Peek A Queue: What's On Seattlest's Library List?

Here at Seattlest HQ, also known as "Library Dorks R Us," we've laid bare our woes of overburdened library hold queues (and overdue quotas) in the past. When 5 books, many over 300 pages, come due at the same time, what is an SPL whore to do? Well, it looks like we're in for another beating; here's what is in our queue, in order of likelihood to arrive:

HOLLOW EARTH, by David Standish
This non-fiction book caught our eye in part for its John Hodgman-esque subtitle that is too long to include here, and because we're suckers for historical recounting of scientific days long gone (and long gone wrong). But the New York Times says Standish's "efforts to explain the popularity of hollow-earth-ism...are weak." Hmmm.

SOMETHING IN THE AIR: RADIO, ROCK, AND THE REVOLUTION THAT SHAPED A GENERATION, by Marc Fischer
Our library dorkiness is only matched by our love for radio, so it is a queue coup that we found out about this potential gem before, it seems, anyone else in Seattle has, putting us 6th in line. Score!

TELL ME A RIDDLE, by Tillie Olson
We went a little red in the face when our friend, a talented writer, said "Holy shit, you've never read 'Tell Me a Riddle?'" Yeah, yeah, we took one too many science classes and not enough English, writing, and literature classes in our youth, so sue us. We're trying to atone.

VACCINE: THE CONTROVERSIAL STORY OF MEDICINE'S GREATEST LIFESAVER, by Arthur Allen
So much for atonement, we're back to the science books again. See "Hollow Earth" above, but with slightly more vigorous praise from the NYT for Allen's "timely, fair-minded and crisply written account of 'medicine’s greatest lifesaver.'”

THE WORLD IS FLAT: A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, by Thomas L. Friedman
We read along with the masses through Freakonomics and Blink, and rapidly became buzz-book beleaguered (and almost barfed when Gladwell told Levitt "We are totally co-branded!"). After a breather, we're back to take on Friedman now that it graces a more respectable 44th position in line.

ABSURDISTAN, by Gary Shteyngart
Is it possible for anything to be "equal parts Gogol and Borat" we wonder? Apparently so. This New York Times Top 10 book of 2006 is also "long, crude, manic and has cheap vodka on its breath." We're sold.

And in the "Over 300 people will read this before Seattlest does" category:

THE WORST HARD TIME: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THOSE WHO SURVIVED THE GREAT AMERICAN DUST BOWL, by Tim Egan
Because no decent non-fiction book gets published without an extensive subtitle (see all but one of the above, and one below).

WHAT IS THE WHAT: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF VALENTINO ACHAK DENG, by Dave Eggers
Ironically, this book made the Stranger ask "are we more interested in helping other people, or in flattering ourselves?" Do we really have to answer that question for you, Stranger...really?

SPECIAL TOPICS IN CALAMITY PHYSICS, by Marisha Pessl.
This may seem to belong with "Hollow Earth" and "Vaccine" but in fact it is fiction. Really.