Kara P.

  • Thanks Obama: Summer Edition

    We have just a little over a month before we say good bye to summer and hello to fall, which gives you plenty of time to read some of former president Barack Obama’s summer reading favorites! Toni Morrison’s collected works, including Song of Solomon, The Bluest Eye, and Beloved – a longtime popular author even… Continue reading

  • New Music Mixtape

    This year is giving me life when it comes to new albums coming my way by some old favorites and new loves. Brooks and Dunn from my childhood; the Hotel Cafe alumni, Ingrid Michaelson and Sara Bareilles, who were the soundtrack of my twenties; and the band Joseph is a gem my husband shared with… Continue reading

  • Bus Reads for July

    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 July: Early Riser by Jasper Fforde. I really enjoyed this book, I think the only issue I sometimes have with Jasper is that it sometimes feels like in his books there… Continue reading

  • A Region of Makers

    We are a region of makers, artists, renegades, foodies, and punks. When you throw all that together we have some of the best markets to explore all that can be imagined! From the bigger markets like Renegade Craft, Urban Craft Uprising, and The Great Junk Hunt to more localized markets like Georgetown Night Market, Chinatown… Continue reading

  • Books for Two or More

    There’s no need to go to the trouble of getting a large group together for a book group each month (unless you want to). I have a book group for two, sometimes more, and it’s going just fine. We get together once every two months to discuss our read. My book group’s previous selection was French… Continue reading

  • Bus Reads for June

    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 June: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens This felt like a book that will stick with me for quite a while. This book has so many layers and brought me… Continue reading

  • Birds, Bees, and Butterflies

    The first Spring in our new house was spent figuring out where we wanted things and tackling the things we didn’t – I battled sticker bushes and morning glory, we moved garden beds, and got a patio poured. This year all that hard work started coming together. I planted vegetables, we got patio furniture, and… Continue reading

  • Bus Reads for May

    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 May: Bearskin by James A. McLaughlin A nice little thriller, reminded me a bit of Josh Bazell’s book Beat the Reaper, which I also enjoyed. Rice Moore is seeking a hideout… Continue reading

  • Bus Reads for April

    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 April: Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi. This book is so hard to put into words with its madness and dark tales of a person consumed by multiple identities. Born in Nigeria to… Continue reading

  • Taking Me Back

    Taking Me Back

    I was having a conversation with a friend the other day over our love of Spam. One year for her birthday her husband bought her a sampler pack of 12 different varieties! That was something new I learned – I had only ever known of the true blue original can. Growing up my mom used… Continue reading

  • ‘Tis the Season for Hanami

    Spring has sprung in the Pacific Northwest and the cherry trees are putting on quite a show! One of the more popular attractions in Seattle for cherry blossom viewing, also known as Hanami, is our cherry trees located at the University of Washington Quad. Although the origin of the trees is debated, according to The… Continue reading

  • Bus Reads for March

    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 March: If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio. On the day that Oliver is released from prison, Detective Colborne, who worked the case and is now retired, has come to… Continue reading

  • Books for Two or More

    My book group’s selection for January through February was An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen: “When Jessica Farris signs up for a psychology study conducted by the mysterious Dr. Shields, she thinks all she’ll have to do is answer a few questions, collect her money, and leave. But as the questions grow… Continue reading

  • Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves: Women in the Kitchen

    There’s that old patriarchal saying that “a woman’s place is in the kitchen,” but in an industry dominated by men, it’s actually a lot harder to “get in the kitchen.” Just last year the Department for Labor Statistics showed that only 19.7 percent of restaurant kitchens are run by women. Things are changing, but it’s… Continue reading

  • Wild Sourdough

    I love bread, but more and more it just tastes like filler. My husband and I started going to a neighborhood Farmer’s Market open year-round to incorporate more whole foods and seasonal finds into our meals at home. One of our favorite vendors is a sourdough bread baker. I started doing a bit of research… 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: Brass by Xhenet Aliu. A story of a mother and a daughter and how one’s path sometimes winds it’s way differently than expected. Chapters were told in alternating voices of… Continue reading

  • The World is Your Oyster

    Growing up in the Pacific Northwest the winter season wasn’t something that stopped us from doing what we enjoyed as a family. Sure cuddling by the fireplace and reading books was one way to enjoy it since we are a family of readers, but this is also the season of crabbing, clam digging, grilling oysters,… 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 River at Night by Erica Ferenik. Every year four friends, Wini, Pia, Sandra, and Rachel plan a trip, to spend time together and get away from everyday life. This… Continue reading