Linda J.

  • Books Coming to the Big Screen in 2019

    Two quintessential Seattle novels — Where’d You Go, Bernadette and The Art of Racing in the Rain — are coming to a movie theatre near you in 2019! Some scenes for Bernadette were filmed at our Central Library (and, yes, Cate Blanchette was there, AT OUR LIBRARY!). We can’t wait to see if we made… Continue reading

  • Library Reads: Books to start 2019

    What could be better than a list of 10 librarian-recommended books coming out in the next month? A list of 14 is the answer to that question. For January, in addition to the Library Reads Top Ten (books voted on by librarians across the U.S.), we’re highlighting four additional books from the Library Reads “Hall of… Continue reading

  • Nightstand Reads: Trudi Trueit recommends middle-grade novels to read now

    Seattle author Trudi Trueit’s newest book, The Nebula Secret, is part of the Explorer Academy series of novels from National Geographic. We asked Trudi to tell us about some other middle-grade books she’s been reading and loving. Here are five she recommends:     Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed When Amal, a young Pakistani girl,… Continue reading

  • Library Reads: New books for October!

    Library Reads: New books for October!

    We usually start these Library Reads monthly posts by saying “10 books librarians across the U.S. love …” But for October — you, dear readers, get 11 new books because there’s a bonus “Hall of Fame Author” included this month.  AND four of these titles — from Tana French, Barbara Kingsolver, Susan Orlean, Jodi Picoult… Continue reading

  • Listen Local: Download audio books by Washington authors

    If you’re looking for a downloadable audiobook, here are a half-dozen titles — general fiction, nonfiction, historical fiction, and fantasy —  by local authors. She Regrets Nothing by Andrea Dunlop. Fiction The forgotten granddaughter of one of New York’s wealthiest men is reunited with her family just as she comes of age—and once she’s had… Continue reading

  • Library Reads for September 2018

    New novels from Kate Atkinson and Gary Shteyngart, a new book in the October Daye series by local fantasy author Seanen McGuire, and another installment in a mystery series set in a library (by Jenn McKinlay) — plus six more books librarians across the U.S. are excited to see on the shelves next month. Continue reading

  • Announcing Washington State Book Award finalists for 2018!

    Congratulations to the finalists in the 2018 Washington State Book Awards Fiction: This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel, of Seattle (Flatiron Books) The Cold Eye by Laura Anne Gilman, of Seattle (Simon & Schuster) The Other Alcott by Elise Hooper, of Seattle (HarperCollins) Solar Reboot by Matthew D. Hunt, of Clearview (Matthew… Continue reading

  • Library Reads: New Books for August

    Library Reads: New Books for August

    Ten books coming in August 2018, chosen by librarians across the U.S. You’ll find more librarian-recommended fiction and nonfiction featured in previous Library Reads lists. (Insider tips: Go back a few months for a better chance of finding a book without a holds list. And, of course, place holds on forthcoming books each month when we publish… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2018: A SAL author

      There is no shortage of ideas for the Book Bingo challenge to read a Seattle Arts & Lectures (SAL) author. SAL has been bringing writers to Seattle for three decades (here is the complete list), so there are literally hundreds of options. In the spirit of being current with this year’s literary happenings around town,… Continue reading

  • Library Reads: New Books for June 2018

    Library Reads: New Books for June 2018

    Looking for some late spring and summer books? Here are 10 novels that librarians across the U.S. are super excited about — and now you can put them on hold. Continue reading

  • Library Reads: May 2018 books

    Library Reads: May 2018 books

    Psychogical suspense, historical fiction, thrillers, fantasy and general fiction — 10 novels that librarians across the U.S. nominated as their top picks for May 2018. We await your holds! Furyborn by Claire Legrand: Fierce, independent women full of rage, determination, and fire. The first novel in the Empirium trilogy holds appeal for both young adult and… Continue reading

  • Five horror novels to read now

    Five horror novels to read now

    Why wait until everyone else is looking for ghost stories and horror to enjoy the gothic, the ghoulish and the ghastly? We see a big uptick in horror readers in October, but YOU can get ahead of the curve by diving into horror novels right now, mid April, when the days are getting longer (sunset… Continue reading

  • Book Group Best Bets: Fiction for Discussion

    Book Group Best Bets: Fiction for Discussion

    Anyone who has belonged to a book club knows that there’s one meeting more difficult and stressful than all the rest – the meeting when members discuss which books to read and discuss for the rest of the year. How do you know what’s good? How can you be sure it will be discussable and… Continue reading

  • Library Reads: Top 10 Books for March 2018

    Library Reads: Top 10 Books for March 2018

    Librarians across the U.S. voted for their favorite new books coming out next month. And here they are, the Library Reads Top Ten for March 2018! Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh For readers who enjoyed Mackintosh’s I Let You Go and I See You, you most certainly will enjoy her latest suspenseful thrill ride. Anna has been… Continue reading

  • Library Reads: New books for February 2018

    This month’s Library Reads includes a book by a Washington author (The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah), a novel set in a library (Summer Hours at the Robbers Library by Sue Halpern), and a memoir reviewed by one of our librarians (Educated by Tara Westover). Time to place some holds! The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah Leni and… Continue reading

  • Seattle Rep’s TWO TRAINS RUNNING: Beyond the Theatre

    Here in Seattle we claim playwright August Wilson as one of our own, even though he was born in Pittsburgh and spent only 15 years (from 1990 until his death in 2005) here. But it was here, in the basement of his Capitol Hill house, where he completed his magnificent Pittsburgh Cycle (sometimes also called the… 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

  • What we’re reading, November 2017

    I feel lucky every day for a workplace where our casual conversations in hallways, before meetings and over the water cooler (if we had one) are regularly about what we’re reading. Periodically there’s a call-out on our staff message board asking people to chime in with what they’re reading and loving — the books that… Continue reading