August 2022

  • New Nonfiction Roundup – September 2022

    The fall publishing season kicks off with some big-name authors, critiques of current events, science and nature reads, and so much more! POLITICS & CURRENT EVENTSIn The Divider, journalists Peter Baker and Susan Glasser consider how Trump evolved to emulate the foreign autocrats he admired as president, while Andrew Kirtzman looks at the rise and… Continue reading

  • A Peak at Peak Picks – September 2022

    Eight new titles are joining Peak Picks in September! For nonfiction, New York Times food writer Melissa Clark’s follow up to Dinner in French features 100 one-pot, one-pan and one-sheet recipes that are perfect for weeknights in Dinner in One; poet Javier Zamora tells the harrowing story of his three-thousand mile journey, alone among strangers… Continue reading

  • American Classics on Audio

    One of the best things about being a librarian is all the great questions we get, and the answers we’re challenged to come up with. Recently I was approached by a patron who grew up on another continent, and for whom English was their third language. They were particularly interested in listening to audiobooks of… Continue reading

  • COVID Vaccine Clinics at The Seattle Public Library

    Public Health – Seattle & King County is hosting free vaccine pop-up clinics at several Library locations this fall. More clinics may be added. First and second doses of vaccines will be available as well as the updated (bivalent) booster for qualified individuals. Walk-ups are welcome, but you can register ahead of time for some… Continue reading

  • Congratulations to the 2022 Washington State Book Award Finalists

    Congratulations to the 2022 Washington State Book Award Finalists

    Congratulations to 39 finalists in eight categories for the 2022 Washington State Book Awards (WSBA) for outstanding books published by Washington authors in 2021. A winner in each category will be announced on September 13, 2022. 2022 WSBA FINALISTS: BOOKS FOR ADULTS CATEGORIES Biography/Memoir Being Seen: One Deafblind Woman’s Fight to End Ableism by Elsa… Continue reading

  • Book Lovers: Meta-textual Romances edition

    Step aside, enemies-to-lovers; editor-to-lover may be the newest romantic trope. Romances set in the world of publishing certainly seem to be having a moment, no doubt spurred on by the wild success of Emily Henry’s Beach Read in 2020 and her follow-up, Book Lovers (currently a Peak Pick!), this year. Get out your red pen… Continue reading

  • August is Women in Translation Month

    August is Women in Translation Month

    If you stop by the Central library this month, you’ll see we have a display celebrating Women in Translation month, an annual celebration of women writers from around the world, writing in languages other than English. Started in 2014, #WITMonth seeks to rectify the imbalance in world literature, promoting women writers from across all walks… Continue reading

  • Chief Librarian Tom Fay Hosts Community Conversation at the High Point Branch

    On Thursday, August 4, Chief Librarian Tom Fay visited The Seattle Public Library’s High Point Branch for the first of what will be a series of Community Conversations with patrons about the future of the Library. These discussions, which will be held at Library locations in neighborhoods across Seattle in 2022 and 2023, give patrons… Continue reading

  • Cooking with Toddlers

    Cooking with Toddlers

    Our kiddo is knocking on the door of becoming a two-year-old and with that I’ve started to see this independent, thoughtful, and inquisitive mind blossom in front of my eyes. Dinner has always been hard since becoming parents, but I’m starting to see the role that he can play in this process so that we… Continue reading

  • Going for #BookBingoNW2022 Blackout? Shoot the moon with these tips

    It’s almost mid-August, and maybe you’ve had an especially good summer for reading. Perhaps you’ve been playing Summer Book Bingo (or Bingo de Libros) and you’ve filled in enough squares that the once impossible-seeming goal of Blackout seems actually … attainable. Except that you’ve left the most challenging squares for last, and you’re not really… Continue reading

  • Summer Scares

    Summer Scares

    Horror novels aren’t just for October! Whether you’re a die-hard horror fan, or a new reader looking to dip your toe into the genre while it’s still light out in the evening, this summer has several books to entice you. The Pallbearers Club by Paul Tremblay This faux-memoir about a formative, youthful friendship where one… Continue reading

  • Craft for a Cause

    I used to volunteer every year for a cause and it used to be my balm when things felt like too much. I rebuilt houses, fed the insecurely housed, and cared for children who had experienced trauma, abuse and neglect. The pandemic and my kiddo put all that on hold. Now more than ever though… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2022: Health or Healthcare Workers

    Summer Book Bingo 2022 deadline is looming! As Sept. 6 draws near, here are some suggestions for folks trying to fill their Health or healthcare workers square – two novels that imagine the lives of nurses, plus nonfiction about building healthcare infrastructure, reflections on medical advancements, and two books for common health concerns. The Pull… Continue reading

  • New Fiction Roundup – August 2022

    August is rich in new fiction options, from a spy thriller, to innovative fantasy, compelling historical fiction, and new books from bestsellers Jamie Ford, Emma Donoghue, Mohsin Hamid, Sarah Addison Allen, and Taylor Jenkins Reid. 8/2: Alias Emma by Ava Glass For her first assignment as a British spy, Emma Makepeace is charged with protecting… Continue reading

  • New Picture Book Format Allows Children to Read Along

    New Picture Book Format Allows Children to Read Along

    Our children’s picture book kits have long been a popular way to listen to a book while you read it, but CD players are getting harder to come by for many families. We are excited to introduce a new format, the Read-Along, into our children’s kits collection. These are hardback picture books with an attached… Continue reading

  • Hit the Reading Trail with 3 Magnolia StoryWalks in August

    With (somewhat) cooler temperatures this week, it’s the perfect time to explore Seattle’s wonderful parks with the young people in your life. In Seattle’s Magnolia neighborhood, rotating StoryWalks® in three locations will be up through August, which means that you can get outside while reading amazing picture books installed along a trail. All featured books… Continue reading