January 2022
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New Nonficton Roundup – February 2022
The shortest month of the year is long on noteworthy nonfiction. In addition to five Peak Picks, check out the best nonfiction that February has to offer. History, Politics & Current Events Garrett M. Graf details the full scope of the most influential political event of the 20th century in Watergate: A New History, while… Continue reading
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A Peek at Peak Picks for February 2022
We’re adding ten new titles to Peak Picks for February! Fiction features two family sagas: estranged siblings reunite over their mother’s death in Charmaine Wilkerson’s debut Black Cake, and Lan Samantha Chang returns after a dozen years with a fresh spin on The Brothers Karamazov in The Family Chao. Nina de Gramont reimagines what happened to… Continue reading
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From Minecraft to Mae Jemison: The Library’s most popular kids’ nonfiction books in 2021
What true stories did Seattle’s children turn to in 2021? While the Library’s most popular fiction books for kids were fairly unsurprising – bestselling titles by Dav Pilkey, Raina Telgemeier and Mo Willems dominated – the most popular kids’ nonfiction books last year were a more varied, surprising collection. Our young Library readers checked out… Continue reading
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The Best in Genre Fiction: 2021
This January, groups of librarians from across the country met up virtually to hash out what they think were the best books published last year. The Notable Books List features literary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry; the Listen List is all about outstanding audiobooks; and The Reading List, which I want to tell you about today, highlights outstanding genre fiction… Continue reading
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Reduced Hours at Most Library Locations Starting Friday, Jan. 21.
Starting Friday, Jan. 21, open hours will be temporarily reduced at most locations of The Seattle Public Library due to staffing shortages related to the current surge of COVID-19 cases in our community. We are making these temporary reductions to provide more consistent and reliable operating hours for Library patrons. Starting Friday, Jan. 21, Library… Continue reading
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What we read in 2021, nonfiction edition: The Library’s most popular nonfiction checkouts of last year
Curious about the nonfiction books that Seattle’s readers turned to in 2021? This is the second in a series on most popular Library checkouts from last year, including e-books and physical books. (See this post for a list of most popular novels of 2021.) This list ranks nonfiction books by combined circulation for e-books and… Continue reading
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Stream Your Own MLK Day Film Fest
As the ongoing pandemic presents challenges for those seeking to observe Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday in ways that are both meaningful and safe, we invite you to stream your own Martin Luther King Jr. film festival. The following documentaries from our collection are all available to stream, right now. (New to streaming movies… Continue reading
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What we read in 2021: The Seattle Public Library’s most popular novels of the year
Curious about the books that Seattle’s readers turned to in 2021? Or perhaps you’re building your booklist for 2022 and want to be inspired by others’ top picks? The Library just released a list of most popular checkouts from last year, including e-books and physical books. Fittingly, the most popular book checked out last was… Continue reading
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Cookbooks and food writing from the past year
Explore dumpling styles from around the world, cook everyday meals rich with Afghan history, get a dose of inspiration from Chinese bakeries, add some Filipino dishes to the next few weeks (and probably forever), or learn how to cook Hawaiian dishes — we have confidence that you can do it all, with the right guide.… Continue reading
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Aging in Place
If you ask most adults where they’d like to live as they grow older, most everyone says that they want to age in their own homes or in their local neighborhoods. It makes sense. People want to feel comfortable and live near familiar streets, parks, stores, and, of course, to neighbors and friends. But, it’s… Continue reading
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New Fiction Roundup – January 2022
Let’s kick off the reading year! January brings us compelling tales of friendship, pulse-pounding thrillers, deep dives into historical eras both real and imagined, and much more. 1/4: Anthem by Noah Hawley In this sprawling near-future thriller, a group of teenagers break out of an anxiety rehab center determined to bring down an evil billionaire,… Continue reading
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New Nonfiction Roundup – January 2022
Happy 2022! The new year in nonfiction starts with guides to self-improvement, assessments of current events, momentous memoirs, and scenes from history. Continue reading
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New Year, Same You
At the beginning of the year, publishers typically release a slew of “new year, new you” books – guides to eating better, losing weight, decluttering your surroundings, and changing your thoughts to become a better person. But 2022 is different, and the trend has moved away from cheery, self-help platitudes and towards the reality of… Continue reading