rablogspl

  • Seattle’s Oldest House

    The honor of being Seattle’s oldest house officially belongs to The Ward House at 1423 Boren. But there have been and are other contenders. In May 1985, The Weekly concluded that the Ward House at 1423 Boren built in 1882 by pioneer entrepreneur George W. Ward was Seattle’s oldest surviving residential structure. The structure had stood vacant… Continue reading

  • Summer Reads: Readers from Lake City, Magnolia and Montlake share their suggestions

    There is much inspiration to be found, together with a few journeys down the rabbit hole, in the latest installment of our ongong series that highlights what Seattlites are reading this Summer. We’d love to hear what you’re reading, too! Sign up for the Adult Summer Reading Program and share your recommendations with other book lovers around town.… Continue reading

  • Los santos de Agua Mansa, California de Alex Espinoza

    Our library serves people speaking many different languages. Here is one of them. La Botanica Oshún es el lugar al que acude la gente de Agua Mansa en busca de amuletos, hierbas y velas para calmar sus dolores, para combatir maleficios y embrujos. Este es el hogar de Perla Portillo, el lugar donde ella aprendió… Continue reading

  • Rascally Rabbits

     If you live in Seattle you have probably seen or heard about the unusual design of the newly built Ballard library, its literally green architecture crowned with a softly sloping grass-covered roof.  On sunny days, this roof is a golden meadow replete with bees and even butterflies. When I’m feeling whimsical, I embellish the scene with rabbits–two or three of them. In my mind, they bound joyfully through… Continue reading

  • Countdown to the thrill of victory …

    The summer Olympics in Beijing are just three days away, and the buzz has been steady for weeks. You may have heard the awe-inspiring story of swimmer Dara Torres, who at 41 will be the “first American swimmer to compete in five Olympics and the oldest female swimmer in the history of the Games, according… Continue reading

  • Tour d’Amsterdam, part 2

    In my previous blog entry, Tour de Amsterdam, I mentioned rules learned the hard way while riding a bike in downtown Amsterdam. Recall that biking is a mode of transportation and not the competitive leisure sport as viewed by most Seattlites. The topography of Amsterdam is wonderfully flat! Riding for hours is possible with perhaps… Continue reading

  • Reality with a twist

    Back in May, Shelf Talk presented readers with a series of lists I wrote featuring authors who focus their work on vampire fiction. The goal of these lists was to provide readers with new opportunities to delve into the world of vampires and hopefully get a few suggestions for ourselves (and we did, so thanks!). It… Continue reading

  • August Question of the Month: An irregular series

     The reference librarians at Seattle Public Library are pretty darn amazing. They don’t know everything, instead they know where to find everything. As part of an irregular series of posts we salute the talented and dedicated reference staff at your local library. Names and other identifying information have been removed from the questions we showcase.… Continue reading

  • Summer Reads: Southwest, Northgate and Northeast readers offer suggestions

    Book recommendations are rolling in from all over Seattle as part of the Library’s Adult Summer Reading Program. Readers at the Southwest Branch recommend: When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris I did not want to put this book down. It was so hard to stop reading it and get on with a… Continue reading

  • You Must Learn: A Hip-Hop Education with Black Star

    Among hip-hop fans, the group Black Star is known for its lyrical muscle and strong literary-bent. Members Mos Def and Talib Kweli pack their tightly crafted rhymes with intelligence and wit that seems lacking in much of contemporary hip-hop. Their 1998 album, Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star  was a welcome return to… Continue reading

  • Seafair means Pirates

    Ahoy mates! Shiver me timbers and all that pirate talk.  It’s Seafair in Seattle and for many folks that means the Pirates are in town.  With their booming cannon and boisterous pranks the Seafair Pirates give the kids of Seattle a delicious shiver and scary dreams.  Watching the Pirates kidnap shrieking kids and drag their swords… Continue reading

  • Nightstand Reading: Author Garth Stein and a special guest

    When we asked Garth Stein to share his nightstand reading, the Seattle author of The Art of Racing in the Rain sent us a photo of a rather intriguing tower of books in his to-read pile. Here are his comments on the next four books he’ll be reading: Bonk by Mary Roach It’s got a great… Continue reading

  • Easier searching at www.spl.org

    Did you notice a change on our website on Wednesday?  We’ve made it possible to search the library’s catalog and a wide variety of magazines, encyclopedias and other databases all with one search box.  With one search box you can get results from Time, National Geographic, Business Week, Psychology Today,  the Wall Street Journal, The… Continue reading

  • Summer Reads: High Point, Capitol Hill and Montlake readers offer their suggestions.

    This week we find journeys through space, time and the inner mind, in our ongong series that highlights what Seattlites are reading this Summer. We’d love to hear what you’re reading, too! Sign up for the Adult Summer Reading Program and share your recommendations with other book lovers around town. Readers on Capitol Hill recommend: After Dark… Continue reading

  • Who’s your favorite audio book reader?

    Many of us relinquished the pleasure of listening to stories as part of the process of “growing up.” A couple years ago I realized that I could reclaim that delight, and became hooked on audio books. Now, I can’t imagine riding the bus or walking to work without a good story to listen to. The… Continue reading

  • More Librarians in Fact & Fiction

    Sensible shoes.  Hair in a bun.  Glasses perched on the tip of a nose.  Tweed suits.  Do you recognize the occupation?  Shhhhh!  Whisper the answer!  You’re in the library!  Yes, librarians have been battling this stereotype for years.  Thankfully, books are helping us change our image. While some books work subtly to show librarians in… Continue reading

  • Beyond the Killing Fields

    Curious about my parents’ arrival in the United States, I started exploring and reading information surrounding the horrific genocide that took place between 1975 and 1979, when the Khmer Rouge regime took power in Cambodia. Who was Pol Pot? Who were the Khmer Rouge? And why did they kill their own people? All I knew was that many… Continue reading

  • What’s your treasure?

    My family, like some of yours, has a number of old leather-bound books among our treasures from the past. None of them is in particularly good condition and most of them are too boring to actually read. My Grandfather collected them, so they mostly deal with legal matters. But one small volume of poetry caught my… Continue reading