Fiction
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Go for Baroque
I’ve long been a fan of realistic, character-driven fiction that focus on the interpersonal relations between couples, siblings, and parents and children. Lately, I’ve been drawn to fiction of a different sort – where strongly developed characters are thrust in over-the-top situations that border on the grotesque. With these three novels from 2021, you can… Continue reading
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New Fiction Roundup – December 2021
The year may be almost over, but the good books keep on coming! Finish your reading year with one (or more) of these interesting reads. 12/1: I’m Not Hungry But I Could Eat by Christopher Gonzalez A collection of 15 short stories about hunger and cravings – in all their forms – featuring bisexual and… Continue reading
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Library Explainer: Why We Float Collections
Did you know that some of the Library’s collections are floating again? Or that our floating collections save time and money, decrease hold times and expand the diversity of materials at a branch? In library terms, “floating” means that certain Library collections – such as mysteries, DVDs and children’s comics — stay at the Library… Continue reading
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You’re On a Train
A train is a great setting for a novel because it inherently heightens the tension and conflict – the characters are all trapped together, with a limited number of chances (station stops) to leave. Enjoy this handful of books set on trains. Continue reading
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Ready, Set, Read! The 8 Great Books of the 2022 Global Reading Challenge
All over Seattle, fourth and fifth graders are forming teams and starting to turn pages for the 2022 Global Reading Challenge, which launched earlier in November with the announcement of this year’s books. Now in its 27th year, the Global Reading Challenge is a reading incentive collaboration between the Library and Seattle Public Schools. Fourth… Continue reading
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Books for the Young Hockey Fan
It seems everyone in Seattle has hockey fever right now – even the kids. Here’s everything you need to capture the interest of even the youngest hockey fans. Ice Clash, by Emma Carlson Berne. Their losses started when their new coach replaced 12-year-old Louise with his own son, refusing to accept that the team’s true… Continue reading
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Talking Romance (and Sci-Fi and Speculative Fiction) with Librarian Misha Stone
At the Emerald City Writers’ Conference in October, the Greater Seattle Romance Writers of America (GSRWA) named our very own Adult Services Librarian Misha Stone their Librarian of the Year, citing Misha’s commitment to promoting the romance genre and uplifting traditionally marginalized voices. Misha has been a librarian in the Seattle area since graduating from… Continue reading
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Cozy Mysteries of the Magical Variety
In the wake of Halloween, All Saint’s Eve, Samhain, and Dia De Los Muertos, there’s quite a bit of magic lingering in the air. The leaves have turned, the weather is harsher, and the nights are chilling. Many peoples view this time of year as the time to honor their ancestors as the veil between… Continue reading
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Library Explainer: A Peek at Picking Peak Picks
Editor’s note: This is a new, occasional series that looks behind the scenes at the Library to explain something readers want to know about. Have a burning Library question? Email communications@spl.org. If you’ve visited one of our neighborhood libraries in the past few years, you’ve likely noticed a display of Peak Picks books and stopped… Continue reading
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New Fiction Roundup – November 2021
11/2: All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M Morris Ellice Littlejohn, the sole Black lawyer at a high powered corporate law firm, finds her boss (and secret lover) dead in his office. When she’s unexpectedly promoted to his position, something feels off, and the more she digs into corporate politics the more her own secrets… Continue reading
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Fall Into Reading: Beyond Halloween
The leaves are crunching beneath our boot heels, the sweaters are coming out of the corners of our closets, and cozying up with a book goes along with this season like a warm fire and fuzzy socks! Fall into the season with these reads celebrating all the various festivities the season has to offer! The… Continue reading
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Witchy Reads
Fiction has been awfully witchy this year, with strong showings across historical fiction, romance, and general fiction. For your reading pleasure, an incomplete list: HISTORICAL FICTION Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch by Rivka Galchen In 1615 Germany, 74-year-old Katharina Kepler is accused of witchcraft, an accusation she shrugs off until it starts to… Continue reading
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Horror Comes Home
Alright, it’s spooky season people! Horror has a long tradition of scary houses and liminal spaces, and this year’s horror novels feature a great slate of haunted properties: from a former plantation in the American South to a condo in Chicago and cabin in Colorado, from an ancestral home in an historic England-like country to… Continue reading
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New Fiction Roundup – October 2021
October’s fiction release calendar finds plenty of new horror, from the slightly creepy to the gory; new titles by big names, such as Jonathan Franzen and Amor Towles; a debut from an astronaut; a posthumous release by a master of spy fiction; and much much more. 10/5: The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman In… Continue reading
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50 Ways to Find Romance at your Local Library
No, not that kind of romance, silly! Not that we don’t know some wonderful couples who first met at the public library, but we’re not recommending our libraries as pick up spots: that would be creepy. However, every week dozens of new fresh romance novels arrive on our shelves, ready to be taken home by… Continue reading
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Fall into a Cozy Mystery, 2021
As the weather turns and the rains begin, I love nothing better than to curl up with a good book. Cozy mysteries are a genre I’ve recently discovered, only to lament that I hadn’t started reading them sooner! Don’t let the pun-filled titles deter you from this warm, light, and friendly genre, which is often… Continue reading
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Watch and Read: Sweet Tooth
Those of us who have watched Sweet Tooth know that it’s a show that’s easy to love. The series takes place after an apocalyptic event called “The Great Crumble,” which kills off much of Earth’s human population due to a virus. Babies born in its wake develop certain animal characteristics. Gus, the main protagonist, resembles… Continue reading
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The End of Men
Not really! But this plot premise is popping up in recent fiction, usually as a virus that only targets men and leads to their widespread demise as the world collectively panics. Is now the best time to read about rampant viruses? Maybe not. But if you want to distract yourself from our current viral situation… Continue reading