June 2023

  • Camp NaNoWriMo

    In addition to the big National Novel Writing Month that happens every November, NaNoWriMo also hosts two writing camps, one in April and one in July. These camps can be used to do a variety of writing projects, including finishing your novel, revising/editing a novel, planning for a new one, or world building. The main… Continue reading

  • July 2023 Author and Community Events at the Library

    July 2023 Author and Community Events at the Library

    July is a great time to come to a Library program, outdoors and indoors. Wander a StoryWalk® featuring books by Indigenous authors in four locations around Magnolia; enjoy a night of spoken word, dance and choir with Path With Art at the Central Library; and listen to readings from award-winning authors including Karen Lord, Silvia… Continue reading

  • A Peek at Peak Picks – July 2023

    Eight books are joining Peak Picks in July! In fiction, Colson Whitehead’s follow up to Harlem Shuffle finds furniture store owner Ray Carney dragged back into the criminal underworld in Crook Manifesto; portrait artist Sadie Montgomery’s onset of face blindness following a medical procedure gone awry gets in the way of a budding relationship in… Continue reading

  • Three on a Theme: Mermaids

    With the live-action Little Mermaid in theatres, mermaids are on my mind! Are they on yours too? While they are often depicted as beautiful and sweet in pop culture and children’s fiction, these mythic creatures may haunt your nightmares after reading these three speculative fiction titles. Bonus: included are some relevant categories to help you… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2023: Peak Picks Edition! True Crime or Crime Fiction

    Looking for a book without holds to help you make your Book Bingo? Check out one of these Peak Pick titles that fit the True Crime or Crime Fiction category! Pro tip: Click on “Availability by Location” to see what branches have that title on hand. In S.A. Crosby’s All the Sinners Bleed, Sherriff Titus… Continue reading

  • Traveling Short Story Dispensers Land at the Capitol Hill and Southwest Branches

    Traveling Short Story Dispensers Land at the Capitol Hill and Southwest Branches

    Do you like “choose your own adventure” stories, the “I’m feeling lucky” button on Google and mystery bags? Then you’ll love ordering up a short story at one of the Library’s two traveling short story dispensers, which have just taken up residence at the Capitol Hill and Southwest branches. Created and curated by the French… Continue reading

  • Hot Monster Summer

    A friend of mine recently showed me a funny new twist on the “Hot Girl Summer” trend: Hot Orc Summer. As a fan of all kinds of romance, my brain immediately went to the currently exploding subgenre of Monster Romances! Here’s some highlights from the genre. And remember, if SPL doesn’t have a title you… Continue reading

  • It’s Queer To Be (Pioneer) Square!

    It’s Pride season, which is a time that I always take to reflect not just on where the LGBTQ+ community is heading, but where it’s been. Librarians in the Central Library History department have been working with HistoryLink and local storyteller Rosette Royale to create opportunities for our community to join us in those reflections.… Continue reading

  • Teen Pride, June 2023

    Teen Pride, June 2023

    Every June is a month for LGBTQIA+ Pride, and this year is no different. Enjoy these newer teen titles with pride! In How to Excavate a Heart by Jake Maia Arlow, Shani finds herself stuck over winter break with May, a girl she almost ran over. Can the two girls spend the holidays together and… Continue reading

  • World Wide Knit in Public Day

    World Wide Knit in Public Day is June 10th! While perusing the shelves at Central Library, I came across Barbara Levine’s photography book People Knitting and realized that World Wide Knit in Public Day is tomorrow, Saturday, June 10th! I hope some of our latest knitting books inspire you to get out and knit in… Continue reading

  • COVID Vaccine Clinics at The Seattle Public Library – Summer 2023

    Have you gotten your COVID vaccine booster so you can safely gather with friends this summer? Get it done during a trip to the Library. Public Health – Seattle & King County is hosting free community vaccine clinics at a number of Library locations over the next few weeks. All approved vaccines will be available for… Continue reading

  • New Fiction Round-up, June 2023

    New Fiction Round-up, June 2023

    Whether you’re traveling this summer or staying close to home, these new novels coming out in June will keep you busy with summer reading. 6/6: All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. CosbyFormer FBI agent Titus Crown is one year into his tenure as the first Black sheriff in Charon County, Virginia, when a murder leads… Continue reading

  • New Nonfiction Roundup – June 2023

      Add to your TBR pile with some of the best nonfiction that June has to offer. Richard Rothstein (The Color of Law) teams up with daughter Leah for a primer on challenging segregation in the 21st century in Just Action. David Neiwert traces the radical right’s assault on democracy to its roots in the… Continue reading

  • Summer Hours for 4 Library Branches

    Summer is coming, which means (hopefully) that many days of sunshine are ahead. It also means that The Seattle Public Library’s non air conditioned branches sometimes have to close early for the comfort and safety of our staff and patrons. To help reduce heat-related closures this summer, the Library is shifting hours for four of… Continue reading