November 2023

  • A Day With(out) Art

    A Day With(out) Art

    By the late 1980’s, the AIDS crisis had reached a fever pitch in the United States. Afflicting primarily (but not exclusively) the gay male population, tens of thousands of people were dying every year, with elected officials responding at a snail’s pace, if at all. To emphasize the impact this was having on the arts… Continue reading

  • Scan and Fax at the Library with ScanEZ!

    While new technology can sometimes feel intimidating, the self-assuredly named ScanEZ kiosk, freely available for use at almost all library locations, exceeds expectations and lives up to its name! It’s a straight-forward process that’s (almost) impossible to mess up. You select the scanner that you want to use, either a flatbed for large or one-at-a-time… Continue reading

  • Five on a Theme: Cozy Mysteries

    It’s chilly and the days are growing shorter, which means it’s perfect timing for a mystery! Last month we talked about cozy horror; this month we are talking about cozy mysteries. This is arguably the most familiar of the “cozy” subgenres. Bookish Brews defines cozy mysteries as “a sub-genre of crime fiction, where sex, violence,… Continue reading

  • Fictive Clubs, pt. 1: Killer Clubs

    During my perusals of the online stacks at the library, I’ve noticed there are a lot of books that have to do with clubs of one sort or another. While book clubs might be the most common, there are other, far deadlier fictive clubs.  Here’s a highlight of some killer clubs. In The Dead Girls… Continue reading

  • Characters with Real World Problems – No Matter the Genre

    Rich and royal characters are a mainstay in literature. We do like to know what it is like to have it all. To live in opulence and navigate the world with ease is something we are told to aspire to, so culturally we gravitate to depictions of wealth and plentitude. Plus, we also love learning… Continue reading

  • Native American Heritage Month Book Highlights

    In honor of November as Native American Heritage Month, check out these recent fiction and nonfiction titles for adults, or dig deeper with longer lists of Native American Fiction and Native American Nonfiction. Calling for a Blanket Dance by Oscar Hokeah (fiction) We are made of the stories we tell, and that are told about… Continue reading

  • Cozy Fantasy for the Long Dark

    As we settle in and prepare for the Long Dark in Seattle, grab a mug of your favorite tea, your coziest blanket, and cuddle up with these low stakes, high comfort fantasy reads. Regional author and audio book narrator extraordinaire Travis Baldree made an unexpected splash in the fantasy market with his first novel Legends… Continue reading

  • (Steam)Punk’s Not Dead

    Remember steampunk, that intriguing genre of “What If…,” featuring fantastic steam-powered machines, airships, clever sartorial uses of brass, and goggles, all set against a Victorian backdrop? What about its close speculative subgenre cousin, gaslamp fantasy? With the recent release of Jim Butcher’s The Olympian Affair, the second book in his steampunk Cinder Spire series, it’s… Continue reading

  • Find Your Next Read with NoveList Plus

    While we at the Library are always happy to help you find your next great book, or even Your Next 5, the library also exists to help you get comfortable with research and resources! My absolute favorite library resource (I’ve been known to break it out at dinner parties) is NoveList Plus, a database of… Continue reading

  • Watch in the Dark: Film Noir Picks for Your Dark and Stormy Nights

    Watch in the Dark: Film Noir Picks for Your Dark and Stormy Nights

    It’s getting darker, folks. Sad about shorter days? Why not fill your longer nights with movies! Once we truly inhabit Seattle’s usual noir state…tumbling into the unrelenting dark, opting against navigating rain-slicked streets, and becoming actually as well as metaphorically more internal, it becomes time to embrace rather than turn away from the darkness without… Continue reading

  • New Nonfiction Roundup – November 2023

      November brings a cornucopia of notable and newsworthy nonfiction! Leading the pack is My Name is Barbra, Ms. Streisand’s highly anticipated 992 page(!) memoir. Not a fan of Babs? Other memoirs to consider include Elvis and the Colonel, Greg McDonald’s look at the most legendary partnership in show business, and Jennifer Burns’ biography of… Continue reading

  • New fiction roundup, November 2023

    The days are short, the nights are long … curl up with a thriller, a romance, or some thought provoking general fiction. 11/1: The Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen This first in a new series from the Rizzoli & Isles author finds retired spy Maggie Bird turning to her book club of former spies to… Continue reading

  • Take 10 to Help Shape the Future of The Seattle Public Library

    For 130 years, The Seattle Public Library has been valued and supported by the people of Seattle. Now, we are making plans for the future and we need your feedback. As you may have read, the Library has been engaged in an intensive strategic planning process about how to meet the evolving needs of the… Continue reading

  • Indigenous Fiction and Nonfiction for Teens

    To honor Native American Heritage Month, here are some of the newest titles by Indigenous authors of North America. Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley Working at a summer job that brings her to the local tribal heritage museum, Perry learns of the Warrior Girl, an ancestor of her people whose bones and knives are… Continue reading