Nonfiction

  • 2025 Staff Faves: Adult Nonfiction

    2025 Staff Faves: Adult Nonfiction

    Each year we ask our staff across the library for their favorite books published in the current year. Featured below are some of the nonfiction books that multiple staff loved! Find the full list of staff faves in our catalog: Seattle Staff Faves 2025: Nonfiction. One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by… Continue reading

  • Book Bingo NW 2025: Hope

    Book Bingo NW 2025: Hope

    Besides being the Thing with Feathers, what is hope? How do we hold onto it and why? And if we have it, what do we do with it (or, what does it do for us)? The answers to these questions may be different for each person, but here are some reading suggestions to help fill… Continue reading

  • Nonfiction for Women’s History Month

    Nonfiction for Women’s History Month

    Celebrate Women’s History Month with this selection of recently published memoirs and history highlighting women in the United States, and find more in our booklist Women’s History Month 2025. The Movement: How Women’s Liberation Transformed America, 1963-1973 by Clara Bingham Weaving together over 100 oral histories, Bingham brings to life the first ten years of… Continue reading

  • Introduction to Appalachian Literature, Part 2: Nonfiction

    In my last post, I introduced you to several notable fiction titles in Appalachian literature. In this post, I’m highlighting three nonfiction titles that give you a glimpse into the history and diverse lived experiences of the region. The Southern Review of Books calls titles such as these a “new wave of Appalachian literature [that]… Continue reading

  • New Year, Same You

    At the beginning of the year, publishers typically release a slew of “new year, new you” books – guides to eating better, losing weight, decluttering your surroundings, and changing your thoughts to become a better person. But 2022 is different, and the trend has moved away from cheery, self-help platitudes and towards the reality of… Continue reading

  • Montessori at Home

    Growing up I remember hearing about Montessori from an educational stand point. Relooking at it now, as a parent, has become sort of a fascination: the idea of my child being guided by his own independence – gaining self esteem and confidence in his ability do things on his own, but always knowing we are… Continue reading

  • New and Notable Northwest Nonfiction

      Would you like to “read local” this fall? From history to art to the great outdoors, there’s something for anyone interested in exploring the Pacific Northwest through 20 nonfiction books coming out this late summer and fall. History buffs. In Abandoned North Cascades, Debra Huron uncovers deserted buildings taken over by nature. Brad Holden… Continue reading

  • What’s Cooking? Fall edition

    The pandemic turned many of us — perhaps not willingly — into home cooks, resulting in cookbooks with long holds queues, printing delays and a publishing industry scrambling to meet demand. While dining in restaurants is resuming, many of us will continue cooking and baking at home for ourselves, family and friends. Here are a… Continue reading

  • Oh, doggone it!

    Dogs can completely change the way we feel—for the better. They are funny, loving, and intelligent. Canine companions live in an estimated 63 million U.S. homes, so it’s no wonder stories, movies, and videos featuring dogs have always been big hits. Let’s not forget our own local legend, the public-transit-riding dog, Eclipse, who rides the… Continue reading

  • November Literary Holidays

    November marks twelve months of literary holidays! So to finish it off, here are three November literary holidays. The entire month is Picture Book Month, an international initiative to support literacy and encourage the use of picture books. There are blogs dedicated to championing the importance of picture books throughout the month. So in honor… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2018: History

    #BookBingoNW2018: History

    Looking for something to fill in that “history” box on your Summer Book Bingo card?  Fortunately, the days of dry history tomes are, well, history.  There are currently lots of great authors who are writing fascinating nonfiction history books that have the page-turning quality of a good story. Here are some of my favorites: Nancy… Continue reading

  • New Nonfiction Roundup – February 2018

    Thoughtful essays, gripping true crime, unconventional memoirs and brain science books dominate the latest releases in nonfiction. Continue reading

  • Inside the Story: Immersive and Personal Journalism

    Memoir tends to be subjective, while journalistic writing aims at objective treatment of a topic. Then there are those books that combine these strengths, exploring a topic of interest from within, either through the eyes of someone whose experience gives them a revealing perspective, or a journalist who immerses themselves in the world they’re writing about. In both cases, the… Continue reading

  • A Little Life, A Little Home, A Little Break

    In December I got engaged and bought a house with my fiancé and my mind has been abuzz with all the planning and decorating and, honestly, “grownup-ness.” I thought I would use inspiration from that to kick off the new year with a blog post and to also take a break from Shelftalk to focus… Continue reading

  • 2017 Books You’ll Want to Put on Hold Now

    The Seattle Public Library offers a huge selection of materials to the public, and we are constantly adding new titles. How can you stay on top of what’s new at the Library? Shelf Talk is a good place to find recommendations, but there’s a very easy way to see what the Library is getting. When… Continue reading

  • You: The Project

    We’re all just works in progress, right? At the library, I generally see the greatest demand for self-improvement books in the lead up to and immediately following the New Year. It makes sense. All those resolutions – to keep a cleaner house, to start exercising, to meditate – you may as well begin with the… Continue reading

  • Book Bingo: Recommended by an Independent Bookstore (Nonfiction)

    Join The Seattle Public Library and Seattle Arts & Lectures for our 2nd annual Summer Book Bingo for adults! Follow us throughout the summer for reading suggestions based on each category.  Our guest blog today is from the staff of Ada’s Technical Books & Café in Capitol Hill; Ada’s Technical Books & Cafe is home to the kinds of books, gifts, workshops and events… Continue reading

  • Bus Reads for April

    First off, I moved to Tacoma. I gotta say I never thought I’d move from Seattle, but life happens and between rent increases and a boy I made the plunge to the sassy sister to the south! One of the many highlights of my move has actually been my bus commute. That’s not something you… Continue reading