Reading Recommendations


YA AND KIDS BOOKS FOR INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

Here are some of our favorite reads that place women at the front and center as our way to honor and celebrate International Women’s Day.


Book Buzz


Cover image of "Thunder Song: Essays" by Sasha taqʷšəblu LaPointe

Book Buzz: Thunder Song

Thunder Song: Essays by Sasha taqʷšǝblu LaPointe Sasha taqʷšǝblu LaPointe has been on many local reading lists as her debut book, “Red Paint: the Ancestral Autobiography of a Coast Salish Punk,” is the 2024 Whatcom READS selection. LaPointe is visiting Whatcom County March 14–16 and participating in a variety of events that are free to … Read more

Cover image of "The Lost Journals of Sacajawea" by Debra Magpie Earling

Book Buzz: The Lost Journals of Sacajewea

The Lost Journals of Sacajewea by Debra Magpie Earling Schoolchildren across the country have heard the story of Sacajawea, and can readily recall her association with the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804 – 1806.  She is commonly referred to as the expedition’s interpreter.  One has the impression of a beautiful, competent, wise young woman … Read more

Cover image from "The Frozen River" by Ariel Lawhon

Book Buzz: The Frozen River

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon  It’s winter 1789 in Hallowell, Maine. Midwife Martha Ballard is summoned to the town’s tavern to attend a patient. When she arrives, Martha is surprised to learn she’s been asked to examine a body found frozen in the icy Kennebec River earlier that morning. The dead man is Joshua … Read more

Cover image of "The Storm We Made" by Vanessa Chan

Book Buzz: The Storm We Made

The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan In this evocative novel set in British-colonized Malaya, a chance encounter sets off a chain of events that irrevocably alters a family’s life. Housewife Cecily Alcantara is charmed by merchant Bingley Chan when the two meet at a party in 1934. The two grow closer, and eventually Chan … Read more

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News


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WCLS partners with state, county health departments to respond to opioid crisis

Whatcom County Library System (WCLS) is partnering with the Washington State Department of Health to provide free naloxone kits to community members in need. The kits are available at WCLS’s 10 branch locations and the bookmobile. Supplies are limited but will be refilled periodically as long as WCLS can obtain additional doses.  “We are thrilled … Read more

cartoon image of detective with giant magnifying glass

WCLS asks: Can you spot a scam?

By WCLS Executive Director Christine Perkins I was talking to a library patron recently and asked how her week was going. “Terrible,” she reported, and went on to explain that her computer had been “hacked” while shopping online and she had been on the phone with someone who insisted she send him thousands of dollars. … Read more

Whatcom READS announces 2024 programs

Library staff and booksellers who organize and present Whatcom READS have announced the literary program’s 2024 schedule of community and author events, celebrating Red Paint: The Ancestral Autobiography of a Coast Salish Punk by Sasha taqʷšəblu LaPointe. Winner of the Washington State Book Award for creative nonfiction, Red Paint traces LaPointe’s personal story of trauma, healing and the search … Read more

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Whatcom County Council allocates $315,000 in ARPA funding to support Birch Bay Vogt Library Express

Following successful outreach by Friends of the Birch Bay Library volunteers, the Whatcom County Council has allocated $315,000 to support construction of the Birch Bay Vogt Library Express. The funding was included in County Executive Satpal Sidhu’s recommendations for the county’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) expenditures and agreed to by the council. The ARPA … Read more

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