Fiction

  • Adult Summer Reading Challenge: Contemporary Romance

    By Selby G. Set in the here and now, contemporary romance novels deal not only with love but also current social issues. Single motherhood, military members with PTSD and illness feature heavily in these works. Contemporary romance can run the gambit from chaste kisses between potential partners in an idyllic small town to drinking too… Continue reading

  • Find the Zoo at the Library!

    A visit to the zoo is a great family outing during the summer months, and sharing a book or two with your kids before, during, or after your visit can be a great way to infuse literacy and learning into a fun filled day with the animals. There are so many great books about the… Continue reading

  • Staff favorites: books with attitude

    Posted by Jen B. The 2014 Spring/Summer edition of Staff Favorites is now available! Here, in their own words, Library staff members talk about why they love books with attitude. The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey Ever wonder where the colloquial term “monkey wrench” comes from? Abbey’s zany characters show us how to sabotage… Continue reading

  • Staff favorites: fantasy

    Posted by Jen B. The 2014 Spring/Summer edition of Staff Favorites is now available! Here, in their own words, Library staff members share some great fantasy fiction for your summer reading list. The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Real Magic by Emily Croy Barker A doctoral candidate on the verge of ditching her thesis takes a… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Best Bets for the Beach

    Posted by Eric G. I know what you’re thinking: aren’t most romance books good for the beach? Despite this embarrassment of riches, I handpicked some recent, particularly noteworthy novels to slip into your beach bag. The Beekeeper’s Ball by Susan Wiggs In this sunny sequel to one of my favorite romance books of 2013, The… Continue reading

  • Staff favorites: literary fiction

    Posted by Jen B. The 2014 Summer edition of Staff Favorites is now available at our favorite branch! Here, in their own words, Library staff members share some great literary fiction for your summer reading list. The Plague by Albert Camus The plague is quiet. Is there misguided hope that there is some civility in… Continue reading

  • Immerse Yourself in Bastille Day

    By Jen B and Ann G This Monday, July 14, is the 225th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille – when Parians invaded the fortress and prompted the French Revolution. The Bastille was for them a symbol of everything the uncaring old regime and its bloated monarchy stood for. The violence and passion of the attack… Continue reading

  • Reading challenge for adults: How many romance genres can you read this summer?

    Posted by Selby G. How many genres of romance novels can you read this summer? Romance novels make up roughly 30 percent of the books sold in the U.S. They range from sweet stories about small town girls finding the perfect cowboy to plaid-clad highlanders seducing innocent heiresses and shape-shifting dragons fighting demons and finding… Continue reading

  • Staff favorites: Mysteries

    Posted by Jen B. The 2014 spring/summer edition of Staff Favorites is now available in library branches near you! We’ve included a few tantalizing titles to whet your appetite for more. Here, in their own words, Library staff members share some great mysteries to add to your summer reading list. The Sweetness at the Bottom… Continue reading

  • Family Reads: Trains and Trails

    Summer is finally here! Kids are out of school and vacations are under way, which means it’s a great time for kids to stock up on some great summer reads. I always love to start summer with a grand adventure, and I think many kids will as well. Kenneth Oppel’s The Boundless fits the bill… Continue reading

  • A Milestone for the Beacon Hill Branch

    ~posted by Diane In July of 2004, the Beacon Hill Branch Library moved into a brand new 10,000 sq. ft. building, a sea change from the 3,000 sq. ft. storefront that had been our home since 1962.  Now 10 years old, we will celebrate with a neighborhood birthday party on July 12th from 12:30-5:30 p.m.… Continue reading

  • Medieval cathedrals reach for heaven

    ~ Posted by Ann G. and Jen B., who have contributed several posts together on different subjects as portrayed in nonfiction and in fiction. Brunelleschi’s Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture by Ross King Imagine that you had to climb Mt. Everest– as Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay did, with no modern climbing equipment and 44-pound… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: LGBTQ Pride

    Posted by Eric G. It’s been 45 years since Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning (LGBTQ) New Yorkers fought back against police harassment at the Stonewall Inn in New York City, helping to usher in the modern LGBTQ rights movement. This weekend is also the 40th Anniversary of the Seattle Pride Parade, which was lucky… Continue reading

  • Nightstand Reads: Christopher Barzak, author of “Before and Afterlives,” shares what he’s reading

    Christopher Barzak will be reading from his recent collection of short stories, Before and Afterlives, on Wednesday, June 25th at the Central Library on Level 4, Room 2 at 7:00 p.m. His novel One for Sorrow was recently made into the film Jamie Marks is Dead, starring Liv Tyler and Judy Greer. Christopher was kind enough… Continue reading

  • The Books That Kept Me Up All Night

    There are good books and there great books—and then there are the books that you simply can’t put down. Work, friends, sleep—it doesn’t matter. Everything else fades away and all you can think about is finishing that book. This is my favorite thing about reading, and it’s what I hope will happen every time I… Continue reading

  • KIRO MyNorthwest: Vacation reads from Seattle librarians

    KIRO’s MyNorthwest asked our librarians for vacation reading suggestions. This slideshow on MyNorthwest includes 13 novels, with brief descriptions from librarians in SPL’s Reader Services. To make it easy to place holds, here’s that same list in our catalog.: Seattle Summer Reads 2014   Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Making the Roaring 20s Roar

    ~posted by Marlene H. What made the Roaring 20s roar? Or in the case of romance, maybe that should be RAWR! Thanks to Downton Abbey, there has been a revival of stories set in the 1920s, and wow! Not all stories with romance in them are necessarily romances. But romance certainly adds spice to a… Continue reading

  • Science Fiction Fridays: Consider The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan

    You should read The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan (and later, Brandon Sanderson). Here’s a listing of the series in order. Now, I know what you’re thinking: it’s so long (14 books)! And those covers (truly hideous)! And those names (Aviendha? Nynaeve? And best of all Cadsuane)!  And it’s so long! Truly, there are many, many… Continue reading