Revered as "a modern day Henry David Thoreau,"a writer's writer," and overall as "arguably the nation's premier nature writer," Barry Lopez is an essayist and author of over a dozen well-known fiction and nonfiction works. 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 ›

More than one reviewer has found a Thoreauvian echo in Lyanda Lynn Haupt's Crow Planet: Essential Wisdom from the Urban Wilderness--besides crows' antic intelligence (studies indicate crows may have as much smarts as apes), Haupt has had living deliberately on her mind for some time. more ›

Norman Ollestad will be reading from his book, Crazy for the Storm: A Memoir of Survival, at Elliott Bay Book Company on June 15, at 7:30 p.m. Crazy for the Storm: A Memoir of Survival, is both a chilling account of survival and a heartwarming coming-of-age story based around Norman Ollestad and his relationship with his father, the late Norman Ollestad. more ›

Matthew Crawford's Shop Class as Soulcraft is a peculiarly engaging read--it's a polemic about the necessity for self-directed work, an "I did it my way" memoir about a political science Ph.D. who resigned from a thinktank to fix motorcycles, and an illuminating critique of the "knowledge worker" paradise. Probably because of the motorcycle repair, it's getting comparisons to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, but Crawford is equally happy to tackle the after-effects of Taylorism and Druckerism, too. more ›

Author Mark Kurlansky doesn’t always write about food, but it has been the subject of two of his bestselling books (Cod, Salt) and his newest book, The Food of a Younger Land (he's reading at Elliott Bay tonight, 7:30 p.m., free admission). But don’t call him a food writer. more ›

As we alerted you the other day, author Steven Johnson was in town this week for a flurry of book talks. We caught up with him at Vivace and talked with him a little about his new book, The Invention of Air, but also about the life of Steven Johnson, author. This is the second and final installment. Here's Part One of the interview. more ›

This American Life-r Sarah Vowell has written a new book, The Wordy Shipmates, which is the most readable history of New England Puritan thought you're likely to come across in your lifetime. It's a bit like reading the journal of a grad student who's doing their thesis on Puritan rhetoric--with all the marginal asides and musings left poignantly in. We emailed her a few questions, and she wrote back, double-spacing after periods, which extra space we edited out to save on pixels. If you have better questions, super-genius, she's in town on Monday, October 13, at Town Hall. Hie thee hence, why doncha. more ›

NOT THE YANKEES: The Mariners, bless their hearts for trying, will take on the Red Sox tonight at Safeco Field. We weren't impressed with the one game we already saw this year, but we're willing to cheer on the home team tonight as they take on that East Coast team that's not the Yankees. more ›

SIFF WILL NEVER FORGET '99: SIFF kicks off its annual festival tonight with a showing of Battle in Seattle, about the historic 1999 WTO protests. According to the listing, "Weaving multiple storylines with a star-studded ensemble cast this imaginative drama revisits fact, fiction, and many myths surrounding those tumultuous few days." There will be a red carpet gala, and the whole nine—a good opportunity to elbow-rub with stars of those moving pictures all the kids are crazy about. **UPDATE** Advance tickets are long gone, but rush tickets *may* be available at the door prior to tonight's screening. They'll assess how many seats are available and sell tix from there approximately 15 minutes before the film begins. So if anyone wants to try their luck at getting in, it's probably a good idea to get there early. more ›