The perfect entry point for people new to Murata, this is my favorite of her works translated to English so far. A master of mixing the macabre with the sweet, her short stories will leave you asking questions like, is it weird to a make a table out of human femurs? Should you leave your …
I am obsessed with Zevin’s writing style. She eloquently tells the story, through dual perspectives, of Sam and Sadie, estranged childhood friends who come back together to create a video game in the 90s. With flashbacks, flashforwards (in the form of magazine interviews) and references to discrimination, racism, and physical disability, I was immediately hooked. …
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. Sometimes the themes come from the covers, sometimes the titles. On this week’s list, we …
May the memory of bell hooks (1952-2021) always be preserved. Her work was a tour de force, and this excellent volume is a good a place to start. She was the author who taught me about feminism as an act of revolutionary love, and as a critical mindset for human thriving. This book disrupts patriarchal …
We have to mention Tamara Berry’s new book, Buried in a Good Book. Mostly to point out that, no, you can’t be buried at the store. That’s weird. Mostly because there isn’t room to bury ALL of you at the store, and you know how we don’t like to pick favorites. Berry’s book, however, is totally …
You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll despair about climate change. You might even be inclined to think about your carbon footprint. You might also consider not waiting for the billionaires to save us, because, you know, one of these days, they’re going into space and they’re not coming back. Watch how much luggage they pack on …
My Vacation Scrapbook from Lonely Planet Kids Our A-maze-ing National Parks Curious Kids Nature Guide by Fiona Cohen Backpack Explorer: Beach Walk These are some recommendations from Watermark Books in Anacortes, WA. Do you have some favorites yet this summer?
Of course I was captured right away by the wonderful world building in “The Book Making Habits of Select Species,” and while this book of short stories is perfect for any “Black Mirror” fan, fascinated by technology’s impact on humanity, it is also so much more. This book is a fantastic blend of sci-fi, speculative, …
I loved this set of a dozen stories brought to life in Morgan Talty’s words. Each story is demonstrative of life as a Penobscot, in a Native community in Maine. One of my favorites is about a boy who opens a Pandora’s box kind of jar and lets out a curse that ruins his family. …
Here’s a factoid that you probably didn’t know: the illegal tree market is a billion dollar market. Wood, while renewable, doesn’t, uh, doesn’t grow on trees—well, actually, it does, but what we’re saying is that there are rules. Rules and consequences. It’s an ecosystem, after all, and it doesn’t take much to put it all …
