Nonfiction – Shelf Talk

#BookBingoNW2020: In Translation

This year traveling around the world is put on hold, but there is another way you can do it this summer with Summer Book Bingo. The “In Translation” square let’s you travel by armchair from China to Morocco to India. Here are a few recommendations to get you started on your Book Bingo journey. Safe travels!

First stop is Iraq with The Beekeeper: Rescuing the Stolen Women of Iraq by Dunyā Mīkhāʼīl. A nonfiction book translated from Arabic, it tells the story of several women who have been held captive by Daesh (ISIS) and of their escape with the help of a local beekeeper.

Second stop on our journey is Casablanca in The Happy Marriage by Tahar Ben Jelloun. Translated from French, this fiction novel is told from two separate points of view, the husband who has written and hidden a book blaming everything wrong with his life on his wife. When his wife finds it, she writes her own interpretation of the events held within.

The third stop on our journey is India in The Story of A Goat by Perumāḷmurukan. Translated from Tamil, the story is told from the goat’s perspective. A farmer and his wife are given a black goat kid who is the runt of the litter. As the goat gets nursed to health and continues to live a very full life we learn of her adventures and tribulations.

Let’s stop next at Japan and visit a library in The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami. A young boy gets lost in a maze inside a nightmarish library where an old man wants to eat his brains. With the help of a voiceless girl and a sheep man, they will attempt to escape.

Our final stop is China with The Four Books by Lianke Yan. Translated from Chinese, artistic and academic free thinking individuals are in a reeducation camp to bring them back to Communism. The person in charge of them is a preadolescent child who is cruel in their punishments, but can also at times be sympathetic.

For more inspiration read these previous blog posts:

For more books in translation, check out our book list!

For more ideas for books to meet your Summer Book Bingo challenge, follow our Shelf Talk #BookBingoNW2020 series or check the hashtag #BookBingoNW2020 on social media. Book bingo is presented in partnership with Seattle Arts & Lectures .

~posted by Pam H.

Write On!: Publish Your Writing

Check! You did it, you’ve done the hardest part. You’ve taken an idea, a slither of an idea and honed it into a strong piece of writing. Now, you’re ready to send it out into the world.

This brings you to another beginning. This beginning is just as crucial and just as important as completing that piece of writing. Now comes the process of finding the journal, magazine, publisher or website that will accept your work.

You have to start somewhere! There are more options available today, than ever, for getting your writing read, accepted and published in print, online, by others or by publishing it yourself.

Publishing moves a work into the world; thoughts travel on paper, across screens where ideas can be talked about, contemplated by friends, family, colleagues and strangers.

So, where to start? It might be prudent to consult the Poets & Writers Complete Guide to Becoming a Writer and follow that with The Forest for the Trees: An Editor’s Advice to Writers.

You’ll find resources in The Seattle Public Library’s collection to assist you as you move forward. You might call them tools of the trade. First, I’d like to bring your attention to the library’s Seattle Writes programming. This includes podcasts such as: Seattle Writes: Taking the Mystery out of Getting Published: Six published crime writers unveil the mysteries of writing and publishing in today’s evolving marketplace and Seattle Writes: 5 Things You Need to Know Before You Self-Publish with Beth Jusino.

There are books to discover, each one offering something useful in its own way. If you’re new to the process, then How to Publish Your Book is a good place to start. Publishing is a world and it is a savvy move to understand as much about that world as possible. This includes learning the role Agents, Editors and Publishers play in the publication process. What is involved in Researching Writer’s Markets and what is necessary to know about the Art of the Book Proposal. Having an idea of what happens Before and After the Book Deal will, surely, give you a window into the world of publishing.

Considering putting on the hat of publisher and publishing your own work? Check out The Self-Publishing Path. Learn about what it takes to Start Your Own Self-Publishing Business. Follow up with How to Self-Publish Your Book and you’re on your way. Besides books there’s the Complete Guide to Self-Publishing Comics and Make a Zine: Start Your Own Underground Publishing Revolution.

The journey of creation and the journey of placing your work on the world stage is a journey that can be well worth the journey, if you persist. Are you ready to begin? Check out the resource list Write On!: Publish Your Writing. We hope the resources on this list will help guide your path to publication.

This blog post is part of a multi-part series. Catch up with other posts: Write on!: The Very Personal Journey of Keeping a Journal; Write On! Nonfiction Writing Informs the World; Write On! A Story Only You Can Tell, Writing a Memoir; Write On! Crafting the Novel, Creating Imaginary Lives; Write On!: Get Moving, Write that Screenplay; and The Last Note Begins with See Sharp: On Transforming Your Thoughts Into Poetry.

~ posted by Chris

#BookBingoNW2020 – History or alternate history

“Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.” – Winston Churchill

One of the squares for adult bingo this year is History or Alternate History. History is just one great big story told from different perspectives. Also, since it’s so diverse the chances are high that you will find a story that you will enjoy. Here are a few that are available via ebook!

Chief Seattle and the Town That Took His Name: The Change of Worlds for the Native People and Settlers on Puget Sound by David M.Buerge

An in-depth historical account of Chief Seattle, an advocate for peace and Native American rights, from the late 18th to mid-19th centuries.

The Queen: The Forgotten Life Behind An American Myth by Josh Levin

Levin exposes the racist myth of the “welfare queen” through the life of Linda Taylor. “THE QUEEN tells, for the first time, the fascinating story of what was done to Linda Taylor, what she did to others, and what was done in her name.” (Little, Brown & Co)

Jefferson’s Daughters: Three Sisters, White and Black, in A Young America by Catherine Kerrison

Kerrison examines slavery, race, class, and family ties through the story of Jefferson’s three daughters—one enslaved, two free—asking readers to contemplate why “discredited ideologies of gender and race continue to control and separate Americans so powerfully.”

A World on Fire: A Heretic, An Aristocrat, and the Race to Discover Oxygen by Joe Jackson

An enthralling account of the almost simultaneous discovery of oxygen by Englishman Joseph Priestley and Frenchman Antoine Lavoisier.

The Great Halifax Explosion: A World War I Story of Treachery, Tragedy, and Extraordinary Heroism by John U. Bacon

The best-selling account of “the largest man made explosion prior to the atomic bomb,” which took place in Halifax, Nova Scotia during World War I. Loaded with 3000 pounds of munitions, the Mont-Blanc ship exploded once it reached Halifax, causing 11,000 fatalities and leveling the city. Bacon recounts the heroism shown throughout the disaster, and its strengthening impact on U.S.-Canada relations during the war.

If the TV series The Plot Against America has you looking for alternative endings to history, here are some books you might be interested in. Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan, Unholy Land by Lavie Tidhar, and The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèlí Clark.

If you still can’t find a book that interests you check out these blog posts from previous years:

Also, take a look at our book list!

~posted by Pamela H.

The Art of Protest: The Language, Music and Images of Civil Discontent

Joining a protest is personal and a public event. People from all ages and all walks of life take to the streets calling for societal change. Throughout history worlds of people have marched, from handfuls to millions with voices raised, through cities and towns.

When The People Speak, heads turn. Everybody is filled with a heightened awareness. What message is being sent? Who is speaking as a shouting crowd of onlookers responds? From a singular voice to multitudes, the sounds of a protest command attention. There is more than one way, however, to be heard.

Artists speak through their work, seeking to capture the tenor of their times. A protest march can be a dramatic affair incorporating music, chants, costumes and signs. A throng of people stride through the center of town, disrupting business, blocking traffic, calling attention to a cause. How do you know they’re coming? Drumbeats and chants sound through the air long before the first row comes into view. Continue reading “The Art of Protest: The Language, Music and Images of Civil Discontent”

#BookBingoNW2020: Myth or Fable (original or retold)

During quarantine one of my goals was going through all the Marvel movies in order of release (I’ve heard I’m not the only one). This had me falling in love with Loki all over again. This set of a spark in me to read more books about Loki and myths in general. I also lucked out that there is a bingo square this year just for this purpose: Myth or fable (original or retold).

When I was looking for books to read for this square, I stumbled across The Gospel of Loki by Joanne Harris and Mist by Susan Krinard. Both of these books feature Loki prominently. Mist is a re-imagining of a Valkyrie and Loki. It is set in modern day San Francisco and the main character realizes that she isn’t living a normal life like she thought. She is a Valkyrie and her mortal boyfriend is actually the trickster god, Loki. The Gospel of Loki is the Norse myths told from his perspective.

Continue reading “#BookBingoNW2020: Myth or Fable (original or retold)”