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Posted in Explore and Discover, For You on December 27, 2016 at 6:00 am
By Erin Dodge Meet Charline and Margy (standing) and Suzanne, Jean, and Winnie (seated)—about half of the Broadway Court Estates Book Club (busy schedules and winter colds prevented others from making it). I was invited come along to their December meeting by Margy, Public Services Specialist at Spokane Valley Library and facilitator of the group […]
Tags: audiobooks, book club, books, outreach, reading, retirement
Posted in Explore and Discover on December 13, 2016 at 6:00 am
By Stefani Miller Have you ever really loved a character and wished there were 10 more just like him or her? Behold! I bring you the family saga romance. In this romance sub-genre, not only do you get to follow the story of the character you love but also the stories of that character’s brothers, […]
Tags: adults, booklist, booklists, books, family saga, reading, romance, romance series
Posted in Explore and Discover on November 22, 2016 at 6:00 am
By Sheri Boggs In looking over the thousands of books published in 2016, I have found that there’s no shortage of great gift ideas for the children and teens on your holiday list. A few high profile releases come out before or around Thanksgiving: Diary of a Wimpy Kid #11: Double Down and the newest […]
Tags: booklists, books, family, gift giving, gift ideas, gifts, holiday gifts, holidays, kids, parents, teens, tweens, young learners
Posted in Explore and Discover on November 15, 2016 at 6:00 am
By David Wyatt In just a few days, movie-goers will be returning to J. K. Rowling’s wizarding world on screen when Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them hits theaters. It’s been a pretty good year for Potter and company: the new play in London Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and a little closer […]
Tags: animals, beasts, booklists, books, creatures, fantasy, Harry Potter, Hogwart's Library, kids, monsters, mythology, reading, teens, tweens, YA
Posted in Explore and Discover on October 25, 2016 at 6:00 am
By Kathryn Illback Curling up with a good book and something warm to drink is a favorite pastime of mine all through the year, but there’s something particularly wonderful about it in October. The changing leaves, the shorter days, the crisp air, and the all-encompassing miasma of pumpkin spice everything make me want to hunker […]
Tags: audiobooks, booklist, books, frightening, horror, imagination, scary, suspense
Posted in Explore and Discover, kids on October 11, 2016 at 6:00 am
By Melanie Boerner Picture books are known for their 40 pages (or less) of illustrations and text that tell a story for young children. And most kids leave picture books behind when they enter higher elementary grades. But wait, don’t disregard picture book reads entirely for these grades! Authors and illustrators are penning picture books […]
Tags: booklist, books, family, kids, picture books, young learners
Posted in Explore and Discover on October 6, 2016 at 6:00 am
By Bruce Holbert Not long ago, I was asked in an interview, “What took so long?” I was then 52 and publishing my first novel. I don’t have the data at hand, but my guess is I am beyond the mean. The question struck me as impolite. I wasn’t sleeping in doorways or staggering through […]
Tags: author, book publishing, books, conference, NaNoWriMo, publishing, writing, writing life
Posted in Explore and Discover on September 29, 2016 at 6:00 am
By Stefani Miller Readers tend to have favorites: a specific author, series, or genre that they come back to over and over. For me, it’s romance. When I have time to read, I like to snuggle up with a steamy novel. And when I’m not reading them, I’m usually feeding my addiction by hunting them […]
Tags: adults, booklist, books, caterer, contractor, delicious, dive bar, Families, Gospel, hockey, idaho, Lucky Harbor, pacific northwest, Portland Storm, rock star, romance, small towns, Thunder Point, With Me in Seattle
Posted in Explore and Discover on September 27, 2016 at 6:00 am
By Rachel Edmondson In recent years, Young Adult (YA) literature has become increasingly popular, and studies have shown that a surprising number of YA readers are adults. According to a 2012 study, 55% of buyers purchasing YA literature are 18 or older. Also, 78% of these buyers indicate that they are purchasing the books for […]
Tags: adults, booklists, books, teens, tweens, YA, young adult
Posted in Explore and Discover on September 22, 2016 at 6:00 am
By Sheri Boggs Local author Mary Cronk Farrell writes about the kinds of people whose stories aren’t widely told, but ought to be. In Pure Grit: How American World War II Nurses Survived Battle and Prison Camp in the Pacific, she tells the story of nearly 100 army and navy nurses who struggled to not […]
Tags: authors, battle zones, books, family, history, illustrated books, nonfiction, parents, POW, prison camp, prisoner of war, Warsaw, WWII, YA, young learners