October 2018

  • Bus Reads for October

    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 October: Our Homesick Songs by Emma Hooper. A small fishing island in Newfoundland is home to few. As the fish began to vanish, so too did the island’s inhabitants, leaving one by… Continue reading

  • Intriguing Middle Eastern Fiction

    In a return to our intermittent series on interesting international fiction, enjoy this snapshot of titles by Middle Eastern novelists published in the US in the last year. Beginning in Turkey, check out Elif Shafak’s latest novel The Three Daughters of Eve, a story set over a single evening in contemporary Istanbul, as Peri attends… Continue reading

  • Rocktober!

    Ah, October . . . one of my favorite months of the year. Leaves are turning glorious shades of red, orange and gold, delicious wild mushrooms are abundant in the woods, and it’s finally cold enough to break out all my hand-knit scarves and hats. Plus October has the best holidays . . . Indigenous… Continue reading

  • Life with an Aging Parent: Part 1 – Books

    The first known use of the phrase “eldercare” was in 1960 and is defined as “the care of older adults and especially the care of an older parent by a son or daughter.” This has been becoming part of my world more in the last few years with my father, since other immediate family members… Continue reading

  • New Voices in Teen Fiction

    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 recent debut novels you should know about: Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles Twins Tyler and Marvin have always been close, but lately Tyler has been increasingly… Continue reading

  • Spooky Stories, Coming to a Bar Near You!

    Spooky Stories, Coming to a Bar Near You!

    Shadows lengthen, leaves crisp and fall, and a presage of winter’s chill runs down your spine. Its the perfect time to gather for some spooky stories, and we have several opportunities coming up in the weeks ahead, as our Booktoberfest celebration nears its close. First up, two storytimes at the Central Library this coming Monday: Continue reading

  • Nightstand Reads: Trudi Trueit recommends middle-grade novels to read now

    Seattle author Trudi Trueit’s newest book, The Nebula Secret, is part of the Explorer Academy series of novels from National Geographic. We asked Trudi to tell us about some other middle-grade books she’s been reading and loving. Here are five she recommends:     Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed When Amal, a young Pakistani girl,… Continue reading

  • Spooky Books for Every Reader

    It’s October, the best time to read all manner of scary, chilling, horror-inducing tales.  Many readers avoid horror, believing it is all gore, but is a surprisingly varied genre with titles ranging from unsettling to funny to downright terrifying.  Here are some outstanding examples: The Elementals by Michael McDowell. Originally written in the 1980’s, this gripping, terrifying… Continue reading

  • A trio of reads on Western land

    The land and coasts that make up the West are many things to many people: recreation areas, sacred sites, grazing land, just to name a few. In the past five years we’ve seen an escalation, reflected in mainstream news stories, of the conflicts among groups with differing visions for public lands: from the ongoing fight… Continue reading

  • Seattle Rep’s A PEOPLE’S HISTORY: Beyond the Theatre

    Seattle Repertory Theatre presents A PEOPLE’S HISTORY by Mike Daisey, from October 17 to November 25, 2018. Librarians at Seattle Public Library created this list of books and video to enhance your experience of the show: Seattle Rep’s A PEOPLE’S HISTORY: BEYOND THE THEATRE. Through his discovery of Howard Zinn’s classic work, A People’s History… Continue reading

  • Books for Two

    There’s no need to go to the trouble of getting a large group together for a book group each month (unless you want to). I have a book group for two, and it’s going just fine. Here were our book selections for July through September: Continue reading

  • Get Cooking this October!

    With the change in seasons and the upcoming holidays, it’s time to hunker down, spend time with family and friends, and enjoy food and drink. Check out the bounty of cookbooks being released this month and start planning! Continue reading

  • Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with Books for Children and Teens by Latinx Authors

    Hispanic Heritage month, running from September 15 to October 15, is an annual celebration of the rich cultures and traditions of people living in the United States who trace their ancestry to Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and South America.  There has been a very welcome increase in books written by and for the Latinx… Continue reading

  • Audiobook Narrator Spotlight: Robin Miles

    Actor, audiobook director and performer Robin Miles has narrated hundreds of audiobooks. Miles has the ability to convincingly recreate a huge range of speech patterns and accents, conveying more about a character than comes across through their words alone. After an experience narrating the horror book The Good House by Tananarive Due, she realized she… Continue reading

  • October Literary Holidays

     October is known for its spooky holiday themes, but the literary holidays are less spooky and a whole lot of fun. If you are familiar with the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland, then this day might be for you. On October 6th, it is Mad Hatter day due to the number he wears in… Continue reading

  • New Fiction Roundup – October 2018

    10/2: Gone So Long by Andre Dubus III – An ex-con living a solitary life in seaside New England travels to a quaint Florida town in search of his estranged daughter. Continue reading

  • New Nonfiction Roundup – October 2018

    October is a stellar month for nonfiction, with dozens of amazing titles to consider. Stay tuned for a separate post for the month’s best cookbooks. BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR 10/2: All You Can Ever Know Nicole Chung searches for her birth parents in this examination of transracial adoption. A Peak Pick! 10/2: Always Look on the Bright Side of… Continue reading