David W.

  • Ten Non-Fiction Books We Loved in 2018

    As the New Year approaches, join our librarians in looking back on our favorite reading of the year gone by. By popular acclaim, here are ten non-fiction titles that made the biggest impact on us in 2018. (Fiction and books for youth will follow in the days to come). 2018 was a huge year for… Continue reading

  • Thankful for Books

    Ever since I was a child, at our family gathering that coincided with the Thanksgiving holiday, we would go around the table and everyone would have to say a little something about what they were thankful for. Perhaps it was (or is) the same for you? For our hedonistic childhood selves, so unaccustomed to being… Continue reading

  • Spooky Stories, Coming to a Bar Near You!

    Spooky Stories, Coming to a Bar Near You!

    Shadows lengthen, leaves crisp and fall, and a presage of winter’s chill runs down your spine. Its the perfect time to gather for some spooky stories, and we have several opportunities coming up in the weeks ahead, as our Booktoberfest celebration nears its close. First up, two storytimes at the Central Library this coming Monday: Continue reading

  • A Lifetime of Reading Finally Pays Off!

    Sure, reading has been shown to improve empathy in adults and emotional intelligence in children. Plus it’s affordable and enjoyable, and you feel, learn and experience so much. But what about making you the envy of your friends? Has reading ever bought the next round of beer? Where are the fabulous prizes? That’s all about to… Continue reading

  • That Encouraging Voice in Your Ear

    I’m a self help fan who hates reading self help books. When it comes to encouraging words, I want to hear them, preferably while I go about my household chores, tend my garden, or take a walk in the park. These encouraging little talks between me and my iPod are just the thing to add more… Continue reading

  • Thrilling Tales is Off to the Races!

    Thrilling Tales is Off to the Races!

    This summer, Thrilling Tales (the Library’s Story Time for Grown Ups) takes listeners off to the races with a pair of horse racing tales,  and then out into the rose garden with Shirley Jackson to dig into dark underside suburbia, before heading to the seashore to grapple with aliens from another world, and from the… Continue reading

  • Read This: The Misfit’s Manifesto, by Lidia Yuknavitch

    Read This: The Misfit’s Manifesto, by Lidia Yuknavitch

    Quote: “You are not nothing. You are vital to your culture. We misfits are the ones with the ability to enter grief. Death. Trauma. And emerge. But we have to keep telling our stories, giving them to each other, or they will eat us alive. Our suffering is not the Christ story. Our suffering is… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2018 : A Mystery or Thriller

    #BookBingoNW2018 : A Mystery or Thriller

    If you’re already a mystery or thriller fan, you don’t need our help — this square is a freebie! But what if you don’t usually read crime novels? Not to worry — we have you covered: just find the kind of books you like below, and get reading! Classics: The Shooting Party, by Anton Chekhov.… Continue reading

  • Don’t be afraid of the dark: Thrilling Tales just for you!

    Don’t be afraid of the dark: Thrilling Tales just for you!

    For several years now, audiences have been flocking to our twice monthly lunch hour program Thrilling Tales: A Storytime for Grownups, and every so often someone tells us they wish there were an evening version of these readings. Well, it’s finally happening! Staring on June 18, we’ll be sharing some of our favorite suspenseful tales in… Continue reading

  • The Feminist and the Axe Murderer

    The Feminist and the Axe Murderer

    Susan Glaspell was just 24, working her first job out of college as a reporter for the Des Moines Daily News when she was called to the scene of a grisly crime that would shape her artistic destiny. Late on the night of December 1, 1900, John Hossack had been bludgeoned to death with an… Continue reading

  • Le Guin, Allende, Bradbury & More, This Spring at Thrilling Tales!

    This Spring Thrilling Tales, the library’s popular story time for grown ups, is branching out with new monthly evening events in addition to our regular lunch hour gatherings. Now in its 15th year, the program celebrates the joy of story with live readings of compelling, intriguing, wondrous and suspenseful stories. Here’s what’s coming up in the… Continue reading

  • Avengers Spoiler Alert: Andy Serkis is playing WHO?

    Ms. Marvel, White Wolf, Mantis, Drax, Falcon, Peter Dinklage as Pip the Troll!… Just when you thought the burgeoning cast of characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe couldn’t get any more crowded, Hollywood Insider has gained access to leaked scripts for an as-yet-untitled Avengers movie due out in April 2020 that reveal a veritable avalanche of… Continue reading

  • Seattle Rep’s THE GREAT LEAP: Beyond the Theater

    Diplomatic tensions between American and China, played out in the sports arena. How the passions and actions of one person can make a difference in the world. The themes of Lauren Yee’s play The Great Leap – which opens its month-long run at The Seattle Repertory theatre on March 23 – could not be more… Continue reading

  • City Council Reads – Sally Bagshaw, District 7

    City Council Reads – Sally Bagshaw, District 7

    This past November, Seattle swore in a new Mayor and City Councilmember, and we here at ShelfTalk thought this would be a great opportunity to continue our series of posts in which we invited your representatives to share books that have meant a lot to them. This time, we asked them “What book was most influential in your… Continue reading

  • Ideas for Book Giving this Holiday

    Librarians give – and get – a lot of books this time of year. Seeing that familiar shape surrounded by festive wrapping is a special thrill. Sure, we know it is a book, but what book? We recently shared some ideas on how to choose good books for your loved ones. Now here are some… Continue reading

  • How to Succeed at Gifting Books this Holiday Season.

    Books make the perfect gift, except when they don’t. Few presents are such a joy for a reader to open as a well-chosen book, but we all know that sinking feeling when a literary gift strikes out. Giving a book can be an emotional minefield, as the books we share are reflections our ourselves, bound… Continue reading

  • Never mind Hallowe’en: Christmas is the Original Haunted Holiday.

    It’s that time of year again – a time of ghosts and goblins, of sudden chills and flickering candle flames at the stroke of midnight, of frights and haunts and things that go bump in the night. No, this isn’t a leftover post from Hallowe’en. For the Victorians, the spookiest holiday of the year was… Continue reading

  • Spooky Stories in Libraries and Bars, all October!

    Turn down the lights, get yourself a drink and gather round while we take you on a little trip down a dark and twisted road to the place where your fears like buried. This month we have extra spooky story times for grown ups in store, at the library and coming soon to a pub near… Continue reading