Nonfiction

  • #BookBingoNW2020: Neuro-diverse protagonist or author

    In this year’s Book Bingo, the neuro-diverse protagonist or author square invites us to journey into the world of a person whose modes of thinking and ways of processing the world differ from those of the mainstream population. Neurodiversity, often associated with disabilities like autism or ADHD, can sometimes lead to deep connections, groundbreaking insights,… Continue reading

  • City Hawks

    With the quieting of our city streets, I’ve been noticing the intensive activity of our urban bird neighbors, who have been courting, homebuilding and generally flying about with abandon as us humans slow down. Pigeons and robins abound, but twenty-five years ago Cooper’s Hawks began colonizing urban and suburban landscapes throughout the US, developing a… Continue reading

  • Slowing Down

    For me March was always the kick off to camping season. Finding a cabin early in the season then in April heading to our family campsite on the Olympic Peninsula for opening day of fishing; May and June to Eastern Washington before it gets too hot and that itch to go and explore is still… Continue reading

  • “Fizzy vegetables” – Fermenting foods for fun and science 

    As a parent of small children who are homebound during the pandemic, I am giddily excited about any project that checks multiple boxes on my to-do list—especially those related to food, education, entertainment, and household chores. My most recent effort has been home vegetable fermentation, and it’s been surprisingly fun. We’ve tried cabbage, carrots, and… Continue reading

  • Write On!: A Story Only You Can Tell, Writing a Memoir

    Your Life is a Book. The very act of writing the story of your life whether for yourself, your family and friends or for any reading eye, is significant. Where to begin? How will you capture those Shimmering Images in words that evoke the feelings, the meaning and importance of long ago moments? How do… Continue reading

  • Animal Crossing in Real Life

    So, I hear you spent a lot of time at home during the quarantine. Same here – I was getting out, though, here and there. Chatting with neighbors, planting flowers, even travelling via plane – all from the comfort of my own home! Like the vast majority of Nintendo Switch owners, I’ve been playing Animal… Continue reading

  • Write On!: Nonfiction Writing Informs the World

    Do you have an investigative mind? Is sussing out the “true story” something that intrigues you? Does researching a topic or an issue give you a thrill? How many times has someone said, “You should write about that!” If you have, ever, dashed off a letter to the editor, why did you stop there? Why… Continue reading

  • Digital Knitting

    While Ravelry.com is arguably THE place to get knitting and crocheting patterns, Seattle Public Library has many pattern books as ebooks that are free to borrow, from beginner learning books like Teach Yourself Visually Knitting, to books on advanced techniques such as Knitting Brioche: The Essential Guide to the Brioche Stitch by the venerable Nancy… Continue reading

  • Oh, doggone it!

    Dogs can completely change the way we feel—for the better. They are funny, loving, and intelligent. Canine companions live in an estimated 63 million U.S. homes, so it’s no wonder stories, movies, and videos featuring dogs have always been big hits. Let’s not forget our own local legend, the public-transit-riding dog, Eclipse, who rides the… Continue reading

  • Noteworthy Nonfiction eBooks – Available NOW!

    Thanks to the generosity of several publishers and distributors, The Seattle Public Library now provides access to hundreds of Always Available nonfiction eBooks until June 30th! While you wait for your holds to be filled and for the library to reopen, check some of these out. Five National Book Award nominees are available, including two… Continue reading

  • Library Podcasts with a Seattle Focus

    Last week I highlighted some of the diverse podcasts the library has to offer on it’s website with no library card required. I wanted to discuss some of the other things offered on the Library Podcast page, specifically the variety of discussions on Seattle and Seattle history. In Fall of 2019, the Library hosted discussions… Continue reading

  • Write on!: The Very Personal Journey of Keeping a Journal

    You can travel any day at any time, circle back and revisit the past in the present or venture far into the future. Moments are remembered, ideas may be realized or not, a memory cherished, a day best left forgotten is there on the page and, now, you realize something you could not have understood,… Continue reading

  • Award Winning Comics for Your Bucket List 

    A Bucket List is a number of experiences or achievements that a person hopes to have or accomplish during their lifetime. This can take many forms, but for many lovers of the written word this comes more often in must read books. Here are award winning comics that are a must read for any one… Continue reading

  • Now Showing: Artists and Their Works on Screen

    We get it: you’re stuck. Your productivity levels are low, imagination exhausted, and creativity, well, not entirely there. Everybody has those days! Yes, even the great and genius creators of art in their prime. So take a seat, and watch their trials and successes unfold in these biopics available on Kanopy and Hoopla with your… Continue reading

  • Learning From Home

    Homeschool is the new school for Washington through the rest of the 2019-2020 year. Teachers are finding ways to connect with parents and classes, providing online and printed resources as best they can to keep pace with their students’ need for knowledge. Families can also find valuable resources through the library to supplement their home… Continue reading

  • Create Crafts with Things You Have At Home

    A lot of us are home right now with little ones and are searching for some inexpensive entertainment. If you are a patron of the Montlake Library, you may have seen a rotation of crafts and projects in our children’s area. Most of these programs need only simple supplies that you might already have on… Continue reading

  • Staying Healthy with Your Library: ConsumerLab.com

    Research and select the best quality health, wellness, and nutritional products, based on test results published by an independent laboratory with ConsumerLab.com. Since 1999, ConsumerLab.com has tested more than 5,600 products, representing nearly every type of popular supplement for adults and children (and yes Seattle, pets too). To access this database from your own device,… Continue reading

  • Change In A Time Of Longing

    While browsing Instagram the other day, I came across a post from Sonya Renee Taylor, author of The Body Is Not An Apology: The Power of Radical Self Love, that called out the collective longing to return to our normal state for what it is: a longing to return to a world that “normalized greed, inequity, exhaustion,… Continue reading