Posted in kids, Parents and Teachers on June 19, 2018 at 6:00 am
By Sheri Boggs The hot, sticky afternoons of late July through August are typically called “the dog days of summer.” It’s that time when the only thing that sounds good for dinner is gazpacho, and even grownups without kids consider a visit to the neighborhood swimming pool. To the ancient Greeks and Egyptians, the dog […]
Tags: booklists, books, companion, dog, dogs, early readers, family, fiction, kids, nonfiction, parents, pets, picture books, puppies, puppy, reading, teachers, young learners
Posted in Parents and Teachers, Teens on June 11, 2018 at 6:00 am
by Caitlin Wheeler As I wrote about in a previous blog that spotlighted children’s books, June is LGBTQ Pride Month. You can learn more about Pride Month and LGBTQ representation in that post. For adult titles, check out my Pride Month blog on that as well. Here, I’m recommending some great young adult (YA) literature […]
Tags: booklists, books, fiction, identity, LGBTQ, literature, parents, Pride Month, reading, teens, YA, young adult
Posted in Explore and Discover, kids, Parents and Teachers on May 29, 2018 at 6:00 am
by Caitlin Wheeler June is LGBT Pride Month in the U.S. Originally a week-long festivity, it honors the 1969 Stonewall Riots that culminated in a 51-block parade march from the Stonewall Inn to Central Park in Manhattan, New York. As it has evolved and taken many forms, Pride Month continues to commemorate the men and […]
Tags: bisexual, booklists, books, family, fiction, gay, gender, kids, lesbian, LGBT Pride Month, LGBTQ, parents, Pride Month, queer, reading, transgender, young learners
Posted in Explore and Discover on April 24, 2018 at 6:00 am
By Susan Goertz Winter has never been my favorite season. This one seemed to drag out endlessly—gray clouds heaped on the horizon like immobile lumps of oatmeal. The sun rarely filtered through. At last, with April’s arrival, the light is returning—the dormant season ending. Though I’ve longed for this, there is a chill reticence still […]
Tags: books, fiction, memoir, National Poetry Month, nonfiction, poetry, reading, spring reading
Posted in Explore and Discover on April 17, 2018 at 6:00 am
By Melissa Rhoades On January 1, 1818, the debut novel of a 20-year-old woman was anonymously published in London. Within five years, a second edition was released and a play based on the book premiered. The novel and its spin-offs remained a hit, and in 1910, Edison Studios created the first movie based on Mary […]
Tags: adults, books, fiction, Frankenstein, Frankenstein. Frankenstein's monster, Frankenstein's bicentennial, kids, Mary Shelley, medicine, movies, overdrive, reading, science, science fiction, technology, teens, tweens, YA
Posted in Explore and Discover on January 30, 2018 at 6:00 am
By Susan Goertz During my freshman year of high school, I was given the assignment to write a report on an important American. Although I had almost no exposure to her at that point—and I can’t remember what instigated the choice, except maybe the happy accident of hearing her on the radio—I selected the singer […]
Tags: adults, African American History Month, Alicia Garza, American literature, Angela Davis, Audre Lorde, authors, Bell Hooks, Billie Holiday, booklists, books, Claudia Rankine, Eve Ewing, fiction, Lady Day, Michelle Alexander, Morgan Parker, N. K. Jemisin, Nisi Shawl, Nnedi Okorafor, nonfiction, Octavia Butler, Patrisse Khan-Cullors, Poet Laureate, poetry, reading, Roxanne Gay, science fiction, Sonia Sanchez, Toni Morrison, Tracy K. Smith, Zora Neale Hurston
Posted in Explore and Discover on January 17, 2018 at 6:00 am
by David Wyatt Since May of last year, The BookEnd at the Spokane Valley Mall has showcased popular and bestselling titles with something for every taste. On any given day of the year, you are sure to find a book to grab your interest. And just like our customers, The BookEnd staff love our collection. […]
Tags: adults, book list, books, cookbook, crafts, fiction, graphic novel, memoir, mythology, nonfiction, photography, recipes, science fiction, staff picks
Posted in News on October 16, 2017 at 6:00 am
We’re celebrating our 75th anniversary with a community anthology featuring writers of all ages from Spokane County and surrounding areas. NORTH SPOKANE LIBRARY Saturday, November 4, 6:30–8pm You’re invited to hear local writers read their work from Spokane Writes: A Poetry & Prose Anthology. Plus listen to live music from guitarist John […]
Tags: adults, anthology, authors, book launch, book release party, celebration, community, essays, fiction, friends, friends of the library, Friends of the Spokane County Library District, kids, music, nonfiction, poems, poetry, prose, reading, Spokane Writes, stories, teens, tweens, writing
Posted in Explore and Discover, kids, Parents and Teachers on January 3, 2017 at 6:00 am
By Gwendolyn Haley Do you have a kid who is a reluctant reader? When kids complain that reading is boring, they are probably just reading the wrong book. . . for them. Reluctant readers often will try books about things that they already love. If you have a Minecrafter in your house, you may have checked […]
Tags: booklists, books, events, fiction, gaming, hobbies, kids, medieval, minecraft, nonfiction, overworld, parenting, parents, reading, reluctant readers, STEM, technology, teens, tweens, zombies
Posted in Explore and Discover on October 20, 2016 at 6:00 am
By Kelly Burgess As with any profession, there is no guarantee of success in the writing business. However, regardless of whether you want to break into fiction or nonfiction markets, successful writers have some traits that are crucial to carving out a literary career. Passion Writers write because they feel the need to put words […]
Tags: fiction, nonfiction, professional writer, writer's block, writers group, writers workshop, writing, writing critiques, writing group, writing workshop