November 2018

  • Bus Reads for November

    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 November: There There by Tommy Orange. It was one of those books I loved, but wanted more. I want more book, I want a sequel, I want more of the story, more, more,… Continue reading

  • Cultivating Gratitude with Picture Books

    “What I have come to believe is that joy is the twin sister of gratitude.  I am most joyful when I am most grateful.”*          –Katherine Paterson, Newbery Medal-winning author Thankfulness doesn’t end with Thanksgiving. Enjoy these wonderful picture books celebrating gratitude! Gracias, Thanks by Pat Mora, illustrated by John Parra A… Continue reading

  • Classics Reimagined

    Here are five fantastic books that explore some classic Greek tales many of us know, touching upon many centralized themes of classic Greek mythology but in unexpected and innovative ways. All are an illuminating read! The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood This fine rendition of a classic tale, the Odyssey by Homer, rejects the standard canon… Continue reading

  • DIY Holidays: Crafty Gifts and Gifts of Food

    Today is Black Friday, the traditional start of the holiday shopping season and historically the busiest shopping day of the year. If the idea of battling frenzied crowds for the latest must-have doo-dad makes you want to pull the covers over your head and never come out, we have an idea for you – make… Continue reading

  • Thankful for Books

    Ever since I was a child, at our family gathering that coincided with the Thanksgiving holiday, we would go around the table and everyone would have to say a little something about what they were thankful for. Perhaps it was (or is) the same for you? For our hedonistic childhood selves, so unaccustomed to being… Continue reading

  • Book-It Repertory Theatre’s MY ÁNTONIA: Beyond the Theatre

    Book-It Repertory Theatre presents MY ÁNTONIA by Willa Cather, adapted and directed by Annie Lareau, from November 29 to December 30, 2018. Librarians at Seattle Public Library created this list of books, video, and podcasts to enhance your experience of the show. Annie Lareau, director of Book-It Repertory Theatre’s 2018 production of MY ÁNTONIA, has… Continue reading

  • Practice Gratitude

    We live in a pretty fast paced world, one that can cloud our gratefulness for what we have, what we’ve been given, and those we share our lives with. I challenge you to take the time (and not just in November) to practice gratitude. Focus on areas of your life you can be more grateful… Continue reading

  • A Foray into Gothic Fiction

    Reading Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier in 7th grade was a formative moment for me: I learned the vocabulary word sepulchre; I was deliciously creeped out. It wasn’t until this year, though, that I realized Rebecca was part of a larger type of fiction that I really, consistently enjoy: Gothic fiction. The good news for… Continue reading

  • Library Reads: New books for November!

    November’s Library Reads list includes a bumper crop of titles selected by librarians – ten outstanding reads, plus four more authors inducted into the Library Reads Hall of Fame, honored for having more than three titles nominated over the history of Library Reads! Continue reading

  • The Homeless Mathematician

    When I was growing up, an unusual houseguest would show up at our door every few years. With steeply-arched eyebrows, a mile-wide grin, gigantic ears that looked like they could flap in the wind, and a wild tousle of white hair, he seemed to my 8-year-old self to resemble nothing less than an oversized hamster… Continue reading

  • November Literary Holidays

    November marks twelve months of literary holidays! So to finish it off, here are three November literary holidays. The entire month is Picture Book Month, an international initiative to support literacy and encourage the use of picture books. There are blogs dedicated to championing the importance of picture books throughout the month. So in honor… Continue reading

  • Rick Riordan Presents

    In early 2017, acclaimed author Rick Riordan, of Percy Jackson fame, announced he would be leading an imprint from Disney, with the goal of publishing “great books by middle grade authors from underrepresented cultures and backgrounds, to let them tell their own stories inspired by the mythology and folklore of their own heritage.” He had… Continue reading

  • November is for transgender and intersex awareness

    This November marks an important time for transgender and intersex communities — not only as a crucial moment for intersex political organizing, but also as a period of celebration and remembrance: Intersex Solidarity Day is celebrated on November 8th, the birthday of Herculine Barbin.  Barbin was a French intersex woman who was forcibly assigned male… Continue reading

  • Celebrating Transgender Awareness Month

    Back by popular demand! The University Branch will be hosting the third annual Trans Shorts and Speed Friending event on November 12th from 6 – 7:30 p.m. to coincide with Transgender Awareness Month and Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20th. We’re partnering with Three Dollar Bill Cinema and TWIST: Seattle Queer Film Festival to… Continue reading

  • A trio of novels for Native American Heritage Month

    November is Native American Heritage Month, a time designated to honor the histories, cultures, and contributions – historical and ongoing – of American Indians and Alaska Natives. You can check out a booklist of novels by Native American authors published in the past five years in our catalog. Highlighted here are three outstanding novels from… Continue reading

  • 2018 Washington State Book Award winners!

    The Washington Center for the Book announced the winners of the 2018 Washington State Book Awards last month in a celebration at the Central Library. Winners are highlighted below, and the complete list of finalists and winners is here in  this list in our catalog where you’ll find some of the best books by local authors in… Continue reading

  • New Nonfiction Roundup – November 2018

    11/6: Born to Be Posthumous. Edward Gorey’s macabre stories and illustrations have influenced Tim Burton, Neil Gaiman and Lemony Snicket, and Mark Dery’s biography looks at the eccentric author’s private life. 11/6: Churchill. Andrew Roberts chronicles the life of Winston Churchill; extensive new content make this a standout biography of the one of the twentieth century’s foremost… Continue reading

  • New Fiction Roundup – November 2018

    11/6: The Best Bad Things by Katrina Carrasco – In 1887, Alma Rosales goes undercover as a man to hunt for an opium shipment missing from a Washington Territory outpost. 11/6: The Colors of All the Cattle by Alexander McCall Smith – In this latest installment of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, Precious… Continue reading