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  • Fields of Blood and Sacrifice – Christian Fleetwood and his brothers in the Black Regiments of the Civil War

    Uncommon Valor: a story of race, patriotism and glory in   the final battles of the Civil War, by Melvin Claxton.   Christian Fleetwood was a 23 year old free-born Black man living Baltimore when the recruiters of the 4th US Colored Infantry began assembling their forces.  He joined the ranks on August 17th 1863 and was… Continue reading

  • Using Your Databases

    Many of the databases that the Seattle Public Library subscribes to for you offers information found nowhere on the Web, and most can be accessed from any computer with Internet access. Here’s how: Go to the SPL homepage at  www.spl.org Click on the Databases and Websites link in the middle of the page under the… Continue reading

  • TV Terror: Feb. 17, 2009?

    I was part of the TV panic.  I heard the warnings that my TV would not work in 2009.  Patrons called and asked the same question.  Do we have to throw our televisions in the trash and buy a new one?  Don’t panic! The truth is that you will be able to use your analog TV in… Continue reading

  • Book Group Inspiration

    My book group recently had a discussion of the books that led to our best – and most memorable – discussions ever. It was nice not only to reflect on the many books we’ve read and discussed together, but also look at what makes a “good book club book.” About five or six titles stood… Continue reading

  • Healing the Mind

    Stroke. Brain Damage. Strong words we hear more of these days, with an aging population and engagement in a difficult war with injured soldiers returning to everyday life. Words that call up terrifying images of darkness and loss, for both the injured and their loved ones. Images of diving into the healthcare system like entering… Continue reading

  • His time has (finally) come?

    There’s something in the air this President’s Day. Call it Millard Fillmania. You’ve probably all seen the recent car commercial offering a soap-on-a-rope effigy of the forgotten statesman touted to be the first to take a bath in the White House. (This oft-repeated “fact” was actually a sly hoax perpetrated by H.L. Mencken, by the way). Then there’s John Blumenthal’s… Continue reading

  • Sissy Spacek does Scout

    To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee – Audiobook read by Sissy Spacek If you’re like me, you read this book in high school because you had to but don’t remember all the details.  Harper Lee’s great novel is considered a classic for good reason – it’s powerful and gripping and deals with timeless issues… Continue reading

  • Leaving Deadwood

    One thing I notice when watching some of the edgier television shows released on DVD for home viewing, is the excellent music selections that appear incidentally at the end or in the middle of a show, sort of audio riffs on some pragmatic theme. Whoever is choosing this music has a great ear for matching… Continue reading

  • Goats do roam…in Seattle

    Why is our book Home Cheese Making : Recipes for 75 Homemade Cheeses so popular?  Perhaps because it’s authored by home cheese making superstar Ricki Carroll.  In Seattle,local artisan cheese is readily available at farmer’s markets and grocery stores.  Washington Artisan Cheesemakers Festival takes place each year, even though we are far from Wisconsin.  It’s highly… Continue reading

  • The Romans are here: are you ready?

    Where would you stay if you were able to visit ancient Rome, say in 200 AD? What would you have for dinner? Where would you go for entertainment? What tips would help you survive on those mean, mean, streets? Ancient Rome on Five Denarii a Day by Philip Matyszak purports to be a travel guide… Continue reading

  • Localvore Love

    Barbara Kingsolver’s latest book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life is account of her family’s commitment to growing and raising their own food and to purchase only local food. Those who love Kingsolver’s writing will also enjoy learning more about her localvore lifestyle. Her family’s passion for the subject is wonderfully brought forth… Continue reading

  • America’s Genealogy Bank – an enticing new resource

    Genealogy is the Internet’s second most popular past-time.  At Seattle Public Library we love to work with Genealogists and we’re excited to present a great new electronic resource for our patrons. America’s Genealogy Bank is the perfect complement to our other fabulous genealogy services. From one very easy to use search screen you can review millions… Continue reading

  • Growing Up Small

    A Girl Named Zippy: Growing up Small in Mooreland, Indiana by Haven Kimmel. This witty memoir about growing up in a small town in the 1970s is quirky, endearing and laugh-out-loud funny.  Although populated with some peculiar characters, this autobiography is not a depressing account of dysfunction. There is something joyful and uplifting, though certainly… Continue reading

  • The War in fiction, part 1: Europe

    A War is not one story, but many. Here is the first of three lists of fiction that views the war through many eyes, reflecting the diverse experiences of civilians and soldiers around the world whose lives were drawn into the Second World War. Articles of War by Nick Arvin. Sent to Normandy in 1944,… Continue reading

  • Nonfiction Book Discussions for 2008

    Book groups may occasionally select a biography or a nonfiction title to discuss, but few – except the Nonfiction Book Group here at the Library – are devoted to exclusively reading and discussion nonfiction titles. New members are always welcome! The group meets on the third Tuesday of each month at noon on the 8th… Continue reading

  • Looking for a good read?

    Of course you are!  But the problem is, how to sort through the plethora of reading lists and suggestions?  Wouldn’t it be cool if someone – someone trustworthy – could poll award winning novelists, historians, poets, critics and biographers and then compile the top vote-getters into a tidy list?  Plus, it would be nice if… Continue reading

  • Big Sky Best Bet

    Montana 1948 by Larry Watson. We librarians have certain prized-yet-little-known titles that we return to again and again when suggesting books to readers. Over the years I have recommended Montana, 1948 so many times to readers that I felt the need to go back and give it another read, just to make sure I still… Continue reading

  • Shelf Talk: The Seattle Public Library Blog

    Shelf Talk is created and maintained by the staff of The Seattle Public Library. This is our first post! Seattle loves its libraries. Four out of five Seattlites has a library card (what’s with you other fifth, anyway?), and our per capita library circulation is among the highest in the country. We’ve been ranked the nation’s… Continue reading