2024

  • Banned Books for Teens – September 2024

    Banned Books for Teens – September 2024

    In 2023, censors around the nation challenged over 4200 titles in school and public libraries. Here you can see some of the most challenged books and still read them freely, if you wish.  Most of these titles were written for a teen audience, and you can, of course, find them at The Seattle Public Library… Continue reading

  • The Seattle Public Library’s New Fall Hours Schedule To Begin On September 25

    The Seattle Public Library will transition to a new fall hours schedule beginning Wednesday, Sept. 25. The fall schedule will increase the total number of open hours systemwide from 1,283 hours per week to 1,360 hours per week, representing a 6% increase in open hours compared to the current summer hours schedule. While most locations… Continue reading

  • T.A.M.I. and T.N.T., the G.O.A.T? 

    T.A.M.I. and T.N.T., the G.O.A.T? 

    In the mid-60’s, highschoolers were released early with free tickets to Teenage Awards Music International (TAMI)  – a showcase of artists & culture teens were purported to be into at the time. A year later, the same was done for the Big TNT (Tune & Talent) show. Both got it right, to an extent.   Could… Continue reading

  • “The Story Behind Seattle’s Iconic, Eye-Catching Library”: The Central Library at 20

    “The Story Behind Seattle’s Iconic, Eye-Catching Library”: The Central Library at 20

    To acknowledge and celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Central Library, the Seattle Channel just published a terrific piece about the building’s history and architecture, which includes footage of opening day on May 23, 2004, when thousands of people lined up to get a glimpse of the spectacular design they had heard so much about.… Continue reading

  • New Fiction Roundup, September 2024

    September kicks off a busy Fall publication season, with many books by returning favorite authors and much more. Get ready to cozy up to darker and chillier nights with one of the books below! 9/3: Colored Television by Danzy Senna On sabbatical and house-sitting in Los Angeles, Jane works on her second novel, but also… Continue reading

  • New Nonfiction Roundup – September 2024

    We’re back! We took the summer off but are ready to resume our list of notable nonfiction books arriving in September – in addition to our stellar line-up of Peak Picks. We’re kicking it off with cookbooks, including two from celebrities: Dolly Parton teams up with her sister Rachel for a year of meals, friends… Continue reading

  • September Author Events: Fantasy, Reproductive Health, Banned Books Letterpress

    We’re kicking off this energetic month with an amazing lineup of author and community events, including New York Times bestselling author Aiden Thomas (“Celestial Monsters”), Lambda finalist Garth Greenwell (“Small Rain”) and reproductive health expert Dr. Karen Tang (“It’s Not Hysteria”) in conversation with Tik Tok sensation Jane Park. You’ll also get a chance to… Continue reading

  • From Horror to Romance, Round out Summer With These 4 Beach Reads

    Ready for a new twist on the beach read? Although “beach read” often conjures up images of breezy romances or gripping thrillers, we would argue that the classic summer novel is less about the content and more about the experience: something you read only for pleasure and that immerses you entirely in the story. Here… Continue reading

  • August is Women in Translation Month

    August is coming to a close, but there’s still time to celebrate Women in Translation Month by reading a book written by a woman writing in a language other than English! Choose from the titles below; from this list of select 2024 titles; or strike out on your own. Elevator in Saì Gòn by Thuận,… Continue reading

  • Book Bingo NW 2024: LGBTQIA+ Poetry/Essays

    Colleen Lindsay, Bookseller at Charlie’s Queer Books, offers suggestions to fill your “LGBQTIA+ Poetry/Essays” AND “Suggested by an Independent Bookseller” squares for Book Bingo NW 2024. Since we’re headed toward the last weeks of Book Bingo, I thought I’d share a few suggestions for a category that sometimes intimidates readers: queer poetry and essays. Don’t… Continue reading

  • A Peek at Peak Picks – August and September 2024

    We’re adding fourteen new titles to Peak Picks over the next several weeks! In fiction, In fiction, Danzy Senza delivers a brilliant dark comedy with Colored Television, about love and ambition, failure and reinvention, and the racial- identity-industrial complex; from Rachel Kushner comes Creation Lake, about a seductive and cunning American woman who infiltrates an… Continue reading

  • Cool News: The Final 5 Library Branches Will Get AC, Thanks to City’s FEMA Grant

    Cool News: The Final 5 Library Branches Will Get AC, Thanks to City’s FEMA Grant

    Yesterday afternoon, Tuesday Aug. 20, Mayor Bruce Harrell, Chief Librarian Tom Fay, and leaders from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) gathered at the University Branch to announce a groundbreaking FEMA grant that will bring air conditioning to the last five Library branches without it. The grant is part of Seattle’s climate adaption efforts, expanding… Continue reading

  • Summer Books You May Have Missed, Part Two

    During this long shadow of ransomware-attack recovery, the rest of the world still turns and books have continued to be published! As our systems finally begin to normalize and the flow of new releases and holds-placing resumes, here are some fiction titles published in July and August that may be of interest. This is Part… Continue reading

  • Summer Books You May Have Missed, Part One

    During this long shadow of ransomware-attack recovery, the rest of the world has continued to turn, and books have continued to be published! As our systems finally begin to normalize and the flow of new releases and holds-placing resumes, here are some fiction titles published in June and early July that may be of interest.… Continue reading

  • Make a Difference by Serving as a Volunteer Tutor at The Seattle Public Library

    Want to support literacy and learning and make a difference? The Seattle Public Library is looking for volunteers for our free after-school tutoring program, Homework Help, as well as our free adult education program. To find out more and apply, go to www.spl.org/Volunteer. Homework Help, which will be offered in nine branches for the 2024-25… Continue reading

  • Seattle Gay News Celebrates 50 Years!

    Seattle Gay News Celebrates 50 Years!

    As we know, Pride celebrations don’t end when June is over – and a great way to keep celebrating is with the Seattle Gay News Celebrates 50 Years Exhibit, currently on view at the Central Library’s Level 8 Gallery through August 25th! On view are excerpts from and commentary on the paper focusing on such… Continue reading

  • Book Bingo NW 2024: In Translation

    This summer, check out a book in translation! Translated works allow the reader to find new stories and perspectives, delving into another viewpoint or geography through language and story. To fill the In Translation square on your Seattle Public Library #BookBingoNW2024 board, check out the titles suggested below, or find 25 more on this list:… Continue reading

  • Books About Books: Mystery/Thrillers

    Books About Books: Mystery/Thrillers

    I love reading books about books. Even better? When they are unputdownable mysteries or thrillers! Here are some of my favorites:   The Writing Retreat – When Alex is given the opportunity to participate in a month-long writing retreat hosted by the famous horror writer Roza Vallo, she accepts the offer despite the fact that… Continue reading