Arts & Culture

  • Let me tell you a story

    In March of 2005, I sat down in front of a crowd in our auditorium and read them a story about a man planning to poison his wife. Six years later, our regular lunch hour program Thrilling Tales: A Storytime for Grownups is still going strong on the first and third Mondays of every month,… Continue reading

  • Pie v. Cake

    Cake and cupcakes are still going strong in the Seattle area. Metropolitan Market has a huge mountain of little boxes with specialty cupcakes in them, and I saw a pink cupcake maker at Fred Meyer. When asked, the baker at Met Market said cake sells better than pie. Some of pie lovers admitted liking cake more often… Continue reading

  • 1-5 Overpass Songs

    Like most city commuters, I like to mix it up when it comes to how I get to and from work. I’ve recently moved, so now it’s full on bus both ways. But before I moved, I would usually walk to work and bus home or vice versa. I tried to vary my route so… Continue reading

  • A presidential playlist

    by Linda J. I celebrate Presidents’ Day with gusto ever since I heard Dina Martina sing “The Presidents’ Day Song” during one of her December holiday shows in Seattle. It seemed like an excellent idea for a party and a playlist, so a few years ago I brought cherry pies (to perpetuate the wrongheaded notion… Continue reading

  • Stupid Cupid

    Oh, Valentine’s Day … how I utterly dislike you. Every year I try to avoid this holiday like the plague and try to come up with different ideas so the day doesn’t choke me with its pink tulle grocery store displays, giant 7-Eleven Valentine’s Day cards and red “I LOVE YOU” Mylar balloons. One year I… Continue reading

  • Getting the biggest bang for your download on Freegal

    I love long pieces of music – music where I can be taken somewhere; music that demands to be experienced, not just to be played in the background. Opera? Yep. Symphonies? Definitely. Progressive Rock, Jazz, experimental anything – I’m ready and waiting. When I heard that the library now subscribes to Freegal (an online database… Continue reading

  • And They Lived…

    As children our parents read us stories with happy endings; it’s just part of the innocence of childhood and into adulthood we come to expect that big Hollywood ending. The first movie I saw that didn’t go the way I wanted it to was My Best Friend’s Wedding starring Julia Roberts. I was angry that… Continue reading

  • Mumblewhat?

    “Mumblecore” is a term used to describe a type of movie that’s been flourishing in the last few years: small, independent films where the focus is on dialogue and everyday interactions between characters that are realistic in tone. Many of the movies are made by one group of rotating directors, writers, and actors who work… Continue reading

  • Songs for Winter

    A few months ago, my colleague Misha wrote a great post on Shelf Talk about the albums that make up her autumn soundtrack. Now that the seasons have turned, I’d like to share some of the records I can’t stop listening to when the temperatures drop, the nights grow longer and life slows to a… Continue reading

  • Outcasts & Underdogs

    I love coming-of-age stories. I love them in fiction and in film. But I recently realized that what I love most are coming-of-age stories about outcasts and underdogs. Adolescence (when many, but not all, come-of-age) is pretty awkward for just about everyone, but for some it is a Greek tragedy. Perhaps I identify with these… Continue reading

  • An unlikely ballerina

    Do you have your Nutcracker tickets yet?  Have you ever wondered how a professional dancer develops the speed and agility to portray the moving magical toys that amaze Nutcracker audiences? The book Olga Preobrazhenskaya: a portrait (by Elvira Roné; tr. Fernau Hall) describes both the hard work and rewards in the life of a young… Continue reading

  • Good Shouters

    I was raised listening to two bands: the Rolling Stones and The Beatles. Now that I’m older, I can fully appreciate Mick Jagger’s swagger and his singing, but as a child, I much preferred McCartney and Lennon. Why? Easy. Because they were shouters. Since then, I’ve gravitated toward the shouting musicians. Punk is fun, and… Continue reading

  • Perfect(ly) Ending Movies

    For me, a “perfect ending” to a movie isn’t a wrap up, a happy ending or even a satisfying dénouement. Instead, a movie has a perfect ending when it stops just exactly where it should. Sometimes this is even in the middle of a scene. There’s something magical about ending on an unexpected note, leaving… Continue reading

  • Destination: Bangor, Maine?

    Have you ever noticed how many popular songs mention cities or states?  You could potentially plot a trip by following the geography of pop songs!  Listen to this.  Let’s start where the bluest skies you’ve ever seen are…in Seattle! Then we’ll skip Oregon altogether and open up San Francisco’s Golden Gate and retrieve my heart. … Continue reading

  • Christmas Music for Grinches

    Ok, I’ll admit it: I am a Grinch. Christmas is my least favorite holiday. Why do I despise Christmas? Well, one reason is the music. Most Christmas music is cheesy commercial schlock that gets stuck in your head and torments you for days on end. Worst of all, starting on Black Friday, it is virtually inescapable… Continue reading

  • Craving mystery

    Since the last book in The Spellman Files series has been written, released and read, I long to discover it again. Since I can’t, I gave myself a quest to find read-a-likes to pacify all those who got hooked on the life of Izzie Spellman and her crazy PI family. In Super in the City by Daphne Uviller, Zephyr… Continue reading

  • October 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

  • Music That Says Fall

    The transition from summer to fall in Seattle is often a subtle shift in weather — it gradually grows darker, colder and the leaves turn. As soon as that first chill enters the air, I gladly wear scarves and sweaters and find myself drawn to thicker books and darker, more introspective music. Here are some albums I will… Continue reading