Nonfiction
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Book Bingo NW 2026: PNW Black, Indigenous, or POC Author
Every year readers request Local Authors of Pacific Northwest as a general category, because reading about this place we call home can be so inspiring. But let’s be honest—not all local authors get the same attention and broad readership as others, and this is especially the case for authors of color. Here are some PNW Black, Indigenous, or POC titles to try: Red Paint:… Continue reading
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Listen Up: Looking at Seattle’s Love of E-Audiobooks
Have you become an e-audiobook convert in recent years? Perhaps you’ve discovered the appeal of full-cast recordings, the satisfaction of making your way through a book while walking or weeding, or the joy of being read to by Meryl Streep. If so, you’re in good company. The Seattle Public Library’s e-audiobook checkouts have more than… Continue reading
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Book Bingo NW 2026: Queer/Trans Voices
We love reading books by queer and trans voices all year round, but here are some to finish out Pride Month and count towards your Book Bingo reading goals! Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar is a meditative, slyly comic novel about a poet and recovering addict, Cyrus Shams, who ruminates on grief, sacrifice, and art in the… Continue reading
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Lambda Literary Award Winners
The Lambda Literary Awards, highlighting LGBTQ+ writers across genres, identities, experiences, age ranges, and categories, are the perfect blend of Pride Month and the library, showcasing the best in queer books. The 2026 winners were just announced, and any of these would be great options for your Queer/Trans voices Book Bingo square! With 26 categories… Continue reading
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LGBTQ+ Books Worth Seeking Out This Pride Month
This June, we’re going beyond the bestseller lists with books we keep pressing into people’s hands because we can’t stop thinking about them. “Hurricane Envy” by Sara Jaffe Portland writer Jaffe’s collection of short stories finds her characters caught in liminal moments. Jaffe deftly captures the palpable tension when all options feel like a compromise. Her… Continue reading
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New Nonfiction Roundup – June 2026
Whether you’re looking for your next great read or looking to check off a Book Bingo square, June has some great new nonfiction to consider (in addition to June’s Peak Picks). Politicos, AI skeptics, and anyone else who wants to take a deep dive on recent events have a lot of options this month. Cory… Continue reading
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Book Bingo NW 2026: Historical
One of the goals of Book Bingo is to have as many entry points as possible for readers, and the “Historical” category is a great example. An alternate history speculative fiction? Check! A biography of a historical figure? Perfect! A Regency romance? That works! If you’re looking for somewhere to start, try one of these,… Continue reading
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Book Bingo NW 2026: Honorable Mentions
Every year, dozens of excellent books that are nominated for major book awards every year, but don’t quite make it over the finish line. Just because a book didn’t win doesn’t mean it isn’t worth your time. Celebrate these also-rans and runners-up, and check off a Book Bingo square, with books that were nominated, longlisted… Continue reading
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A Peek at Peak Picks – June 2026
We’re adding ten new Peak Picks in June! In fiction, from Lisa See comes the story of three Chinese women whose unexpected friendship helps them survive and, despite the odds, thrive, in the turmoil of post-Civil War Los Angeles in Daughters of the Sun and Moon; Paul Tremblay delivers a genre-bending near-future tech nightmare that… Continue reading
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Ready, Set, Book Bingo 2026
Happy Book Bingo Day! Just in time for Memorial Day weekend, the 12th annual Book Bingo launches with a beautiful board of 24 reading challenges that invites adults to read adventurously all summer and to connect with friends, family, and neighbors around books and reading. Because we’re once again partnering with Seattle Arts and Lectures (SAL) and King County Library System (KCLS), the… Continue reading
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The Pitt Readalikes
“The Pitt” season 2 recently wrapped and I already miss the characters and the unfolding drama. If you also miss the high stakes, mission-driven ER environment of The Pitt, as well as the interpersonal dynamics between the cast members, here are some books to read while we wait for another season: The Hospital: Life, Death,… Continue reading
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May and June 2026 Author and Community Events
The Seattle Public Library’s May and June calendar is blooming with author and community programs. Find more book-related events, including a variety of book and writing programs, in our Books and Authors calendar. All Library events are free and open to the public. Many of these events are supported by The Seattle Public Library Foundation and… Continue reading
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New Nonfiction Roundup – May 2026
Check out some of the month’s best nonfiction! In addition to May’s slate of Peak Picks, there are moving memoirs, guides to self care for the mind and body, American history in anticipation of the nation’s 250th anniversary, and so much more. In memoir, Patricia Cornwell, author of the Kay Scarpetta series, tells the story… Continue reading
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4 Nonfiction Reads for International Workers’ Day 2026
Since the establishment of International Workers’ Day in 1889, May 1 has been an important date for labor unions, immigrant rights advocates and organizations that strive to advance the cause of workers’ rights. Ahead of International Workers’ Day, we invite readers to explore the past, present and future of the labor movement, including an overview of American labor history, a deep dive into anti-racist activism in Seattle, an interrogation of the very concept of solidarity and a… Continue reading
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The Crows are Coming! Corvid Facts and Fiction
It’s that time – the sunsets are later, the allergies are gearing up, and the crows are stirring. Most people know of the infamous swooping season – when new and protective crow parents will now consider you A Very Suspicious Character and suddenly whoosh! …you’ve been stealth swooped. Patrons of the West Seattle branch are keenly aware of their resident corvid guardians I’m sure. But move past the anxiety inducing fly-bys and there is so much to celebrate about the family Corvidae! From magically engineered war corvid fiction to fun crow facts, the library is here to satisfy your crow curiosity…crowiosity? Of course, leading the charge is Hollow Kingdom by local author Kira Jane… Continue reading
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A Peek at Peak Picks – May 2026
We’re adding eleven new Peak Picks in May! In fiction, Laurie Frankel returns with an exuberant and timely new novel, Enormous Wings, about 77-year-old Pepper Mills, who moves into a retirement community, falls in love—and becomes pregnant; the latest from Walter Mosley, Ghalen, is a beautiful coming-of-age novel that explores love in all forms—romantic, familial,… Continue reading
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A Journey Through Space – Books to Read While You Wait for Project Hail Mary and Watch Artemis II
If your feed is consumed by the Artemis II mission and the blockbuster movie Project Hail Mary, you might be looking for books to take you into space as well. Though Andy Weir’s novels have a long wait right now, we’re happy to suggest some titles with similar themes of exploration, survival, ingenuity, and friendship… Continue reading
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Gardens in the Anthropocene: Seed Saving as Activism, Planting as Rebellion, Mutualism as Resistance
After another weird winter that gave us snow in March, Spring has officially begun: the Cherry Blossom cam at UW is live and the trees are in glorious bloom. In an era of compounding global climate crises, expanding food deserts, and catastrophic land and resource extraction in the race to build ever larger, more powerful… Continue reading