Nonfiction

  • Master Gardeners

    With my innate brown thumb, I have been helped many a time by Master Gardeners – or more specifically, the Washington State University Extension Master Gardeners of King County.  When I killed shrubs with liberal applications of nitrogen fertilizer (too much of a good thing) or hacked away at my rose bushes too enthusiastically (only… Continue reading

  • About Time: Ages of Empire

    The Great Wall by John Man While traveling the entire length of China’s Great Wall, historian John Man explores its history and legends, bringing to life two millennia of Chinese history. The Ruin of the Roman Empire: A New History by James J. O’Donnell A historian takes a fresh look at the fall of the… Continue reading

  • How to Surf in Washington state: Part 1

    Surfing in Washington state may seem incongruent with the likes of hiking, recumbent bicycling, and extremely short summers, but it’s amazing to discover its hold on a growing contingent. In Seattle alone, there are at least three surf shops that cater to those wishin’ to hang ten or go SUP’ing, also called stand-up paddleboarding. Throughout… Continue reading

  • About Time: History of the Mind

    The Rise and Fall of Alexandria: Birthplace of the Modern Mind by Justin Pollard This readable history documents the astonishing number of scientific and intellectual contributions made by the ancient Egyptian city. Dreams of Iron and Steel: Seven Wonders of the Nineteenth Century, from the Building of the London Sewers to the Panama Canal by… Continue reading

  • Monday, August 9, 1945: Part 2

    August 9 marks the 65th anniversary of the atom bomb’s use against the Japanese at Nagasaki (August 6 at Hiroshima). As Robert Oppenheimer observed, “We knew the world would not be the same … We have made a thing, a most terrible weapon that has altered abruptly and profoundly the nature of the world …… Continue reading

  • About Time: Hidden History

    History’s Great Untold Stories: Larger than Life Characters & Dramatic Events that Changed the World by Joseph Cummins Spanning more than a dozen countries and a thousand years, the riveting tales in this beautifully illustrated volume range from “the leper king of Jerusalem” to “Nazis in Tibet.” The Medici Giraffe: And Other Tales of Exotic… Continue reading

  • Monday, August 6, 1945: Part 1

    August 6 marks the 65th anniversary of the atom bomb’s use against the Japanese at Hiroshima and August 9 at Nagasaki. To date, there has not been another military use of this terrible and powerful weapon. Our lives in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries have been marked in many ways by the presence and potential of atomic weapons.… Continue reading

  • About Time: The Big Picture

    Big History: From the Big Bang to the Present by Cynthia Stokes Brown An ambitious, exciting history of the earth, from its origins to the development of civilizations to the spread of computers. Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky Kurlansky takes us on an entertaining and informative romp through the centuries, showing the enormous… Continue reading

  • … good ol’ summer time in Seattle!

    The Emerald City is in a streak of several days of sunny weather. There’s excitement in the voices of the television and radio weather people as they say “no precipitation in the forecast for the next few days, actually many days!” Another barometer is the warmer-than-warm feeling when one opens the door of a car that’s been parked… Continue reading

  • Read-aloud tongue-twisters

    Some picture books are just meant to be read aloud. Your voice flows over the words as you unravel the story for little (or big) ears. Others are meant to be read aloud even though they are written to be hard to read aloud — with rhymes that trip you up and wordy mouthfuls that make them… Continue reading

  • Community Gardens

    It never really occurred to me that having fresh produce from our own garden was such a luxury until our family moved to the United States. Growing up in the central highland part of Vietnam, we were lucky to be surrounded by luscious green trees and vegetables. When harvest times came, children spent a lot… Continue reading

  • About Time: Dark Days and Deeds

    The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time by John Kelly Kelly provides a detailed and readable examination of the black death, which killed about a third of Europe’s population in the 14th century. The Wreckers: A Story of Killing Seas and Plundered Shipwrecks, from the… Continue reading

  • Cycling: Today and Yesterday

    The Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic, or STP, is back for its 31st year on July 17-18. It is now called the Group Health Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic. This annual ride is the largest in the Northwest, with over 9,000 riders traveling 200 miles in one or two days. The riders will pedal over… Continue reading

  • Cool Clear Water

    Water is 70% of the earth’s surface. You can drink it, wash with it, swim in it and find it underground by using a stick. It is the universal solvent, colorless, odorless and just right for tea and Tang. Here are a few more tributes to the glory of H2O. Water edited by John Knechtel.… Continue reading

  • About Time: Shaping the Nation

    1776 by David McCullough Pulitzer prize winning historian McCullough brings a fresh perspective to a pivotal and turbulent year in our country’s founding, focusing on the two famous Georges as well as the troops on both sides. Ladies of Liberty: The Women who Shaped our Nation by Cokie Roberts Based on personal letters and journals,… Continue reading

  • It is never just about food

    I may end up regretting this. After all, Seattle is a pretty organic, locavore, foodie, green sustainable culture sort of place.  And perhaps, I should establish my credentials by saying up front – we’ve been an organic, sustainable, grow it and preserve it, co-op purchasing family for over 30 years.  But — I’m getting a bit… Continue reading

  • Héroes: el momento en que gente común se hace extraordinaria por John Quiñones

    Our library serves people speaking many languages. Here is one of them. Below is a review of  Héroes: el momento en que gente común se hace extraordinaria, the Spanish-language translation of John Quiñones’ book with Stephen P. Williams, Heroes Among Us: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Choices.  John Quiñones es un periodista de la cadena ABC, presentador del programa… Continue reading

  • Well That’s Different

    If you’re in the mood for something a little off-beat, try one of these dillies. The Toothpick by Henry Petroski. More from the guy that brought you The Pencil. What began as a twig has become a tiny work of art. Find out how toothpicks are made (in great secrecy), possible interlopers on the trade… Continue reading