Take by Jennifer Bradbury Skagit County author Jennifer Bradbury’s most recent novel for teens is a mystery/thriller set in the peaks of the North Cascades. Cara just graduated from high school and is working multiple part-time jobs to earn enough for her gap year, which she intends to spend climbing in Patagonia. She’s looking forward to … Read more
Why We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out by Shannon Reed Why do you read? Is it to find companionship, escape, adventure? If you’re Shannon Reed, it’s for all those reasons and plenty more. As a child with a hearing impairment, books became Reed’s lifeline. That connection strengthened with time, … Read more
I’ve Tried Being Nice: Essays by Ann Leary Ann Leary is done being nice. No one can say she hasn’t tried, but after a lifetime of people-pleasing, and with her children finally launched, Leary has stopped bending over backwards. In this relatable essay collection, the novelist sheds her always-agreeable image and shares the nitty-gritty details of … Read more
Group Living and Other Recipes: A Memoir by Lola Milholland In a time when it is rare to tune into the news without hearing a story about high housing costs or housing shortages, Lola Milholland’s debut memoir, “Group Living and Other Recipes,” is a timely examination of taking a different approach to the way we define … Read more
Readers and writers, rejoice! Open Book: A Festival for Readers returns noon-5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3 at the Ferndale Events Center, 5715 Barrett Road, Ferndale. Generously sponsored by Whatcom County Library Foundation and enthusiastically presented by Whatcom County Library System and Village Books and Paper Dreams, Open Book celebrates readers, writers and bookish enthusiasm with weird and wonderful hands-on book-related experiences at … Read more
On Island: Life Among the Coast Dwellers by Pat Carney If you’ve ever dreamed of chucking it all and moving to a sleepy, small Pacific Northwest island (or if you already have) you may appreciate Pat Carney’s charming set of meandering, interconnected short stories set on an unnamed Gulf Island in British Columbia. Carney passed away … Read more
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley John le Carré meets “Kate and Leopold” in this genre-bending debut. An unnamed British civil servant transfers to new hush-hush department to work on a secret project: studying the effects of time travel on human subjects. She is paired with Lt. Graham Gore, a navy officer rescued from a … Read more
Evenings & Weekends by Oisín McKenna It’s the hottest weekend of the summer and the people of London are ready to let loose. Phil and his housemates—including Keith, with whom he’s secretly in love—are planning a warehouse solstice party. Maggie, Phil’s best friend, is pregnant and wants one last hurrah in the city before she … Read more
If you are a reader who likes books with thought-provoking situations, characters with depth, and topics that you can discuss endlessly, check out what local book clubs are reading as a clever way to find your next great read. To get you started, below are four brief reviews of books that are the August selections … Read more
A Blaine nonprofit organization is transforming retired Whatcom County Library System totes into Bookworm Bins as a fundraiser for the Blaine Library. The partnership between Blaine CORE and the Friends of Blaine Library keeps plastic out of the landfill, creates healthy gardens, connects community members with nature and raises funds to support library programs. The … Read more