July 2021

  • #BookBingoNW2021 Cli-fi or Environmental Non-fiction

    The Cli-fi/Environmental Non-Fiction square offers lots of good reading options! From visions of how the world might look after a climate apocalypse, to intensely personal stories of connection with the land; from accounts of how we got to this point in time, to examinations of the intersection of capitalism and climate; and much more. Check… Continue reading

  • Gardening in the New Normal

        While the unprecedented heat wave that brought triple-digit temperatures to the Pacific Northwest has passed, it has left its mark on the region’s trees and plants. Fir trees with brown patches, rhododendrons with scorched leaves and grass the color of straw dot the landscape. Since we should expect wetter winters and drier summers… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2021 Black Joy

    A short list of good reads that can be applied to the Black Joy 2021 Book Bingo square. These are funny, romantic stories that follow Black characters whose best lives find them. Girl Gurl Grrrl: On womanhood and belonging in the age of Black girl magic by Kenya Hunt, deputy editor of the fashion magazine… Continue reading

  • Pregnancy During Pandemic

    The pandemic was a very odd time to be pregnant. All the ideas I had about community and gathering and connection was very different, but also in a way I didn’t have to share this time with anyone besides just my husband and I. I had a small bubble I could reach out to, I… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2021 Coming of Age

    Looking to fill your book bingo Coming of Age square? Check out one of these titles, in which characters confront confusing situations and pursue big dreams as they enter adulthood. White Ivy by Susie Yang As a teenager, Chinese-American Ivy is caught between the disapproval and harsh parenting style of her parents, and the love… Continue reading

  • Of Food and Love

    As a lover of food media such as the Great British Baking Show, as well as a lover of romances, I am definitely the target audience for romance novels that include a strong food-based storyline. If you are too, or want to see what that means, check out one of these recent romantic comedy novels… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2021 Beach Read

    Fellow readers, let’s talk beach reads. Don’t be put off by the name – these can be read at the beach, sure, but also by a lake; in a park or on your lawn; on your couch – anywhere you’re taking some time for yourself. And any book can be a beach read*, so long… Continue reading

  • What’s Cooking? Fall edition

    The pandemic turned many of us — perhaps not willingly — into home cooks, resulting in cookbooks with long holds queues, printing delays and a publishing industry scrambling to meet demand. While dining in restaurants is resuming, many of us will continue cooking and baking at home for ourselves, family and friends. Here are a… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2021 Small Press

    Those who follow the literary world know the agglomeration of mega-publishers that was once termed the “big six” long ago became the “big five,” and through yet another merger/acquisition will soon become the “big four.” It seems just a matter of time before we’re talking about the “big one.” Fortunately, there are many many small… Continue reading