2011 proved to be a record-breaking year for the Seal Sitters. Meanwhile, locally-crafted books and albums get some attention, and, you know, a chainsaw rampage. THE USUAL. more ›

Breathe Owl Breathe (BOB) had impeccable timing in my life on Wednesday night as I listened to their two new songs (found on two separate 7" records) dubbed The Listeners and These Train Tracks that accompany their new children's stories with the same names. more ›

Recent events and coming attractions found among your neighborhood blogs. more ›

One part history lesson, one part moving family memoir, and one part art exploration. Edmund de Waal comes to Seattle to discuss his bestselling book, The Hare with Amber Eyes. more ›

With Borders getting ready to shut the book for good, will you even notice? Take our poll and let us know. more ›

Call them the Anti-Kindle crowd. The Seattle Center for Book Arts cares as much about the tactile medium as the message, exalts the page as much as the word. more ›

The charmingly dysfunctional family portrayed in Eleanor Brown’s debut novel, The Weird Sisters, has quite the idiosyncratic habit of communicating in tongues. Shakespearian tongues, that is. For instance, when patriarch and Shakespeare expert Dr. James Andreas summons home his daughters to help care for their cancer-stricken mother, he writes to them: “Come, let us go; and pray to all the gods/For our beloved mother is in her pains.” Nothing like a little gem from Titus Andronicus to convey life-altering news, right? more ›

Are you a teensy bit ashamed of the overdue library book fines that have incrementally accrued over the months and thus managed to worm their way into your guilty conscience? If you’re too embarrassed to go into your local branch of the Seattle Public Library wearing a scarlet “O” to pay your fines, you can now clear your account from the comfort of your own home with the SPL’s new online payment system. (In fact, you can only pay your overdue fines if they’ve piled up to be worth at least $1.) more ›

Nancy Pearl is well-known (both in and out of Seattle) as the librarian who brings people together through reading. From Pearl's readers' advisory techniques to her best-selling "Book Lust" series, she has taught people how to connect through the books they love. Library Journal recently selected Pearl as its 2011 Librarian of the Year, saying "No one other than Nancy Pearl has so convinced Americans that libraries, books, and reading are critical to our communities...Her work has reinforced reading via libraries as essential and empowering for all people." more ›

Rarely does the intersection of art, music and literature result in such darkly romantic dreamscapes as in Seattleite Brad Klausen’s new book, From a Basement in Seattle: The Poster Art of Brad Klausen. The former in-house Pearl Jam artist behind iconic album covers, concert posters and band merch delves deep into his creative process in his latest book, where preliminary sketches and detailed annotations accompany each final poster. While most of the featured works are for Pearl Jam—Eddie Vedder and Jeff Ament wrote the introduction, after all—there are posters here for the likes of Soundgarden, Queens of the Stone Age, the Black Keys, Built to Spill and a plethora of other rock institutions. Klausen will be at Elliott Bay Book Company this evening to share even more of his artistic insights and celebrate the thriving local art-meets-music scene—he now is the founder and owner of local graphics house Artillery Design. more ›

If last night’s sold out performance at the Can Can says anything, word has gotten out about the Bushwick Book Club and their unrepentant awesomeness. So much so, that we are even a little hesitant to write about it, for fear of contributing to the hype machine that surrounds this literary musical fusion and only making it harder to get a drink at the next one. more ›

Necromancy is not a well-known subject for many, especially for the protagonist of Hold Me Closer, Necromancer (released October 12). In Lish McBride's first book, Samhain Corvus LaCroix learns he's a necromancer, but hasn't the slightest idea what to do about it. Matters are only complicated when Douglas, Seattle's most nefarious necromancer, decides he wants Sam's powers for his own. This YA novel is a quick-paced tale with a dose of deadpan humor - see, learning you're a necromancer is not as enchanting as it sounds. more ›

Oh you've never heard of the Bushwick Book Club? That's not going to last. If the jam packed inaugural performance at the Can Can on Sunday is a sign of things to come, everybody's going to be talking about the musical literary hybrid in no time. more ›

Sometimes we get so caught up in how pretty the Central Public Library is that we forget there are actual books and librarians inside—and that there are other top-notch Seattle Public Library branches throughout the city. But architecture took a backseat in SPL news this week when the system was named the third-best big public library network in the country by the Library Journal Index of Public Library Service 2010 report. The report was divided into categories of budgetary expenditures, and the SPL was one of only five libraries in the U.S. with a budget of $30 million-plus to garner a five-star rating. (The only other Washington state library system to be ranked in the report was the Lopez Island Library District, which ranked 24th in the $400,000-$999,999 category.) The rankings of more than 7,000 libraries were based on circulation, programming attendance, Internet use and visits. Rem Koolhaas, Schmem Schmoolhaas. (Kinda. Not really.) more ›

Last week, literary non-profit 826 Seattle announced the release of its latest publication, "What to Read in the Rain." The book, available October 1, contains 300 pages of Northwest-centered stories, poems, essays and recipes from well-known Northwest authors and 826 Seattle youth participants. Among those authors who participated are Tom Robbins, who contributed the book's introduction; Seattle restaurateur Tom Douglas, who shares a pancake recipe; David Guterson, speaking for the trees and actress Lauren Weedman, adding a hilarious take on a doomed relationship. more ›

Sorry, we were too immersed in re-reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (gotta prep for part one of the movie, natch!) to realize the irony that the 2010 Banned Books Week started on Saturday. In honor of the 28th annual celebration of free speech, libraries and book retailers nationwide are creating window displays and hosting readings and other cheeky events—including in Seattle and Puyallup. In case you’re new to the banned books scene, the American Library Association has compiled a thorough list of the 20th century’s most commonly prohibited reading materials around the world; you may be surprised at what shows up. The Huffington Post even put together a corresponding list of popular movies based on some of our most beloved (yet once-blacklisted) books. Tolkien and Lee and Rowling, oh my! more ›

Literary darling Sara Gruen will likely bask in the glow of praise in perpetuity for her 2006 novel Water for Elephants—a story so saturated with rich characters both human and animal that readers grew quite besotted with Gruen’s fanciful imagination. It’s a theme she runs with in her newest book, Ape House—and while it’s received mixed reviews since its Sept. 7 release, the book is already a New York Times best seller. This go around, Gruen introduces us to the fictional world of the Great Ape Language Lab, where reporter John Thigpen is writing about the work of one Dr. Isabel Duncan, who is researching communication with bonobos (a relative of the chimpanzee) before the lab is bombed and the bonobos are, well, bonobo-napped, and forced to star in a sleazy reality show. Zaniness—and an increasingly hard-to-keep-track-of cast of characters—ensues. Perhaps Gruen will be able to help us keep things straight when she stops by the Seattle Public Library’s Central Library this evening for a reading, previously shortlisted on today's Can't Miss It. more ›

Since his 1984 debut novel, Neuromancer, William Gibson has been changing the relationship of science fiction to reality. His earlier work defined the term cyberpunk and prefigured the rise of the Internet. More recently, Gibson's work has been set in the now, bringing the language of awe used in science fiction to describe the increasingly alien world we live in. more ›

The term “gonzo science writer” is apt when applied to author Mary Roach, who has made a name for herself by writing funny and fascinating explorations of human corpses, the science of sex, and the mysteries of the great beyond. Her newest endeavor, Packing for Mars, tackles the mundanities of an astronaut’s life on the road—er, in space—such as bodily functions, culinary quirks, and workplace personality conflicts. (As if anything about floating in zero gravity a gajillion miles from Earth is mundane.) Roach meticulously delves into the research behind astronaut selection, machinery testing, and the psychology of living in cramped quarters for extended periods under unusual circumstances. Turns out the weakest link in the chain of technology that would allow exploration to faraway places like Mars may be the limitations of the human body and mind. Roach’s insights are surely just as wryly humorous and enlightening in person—if not more so—so be sure to catch her at UW’s bookstore on the Ave this evening. more ›

Once again it's that time of year to cook the books and put your humor and creative cooking skills to the test at the 5th annual Seattle Edible Book Festival. So if you've got a favorite book or literary pun up your sleeve that you're just dying to pay homage to in jello or sculpt in marzipan--fellow book nerd, we love you. And this is your time to bring it. more ›

God bless you, Kurt Vonnegut, life has been so much more dull without you here. And thank you, Sidney Offit, for making this collection possible! As the second posthumous short story collection from Kurt Vonnegut, Look at the Birdie is a great pick for longtime fans, or a great entry into his work for those who are unfamiliar. We don't normally buy hardcover books, but this was one that we couldn't pass up, as Vonnegut is one of our all-time favorite American authors, and we own a great number of his books in hardcover. Unlike his first posthumous collection, Armageddon in Retrospect, which speaks more of times of war and peace, Look at the Birdie contains stories reminiscent of Vonnegut's best work--those of the broader ideas and mindsets of America after World War II. Expect this collection to have Vonnegut's usual excellent wit and humor along with underlying themes of humanism, as, like Mark Twain, Vonnegut was a devout follower. If you love this awesome new collection, you may also consider a couple of his older collections that are just as excellent: Wampeters, Foma & Granfalloons, or Bagombo Snuff Box: Uncollected Short Fiction--our very personal favorite (includes characters from stories in Welcome to the Monkey House, an added bonus for those that are familiar). more ›

It's a book that will sit on our bookshelf probably until we die, ready to supply a quick trip down memory lane whenever we desire it. more ›

Uh, so why did it take so long for Seattle to re-establish a local book festival after the Northwest Book Festival fizzled out in 2003? Regardless, there seems to have been some sort of suppressed need for such a thing, as the good folks who decided to resurrect a literary festival have received an utter deluge of community support and participation for the project. The inaugural Seattle Bookfest--taking place this weekend at the Columbia City Event Center--is so stuffed with authors and speakers, exhibitors and neat events that it boggles the mind to know that the whole thing evolved from a few Columbia City residents getting together this spring and saying, "Hey, why don’t we try to put together some kind of book festival?" more ›

OCEAN JUNK: Saturday Curtis Ebbesmeyer reads from his new book Flotsametrics and the Floating World: How One Man's Obsession with Runaway Sneakers and Rubber Ducks Revolutionized Ocean Science at the Central Library. Ebbesmeyer is a very smart guy studying a very disturbing and very new topic: ocean-borne trash. If anyone can figure out where those severed feet that washed up around Puget Sound came from, it’s him. A must for anyone concerned about the state of the oceans. more ›

Ballard's Epilogue Books is creating their very own epilogue--and their ending is a sad one for the community and book lovers. Bookstore owner Nathan Heath wrote in a tearjerker e-mail, "So with great regret and heavy hearts Epilogue Books will be closing." Apparently, the beloved book store had been having problems solving (and settling on) lease agreements with the landlord and didn't have enough time to find a suitable new storefront. Now they have 70,000 books, new and old to pull from their shelves. Starting July 5 at 11 a.m., all items will be marked down 20-70 percent off and will continue until the store's anticipated closure in August. more ›

Exactly 20 years ago today, Diane Wei Liang said goodbye to the love of her young life forever. Almost. The preternatural calm over Weiming Lake at Beijing University, patiently awaiting the arrival of army tanks, would have been the perfect setting for two would-be revolutionaries to end their romance that was never-to-be. "Weiming Lake was as peaceful as ever," Liang writes in her memoirs of the heady days of 1989. more ›

Akashic Books is one of the publishers that keeps us excited--they take chances on authors and bring great literature to market in an environment that seldom rewards that sort of foresight. And tonight, another Akashic All-Star tour of some of their finest authors returns to Elliott Bay Books. Achy Obejas is one of the top Cuban writers today, and in her new novel , she tracks the trials and tribulations of a scheming survivor (or better, "endurer") of the ups and downs of post-revolutionary Cuba, where Obejas continues to spend substantial amounts of time. more ›

When we mentioned to a friend that we're re-reading John Steinbeck's Travels With Charley, the friend remarked that he knew another reading same. With summer approaching, maybe the greatest of all American road-trip travelogues (sorry, Kerouac) is just the thing to whet one's appetite for the season of travel. more ›

April 4 is the not-to-be-missed Seattle Edible Book Festival (at Wallingford's Good Shepherd Center, 4649 Sunnyside Ave. N.) where word nerds, book lovers, and creative cooks can get together and cook the books so to speak, or eat their own words and laugh over hokey literary puns. more ›

First of all, let Seattlest be clear up front: we have almost zero respect for Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series. Poorly written, dumb story line, not worth our time. Harry Potter, on the other hand, we loved. A group of opinionated kids at the Seattle Public Library debated the merits of the two series yesterday, and here's the video. Attention, kids: read a lot, frequently, and continue to hone your debate skills--they'll serve you in good stead in MySpace chat rooms for the rest of your lives. more ›