Fiction
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Alphabet of Crime: Keeping up with the Jameses.
The book’s location is MYSTERY > JAMES. Quick – who’s the author? Chances are you guessed P.D. James, the doyenne of contemporary British crime fiction, who over the past fifty years has penned over a score of titles – most featuring buttoned-down Inspector-cum-Superintendent Adam Dalgliesh – that have consistently raised the bar on what is possible… Continue reading
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Science Fiction Friday: Five books our librarians love
Rimrunners by C.J. Cherryh Intergalactic assassin Bet Yeager finds herself behind enemy lines and on the losing side of a war. Somehow she must stay alive and hide her true identity while making it to friendlier areas of space. (Alliance/Union series, Company Wars #4) The Life Cycle of Software Objects by Ted Chiang A start-up… Continue reading
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SPL Discoveries: David Peace
Okay, maybe we didn’t exactly discover them, but here are writers, old and new, that we’d love to see more readers to discover themselves. It happens this way a lot at the library: call it serendipity in the stacks. I stumbled upon David Peace’s unsettling works quite by chance. Picking up a book titled Occupied City, I was arrested… Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: Finding love in the most unusual places
Who says that love is only in the air in springtime? I personally believe that there is nothing more romantic than fall; the leaves turning red, yellow and brown, while pumpkins begint to line doorways heralding in the greatest holiday of them all. These crisp mornings definitely put me in the mood for some romance… Continue reading
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Crime: Is Dorothy L. Sayers still worth reading?
“Is Dorothy L. Sayers still worth reading?” Well I’ve been reading her lately (in anticipation of the Taproot Theatre’s upcoming production of Gaudy Night), and my unsurprising answer is yes, but why? After all, her hero – Edwardian aristocrat Lord Peter Wimsey – seems at first blush to be just the kind of plummy, pompous plutocrat that we’ve… Continue reading
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Here there be dragons
We here at the Library are very excited to welcome host Rachel Hartman, who will be introducing her new fantasy novel Seraphina, Northeast Branch on September 22 at 6pm. Co-sponsored by University Bookstore, books will be available for purchase and signing at the event. Get yourself pumped for this event by watching Seattle’s own Nancy Pearl… Continue reading
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The Beauty of Browsing
Victor Gischler. Not a name I was familiar with before I happened upon Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse while shelving at my branch. The neon-orange lettering of the title along with the stark contrast of bomb-blast vs. babe gracing the cover really drew my eye and I just had to check it out. I’m not… Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: They are women, hear them roar
There must be something in the air, because I somehow ended up reading three books last week that all featured women kicking some serious butt. It was such a nice change of pace to have a several books with female protagonists who aren’t just emotionally or psychologically resilient, but physically strong as well. The balance… Continue reading
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Crime: Beneath the Antimacassars
I like a dark, creepy Victorian crime novel — the real doozies – stories so strange and bizarre, nobody’s thought of them yet. The Thing about Thugs by Tabish Khair is a doozy. The Victorian mystery as we know it is turned on its head, so to speak, with a “normal” scientist, Captain William T.… Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: Attack of the killer sequels!
The word “sequel” has practically become a pejorative these days, mostly due to horrendous movie sequels that are clunkier, dumber and less fun than the originals. However, the science fiction and fantasy genre has its own share of clunkers. Continue reading
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September Sleuthing: Women Detectives to Die For
Looking for another Stephanie Plum or Kay Scarpetta to slink into your life? Check out these lesser-known women detectives who reveal the darker underbellies of locales from coastal Florida to the Alaskan wilderness. Artifacts, by Mary Anna Evans (Faye Longchamp Mysteries) Aspiring archeologist Faye Longchamp resorts to “pot-hunting” to save her ancestral home, an island… Continue reading
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Nightstand Reads: Seattle author Mary Jane Beaufrand on Ivan the gorilla
We asked Seattle author Mary Jane Beaufrand, author of the young adult mystery Dark River (a finalist for the Edgar award for best mystery) to tell us about notable books she’d recently read. She submitted this blog post before the sad news that Ivan the gorilla died in Atlanta on August 21. Take a look at what… Continue reading
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Summer reading: Columbia Branch readers’ suggestions
Readers from the Columbia City neighborhood share their summer reading suggestions. Continue reading
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Summer reading: Reviews from readers at the Central Library
Once by Cameron Dokey An intricate collection of fairy tales that leave you questioning how the ones you grew up with could be true. A wonderful writer who helps give a second childhood. ~ Autumn Dropped Names by Frank Langella This guy’s first book? Wow! Great insight to some very famous people told with insight and… Continue reading
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Summer Reading: More Reviews from Ballard Readers
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien O’Brien is drafted to go to war and he changes from an innocent adolescent to a war-hardened veteran. ~ Amy To Be Sung Underwater by Tom McNeal This story dealt with coming of age and the main crossroads that change a life. It made me think about love, loyalty and family, and… Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: Game (Not) Over
One of the hottest science fiction novels of the past year is Ernest Cline’s rowdy and richlydetailed virtual reality quest novel, Ready Player One. I think part of the reason for this book’s enthusiastic buzz is that it’s tailor made for science fiction and fantasy nerds of all stripes. The novel is chock full of droll… Continue reading
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Summer reading: More reviews from readers at our Southwest Branch
Geek Love by Katherine Dunn A cult classic I’d avoided because it seemed too grotesque – which it is – but it has an amazing level of depth and brilliance. Mind blowing! ~ Karen Fate Is the Hunter by Ernest J. Gann Commercial flying pre-World War II and events during war. If you think flying is scary… Continue reading
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Summer reading: Suggestions from South Park Branch readers
These are just a sampling of the reviews from readers at our South Park Branch: Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout A wonderful collection of stories about a small town in Maine. Olive Kitteridge, a cranky, volatile and tender hearted woman is the common thread, whether her acquaintances and family know it or not. I highly… Continue reading