Book Buzz: The Wok: Recipes and Techniques

The Wok: Recipes and Techniques by J. Kenji López-Alt

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

Book Buzz: Congratulations, the Best Is Over!

Congratulations, the Best Is Over!: Essays by R. Eric Thomas

Congratulations, the Best Is Over!: Essays by R. Eric Thomas In this new collection of laugh-out-loud funny essays, R. Eric Thomas picks up where his last memoir (Here For It, 2020) left off. Newly married and enjoying professional success, Thomas’ life is upended when his husband, a Presbyterian pastor, takes a job in Thomas’ hometown of Baltimore. He … Read more

Book Buzz: The Book of (More) Delights

The Book of (More) Delights: Essays by Ross Gay

The Book of (More) Delights: Essays by Ross Gay In this sequel to The Book of Delights (2019), Ross Gay is back with even more digressions about delight. This book is the result of Gay’s project to notice and record everyday moments of gratitude for one year, starting in August 2021. As the world opens back up after … Read more

Book Buzz: The Midnight Library

Cover image for "The Midnight Library" by Matt Haig

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig Typically, when I finish a book, I immediately pick up the next one. However, on occasion a book lingers in my thoughts for a day, or more, carving out a spot for itself and temporarily forbidding any new stories from taking root. “The Midnight Library” by Matt Haig is … Read more

Book Buzz: O Lady, Speak Again

O Lady, Speak Again by Danya Patterson

O Lady, Speak Again by Danya Patterson Let’s face it, I’m not at all qualified to review this powerful book of poems on the themes of feminism, Mormon culture and the women of Shakespeare’s plays.  I’m in over my head, yet I’ve been drawn in by both wordplay and intimacy as Bellingham poet Dayna Patterson navigates … Read more

Book Buzz: Where the Language Lives: Vi Hilbert and the Gift of Lushootseed

Where the Language Lives by Janet Yoder

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

Book Buzz: Horse

Cover image for "Horse" by Geraldine Brooks

Horse by Geraldine Brooks “Horse,” by Geraldine Brooks, is a timely work of historical fiction. The narrative touches on issues of race, class and privilege, yet at its heart, it is a story of perseverance and survival. The book spans multiple eras, ranging from 1850 through 1875, to the 1950s, and 2019 through early 2020. … Read more

Book Buzz: Teaching in the Rain: The Story of North Cascades Institute

Teaching in the Rain: The Story of North Cascades Institute by John C. Miles

Teaching in the Rain: The Story of North Cascades Institute by John C. Miles The North Cascades inspire dreamers. Count among them a group of five friends who, beginning in the early 1980s, turned a shared vision into the North Cascades Institute.  The nationally respected environmental education nonprofit organization marked its 35th anniversary in 2021. The … Read more

Book Buzz: Edison’s Ghosts

Edison’s Ghosts: The Untold Weirdness of History’s Greatest Geniuses by Katie Spalding

Edison’s Ghosts: The Untold Weirdness of History’s Greatest Geniuses by Katie Spalding You know their names. You might even know their famous accomplishments. But do you know how truly, well, weird they were? Probably not – which is exactly where mathematician and author Katie Spalding shines. Pulling back the layers of reverence that surround well-known geniuses like Isaac … Read more

Book Buzz: The Art Thief

The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel

The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel Stéphane Breitwieser’s crimes seem almost unfathomable. In the span of 6 years, from 1995 to 2001, the French thief and his girlfriend stole more than 200 paintings, sculptures, and priceless objects from museums across Europe. They committed their crimes in … Read more