Nonfiction

  • Cold War Graphic Novels

    The Cold War and the post-Cold War era gave authors and artists a lot of grist to mill.  While the novels and plays are famous and plentiful, there isn’t much in the way of graphic art that conveys the history of the time while also telling a great story.  Here are four graphic novels that tackle… Continue reading

  • Hike Seattle

    Happy Earth Day! All over Seattle, the flowers are blooming, the birds are singing, the sun is peeking out from behind the clouds – spring is finally here! What better time to get out on the trails and explore the beautiful landscapes of the Pacific Northwest? Whether you are a seasoned hiker or novice, there… Continue reading

  • The Triggering Town by Richard Hugo

    One of my favorite books in our poetry section isn’t a book of poetry at all. Richard Hugo’s The Triggering Town gathers nine brief lectures, essays and “sentimental reminiscences” by the beloved Seattle writer. I’m not a poet and I don’t plan to become one, but Hugo’s ideas are so wise and clear, and his humor and candor… Continue reading

  • The Making of a Museum

    With the opening of the Northwest African American Museum (NAAM) on March 8, 2008, Seattle’s cultural map expands to include one more unique and interesting destination. Through interactive exhibits, programs and events the museum promises to “document the unique historical and cultural experiences of African Americans in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest.” NAAM is, clearly,… Continue reading

  • Want to Write?

    Are you an aspiring writer? Maybe, like me, you used to do a lot of creative writing when you were younger but somehow don’t find the time now. Well, there are a number of aids to help you get into (or back into) the writing habit. First of all, free creative writing classes are popping… Continue reading

  • Science On Tap – Brains and Brew in Seattle

     Brains and Brew – a perfect combination in this city of microbrewers and techies.  I am a huge fan of science writing in the vein of Stephen J. Gould, Carl Sagan and E. O. Wilson.  The only drawback I’ve ever found to science books is the lack of immediacy.  It takes years for a scientist… Continue reading

  • Remembering Kurt Vonnegut

    It’s been almost a year since Kurt Vonnegut died, but I’ve been thinking about him a lot. I recently read the final book he published during his lifetime, A Man Without a Country. It’s a concise collection of biographical essays that feel like they were written by your cantankerous, but highly intelligent and funny, old uncle.… Continue reading

  • Tesla in the air!

    Every so often, someone will approach me at the library and ask for information about Nikola Tesla, often in the kind of knowing way that people ask about Bigfoot or aliens, rather than a scientist and inventor. Occasionally they’ll bend close and add in hushed tones that they want the straight dope about his death… Continue reading

  • The Wine Is Fine

    Wine is happening in Washington in a big way! And this coming weekend is a primo opportunity to check out brand new wineries and varietals or old favorites. The Washington Wine Commission is sponsoring Taste Washington, including a Grand Wine Tasting at Qwest Field Event Center on Sunday, April 6 from 4-8 p.m. Who knew there… Continue reading

  • Frances Moore Lappé and Local Food Policy

    My local eating adventures have led me to think about issues such as who has access to local food, how housing developments are eclipsing nearby farmland and if another flood like the one in Lewis County is apt to destroy more farms and dairy herds anytime soon.  I’m certainly not the only one. For decades Francis Moore Lappé… Continue reading

  • Poetry Rules!

    April is National Poetry Month, and it’s rhyme time in Seattle. The sponsoring Academy of American Poets suggests 30 Ways to Celebrate the month. And whether you’re in to writing or reading or listening to poetry, there’s lots going on locally to help you do just that. The Seattle Public Library sponsors many poetry events… Continue reading

  • 30,000 Years of Art: The Story of Human Creativity

    30,000 Years of Art: The Story of Human Creativity Across Time and Space  inspires readers to think about art in a different way.  Accessible and not stuffy, this work looks chronologically across the centuries of art in a way that avoids the thematic conventions and classifications of the way we typically study art history. This… Continue reading

  • La Suma de los Días de Isabel Allende

    Our library serves people speaking many languages. Here is one of them. El último libro de Isabel Allende La Suma de los días es la continuación de Paula, el libro que Allende escribió después de la muerte de su hija Paula. La suma de los días nos transporta a California, lugar donde reside Allende. Así… Continue reading

  • Pirates in Polite Society: Wharton’s Buccaneers

    An unfinished book by a favorite writer always raises questions: How would it have ended? How would the story have changed as the author developed the characters and explored their lives? If the author started out with a plan, would that have changed as the book progressed? Stories inspired by real people and events also… Continue reading

  • Plush You!

    I love crafting.  However–and it pains me to admit this–I’m not very good at coming up with top notch project ideas.  I usually steal ideas from craft books.  So I get really excited when I find a great book like Plush You! Loveable Misfit Toys to Sew and Stuff, by Seattle artist and Schmancy owner Kristen Rask.   This book has dozens of full-color photos of cute,… Continue reading

  • Flower Frenzy

    It’s flower season here in the great northwest!  If you want to get up close to fields and fields of colorful tulips, don’t miss the 25th Annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. If you’d like to explore some of the fascinating history of these blooms, here is a bouquet of books exploring the appeal of flowers… Continue reading

  • High adventure and inspiration

     Do you like a touch of inspiration with your real-life adventure? Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Fight Tby Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin errorism and Build Nations — One School at a Time OK, I’ll admit I picked up this book because “everyone’s reading it.” It was featured in The Seattle Public… Continue reading

  • Happy Birthday, Betty MacDonald!

    Every so often history offers us a chance to revisit a good book. This March is the centennial of the birth of Betty MacDonald, author of The Egg and I (1945) which is a memoir of life on a “chicken ranch” on the Olympic peninsula near Chimacum from 1927-1931. Betty observed the very rural and… Continue reading