Nonfiction

  • A Peek at Peak Picks for August 2022

    Nine new titles are joining Peak Picks in August! Fiction features three highly anticipated new titles by bestselling authors: Taylor Jenkins Reid (Malibu Rising) returns with the story of a retired tennis pro who returns to the court after watching her records shattered by a rising new star in Carrie Soto Is Back; Mohsin Hamid… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2022: Hobby or skill

    It’s summertime in Seattle! Whether you plan to take your Subaru and hit the trail, set up a hammock by the ship canal, or you’d rather crank your window unit and relax inside with your fur babies, there’s an unending variety of new hobbies or skills you can try out or just read about, from… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2022: Banned or challenged book

    Reading the news lately, it feels like there has been an increase in the challenging and banning of books, particularly around discussions of Critical Race Theory and LGBTQ representation. If you’re looking to fill your “Banned or challenged book” Book Bingo square, consider one of these titles: In China, Unfree Speech:  The Threat to Global… Continue reading

  • New Nonfiction Roundup – July 2022

    Kick off the summer with the latest nonfiction! From politics, current events and history to sports, entertainment and travel, July has something for everyone. The state of the Republican Party is the subject of three books this month: Jonathan Lemire examines the unprecedented attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in The Big Lie;… Continue reading

  • July Author Events: Daniel James Brown, Fonda Lee, Annalee Newitz and more

    July Author Events: Daniel James Brown, Fonda Lee, Annalee Newitz and more

    Here are a few reasons to be indoors in July: The Seattle Public Library’s lineup of free author programs, including Daniel James Brown (“The Boys in the Boat”) in conversation with Tom Ikeda about his new book “Facing the Mountain;” and two terrific Clarion West events featuring authors Fonda Lee, Annalee Newitz and Charlie Jane… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2022: Non-binary/genderqueer/two-spirit author or character

    Happy Pride and Summer Book Bingo, y’all! Gender can be messy and wonderful and specific and fluid; a source of anxiety for some and self-contentment for others. These authors and their characters, stories, and poems explore the infinite spectrum of human identities and experiences. Maia Kobabe’s cathartic graphic memoir Gender Queer follows eir exploration of… Continue reading

  • Growing Wild!

    We recently took our son to visit his grandparents in rural Oregon. Surrounded by acreage and farms, he got to visit goats, sheep, a llama, chickens, and a handful of dogs and cats. He was delighted! On top of that there was running down rolling hills barefoot, digging in dirt, and climbing rock piles. Each… Continue reading

  • First Ukrainian Books Added to The Seattle Public Library’s Collections

    First Ukrainian Books Added to The Seattle Public Library’s Collections

    Responding to requests from patrons, The Seattle Public Library has added the first books in Ukrainian to its collection, approximately 120 physical books for adults and children that comprise 95 titles. We will add more titles in Ukrainian this summer. The Ukrainian books include picture books and chapter books for children and a mix of… Continue reading

  • New Nonfiction Roundup – June 2022

    Check out some of the best nonfiction books being released in June! Science and nature, historical and current events, and biographies, memoirs and essays figure prominently this month. Biography & MemoirBestselling author Stuart Woods discusses his two loves – writing and sailing – in An Extravagant Life, while the world’s bestselling novelist celebrates his life… Continue reading

  • June 2022 Author Events: Quintard Taylor, Judy Heumann, Ottessa Moshfegh and More

    June 2022 Author Events: Quintard Taylor, Judy Heumann, Ottessa Moshfegh and More

    The Library is bringing in June with amazing author evens. Learn about the history of Seattle’s Black community, hear poems inspired by video games and AI, meet the authors of one of the most talked-about comics of 2020, listen to award-winning fantasy authors, hear the story of leading disability rights activist Judy Heumann and more.… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2022: First book by an author, most recent book by same author

    This year’s adult book bingo issues one compound challenge, two squares that can be filled by reading the first book by an author, and then the most recent book by the same author. It’s a neat challenge – do you go with an author who has been writing for 40+ years? A newer author still… Continue reading

  • “We Hereby Refuse” – Sharing the History of Japanese American Resistance, 80 Years Ago

    “We Hereby Refuse” – Sharing the History of Japanese American Resistance, 80 Years Ago

    Just over 80 years ago, on March 30, 1942, more than 200 Bainbridge Island residents were expelled from their homes and forcibly relocated and incarcerated in American concentration camps. They were among the first of the 120,000 Japanese Americans – according to a recent story in the Seattle Times – who were incarcerated during World… Continue reading

  • Gardening with Toddlers

    We made a small garden space for my kiddo to play in to get him involved in the growing of things. It’s still mostly dirt play and mud making, which is a delight, but by planting that seed I hope his love for gardening grows as he gets older. Here are a few books in our… Continue reading

  • Peak Picks Turns 5 — and 25 Most Popular Books Since 2017

    Peak Picks Turns 5 — and 25 Most Popular Books Since 2017

    Blow out the candles! Peak Picks, The Seattle Public Library’s highly popular collection of books you can check out with no holds and no wait, turns 5 this month. Launched as a pilot project in May 2017, Peak Picks expanded to all 27 Library locations by the end of 2017. Since its start, more than 75,000… Continue reading

  • New Nonfiction Roundup – April 2022

    April marks the beginning of the busy spring publishing season, and this month’s crop of new books will not disappoint. Inspiring and approachable cookbooks, bold and nurturing self care titles, delightful pop culture histories and more will make your TBR pile taller than ever. And don’t forget to check out five spectacular additions to Peak… Continue reading

  • The Negro Motorist Green Book Exhibition: March 19 – June 12, 2022

    The Negro Motorist Green Book exhibition opens this Saturday, March 19, at the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma. This immersive, multimedia exhibit was curated by Candacy Taylor, former Harvard fellow and celebrated Green Book scholar, for the Smithsonian Institution’s Traveling Exhibition Service. The Green Book was published between 1936 and 1966 and became the… Continue reading

  • Reading Ukraine: History, Memoir and Literature

    Whenever conflicts erupt on the world stage, we can count on our patrons to head to their local library to find out more. When it comes to the current conflict in Ukraine, whether you prefer the objectivity of history and political analysis, the more subjective personal experiences of those involved, or the imaginative capacity of… Continue reading

  • New Nonfiction Roundup – March 2022

    This month in nonfiction features a bevy of fantastic cookbooks, page-turners that read like fiction, thoughtful (and funny) memoirs and a host of books to help us get through the day a bit more successfully. And don’t forget to check out this month’s Peak Picks in nonfiction. What’s Cooking?Chef (and recent transplant to Seattle) J.… Continue reading