Fiction

  • 5 Football-Themed Romances for the Win

    Last week, The Seattle Public Library’s Reader Services team debuted a new monthly column in the Seattle Times that promotes reading and book trends from a librarian’s perspective. Read the article by Reader Services librarian Misha Stone on the Seattle Times website or below. Let us know what you think!   The Super Bowl might not… Continue reading

  • Talking Tolkien

    “All we have to decide, is how much Tolkien to enjoy with the time that is given to us.” Ok, maybe that isn’t quite the encouraging quote Gandalf gives to Frodo in Moria, but it can certainly still motivate to action! Currently our own Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) group, in an extraordinary cinematic showing,… Continue reading

  • New Fiction Roundup, February 2024

    February brings us a bevy of new fiction, including multiple genre mashups such as fantasy mystery and historical fantasy, and an especially strong slate of historical fiction, among many other excellent titles. 2/6: The Adversary by Michael Crummey In 1800s Newfoundland, two siblings fight a cutthroat battle to control the coastal shipping trade. As the… Continue reading

  • Choose Your Own Romance Adventure

    With cold weather and dark nights, there’s nothing I enjoy more than curling up with a warm romance book. If you’re new to the genre, you may be overwhelmed with all of the settings, tropes, and pairings, but here’s a small selection of some of my favorites to sample! Fake Dating One of the most… Continue reading

  • New Year, New Series

    2024 has begun, and with it, a whole new slate of reading goals! Perhaps you want to pick up a new hobby to meet a New Year’s resolution, or want to try new-to-you genres. Another great way to bring in the new year is with a new book series! Here are some great series starters… Continue reading

  • And The Seattle Public Library’s Most Popular Book in 2023 Was …

    Now that we’ve turned the page on another year, it’s intriguing to look back and see which titles captured the interest of Seattle’s readers in 2023. Below are The Seattle Public Library’s top 10 checkouts in adult fiction and nonfiction (both print and e-books) and e-audiobooks for the year. How do these titles stack up… Continue reading

  • New Teen Fiction for 2024

    New Teen Fiction for 2024

    Looking for the newest stories? Here are some brand new teen titles to start the New Year, with annotations adapted from the catalog. (Created December 2023.) In Arushi Avachat’s novel, Arya Khanna’s Bollywood Moment, high school senior Arya must navigate fraught family dynamics, the fallout of her two best friends breaking up, and a tense… Continue reading

  • New Fiction Roundup, January 2024

    As 2024 begins, January hopefully kicks off another year of excellent fiction to dig into. 1/9: Cold Victory by Karl Marlantes In 1947 Finland, what begins as a friendly challenge – a secret cross-country ski race between an American and a Soviet military attaché – turns life-and-death when the race becomes public and freighted with… Continue reading

  • More Middle Grade Fiction for Adults

    More Middle Grade Fiction for Adults

    Earlier this year, I shared some middle grade fiction books that I believe can (and should!) be enjoyed by adults, too. Since then, I’ve discovered more great titles. If you are looking for well written and compelling stories, don’t miss out on these reads based on where we shelve them in the library! Hummingbird by… Continue reading

  • Thrills and Chills for Winter Movie Nights

    Thrills and Chills for Winter Movie Nights

    When the sun goes down at 4pm and the weather report says ten solid days of rain, there is nothing I like more than a hot cup of tea, a blanket, a cat on my lap…and watching something scary. For horror fans, there is nothing better. Like listening to moody music when you’re feeling down,… Continue reading

  • Staff Faves 2023: Adult Fiction

    Every year we ask our staff across the system for their favorite books published in a given year. Enjoy this variety of fiction staff favorites from 2023, with descriptions by our very own library staff! Chain-gang All-stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah “In this book about a not too distant future, where the prison system has… Continue reading

  • More Manga Now Available Through Hoopla!

    Manga lovers rejoice! Hoopla has expanded its offerings and now includes many titles from Kodansha. This includes Attack on Titan, Fairy Tail, and some of my personal favorites: Continue reading

  • New fiction roundup, December 2023

    Shorter days, longer nights, but still time to be enticed by a new title! A range of general fiction, romance, mystery, and more await your discovery. 12/5: All the Little Bird-Hearts by Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow Sunday Forrester, who is autistic, lives a happy, well-ordered life with her strong-willed teenage daughter, Dolly. When charming new neighbors move… Continue reading

  • Fictive Clubs, pt. 1: Killer Clubs

    During my perusals of the online stacks at the library, I’ve noticed there are a lot of books that have to do with clubs of one sort or another. While book clubs might be the most common, there are other, far deadlier fictive clubs.  Here’s a highlight of some killer clubs. In The Dead Girls… Continue reading

  • Characters with Real World Problems – No Matter the Genre

    Rich and royal characters are a mainstay in literature. We do like to know what it is like to have it all. To live in opulence and navigate the world with ease is something we are told to aspire to, so culturally we gravitate to depictions of wealth and plentitude. Plus, we also love learning… Continue reading

  • Native American Heritage Month Book Highlights

    In honor of November as Native American Heritage Month, check out these recent fiction and nonfiction titles for adults, or dig deeper with longer lists of Native American Fiction and Native American Nonfiction. Calling for a Blanket Dance by Oscar Hokeah (fiction) We are made of the stories we tell, and that are told about… Continue reading

  • Cozy Fantasy for the Long Dark

    As we settle in and prepare for the Long Dark in Seattle, grab a mug of your favorite tea, your coziest blanket, and cuddle up with these low stakes, high comfort fantasy reads. Regional author and audio book narrator extraordinaire Travis Baldree made an unexpected splash in the fantasy market with his first novel Legends… Continue reading

  • (Steam)Punk’s Not Dead

    Remember steampunk, that intriguing genre of “What If…,” featuring fantastic steam-powered machines, airships, clever sartorial uses of brass, and goggles, all set against a Victorian backdrop? What about its close speculative subgenre cousin, gaslamp fantasy? With the recent release of Jim Butcher’s The Olympian Affair, the second book in his steampunk Cinder Spire series, it’s… Continue reading