December 2021

  • A Peek at Peak Picks for January 2022

    We’re starting 2022 with eight new Peak Picks. ​Fiction features three debuts: A neurodivergent protagonist is at the center of the locked-room mystery The Maid by Nita Prose; the lives of four millennials are told in vignettes in Daphne Palasi Andreades’ Brown Girls; and Puerto Rican siblings cope with family baggage in Olga Dies Dreaming… Continue reading

  • Winter Break Boredom Busters: 12 Family-Friendly Streaming Picks at the Library

    When it comes to raising kids, the years might be short, but the days are very long during winter break, especially when it’s pouring rain outside, and you’re trying to get work done or handle last-minute holiday hassles. Streaming entertainment to the rescue! Through your Library card, you can access hundreds of family-friendly films, TV… Continue reading

  • New to Always Available Audio

    The library has added more than 40 new audiobooks to our collection of Always Available titles. We’ve highlighted some below, but be sure to check out the latest additions to the collection! Nonfiction.In 101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think, Brianna Wiest presents short but provocative essays that guide readers towards seeking wisdom… Continue reading

  • Staff Faves 2021: Graphic Novels

    It seems like both the quantity and quality of graphic novels and graphic nonfiction just keeps increasing every year.  This is great news for readers but it can feel a bit overwhelming when trying to find your next great graphic read. Luckily, our librarians read hundred of titles this year did a fantastic job sorting… Continue reading

  • Staff Faves 2021: Teen Books

    Here are ten books for teens that our staff loved in 2021! Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley “Daunis, who is part Ojibwe, defers attending the University of Michigan to care for her mother and reluctantly becomes involved in the investigation of a series of drug-related deaths.” — NoveList Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi “Ji-young Baek,… Continue reading

  • “Read any Good Books?” Library Tools for Remembering

    “Read any good books this year?” That’s one of my family’s favorite questions around the holiday table. But if the past is any indication, my answer will be something like: “Yes! … If I could only remember them.” I have long wanted an easy, reliable method of keeping track of books I’ve read. I’ve tried… Continue reading

  • Seattle Staff Faves 2021: Fiction

    We asked staff across the system to tell us their favorite novels published in 2021, and what a list we made together! Here are 10 of the 53 books recommended by your library staff, along with a link to the full list for your reading pleasure. A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers “Hugo… Continue reading

  • Seattle Staff Faves 2021: Books for Kids

    We asked our staff across the system for their favorite picture books and chapter books published this past year — and what a tremendous response we had! Here is a sampling of staff faves, with a link at the end to 38 books for the  young readers in  your life. Book descriptions provided either by… Continue reading

  • Go for Baroque

    I’ve long been a fan of realistic, character-driven fiction that focus on the interpersonal relations between couples, siblings, and parents and children. Lately, I’ve been drawn to fiction of a different sort – where strongly developed characters are thrust in over-the-top situations that border on the grotesque. With these three novels from 2021, you can… Continue reading

  • Seattle Staff Faves 2021: Nonfiction

    We asked our staff across the city for their favorite nonfiction books published in 2021 — and what a great list we created together! Here’s a tease of some excellent nonfiction for adults, with a link at the end to the full list of 29 recommendations from your library staff. A Little Devil in America:… Continue reading

  • Yarn Is All You Need

    ‘Tis the season to break out your yarn stash and start making some knots! My mom taught me to crochet at a very young age, though I mainly stuck to anything square shaped like scarfs and blankets. I finally started to branch out this year, and I’m finally making a hat, which inspired me to… Continue reading

  • New Fiction Roundup – December 2021

    The year may be almost over, but the good books keep on coming! Finish your reading year with one (or more) of these interesting reads. 12/1: I’m Not Hungry But I Could Eat by Christopher Gonzalez A collection of 15 short stories about hunger and cravings – in all their forms – featuring bisexual and… Continue reading

  • Library Explainer: Why We Float Collections

    Did you know that some of the Library’s collections are floating again? Or that our floating collections save time and money, decrease hold times and expand the diversity of materials at a branch? In library terms, “floating” means that certain Library collections – such as mysteries, DVDs and children’s comics — stay at the Library… Continue reading

  • New Nonfiction Roundup – December 2021

    The end of 2021 is upon us, signaling “good riddance” to another difficult year and hope that 2022 is an improvement. This month’s nonfiction provides for reflection as well as inspiration for better days to come. Continue reading