Abby B.

  • Book Bingo: Banned books

       — Posted by Abby This summer The Seattle Public Library, in partnership with Seattle Arts & Lectures, is excited to offer a summer reading program for adults called Summer Book Bingo! In order to help you along on your quest to complete your bingo sheet, we have pulled together some book suggestions based on… Continue reading

  • What to read while you wait for Morrissey’s Autobiography

    I want the one I can’t have, and it’s driving me mad. . . No doubt countless American fans of Morrissey are singing those lyrics to Penguin Books right now. The publisher released the singer’s autobiography last Thursday under its Classics imprint. . . in the UK only. It went straight to number 1 on… Continue reading

  • What I Made: Cute & cuddly children’s toys

                      Although I have no children of my own (and don’t plan to), I really enjoy knitting for babies and toddlers. The projects are quick and totally adorable, and parents really appreciate these one-of-a-kind handmade gifts. Recently, I’ve gotten into knitting and sewing toys for my friend’s… Continue reading

  • Short review: Turtle Diary by Russell Hoban

    Turtle Diary is a brilliant, funny, bittersweet and ultimately redemptive meditation on middle-aged loneliness. Russell Hoban is best known for his children’s books (especially the picture books about Frances the Badger and two of my favorites, The Mouse and His Child and Emmett Otter’s Jug Band Christmas) but he wrote fiction for adults too, and this… Continue reading

  • Movie Mondays: Punk’s Not Dead!

    Well, not at SIFF anyways. I always look forward to the festival’s music documentaries (which are conveniently grouped together by mood—“Face the Music” in this year’s event guide), and this year I noticed a common theme in the films that caught my eye: they’re all about PUNK in some shape or form. If you love… Continue reading

  • Three for Free: I heart Harry Nilsson

    Pop star crushes – we’ve all had them at some point. For the past several years I’ve been majorly crushed out on Harry Nilsson, the L.A.-based singer-songwriter best known for his hits “Everybody’s Talkin’” (1969), “Coconut” (1971) and “Without You” (1972). I just can’t get enough of his angelic voice and sweeping instrumental arrangements. It’s… Continue reading

  • Three for Free: Seattle Songs

    Welcome to a new Shelf Talk series, Three For Free, in which we highlight three songs from the Freegal* collection for you to download and enjoy! I thought I’d kick this series off with a few songs about Seattle. From Perry Como to Nirvana, many artists have sung odes to our fair city. Here’s a… Continue reading

  • Sasquatch and Folklife kick off the 2012 NW summer music festival season

    Memorial Day is right around the corner, and you know what that means – Summer music festival season has begun in the Pacific NW! This weekend (May 25-28), Seattle music lovers can head on down to Seattle Center for the 41st annual Northwest Folklife Festival, which features the folk music traditions of many cultures, performed… Continue reading

  • What we were listening to in 1962

    On the 50th anniversary of the Seattle World’s Fair, we look back at that year’s popular books, music, movies and TV shows. This week: what we were listening to in 1962. I like to be in America! If we could travel back in time to a random Seattle living room circa 1962, chances are good we’d… Continue reading

  • Heavy Rotation 2011: The Year of the Mix

    For many reasons, 2011 was my Year of the Mix — as in mixtape, or more accurately, mix CD. I made about a half-dozen mixes over the course of the year for various friends and family members, and received about as many, if not more, in return. Each mix I received exposed me to music I’d never heard… Continue reading

  • Ride your bike to work (and fix it too)!

    How did you get to work today? If you’re like the vast majority of Seattle residents, chances are good that you drove your car or took the bus. On your commute, you probably saw at least a few people riding bicycles: according to the most recent US Census data, 3.6 percent of Seattlites use bicycles as their primary mode of transportation… Continue reading

  • A Cyclist’s Soundtrack

    May is here, and that means it’s time once again for one of my favorite events of the year, Bike to Work Month. To increase the visibility of urban cyclists and encourage others to ride their bicycles to get around the city, Cascade Bicycle Club sponsors a number of events throughout the month, including the… Continue reading

  • Songs for Winter

    A few months ago, my colleague Misha wrote a great post on Shelf Talk about the albums that make up her autumn soundtrack. Now that the seasons have turned, I’d like to share some of the records I can’t stop listening to when the temperatures drop, the nights grow longer and life slows to a… Continue reading

  • Books for Giving 2010 — Teen Books, Part 2

    Wondering what to get the teen(s) on your list this year? This post is the second in a two-part series of recently published books for teens recommended by three youth services librarians at The Seattle Public Library. Hayden’s picks (continued): Smile by Raina Telgemeier One night, 6th-grader Raina and her friends decide to race to… Continue reading

  • Books for Giving 2010 — Teen Books, Part 1

    Need a last-minute gift for a teenager on your holiday shopping list? Try one of the books recommended by Abby, Hayden and Jennifer, three Teen and Children’s Librarians at The Seattle Public Library, who have selected 10 of their favorite books of 2010 for teen readers of all ages and tastes. This post is the… Continue reading

  • Christmas Music for Grinches

    Ok, I’ll admit it: I am a Grinch. Christmas is my least favorite holiday. Why do I despise Christmas? Well, one reason is the music. Most Christmas music is cheesy commercial schlock that gets stuck in your head and torments you for days on end. Worst of all, starting on Black Friday, it is virtually inescapable… Continue reading

  • Growing Neighborhood Gardens

    Gardening is in my blood – my mom is a Master Gardener, and I’ve enjoyed digging around in the dirt since I was little. However, as a Seattle renter, I haven’t had much space to garden until this year when I finally got my own plot in a P-Patch Community Garden. Run by the City’s… Continue reading

  • Mushroom Mania

    Autumn in Seattle means rain and lots of it. While many Seattle residents are indoors moaning about the miserable weather, a few of us are rubbing our hands with glee as the drops fall. We are the wild mushroom hunters, and this is our favorite time of year. On any given fall day after it rains,… Continue reading