Wordless Books*
When it comes to reading, I’m a literalist. Reading is done by a reader who decodes a sequence of written symbols – a condition notably absent in other narrative media such as audiobooks or film. So...
View ArticleThe Menagerie & the Literary Artist
First published in 1922, Franz Kafka’s brilliant story “A Hunger Artist” focuses on a psychologically complex and imperfect man whose profession is to publicly fast in a cage for 40 days at a stretch....
View ArticleFreedom
Jonathan Franzen achieved notoriety almost a decade ago when he and Oprah had their falling out over The Corrections. I took a pass then, but the extensive fanfare surrounding his new book, Freedom,...
View ArticleSounds of Silence
The earth-jarring noise of the ongoing roadwork in front of the Main Library is not the only thing that inspired this blog post. A publishing micro-storm has been swirling around the unlikely subject...
View ArticlePre-pub Buzz – NW Style
The Northwest is lucky to have many popular and active authors living in our area. Readers eagerly anticipate the steady stream of titles from these well-known writers, but every year or two also...
View ArticleThe Pale King Goes to D.C.
Choosing what to read for vacation travel is always a challenge. Mostly, I find myself feeling guilty if the reading material has nothing to do with the place I’m visiting. I mean, you can read...
View ArticleFreedom Lovers— Try The Pale King
“Really good fiction could have as dark a worldview as it wished, but it’d find a way both to depict this world and to illuminate the possibilities for being alive and human in it.”* –David Foster...
View ArticleArt, Faith, Politics, Prejudice – and the Mirror of Serendipity
Amy Waldman’s acclaimed debut novel The Submission came out in mid-August – only weeks before the country was about to commemorate the ten-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and the public opening of...
View Article2011 Heavyweights – Literally
Reading is generally understood to be good for the brain. And now The Everett Herald just ran an article about how exercise helps the brain as we age. So what better time to round-up some books that...
View ArticleSomething to Hold by Katherine Schlick Noe
Full disclosure: I first met Katherine Schlick Noe some years ago at a social event (she works with my wife) where I learned she was writing a children’s novel, Something to Hold, which has just been...
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