Hula by Jasmin ‘Iolani Hakes Now that winter has finally arrived in Whatcom County, readers might enjoy a literary escape to warmer climes, and “Hula: a Novel” by Jasmin ‘Iolani Hakes is the ticket. Set primarily in Hilo, Hawai’i, “Hula” conjures the glittering ocean, the sizzling sun and misty rain, and the fragrant and colorful hibiscus, … Read more
The Wok: Recipes and Techniques by J. Kenji López-Alt The 2023 winner of the Washington State Book Award for General Nonfiction, J. Kenji López-Alt, is not a flash-in-the-pan. His first book, “The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science,” was a New York Times bestseller and won a 2016 James Beard Foundation Award. In 2020, he … Read more
Where the Language Lives by Janet Yoder Vi taqʷšɘblu Hilbert was 49 years old when she got a phone call that changed the course of her life. Thom Hess, a linguist at the University of Washington, called Hilbert and asked her to review an audio recording of one of her mother’s traditional Coast Salish stories he … Read more
The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin Legendary music producer and founder of Def Jam Recordings Rick Rubin is known for his light touch with artists and an ear for what’s profitable. The list of musicians and bands he’s worked with is a who’s who of rap, hip-hop, heavy metal and rock: Beastie … Read more
The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth by Sam Quinones The Least of Us takes us into the lives of people involved with and impacted by fentanyl and super-meth. Sam Quinones, a former award-winning investigative reporter and now author, has extensive contacts in Mexico and across the … Read more
Making of A Rescuer: An Otto-biography of the Life of Otto T. Trott, MD by Nicholas Campbell Corff If you’ve ever taken a run down the Ottobahn between Chair 8 and Chair 7 at the Mt. Baker Ski Area, you may have wondered how it got its punny moniker. It’s named for Dr. Otto Trott, an … Read more
Meet Me Tonight in Atlantic City: A Memoir by Jane Wong Some memoirists paint the past with soft edges, intentionally or perhaps subconsciously smoothing out the rough bits and lingering fondly on the pleasant ones. Not Jane Wong. She lays it all out there, presenting a vivid, heart-wrenching, pull-no-punches exploration of her life (so far). Like the Bruce Springsteen … Read more
Finding Elevation: Fear and Courage on the World’s Most Dangerous Mountain by Lisa Thompson Washington state is home to many notable big-mountain climbers past and present. Names such as Whittaker (Jim, Lou and Leif, who now lives in Bellingham) and Wickwire, Ridgeway, Roskelly, Beckey, Molenaar, Schoening — and more recently Steve House, Dave Hahn, Garrett Madison. … Read more
Calling Bullshit: The Art of Skepticism in A Data-driven World by Carl T. Bergstrom and Jevin D. West Ahh, spring in Whatcom County! The stench of cow manure wafts over fields. Home gardeners load Subarus with giant bags of the stuff. Bullshit — to be both crass and obvious — is everywhere. Authors Carl T. Bergstrom … Read more
The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka Reviewed by Emma Radosevich, collection development librarian, Whatcom County Library System At the community pool, obsessive lap swimmers adhere to a strict, unspoken social code. They stick to their lanes and keep an eye out for each other–especially Alice, who has been swimming laps here for 35 years. Her dementia doesn’t … Read more