… Chuck Wendig goes full Stephen King with Wanderers, where he channels The Stand as he delivers a full-tilt deconstruction of our current technological malaise. Kirkus Reviews notes that Wendig “is clearly wrestling with some of the demons of our time,” and to that we say: “It’s about time that someone did.” This one sprawls …
This book was recommended to me by a trusted source. The source was right. I was not familiar with the writings of Chris Pavone, but now I am a fan. The Expats is set in Luxembourg, primarily, but takes the reader to Paris, Geneva, New York City and Washington, D.C. The primary “good guys” are …
It’s midsummer and high time to celebrate the publication of a new thriller by Seattle writer Kevin O’Brien. While he ventured to Lopez Island for his last novel, They Won’t Be Hurt, many of the twists and turns of his new book, The Betrayed Wife, take place in Seattle, including a key scene at the Century Ballroom, …
This British cozy mystery series focuses on a talented but deeply flawed detective. Agatha Raisin smokes, drinks, and is incredibly vain–on the other hand, she sure loves her cats! She doesn’t do much investigating in this one, focusing mostly on her always messy love life, but as a fan I enjoyed spending time in Agatha’s …
A classic of European literature unavailable in English for decades, Three Summers is perfectly timeless and perfectly seasonal. Set in the countryside of prewar Greece, it traces the doings and developing identities of a trio of sisters growing into adulthood, each of whom finds a different way to balance her desires for love and freedom. …
Robert Dugoni returns with another nail-biter of a spy thriller. In The Eighth Sister, retired CIA case officer Charles Jenkins is hauled back for one more mission. Sent to Russia to figure out who is assassinating members of a secret US spy cell, Jenkins discovers that not everything is as it seems, and, in fact, …
This may not sound like summer reading material but it’s certainly very timely and is actually a pretty quick read. The author was a correspondent for the Economist and this is taken from a column called “Ask a North Korean.” His goal is to humanize North Korea and show that there are real people living …
Kids and adults can find summer reading programs throughout the region. Goals range from increasing reading time to reading more diversely. Below is just a sample. Tacoma Library, Seattle Public Library/ Seattle Arts and Lectures, and Whatcom County: Book Bingo (SPL has a different bingo card for teens). Seattle’s cards in past years have included “recommended …
This is just the tip of the iceberg of summer reading delights awaiting young readers at independent bookstores. Here are some recent bookseller favorites for elementary and middle school students, but the shelves are stocked for a whole season of great reading. What is in your backpack or by your hammock this summer? Lumberjanes Unicorn …
Elsie, newly widowed and pregnant, moves from London to her husband’s country estate expecting to live in quiet comfort during the period of her confinement. Instead, she finds the house in disarray, the servants resentful, and the company of her husband’s young cousin, Sarah, less than satisfactory. Yet, when strange and dangerous events occur, Elsie …
