Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell About Fear by Erica Berry Why are wolves so feared and reviled? How do the stories we tell about them unconsciously shape our relationship to our environment? When is fear healthy and realistic? Portland author Erica Berry’s debut book, “Wolfish,” wrestles with these questions, blending memoir, science … Read more
Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily R. Austin “Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead,” by Emily R. Austin opens a window on a uniquely Millennial/Gen Z experience. Gilda, the story’s protagonist, is a 20-something neurodivergent queer atheist whose anxiety makes it hard for her to hold down a job … Read more
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
In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss by Amy Bloom “In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss” is author Amy Bloom’s recounting of her life with her husband, Brian, and how they faced his death together. After struggling with progressively declining mental acuity, Brian was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Confronted by this stark … 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