Kara P.

  • Throwback Thursday: March 31, 2008

    Seattle Reads, the arts, and gentrification was the topic in our Throwback Thursday post on March 31, 2008. If you have picked up this year’s Seattle Reads novel, The Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu you’ve had a chance to get one novelist’s take on some of the issues and pressures that can… Continue reading

  • My Biggest Little Obsession

    Have you seen The Biggest Little Farm? If you have are you completely obsessed with it like I am? And if you haven’t seen it, you must! It is beautiful and full of hope and just gives you the happiest feeling. It has become my go to when I’m having a rough day or when… Continue reading

  • Iditarod 2020: This Mush Is True

    Since 1973, the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, has united mushers, dogs, and spectators for a 938 mile run from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. This can take anywhere from 8 days to over 15! I’ve heard of the Iditarod, but it wasn’t until my husband started following Blair Braverman on Twitter a few years back… Continue reading

  • Bus Reads for February

    Commuting to Seattle by bus five days a week gives me a lot of reading time. Here’s what I read on the bus in February: Call Your Daughter Home by Deb Spera. This novel reminded me of Where the Crawdads Sing and I can’t quite tell you why. Three women, Gertrude, Retta and Annie, from… Continue reading

  • Mandalas, Muffins, and Mimosas

    I recently took a mandala rock painting class with a bunch of girl friends last month. I was surprised at how lost we all got into painting our mandalas and how fast the two hours they had scheduled for our group went! The art studio we went to also offered us muffins and mimosas while… Continue reading

  • Bus Reads for January

    Commuting to Seattle by bus five days a week gives me a lot of reading time. Here’s what I read on the bus in January: The Wall by John Lanchester. Due to climate change an island nation has built a wall to keep out the Others – those adrift. Each citizen is assigned wall duty for… Continue reading

  • Craftfulness

    I recently found my crafting tote filled with two in-progress blankets, yarn, and crochet hooks. I’ve been spending my nights crocheting as a way to decompress and I’m enjoying how it has become a part of my settling in for the night. Slowing my busy mind and body to focus on the pattern I’m creating… Continue reading

  • For the Love of Winter

    Winter has always been the time for me to slow down, to cuddle up, to pause and recharge, especially after the holidays. But that slowing down doesn’t stop me from enjoying the season. Winterlust: Finding Beauty in the Fiercest Season by Bernd Brunner. In winter I’m not hiding out until the sun comes back–if anything… Continue reading

  • Bus Reads for December

    Commuting to Seattle by bus five days a week gives me a lot of reading time. Here’s what I read on the bus in December: Vox by Christina Dalcher. A read-alike for A Handmaids Tale, women of America can no longer hold jobs and are limited to 100 words a day. They are forced to… Continue reading

  • The Yule Log Times Three!

    Each of us has a picture that pops into our minds whenever we hear about the yule log. Whether it’s a log on the fire during Winter Solstice, a decadent dessert, or a cozy mystery. Here are a few items in our collection to celebrate the yule log in its many forms! For apartment dwellers… Continue reading

  • Eat, Drink, and Be Merry: Food in Fiction

    With holidays in full swing you might find yourself in need of a little break from the table. Here are a few novels that celebrate food in fiction. How it brings us together, pushes us apart, or leads us on an adventure to sights, sounds, and smells we never knew before. Continue reading

  • Indigenous Wisdom

    November is Native American Heritage Month and in exploring our American story in the Pacific Northwest I asked myself what relationship I’ve had with Indigenous peoples in my own region. At a young age I knew of the Duwamish tribe because of my grandmother’s relationship with Cecile Hansen. “For over 30 years, Cecile Hansen has… Continue reading

  • Bus Reads for November

    Commuting to Seattle by bus five days a week gives me a lot of reading time. Here’s what I read on the bus in November: The Salt Line by Holly Goddard Jones. In a dystopian world those seeking adventure and a chance to see nature pay a high price tag to explore outside the salt… Continue reading

  • Millennial Thanksgiving

    Thanksgiving in my family has always been big and loud and so much leftovers you’d eat for weeks afterwards. But as families move farther away whether they are retiring or falling in love or discovering a new career…or as the case with a lot of my cousins and I moving farther out so we can… Continue reading

  • Bus Reads for October

    Commuting to Seattle by bus five days a week gives me a lot of reading time. Here’s what I read on the bus in October: Into the Jungle by Erica Ferencik. Running from her past, Lily seeks a different sort of adventure after her teaching job in Bolivia ends and her listlessness grows tiring. In… Continue reading

  • Bus Reads for September

    Commuting to Seattle by bus five days a week gives me a lot of reading time. Here’s what I read on the bus in September: Circe by Madeline Miller. The story of Circe, the daughter of the sun god Helios, banished to an island for Zeus believes her to be a threat. Unlike other children… Continue reading

  • Ale Yeah!

    My dad’s favorite beer was Schmidt – during football games or working in the garage, that was his go-to drink of choice. Occasionally he might add some tomato juice, but more often than not it was just that simple can with a fish on the label. Camping in my twenties I often grabbed a pack… Continue reading

  • Bus Reads for August

    Commuting to Seattle by bus five days a week gives me a lot of reading time. Here’s what I read on the bus in August: Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee. I’m glad I gave myself a bit of time before I read this book. To Kill a Mockingbird was one of those books… Continue reading