Fiction

  • Theater, Music and Film: February 2023 Events at The Seattle Public Library

    Theater, Music and Film: February 2023 Events at The Seattle Public Library

    We’ve got some amazing author programs and community events planned for February, from Lambda Award-winning novelist Annalee Newitz to Bonnie Garmus, author of the bestselling novel “Lessons in Chemistry”. The Fifth Avenue Theatre is also back with a Sondheim show talk and the South Park Branch is hosting a movie screening with former Washington State… Continue reading

  • What Seattle Read in 2022: Teen Edition

    What are the teenagers checking out these days? We were curious, so as a follow-up to our post on The Seattle Public Library’s most popular books for adults in 2022, we’ve compiled the top-circulated 10 fiction and nonfiction books for teen audiences. It’s a diverse, fascinating list, ranging from award-winning graphic novels to an Ojibwe… Continue reading

  • New Fiction Roundup, January 2023

    New year, new fiction! 2023 gets off to a great start with a slate of engaging general fiction, mysteries, horror, historical fiction, and much more. What will be the first novel you read in 2023? 1/1: Hide by Tracy Clark Chicago detective Harriet Foster is on the hunt for a serial killer who targets redheads.… Continue reading

  • Short Books to End the Year

    As the end of the year approaches, perhaps you’re looking for a short read, either to help you hit a reading goal or to devour during some self-care time as 2022 finishes up. If so, check out one of these reads, all coming in at under 200 pages. The Singing Hills Cycle novels by Nghi… Continue reading

  • New Fiction Roundup, December 2022

    Close out the reading year with gripping mysteries, enthralling historical fiction, and more. 12/6: Animal Life by Audur Ava Ólafsdóttir, translated by Brian FitzGibbon Dómhildur, a midwife in a long line of midwives, discovers decades worth of letters and manuscripts from her grandaunt, and as a storm blankets Reykjavik delves into the archive, she reflects… Continue reading

  • Something You Haven’t Read: Best Fiction Debuts of 2022

    Do you seem to be reading the same authors, and the same books, over and over and over? We’ve got the antidote: check out our list of stellar debut novels from 2022. Get in on the ground floor of these authors’ promising careers. Here’s a small sample of what you’ll find there: The Ghetto Within… Continue reading

  • Seattle Staff Faves 2022: Fiction

    A New Year approaches which can only mean that it is once again time for us to share our Staff Favorites for another year. Here is some of our favorite recent fiction for grown ups – you’ll find the whole list here. Small Game, by Blair Braverman. “A wild chase up to and beyond the… Continue reading

  • New fiction to try this Native American Heritage Month

    Each November we create a fresh edition of our list of novels and stories by Native American writers, and this year’s list has some really terrific titles for just about any taste. Here’s a small sample of what you’ll find there: Probably Ruby, the American debut by Saskatchewan Métis and nêhiyaw poet Lisa Bird-Wilson, tells… Continue reading

  • New Fiction Roundup, November 2022

    Whether you’re looking for a cozy read or a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat, a thought-provoking read or a humorous tale, November has something new for you. 11/1: Days Come and Go by Hemley Boum; translated by Nchanji Njamnsi This chronicle of a rapidly changing Cameroon follows three generations of… Continue reading

  • Let’s Read! The 8 Great Books of the 2023 Global Reading Challenge

    Let’s Read! The 8 Great Books of the 2023 Global Reading Challenge

    Hey fourth and fifth graders, are you ready to read, learn and win? The 2023 Global Reading Challenge launches today, with the unveiling of this year’s books. Now in its 28th year, the Global Reading Challenge is a reading incentive program between the Library and Seattle Public Schools (SPS). Fourth and fifth graders enrolled in… Continue reading

  • 10 Things to Do in November Through The Seattle Public Library

    10 Things to Do in November Through The Seattle Public Library

    It’s almost November, a good time to rediscover the joys of the great indoors. Here is a sampler of interesting and useful things to do through The Seattle Public Library  as we sink deeper into fall and the daylight hours wane. All are free, of course, but some programs do require registration. For much more,… Continue reading

  • November Author Events: Chef Sean Sherman, Cartoonist Megan Kelso, Historian Ada Ferrer and More

    November Author Events: Chef Sean Sherman, Cartoonist Megan Kelso, Historian Ada Ferrer and More

    From Oglala Lakota chef Sean Sherman to Newbery Award-winning children’s author Kwame Alexander, The Seattle Public Library’s November author events feature writers and thinkers who will light you up with stories, history and food for thought. All Library events are free and open to everyone. Most events require registration beforehand, which you can find at… Continue reading

  • A Bus Reads Goodbye

    I had every intention of bringing Bus Reads back once I was in building after maternity leave, but you know, it’s a lot harder to find time to read when you are a new mom – who would have thought?! And while I still had my commute, it was really hard to focus…mom brain really… Continue reading

  • Lucky Thirteen: Scary Short Stories for Kids

    Lucky Thirteen: Scary Short Stories for Kids

    I have a love of short stories that I only discovered as an adult, which is a shame. I think one of the most satisfying things in the world is a well written short story and I think they’re wonderful if you (or your child) are not a big reader. For me it’s attention span… Continue reading

  • New Fiction Roundup – October 2022

    The busy fall publishing season is underway, and October brings a slate of horror novels, new fiction by popular authors Celeste Ng, Barbara Kingsolver, Cormac McCarthy, Orhan Pamuk, Colleen Hoover, and much more. 10/4: The Hero of This Book by Elizabeth McCracken A nameless narrator wanders around London remembering her recently deceased mother, recounting stories… Continue reading

  • ‘The Border Is Everywhere’: Luis Urrea on “The House of Broken Angels”

    ‘The Border Is Everywhere’: Luis Urrea on “The House of Broken Angels”

    Do you have your free ticket to Seattle Reads yet? On Oct. 19-20, renowned Mexican-American author Luis Alberto Urrea will visit Seattle to share his bestselling novel “The House of Broken Angels.” Urrea, who has been described as a “master storyteller with a rock and roll heart,” will appear at El Centro de la Raza’s… Continue reading

  • Drum Roll, Please: The 2022 Washington State Book Award Winners

    Congratulations to the winners of the 2022 Washington State Book Awards! The Washington Center for the Book and the Library selected winners in eight categories for the awards, which honor outstanding books published by Washington authors in 2021. This is the 56th year of the program, formerly called the Governor’s Writers Awards. Join us in… Continue reading

  • New Fiction Roundup, September 2022

    The fall publishing season is upon us! As the days shorten and the rain creeps back, September new releases have something for everyone to curl up with. 9/6: The American Roommate Experiment by Elene Armas Rosie is a writer suffering from writer’s block and temporarily, unexpectedly sharing housing with Spanish tourist Lucas. But Lucas has… Continue reading