September 2018
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Seattle Rep’s A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS: Beyond the Theatre
What happens when a compelling work of fiction is adapted into a script for the stage? It comes alive! See for yourself in the Seattle Repertory Theater’s production of A Thousand Splendid Suns. Khalid Hosseini’s tale portrays a 14 year old orphan’s forced marriage to an abusive husband. At first, her relationship with his first… Continue reading
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Bus Reads for September
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 September: The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore by Kim Fu: Five girls, Nita, Isabel, Andee, Siobhan, and Dina are selected by their camp leader, Jan, to go on a kayaking trip. These… Continue reading
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Libraryoke!
Karaoke is one of those things that I will either be super stoked about and will want to sing Colors of the Wind to the rooftops or I’ll just want to sit back and take it all in. Regardless, karaoke has a way of bringing everyone together and here are a few books that illustrate… Continue reading
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Banned Books Week September 23-29
Every year, the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom compiles a list of all the books that have been challenged and banned during the previous year. In 2017, there were 416 reports of challenges or outright bans in libraries and schools. Here are the Top Ten Most Challenged Books from the previous year, including the reasons… Continue reading
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Novels to read during Hispanic Heritage Month
Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15th-October 15th, honors the histories, cultures and contributions of Americans with ancestry in Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. To help you celebrate through reading, our librarians put together a list of fiction by Latinx authors published between 2016-2018; see the full list and place holds in our… Continue reading
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John Wyndham’s Work Remains Scary and Thought-provoking
I love discovering authors that were impactful in their era and whose work still holds up today. Wyndham is the kind of writer I truly enjoy–he writes the kind of unfussy, competent prose that is underrated and more supple than it first appears. His writing reminds me of the work of Walter Tevis, Theodore Sturgeon, and James Tiptree, Jr. where… Continue reading
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Book-It Repertory Theatre’s JANE EYRE: Beyond the Theatre
Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel, adapted and directed by Julie Beckman, will be playing from September 13 to October 14, 2018 at Seattle’s Book-It Repertory Theatre. Since its publication in 1847, Jane Eyre has inspired countless readers. Below are a few books and films to enhance your experience of the show: The Secret History of Jane… Continue reading
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A Lifetime of Reading Finally Pays Off!
Sure, reading has been shown to improve empathy in adults and emotional intelligence in children. Plus it’s affordable and enjoyable, and you feel, learn and experience so much. But what about making you the envy of your friends? Has reading ever bought the next round of beer? Where are the fabulous prizes? That’s all about to… Continue reading
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Library Reads: New books for October!
We usually start these Library Reads monthly posts by saying “10 books librarians across the U.S. love …” But for October — you, dear readers, get 11 new books because there’s a bonus “Hall of Fame Author” included this month. AND four of these titles — from Tana French, Barbara Kingsolver, Susan Orlean, Jodi Picoult… Continue reading
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Evelyn 7s, or Seven Evelyns
As a librarian, a lot of books cross my desk. One of my favorite side effects of this is noticing when multiple books have very specific yet oddly similar titles, even though the books themselves have very little in common. In that vein, today I present you with Seven Evelyns: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn… Continue reading
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Reports on the Death of the Romantic Comedy are Greatly Exaggerated
For years, romantic comedies (rom coms) have been few and far between, and those that were released were often small budget indie films that were a hit with critics but did little at the box office. Then a little movie called Crazy Rich Asians came along…is it the beginning of a rom com renaissance? While they weren’t… Continue reading
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Adventures in Pet Sitting!
The last months of summer are usually a whirlwind of getting out of town. For some of us that means finding a pet sitter. Maybe it’s a friendly neighbor or a local boarder or maybe it’s you! This August I hung out for two weeks with two adorable cat brothers who act more like dogs… Continue reading
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New Voices in Young Adult Literature
It’s always exciting to discover new books and authors and, as usual, some of the freshest voices can be found in young adult publishing. Here are three debut titles that have quickly become librarian favorites around here. Melissa Albert writes with an authority that belies her status as a first-time author in the deliciously creepy… Continue reading
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New Fiction Roundup – September 2018
9/4: The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory – When her boyfriend surprises her with a Jumbotron proposal at a baseball game, Nik says no, and is saved when a stranger steps in to whisk her away. That stranger is Carlos, and could there be a spark between the two? 9/4: The Silence of the Girls by… Continue reading
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New Nonfiction Roundup – September 2018
What a month for nonfiction! Investigative reports on politics and sports, reflections on art and fashion, calls to arms from activists, historical assessments and books about books await you this September. Happy reading! 9/4: 21 Lessons for the 21st Century – Yuval Noah Harari. The author of Sapiens addresses the most urgent and complex issues we face today.… Continue reading