From Shelf Awareness for Readers November 15, 2019 On the last page of A Pilgrimage to Eternity, journalist Timothy Egan (The Immortal Irishman) reflects on his thousand-mile journey. “The Via Francigena is a trail of ideas, and it helps to walk with eyes open–otherwise you miss the bread crumbs of epiphany along the way.” Egan’s …
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Timothy Egan puts himself into the story in this remarkable memoir. Raised in a devout Irish Catholic family, Egan has wrestled with his faith as the clerical abuse scandal and the Church’s position on women have impacted his family. He also notes the increasing popularity of secularism throughout the world. To work …
Someone in your life needs a copy of Tein Lucasson’s Cat: Portrait of Eighty-Eight Cats & One Very Wise Zebra. It’s pictures of cats. Wearing clothes. With enigmatic cat expressions. And a zebra. You can get a copy for yourself, really. It’s okay. Mackenzie Lee has put together one of those fabulous “History of the …
More titles were mentioned in the 2020 Pacific Northwest Book Awards preview. Readers have found many treasures from Pacific Northwest authors in the last year! All the Better Part of Me was suggested by Stephanie from Books Around the Corner. The store’s all-female Fiction Addiction book club discussed it and loved it. The book comes …
In Strange Harvests: the Hidden Histories of Seven Natural Objects, Edward Posnett disappears into the world in pursuit of the histories, traditions, myths, and wild-ass stories behind the commodification of specific objects in the natural world. It’s the sort of book that is probably the result of Posnett’s mother asking: “Modern financial trends and historical …
Shadowlands is proving to be a rich work of recent American history in the West. The Malheur Reservation, located in the Great Basin region of Oregon, was occupied by a group of militia men lead by Ammon Bundy in 2016. Oh boy, is this ever a narratively tricky series of events and perspectives to tell! …
I don’t think there is a square mile of ground on this planet where Robert Macfarlane couldn’t dig up a new, wondrous story. Underland continues the tradition of profound storytelling, reflection, and, quite simply, gorgeous writing we have come to expect from him. Macfarlane’s ventures into the underworlds of our planet, both mythical and literal, …
This curated photography collection spanning the ’60s and ’70s captures stunning revolutionary moments of candid intimacy and public protest in LGBTQ+ history. Images of the Stonewall Riots are captioned with illuminating context and an introduction by Roxane Gay. Looking back on this groundbreaking movement, you’ll gain newfound insight into its foundations and its continued importance, …
My favorite picture books teach me something new, this one about the first woman filmmaker. I didn’t know the story of Alice Guy-Blaché, but I’m glad this book shared it with me. Women make history! –Karen, King’s Books, Tacoma, WA Even adults can learn something new in the kids’ section of King’s Books and other …
Little else can match the fusion of beauty and usefulness found in a good map. Yet what if the cartographer relied upon shoddy or fabricated information? What if they had no qualms about simply making things up themselves? This handsome little volume presents a collection of maps which are lovely, historically significant, and just plain …
