Recent Posts
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Washington State Book Award Winners
The Washington Center for the Book just announced the winners of the 2026 Washington State Book Awards for works published in 2025 by writers from our wonderful state. Across genre, form, and audience, these winners represent outstanding titles by authors who currently live in Washington, as judged by other local authors, librarians, and booksellers. Creative Nonfiction/Memoir: Alterations by Bellingham poet… Continue reading
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Hot Awards News About SPL-Connected Authors
Over the last three days, the National Book Foundation announced its longlist for the five categories of the National Book Awards — a slow drip of literary celebration. It was super cool, and not surprising, to see some Library-adjacent authors among those selected. First up is Sara Nović, the author of this year’s Seattle Reads pick “True Biz”: Sara was… Continue reading
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Fiction for National Translation Month
September is National Translation Month, a time to highlight the works and contributions of authors from around the world, and the translators who make their work available to more readers. Check out this taste of recent fiction in translation. Delicious Hunger by Singaporean author Hai Fan uses the author’s background as a guerilla fighter in the Malayan Communist Party in… Continue reading
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“Words of Courage,” Featuring 20 Brilliant Young Poets, to Visit 7 Library Locations
Alive with saturated color and a ferocity of emotion, “Over the Meadows, Under the Sun,” opened this month at the Beacon Hill Branch. This year’s “Words of Courage” exhibition features 20 vibrant prints that capture the joy and creativity of 20 brilliant young poets — all pediatric patients at Seattle Children’s hospital. “Words of Courage” is an annual collaboration between… Continue reading
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Teen Books for When You Need a Good Cry
Sometimes you don’t need to be enticed with romance, fantasy, or current events. Sometimes you just need a reason to feel and let tears flow. For when you feel that you need an excuse, or need to blame the book for your tears, check out these titles: To start us off, try out The Leaving Room by Amber McBride. Gospel… Continue reading
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Happy 20th Birthday, South Park Branch!
Twenty years ago, on Sept. 9, 2006, South Park neighbors streamed into their new library branch at the corner of Eighth Ave. S., and South Cloverdale. As a mariachi band played, more than 100 people signed up for a library card within the first hour, and community members marveled that the branch – after decades of dreaming – was finally… Continue reading
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Book Bingo NW 2026: Soothing
Book Bingo is a great time to be intentional about reading books you may have been putting off or exploring new titles that may become new favorites. If you are at the point in your Book Bingo journey where you have been reading many exciting and interesting books yet need a moment to catch your breath before marking off your… Continue reading
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Read Your Way to Jaipur Literature Festival Seattle 2026
What should you read before JLF Seattle? From the mysteries of the human brain and the legacies of empire to modern India, the Iranian Revolution, artificial intelligence and imaginative new fiction, the books featured at this year’s Jaipur Literature Festival Seattle (JLF Seattle) invite readers to explore some of the most compelling questions of our time. JLF Seattle: A global festival of books and… Continue reading
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Book Bingo NW 2026: Horror
Summer beach reads don’t always have to be light. Sometimes, a horror novel can be just as fun. Horror novels have the power to pull you in and make your heart race; they can make you laugh, grimace, see the world in a new way, or all of the above. If you’re still working on your Book Bingo Horror category… Continue reading
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A Century of Discoveries: Genealogy at The Seattle Public Library
Every day, visitors ride the elevators to Level 9 of Seattle’s Central Library looking for family stories. Some are tracing immigrant ancestors. Others are searching for military records, newspaper clippings, or clues to a long-standing family mystery. In 2026, The Seattle Public Library’s genealogy collection marks 100 years of helping people uncover their family stories. Its history began with a… Continue reading
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Four Simple Steps to Prepare for Library Service Disruptions this September
As recently announced, the Library is upgrading a major IT system this September. Several of our services will be offline from 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 6 until Wednesday, Sept. 16. During this period, you will not be able to access your account or place holds on physical materials. Physical book checkouts will require staff assistance. You will be able to… Continue reading
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Bands, Beats, and Books
Sunburns, poor acoustics, craning to see around someone’s too high lawn chair – outdoor concert season in the PNW is a unique slice of summer. With our place in music history secured thanks to early grunge, various venues across Seattle offering live music year-round, and with summer concerts taking our musical enjoyment to an 11, it’s hard not to have bands on the brain. Enjoy some fiction to help… Continue reading
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Women Beyond the Verge of Collapse
Women are collapsing right and left on the covers of novels. I was first drawn to the trend by the humorous image on the cover of Emily Nemen’s Clutch, wherein a smartly-dressed woman is lying prone, immobile. If you love a women-pushing-forty-behaving-badly romp or you dig novels with rom-com wittiness minus the tropes, this despairing friend group is for you. It seems… Continue reading
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Book Bingo NW 2026: Animal
About this time every year, with less than 30 days until the end of Book Bingo season, I carefully plot my last few squares, sometimes reframing how I interpret a category. Take, for instance, the “Animal” square. Earlier this summer I made a list of books about animals I’d long been eyeing, but I couldn’t settle on just one. My… Continue reading
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University Branch Renovations Move Forward, Air Conditioning and Elevator Installed
In our March 2026 University Branch update, we announced the completion of the seismic retrofit portion of this project and highlighted some of the significant work planned for the summer, including the installation of the new branch HVAC system and elevator, major interior renovations, and several accessibility improvements in and around the building.We are pleased to report that much of… Continue reading
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In the Weeds
By August, my early season enthusiasm for a tidy garden has waned. Leafy greens have bolted and lean rangily against each other. Vetch curls up potato stems and launches its seeds in tiny explosions. Lemon balm is everywhere. Grasses at the edge of the lawn are tawny and arching, and I pick a couple of blackberries whenever I walk past our retaining wall.… Continue reading
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13 Not-to-Miss Author Programs at the Library in Fall 2026
Get out your calendar! The Seattle Public Library has an incredible lineup of book-related events and author talks this fall, from the kickoff of the Jaipur Literature Festival Seattle to Seattle Reads events featuring “True Biz” author Sara Nović to an evening with Douglas Stuart, Booker Prize award-winning author of “John of John.” All Library events are free and open to… Continue reading
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Book Bingo NW 2026: Myth & Legend
Whether you’re looking for a companion read to Chrisopher Nolan’s blockbuster adaptation of The Odyssey or filling in the Myth & Legend square on your Book Bingo card, this curated selection of recommendations has something for everyone. Dan Jones’ Queer Heroes of Myth and Legend: a Celebration of Gay Gods, Sapphic Saints, and Queerness Through the Ages Hidden in the margins of history books, classical literature, and thousands of years of… Continue reading