This remarkable book shows us female friendships that changed history, from the Trưng sisters defending first century Vietnam, to pirates Anne Bonny & Mary Read, to the Zohra Orchestra of Afghan girls. Find yourself some new historical heroes! — sweet pea, King’s Books, Tacoma, WA Find perfect gifts and inspiration for yourself at King’s Books …
We’ve got copies of the University of California’s biography of Carleton Watkins. Watkins, as you may know, was kind of the Edward Curtis of landscape pictures during the 19th century. Much of Watkins’ own documentation was destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco fire, and so Tyler Green, the author of this splendid biography, had to …
In a year full of weighty political tomes, each grimmer than the last, I find myself in need of inspiration more than information. The Faithful Spy is both a salve for the weary soul and a much needed encouragement to brave action in dark times. In this slim volume, John Hendrix chronicles Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s life, …
Oleg Gordievsky grew up in the Soviet Union, the son of a KGB agent. His brother became an agent. And then, so did Oleg. Being a bright young fellow, he eventually began to question the totalitarianism of Communism. After a posting in Denmark exposed him further to Western books, classical music, the freedom to move …
It’s a big day for our country. Alaska voters: Find your polling place and its hours online here. Absentee ballots must be postmarked by today. Idaho voters: Get to the polls before they close tonight at 8:00 pm. Find voting locations here. Bring a photo ID if you have one (Idaho driver’s license or Idaho …
The Prix Goncourt is France’s highest award for fiction, and the most recent recipient was Éric Vuillard for The Order of the Day. It’s an interesting choice for at least three reasons. First, it’s really good, like prize-winning good, written in crystalline sentences ably translated by Mark Polizzotti. Second, it’s not a bog-standard war story about generals and …
A striking look at how anti-immigrant hate and a lust for profit revived the KKK in the ’20s and ’30s. Striking parallels to the anti-immigrant movement of today. It will make you think. –Bruce DeLaney, Rediscovered Books, Boise, ID Find history that resonates at Rediscovered Books and other independent bookstores. This is available now in …
Few historians are as well-positioned to elucidate the timeless qualities of our greatest presidents than Goodwin, and she does so here with aplomb. In an era when politics is reduced to tribal posturing and a disturbing willingness to cut off the nose to spite the face, this book is a much-needed reminder of how great …
This book is a doozy, a colorful history of a specific time and place, which continues to have major implications today. New York in the early 1970s was facing many of the same economic problems as the rest of urban America: simultaneous blows of recession, inflation, and suburban flight sucked revenue out of the city and …
Seattle7Writers, the nonprofit collective of Pacific Northwest authors, partners with independent bookstores this summer to introduce readers to favorite authors and raise money for literacy nonprofits. In July, Island Books hosted the Seattle7Writers cookout to benefit Team Read, a nonprofit organization that pairs struggling young readers with trained teen reading coaches for one-on-one tutoring after school and …
