Nonfiction

  • Nightstand Reads: Martha Brockenbrough’s essential books for writers

    It’s a little daunting to write a proper introduction here about Martha Brockenbrough. She is the founder of SPOGG, the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar, as well as National Grammar Day (which received quite a lot of press attention). Her new book, Things That Make Us [Sic], which just came out today, takes… Continue reading

  • Mishima’s Sword

    Mishima’s Sword: Travels in Search of a Samurai Legend  by Christopher Ross. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, I lived in a southern city in China called Guangzhou. At that time Guangzhou was more vibrant than ever.  People were pouring into this so-called Window of the South Wind city to look for opportunity. Many… Continue reading

  • Nightstand Reading: Eric Liu

    Editor’s note: Whether he’s interviewing Daniel Schorr at Town Hall, inspiring leadership or talking about patriotism, local author Eric Liu manages to get us thinking—and to get the conversation going. In The True Patriot, a book written in the pamphleteering style of Thomas Paine, Liu and co-author Nick Hanauer offer a lively challenge to look… Continue reading

  • Bungalow Nation

    I love craftsman bungalows. I love the open floor plans, the overhanging eaves with the knee braces, the porches with the pillars, the classic bungalow interior wall with a fireplace flanked by windows and built-in bookcases, the nooks and crannies, the stained glass, wood, stone and tile work, the sconces and the chandeliers. What’s not… Continue reading

  • Big Change: Modernism

    At some point in the recent history of western civilization, a big cultural change occurred-in Europe, but especially in the United States. This change was so complicated that scholars really can’t grasp it completely. There was the nineteenth century, and then there was the twentieth-so very different from each other, in art, in music, in… Continue reading

  • Celebrating the freedom to read for over two millennia

    This month and next all over Seattle (and all over the country), libraries will be putting up displays and posters and hosting events in honor of Banned Books Week (Sept 27 – Oct 4). The annual event, started in 1982 by the American Library Association, is a celebration of your freedom to read, and an important reminder that… Continue reading

  • Washington Wines & Wineries

    There is a lot of talk these days about eating locally produced food.  Should this also extend to drinking locally produced wine? I think so!  Washington state is home to many fine wines and wineries, and you can learn all about them at the Library.  If you’re interested in visiting – or learning about – any of… Continue reading

  • Oliver Sacks walked my dog this morning

    Oliver Sacks has been hanging out on my iPod for a few months. I actually forgot he was there until this morning when I was looking through my podcasts and found his presentation at the Central Library. At one hour and one minute, that’s about the right length for a walk with my hound, Owen.… Continue reading

  • Science Books for the Non-Scientist

    I am not a scientist, but I’m married to one.  I was an English major and for most of my life have been a loyal fiction reader.  A few years ago, though, I began dipping into nonfiction and discovered that there is a rich realm of science books for the non-scientist.  Many are elegantly written… Continue reading

  • Central District and High Point reader suggestions

    Readers from the Douglass-Truth Branch and the High Point Branch offer some of their favorite books from this summer. Here are suggestions for some late-summer memoirs, a medical thriller set in Seattle, poetry and novels. Readers in Douglass-Truth’s Adult Summer Reading Program suggest: Shame on It All by Zane A captivating story of three sisters showing the true meaning of… Continue reading

  • What Is a Mix Tape?

    “When I first saw you, I saw love.” “All you need is love.” “Love is a battlefield.” “I’m not going to write you a love song.” “I’m all out of love.” From famed music critic and contributing editor at Rolling Stone Magazine, Rob Sheffield’s book Love is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song… Continue reading

  • A book leads to redemption: Bringing honor to Fort Lawton soldiers from World War II

    The tale begins in WWII era Seattle. Our city was host to 200 Italian prisoners of war and a number of African-American servicemen in transit, at Fort Lawton on Magnolia Bluff. The Italians were treated more hospitably than the African-Americans — and tension rose. In one dramatic night of violence, one of the POWs was… Continue reading

  • Americans in Paris

    Oscar Wilde said that good Americans go to Paris when they die, but for many the ville lumière was a regular destination in life, and for some, the one place where they felt free to live realized, adult lives.  Herewith, a few titles by and about notable American lovers of Paris: Paris was Yesterday by… Continue reading

  • Summer Reads: Ballard, Broadview, Mobile and University reader suggestions

    Looking for a book for these last few weeks of summer? Here are 12 suggestions from Library users from Mobile Services and the Ballard, Broadview and University branches: Mobile Services’ readers suggest: Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World by Bill Clinton He tells all of us how we can really help save the world by… Continue reading

  • 2008: Year of the Frog

    Did you know that 2008 is the Year of the Frog?  The year has been deemed so by Amphibian Ark, a worldwide collaborative program of environmental agencies.  It’s about time frogs got their spotlight and respect!  I must confess to a lifelong fondness for frogs, so I am delighted to share my appreciation of these… Continue reading

  • Countdown to the thrill of victory …

    The summer Olympics in Beijing are just three days away, and the buzz has been steady for weeks. You may have heard the awe-inspiring story of swimmer Dara Torres, who at 41 will be the “first American swimmer to compete in five Olympics and the oldest female swimmer in the history of the Games, according… Continue reading

  • Tour d’Amsterdam, part 2

    In my previous blog entry, Tour de Amsterdam, I mentioned rules learned the hard way while riding a bike in downtown Amsterdam. Recall that biking is a mode of transportation and not the competitive leisure sport as viewed by most Seattlites. The topography of Amsterdam is wonderfully flat! Riding for hours is possible with perhaps… Continue reading

  • You Must Learn: A Hip-Hop Education with Black Star

    Among hip-hop fans, the group Black Star is known for its lyrical muscle and strong literary-bent. Members Mos Def and Talib Kweli pack their tightly crafted rhymes with intelligence and wit that seems lacking in much of contemporary hip-hop. Their 1998 album, Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star  was a welcome return to… Continue reading