September 2020

  • Witchy Reads for a Witchy Autumn

    We are approaching one of the most magical times of the year: when the leaves begin to turn, the days get windier, and the spiders come out to leave their shimmery artwork in the gardens for us to admire. Every autumn, it can feel amazing to lean into the spookier side of things and appreciate… Continue reading

  • One Season Wonders – Mystery Edition

    Just because a show only lasts a single season is no reason to think it is a bad show. Yes, yes, I know, most WERE bad and were thankfully put out of our misery quickly, but some were tossed by the wayside merely due to the way the TV industry machine works. Here are a… Continue reading

  • The Haunted Podcasts of Autumn

    The Haunted Podcasts of Autumn

    Well, we’ve definitely turned the corner into the spookiest time of year. No, I don’t mean election season: I’m talking about the lead up to Hallowe’en. This time last year – and for the past five years – I’d be stepping out into the chill winds of Autumn to go read haunting ‘Ales from the… Continue reading

  • Three on a Theme: LGBT Comics

    While many of us tend to associate the graphic novel and comic book genre with superheroes, in a cultural market dominated by companies like Marvel and DC that produce blockbuster movies based in on graphic novels every year, there are plenty of other types of comic books out there that are available to you with… Continue reading

  • Hot New Romance by Local Authors!

    While many of us are not getting our usual fill of beaches this summer, nothing says we can’t indulge in some beach reads. Not that a good romance can’t be enjoyed year-round! Conventionally Yours by Annabeth Albert is set in the world of tabletop games and Conrad and Alden have been bitter rivals but must… Continue reading

  • Fifteen Years since Hurricane Katrina – Nonfiction

    As Hurricane Sally made landfall, I remembered on August 30, fifteen years ago, when I realized I needed to actually put together an emergency kit for my family and me. What made me finally do this is seeing New Orleans underwater after Hurricane Katrina and the levees breaking.  What a devastating part of our history… Continue reading

  • A History of Seattle Police: Part 2, East Precinct – Controversy from the Start

    A History of Seattle Police: Part 2, East Precinct – Controversy from the Start

    Content Warning: This post links to an historical newspaper article that uses the term “homosexuals,” which is an outdated term used to characterize gay people as having a psychological disorder. In response to local interest on the history of policing in Seattle and community-driven police reform movements, Shelf Talk presents a three-part series that dives… Continue reading

  • Three on a Theme: Animal Comics

    Animals often figure prominently in comic strips and graphic novels, but the ways in which they are represented and the roles they play in telling a story vary greatly across genres and the works of different authors. Often, animals in the comics genre exist mainly for comedic relief, representing cartoon caricatures or anthropomorphisms that tell… Continue reading

  • Three on a Theme: Vegan Cookbooks for Autumn

    Autumn is a great time of year to turn inwards and do some experimentation in the kitchen, whether this means cooking delicious warm meals or exploring new baked goods to munch on while things get colder and darker outside. This post compiles a list of plant-based (vegan) cooking and baking resources offered by the Library… Continue reading

  • The Story of Film Part 14: New American Independents & The Digital Revolution

    Throughout The Story of Film, we’ve seen how the advent of new technology has changed the face of cinema. Sound, color, and widescreen technology altered filmmaking significantly, and in the 1990s CGI (computer generated imagery) changed cinema again. Suddenly, it seemed anything a filmmaker wanted to show, could be. A vast Roman city, one costing… Continue reading

  • Three on a Theme: Films About Elections

    With the 2020 elections on the horizon and dominating the news cycle, it is a great time to engage with media that focus on various aspects of electoral politics. Here are three documentary films, available for free with your library card to stream on Kanopy, that tell specific lesser-known election stories from the United States… Continue reading

  • Working it Out: From Emancipation to Economic Independence

    After centuries of receiving no or minuscule compensation (by being hired out) for their labor, formerly enslaved people, at the stroke of a pen, were responsible for their own livelihood. Seamstresses, servants, cooks, carpenters, blacksmiths, wheelwrights and masons could ply their trade. Most, however, of this country’s enslaved workforce had been deployed to cultivate monocrops.… Continue reading

  • Who You Gonna Call?

    Life can be uncertain, sometimes things get out of hand, and sometimes things are so bad that you need to call in a professional to solve it. Well, if you need help with an Ancient One, outbreak of werewolves, or just a simple disappearance, then these are the folks to call. (If it’s just ghosts,… Continue reading

  • Three on a Theme: Disability Justice

    2020 is an important year for disability rights in America, as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) turned 30 years old this July. This landmark piece of legislation was the result of the hard work of activists in the disability justice movement, which is still in progress today. Here are some SPL resources from disabled… Continue reading