May 2025
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A Peek at Peak Picks – June 2025
Check out the eleven new books we’re adding to Peak Picks in June! In fiction, from Taylor Jenkins Reid (Daisy Jones & the Six) comes an epic new novel set against the backdrop of the 1980s space shuttle program about the extraordinary lengths we go to live and love beyond our limits in Atmosphere; from Leila Mottley, the… Continue reading
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June 2025 Events: ‘Banned Together,’ Octavia Butler Birthday Bash and More
Looking for something to do while you wait for summer to start? We’ve got you. From a documentary screening about student activists fighting book bans to a birthday bash for legendary writer Octavia Butler, there’s something for everyone at the Library in June. All Library events are free and open to the public. Find information… Continue reading
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Book Bingo NW 2025: Pacific Northwest Nature
Our region offers so many incredible opportunities to experience nature, from the mountains to the Puget Sound, from the Duwamish Green Belt to the Burke-Gilman Trail, to the University of Washington Arboretum right here in Seattle. Here are some reading suggestions to fill your PNW nature square for this year’s Book Bingo! Local author and… Continue reading
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Book Bingo NW 2025: Censorship
While Summer Book Bingo has featured “Banned” as a category for many years (2015-2017) and “Banned or challenged book” in 2022, we still get reader requests to feature “Banned Books” as a category every year. As book bans are increasing, it’s not surprising that readers want to highlight this, but we mostly see the same… Continue reading
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Book Bingo NW 2025: Found Family
While stories of romantic love and family drama are easy to find, many of us, especially queer folks who might be estranged or abandoned by their families of origin, find community, solace, and meaning through a network of friends who become family – also known as “found family” or “chosen family,” which is one of… Continue reading
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6 Books for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month, but often, Pacific Islander and Filipino books and authors are less acknowledged in publishing, articles and displays. Here are some Pacific Islander and Filipino voices to discover in May and beyond. “Kapaemahu,” a picture book by Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson, illustrated by Daniel… Continue reading
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Book Bingo 2025 Goes Big, and Begins Today
Your favorite summer reading adventure begins today, with a plot twist! Every summer we partner with Seattle Arts & Lectures (SAL) for Book Bingo, our summer reading program for adults and teens. For 2025, we are thrilled to share that King County Library System (KCLS) is joining the fun! Readers in all corners of King… Continue reading
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Nightstand Reads with Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times Critic and Author of ‘Storybook Ending’
Ready for some super summer reading recs? We asked Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times arts critic and author of the debut novel “Storybook Ending,” to share some of the books currently crowding her nightstand (virtual and physical). Come celebrate the release of “Storybook Ending” with Moira on Wednesday, May 28 at the Central Library! Registration is… Continue reading
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Historical Fiction for Teens
We’ve updated our list of historical novels for teens. While World War II continues to feed authors’ imaginations, there are also a lot of fantastic stories from other times. Here are a few of our favorites. In Kwame Alexander’s sequel to The Door of No Return, called Black Star, young Charley dreams of becoming the… Continue reading
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Local Pulitzer Prize Talent and More!
The 2025 Pulitzer Prize winners were announced on Tuesday, May 5th, and Seattle (unsurprisingly a City of Literature) was represented incredibly well! Local author and illustrator Tessa Hulls won for Memoir or Autobiography with her incredible graphic memoir Feeding Ghosts, while local author Stacey Levine achieved finalist status for Fiction with Mice 1961, Seattle Times… Continue reading
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Peek at Peak Picks – May 2025
We’re adding ten new Peak Picks in May! In fiction, Ocean Vuong returns with a bighearted novel about chosen family, unexpected friendship, and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive in The Emperor of Gladness; Christina Li’s adult debut reveals the secrets that lie in wait in the crumbling mansion of a former Hollywood… Continue reading
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New Fiction Roundup, May 2025
Summer is nearly here, so queue up your vacation (and everyday) reading with some excellent new May releases. 5/6: All the Mothers by Domenica Ruta Single mom Sandy discovers that her daughter has a half-sibling – and the other mother is actually pretty great? What can family look like? (general fiction) 5/6: Home of the… Continue reading
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University Branch Construction Underway
Construction is underway at The Seattle Public Library’s historically landmarked University Branch, which temporarily closed in January for major renovations, including a seismic retrofit and the installation of an electric HVAC system, which will provide air conditioning and improved ventilation to the branch while reducing carbon emissions. The scope of these renovations will be extensive,… Continue reading
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New Fiction Roundup, May 2025
Summer is nearly here, so queue up your vacation (and everyday) reading with some excellent new May releases. 5/6: All the Mothers by Domenica Ruta Single mom Sandy discovers that her daughter has a half-sibling – and the other mother is actually pretty great? What can family look like? (general fiction) 5/6: Home of the… Continue reading
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New Nonfiction Roundup – May 2025
Welcome to May! In addition to this month’s Peak Picks, there are a lot of excellent new nonfiction books to consider. In biography, Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Ron Chernow illuminates the full, fascinating, and complex life of the writer long celebrated as the father of American literature, Mark Twain; Christopher Clarey examines the influence of Rafael Nadal… Continue reading