October 2019
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New Nonfiction Roundup – November 2019
November brings lots of incisive analyses of the current state of affairs, including an anonymous Trump administration official and a teenage environmental activist. Nonfiction debuts from Carmen Maria Machado and Elena Ferrante will surely pique interest. And cookbooks galore – including a classic cookbook revised for the first time in 45 years – will inspire… Continue reading
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Local Graphic Novels to Gear Up for Short Run
Graphic novels are doing particularly well in the Pacific Northwest, with Short Run Comix & Arts Festival coming up I like to prepare for the small press and independent level of creators by focusing on local creators. From mainstream on down to independent, Seattle has every genre being created right here. Here are a few… Continue reading
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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: Into the Jungle by Erica Ferencik. Running from her past, Lily seeks a different sort of adventure after her teaching job in Bolivia ends and her listlessness grows tiring. In… Continue reading
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Upcoming Author Events
Andre Acimen, David Treuer, Clifford Thompson, Julie Pham, cartoonist T Edward Bak, and a love fest for romance readers are among the featured author events coming your way. The free programs listed below are held at a variety of locations in November (Central Library, Montlake Branch Library, Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute); please check our… Continue reading
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Ready, Set, Holidays!
The holidays are nearly upon us. For many of us, it’s time to start thinking about making a Halloween costume, what dish to make for Thanksgiving, or what gifts to make for friends and family. Now is the time to start planning! Here are some books to guide you as the season approaches. In The… Continue reading
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We Dare You…
As we enter peak fall foliage in the Pacific Northwest we dare you to get swept away by those beautiful colors and read a book by the color of its cover! Here are a handful to choose from, but we highly recommend you explore the stacks – you never know what gem you might find.… Continue reading
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Hidden Libraries in Fiction
As great as real libraries are, they’re no match for the hidden libraries created by novelists. Magical libraries have unlimited space, can form labyrinths explorable only by the most intrepid, can spontaneously birth characters from the page to the real world, and much more. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón This is… Continue reading
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Library Reads for November 2019
Librarians across the country have chosen the ten books coming out in November that they’re most excited about. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern A moving labyrinth of a story, ever changing and evolving. What begins as a mysterious thread in a book, an opportunity taken or missed and the consequences of the choice, evolves… Continue reading
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Donald Schmechel Oral History Collection
October is American Archives Month and we are celebrating with the completion of a new digital collection: the Donald Schmechel Oral History Collection. Donald Schmechel was a Seattle Public Library board member who, in the 1980s, created a project to interview prominent figures in Pacific Northwest History. Schmechel raised funding for the project, volunteered his… Continue reading
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It’s Horror Season
As the weather turns chill and the darkness creeps earlier and earlier, it’s time to stay inside with a scary read. From a family jumping through alarming hoops to get an inheritance, to two variations on the creepy haunted house, monsters lurking at the window, and much more, there’s something to spook everyone. The Silent… Continue reading
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Top 10 Noteworthy 2019 Speculative Fiction Books Part 2
A continuation of our favorite speculative fiction works this year! So far… The Future of Another Timeline by Annalee Newitz. Annalee Newitz just won a Hugo Award for the Our Opinions Are Correct podcast with their partner Charlie Jane Anders and is a writer of both science and science fiction. TFOAT is a fiercely feminist… Continue reading
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Top 10 Noteworthy 2019 Speculative Fiction Books Part 1
Even though it’s only October and there are still two more months left for publishing and reading in 2019 we are already assembling our “best lists”. Here are some of our favorite speculative fiction works this year (so far): The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders. This is a science… Continue reading
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The Space Needle: A 21st Century View
How many times have you gauged your location or some necessary distance by that 605 foot spinning top of a landmark? Long after March 1962, the centerpiece of Seattle Center has evolved just as the campus it towers over continues to morph and change with the ever-growing city surrounding it. The future is here! Built… Continue reading
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Queer Comics for LGBT History Month
October is LGBT History Month! Let us celebrate and read some recently published comics and graphic novels by queer creators and about queer characters and stories! Continue reading
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Music Memoirs, Meditations, and More
This fall, there is an embarrassment of riches for music fans and aficionados of all stripes. Here are some of the most anticipated books to look forward to over the next few months. Continue reading
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New Nonfiction Roundup – October 2019
PEAK PICKS. Two memoirs from titans in the music industry join Peak Picks this “Rocktober”: The Beautiful Ones by Prince and Me by Elton John. Bill Bryson’s latest, a guide to The Body and comedian Ali Wong’s first book, Dear Girls, will delight readers, while Rachel Maddow will infuriate news junkies with an expose on Big… Continue reading
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New fiction roundup, October 2019
October is particularly rich in short story collections from both established and new voices, and also sees the return of favorite characters with new books by Elizabeth Strout and Lee Child, and the long-awaited adult fiction debut of blockbuster YA author Leigh Bardugo. Continue reading