Fiction

  • Romantic Wednesdays: If You Liked The Fault in Our Stars

    Posted by Eric G. John Green’s popular and acclaimed novel The Fault in Our Stars gets the big screen treatment this week! Here are some books that form a complementary reading constellation. Somebody Up There Hates You by Hollis Seamon On the surface this story of cancer-stricken teens seems very similar to Green’s novel, but this humorous,… Continue reading

  • A Humble and Delicate Matter

    Posted by Jen B. and Ann G. Recently we posted A Literary Cure for Spring Fever in which we suggested fiction and nonfiction on a single theme. Whether you prefer one or the other, we think it’s important to present good options for maximum understanding of other important topics – like safe sex, emotional intelligence… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Spell Books

    Posted by Eric G. There is no shortage of romance books featuring witches, supernatural creatures and magical goings-on. One of the most prominent tales of the past few years is A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. For fans of this book, the third and final chapter, The Book of Life, is due in July! I’ve… Continue reading

  • Seriously fun fiction

    Posted by Jen B. Literary fiction doesn’t have to be difficult, sad, or highbrow, but finding stellar writing, intriguing characterization and whip-smart wit in popular fiction is a needle-in-a-haystack hunt. Here are four great picks (plus their read-alike cousins) that are thought-provoking, good for discussion and just plain fun to read. The World to Come by Dara Horn There’s… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Mary Stewart, First Lady of Romantic Suspense

    ~posted by Marlene H. Mary Stewart was arguably one of the pioneers of the genre that we now call romantic suspense. Before her, there was gothic horror, where the heroine inevitably does something stupidly dangerous and waits to be rescued, but that isn’t quite the same thing. And there was contemporary romance, where the entire… Continue reading

  • A Smorgasbord, A Potpourri

    Posted by Jenny I could pretend that there is some theme connecting these books, but the truth is, I’ve just been reading around a lot lately. Here are some highlights from my recent perusals. Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys Josie Moraine is a girl living in the seedy side of New Orleans, pulled between her… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Recent Favorites

    ~posted by Eric G. Every month, librarians across the country contribute to LibraryReads, a site that features top ten lists of new, noteworthy books. These lists cover books across all genres that are often missing from other lists, from self-help books to biographies to romance. Here are some recent romance favorites from our nation’s librarians.… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Angels Among Us

    ~Posted by Marlene H. Everyone falls in love. Even angels. Or at least that’s the way it works in paranormal romance. If demons are the ultimate bad boys (and girls) then angels are almost too good to be capable of falling for a simple mortal. Except that in angel romances, of course they do. Sometimes… Continue reading

  • A Literary Cure for Spring Fever

    Posted by Jen B. and Ann G. Ann suggests: Many of us have a literary character who we long to meet in real life.  Mine has changed over time—my first was Harriet the Spy (I wanted to read her secret notebooks).  In Letters to Juliet by Lise and Ceil Friedman, we hear from the people… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Wedding Season

    ~ posted by Eric G. Both of my siblings are getting hitched in the next year, so I’ve got weddings on my mind! In honor of the start of the busy wedding season, I’ve pulled together a list of mostly new wedding-related romance titles. Mazel tov! It Happened One Wedding by Julie James Julie James’… Continue reading

  • Discovering LGBTQ mysteries and detectives

    We’re gearing up for the April 30 event “The Queer Detective” that will feature three northwest mystery writers, which means it’s a great opportunity to take a moment, pull out the old spy glass, and seek out a few of the mysteries that are on SPL’s shelves. LGBT detectives, investigators, and crime solvers are not… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Can’t-Miss Contemporary Series

    Waiting on You by Kristan Higgins Higgins is one of my go-to authors for smart and humorous contemporary romance, and I find myself suggesting her books to a wide range of readers. Once you start one of her warm, character-rich stories, you’ll be laughing, crying, cheering and swooning – sometimes on the same page! This… Continue reading

  • Your Next 5 Books: Entertaining books for vacation

    Readers in Seattle: Did you know you can get a personalized list of recommended reading? Here’s an example of  Your Next 5 Books — a reader’s request and the librarian’s recommendations (these suggestions from Eric at out Northgate Branch): A Seattle reader wrote to us and said: The books that have captivated me most recently are: The… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: the Baddest Bad Boys

    One of the great romantic themes is the redemption romance, or how someone who has been very, very good saves someone who has been very, very bad, all through the power of true love. In Regency romances, this was the “reformation of a rake” story. In paranormal romance, a vampire has been the hero of… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Love and Money

    ~posted by Marlene H. As the saying goes, “the love of money is root of all evil.” But to paraphrase another saying, “everybody needs roots.” Or, to put it the way that a lot of mothers do, “it’s just as easy to fall in love with a rich person as a poor one.” We always… Continue reading

  • Science Fiction Fridays: NW SF & Fantasy Authors Part 4: PORTLAND!

    Posted by Misha The Seattle area is host to so many amazing science fiction and fantasy authors, but Portland is, too. Here are some authors that hail from the Portland area aka PDX aka Portlandia aka Timbers territory: Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: NW Romance Writers

    Posted by Marlene Following in the footsteps of the Science Fiction Fridays series on NW SF & F writers, today’s Romantic Wednesday will take a look at some NW Romance writers. Cherry Adair moved to the Pacific Northwest from South Africa, so it is fitting that the settings of all of her romantic suspense series… Continue reading

  • Science Fiction Fridays: NW SF & Fantasy Writers Part 3: More Influential Writers

    Just like last time, here are more influential Northwest science fiction and fantasy writers who have set and raised the bar for other writers to follow. Continue reading