A pair of food authors share authentic recipes for small bites from the streets of China. 8/7: Dopesick – Beth Macy. An overview of… Continue reading