The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister
The atmosphere of the Bog Wife is damp, oppressive, and ever present in the drama surrounding family history, tradition, and obligation with a specter of the supernatural haunting the periphery. The layers of metaphor stack upon each other like the sphagnum moss that layers the bog to become a rich peat. —Obadiah, Sherwood Bookstore, Sherwood, …
Where the Wildflowers Grow by by Terah Shelton Harris
You will be wholly moved as you journey along with Leigh, gaining an intimate understanding of her soul and appreciation for those around her who help her see the truth and beauty in herself. The focus isn’t her trauma; yes, her trauma informs her life in indelible ways, and still, she grows greatly just like …
Strange Pictures by Uketsu (with bonus Secret Garden Books Independent Bookstore Day info!)
Visit and revisit illustrations that shift before your eyes as you gain contextual understanding of the interlocked stories in this book. This mystery-horror novel is unlike anything I’ve ever read before. Truly chilling! -Lucy, Secret Garden Books, Seattle, WA On Seattle Independent Bookstore Day on Saturday, April 25th, 2026, Secret Garden Books is hosting a …
Maria Semple’s Seattle Visits for “Go Gentle”
It was a @mariasemple weekend for her old Seattle friends: watching her on stage @townhall_seattle trading zingers with @whoiskenjennings on Saturday night and hosting a book-signing visit at the store and doing some visiting with friends on Sunday. Her new novel, Go Gentle, is a heartful hoot, the kind of book for which the adjective “madcap” was invented—we’ve been trading our …
The Fountain by Casey Scieszka
Damned to repeatedly outlive all man and creature she’s ever loved, and having fallen out with certain family, Vera comes back home to root out the source of the fountain of youth and undo its curse on her. Her search is complicated by a secretive corporation buying up every parcel in the vicinity and then …
Bestseller Spotlight: Dramatic Weather
Every Wednesday, the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association publishes the regional bestseller list. On Thursdays, we celebrate Thursday Themes to shine a spotlight on some of the books from the list and give our brains a different way of thinking about books. Yesterday, Seattle had dramatic lightning, thunder, hail, and downpours. Some of last week’s bestsellers sounded a little …
Meet the Newmans by Jennifer Niven
Book club alert!!! This book, about a wholesome family show that takes place in the 1960s, is a dream book club selection! It’s charming, engaging, and would give ladies sooooooo much to talk about!!! It’s about social expectations and restrictions, and the strain of judgment from others and ourselves. Very good! ~ Annette An enjoyable …
The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
Cornejo Villavicencio talks to day laborers, a man seeking sanctuary, as well as some of the Ground Zero cleanup crew made up mostly of immigrants about their declining health after helping a country that doesn’t want to help them. She ties the informative with the personal without being dry or sentimental. (Read this then read …
Bestseller Spotlight: Spring Green
Every Wednesday, the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association publishes the regional bestseller list. On Thursdays, we celebrate Thursday Themes to shine a spotlight on some of the books from the list and give our brains a different way of thinking about books. I’m grateful for everything that’s green. –Audrey Hepburn (1929–1993) Something from Nothing: A Cookbook Alison Roman (#14 …
