Fiction

  • #BookBingoNW2023: Workers’ Rights!

    Are you well into #hotlaborsummer and still looking for stories of solidarity to fill out your workers’ rights Bingo square? I’ve got plenty of books for the bargaining table below. On the Line: A Story of Class, Solidarity, and Two Women’s Epic Fight to Build a Union by Daisy Pitkin First up is a harrowing… Continue reading

  • Read with Isaac from Heartstopper, Season 2!

    Read with Isaac from Heartstopper, Season 2!

    Have you had a chance to watch Heartstopper, Season 2? The tender, heartwarming coming-of-age screen adaptation of Alice Oseman’s graphic novel series has captured the hearts of fans of all ages, and perhaps no character is as dear to librarians as the ever-reading Isaac. Here is a sampling of the many books Isaac is seen… Continue reading

  • Get a Kick Out of These Picks

    The FIFA Women’s World Cup is ongoing now until August 20th, and fans across the world are captivated by women’s soccer (football anywhere but here) being played in Australia and New Zealand. If your goals include reading books about women in soccer, check out these keepers and run with it! In Racquel Marie’s You Don’t… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2023 In Translation: What’s in a Language?

    I always find the consuming too much of one thing to be detrimental to my reading health, like eating a menu of only grilled cheese sandwiches would be for example. For a wider, more nourishing literary diet (and to get another square for your Book Bingo blackout), I suggest adding books translated from other languages… Continue reading

  • Three on a Theme: Haunted Media

    At our recent author event with Silvia Moreno-Garcia, an audience member requested more suggestions for haunted media. If you are also looking for such suggestions, please enjoy the following three! All feature movies in one way or another. Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Lifelong friends Monserrat and Tristán stumble into an opportunity they can’t refuse… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2023: Indigenous Author

    As I’m writing now on the lands of the Coast Salish people, specifically the Duwamish, in a city named for Duwamish and Suquamish Chief Seattle, it feels appropriate to recognize the many ways Indigenous individuals and nations have shaped our society. One way we can do this is by centering Indigenous creators, like Indigenous authors,… Continue reading

  • New Fiction Roundup, August 2023

    More great summer reading awaits with August’s new releases! 8/1: Bellies by Nicola Dinan Two young gay men, Tom and Ming, connect in college and begin a life together in London. When Ming transitions to living her life as a trans woman, secrets come to light and threaten their relationship. (general fiction) A Peak Pick!… Continue reading

  • Huzzah! It’s a Ren Faire!

    Hail library patrons and well met! Summertime Renaissance Faire season is upon us! Here are a few items we hope will excite and inspire you to join in the revelry. Let the anachronistic good times roll! For some background, have you ever wondered how the idea of a modern Ren Faire came about? In Rachel… Continue reading

  • A Peek at Peak Picks – August 2023

    Nine new titles are joining Peak Picks in August! In fiction, Nicola Dunn debuts with the story of a queer couple in London and the challenges they face when one of them decides to transition in Bellies; Elizabeth Acevedo’s first adult novel focuses on the women of a Dominican American family as they prepare for… Continue reading

  • Introduction to Appalachian Literature, Part 1: Fiction

    Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead won the 2023 Women’s Prize for Fiction. In an interview on Bookshelfie: Women’s Prize for Fiction podcast, Kingsolver talks about how important it was to her to write about her home, Appalachia. In episode one of the Read Appalachia podcast, guest Melissa Helton identifies three waves of Appalachian literature – wave… Continue reading

  • Celebrate Disability Pride Month with the Library

    Disability Pride Month is celebrated in July, marking the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which was signed into law on July 26, 1990. Disability is something that nearly every person experiences at some point in their lives, but it is also a distinct identity impacting how folks interact with the world. The… Continue reading

  • Nightstand Reads with Tobi Ogundiran

    Tobi Ogundiran’s debut short story collection Jackal, Jackal is out this month with Undertow Publications, and he will be in Seattle at the Central Library in conversation with Nisi Shawl on Wednesday, July 26th at 7pm. Third Place Books is our community partner on the event. We asked him to share a bit about his… Continue reading

  • Come On Barbie, Let’s Go Read

    Come On Barbie, Let’s Go Read

    If you’re like me and everyone I know, you can’t wait for the upcoming live action Barbie movie, out in theaters on July 21. Here are some book recommendations to get you in the mood to watch Barbie sparkle and shine! If you want to live in Barbie’s dream house with all of your gal… Continue reading

  • While You Wait: Fourth Wing Readalikes

    “Romantasy” (fantasy romance) is really taking off this summer with the social media sensation Fourth Wing topping holds charts everywhere. While you wait to read this book or its sequel, here are three more books to try: To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose Anequs, a young Indigenous woman from the Maqsuisit nation, is… Continue reading

  • Fantastical Pirates and Swashbuckling Tales

    Seattle sure loves its pirates! Whether you splashed in the surf with the Seafair Pirates last weekend, or had to miss out because Reasons, here’s a few books to keep you in a swashbuckling state of mind for more summer fun. Don yer eyepatch, grab yer compass and get ready to navigate the stormy waters… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2023: Chosen by the Cover

    #BookBingoNW2023: Chosen by the Cover

    One of the squares in our 2023 Adult Book Bingo challenge is “Chosen by the Cover.” While it is common advice to avoid judging a book by its cover, I have to admit that I love—and can rarely resist—a beautiful book cover. Here are some of my favorite reads that also happen to have a… Continue reading

  • New Fiction Roundup, July 2023

    7/4: The Housekeepers by Alex Hay In early 1900s London, Mrs. King, housekeeper to the grandest home in Mayfair, is abruptly fired and decides to take her revenge by gathering an all-female group of former servants to rob the house on the night of a lavish costume ball.  A Peak Pick! 7/4: The Librarianist by… Continue reading

  • July 2023 Author and Community Events at the Library

    July 2023 Author and Community Events at the Library

    July is a great time to come to a Library program, outdoors and indoors. Wander a StoryWalk® featuring books by Indigenous authors in four locations around Magnolia; enjoy a night of spoken word, dance and choir with Path With Art at the Central Library; and listen to readings from award-winning authors including Karen Lord, Silvia… Continue reading