My parents divorced when I was three, and my mother and I moved into a tiny rental house two doors down from a windowless tavern. Though I had my own room, it was at the back of the house, and just beyond the small backyard was a gravel alleyway. Some nights, drunk men would use …
Bob Comet is a retired librarian. One day he steps out of his mint-colored house to go for a walk. This walk becomes an adventure. Along the way, it turns out that Bob has had a few other adventures. And with spare prose–and a generous dose of humor and life wisdom–we discover, along with Bob, …
Lynette has been saving for three years for a down payment to buy the North Portland house she lives in with her mother and developmentally disabled brother. The owner is giving them a good deal, but Lynette has lousy credit, so her mother has to take out the loan. However, at the last minute they …
By Amy Wang for The Oregonian/ Oregonlive.com September 18, 2021: “It’s happening! It’s really happening!” That was Portland author and musician Colin Meloy‘s delighted tweet on Wednesday. “I’m super excited to see what these guys do with Wildwood,” Meloy added. That would be “Wildwood” as in the 2011 children’s fantasy novel set in Portland’s Forest Park that put …
From Oregon Live July 10, 2021 Portland-raised author Renée Watson is the inspiration for a campaign that Portland bookstore Green Bean Books is running on behalf of Vernon Elementary School this summer. The campaign’s goal: To sell 275 copies of Watson’s delightful chapter book Ways to Make Sunshine, which follows a Black girl growing up …
From the blog of Inklings Bookshop in Yakima, WA: June marks the beginning of Pride Month for the LGBTQ+ community, and what better way to celebrate Pride than to read! Raymond and I (Samwise) wanted to share some LGBTQ+ books that we are in love with. Juliet Takes a Breath: The Graphic Novel by Gabby …
Today’s spotlight title: The Night Always Comes by Portland Author Willy Vlautin. Rene Denfeld writes on twitter: Book to put in your gotta-read this queue: this brilliant, realistic story of disenfranchisement, poverty and hope by the amazing Willy Vlautin. Sarah-Jane Roberts shares on twitter: *Dream Book Post Alert* Gracias @joshsm_th @FaberBooks for bringing me the …
This summer a highly anticipated title is the YA debut by the author of the adult title Mem. Morrow sets her story in a contemporary alternative world where portions of the population have various mythical abilities and identities. Inherent in these identities are built in assumptions and prejudices, the most heightened of which are towards “sirens,” …
I ordered this book around what would have been Bookstore Day in late April and it languished in a stack of to-be-read books until I watched the KidLit4BlackLives Rally—the author was one of the speakers. I pulled it out this morning and was charmed by Ryan and her family; I’m so glad to see that …
To this reader, two of the scariest book and life scenarios are that of cybersecurity and cyberterrorism. Richard Sandford in his novel The Soul Snatchers has achieved both scenarios. The time is the near future. The locales include the San Juan Islands in Washington State, Seattle, Portland (Oregon) and the Bay Area of California. The …
