Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma by Claire Dederer I have been waiting to read Claire Dederer’s “Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma” since approximately 7:50 p.m. June 22, 2017. So, when it arrived at libraries and bookstores April 25, 2023, I was ready. And oh, my, was it worth the wait. “Monsters” tackles a complicated question — can we … Read more
A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan’s Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them by Timothy Egan Seattle author Timothy Egan is adept at bringing history to life for readers, often identifying little-known people whose lives played a pivotal role in “how it all turned out.” His recently published book, “A Fever … Read more
Confidence by Rafael Frumkin Ezra Green is a smart, bored high schooler who winds up in juvie for selling fake drugs to his classmates. It’s there he meets Orson: charming, ambitious, opportunistic. They become friends, then roommates, then business partners—though Ezra never gives up hope that their relationship will become something deeper. Their series of petty … Read more
Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton Katie loves her hometown of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. But growing up, she knows that one day she must leave to find work elsewhere. Over grayscale drawings of the island’s coastline, she tells us: “I learn that I can have opportunity or I can have home. … Read more
I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai The Granby School is an elite institution with a history marred by the scandalous murder of student Thalia Keith in 1995. Athletic director Omar Evans was convicted of Thalia’s murder, but online crime buffs have speculated for years that the case was rushed to judgment. In 2018, … 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
Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution by Rainn Wilson Viewers of the sitcom The Office may wonder why the guy who played the “beet-farming, paper-selling, tangentially Amish man-baby with the giant forehead and short-sleeved mustard shirts” is writing a book about spirituality and how it can save humanity from all that threatens to overwhelm us. Three-time … Read more
Our Best Intentions by Vibhuti Jain Vibhuti Jain’s compelling, character-driven novel introduces readers to a fresh new voice in fiction. In the affluent suburb of Kitchewan, Babur Singh believes he has done everything possible to ensure a bright future for his daughter Angela, a talented swimmer. One afternoon Angela stumbles onto a shocking scene – Henry … 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
Rose Quartz: Poems by Sasha taqʷšblu LaPointe and I Sing the Salmon Home: Poems from Washington State edited by Rena Priest Just in time for National Poetry Month, there are two newly published poetry collections by writers with roots in Whatcom and Skagit counties. “Rose Quartz” is the debut poetry collection by Sasha taqʷšblu LaPointe, the author of “Red Paint: … Read more