September 2025
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New Fiction Roundup, October 2025
October finds lots of mystery, horror, and fantasy releases as we dip deeper into Fall. 10/7: All of Us Murderers by KJ Charles Zeb Wyckham, family outcast, nonetheless travels to a relative’s Gothic mansion, where he finds himself unwillingly part of an inheritance scheme. Forming a dubious alliance with his former lover, Zeb digs into… Continue reading
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Nourishing Minds Toolkit Equips Libraries to Support Teen Mental Health
“Library workers are highly skilled at reaching teenagers through many kinds of programming, but many library staff find it a challenge to talk about mental health,” said Luis Gonsalez, The Seattle Public Library’s Digital Media & Learning Program Manager. To address this gap, Luis and other SPL staff have been working with libraries across the… Continue reading
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New Nonfiction Roundup – October 2025
The fall publishing season is in full swing! An amazing array of biographies and memoirs are being released, along with riveting histories, analyses of current events, guides for self-improvement and more. Looking for cooking? Fear not – there’s such a bounty of cookbooks that it will be in its own forthcoming post. And don’t forget… Continue reading
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4 Dark Academia Novels to Read This Fall
As daylight hours wane, the transition to fall is the perfect time to get absorbed in a novel that matches the energy of an eerie evening walk. The literary subgenre of dark academia explores themes of power and deceit, using the shadow of the ivory tower to set the tone for murders, hauntings and speculative… Continue reading
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The Power of Play: New Fall Series Curated by Amy Hirayama
Need a little more comedy, connection and collaboration in your life? This fall, Amy Hirayama, new guest curator for the Library, has created a series of programs, “Serious Play,” which invite us to consider the role of play in collaboration. “Play is such a powerful force for helping us stay curious and keep our imaginations… Continue reading
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A Peek at Peak Picks – October 2025
We’re adding ten new Peak Picks in October! In fiction, Anna North astonishes with the tale of Agnes, an American forensic anthropologist who is called to investigate a body found in a bog in Northwest England – but this body is unlike any she’s ever seen – in Bog Queen; Daniel H. Wilson draws on his… Continue reading
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Why Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author Tessa Hulls Loves the Library
“I am an artist, writer and adventurer, and the library is one of my favorite places in the world,” said Tessa Hulls while at the International District-Chinatown Branch recently. You might know Tessa as the (sometimes) Seattle-based author and illustrator of the graphic memoir, “Feeding Ghosts,” which was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Memoir/Autobiography earlier… Continue reading
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A Commitment to Expand Access and Empower Immigrants and Refugees
There is not such a cradle of democracy upon the earth as the Free Public Library, this republic of letters, where neither rank, office, nor wealth receives the slightest consideration.” – Andrew Carnegie Libraries are essential to an educated, democratic society. Andrew Carnegie recognized that fact in the early 20th century. He funded the establishment… Continue reading
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Hispanic Heritage Month 2025
Hispanic Heritage Month honors the histories and cultures of Latino/Latina/Latinx Americans with ancestry in Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. It is celebrated annually from September 15 to October 15. Librarians at the Seattle Public Library have created some lists to help readers discover and celebrate these voices, with select titles featured… Continue reading
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Middle Grade Fiction that Adults & Kids Will Love
Will I ever outgrow my love for middle grade novels? I think not. And I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to, either! There’s something magical about middle grade novels. They depict the thrills and pains and stumbles that come along with growing up and discovering ourselves. They can tell stories of lives… Continue reading
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Fall 2025 Author and Arts Events at the Library
When is the Library a comedy club? On Wednesday, Sept. 24, when guest curator Amy Hirayama kicks off a series of programs titled “Serious Play,” with a night of comedy gold from local comedians. This fall you can also explore the myth of bringing your authentic self to work with viral Ted Talk speaker Jodi-Ann… Continue reading
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Recent Novels from Washington Authors
From Seattle to Spokane and everywhere in between, Washington is home to many great authors. Check out this (small) selection of 2025 fiction releases by Washington authors. Intemperance by Sonora Jha In this satirical novel out in October, a woman nearing her 55th birthday decides to hold a contest inspired by an Indian ritual in… Continue reading
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Seattle Public Library Resources for a Great School Year
Whether or not you or someone in your family is starting school this fall, there’s something about September that promises a fresh start. It’s a great time to grab some school supplies and write a new script for yourself. Your local library can help! Here are some of our favorite library resources for channeling back-to-school… Continue reading
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New Recommended Reads for Teens – September 2025
A number of local schools publish their annual challenge lists in June and August. Here are some of their top picks for the upcoming school year, for both middle and high school readers! (MS = middle school readers) In Vera Brosgol’s graphic novel Plain Jane and the Mermaid, ordinary Jane finds herself suddenly alone in… Continue reading
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New Fiction Roundup, September 2025
September is back to school season, and whether that is literal for you or more figuratively just a time to return to more bookish pastimes, there are great new releases in September to check out. 9/2: To the Moon and Back by Eliana Ramage Steph Harper, member of the Cherokee Nation, has one goal: to… Continue reading
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How to Get Your Reading Groove Back
Last week, the Library’s own Stesha Brandon was interviewed on KUOW’s Meet Me Here” podcast about a Very Important Topic: How to get out of a reading slump and back into a reading groove. We’ve all had a reading slump, right? You’re reading restlessly, can’t settle in, bored of your favorite genres, looking for something… Continue reading
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27 Libraries, 27 Postcards
Want an excuse to get to know your neighborhood libraries better? Or perhaps you need a cool library-themed bookmark as you sink into fall reading? In honor of Library Card Sign-Up Month (September), The Seattle Public Library is inviting Seattle residents to learn about their neighborhood libraries and how they’re here for you through a… Continue reading
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New Nonfiction Roundup – September 2025
The fall publishing season starts….now! Celebrity biographies (and poetry!), memoir, self care and cookbooks feature heavily this September. In biography and memoir, Charlie Sheen presents how he defied the odds after descending into “a vortex of extracurricular activities” in The Book of Sheen; TLC’s Sister Wives star Christine Brown Woolley pens a memoir about finding… Continue reading