If you’re looking for engrossing, high-stakes fantasy, you need this emotionally rich, gorgeously written novel. It’s about about power that winds up being about love, sacrifice, honor, and family— that we choose and are given. Raybearer is absolutely brilliant, gripping, and one-of-a-kind. I couldn’t wait to read more from this author, and luckily the sequel is …
It’s time for a Thursday Theme, where we shine a spotlight on some of the titles featured in this week’s Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association regional bestseller list. On this last Thursday of February/ Black History Month, let’s celebrate the Black authors on the list. Both Amanda Gorman and Jason Reynolds have two books that are bestsellers this …
This is a page-turning, easy read that you‘ll be able to devour quickly! It’s a different and unique take on vampire lore and, although it seems as if it was set up to become a series (unfortunately the author died shortly after publication), you can still read it as a stand-alone! I am, however, left …
I cannot say enough good things about this incredible book! It is a beautifully written story that traces the lineage of generational trauma and disenfranchisement along two branches of a single family tree, beginning in 18th century Ghana and concluding in the present day. Each chapter follows a new character, and each character is so …
On February 4, 2022, beloved children’s picture book creator, artist, poet, and literary legend Ashley Bryan died. He was 98 years old. Since the late 1980s, he lived in the other corner of the country, on Little Cranberry Island in Maine. He wrote and illustrated over 50 books, many of them award and honor recipients, …
Tupac Shakur’s poetry collection, The Rose that Grew from Concrete, and the safety of a diary were my entries into becoming a writer. For the entirety of middle school and the first half of high school, I was the kid who came into class late while cracking jokes or quips and sat in the back …
808s and Otherworlds by Sean Avery Medlin is a vibrant collection that bridges poetry and essay. With a hip hop vibe, Medlin explores their coming of age as a queer black person in suburban Arizona. Medlin’s writing has changed the way I look at poetry. –Caitlin, Island Books, Mercer Island, WA This was one of …
The cathartic power of righteous anger is usually overlooked, but not this book! This book is all about righteous anger. One young woman is born with a coveted power, and with that power she works to avenge not only her sister, but also all young women who are being sacrificed in the dystopia she lives …
Unfollow Me: Essays on Complicity is a memoir in essays about identity, hierarchy, and the illusion of being right. It is a book about a hard fall from a high horse, the trouble with attempting to hear yourself in an echo chamber, and the pursuit of honesty over agreement. It is a book intended to …
A work of triumphant wonder, representation and truth telling to transform the 1619 Project’s essence into picture book for children. A family tree assignment sparks questions of “who are you, trace your roots, draw a flag that represents your ancestral land…” and for some and reminders the erasure of records. Grandmother gathers the family around …
