Peak Picks for January 2019

Eight titles will be joining our Peak Picks collection of most in-demand titles this month including a twisty thriller, a pair of dystopian novels and an Homeric odyssey ​round out the fiction picks. A genealogical mystery, a memoir about the working poor and a history of Indian America from Wounded Knee to Standing Rock complete the nonfiction picks.

Here’s what’s coming to your library:

An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen
Adult Fiction. “Struggling Manhattan makeup artist Jessica Farris impulsively decides to chase some quick cash by lying her way into an NYU psychiatrist’s study—of ethics and morality, no less— in this slickly twisty psychological thriller from bestsellers Hendricks and Pekkanen (The Wife Between Us). —Publishers Weekly
Also a January 2019 IndieNext Pick!

From the Ground Up: A Journey to Reimagine the Promise of America by Howard Schultz
Adult Nonfiction. “Howard Schultz’s story is a clear reminder that success is not achieved through individual determination alone, but through partnership and community. Howard’s commitment to both have helped him build one of the world’s most recognized brands. It will be exciting to see what he accomplishes next.” – Bill Gates
Local connection: CEO of Starbucks!

The Golden State by Ben H. Winters
Adult Fiction. “Tell a fib, a whopper, a confabulation in California, and, promises Winters (The Last Policeman, 2013, etc.), you’ll wind up in a heap of trouble. For those who like their dystopias with a dash of humor. No lie.” — Kirkus Reviews
Also a January 2019 IndieNext Pick!

The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Indian America from 1890 to the Present by David Treuer
Adult Nonfiction. “An Ojibwe novelist and historian delivers a politically charged, highly readable history of America’s Indigenous peoples after the end of the wars against them. A welcome modern rejoinder to classics such as God Is Red and Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.” — Kirkus Reviews
A Vanity Fair Best Nonfiction Read for Winter!

Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love by Dani Shapiro
Adult Nonfiction. “In this fascinating memoir, Shapiro (Hourglass) writes of how she questioned her identity when a DNA test revealed that she was not, as she believed she was, 100% Jewish. This beautifully written, thought-provoking genealogical mystery will captivate readers from the very first pages.” – Publishers Weekly
Also a January 2019 IndieNext Pick!

Maid:  Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive by Stephanie Land
Adult Nonfiction. “First-time author Land chronicles her years among the working poor as a single mother with only a high school diploma trying to earn a living as a minimum-wage housecleaner. An important memoir that should be required reading for anyone who has never struggled with poverty.” – Kirkus Reviews
Local connection: Land worked as a maid in Mt. Vernon WA!

An Orchestra of Minorities by Chigozie Obioma
Adult Fiction. “A modern love story that examines what a person might do for love—and whether fate can render those efforts moot. A deeply original book that will have readers laughing at, angry with, and feeling compassion for a determined hero who endeavors to create his own destiny.” – Kirkus Reviews
Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize!

The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh
Adult Fiction. “Three sisters, secreted away during a global crisis of male violence, learn to fight for their survival in this spare, dystopian debut. An evocative coming-of-age novel that captures the fear, rage, and yearning of three women growing up in a time of heightened violence.” – Kirkus Reviews
Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and a January 2019 IndieNext Pick!

~posted by Frank B.

 

Chilling Tales for Winter

The formula is simple: a reader, some listeners, and a book of suspenseful stories; beginnings, middles and ends, with a few twists and turns along the way. Nothing fancy of high tech: just words in silence, and the occasional laughter or gasp. That’s Thrilling Tales: A Storytime for Grownups, now entering its sixteenth year at the Central Library. Join us, won’t you? Here’s some of what awaits you in the months ahead:

• Sunday, January 20, 7 p.m. at Third Place Books Seward Park. Unintended Consequences: It’s the Law: A Dip in the Pool, by Roald Dahl. Gambling on the high seas can be awfully fun, but as the stakes rise a shipboard wager gets out of hand. Also, Those Three Wishes, by Robert Scott.
• Monday, January 28, 12:05 p.m Central Library, Auditorium. For the Love of Books & Libraries: The Last Librarian, by Edoardo Albert. “I am one of the secret masters of the world. I am a librarian. Don’t ever piss me off.” Also, Hey Jude, by Francis Brody. The cops picked her up for shoplifting, but wait ‘til you find out what she stole. (These stories will be repeated at Third Place Books Seward Park on Monday, March 13 at 7 p.m.)
• Monday, February 11, 12:05 p.m. Central Library, Auditorium. The Party, by William F Nolan. He didn’t know how he got there, but one thing was certain: this was going to be one hell of a party. Also, The New Deal, by Charles Einstein. The House always wins, but then – it’s their deck!
• Monday, February 25, 12:05 p.m. Central Library, Level 4, room 1.  Dumber than Dirt, by Libby Fischer Hellmann. Derek never was the sharpest knife in the dishwasher. Word to the wise: when stealing a car, check the trunk first.
• Monday, March 11, 12:05 p.m. Central Library, Auditorium.  The Other Side of the Wall, by Stanley Ellin. Someone had better call the police: Dr. Schwimmer and his patient Albert are about to have a major breakthrough. Also, The Great Silence, by Ted Chiang. The humans look to the stars for non-human intelligence, but we parrots are right here. Talk to us!

Many more thrills and chills await: find more upcoming Thrilling Tales right here, or pick up our annual flyer at your local branch library.

               – posted by David W.

Books Coming to the Big Screen in 2019

Two quintessential Seattle novels — Where’d You Go, Bernadette and The Art of Racing in the Rain — are coming to a movie theatre near you in 2019! Some scenes for Bernadette were filmed at our Central Library (and, yes, Cate Blanchette was there, AT OUR LIBRARY!). We can’t wait to see if we made the final cut.

Many other books have been adapted for the screen and will make their debut in 2019, and we’ve listed 10 here with links to the books that inspired them. Time to read and re-read some of these treasures:

The Rhythm Section (opening Feb. 22)
The Book: The Rhythm Section by Mark Burnell.
College student Stephanie Patrick’s life is destroyed after the crash of flight NEO027; her family was on board and there were no survivors. She spins out of control until a reporter discovers the crash was not an accident and Stephanie finds a new focus: revenge.
The Film: Directed by Reed Morano; stars Blake Lively, Jude Law.

To Every Friendship There is a Season

One of the things I constantly try to remind myself and others is that expectations are a relationship killer. And while I was thinking of that in romantic terms, I should have also been looking at that in friendships too.

Friendships have been on my mind a lot lately —friendships lost, tested, stretched, made, molded —and what it all becomes. I’ve been looking back at my friendships over the years and some really hard friendship breaks…almost worse than a break up really. That anxiety that builds up and you feel like you’re drowning and don’t know what to do to save it. I found some advice recently that really empowered me:

Seattle Rep’s LAST OF THE BOYS: Beyond the Theatre

Seattle Repertory Theatre presents LAST OF THE BOYS by Steven Dietz, directed by Braden Abraham, from January 18 to February 10, 2019. Librarians at Seattle Public Library created this list of books, films, and music to enhance your experience of the show.

Seattle’s prolific and industrious playwright Steven Dietz received a Pulitzer Prize nomination for LAST OF THE BOYS, which was written and first produced in 2004.