The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin There are books that love books; books that extol the virtues of books; books that fixate on the very nature of books; and then there are books that are heartfelt love letters to the power of books. “The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry” falls into the … Read more
American Mermaid by Julia Langbein This splashy debut novel is part Hollywood satire, part girl-power eco-thriller. High school English teacher Penny moves to LA for the summer to adapt her bestselling novel into a movie. In Penny’s book, also called American Mermaid, protagonist Sylvia is an asexual engineer who discovers that her disability—she has chronic pain in her … Read more
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang “Bad Art Friend” meets psychological thriller in this pacy, satirical page-turner. June Hayward is a struggling author whose debut novel flopped. Her college friend, Athena Liu, is a bestselling author who just landed a Netflix deal. When Athena dies in an accident, June finds herself in possession of the secret manuscript for … Read more
No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister Reviewed by Mary Kinser, collection development librarian, Whatcom County Library System At first glance, you might not understand the connection between the theme of this novel – the magic and power of story – and its title — No Two Persons. Inspired by the familiar adage “no two persons ever read … 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
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel Emily St. John Mandel’s latest work, “Sea of Tranquility,” takes readers on a journey across space and time in hopes of understanding a mysterious anomaly. Spanning from the northern reaches of Vancouver Island to the lunar colonies and ranging from 1912 to 2401, this story is a … Read more
Cascadia Field Guide: Art, Ecology, Poetry edited by Elizabeth Bradfield, CMarie Fuhrman and Dereky Sheffield The collection Cascadia Field Guide: Art, Ecology, Poetry is a love story masquerading as a field guide. In the book, 14 artists and more than 100 poets and writers express their devotion to the bioregion through black-and-white illustrations, place-inspired poetry and evocative prose. … 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
The Necessity of Wildfire: Poems by Caitlin Scarano Have you ever sat with a friend late into the night, listening as their stories turn from interesting memories to cries for help? It’s late and everyone else has gone home, leaving you alone with your friend as they tell you, “Back then I kept this great scream … 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