Winter

  • Thirty Names of Night

    Come December’s shortest days, there are, amongst us, those who relish Burning the Midnight Oil, who revel in every blue-black hour’s saturating presence.  These Night Bloomers, Know the Night, The Long Night, Faithful and Virtuous Night understand that as each day’s darkness lengthens its translucent filaments entwine with time’s endless line.  This is the story,… Continue reading

  • Rest and Retreat

    I know solitude seems like the opposite of what you want to do right now, but solitude with a purpose, such as rest, could be highly beneficial especially after this difficult year. There are also many forms of rest. Resting the mind for better sleep, retreating to rest and recharge, and finding solitude to create… Continue reading

  • Seattle Hygge

    This has been a year when I have found my sense of cozy vibes becoming more amplified in my home. Between nesting for the arrival of our child, working from home, and just settling in to the Pacific Northwest winter – cozy is front and center of all we do. New couch purchase means piling… Continue reading

  • Tales (and Recipes) for a Winter’s Night

    Thanksgiving, Christmas, Yuletide, Winter Solstice – no matter the form it takes – tales and food so often play a part. Stories of memories, tales passed on from generation to generation, and recipes too following down the line from grandmother, to daughter, to granddaughter, to great-grandson. The ties that bind us during the holiday season… Continue reading

  • The Joys of Winter Gardening

    There’s nothing like a sunny Seattle day during the long dreary winter, especially for those who like to garden. The minute the sun breaks through that cloud cover, even just for a few minutes, you’ll see gardeners all over the city trying to get things in order. For those willing to brave the colder months,… 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

  • Ready, Set, Holidays!

    The holidays are nearly upon us. For many of us, it’s time to start thinking about making a Halloween costume, what dish to make for Thanksgiving, or what gifts to make for friends and family. Now is the time to start planning! Here are some books to guide you as the season approaches. In The… Continue reading

  • Snowbound! Winter Chills and Thrills

    Desperate messages came flooding in, through the silent darkness of the winter nights. “Help! Snowed in at home! I need something to read!” So, adding to our recent list of Wintry reads, here are some gripping novels that revolve around winter storms. The Quality of Silence, by Rosamund Lupton. An astrophysicist and her precocious hearing-disabled daughter… Continue reading

  • Winter Reads

    There’s something about cold weather and dark nights that make me want to find a book full of snow and curl up on the couch. If you feel the same, check out one of these recent titles. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden – In early 1900s Russia, young Vasya roams her father’s… Continue reading

  • Top 10 Winter Reads

    ~posted by Andrea G. During the dark days of winter, few things are as classically cozy as curling up on the couch with a blanket and a good book. If you want to reinforce that winter-y feeling, try reading one of these 10 books that are snowy and cold. Tales of Burning Love by Louise… Continue reading

  • Snowing While Sunny

    ~posted by Anne C. You might not think it, but some of the more interesting and challenging questions that come to the Business, Science and Technology desk at the Central Library actually have to do with language. Vagaries in definition, etymology, slang and dialect can be tough to resolve authoritatively, but are also fascinating to… Continue reading

  • Cold Weather Music, Part One

                   Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the boom-box is so delightful… I’m sure everyone has noticed: It’s getting A LOT colder outside. It’s getting bleaker and bleaker out there, and we’re all of course just trying to stay warm and awake. And as the holiday season sashays… Continue reading

  • Dark Reads for Dark Winter Days

    In many ways, winter is an ideal setting for a story. Stark landscapes of vast white nothingness, silence punctured by the occasional chirp of a bird or a distant train whistle, and the sense of time standing still provide a fitting backdrop for tales of sorrow, solitude, suspense and ennui. Here are five fiction selections… Continue reading

  • A Vitamin D Deficiency Rx: A Little “Light” Reading

    As we approach the winter solstice with its abbreviated daylight, many of us in the Pacific Northwest find ourselves in need of a little light therapy. To infuse some much-needed luster into our lives, we’ve compiled an eclectic-and electric-selection of books, music, and videos. Cozy up in a chair and read by the radiant warmth… Continue reading

  • Watching the Weather with Cliff Mass

    Normally we don’t write about new books that are already slammed with holds and Cliff Mass’ new book, The Weather of the Pacific Northwest, certainly fits that description with over 300 holds on it already. But the weather outside is frightful…well, at least unusual. Since I’ve been glued to his weather blog over the weekend, I thought you… Continue reading